Pure Lotus Returns to Its Place

The Third Tier of the Emperor Flame Abyss—the Red Lotus Realm.

There was neither sky nor earth here, only a sea of crimson-gold fire. At its center, an immense crimson lotus dais billions of feet across slowly revolved. Within its heart, a wisp of violet flame, like an eye, quietly watched the youth who had entered this place.

That was the Purifying Lotus Demon Flame Origin.

It did not speak, yet it carried the weight of ages; it did not move, yet the laws of heaven and earth recoiled before it. It was the foremost of the Six Great Ancient Demon Flames. It had burned Dou Sheng to death and scorched Dou Di, until, for defying heaven and changing fate, it was sealed by the combined might of the emperors, splitting into nine remnant flames that scattered across the world.

Now, the nine flames had returned to their origin. Only the final step remained.

Xiao Yan stood beneath the lotus dais. The third tier of his windfire emperor body, the "flame emperor body," had reached perfection. The Nine Flames Emperor Seal hovered above his head, its crimson-gold flames facing the violet flame from afar, resonating with it.

"You have come."

An ethereal voice rang through heaven and earth, neither male nor female, as though it came from ancient times.

"I have waited a thousand years for you, solely for the nine flames to return to their origin and reopen the Emperor Road."

The violet flame in the lotus heart slowly gathered into an indistinct figure. Its eyes burned like fire as it gazed at Xiao Yan. "Do you know why the nine nether wind flame chose you?"

Xiao Yan cupped his fists, his voice resolute. "This disciple does not know. But today, I have come to reclaim everything that belongs to me."

"No." The purifying lotus demon flame sighed softly. "You are not reclaiming it. Rather—you already are it."

"The nine nether wind flame was born from my 'Wind Remnant Flame'; and you, Xiao Yan, are the reincarnated body I created all those years ago, using a drop of blood essence, a wisp of my Primordial Spirit, and the Reincarnation Formation."

"You are my successor, and my final hope of defying heaven and changing fate."

Xiao Yan's pupils quivered. A thunderous explosion rang through his mind.

So the nine nether wind flame had not chosen its master by chance—it had resonated with his bloodline;

So, from the moment of his birth, he had borne the destiny of the purifying lotus demon flame.

"The nine flames return to their origin not to make an emperor," the purifying lotus demon flame murmured, "but to—defy heaven, change fate, and reforge the laws of heaven and earth."

"But are you... ready?"

"If you merge with the origin, you will endure the agony of ten thousand flames burning your body. Your Primordial Spirit will be reshaped, your memories wiped clean. You may even—vanish completely."

Xiao Yan fell silent for a moment, then threw back his head and laughed. "Since I, Xiao Yan, began cultivating, when have I ever feared pain? When have I ever shunned tribulation?"

"If heaven seeks to crush me, I will burn heaven!

If fate seeks to bar my way, I will change fate!

Today, with my windfire emperor body as the catalyst and the nine flames' return to origin as the pact, I will merge with the purifying lotus origin—and reopen the Emperor Road!"

"Come!"

He abruptly sat cross-legged atop the lotus dais. The Nine Flames Emperor Seal exploded with a thunderous roar, turning into nine streams of fire corresponding to the remnant origins of the nine nether wind flame, fallen Heart Flame, green lotus core flame, bone spirit cold flame, and the other nine flames. All of them surged into the violet flame at the lotus heart!

"Nine Flames Return to Origin—merge!"

Boom!!!

In an instant, heaven and earth lost their color, and ten thousand flames wailed.

The crimson-gold sea of fire churned. The violet flame swelled billions of feet high, engulfing Xiao Yan's body entirely.

The first agony—incineration of the flesh.

His skin cracked, his flesh and blood vaporized, his bones turned to ash, and his internal organs were utterly destroyed.

Yet he gritted his teeth without a word, enduring it with his windfire emperor body and using the flames to be reborn!

The second agony—scorching of the Primordial Spirit.

His sea of consciousness boiled. The violet flame ate into his Primordial Spirit, and his memories collapsed like a breaking tide.

His childhood, Yao Lao, Xun'er, his father, the Xiao Clan... scene after scene flashed past.

"I will not forget! I will not abandon them! I—Xiao Yan—swear I will not betray this life!"

The third agony—burning of karma.

The power of the Heavenly Dao descended, seeking to erase his existence for defying and altering his ordained fate.

Yet the fragments of the Nine Flames Emperor Seal resonated with the Pure Lotus Token, actually forming a phantom in the void—Xiao Ze!

"My son, your father will lend you a thread of karma—defy heaven and change fate!"

With the body of a Dou Zun, that phantom stood firm against the punishment of the Heavenly Dao, winning Xiao Yan a slender chance at survival.

"Father!" Xiao Yan roared hoarsely. Amid the utmost agony, the nine nether wind flame awakened its fifth tier—the Nether Emperor Soul!"

"Merge—the purifying lotus origin!"

Boom!!!

The violet flame and crimson-gold fire merged completely, becoming a nine-petaled crimson-gold lotus that slowly bloomed.

Within the lotus heart, Xiao Yan was reborn—

His flesh was reshaped, crimson-gold flame patterns covering his body, like an emperor descending upon the world;

His eyes were crimson-gold, holding nine flames within, capable of burning karma;

The third tier of his windfire emperor body reached perfection, and the fourth tier—the emperor fire body—first emerged!

The Nine Flames Emperor Seal condensed anew, becoming the Emperor Fire Seal. It hovered above his head, its might pressing down upon ten thousand flames.

"The nine flames have returned to their origin—complete!"

He slowly rose and looked toward the horizon, his voice like thunder:

"From this day forth, there will be no nine nether wind flame in this world, nor any purifying lotus demon flame."

"There will be only one flame—named: Emperor flame!"

"I, Xiao Yan, in the name of emperor flame, will reopen the Emperor Road, burn away all injustice, and defy heaven's decree!"

"Whoever stands in my way—I will burn them!"

Wutan City, the Xiao Clan Ancestral Shrine.

Xiao Ze's body had become almost transparent. The power of the emperor seal lashed back at him, and the ninth ring of the Nine Nether Chain Formation shattered completely.

Yet his smile was radiant. Gazing at the streak of crimson-gold fire on the horizon, he murmured, "Good... my good child... you did it..."

"The Xiao Clan... has finally lived to see... the day the Emperor Road reopens..."

His voice faded, and he dissolved, leaving only a wisp of blood essence to merge into the remnants of the Nine Nether Chain Formation. It became a crimson-gold flame seed and sank beneath the earth.

Outside the Emperor Flame Abyss, the Central Plains trembled.

Countless powerful cultivators raised their heads toward the sky. Above the firmament, nine stars aligned, and crimson-gold fire pierced heaven and earth. A figure of flame emerged upon a lotus, wreathed in wind and fire, like an emperor descending upon the world.

"Is that... Xiao Yan?!"

"His aura... has already surpassed a Dou Zun's?!"

"No, that is—an emperor's might!"

The Gu Clan trembled in terror, the remnants of the Hall of Souls fled in disarray, and the mighty of the Central Plains fell to their knees.

"We pay our respects to the Nine Flames Emperor!"

Next chapter preview: "The Emperor Road Reopens"

Xiao Yan merged with the purifying lotus origin, perfected the Nine Flames Return to Origin Art, and brought the Emperor Fire Seal into the world, shaking the continent with the might of Windfire Heaven-Burning. The remnant soul of the Ancestor of the Gu Clan joined forces with the Soul Clan, seeking to trigger "Heavenly Dao Backlash" to destroy Xiao Yan. Using the Emperor Fire Seal, Xiao Yan shattered the heavenly tribulation and erected the Emperor Fire Stele atop the Central Plains, declaring: "From this day forth, I, Xiao Yan, shall rule the Central Plains. The Nine Flames Emperor Court—is established!" The undertaking of the nine flames' return to origin reached completion, the Emperor Road reopened, and the Great Calamity approached. The laws of heaven and earth would be reforged because of him!