The Altar's Sinister Scheme

The night was black as ink. Deep within the Magical Beast Mountain Range, ancient trees towered into the sky, and mist filled the forest.

Xiao Yan trod over dead leaves, clutching a Jade Slip, a fierce light burning in his eyes—it held Xiao Ze's message: "The true flame is at the northwestern Cliffside." Yet after following the trail, he found only an ancient altar tangled in vines. Nine stone pillars thrust into the night sky like the fangs of a colossal beast. Its center stood empty, with only a faint scorched fragrance lingering in the air.

"Something's wrong..." Xiao Yan stopped abruptly, his pupils contracting. "This aura is too artificial. It feels like a trap someone deliberately laid."

Just then, the ground beneath his feet shook. Blood-red runes suddenly lit up across the nine stone pillars, and a massive formation roared to life, trapping him at its center!

"Hahaha! Xiao Clan brat, you finally came!"

An icy laugh echoed from every direction. A dark figure emerged from the woods—the leader of the Hall of Souls' Black Flame Alliance, Blood-Eyed Old Ghost, an Eight-Star Dou Zong who specialized in secret soul arts.

"Did you think you could escape our schemes? This altar was adapted from the Ancient Sealing Formation, specifically to suppress the power of heavenly flames! Seventy percent of the nine nether wind flame within you has already been suppressed!"

Xiao Yan's expression darkened. He circulated the Flame Mantra, only to find his Dou Qi sluggish. The nine nether wind flame seemed bound by invisible chains, almost impossible to rouse.

"A sealing formation?!" He gritted his teeth. "You dared use heavenly flames as bait to lure me into a trap!"

"Lure you? That's only the beginning!" Blood-Eyed Old Ghost sneered. "What we want is to use your body to awaken the purifying lotus demon flame main flame! You're nothing but a vessel—a sacrifice!"

Before his words had faded, black mist erupted from all nine pillars, transforming into chains that lashed toward Xiao Yan's limbs!

"You want to capture me? Dream on!"

Xiao Yan roared, forcibly rousing the nine nether wind flame. Blue-green flames erupted, burning through two chains, but the others had already coiled around his arms. Agony pierced his heart, and his soul felt as though it were being torn apart!

"Hmph. A dying beast's last struggle." Blood-Eyed Old Ghost formed seals with both hands. "Seal the Soul and Lock the Spirit! Refine Flame, Return to Origin—refine him!"

The altar thundered. Black mist became a gigantic furnace, enclosing Xiao Yan as flames burned inward from outside, beginning to scorch his meridians and soul.

"Aaargh!"

Xiao Yan threw back his head and screamed. Blood seeped from all seven orifices, yet he still clenched his teeth, refusing to submit.

At that moment, with everything hanging by a thread—

Boom!

A streak of deep-blue fire descended from the sky like a meteor crashing into the world, slamming into the center of the altar!

"Who's there?!" Blood-Eyed Old Ghost cried in alarm.

The flames dispersed, revealing a tall, slender figure standing upon the fire. His black robes billowed, wind and flame swirling in his eyes—it was Xiao Ze's Fire Spirit avatar!

"Uncle?!" Hope blazed in Xiao Yan's eyes.

"Yan'er, hold on." Xiao Ze's voice was calm, yet carried unquestionable authority. "A mere sealing formation dares run wild before me?"

He raised his hand. The nine nether wind flame surged upward like a dragon, colliding violently with the altar's black mist in a thunderous explosion!

"This... this is impossible! He's only an avatar! How can he have such power?!" Blood-Eyed Old Ghost was aghast.

"You don't understand." Xiao Ze sneered. "The nine nether wind flame is a flame that breaks seals—the bane of all flames."

He formed seals with both hands. His Fire Spirit avatar suddenly swelled into a thousand-foot phantom of a Flame God and brought its palm crashing down!

"Break!"

Crack!

The nine stone pillars snapped at once, and the sealing formation shattered completely!

Blood-Eyed Old Ghost roared and drove the black mist into a counterattack, but Xiao Ze touched a finger to the center of his brow. Deep-blue flames spread along his arm, burning his soul to nothing in an instant!

"Aaargh! No!"

Before his screams had faded, the remnants of the Black Flame Alliance began detonating themselves, desperately trying to escape.

Xiao Ze snorted coldly. "Not one of you is leaving."

His Fire Spirit avatar spread both arms. The nine nether wind flame became a net of fire that enveloped the entire area, burning every fleeing enemy into nothingness.

Silence returned to the altar.

Xiao Ze turned and helped the gravely wounded Xiao Yan up. "Your injuries are serious, but your foundation is unharmed. Good."

"Uncle... I almost..." Xiao Yan's voice was weak.

"You didn't lose." Xiao Ze dripped a drop of golden blood into his mouth. "This is a Nine-Star Dou Di's blood essence. It can help repair your meridians and stabilize your flame seed."

Xiao Yan felt warmth flood through every limb and bone. His injuries healed at a speed visible to the naked eye.

"This... this is... a Dou Di's blood?!"

"Yes." Xiao Ze nodded. "Though I was reincarnated, my bloodline remains unbroken. From today onward, you carry a drop of my Emperor Blood. The nine nether wind flame will become even more compatible with you."

He looked toward the altar's ruins, then suddenly raised his hand and extracted a fragment from a broken stone pillar. Half a map was carved upon it, marked with the words "Northwestern Cliffside, beneath the Flame Abyss."

"As expected, the clue to the true flame was here." A sharp gleam flashed in Xiao Ze's eyes. "Though the Purifying Lotus Demon Flame Remnant was taken away, it left a trace behind, pointing toward the main flame."

He handed the fragment to Xiao Yan. "Keep it safe. This will be your first key to the path of a Dou Di."

Xiao Yan accepted it solemnly and dropped to both knees. "Thank you, Uncle, for saving my life and passing on your teachings!"

Xiao Ze helped him up, his voice low but firm. "Remember, the men of the Xiao Clan fear neither schemes nor powerful enemies. Today's trap was only the beginning. In the future, you will face the darkness and rules of the entire continent."

He raised his head toward the night sky, and his Fire Spirit avatar slowly dispersed.

"Go, Yan'er. The Cliffside awaits you. The heavenly flames await you. The rank of Dou Di awaits you, too."

The wind rose, and the flames died. Only a young man's silhouette remained atop the ruins, gripping the map tightly, his gaze blazing like a torch.

The storm had arrived.

[Ding! Mission "Flame Scheme" completion: 70%]

[Mission reward issued in advance: heavenly flame fusion secret art "Nine Flames Return to Origin Art" (fragment) has been recorded in the system]

[New mission triggered: Cliff Flame Abyss—reach the northwestern cliff within seven days and investigate clues to the purifying lotus demon flame main flame]

Xiao Yan put away the map, drew a deep breath, and turned to enter the dense forest.

Meanwhile, in the direction of Wutan City, three concealed auras quietly rose—

One came from the Misty Cloud Sect, one from the Gu Clan, and the last was as black as an abyss, carrying a pressure that made souls tremble.

An even greater crisis was drawing near.

Next chapter preview: "Cliff Flame Abyss"

Xiao Yan ventured alone into the northwestern cliff and plunged into an abyss tens of thousands of feet deep, only to unexpectedly discover the ruins of the Ancient Flame Hall. The nine nether wind flame resonated, awakening a slumbering Fire Spirit and revealing the true form of the purifying lotus demon flame for the first time. And the hidden pieces Xiao Ze had placed finally began to move...