Nirvana Mortal Flame

The Nirvana Sea of Fire lay at the fourth stage of the Nine Flames Trial, an abyss where ancient heavenly flames had fallen, a place where all flames returned to nothingness after burning themselves out. There was neither light nor wind here, only a churning sea of crimson-black fire. Its flames burned no matter, only souls. Legend held that only those who had truly faced "nine deaths without regret" could undergo nirvana in this fire and behold the true blaze.

Lin Yan stepped to the edge of the sea of fire. The mortal flame pulsed faintly within him, like dying embers in the wind. Behind him lay the "selves" he had slain on Soul-Breaking Cliff; before him lay the "abyss" that had burned all flames to nothing.

"Are you truly going in?" a lingering soul whispered. It was the echo of the ancient Dou Di, Yan Jin. "This place neither tempers the body nor refines the soul. It burns the 'Dao.' If you enter, your mortal flame will perish. If your will fails to endure, your soul will scatter into oblivion."

Lin Yan gazed at the crimson-black sea of fire. Amid its surging waves, he could faintly make out countless lingering souls of heavenly flames wailing—the purifying lotus demon flame, the bone spirit cold flame, the fallen heart flame... All had once shaken heaven and earth with their might, only to be devoured by the tribulation flames here and reduced to nothingness.

"I know," Lin Yan said softly. "For a mortal flame to enter this place is to face nine deaths for one chance at life."

He paused, raising a hand to gently touch the scar on his chest left by the mortal flame. His voice grew firm:

"But if I lack even the courage to try, then I, Lin Yan, am unworthy of walking this Emperor Road."

Boom—!

He leaped into the sea of fire.

In an instant, nine layers of tribulation flames rose from the abyss, coiling around him like nine fire dragons. The first burned his flesh, the second his meridians, the third his Dou Qi... The seventh burned his memories, the eighth his will, and the ninth—burned his Dao heart!

"Aah—!"

Lin Yan screamed in agony. His body split apart inch by inch, and his mortal flame was swallowed by the tribulation flames, all but extinguished.

"No... My flame... must not go out..." He struggled, sinking to his knees in the sea of fire, bracing both hands against the ground as the tribulation flames burned his body.

"You cannot endure this." Whispers drifted from the tribulation flames, the resentment of countless fallen heavenly flames. "A mortal flame has no roots, no source, no legacy. What right does it have to contend with the flames of heaven and earth? You are merely a mortal. What right do you have to become an emperor?"

"Because—my heart will never die!" Lin Yan roared, mortal flame rekindling in his eyes. "My flame may be mortal, but it has never gone out! My will may be slight, but it has never retreated!"

"Today, I enter these flames not to seize the wonders of heaven and earth, nor to steal the might of heavenly flames—"

"I will use a mortal's will to refine a mortal's flame and prove a mortal's imperial Dao!"

Rumble—!

He actually drew the tribulation flames into his body of his own accord, using himself as the furnace, his mortal flame as the kindling, and the nine layers of tribulation flames as fuel to temper that strand of undying will in reverse!

"He's... refining in reverse?!" a lingering soul exclaimed in horror. "Refining mortal flame with tribulation flames? Such a thing has never happened since ancient times!"

"Mortal flame is weak by nature. How can it bear the might of tribulation flames? He is burning his own soul!"

But Lin Yan no longer listened or paid them any heed. He sat cross-legged at the center of the sea of fire, letting all its flames burn his body, guarding only that strand of mortal flame within his chest.

Time passed. One day, three days, seven days...

On the ninth day, the sea of fire abruptly fell silent.

Lin Yan slowly raised his head. His eyes no longer had pupils; only two clusters of crimson-gold flame remained, burning without end.

The mortal flame within him had actually undergone nirvana and been reborn amid the tribulation flames, transforming into a flame never seen before—Will flame true blaze.

This flame was colorless, yet it scorched souls; formless, yet it burned the Dao; without searing heat, yet it brought all flames to submission. It belonged neither to heavenly flames nor to Dou Qi. Instead, it was forged from conviction, will, sacrifice, and protection—a mortal's flame, the beginning of the imperial Dao!

"This... This is..." Yan Jin's lingering soul was shaken. "An ancient Dou Di once said that heaven and earth hold three kinds of flame: Heavenly flames burn matter, inner flames burn thoughts, and there is another—Will flame burns order... Legend says that only those who truly fight for the common people can ignite it..."

"He... has ignited it!"

Boom—!

Lin Yan rose and took a step forward. The sea of fire parted of its own accord, opening a path for him.

Before the trial stele, the phantom of the Nine Flames Emperor Stele appeared once more, and new words emerged across its surface:

"Mortal flame undergoes nirvana; will flame becomes true—the specially authorized challenger, Lin Yan, has cleared the fourth stage and attained the 'foundation of the true blaze.'"

"He may enter the fifth stage—Asking the Firmament."

The Nine Flames Emperor Court.

Xiao Yan stood before the Emperor Stele, gazing at that line of words in prolonged silence.

Yao Lao's lingering soul appeared. "He refined mortal flame in reverse into a true blaze... This is no longer a trial, but—the forging of a Dao."

"Yes," Xiao Yan sighed softly. "The road he walks is not the one we walked. His is the road mortals should have been able to walk all along."

"The rank of Dou Di should never have been monopolized by bloodlines, heavenly flames, and the Gu Clan. From this day onward, heaven and earth will have another road—the Path of Mortal Flame."

"And Lin Yan..."

"Is the first person to light that flame."

Outside the Nirvana Sea of Fire.

Lin Yan stepped out of the sea of fire. Behind him, crimson-black waves of flame surged, yet no longer dared approach him. He looked back at the abyss and said softly:

"Fire may burn my body, but it cannot extinguish my will; tribulation may break my bones, but it cannot break my Dao."

"I, Lin Yan, take mortal flame as my kindling and make this great vow—"

"May I kindle a flame for the common people. Even in death, it shall never go out."

As his words fell, will flame true blaze spread silently. Wherever it passed, shoots sprouted from scorched earth and flames rose from withered bones, revealing signs of new life.

End of chapter

Next chapter preview: "Asking the Firmament"

Lin Yan ascends the "Dao-Questioning Platform" to face the question of heaven and earth: "What is an emperor?" The myriad races challenge him: "How could a mortal understand the imperial Dao?" Standing in the highest heavens, Lin Yan uses will flame true blaze to stir the resonance of the nine flames, and the lingering souls of nine Ancient Emperors appear to question him. He gives no answer, only delivers a single slash: "My Dao has no name. It only protects the common people—this is the imperial Dao!" Heaven and earth open, the Emperor Road appears, the nine flames submit to his heart, and mortal flame finally becomes an emperor flame seed!