The Nine Flames Trial

Along the Emperor Road, the Golden Light Avenue stretched without end, seas of fire surging on either side. Nine phantom Emperor Souls hovered in the air, their gazes blazing like torches as they fixed on Xiao Yan. The crimson-gold figure in the center, who bore a striking resemblance to him, slowly spoke, his voice like ten thousand flames murmuring:

"One who achieves Nine Flames Return to Origin must pass the Nine Tribulations to ascend the imperial throne. Each tribulation burns the body with Heart Flame and reforges the soul. Fail, and your soul scatters into oblivion; succeed, and the Nine Flames become one, bringing the Emperor Flame into the world."

As his words fell, the first phantom suddenly blazed, transforming into a crimson Fire Domain that engulfed Xiao Yan.

The first tribulation—Heart-Burning Tribulation.

The flames were not fire, but obsessions given form. Xiao Yan stood in the center of the sea of fire as countless scenes appeared before him—

On the mountain behind the Xiao Clan in Wutan City, his father, Xiao Zhan, smiled and patted his shoulder. "Yan'er, don't let this Dou Qi go to waste."

Yao Chen taught him before a Medicine Cauldron, his white hair lifting gently. "Yan'er, if you won't fight for yourself, who will fight for you?"

Medusa shielded him from the Hall of Souls' pursuers in the desert, her blood staining the sand red. "Little Yanzi, if you die, I won't let you off even as a ghost."

Xiao Yi Xian held the Poison Scripture, her eyes misty with tears. "Brother Xiao Yan, I'd trade my life for even a thread of hope for you."

And Xun'er, lightly touching his chest with a fingertip, her eyes shining like stars. "Brother, I'll wait for you to return."

"No—!" Xiao Yan's eyes turned blood-red. He clutched his head in both hands, his mind burning as though scorched by ten thousand flames. These were not Illusions, but his deepest attachments—the roots of everything that had brought him this far.

A whisper sounded within the Fire Domain. "Only by letting go of your attachments can you transcend. Otherwise, Heart Flame will burn your heart, your soul will perish, and your Dao will vanish."

Xiao Yan sank to his knees, cold sweat pouring like rain, yet suddenly raised his head, crimson-gold flames kindling in his eyes. "Attachments? They're the reason I live!"

"They fought for me and died for me. If I let go, wouldn't I betray them?"

"I won't sever my attachments—I'll make them my fire and burn every obstacle to ash!"

Boom—!

The windfire emperor body resonated of its own accord. Nine Nether Wind Flame intertwined with the lingering fire of the Emperor Fire Seal, forming a crimson-gold wave of flame that surged into the sky. With emotion as his guide and will as his blade, he forcibly refined the flames of the heart-burning tribulation and fused them into himself.

"Break—!"

The Fire Domain collapsed. The first Emperor Soul phantom nodded slightly, then vanished into the air.

The second tribulation—Soul-Severing Tribulation.

Space twisted, and countless versions of "himself" appeared before Xiao Yan—

There was the timid youth whose engagement had been broken off in Wutan City,

There was the cold young man who killed decisively in the Black-Corner Region,

There was the crazed figure willing to detonate himself to save Yao Chen,

And there was... an "emperor self" from some future day, clad in imperial robes, yet with empty eyes that held nothing but murderous intent.

"Sever the self of your past life, and only then can you affirm the resolve of this life," the whisper echoed.

Xiao Yan clenched his fists. "I'm no saint, nor am I heartless. Every part of my past is part of my path."

He stepped forward, his wind-and-fire wings spreading as the power of the Ninefold Transformation erupted. "I won't sever myself—I'll unite myself!"

Boom! Boom! Boom!

He battled each version of "himself," every punch striking flesh, every blow shaking his soul. Each strike was both a rejection and an acceptance of the past. At last, he devoured every "self," awakening the seventh stage of the Nine Flames Return to Origin Art—Emperor Flame Soul Devourer!“

"Devour the remnant souls of emperors and fuse them into oneself—this is the beginning of the Emperor Flame!"

The second Emperor Soul vanished. Xiao Yan's aura surged, the barrier of the Dou Zong realm loosening as he pressed straight toward Dou Zun!

The third tribulation—Dao-burning tribulation.

The third phantom lit up, and countless phantoms of great Daos appeared within the Fire Domain—the Flame Mantra, the Nine Revolutions Mystic Art, the Hall of Souls Secret Art, the Gu Clan Emperor Art... all were "Daos" left behind by ancient powerhouses.

"Choose one Dao and abandon the rest. Only then can you transcend."

Yet Xiao Yan sneered. "My Dao isn't in someone else's books. It lies between wind and fire! With Nine Flames Return to Origin, I'll forge a lineage of my own!"

Using the Emperor Fire Seal as his guide, the Nine Flames Remnant Seal as his foundation, and wind and fire as his medium, he forcibly carved out a "Dao mark" of his own within the Fire Domain.

"My Dao—is to burn away every shackle and reforge the order of heaven and earth!"

Boom—!

The Fire Domain collapsed, and the third tribulation broke. Crimson-gold flames surged around Xiao Yan as the eighth stage of the Nine Flames Return to Origin Art—Nine Flames Burn the Dao—began to take form!

Emperor Ruins Plains, outside the Emperor Gate.

Yao Chen sat cross-legged before the Nine Flames Emperor Stele, a medicine cauldron hovering above his head. Though covered in cracks, it still gave off a faint glow. Thunder Venerable's severed arm had regrown, but his aura was feeble; Medusa's scales had yet to recover, yet she still guarded the formation in her true form; Xiao Yi Xian sustained her life with the Poison Scripture, her face deathly pale.

"They... are coming." Venerable Feng looked toward the horizon, where three blood-colored pillars of light were slowly forming.

The Ancestor of the Gu Clan and the High Priest of the Hall of Souls stood in the void. Behind them, nine Dou Sheng strode forward, bearing the "Emperor Blood Altar"—forged from an emperor's blood, the souls of Dou Sheng, and the resentment of countless people, it could forcibly tear open the Emperor Gate!

"Nine Flames Emperor Court—today is the day you perish!" the Ancestor of the Gu Clan roared.

Yao Chen slowly rose, his Medicine Cauldron trembling lightly. "Nine Flames Emperor Court, hear my command—"

"With my broken body, I'll kindle one final Emperor Flame—"

"Fight to the death!"

"Fight to the death—!!!"

The surviving powerhouses stepped forward as one. Though their Dou Qi was weak, it was like sparks setting the plains ablaze.

Deep within the Emperor Road.

Having broken through three tribulations in succession, Xiao Yan had reached the eighth stage of the Nine Flames Return to Origin Art. His windfire emperor body was perfected, and his Dou Zong cultivation had reached its peak. Just one more step would carry him into Dou Zun. He looked toward the end of the Golden Light Avenue, where the Purifying Lotus Demon Flame Origin burned quietly, as though waiting.

"Pure Lotus... I'm coming."

He strode forward, leaving nine trails of fire behind him, like nine vows branded onto the Emperor Road.

"In this life, I don't seek to become an emperor—"

"I seek—to reforge the mountains and rivers!"

Next chapter preview: "Emperor Blood Altar"

The Gu Clan and the Soul Clan activated the "Emperor Blood Altar" with the blood of nine Dou Sheng, forcibly tearing open the Emperor Gate. Yao Chen led the remnants in a fight to the death, sealing the altar for three breaths at the cost of detonating his Medicine Cauldron. Sensing the Emperor Fire Seal tremble, Xiao Yan hastened through the trials. The ninth tribulation, "Nine emperors burn the body," descended, and nine Emperor Corpses appeared at once. How would Xiao Yan break through this deadly impasse? The Emperor Flame Return was only an instant away!