Eternal Flame Body Tempering

Apocalypse instinctively reached out to feel it.

The God King hurriedly grabbed him. "Prince Tang, don't touch it carelessly."

"When the Eternal Flame erupts, it can burn all things and reduce everything to ashes. But if handled properly, it can become a force of vitality, nourishing life without end."

In the original plot, after Hela escaped, she used just a spark of the Eternal Flame to resurrect an army of several thousand ancient corpses, including the giant wolf Fenrir, who could trade blows evenly with the Hulk.

If it could make thousands of corpses rise again, its vitality was truly overflowing. If a man had any performance issues, wouldn't a little of this flame turn him into some overpowered dragon among men?

Then there was that bull-headed monster, Surtur. He had originally been reduced to nothing but a skull with horns, but after Loki placed him beneath the Eternal Flame, he grew into a towering giant in no time.

This vitality was more nourishing than pig feed.

"Hey, hey... brother, why are you smiling so lecherously? What are you thinking about?"

Thor shoved Apocalypse, pulling him back from his wild thoughts.

"Cough, cough... I was thinking that once I get stronger, I'm going to beat you up properly."

I still haven't settled the score for you cutting off my path to being a scumbag. And you dare interrupt me?

Odin and Frigga were in no rush. Seeing Thor and Apocalypse chatting and laughing put them greatly at ease.

The God King continued, "However, the method I'm giving you today isn't merely to enhance vitality. That alone would not do much, because the human body has limits."

Odin lightly brushed his finger over the Eternal Flame, borrowing a small spark that danced at his fingertips.

"My method is to first use the ferocity of the Eternal Flame to burn the entire body, refining away all impurities and expanding the body's potential. Then, transform the Eternal Flame into gentle vitality and replenish that potential."

"That way, not only will every shackle on your body be burned away, but you will also possess endless vitality. Your future cultivation path will naturally be smooth and open."

"There is little trouble in replenishing vitality. The danger lies in refining the impurities. One slight mistake, and you may be reduced to ashes on the spot."

At this, both the God King and Queen showed worried expressions.

It was not that they cared so deeply about Apocalypse's life. They had finally seen a chance to change Asgard's fate, and they absolutely could not let it be burned away in one blaze.

Yet they had no choice but to do it.

Apocalypse's current strength might appear formidable, but against the powerful beings of the heavens, it was still far from enough.

Besides, he only possessed physical strength and knew none of the extraordinary methods of divine power or magic. Toss him into space, and he would have nothing to do but wait for death.

Apocalypse asked, "God King, have you tried this method yourself?"

Odin smiled, with a trace of pride. "I only managed three refinements and three replenishments before attaining my present strength."

"What about Thor?"

Odin hesitated slightly. "When he was young, I guarded him through one refinement and one replenishment. Beyond that, I did not dare continue."

"Even we of the divine race can only go that far. Prince Tang, your body is that of a mortal from Earth. I am still somewhat worried about this first refinement."

Thor had initially been discouraged to hear that he had only undergone one refinement and one replenishment. But upon hearing that Apocalypse might not even survive one refinement, he immediately perked up.

He came over to "comfort" him. "Brother, it's fine if you can't do it. Your big brother will look after you from now on. If you run into an enemy you can't beat, I'll lend you my hammer."

Apocalypse ignored him and said to Odin, "No matter what, I have to try."

"Good."

The God King did not avoid the issue at all. Right in front of Sif, he taught Apocalypse a passage of instructions for manipulating the Eternal Flame.

Queen Frigga said, "I'll guard the entrance so no one disturbs you. Sif, stay here."

After familiarizing himself with it a little, Apocalypse extended his hand toward the Eternal Flame and drew out a spark.

It felt warm and gentle in his hand, nothing like the heat of fire.

Apocalypse could feel a thread of vitality seeping into his palm, but it was far too weak. At most, it could serve as a beauty treatment; it was nowhere near enough to increase his strength.

Then he slowly turned his palm, and the spark's temperature gradually rose. Even Sif, standing several meters away, felt the scorching heat on her face.

The temperature continued to rise. Then, with a sharp sizzle, Apocalypse's flesh was burned through.

Before blood could even flow out, it was burned into nothingness.

The blaze gradually intensified, becoming a ring of fire that spread from his palm up his arm. Wherever it passed, flesh melted away, leaving only white bones.

The God King was horrified and shouted, "Your body can't withstand it! Cut off your hand!"

Above the arm were the shoulder, neck, and head. Once the flames reached those places, it would be too late to cut it off.

Sif drew her longsword and was about to step forward when Apocalypse stopped her. "Don't panic. Let me try another method."

As he spoke, he took a Recovery Potion from his inventory and poured it into his mouth.

Green light surged through his body. The arm that had been burned down to bone regrew flesh in the blink of an eye.

Moreover, the flesh was crystal-clear and distinctly different from his other arm. It had clearly been refined by the Eternal Flame.

But the Eternal Flame did not stop. It continued refining upward toward his shoulder.

Seeing this, Apocalypse hastily took out another Recovery Potion and drank it.

Once he saw that he could recover, he finally relaxed. He began considering how wasteful it would be to use Recovery Potions like this and decided to wait until a larger area had been burned before taking another.

When the Eternal Flame reached his neck and mouth, Apocalypse tried to pour a Recovery Potion into his mouth, only to discover that the potion was instantly burned into nothingness the moment it touched the flame.

He poured out several bottles in succession, but none of them worked.

By then, only stark white bones remained of his neck and mouth.

The flames were about to spread to his head. In desperation, Apocalypse seized Sif's longsword, stabbed it into his abdomen, cut open a wound, and poured the Recovery Potion inside.

Fortunately, it worked!

Green light flashed, and the flesh of his mouth and neck grew back.

When the flames spread higher and refined his eyes, he was immediately plunged into darkness.

Apocalypse no longer dared conserve the potions. He poured bottle after bottle into his stomach, even forgetting to drink through his mouth after it had regrown.

When the flames reached his brain, Apocalypse instantly fell into nothingness!

No thoughts, no awareness, no pain!

Fortunately, his hands continued mechanically pouring Recovery Potions into his abdomen. He had no idea how many bottles he used.

After an unknown amount of time, Apocalypse felt as though he had come back to life. His head could think again, and his eyes could see.

Then, the Eternal Flame began burning downward.

Now that he had experience and a mouth again, Apocalypse was unhurried. He waited until as much of his body as possible had burned before drinking the potion through his mouth.

The Eternal Flame burned through Apocalypse's entire body before finally vanishing beneath his feet.

Apocalypse let out a breath. He had finally endured the most dangerous refinement process through the Recovery Potions provided by the system.

At that moment, Apocalypse's blood and vitality were brimming. The discomfort in many parts of his body caused by his excessive strength had vanished as well. His entire body felt clear and unobstructed, as though all his meridians had been opened.

He just looked rather indecent, standing completely naked.

Not only had his ordinary outer clothes burned away, even those golden Vibranium boxer shorts had been reduced to nothing, leaving not a trace behind.

"Don't stop! While the flesh has not yet settled into shape, replenish your vitality immediately!" the God King shouted.

"Yes!"

With a flick of his finger, Apocalypse drew another wisp of flame from the Eternal Flame.

This time, it was far more comfortable. Warm, gentle vitality flowed endlessly into his body, swiftly merging with the freshly formed flesh before settling into that indescribable potential.

At last, one refinement and one replenishment had been completed!

"Congratulations, brother!"

Thor excitedly stepped forward, about to embrace him. Then he suddenly remembered that Apocalypse was naked and recoiled in disgust, leaving Apocalypse standing there awkwardly with his arms open.

Sif approached with a set of clothes in her hands, her face flushed red. Clearly, she had prepared them in advance.

No wonder the Queen had voluntarily gone outside earlier. She had anticipated this all along.

Apocalypse grabbed Sif's hand. "Not yet. I've only refined myself once. I want to try again."