One month later,
After traversing dozens of minor continents through spatial tunnels and merchant airships, Lu Chen and Jiuyou arrived at a secluded desert realm to rest and prepare for the next phase of his cultivation.
A full moon hung heavy above a barren mountain peak, casting silver light across sands that still radiated the day's heat. Lu Chen sat cross-legged at the summit, surrounded by spiritual energy unusually dense with fire-attributed essence.
This was the Blazing Flame Continent—a minor realm where endless deserts dominated the landscape, saturating the very air with thermal spiritual energy. Jiuyou had selected it deliberately: the ambient heat would ease the initial shock of flame absorption.
"Are you certain of this path?" Jiuyou's voice carried uncharacteristic concern as she studied the youth before her. "Once begun, there is no turning back."
Lu Chen nodded without hesitation, eyes reflecting the moon's cold light. "Sister Jiuyou, I am resolved. I must cultivate the Burning Technique."
"But this path courts death," she insisted, violet flames flickering anxiously at her fingertips. "To devour a Heavenly Flame before reaching Sovereign Stage—to use your Divine Soul as vessel rather than refining beast Soul Essence—one misstep and your consciousness will be erased. Even I cannot retrieve a soul consumed by flame."
She shook her head, genuine bewilderment in her gaze. "Why would any cultivator design such a technique? Why would anyone dare practice it? Do they not fear oblivion?"
Lu Chen's expression remained serene. "Sister Jiuyou, I do not fear death. I fear a life without purpose."
He met her eyes, voice steady with conviction. "I have no desire for wealth, power, or longevity for its own sake. If I cannot witness the summit of the Great Dao—if I cannot stand beside those who shape worlds—then what meaning lies in living peacefully for a thousand years?"
'It is not that I must cultivate the Burning Technique,' he reflected inwardly. 'But in this world, no other method creates artificial spiritual veins. And spiritual veins are not merely cultivation accelerants—they become Spiritual Vein Divine Powers upon forging the Heavenly Sovereign Spiritual Body. Without them, the path to Great Ruler remains closed.'
Jiuyou studied him for a long moment—the stubborn set of his jaw, the fire in his eyes that had nothing to do with flames. Finally, she sighed.
"Then take it. But remember this promise: if you die, I shall not mourn you. I shall hunt down the architect of this technique and burn their legacy to ash."
From her fingertip, a cluster of violet flames rose—ethereal, ancient, pulsing with primordial life force.
'The Nine Nether Undying Flame,' Lu Chen recognized instantly. 'Forged from phoenix bloodline essence—far surpassing the Myriad Beast Heavenly Flame in purity and potential.'
As the most gifted descendant of the Nine Nether Sparrow Clan in ten millennia, Jiuyou carried the strongest phoenix bloodline concentration among her generation. Though she had not yet evolved into a true Phoenix, her awakening of the Nine Nether Undying Flame marked her as a prodigy even among divine beast clans.
Lu Chen drew a slow breath. Days prior, he had spent his monthly reflection wisely—exchanging for the complete Burning Technique manual. The simulated absorption had succeeded, though not without peril. He knew the risks. He had calculated them.
"Be cautious," Jiuyou warned one final time, her voice softening. "Though I have tempered this flame to a fraction of its power, it remains far beyond what even a late-phase Divine Soul Stage cultivator should endure. Abandon the technique at the first sign of consciousness fracturing. The world is vast—surely other paths to spiritual veins exist."
Lu Chen offered a grateful smile but did not reply. He knew better. If treasures capable of forging spiritual veins existed, sovereign powers would have monopolized them millennia ago. His path lay through fire—or not at all.
With deliberate precision, his hands formed the opening seal of the Burning Technique. An invisible vortex erupted from his dantian, drawing the Nine Nether Undying Flame from Jiuyou's grasp into his core.
Within his Aura Sea—the vast ocean of spiritual energy housed in his dantian—his Divine Soul manifested as a translucent figure, gazing upward as the violet flames descended like a meteor shower.
'The Aura Sea is the foundation of cultivation,' he recalled the ancient texts. 'Unlike the Divine Soul—which may be healed with spirit-nourishing elixirs—damage to the Aura Sea is often irreversible. Shatter it without reaching Sovereign Stage, and one becomes cultivation-barren forever.'
The Nine Nether Undying Flame struck the surface of his Aura Sea like a falling star.
AGONY.
Temperatures beyond mortal comprehension erupted through his meridians. His bones felt molten; his blood boiled in his veins. Though Jiuyou had previously used a gentler flame to purge impurities from his Aura Sea—a painful but necessary refinement—this was different. This was consumption. The flame sought not to cleanse, but to replace.
Outside his body, Jiuyou stood guard, violet eyes narrowed in concentration. She watched as Lu Chen's form trembled violently, teeth clenched so tight blood seeped from his gums—but not a single cry escaped his lips.
Within the Aura Sea, his Divine Soul raised both hands. Waves of spiritual energy—dense as mountain ranges—crashed against the descending flames, attempting to temper their ferocity. But the Nine Nether Undying Flame burned with primordial will, indifferent to mortal resistance. The entire Aura Sea began to boil, vapor rising in great clouds as the flame sank deeper toward his core.
Then—disaster.
Lu Chen's eyes snapped open. But the calm intelligence within them had vanished, replaced by swirling violet fire. His head turned mechanically toward Jiuyou, movements stiff and alien.
"Lu Chen?" Jiuyou stepped forward, alarm sharpening her voice. "Can you hear me?"
"Rrrroooaaarrr..."
A guttural sound tore from his throat—not human, not beast, but the raw voice of flame itself. He rose unsteadily to his feet, violet fire blazing in his pupils as he staggered toward her. His hand reached out—not in affection, but as though drawn to a source of power his possessed consciousness sought to consume.
'Flame possession,' Jiuyou realized with cold dread. 'The Undying Flame's will is overwhelming his Divine Soul. If it fully consumes his consciousness, only a flame puppet will remain.'
She appeared before him in a flicker of violet light, seizing his wrist. Spiritual energy poured into his meridians—only to recoil violently. His Aura Sea was nearly depleted; his Divine Soul flickered like a dying candle.
"He is losing," she whispered, heart clenching unexpectedly. "Another moment and his soul will be ash."
Lu Chen's body convulsed. For a single heartbeat, clarity pierced the flame-haze in his eyes. His lips moved, voice a ragged whisper:
"Ji...Jiuyou...end...it..."
"What nonsense!" she snapped, though her hands trembled. "I gave my word to protect you, you stubborn fool!"
Tears of frustration glistened in her eyes—a rarity for a divine beast of her stature. But in that moment, she made her choice.
Violet flames erupted from her entire body. Her hands wove an ancient pattern known only to phoenix-blooded clans—a soul-forging ritual forbidden to outsiders. The flames detached from her form, coalescing between them into a complex sigil that burned with sacred intensity.
'The Soul-Binding Flame Seal,' she thought, pouring her nascent Sovereign-grade spiritual energy into the formation. 'Used only between mates or blood siblings. To forge a spiritual tether that shares consciousness... and pain.'
The sigil flared brilliantly—then shot forward, embedding itself deep within Lu Chen's chest.
A scream tore from both their throats simultaneously.
Within Lu Chen's Aura Sea, the Nine Nether Undying Flame recoiled as Jiuyou's consciousness—vast, ancient, sovereign—manifested beside his faltering Divine Soul. Together, their wills turned against the rampaging flame.
'This flame is MINE,' Jiuyou's voice echoed through his soul-sea. 'And you—you are under MY protection!'
The Nine Nether Undying Flame shuddered. Faced with the combined will of its master and her chosen companion, its wildness subsided—not extinguished, but acknowledging.
Slowly, the violet fire within Lu Chen's eyes softened. His body collapsed forward—but Jiuyou caught him gently, lowering him to the sand as the first rays of dawn touched the mountain peak.
Hours later, Lu Chen stirred. His eyes opened—clear, human, burning with newfound depth.
He looked at Jiuyou, who sat vigil beside him, exhaustion etched on her beautiful face.
'I felt your soul beside mine,' he thought, awe threading his mind. 'Not as master and servant—but as partners.'
Jiuyou met his gaze, a faint smile touching her lips. "Welcome back, little brother."
Above them, the rising sun painted the desert in gold—and within Lu Chen's Aura Sea, the Nine Nether Undying Flame now burned in harmonious balance with his Divine Soul, its power slowly weaving artificial spiritual veins through his meridians.
The path to Sovereign Stage had truly begun.