Li Yuanli didn't answer Yhwach's question. Instead, he accelerated and disappeared into the distance.
A few minutes later, the two landed from the sky.
"What is that?" Yhwach stared at the tiny, multicolored flame flickering in the wind and rain. It looked so fragile that it might go out at any moment.
Looking around, he realized they were standing on what resembled an ancient altar. The flame burned quietly at its center.
The surrounding land had already been shattered. Broken stone and enormous cracks covered the earth in every direction, while distant cries for help drifted through the storm.
Yet the altar itself remained untouched. It was calm. Peaceful.
The moment they stepped onto it, even the destructive force ravaging the world seemed to disappear.
"The Fire of Civilization." Li Yuanli bent down and carefully shielded the flame from the rain with his hand. "It is the eternal fire that supports an empire's civilization, growth, and progress. As long as the King lives... this flame will never be extinguished. But the moment it goes out... the nation has fallen."
Yhwach's pupils shrank.
As long as the King lived, the flame endured. If the flame died, so did the nation.
It was unimaginable that such a tiny flame carried the fate of an entire civilization.
In the short time since arriving here, an unimaginably vast and mysterious world had unfolded before him.
"So... what do we do now?" he asked gravely.
This world was already collapsing. Even the Fire of Civilization looked so weak that a pebble might snuff it out.
"We're going to merge this flame into Qin Nation's Fire of Civilization," Li Yuanli said, his expression turning serious. "Once that's done... this world will officially become part of Qin Nation. It's the only way to stop its destruction."
As he spoke, his body trembled slightly.
'Hum…'
An invisible pressure spread outward. The overwhelming aura alone made Yhwach instinctively shiver.
The power of a King.
"By the authority of my King... I summon the Fire of Civilization. Gather the essence of all worlds... and strengthen what is ours."
As Li Yuanli chanted, glowing runes wreathed in flames appeared one after another around him. His King's aura grew increasingly overwhelming.
Three breaths later…
A tiny flame, barely an inch tall yet burning with astonishing vigor, appeared in midair.
The moment it appeared, everything within ten thousand meters changed. The rain froze in place, then instantly evaporated into white mist. Even its molecular structure seemed to transform, becoming auspicious clouds that floated across the sky.
Yhwach stood frozen in shock.
Li Yuanli carefully held the flame in his palm.
"By order of the King of Qin... I command you... merge with the Fire of the Nie Kingdom. From this day onward... burn forever. Never perish. May Qin Nation flourish for all eternity."
His chant continued as he slowly guided Qin Nation's Fire of Civilization toward the fading flame of the Nie Kingdom.
Several breaths later, the two flames touched.
'Hissssss!'
A sharp, continuous sound echoed through the air as the flames instantly fused together.
Both men watched without blinking.
The moment Qin Nation's Fire touched the Fire of the Nie Kingdom, it flared violently. It was like fire meeting gasoline, or a flame finally receiving fresh oxygen. It exploded with life.
'Crackle!'
Golden lightning suddenly filled the sky above the Nie Kingdom. The Fire of Civilization continued burning as Qin Nation's flame steadily absorbed the Nie Kingdom's flame, making it part of itself.
It grew larger and larger. One inch. Two inches. Five inches. Nine inches.
Finally... one foot tall.
At that moment, the destruction consuming the Nie Kingdom came to a halt. The earthquakes stopped, the volcanoes fell silent, and the oceans receded. Even the purple sun in the sky gradually returned to brilliant white, bathing the land in warm, gentle light.
The apocalypse had ended.
Countless warriors throughout the Nie Kingdom erupted into cheers.
But the Fire of Civilization continued growing. One foot. Three feet. Six feet. Nine feet.
'Hum!'
Space itself trembled.
The flame surged to a full nine feet before finally stopping. Brilliant multicolored light poured from it, and within the flames, countless shifting forms appeared. Worlds seemed to be born and destroyed inside it, resembling a magnificent flower blooming in the heavens.
"...Beautiful," Yhwach couldn't help whispering.
Li Yuanli also let out a long breath, a smile finally appearing on his face.
A nine-foot Fire of Civilization meant only one thing: they had succeeded.
---
At the same moment...
Qin Nation's own Fire of Civilization suddenly blazed higher. The guards stationed around it were startled and immediately rushed over.
The moment they saw its size, they cried out in disbelief.
"Nine feet! The Fire of Civilization has reached nine feet!"
"Starlight Rank Nine! Our nation has advanced to Starlight Rank Nine!"
Shock, joy, excitement, and celebration swept across Qin Nation, spreading to every corner of the world.
Starlight Rank Nine—the absolute peak of the Starlight Realm. One more step, and they would reach Moonlight, a realm of civilization they had only dreamed about.
According to legend, civilizations at the Moonlight level possessed the power to effortlessly destroy entire worlds.
Every citizen was immensely powerful, the Divine Nation stood invincible, and experts could be found everywhere. It was said they could leave their own planet behind, travel freely through space, and witness the vastness of the universe with their own eyes.
At the Moonlight level, a civilization was no longer confined to a single world. It stepped into the cosmos itself. It was a fundamental leap, the difference between heaven and earth.
---
Back in the Soul Society...
Qin Yi suddenly trembled. He paused in surprise as dazzling light erupted from within his body. It was as though countless stars had awakened inside him, flickering with breathtaking brilliance.
Starlight covered his entire body. One star appeared on his forehead, while others shone from his shoulders, knees, chest, and back, nine stars in total illuminating him with radiant light.
"The Nine Stars have descended upon me. I've reached Starlight Rank Nine," Qin Yi murmured.
He was surprised, yet at the same time, it felt completely natural.
The nine stars slowly began moving across his body. After circling him several times, they shrank into tiny points of light before gathering at the center of his forehead, forming a strange flower-like mark.
The nine stars remained separate, yet they also seemed ready to merge into a single moon at any moment.
"Wonderful." Qin Yi smiled.
Feeling the immense strength surging through him, he couldn't hide his satisfaction. He knew exactly what had happened: King Chengdui's Nie Kingdom had officially merged with Qin Nation. That single event had elevated his civilization several levels in one leap, bringing it directly to Starlight Rank Nine.
Just then, a figure rushed toward him.
"Your Majesty! Something terrible has happened!"
"Yasuo... he's too powerful!"
"The armies in all four directions… east, south, west, and north, can't stop him!"
Qin Yi narrowed his eyes. "Yasuo?"
The name sounded strangely familiar.
(End of Chapter)
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