The Nine Nether Wind Flame Emerges

Night settled over the Xiao Clan's Back Mountain Forbidden Area in Wutan City.

All was silent save for the mountain wind rustling through the trees. Yet beneath that stillness, an aura capable of making heaven and earth pale was quietly brewing.

Xiao Ze sat cross-legged where a natural spiritual vein converged. Spirit stones were piled like mountains around him—all high-grade Dou Crystals the Xiao Clan had accumulated over a century. Now they crumbled into dust at a speed visible to the naked eye, the Dou Qi within surging wildly into his body like a hundred rivers flowing into the sea.

"System, begin refining—the Nine Nether Wind Flame."

[Ding! Host command detected. Releasing Heavenly Flame Origin—Nine Nether Wind Flame (ranked nineteenth).]

[Warning: Heavenly Flame refinement entails severe pain, soul scorching, and the risk of meridian rupture. Confirm?]

[Confirming... refinement begins!]

Boom!

In an instant, space tore open, and a shadow-black flame rose from Xiao Ze's palm. A halo of ghostly blue and dark gold shimmered along its edges, like netherfire crawling out of the deepest hell, carrying a coldness and ferocity that could devour all things.

"Whoosh—whoosh—"

The rising flame actually condensed into a savage fire beast in midair. It growled low, resisting refinement as though it possessed intelligence.

"Hmph. A mere Heavenly Flame dares run wild before me?"

Xiao Ze snorted. The soul sea behind his brow trembled, and soul power far beyond that of ordinary people swept down like a tide, instantly suppressing the fire beast.

"Refine! Submit!"

With a low shout, he employed the flame-refining method from the incomplete Flame Mantra, drawing forth a torrent of Dou Qi from within his body. It coiled upward like a mighty dragon, beginning to refine that violent power inch by inch.

First stage: Meridian Burning!

The Nine Nether Wind Flame entered his body and instantly ignited his meridians. Xiao Ze felt as though ten thousand needles were piercing his organs, as though cold iron were branding them, the agony stabbing into his heart. An ordinary Dou Zhe—even someone in the Dou Huang Realm—would already have suffered severed meridians and a shattered soul.

But Xiao Ze was different.

Not only was he the reincarnation of a Nine-Star Dou Sheng, but the system had already tempered his body thirty-six times with Dou Sheng blood essence. His meridians were like dragon veins, his bones like divine iron, and his soul power far surpassed others of his level. He endured that annihilating agony through sheer force.

"Refine—for me!"

Gritting his teeth, he drove his Dou Qi onward, compressing the rampaging flame inch by inch and merging it into his own Dou Qi origin.

Second stage: Soul Fusion!

The Heavenly Flame possessed a spirit and refused to submit. It struck back at his soul sea, transforming into countless black fire serpents that burrowed into Xiao Ze's sea of consciousness, seeking to burn away his mind.

"You're courting death!"

Xiao Ze barked coldly. A small golden cauldron suddenly appeared within his soul sea—the Soul Vessel he had condensed from a Dou Di's remnant soul in his previous life, specifically to suppress Heavenly Flame spirits.

The golden cauldron shuddered. Boundless golden light poured down, refining every last black fire serpent.

"Argh!"

Despite struggling to endure it, Xiao Ze still let out a low roar. Cold sweat streamed from his temples like rain, and his eyes were blood-red, yet his gaze grew ever clearer.

Third stage: Source Return!

As the flame's power fused completely with his soul power, the Dou Qi within Xiao Ze began to transform.

His originally pure-white Dou Qi gradually took on shades of ghostly blue and dark gold. As it flowed, it resembled wind sweeping up netherfire, carrying an aura of destruction and rebirth.

Rumble!

The heavens changed abruptly!

Above Wutan City, the once-clear night sky suddenly tore open. Countless dark clouds gathered amid flashing lightning and rumbling thunder. An enormous fire cloud spanning a hundred miles formed across the heavens, ghostly blue and dark gold intertwining within it as though the gates of the netherworld had opened!

"That... what is that?!"

"Heavens! That's... the sign of a Heavenly Flame emerging!"

"No! It's stronger than an ordinary Heavenly Flame! That's... a Heavenly Flame ranked in the top twenty!"

The city's experts all looked up, horror written across their faces.

At the Jia Ma Empire's imperial palace, Imperial Preceptor Gu He soared into the air. Gazing toward Wutan City, his pupils contracted sharply. "This aura... the Nine Nether Wind Flame?! No, impossible! How could a Heavenly Flame like that appear in our Jia Ma Empire?!"

Deep within the Magical Beast Mountain Range, Queen Medusa rested upon her coiled serpent tail, her golden slit pupils fixed coldly on the heavens. "Interesting... it seems the Jia Ma Empire is about to produce a true powerhouse."

Meanwhile, at the Xiao Clan's training grounds, Xiao Yan stared up at the celestial phenomenon, his heart shaken. It's... Uncle Xiao Ze! That aura is his! He's actually refining a Heavenly Flame?!

Xiao Xun'er stood on a rooftop, her green dress fluttering. A trace of gravity flickered through her eyes. "The Nine Nether Wind Flame... dual wind and fire attributes, extreme cold and extreme heat, capable of evolving by devouring cold energy... to think he chose such a Heavenly Flame."

Boom—crack!

Suddenly, a ghostly-blue pillar of fire shot skyward, piercing the clouds and setting the entire fire cloud ablaze!

Heaven and earth resonated, and every flame bowed in submission!

At that moment, the Nine Nether Wind Flame officially acknowledged its master!

Xiao Ze slowly opened his eyes. Ghostly blue and dark gold intertwined within them, and for an instant, wind and fire seemed to swirl through his pupils.

"Whew..."

He gently exhaled a breath of stale air. That breath actually became a netherfire tornado, instantly burning a massive boulder a hundred meters away into nothingness.

"The Nine Nether Wind Flame has been successfully refined."

[Ding! Congratulations to the host on completing Heavenly Flame refinement. Dou Qi quality upgraded to 'initial saint grade'!]

[Dou Technique compatibility +30%, Heavenly Flame fusion potential +50%.]

[Hidden achievement triggered: 'Heavenly Flame Master.' 'Heavenly Flame Compendium' function unlocked.]

[New quest detected: 'Heavenly Flame Hunt' (locked; collect three Heavenly Flames to activate).]

Xiao Ze rose to his feet, sensing the earth-shattering changes within his body.

Though the total quantity of his Dou Qi had not soared, its quality was now worlds apart from before. With a single punch, he could kill a Dou Zong even without using a Dou Technique!

"From this day forward, the Nine Nether Wind Flame will be my first trump card."

He raised his hand. A ghostly-blue flame danced softly in his palm, seemingly gentle, yet it sent layers of frost rippling through the surrounding space—a strange phenomenon born of intense heat intertwined with extreme cold.

"Wind feeds the fire, and cold strengthens the flame... the Nine Nether Wind Flame truly lives up to its name."

Just then, a soft voice drifted from the woods:

"Xiao Ze, you really are... no ordinary person."

Xiao Ze turned to find Xiao Xun'er standing beneath the moonlight, though he had no idea when she had arrived. Her gaze was clear as water as she watched him quietly.

"You're here." Xiao Ze put away the flame, his expression calm.

"If I hadn't come, I might have missed an awakening that shook heaven and earth." Xiao Xun'er approached with light steps, curiosity in her eyes. "Was the flame you refined the Nine Nether Wind Flame?"

"Yes," Xiao Ze answered frankly.

"But did you know?" Xiao Xun'er said softly. "The Nine Nether Wind Flame was originally sealed within the Gu Clan Forbidden Area. It vanished a century ago, and the clan has always believed an outsider stole it... so why is it in your hands?"

Xiao Ze smiled. "Perhaps it chose me as its master."

Xiao Xun'er studied him for a long while, then suddenly laughed softly. "Interesting. The more mysterious you are, the more I want to understand you."

[Ding! Female lead Xiao Xun'er's affection +15. Current affection: 40 (budding admiration).]

"If you want to investigate, I won't stop you." Xiao Ze gazed at the moon with his hands behind his back. "But one day, you'll understand—I didn't come to fight over who owns a Heavenly Flame. I came... to rewrite the rules of this Dou Qi Continent."

The wind rose, the fire faded, and heaven and earth fell silent once more.

But everyone knew—

Wutan City was no longer a small city anyone could look down upon.

The Xiao Clan was no longer a clan anyone could bully.

Because—

The Nine Nether Wind Flame had emerged, and Xiao Ze's name would shake the Jia Ma Empire!

And all of this was only the beginning.