The Traitor's Fire

Ancient Emperor Trial · Fifth Realm: Soul-Burning Flame Abyss

This was the most forbidden place within the Gu Clan Forbidden Area. Legend held that traitors to the clan had been suppressed here in the Ancient Era, countless vengeful souls sealed within the underground fire veins to endure the torment of soul burning for eternity. Anyone entering this realm had to use heavenly flames as a catalyst to light a "Soulfire Lamp" before they could pass.

Xiao Yan stepped onto the edge of the Flame Abyss. The nine nether wind flame automatically shielded him, and the second stage of his Windfire Emperor Body, the "Flame Emperor Body," faintly manifested. Crimson-gold flame patterns flowed around him, like an emperor descending upon the world.

"Xiao Yan!" A fierce shout rang out from the fiery mist.

Three figures strode out across the flames. Their leader wore Gu Clan battle armor embroidered with the hidden markings of the Hall of Souls. Eerie gray flames shimmered in his eyes as he sneered, "I've been waiting for you for a long time."

Xiao Yan's gaze sharpened. "Gu Lie? You're a traitor to the Gu Clan!"

"A traitor?" Gu Lie grinned viciously. "I'm someone who knows which way the wind blows! The Gu Clan is rotten, and the Hall of Souls will rise. Those who submit will prosper; those who resist will perish! And you—Xiao Yan—today is the day you die!"

He abruptly raised his hand and summoned a pitch-black formation disc. Flame-devouring runes covered its surface, and a blood-red crystal core was embedded in its center. It was none other than the Flame-Devouring Formation Core!

"Activate—the Flame-Devouring Grand Formation!"

Rumble!

The entire Soul-Burning Flame Abyss shook violently. Vengeful souls wailed underground, countless fire veins reversed their flow, and nine blood-colored pillars of light shot into the sky, surrounding Xiao Yan. As the formation activated, an eerie suction erupted from its core, targeting the nine nether wind flame within him!

"This is bad!" Xiao Yan's expression changed. His nine nether wind flame had begun leaking out beyond his control!

"Hahaha!" Gu Lie laughed wildly. "This is the Ancient Flame-Devouring Formation, designed specifically to subdue heavenly flames! Even with your Windfire Emperor Body, you can't withstand its devouring power! Once I drain your nine nether wind flame and offer it to the Hall of Souls Venerable Elder, I'll ascend to Dou Sheng!"

"And you!" He pointed at Xiao Yan. "Your Nine Flames Return to Origin Art, Heaven-Burning Art, Windfire Emperor Body... they'll all be mine!"

The Hall of Souls Venerable Elder stood in the air, watching coldly. "Gu Lie, remember—take only his heavenly flame. Don't kill him. The exalted one wants him alive. There's an Emperor Road Key inside him."

"Understood!" Grinning viciously, Gu Lie drove the formation. The blood-colored pillars coiled like giant pythons, forcibly extracting the nine nether wind flame. Agonizing pain tore through Xiao Yan's meridians, and his Dou Qi fell into chaos.

"You want to steal my flame?" Xiao Yan gritted his teeth. The Nine Flames Emperor Seal shielded him as he pushed the Nine Nether Heaven-Burning Art to its limit. "But you've forgotten—the nine nether wind flame is not a flame you can control!"

He abruptly bit the tip of his tongue and spat a mouthful of blood essence onto the Nine Flames Emperor Seal.

"Nine Nether Heaven-Burning Art—second form, Windfire Heaven-Burning!"

Boom!

Crimson-gold wind and fire erupted, colliding fiercely with the Flame-Devouring Formation's blood-colored pillars. Waves of flame surged, and the entire Flame Abyss split apart!

"What?! He can actually contend with the Flame-Devouring Formation?!" Gu Lie cried in horror.

"No!" The Hall of Souls Venerable Elder's pupils contracted. "He isn't resisting... he's—refining the formation!"

Indeed, Xiao Yan closed his eyes and focused, circulating the Nine Nether Heaven-Burning Art and the Nine Flames Return to Origin Art simultaneously. Using the Flame-Devouring Formation's devouring power as a catalyst, he turned it back on itself to refine the Vengeful Soulfire within its core!

"Nine Flames Return to Origin, return to origin—devour!"

Boom!

The Nine Flames Emperor Seal suddenly expanded into a colossal seal a thousand zhang across, swallowing all nine blood-colored pillars! The Flame-Devouring Formation Core trembled violently and began to crack!

"No!" Gu Lie screamed. "My formation!"

"I've devoured your flame. Now—it's your turn." Xiao Yan opened his eyes, crimson-gold flames burning within them. "Nine Nether Heaven-Burning Art—third form, Burn the Traitor to Ashes!"

He thrust out his palm. Carrying the power of wind and fire, the Nine Flames Emperor Seal blasted straight toward Gu Lie!

"No! I have the Hall of Souls' protection! I have the Gu Clan's bloodline! You can't kill me!"

"It isn't me that can kill you—it's the nine nether wind flame!"

Boom!!!

Crimson-gold waves of flame swept over Gu Lie, instantly incinerating his body. Even his soul failed to escape. Only a Gu Clan Token and a Hall of Souls Secret Order fell from the flames.

Xiao Yan reached out and caught both objects in his palm. "Gu Clan traitors, Hall of Souls lapdogs—from this day forward, every one I, Xiao Yan, encounter will burn."

The Flame-Devouring Formation collapsed completely. Vengeful souls surged out from underground, wailing, only to be swept up by the nine nether wind flame and burned into nothingness.

"What a terrifying cultivation art..." The Hall of Souls Venerable Elder's face darkened. "If this boy lives, he'll become a grave threat!"

He was about to strike when he suddenly felt the void tremble. The Nine Nether Windfire Token blazed in Xiao Yan's hand, resonating with the Nine Flames Emperor Seal and triggering a wondrous phenomenon across heaven and earth—

Nine fiery silhouettes emerged from nothingness, answering one another like stars returning to their places.

"This... is impossible!" The Hall of Souls Venerable Elder recoiled in horror. "Nine Flames Return to Origin... is already seventy percent activated?!"

"Retreat!" he roared, drawing on the shattered formation's remaining power to flee into the void.

Xiao Yan stood above the Flame Abyss. The second stage of his Windfire Emperor Body had reached perfection, and his nine nether wind flame had completely fused with the Pure Lotus Remnant Flame. His Dou Qi surged, approaching Six-Star Dou Zong!

He looked in the direction the Hall of Souls Venerable Elder had fled and said coldly, "The next time we meet, you won't get another chance to escape."

Lowering his head, he opened the Gu Clan Token. A line of small characters was engraved upon it: "A Pure Lotus Token Fragment is hidden beneath the Heart-Burning Hall in the Gu Clan Forbidden Area."

"So that's it..." The corners of Xiao Yan's lips rose slightly. "At last, a lead on the third Pure Lotus Token."

Gu Clan Imperial Hall.

Nine clan elders had gathered. Watching the scene of Gu Lie's incineration in the crystal mirror, they remained silent for a long time.

"He killed Gu Lie... and broke the Flame-Devouring Formation..."

"The Nine Nether Heaven-Burning Art... can truly devour the power of heavenly flames?"

"Has he... already touched upon the 'Secret of the Pure Lotus'?"

The chief elder spoke gravely. "Send out the order—seal off the Heart-Burning Hall and activate the Ancient Emperor Flame-Locking Formation. If Xiao Yan dares come, let him perish in a sea of fire!"

"At the same time, notify every faction in the Central Plains—the Pure Lotus Token has appeared, and Nine Flames Return to Origin is about to begin. Whoever obtains it will be the next Dou Di!"

Wutan City, Xiao Clan Ancestral Shrine.

Xiao Ze sensed the unusual stirrings of the Nine Flames Emperor Seal, and a smile touched his lips. "Yan'er, you can already turn the Flame-Devouring Formation against itself... very good."

He formed seals with both hands. The eighth ring of the Nine Nether Chain Formation fully activated, and the ninth began to emerge.

"The Emperor-Banishing Lock has loosened by thirty percent."

"The Xiao Clan's Emperor Road will be reopened by you and me, father and son, with our own hands."

He looked toward the horizon and murmured, "Hall of Souls, Gu Clan... are you ready to face—Nine Flames Burn Heaven?"

Above the Soul-Burning Flame Abyss, crimson clouds churned.

Xiao Yan stood upon the flames, the Nine Flames Emperor Seal hovering overhead. Wind and fire swirled around him, like an emperor descending upon the world.

He gazed toward the Gu Clan Forbidden Area, his voice rolling like thunder:

"At the next trial, I'm coming—for the Pure Lotus Token!"

"Whoever stands in my way will burn!"

Next chapter preview: "Heart-Burning Hall"

Xiao Yan ventured alone into the Gu Clan Forbidden Area. Within the Heart-Burning Hall lay a Pure Lotus Token Fragment—and inscriptions left by Xiao Xuan. The Hall of Souls Venerable Elder joined forces with the Ancestor of the Gu Clan to lay an ambush. The ninth ring of the Nine Nether Chain Formation was about to activate. Father and son would join hands to burn through every barrier—Nine Flames Return to Origin was only one step away!