A year later, in a secluded chamber of the Ancient Flame Sect at the heart of the Black-Corner Region, an immeasurable distance from the Branch Hall on the border of the Northwest Continent.
Flames of several different colors surged and swirled wildly within the chamber, illuminating its dim interior with a dazzling radiance, like a sea of multicolored fire.
Terrifying heat and an explosive aura of energy spread unchecked from this sea of flames, sweeping outward in every direction. Had the chamber not been protected by exceptionally powerful restrictions, the terrifying multicolored inferno would have burst through it in an instant and burned everything within hundreds of miles to ashes.
Within that sea of fire, a graceful figure could faintly be seen sitting cross-legged. A closer look revealed that the fearsome multicolored flames surged rhythmically with each breath she took, as though she were the sovereign of the inferno.
Her eyes were tightly shut. In stark contrast to the searing flames around her, her flawless face was as cold as a glacier that had stood for ten thousand years, utterly indifferent and devoid of expression. Her slender hands rested together before her lower abdomen.
Her fingers shifted rapidly, moving so quickly that trails of afterimages flashed into view. As they continually interlaced, her aura rose steadily, growing ever more terrifying. The sea of flames around her became hotter and more violent, and the crackling of flames scorching space and air echoed incessantly through the chamber.
Before long, however, the rapid movements of her fingers gradually slowed for some unknown reason. Her exquisitely painted, willow-leaf brows drew together slightly, and a trace of change appeared in her cold expression, something unusual flickering across her face. Then she drew a deep breath, interrupted her own movements, and formed a closing hand seal.