Fire Reincarnation, the Divide Between Heaven and Man

Fire.

Qiu Yan suddenly realized that he had turned into a ball of fire.

The fire descended from the sky with the lightning, landing in the Lin Zhong and quickly spreading, turning into a raging forest fire in the blink of an eye!

The heatwave roared, the scorching heat raged!

In the Lin Zhong, a group of men and women dressed in animal skins had gathered. Some were directly devoured by the raging fire and Yellow Springs; others howled and dodged, fleeing with the beasts and birds.

In the face of horrific disasters, both humans and beasts are equally vulnerable.

Among the running crowd, some people were carrying sticks and dry grass, trying to steal a Fire Seed from the raging fire. Some were engulfed by the flames, while others successfully obtained Fire Seed.

Qiu Yan's consciousness was dispersed, turning into Fire Seed that followed the others as they ran.

Not long after, a torrential downpour extinguished the forest fire, and Qiu Yan's consciousness shifted to the embers of the Fire Seed.

Some of these Fire Seed went out, while others were placed inside the cave dwellings, covered with dry firewood, and used to cook food, provide warmth, and offer light.

As time went by, the Fire Seed in the cave dwelling, as well as the various scenes, began to fade, as if they were about to disappear.

Suddenly, Qiu Yan, who had been in a daze, became clear-headed, as if he had just woken up from a deep dream, and a thought flashed through his mind.

"This is a fortuitous opportunity! If we let these sights disappear, we will miss this fortuitous opportunity!"

Thinking of this, he was suddenly inspired, and streams of thoughts rose from the bottom of his heart, radiating outwards.

Suddenly, the scene that was about to dissipate became clear again. Before long, the cave dwellings collapsed, and a howling wind blew the fire inside the cave onto the thatched huts, turning it into a raging fire that spread to one tribe after another.

People ran, wailed, and screamed, only to be reduced to ashes in the flames.

Before long, the former tribes became ruins, their Fire Seed extinguished, turning into warmth hidden in the soil, withered leaves, and charcoal.

After an unknown amount of time—perhaps years, decades, or centuries—the crisp sounds awakened the warmth, and the flames reignited. The surrounding crowd had changed; they no longer wore animal hides but cloth, and carried polished weapons.

Soon, this group established a tribal alliance and waged war in all directions. Not long after, leaders of tribes near and far came to pay homage and elected a supreme ruler!

The priest held up a brazier, praying for this supreme ruler.

A deafening roar of shouts and cheers followed.

Within the flames, Qiu Yan's consciousness lay dormant, experiencing all of this.

After that, things changed dramatically.

This flame, imbued with Qiu Yan's consciousness, is sometimes confined to benefit humanity, and sometimes breaks free, baring its fangs and claws, taking countless lives.

Time flowed, dynasties rose and fell. As times changed, Qiu Yan transformed into a rocket, piercing a warship, and flames spread. In the end, Qiu Yan's consciousness sank into the great river along with the warship.

Then, the scene slowly dissipated, but the memory of Samsara in the fire did not disappear. It still lingered in Qiu Yan's mind, giving him a sense of enlightenment and inspiration.

"Human Fire and Heavenly Fire, the Human Path and the Heavenly Dao. This Human Fire is taken from heaven and used by humanity. If it can be controlled, it is a blessing; if it is allowed to break free and return to the Heavenly Dao, it will turn into a disaster. Celestial Person are vaguely opposed..."

As the thought gradually became clearer, a sigh suddenly reached my ears.

This sigh was short, sudden, and simple, yet it contained a yearning for the Heavenly Dao and Human Path, as well as a sense of helplessness.

Heavenly Dao reigns supreme, yet is impartial; Human Path stands by, yet is complex and multifaceted.

From the sigh, Qiu Yan sensed a spirit, a profound understanding—

"If we follow the Heavenly Dao, we neglect humanity; if we prioritize Human Path, we isolate ourselves from Heaven. Is it truly impossible to reconcile Heaven and humanity? If we could fulfill our responsibilities to Heaven while venturing into the mortal world, perhaps the Dao Keqi, and we could achieve enlightenment. Alas, human strength has its limits. Even celestial beings are bound by their own limitations. How can we achieve both?"

This sigh, this realization, seems like an interrogation, reaching straight to the heart of the one who uttered it, awakening and deafening, tearing away the fog in Qiu Yan's mind, revealing a trace of clues.

The illusions and scenes vanished. Qiu Yan knew that everything that had just happened, seemingly Samsara of thousands of years, was actually just an illusion caused by that spark of fire, which even the gods could not resist.

Suddenly, he heard whispers in his ears; it was the sound of countless people worshipping and worshipping.

A hazy white light reappeared in his vision, and a wisp of flame floated in front of him, Eight-Character Ancient Seal Inscription hovered not far away.

Whispers drifted from the flames.

Qiu Yan immediately discerned the nature and origin of these whispers.

"These whispers are the prayers and People's Wishes of the people from various tribes in this world! So that's how it is. It's not that the people of this world can't have People's Wishes, but the moment those Votive Thoughts arise, they are already absorbed by this flame and the nine suns in the sky, leaving nothing behind. How could anyone else possibly share in them?"

While pondering, he raised his hand, extended a finger, and pointed it at the flame.

"It's useless," came the voice from the side, Eight-Character Ancient Seal Inscription. "That flame just now clung to you, perhaps bringing some insights, but those insights aren't your own. As a deity, you have an Innate Realm flaw; you can't fully possess Human Fire. No matter what you do, it's futile. Being able to gain some insight is already a rare opportunity. Rather than clinging to it..."

As it was still speaking, Qiu Yan pointed a finger at it, and a Fire Star flew out from it!

Whispers echoed from within Fire Star, a gathering of people offering prayers and thanksgiving, all speaking of things related to fire.

The sound of the Eight-Character Ancient Seal Inscription abruptly stopped, followed by a cry of surprise.

"How is this possible!"

Slowly dissipating the Living Soul force emanating from the Black Hole, Qiu Yan channeled his divine power to tightly envelop the Fire Star, preventing it from escaping.

"This Fire Star contains the Lianxi Tribe's worship of me. There are only 591 people, but it encompasses most of the tribe. Each one is exceptionally devout. Indeed, the more dangerous the environment, the purer one's mind becomes, and the easier it is to entrust one's thoughts to it."

As he pondered, he opened his mouth and swallowed the Fire Star. Then, a pattern slowly appeared on his forehead, resembling a flickering flame.

As Qiu Yan swallowed the Fire Star, the tiny flame that had been transformed from the sun flickered and disappeared into the white light.

"This tiny flame contains boundless mysteries. If one could obtain it, not to mention its boundless power, the sheer amount of People's Wishes gathered within would be an unimaginable gain! It would be equivalent to acquiring one-tenth of the world's Incense Thoughts for free!"

Having just experienced that realization, Qiu Yan naturally understood the significance of that tiny flame. However, he also knew that with his current strength, being able to extract even a small spark from it was already his limit.

"With this Fire Star, we can replenish the People's Wishes from this world, though not much. But as the Lianxi Tribe develops, the number of worshippers and the scale of sacrifices expand, it will become considerable over time. More importantly, in this world, apart from those nine suns, there are no other deities vying for the People's Wishes."

A flicker of fire seemed to emanate from his eyes.

"Can the Heavenly Dao and the Human Path coexist? If one were to simultaneously comprehend the Supreme Being and understand the mortal world, I wonder if one could ultimately glimpse the Great Dao, or at the very least, obtain a spark of enlightenment..."

Meanwhile, Qiu Yan was still pondering, unaware that the Eight-Character Ancient Seal Inscription were almost stunned.

"How could you?" Just as it was about to express its shock, it saw Qiu Yan's body slowly dimming, showing a tendency to dissipate into the white light.

"This... this deity, though it didn't receive the inheritance, did obtain a trace of Human Fire from it and even integrated it into its Divine Body. The situation is far too bizarre. We can't let it go so easily!"

After a moment's hesitation, the Eight-Character Ancient Seal Inscription began to circulate and flew swiftly past.

Dense forests, swamps, volcanoes.

"The fruit was repelled by the white light and banished from the Land of the Divine Remains."

Qiu Yan's divine form appeared silently in the crater. He closed his eyes slightly, feeling the scorching heat around him, and his senses extended downwards, gradually approaching the entrance to the ruins.

"The pure thoughts at the entrance have been completely burned away. Even if gods and cultivators pass by, they will not be transmitted to the Land of the Divine Remains. This relic has been sealed again, and it is unknown how many years it will take to reopen it."

Thinking this, Qiu Yan took flight, exiting the crater and soaring into the sky.

"It's been a while since I've felt the sensation of flying."

With a sigh, he looked down and saw that the volcano still resembled a crouching beast, only its size had increased slightly.

"It's likely that lava erupted, cooled, and solidified, making the mountain appear larger."

As soon as this thought crossed his mind, a chorus of whispers suddenly arose around him. Since he entered the ruins, the People's Wishes, which he could only transmit through his clones, swarmed in and filled his Divine Body.

The Divine Body, which had solidified into flesh and blood, seemed to be cleansed under the impact of the People's Wishes. It gradually shed its flesh and blood and returned to a semi-real state, its entire body glowing with emerald green light. At the core of the Divine Body, a faint blue light flashed and disappeared.

Suddenly, the deity himself showed surprise.

"I was struck by that spark of fire and fell into the Samsara of illusions. It seemed like only a moment, but three days had passed outside. Even my clone lost consciousness. Hmm? That old demon is still alive and has returned to his lair. Well, if I can settle the Karma with my clone, it would undoubtedly be the best choice. However, I still need to make some arrangements to reduce the possibility of unforeseen complications."

His Divine Body quickly and completely recovered, and his thoughts were also sorted out.

"This trip into the Land of the Divine Remains has brought some unexpected trouble, which may have future consequences, but it is not irreparable. The key is to act as soon as possible, strike first, and nip problems in the bud. On the other hand, the gains outweigh the troubles."

Thinking of this, the deity felt a slight warmth on his forehead, and the whispers of prayers transcended the barriers and reached his ears, accompanied by the simple and Savage Wilderness People's Wishes. These People's Wishes allowed him to vaguely perceive the busy scene of the tribe and to faintly sense the Earthfire flowing beneath the tribe and in the thick earth.

"With this Fire Star, even outside, we can still maintain a connection with that world. It's still very weak now, but as the number of people participating in the sacrifices increases and People's Wishes grows, it will gradually strengthen. At that time, even without going through the entrance of this ruin, we can still enter the Land of the Divine Remains. In this way, we'll have a way out, and we can do some things without restraint, hmm?"

As he was still pondering, a thought suddenly struck him. He turned to look behind him, where he saw eight Ancient Seal Script that seemed to flow and linger. (To be continued)

P. S.: Thanks to "Man Beyond the Heavens" for the monthly vote!