A glint of satisfaction flashed through "Xiao Yan's" eyes. Soul Force surged out like a tide, enveloping the wisp of flame completely before slowly drawing it out.
The Nether Sea Flood Dragon Beast's enormous body twitched slightly, but it no longer had any strength to resist and fell utterly unconscious.
"Got it."
Yao Chen's voice rang out. Then Xiao Yan felt the immense power within him receding like the tide.
Xiao Yan regained control of his body and lowered his head to look at the wisp of deep-blue flame in his palm, his eyes shining brilliantly.
"Azure Water Flame!"
"Teacher, how does this flame... compare to the Fatal Flame?"
Yao Chen pondered for a moment before replying slowly:
"In terms of rank alone, a sixth-rank beast flame should far surpass a Fifth-Order one. But the Fatal Flame's properties are far too strange. Even I cannot see through them."
"Though powerful, this Azure Water Flame is ultimately nothing more than pure flame energy. It lacks those terrifying properties that seem almost like 'laws.'"
Xiao Yan nodded and put away the Azure Water Flame, but his gaze settled on the Nether Sea Flood Dragon Beast's massive body.
Where the beast's scales had shattered, he could faintly see dark markings resembling old wounds, constantly eating away at its vitality.
"Teacher, are those... injuries on this big fellow?"
Yao Chen swept his Soul Force over it, and understanding dawned on his aged face.
"A lingering ailment. This Nether Sea Flood Dragon Beast likely suffered grievous injuries in its early years. Though the formidable vitality of a sixth-rank magical beast has kept it going until now, its foundations have been damaged. Its cultivation will probably struggle to advance any further."
"But it is nothing too serious. A single Primordial Bone-Shaping Pill would cure it completely."
"A Primordial Bone-Shaping Pill?" Xiao Yan raised his brows slightly.
"A sixth-grade pill that can reshape bones and repair one's foundations. It also works wonders on sixth-rank magical beasts," Yao Chen said calmly.
Xiao Yan silently committed this to memory. His gaze lingered on the unconscious beast for a moment before he turned to leave.
"Let's go. The Imperial Family's experts will probably notice soon."
Early the following morning, at the imperial palace of the Jia Ma Empire.
"What?!"
His Majesty the emperor of the Jia Ma Empire abruptly rose from his dragon throne, his face contorted with fury.
"The Nether Sea Flood Dragon Beast... was attacked?!"
Below him, an imperial guard commander knelt on the floor, trembling all over.
"Your Majesty... there was a disturbance at Nether Sea Lake around midnight last night. By the time we arrived, the Nether Sea Flood Dragon Beast was unconscious in the lake. Its scales were shattered, and the beast flame within... within its body had been taken!"
"The Azure Water Flame was taken?!"
The emperor's pupils contracted sharply. He staggered backward, nearly falling.
The Nether Sea Flood Dragon Beast was the guardian beast passed down through the Jia Ma Imperial Family for hundreds of years! A sixth-rank magical beast capable of matching a seven- or eight-star Dou Emperor!
And now, someone had actually slipped into the imperial palace without a sound and taken its beast flame?!
"Investigate!"
He smashed the armrest of his dragon throne with a sudden blow, his furious roar reverberating through the hall.
"Find them!"
"Seal off the entire city and hunt down every suspicious person! Search for traces of the Azure Water Flame's aura!"
"Let me see who has such heaven-defying audacity to touch our Imperial Family's guardian beast right under Elder Jia's nose!"
As the news spread, the entire Jia Ma Empire was shaken once again.
Gute's estate had been burned down, the Misty Cloud Sect was searching for Heavenly Flames, and the Imperial Family's guardian beast had been attacked...
Within just a few days, winds and clouds had shifted across the Jia Ma Empire, with dark currents surging beneath the surface. It was as though an invisible hand was drawing the entire continent into an unprecedented storm.
In a secluded cave somewhere within the Magical Beast Mountain Range.
Xiao Yan sat cross-legged on a slab of blue stone. In his palm, the wisp of deep-blue Azure Water Flame was wrapped in layers of Fatal Flame, constantly being compressed and refined.
"Refine!"
With a low shout, he drove the Flame Mantra to its limit. Dou Qi surged like a tide into the wisp of deep-blue flame.
This time, the advancement of his cultivation method that he had anticipated finally occurred!
Under the Fatal Flame's devouring power, the wisp of Azure Water Flame slowly dissolved, turning into pure energy that merged into Xiao Yan's body.
Added to it were the netherflame of the Fifth-Order Netherflame Leopard and the Qingyun Flame of the Azureflame Eagle that he had obtained earlier!
His Dou Qi vortex trembled violently. A faint, deep-blue hue gradually appeared within his originally crimson Dou Qi. The four flames intertwined and fused, actually forming a strange crimson-blue color!
The wildly spinning vortex within him had already become a crimson-blue blur. As it spun at such tremendous speed, the liquid energy inside it was also dwindling at a strange rate visible to the naked eye!
Yet despite the diminishing energy, Xiao Yan could clearly sense that deep within the vortex, a substance containing enormous energy was slowly taking shape.
Within the vortex, which spun at breakneck speed with a low whir, the liquid energy was gradually running dry. Under Xiao Yan's inward gaze, a blue, diamond-shaped crystal only the size of his thumb suddenly floated slowly into the center of the vortex, resting motionless as its light flickered...
A Dou Crystal!
With a fierce shout from Xiao Yan, the crimson-blue, diamond-shaped crystal suddenly blazed with light!
Boom!
A cultivation aura several times stronger than before erupted from Xiao Yan's body!
Xiao Yan's eyes snapped open, crimson-blue light shooting from them. With a light push of his feet, he landed nimbly on the ground. As his gaze swept around, his imposing presence was so different from yesterday's that he seemed like another person entirely!
Crimson-blue Dou Qi Armor covered his entire body. Sensing the incomparably abundant power within him, Xiao Yan wore a satisfied smile.
Two-Star Great Dou Master!
The Flame Mantra had broken through!
Middle Mystic Tier!
Xiao Yan abruptly opened his eyes, crimson and deep blue flashing alternately within them before finally becoming a strange blue-green hue.
He turned his palm over, and a wisp of entirely new flame rose from it.
The flame's core was crimson as blood, while its outer layer was deep blue as the sea, accompanied by strands of black and blue. The four colors intertwined and whirled, faintly giving off strange fluctuations that were both searing hot and chillingly cold.
"This is..."
Yao Chen's spectral soul form drifted out. Looking at the wisp of flame, surprise appeared on his aged face.
"A new flame formed by fusing the Fatal Flame and Azure Water Flame with the fifth-tier beast fires!"
Feeling the surging power within him, Xiao Yan's lips curved upward.
"Teacher, the power of this flame..."
"It seems... stronger than an ordinary Seventh Rank beast flame."
Yao Chen spoke gravely, delivering a conclusion that left Xiao Yan utterly stunned.
"The damp, cold power of the Azure Water Flame has fused with the corrosive burning of the Fatal Flame, faintly forming a property in which they both nurture and counteract one another."
He paused, a trace of gratification flashing through his eyes. "You will have to explore its specific effects and characteristics yourself, experiencing them through combat and pill refinement."
Xiao Yan nodded firmly, engraving Yao Chen's words in his heart.
He rose and looked toward the vast, distant horizon, determination and anticipation flashing through his eyes.
"The Tagor Desert... Heavenly Flames..."
Having tasted the rewards of the Flame Mantra evolving once again, along with the improvement brought by refining flames, Xiao Yan could not help licking his lips. His yearning for Heavenly Flames burned stronger than ever!
"Teacher, it's time we set out to find a true Heavenly Flame!"
Before you continue