Emperor Fire Trial

On the Emperor Ruins Plains, the Nine Flames Emperor Stele towered majestically, cracks crisscrossing its surface like the growth rings of an ancient tree. Carved into it were Yao Chen's remnant soul, Thunder Venerable's lightning patterns, Venerable Feng's wind scars, Medusa's scale marks... Each was an oath written with a life.

Xiao Yan stood before the stele, his crimson-gold robes snapping in the wind, his eyes as deep as molten lava. Slowly, he raised his hand, and a colorless, formless Emperor Flame appeared in his palm—the flame of nine flames return to origin. It had fused the Purifying Lotus Demon Flame Origin, nine nether wind flame, three thousand burning flame, bone spirit cold flame, fallen heart flame... The power of nine great heavenly flames had transcended the bounds of "heavenly flames," becoming the source of ten thousand flames, the Venerable of Emperor Flame.

"Master, your disciple shall use the Emperor Flame to reforge the Emperor Stele."

As his words fell, the Emperor Flame slowly descended and touched the stele.

"BOOM!!!"

In an instant, heaven and earth fell silent, and space froze. Like an awakening behemoth, the Nine Flames Emperor Stele gushed crimson-gold molten fire from its cracks. It spread across the earth, forming nine fiery veins that pierced the nine regions of the Central Plains. Bloody light shot skyward from the inscriptions, revealing nine tiers of phantasmal realms—the nine trial realms of the Nine Flames Return to Origin Art!

Heart-burning, soul-severing, Dao-burning, Ninefold Transformation, Nine Flames Burn Soul, Nine Flames Burn Heaven, Nine Flames Devour Soul, nine flames return to origin, Emperor Flame Reforging!

"From this day onward, this stele shall be the Emperor Flame Trial Gate." Xiao Yan's voice thundered across the Central Plains. "All who aspire to seek the Dao may enter the stele and endure the nine flames burning their bodies. Those who survive shall earn the Emperor Flame's recognition and be reborn in fire!"

"BOOM!"

The Nine Flames Emperor Stele erupted with towering firelight. A crimson-gold pillar shot into the heavens, tearing through the clouds and illuminating hundreds of millions of miles. The land of the Central Plains trembled, and countless powerful cultivators looked skyward, shaken to their cores.

"Is that... the Emperor Flame?!"

"The Nine Flames Emperor Court has reopened its trials! We have a chance to set foot on the Emperor Road!"

"Quick! Head to the Emperor Ruins Plains!"

For a time, the mighty of the Central Plains raced to cross the waters. Dou Zong, Dou Zun, and even ancient monsters living in seclusion set out, streaming toward the Emperor Ruins Plains like a hundred rivers flowing into the sea.

First trial: Heart-burning tribulation

"Aah! My memories... are burning!"

A Dou Zong stepped into the stele's shadow and was instantly engulfed in crimson-gold flames, his Primordial Spirit thrust into a furnace. He saw himself murdering his master for a cultivation art in his youth, betraying his fellow disciples to save his own life. Every obsession, sin, and regret was ignited by the Emperor Flame.

"I have no regrets! No regrets!" he roared, trying to resist with Dou Qi.

"BOOM!"

The flames surged. His body turned to ash, leaving only a wisp of remnant soul that the inscriptions absorbed as nourishment for the trial.

"If the heart is not burned, how can one be reborn?" Standing atop the stele, Xiao Yan said calmly, "The Emperor Flame does not burn an innocent body, but it does burn a soul bound by obsession. Those who cannot pass remain mere mortals."

"I'll go!"

Gu Ling stepped forward, his white robes pure as snow, his gaze resolute. He entered the stele's shadow and was wreathed in Emperor Flame, yet he did not struggle. He merely said softly, "My obsession is protection, not slaughter. If that obsession is a sin, I am willing to burn myself to nothing in exchange for the Nine Flames Emperor Court's survival."

The flames faltered slightly, then slowly receded.

"You pass." Xiao Yan nodded. "Gu Ling, you have broken through the barrier in your heart."

Second trial: Soul-severing tribulation

"If the soul is not severed, the Dao cannot be attained." Xiao Yan waved his hand, opening the second trial.

An old man stepped inside. Instantly, his soul was pulled from his flesh and tempered in a fiery furnace. He saw his thousand years of cultivation, the countless souls he had refined in his pursuit of immortality, his blood debts piled high as mountains.

"I refuse to accept this! I am a Dou Sheng! I have the right to rule over life and death!" he roared.

"BOOM!"

His soul exploded, and the Emperor Flame devoured its remnants.

"The right to rule over life and death?" Xiao Yan sneered. "The truly strong use their strength to protect all living beings, not slaughter them."

"I'll go." Yao Lao's remnant soul emerged from the Medicine Cauldron. Though only a sliver of his will remained, he still held his spine straight. "All my life, I refined medicine to save others, and I also killed countless enemies. But with a clear conscience, I have nothing to fear from soul-severing!"

The Emperor Flame wrapped around him. Yao Lao's remnant soul became clear as glass, and rather than harming him, the flames helped him condense a tangible form.

"You pass." Xiao Yan was visibly moved. "Master, your conscience was always clear."

Third trial: Dao-burning tribulation

"If the Dao is not burned, how can it be reforged?"

A Dou Zun stepped inside. The Emperor Flame entered his body and burned straight into his Dao heart. He cultivated the "Heartless Dao," severing the seven emotions and six desires solely to reach the summit.

"Your Dao is an escape," Xiao Yan said. "The true Dao is to face pain and still choose to move forward."

"I don't believe it!" the Dou Zun roared, resisting with Dou Qi.

"BOOM!"

His Dao heart shattered, his Dou Qi dispersed, and he was reduced to a cripple.

"I'll go." Thunder Venerable's remnant soul appeared. Though his lightning wings were broken, he still stood proud. "My Dao is protection. Even if my soul perishes and my wings break, I will protect those I wish to protect."

The Emperor Flame entered him. Thunder Venerable did not resist. He only turned the power of his remnant soul into a lightning shield, steadfastly guarding the direction where Gu Ling stood.

The flames trembled slightly, then transformed into lightning fire, helping him re-form his soul body.

"You pass." Xiao Yan sighed softly. "The true Dao is never heartless."

The nine trials remained open for seven days straight.

The mighty of the Central Plains raced to cross the waters. A million entered the stele, but only nine thousand passed the first three trials. A hundred reached the fourth, "Ninefold Windfire Transformation," and ten touched the fifth, "Nine Flames Burn Soul." Only Gu Ling, Yao Lao, and Thunder Venerable reached the seventh directly—Nine Flames Devour Soul!

"Master, I feel... my soul transforming," Gu Ling murmured. Nine-flame patterns appeared across his body, and he quietly broke through the Dou Zun realm.

"This is the Emperor Flame's gift," Xiao Yan said. "You guarded the gate with your lives; with the Emperor Flame, I give you new life in return. From this day onward, you are no longer guardians of the Nine Flames Emperor Court..."

"You are—Heirs of Emperor Flame."

"BOOM!"

The Nine Flames Emperor Stele once again erupted with towering radiance. The bloody light of its inscriptions became nine fire seals, branding the brows of the nine powerful cultivators who had passed the seventh trial.

The Nine Heirs of Emperor Flame were officially born!

The Ancient Eight Clans, a secret hall.

"Terrible news! The Nine Flames Emperor Stele has reopened, and the Emperor Fire Trial has begun! In the Central Plains, a hundred people have already broken through Dou Zun, and a thousand have reached the threshold of Dou Sheng!" a scout reported on his knees.

"Xiao Yan is using the Emperor Flame to build his influence and cultivate loyal followers! His intentions deserve death!" the Lei Clan's ancestor roared.

"We cannot wait any longer," the remnants of the Soul Clan murmured. "We must unite the Ancient Eight Clans and activate the 'Nine Clans United Execution' formation. With the remains of nine Dou Di as the catalyst, we shall reenact the Primordial Emperor War!"

"But... once that formation is activated, the Central Plains will become a sea of fire, and hundreds of millions of living beings will be plunged into misery," a clan elder said hesitantly.

"Hmph! If we do not kill Xiao Yan, once his Emperor Flame reaches full mastery, all nine of our clans will turn to ash!" The Gu Clan's newly appointed patriarch sneered. "Pass down the order—Nine Clans United Execution. This battle is solely to destroy the emperor!"

The Emperor Ruins Plains, night.

Gu Ling looked at Xiao Yan. "Will they come?"

"They will." Xiao Yan gazed toward the horizon, the Emperor Fire Seal pulsing faintly. "They're afraid. Afraid I'll reforge the Emperor Road, afraid I'll shatter the old order, afraid I'll... let even ordinary mortals become emperors."

"So this battle cannot be avoided."

"Then—we fight!"

He raised his hand, and the Emperor Fire Seal crashed down. The Nine Flames Emperor Stele erupted with unprecedented radiance, the bloody light of its inscriptions forming a crimson-gold battle flag that snapped in the wind, bearing the words:

Emperor Flame Descends Upon Heaven!

Next chapter preview: "Nine Clans United Execution"

The nine ancient clans join forces to activate the "Nine Clans United Execution" formation. Using the remains of nine Dou Di as the catalyst, they summon the power of the Primordial Emperor War. Standing atop the Nine Flames Emperor Stele with the Emperor Fire Seal in hand, Xiao Yan leads the Nine Heirs of Emperor Flame against the assembled emperors. This battle will decide who claims the Emperor Road. This battle will determine the return of ten thousand flames to their origin!

As long as the Emperor Flame endures, my Dao shall never end!