"Mm, find me a room. I expect I'll need about three days in seclusion. Don't let anyone disturb me during that time."
Qin Yun nodded. He knew this was the most crucial moment, and also the most dangerous.
Heavenly Flames were among the most violent treasures born of heaven and earth. Even the greatly weakened Fallen Heart Flame would not be easy to refine.
Qin Yun then entered seclusion. Looking at the little flaming snake sleeping in his hand, he took out the three essentials for refining Heavenly Flames without hesitation and began on the spot.
He had to admit, the instant the Heavenly Flame entered his body, the sensation was excruciating beyond belief. It felt as though someone had set all his meridians ablaze from the inside.
Even Qin Yun was soon drenched in sweat, his teeth nearly cracking from how hard he clenched them.
But then he thought of his future, of Hun Tiandi's blood sacrifice a few decades down the line. Could he really count on Xiao Yan, his backup plan, to clean up the battlefield?
No! Xiao Yan is only my safety net. That doesn't mean I can dump all the pressure on him.
I'm no good-for-nothing. I have the heart to grow stronger, too.
In this world where the strongest fist reigns supreme, I'll climb step by step, step by step, all the way to the summit and become a Dou Di standing above all!
At that thought, Qin Yun drew a deep breath and immediately activated Threefold Reversal.
His entire body once again turned as white and flawless as jade. Although the Heavenly Flame inside him burned with a constant crackling, his body continued to heal itself.
Every time the Heavenly Flame charred a part of him, his regenerative ability instantly restored it.
Clinging to his last breath, he held out in this deadlock for almost an entire day.
Just then, a teasing voice suddenly sounded beside Qin Yun's ear. "Little fellow, it looks like you've run into a bit of trouble."
Qin Yun's heart lurched at the voice. Damn it, I let my guard down. I actually forgot about him.
Before him stood the Heavenly Fire Venerable, who had already become a soul body.
In his rush to absorb the Heavenly Flame, he had actually forgotten this unpredictable factor.
"May I ask why you've come out now, sir? This really isn't a good time for a chat." Qin Yun immediately spared a sliver of his attention to guard against him.
After all, he was at his weakest right now. If the other man harbored any ill intentions, this would be the perfect time to strike.
"Little fellow, don't get so worked up. Do I look like the sort who repays kindness with betrayal? I only wanted to lend a little help." The Heavenly Fire Venerable calmly spread his hands.
Then he quietly channeled a trace of his soul aura into Qin Yun's body.
Afraid Qin Yun might resist, the Heavenly Fire Venerable even made a point of explaining.
"Whatever else you might say about it, this Fallen Heart Flame used to be mine. Even after I released it, it wouldn't resist me too strongly.
"With my aura helping you, you should be able to absorb it more smoothly."
"Thank you, senior. I'll repay this favor someday." Qin Yun quietly breathed a sigh of relief.
Feeling the strain inside his body ease considerably, he knew the Heavenly Fire Venerable really had come to help.
But why didn't he do anything earlier, when I was wearing down the Fallen Heart Flame? Was that just his twisted sense of fun?
The Heavenly Fire Venerable seemed to see through his thoughts and could only shake his head helplessly.
"It was too strong back then. I was afraid it would fly into a rage and attack indiscriminately.
"After all, it's been several hundred years since I released it. If it failed to recognize me right away, wouldn't I end up even worse off than cannon fodder?"
"..."
Fine, fine. I'll let you off the hook.
Once he had done all this, the Heavenly Fire Venerable obediently returned to the Storage Ring to sleep.
With the Heavenly Fire Venerable's help, the pressure on Qin Yun dropped dramatically.
By the second day, the refining process had reached its final stage. He only needed to endure the agony of flames consuming his body a little longer to completely subdue the Fallen Heart Flame.
Finally, on the third day, Qin Yun let out a long, ringing cry, burst straight through the cultivation chamber's roof, and hovered in midair.
At that moment, the Fallen Heart Flame's red fire enveloped Qin Yun from head to toe, shifting into all manner of shapes at his will.
Not only did the Fallen Heart Flame greatly expand his offensive options, it also bore the title of a cultivation cheat.
After absorbing the Fallen Heart Flame, Qin Yun had broken through four minor stages in a row to become a Nine-Star Dou Wang, and his future cultivation speed would soar as well.
More importantly, the Fallen Heart Flame was a Heavenly Flame that specifically targeted souls.
If he encountered any high-ranking Alchemists skilled in soul attacks in the future, he would now have a way to counter them.
"Well, well! Not bad at all. You look full of life. Seems you've finished refining the Heavenly Flame."
Fei Tian strode through the air, swiftly arrived before him, and carefully examined his body.
"Yes, but now I finally understand why Heavenly Flames are so hard to obtain. It really fucking hurt. Who knows how many more times I'll have to go through that pain?"
Qin Yun had yet to forget the extreme agony he had endured while absorbing the Heavenly Flame. Honestly, he never wanted to experience it again.
"Are you shitting me? How many more times do you want it to hurt? What kind of joke is that? You're lucky you managed to absorb even one Heavenly Flame. I've never heard of anyone possessing two different Heavenly Flames at once.
"You should know that Heavenly Flames are violent by nature. It's practically impossible for two Heavenly Flames with completely different attributes to coexist inside one person."
Fei Tian raised his chin slightly as he spoke. To him, Qin Yun had merely been joking, and he had not taken it seriously at all.
But when he saw Qin Yun's earnest, sincere gaze, he suddenly felt that something was off.
"Don't tell me you actually want to absorb a second Heavenly Flame. I'm warning you, this is no joke. Even if you drag me into it, your teacher will never agree."
Seeing that Qin Yun truly intended to absorb a second Heavenly Flame, Fei Tian immediately tried to put a stop to the idea.
"Is that so? Then take a look at this." Qin Yun smiled faintly and extended a finger, gathering a blue flame above it.
Even that tiny wisp of blue flame gave off tremendous heat, clearly beyond anything an ordinary beast flame could achieve.
"That's the Sea Heart Flame! You got it from Han Feng's soul? Weren't you only able to use it for refining medicine when you let his soul briefly possess you?"
Fei Tian felt that since coming out with this brat, he had encountered more bizarre happenings than in the rest of his life combined.
"That's right. I couldn't use it this way before, but now that I've absorbed a Heavenly Flame,
"my control over fire has improved considerably, so I developed this application." Qin Yun manipulated the flame, drawing a circle in front of him.
"But what comes next is the main event. Watch closely, Uncle Fei." The corners of Qin Yun's mouth lifted slightly as Han Feng's soul body slowly appeared behind him.
Then Qin Yun and Han Feng's soul body acted simultaneously, two Heavenly Flames with entirely different attributes instantly appearing in their hands.
Under their synchronized control, the flames slowly began to fuse.
"Stop, stop, stop! That's enough! Cut it out!" Before the two flames could fully merge, Fei Tian forcibly extinguished the faint wisps with spatial power.
Before you continue