Cliff Flame Abyss

The Northwestern Cliffside overlooked an abyss ten thousand fathoms deep.

Xiao Yan leaped down, his robes snapping in the gale as he left his pursuers' vicious laughter high above the clouds. He gritted his teeth, slowly circulating the Nine Nether Wind Flame within him to Protection his heart meridians.

"Reach the Cliffside within seven days... Uncle's message couldn't be wrong."

The wind howled, and the fall seemed endless. After an unknown length of time, his vision went black, and he crashed heavily onto scorched earth.

"Cough..." He coughed up a mouthful of blood, struggled to his feet, and looked around—

This was a ruin that had burned for ten thousand years. The earth was cracked, the charred rocks sharp as blades. In the distance stood a ruined hall built entirely of obsidian. Above its doors were four ancient seal-script characters—"Ancient Flame Hall."

"This place... how could it hold such an ancient aura?" Xiao Yan's heart jolted. The Nine Nether Wind Flame stirred inexplicably within him, as though sensing something supreme.

He endured the pain of his injuries and walked toward the hall, one step at a time.

The doors were tightly shut. Nine lotus flowers were carved upon them, each incomplete. Only the one at the center gave off a faint, dark-red glow.

"The Purifying Lotus Demon Flame..." he murmured.

Just then, the Nine Nether Wind Flame within him suddenly erupted, becoming a stream of fire that surged toward the doors!

Humm—

All nine lotuses lit up at once. Their broken patterns began repairing themselves, and the dark-red lotus at the center slowly bloomed. A deep, ancient voice sounded in Xiao Yan's mind:

"The Nine Flames have yet to return, and the imperial seal remains unbroken... Stranger, you are not my master, but... you share a bond with my flame."

The voice thundered in his ears. Xiao Yan's knees weakened, and he nearly fell to the ground.

"Are you... the Purifying Lotus Demon Flame?" he asked with difficulty.

"I am the spirit of a remnant flame. My main flame was sealed deep within the Flame Abyss long ago. If you wish to see my true form, you must pass the Three Trials—the Flame-Burning Trial, the Soul-Destruction Trial, and the Heart-Death Trial. Dare you try?"

Xiao Yan gritted his teeth, his eyes bloodshot. "I, Xiao Yan, had my talent stolen three years ago and endured endless ridicule. Now that I've been reborn, why would I fear your Three Trials?!"

"I—dare!"

As his words fell, the hall's doors slowly opened, and a fire that could burn the heavens rushed toward him!

Wutan City, the Xiao Clan's secret chamber.

Xiao Ze sat cross-legged at the center of a formation, flames dancing at his fingertips. Suddenly, he opened his eyes, wind flame swirling in his gaze.

"The Flame Hall has opened... Yan, you've finally reached this point."

He raised his hand, and a streak of blood-red light shot into the distance.

"My hidden pieces are in place. The Hall of Souls, the Gu Clan, and the Misty Cloud Sect have all entered the game. In this game, I'll make the entire Jia Ma Empire step aside for my Xiao Clan!"

[Ding! Quest "Cliff Flame Abyss" triggered]

[Quest objective: Help Xiao Yan pass the Flame Hall's three trials and gain the Purifying Lotus Demon Flame's recognition]

[Quest reward: Nine Nether Wind Flame evolution +10%, unlock stage two of the "Nine Flames Return to Origin Art"

The corners of Xiao Ze's lips rose slightly. "Purifying Lotus Demon Flame, incomplete though you are, you stand foremost among the nine flames. In this life, I won't merely restore you to wholeness—I'll make you acknowledge my Xiao Clan as your master!"

Ancient Flame Hall, the first trial—the Flame-Burning Trial.

Xiao Yan stood within a blazing furnace, surrounded by surging waves of fire. The heat was enough to burn a Dou Wang to ashes in an instant.

"Temper the body with fire; comprehend the Dao through pain," the ancient voice echoed. "If you cannot endure for two hours, you will turn to ash."

Xiao Yan gritted his teeth and circulated the "Flame Mantra," using the Nine Nether Wind Flame for Protection while activating the power of the "Emperor Blood" Xiao Ze had imparted to him. His flesh was burned away and regenerated over and over within the flames.

"Aah—!"

He screamed, his skin cracking and his flesh charring black, yet he stubbornly remained standing.

"I... can't fall! If I fall, who will clear my father's name? Who will wash away my clan's shame? Who... will ascend to the rank of Dou Di?!"

He roared, his Dou Qi erupting. Within the blazing fire, the Nine Nether Wind Flame actually condensed into a suit of Wind-Fire Armor that protected his entire body!

"The first trial... passed!"

The second trial—the Soul-Destruction Trial.

Space shifted, and Xiao Yan found himself in a realm of nothingness. Countless phantoms appeared—

There was the humiliation of his broken engagement three years ago, the miserable sight of his father Xiao Zhan imprisoned, the Blood Night when his mother was taken by the Hall of Souls, and even... his own eventual death from the backlash of Heavenly Flames.

"This is all real... You are destined to fail." The phantom "Xiao Yan" sneered. "Give up."

"No!" he roared. "Even if hell lies ahead, I'll carve a path through it!"

He drove the Nine Nether Wind Flame to burn away the Illusion. His soul was tempered in the blazing fire, and a trace of an embryonic Dou Zun Soul actually took shape!

"The second trial... passed!"

The third trial—the Heart-Death Trial.

"If all you seek comes to nothing, if all you Protection perish, if you reach the summit only to discover that everything is an illusion—can you still kindle this fire?"

Xiao Yan sank to his knees, tears slipping down his face.

He saw Xiao Ze perish, the Xiao Clan exterminated, and Wutan City reduced to scorched earth—all because of his own hunger for power.

"I... what should I do?"

Just then, a voice pierced the illusion:

"Yan, as long as the fire burns and your heart lives, the road never ends. You don't fight for yourself. You fight for all the weak trampled underfoot, for every member of the Xiao Clan whose dignity was stolen."

It was Xiao Ze's voice.

Xiao Yan slowly raised his head, an unprecedented fire blazing in his eyes.

"I... won't retreat!"

He hurled a punch, shattering the illusion!

"The Three Trials... passed!"

Boom—!

The hall shook. The central lotus bloomed fully, and a wisp of dark-red flame slowly rose. It was shaped like a lotus, but one corner was missing.

"Master of the Nine Nether Wind Flame, blood of the Xiao Clan... you are worthy of becoming my temporary host and master."

The flame descended and merged into Xiao Yan's body.

In that instant—

Wind rose and clouds surged, and heaven and earth changed color!

Above Wutan City, blood-red clouds churned as a pillar of fire shot skyward, piercing the clouds!

[Ding! Pure Lotus Demon Flame (remnant) successfully acknowledged its master!]

[Xiao Yan gained ability: Demon Flame: World-Cleansing Flame (can purify impurities in Heavenly Flames and briefly suppress enemy fire-attribute arts)]

[Rank increased: Six-Star Dou Zhe → Seven-Star Dou Zhe!]

Night, atop the Cliffside.

Xiao Yan stood in the wind, his black robes snapping. The two Heavenly Flames within him slowly blended together. Wind and fire had finally become one.

He gazed into the distance and said softly, "Uncle, I got it."

In Wutan City, Xiao Ze looked up at the pillar of fire in the sky, his lips lifting slightly. "Good. The first key is in our hands."

[Ding! Quest "Cliff Flame Abyss" completed]

[Quest rewards issued: Nine Nether Wind Flame evolution +10% (current: 20%), stage two of the "Nine Flames Return to Origin Art" unlocked

"Next..." A cold glint flashed in Xiao Ze's eyes. "It's time to clean out those rats hiding in the shadows."

The storm had arrived.

Next chapter preview: "Blood Night Approaches"

The Hall of Souls erupted in fury and dispatched a Venerable Elder to lead the expedition; the Gu Clan's spies were exposed, and Xiao Xun'er's identity became a mystery; the Misty Cloud Sect secretly forged an alliance, and Wutan City—would run with rivers of blood.