Heartflame Returns

Deep within the Fire Domain, a crimson vortex gaped like the maw of a giant beast, breathing waves of heat that could burn the heavens and melt the earth. The Fallen Heart Flame churned violently within Xiao Yan's "Windfire Cage," its scarlet-gold flames transforming into a thousand fiery serpents that tore at the Nine Nether Wind Flame's barrier with piercing shrieks.

"An insignificant human dares imprison me?!" the Fallen Heart Flame roared, its voice rolling like thunder. "I am an ancient Heavenly Flame! I once burned the body of a Dou Sheng, yet you, a mere Dou Zong, think yourself worthy of subduing me?!"

Xiao Yan stood above the magma, his Xuan Heavy Ruler angled toward the ground. The Nine Nether Wind Flame and Purifying Lotus Demon Flame intertwined around him, forming windfire battle armor. His gaze blazed like a torch, yet his voice was terrifyingly calm:

"You once burned a Dou Sheng, but today—I will make you submit to the flame of a Dou Di!"

Before his words had faded, he bit through the tip of his tongue and spat a mouthful of blood essence into the Nine Nether Wind Flame!

"Nine Flames Return to Origin Art—third stage, Emperor Flame Soul Fusion!"

Boom!

The power of wind and fire surged abruptly. The Nine Nether Wind Flame transformed into a thousand-zhang windfire dragon whose roar shook the heavens, swallowing the Fallen Heart Flame in a single gulp!

"No!" the Fallen Heart Flame roared, struggling violently, desperate to burst out and burn everything to ashes.

Xiao Yan sat cross-legged with his eyes tightly shut, allowing the two great Heavenly Flames within him to collide fiercely. His meridians split inch by inch, his flesh scorched, and his bones groaned beneath the unbearable strain. Yet his expression never changed as he murmured, "Come, burn my flesh, temper my soul, and forge my emperor body!"

He deliberately drew the flames into his body, using the emperor flame seed as a catalyst to forcibly fuse with the Fallen Heart Flame fragment.

In an instant—

Meridian Burning!

Meridian Burning!

Soul Burning!

Three burning tribulations descended upon him. Xiao Yan seemed trapped in purgatory, but his will was iron. He maintained an unyielding grip on the Emperor Flame Seed, refining the Fallen Heart Flame's savage power little by little, compressing it and returning it to its origin!

"That... is impossible!" a prodigy secretly watching from afar exclaimed in horror. "He's enduring the fusion of two great Heavenly Flames with his flesh alone?! He's courting death!"

"No..." An old man shook his head, his gaze filled with shock. "He's tempering his body with fire. If he succeeds, he will form the legendary—Windfire Emperor Body!"

Wutan City, Xiao Clan Ancestral Shrine.

Xiao Ze's eyes snapped open. The Nine Nether Wind Flame condensed in his palm into a scarlet-gold rune. Nine phantom flames appeared upon it, three of which were already lit.

"Yan has begun fusing with the Heartflame Fragment... the time has come."

He formed seals with both hands and shouted, "Nine Nether Flame Formation, activate! Draw upon thirty percent of my Dou Di blood to help him forge his body!"

Boom!

Beneath the ancestral shrine, an ancient formation activated. Nine fire veins rose from underground and converged at its core. Xiao Ze thrust his palm into the formation, turning his own blood essence into a bloody mist that merged with the Nine Nether Wind Flame. Following their unseen bloodline connection, it crossed ten thousand li and flowed straight into Xiao Yan's body!

"Yan, receive a wisp of my Emperor Blood and forge your supreme body!"

Deep within the Fire Domain.

Xiao Yan hovered on the brink of death when he suddenly felt a vast power flood into his body, like rivers rushing backward, like a sea of stars pouring down. That power carried an ancient, noble, supremely exalted aura, instantly suppressing the Fallen Heart Flame's rampage!

"This is... Dou Di blood?!"

Xiao Yan's mind trembled, then wild joy swept through him. "Uncle... you're actually using your own Emperor Blood to help me!"

Without further hesitation, he drove the emperor flame seed into action, frantically refining this power and fusing completely with the Fallen Heart Flame fragment!

"Condense!"

With a furious roar, wind and fire shot into the sky!

Xiao Yan's body swelled, imperial markings woven from wind and fire emerging across him. His skin resembled glazed glass, his meridians became like veins of flame, and his bones gleamed gold. Wind and fire flowed through his eyes as they opened and closed, making him look like an emperor reborn from the flames!

Windfire Emperor Body—complete!

Boom!

He threw a punch. The power of wind and fire became a thousand-zhang phantom fist, blasting a ten-thousand-zhang abyss through the magma lake ahead!

"So powerful..." He felt the strength surging within him. "With a Dou Zong's body, I can now withstand a blow from a Dou Zun head-on! If I encounter Gu Zhen again, I can kill him with a single punch!"

He raised his hand. The Nine Nether Wind Flame and Fallen Heart Flame fragment merged in his palm, forming a Three-Colored Fire Lotus—wind, fire, and heartflame, three flames returning to their origin!

"Nine Nether Wind Flame—third awakening: Windfire Origin, Heartflame Returns!"

"From this day onward, I will no longer subdue Heavenly Flames. I will—command Heavenly Flames!"

Gu Clan, ancestral grounds.

Above nine golden chairs, three phantom figures abruptly opened their eyes, their lightning-sharp gazes piercing the void.

"The Nine Nether Wind Flame's third awakening... Xiao Yan has formed the Windfire Emperor Body. The Emperor Road is about to open!" an old man said gravely. "We must stop him. Otherwise, when the Nine Flames Return to Origin, the Emperor Seal will shatter, and our Gu Clan's ten-thousand-year reign will be destroyed in a single day!"

"Pass down the order—Ancient Emperor Guards, deploy!"

"Four Dou Zun and two Half-Step Dou Sheng will depart immediately for the Fire Domain. Kill Xiao Yan and reclaim the Nine Nether Wind Flame!"

"And..." The old man sneered. "Notify the Hall of Souls Venerable Elder. Tell him—Xiao Ze has used his Dou Di blood. If he still refuses to act, the Central Plains will no longer be his domain."

At the edge of the Fire Domain, the setting sun was red as blood.

Xiao Yan stood atop a mountain, his Windfire Emperor Body still active. Behind him, the Nine Nether Wind Flame formed windfire wings that snapped and billowed.

He looked toward Wutan City and said softly, "Uncle, you helped me with your Emperor Blood. I will not betray the trust you've placed in me."

Then he turned toward the heart of the Central Plains, his voice sharp as a blade. "Gu Clan, Hall of Souls, Misty Cloud Sect... you've locked away the path to becoming an emperor for ten thousand years. Today, I will wield fire as my sword and cleave these heavens open!"

He stepped forward, wind and fire following in his wake, heading straight for the Central Plains.

Next chapter preview: "The Ancient Emperor Guards Arrive"

The Gu Clan sends the "Ancient Emperor Guards" to hunt down Xiao Yan. Six mighty experts descend, and the Windfire Emperor Body faces its first battle against a Dou Zun! Xiao Ze lays a "Nine Nether Chain Formation" to support him. Father and son join forces, burning the heavens and shattering formations. The Central Plains tremble as the struggle for the Emperor Road officially sweeps across the continent!