Absorption!

Su Zhao had long suspected that the rankings on the Heavenly Flame Ranking might not be rankings of the Heavenly Flames' potential. Aside from the top three Heavenly Flames, more than one of each of the remaining flames could naturally be born between heaven and earth.

This ranking was likely the list Tou She Ancient God had defined after devouring every Heavenly Flame in sequence, based on their strength at the time.

It could only represent the strength rankings of the Heavenly Flames when he devoured them, not their potential rankings.

Therefore, a Heavenly Flame's ranking on the Heavenly Flame Ranking could not represent the extent of its potential. If a Green Lotus Core Flame had nurtured itself for ten thousand years, it would certainly be no weaker than the Heavenly Flames in the top ten.

Su Zhao raised his head, a sharp glint flashing in his eyes. "With my current Dou Master cultivation, this Myriad Beast Spirit Flame has come at exactly the right time!"

Su You's expression tightened slightly at those words. "Young Master, do you intend to absorb this Myriad Beast Spirit Flame? Although your constitution is special, this is still a Heavenly Flame. Unlike ordinary beast flames, Heavenly Flames contain spiritual intelligence and violent energy. You must be extremely careful if you wish to devour and refine it."

Su Zhao nodded, already having a plan in mind. "Of course I know. Su You, first wear down this Myriad Beast Spirit Flame. Once you weaken it to an extremely frail state, I'll absorb it."

Although he possessed a Fire Spirit Physique and did not need to prepare numerous auxiliary items like ordinary people when devouring Heavenly Flames, he still could not be careless.

After all, the Myriad Beast Spirit Flame contained energy comparable to a Dou Wang. Even if the Fire Spirit Physique could suppress the flames' backlash, that immense energy might not be something his current Dou Master body could withstand.

In the original story, the reason Xiao Yan had been able to successfully devour the Green Lotus Core Flame was also because Medusa Queen had weakened it to an extremely frail state, giving Xiao Yan an opening.

Otherwise, even with the Blood Lotus Pill's assistance, given his cultivation at the time, his chance of success would have been less than one percent.

Su You acted at once.

With a lift of his hand, he condensed a mass of dense green wind pressure and sent it enveloping the Myriad Beast Spirit Flame. Sensing the attack from outside, the Myriad Beast Spirit Flame suddenly surged. Countless beastly shadows rushed out from within the flames, transforming into roaring giant tigers, savage giant pythons, and ferocious winged birds. Carrying scorching heat and violent beastly power, they pounced toward Su You!

The Myriad Beast Spirit Flame truly lived up to its name.

The Heavenly Flame manifested beast forms, wielding the power of magical beasts against its enemies.

An ordinary Dou Wang might not necessarily have been its match. But unfortunately, Su You was a peak nine-star Dou Emperor, only one step away from a Dou Zong. Before Su You's raging winds, the countless beastly shadows were like chickens and dogs, crushed, suppressed, and obliterated by layers of wind pressure before dissolving into sparks that vanished into the air.

After roughly half an hour, Su You continuously used wind pressure to weaken the Myriad Beast Spirit Flame, forcibly suppressing it from energy comparable to a Dou Wang.

The flames' scarlet color dimmed. The countless beastly shadows could no longer take shape, and even the way the flames flickered became listless, like a candle sputtering in the wind, on the verge of going out.

Su Zhao stepped forward, his burning gaze fixed upon the Myriad Beast Spirit Flame that had been weakened to its limit.

It was time.

The Myriad Beast Spirit Flame was now at its weakest. At most, its remaining energy was equivalent to that of a Dou Ling-level magical beast.

With his current Dou Master cultivation, combined with the natural suppression of the Fire Spirit Physique, he had enough confidence to devour it!

Xiao Yi Xian, Su You, and the Purple Crystal Winged Lion King all retreated to the edge of the cave, making enough room for Su Zhao while standing guard for him.

Su Zhao stood before the Myriad Beast Spirit Flame, his face flickering beneath the scarlet firelight.

Even after Su You had weakened it to this extent, a Heavenly Flame was still a Heavenly Flame. The scorching heat still rushed at him head-on, as though he stood at the mouth of an about-to-erupt volcano. Even the air was burned and distorted.

"Even weakened to this extent, you are still a Heavenly Flame..."

Su Zhao gazed at the listlessly flickering scarlet flame and spoke softly.

"But today, you can only become a part of me, transformed into nourishment for my growth!"

The instant his words fell, boom!

A layer of scarlet Origin Flame instantly rose from the surface of his body, enveloping him completely.

Its color was several shades deeper than that of the Myriad Beast Spirit Flame, like solidified rubies burning. It emanated an aura entirely different from the Myriad Beast Spirit Flame—an almost primal, pure will of fire, as if it were the origin of all flames, born to stand above every other fire!

Su Zhao leaped forward. Rather than retreating, he charged fiercely toward the Myriad Beast Spirit Flame!

Although the Myriad Beast Spirit Flame had been weakened to the extreme, the spiritual intelligence and instincts of a Heavenly Flame remained.

Sensing someone approaching, the listless flames abruptly surged, trying to erupt with a scorching wave of heat to force Su Zhao back.

Yet the Myriad Beast Spirit Flame was far from its peak now. The burst of power was like a wave crashing against a reef the instant it touched the Origin Flame covering Su Zhao's body, forcibly blocked outside!

Su Zhao let out a muffled groan, gritted his teeth, and charged straight into the scarlet flames!

The high temperature instantly wrapped around him from every direction. Even with the Origin Flame's protection, the searing heat still seeped through his skin and into his body, making him feel as if he had been thrown into a furnace.

But he did not retreat. Instead, he quickly focused and began sensing the location of the flame's core. What he sought was the Myriad Beast Spirit Flame's flame seed!

Only by devouring the flame seed could he truly refine the entire Heavenly Flame for his own use!

Inside the cave, the scarlet flames churned violently after Su Zhao barged in, like a lake into which a stone had been thrown. Layer after layer of fiery waves spread outward with Su Zhao at their center.

The firelight illuminated the entire cave, casting a dark crimson glow over the mountain-like piles of beast bones.

"Su Zhao!"

Xiao Yi Xian cried out and moved to rush forward.

A solid arm blocked her path.

Su You looked calm, his eyes equally fixed on where Su Zhao was. "Miss Xiao Yi Xian, the Young Master is still fine. Don't act rashly."

Xiao Yi Xian bit her lip, staring intently at the churning flames with her fists clenched tightly. In the end, she stopped.

She knew Su You was right. Su Zhao was currently battling the Heavenly Flame, and any outside interference could cause all his efforts to fail.

She could only remain where she was, forcefully suppressing all her anxiety and worry deep inside, her nails nearly digging into her palms.

At the center of the flames, Su Zhao was enduring an agony beyond measure.

Although the Myriad Beast Spirit Flame had been weakened, its nature as a Heavenly Flame had not changed.

Su Zhao's Origin Flame circulated over his body, isolating most of the fire outside. Yet the heat radiating from the flame seed at the core still pierced through his defenses, like countless red-hot steel needles stabbing into his skin, muscles, and meridians at once.

It hurt.

Yet amid the pain, Su Zhao's senses were exceptionally clear.

His soul power had already surpassed those of the same level after being tempered by the Pill Emperor's Legacy. Now, as he focused completely on searching for the flame seed's location, he soon sensed an energy core condensed to the utmost extreme at the most blazing center of the flames.

"Found you!"