The molten air shimmered and pulsed above the magma lake. Upon a floating slab of blackened rock sat Qing Lin, knees drawn close, her delicate hands wrapped around them. Her emerald eyes stared blankly into the roiling crimson depths below, dazed yet hopeful. She waited for Liu Xi's figure to rise from that blazing hell, to emerge unharmed—so that she could once again fall into his warm embrace.
Suddenly, Qing Lin's face brightened with surprise and delight. Through the faint spiritual link she shared with the Two-Headed Flame Spirit Serpent, she sensed its message—Liu Xi had succeeded. He had obtained what he came for, and they were already returning.
---
Nearly an hour passed. With a deafening boom, the magma surface exploded upward, waves of molten rock splashing high. From within the crimson spray, a fiery figure burst forth—Liu Xi. As the magma rolled off his Dou Qi Cloak in glowing drops, his Dou Qi wings flared open behind him, and he shot like lightning toward the rocky platform where Qing Lin waited.
Seeing him return safely, Qing Lin's face bloomed with joy. "Congratulations, Young Master! You got what you wanted!"
Liu Xi laughed heartily, his eyes gleaming with satisfaction. "Haha, indeed. This time, things went smoother than expected. Were it not for the Two-Headed Flame Spirit Serpent leading the way, finding such a deeply hidden Heavenly Flame would've been near impossible."
He then lifted Qing Lin gently into his arms. "Have it come out—we're leaving."
Qing Lin nodded obediently. Sitting securely in his arms, she pursed her lips and gave a sharp whistle toward the lava below. In response, the serpent's twin heads surfaced, the blue light between their brows flaring brilliantly. In the next moment, its colossal body began to shrink rapidly until it became a stream of azure light that shot straight into Qing Lin's sleeve.
Qing Lin curiously patted the sleeve where it had vanished, her small face breaking into a delighted smile. "Young Master," she said sweetly, "you should give this little snake a name!"
Liu Xi chuckled as his Dou Qi wings spread again, carrying them toward the exit tunnel. After a moment's thought, he said, "Hmm… Two-Headed Flame Spirit Serpent, huh? Let's call it Ling Shuang."
It wasn't a particularly inspired name, but to Liu Xi, a Rank 4 Magical Beast hardly warranted deeper thought.
A faint hiss came from within Qing Lin's sleeve—a sound tinged with dissatisfaction. It seemed the serpent wasn't pleased that the one who had beaten it half to death was now giving it a name.
Qing Lin only giggled. "From now on, you're Ling Shuang! And if you dare complain, I'll tell Young Master to abandon you!"
If the serpent could sigh, it probably would have. Once free and untamed in this magma world, now it was stuck with two unpredictable human masters—it could only lament the tragedy of its beastly fate.
---
The wind roared as Liu Xi soared higher. Within minutes, he had left the depths of the Tager Desert behind and pierced through the veil of hot air into the open sky.
Looking down at the desert below, he raised his hand. A thread of crimson flame appeared in his palm, then shot out like a meteor toward the tunnel entrance.
Boom!
The explosion echoed across the dunes as the entrance collapsed beneath a wave of molten sand. In moments, nothing remained but rolling dust and wind—no trace of the path leading to the magma world below.
Liu Xi calmly dusted his hands. "No one needs to find what's beneath there," he murmured. Then, with a beat of his wings, he turned and vanished into the horizon.
---
As he flew, Liu Xi unfolded a map from his spatial ring. His gaze settled on a barren mountain range near the edge of the Tager Desert. "That'll do," he murmured. "Quiet enough."
Now that the Heavenly Flame rested in his possession, his heart burned with excitement. He had no intention of waiting any longer—he would refine it tonight. The longer it remained unclaimed, the greater the risk of attracting unwanted attention.
By dusk, Liu Xi had reached the outskirts of the mountains. The harsh sand gave way to scattered shrubs and rocky slopes. He landed lightly on the ground, folded his wings, and surveyed the wilderness. Satisfied, he nodded. "This place will do."
He and Qing Lin ventured deeper until they found a secluded spot. With a few quick strikes of his Dou Qi, Liu Xi carved a spacious cave into the cliffside. When everything was ready, he turned to Qing Lin, his voice gentle but serious.
"Qing Lin, I'll begin refining the Heavenly Flame inside. No one must disturb me, no matter what happens. Guard this cave. If anyone—or anything—tries to break through, have Ling Shuang deal with them immediately."
At the final words, his eyes flashed coldly.
Qing Lin nodded with determination. "Yes, Young Master. I won't let anyone get near!"
Liu Xi smiled and ruffled her hair. "Good girl." With that, he stepped into the cave.
Qing Lin watched his silhouette disappear into the dimness. Then she patted the serpent coiled around her arm. "Ling Shuang, you heard that, right? Until Young Master comes out, no one can disturb him! If someone does… eat them all."
The serpent hissed softly in acknowledgment.
---
Inside, Liu Xi placed a moonstone on the cavern wall, bathing it in a faint silvery glow. He sat cross-legged on a smoothed stone bed and swallowed a Tier 3 recovery pill, restoring both Dou Qi and Spiritual Power.
Moments later, his eyes opened, gleaming with focus. From his ring, he took out a transparent jade bottle. Inside rested a blood-red pill the size of a dragon's eye, faint shadows swirling within its liquid-like surface.
It was the Blood Lotus Pill—a crucial catalyst for devouring a Heavenly Flame.
He set it aside carefully and drew out a white jade box next. As he opened it, a thin layer of frost instantly coated the stone table. Resting within the box was a snow-white jade bottle shrouded in a veil of cold mist.
Within it was the Ice Spirit Cold Spring, another essential ingredient.
Finally, he took out the last item—a small, smooth gray stone the size of a thumb. A faint blue light pulsed within it like a living creature. This was the Acceptance Soul, the rarest of the three.
Liu Xi's expression tightened with pain. "Half a year of unpaid work in the Inner Academy just for this…"
He lined up the three items beside him, then brought forth the Green Lotus Core Flame sealed within its lotus platform. Eleven small Earth Fire Seeds floated upon it; he carefully stored them in separate jade bottles.
With a steady breath, Liu Xi released his Spiritual Power, severing the link between the flame and its lotus base. The instant the base was removed, the delicate blue flame exploded in size, swelling severalfold.
Fwoosh! The cavern's temperature soared.
"Not good!" Liu Xi's face changed. His crimson flame burst from his body, forming a barrier of red light around both himself and the Heavenly Flame.
Yet the next moment, his own flame trembled violently—it was bowing. The beast flame he'd inherited from a Rank 5 Scarlet Flame Lion instinctively submitted before the king of all flames.
Sweat beaded his forehead. 'Even unawakened, it already holds power equal to a high-level Dou Wang... no wonder even Queen Medusa couldn't withstand it!'
Taking a deep breath, Liu Xi calmed himself. He picked up the Blood Lotus Pill, inhaled its strange fragrance, and swallowed it in one motion.
A chill surged through his veins as blood seeped from his pores, coating his skin in a red sheen that hardened into a crimson shell—a protective armor formed from the pill's power.
With his body now sealed within the blood-colored layer, Liu Xi raised his hand toward the floating flame.
"Come," he whispered.
An immense suction burst from his palm. The Green Lotus Core Flame flared in response, expanding violently.
The air rippled. The cave trembled.
As Liu Xi's Spiritual Power intertwined with the flame's divine energy, he felt its vast and terrifying essence pressing down upon him.
'So it begins...' he thought, his heart steady and eyes unwavering.
The devouring of the Heavenly Flame—had begun.
(End of Chapter)
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