Chapter 166: Manipulating Fire
The dark red magma continuously bubbled and then exploded, releasing a scorching heat that caused the space to distort. It was clear that the temperature in this place was terrifying. Even a Dou Zong expert would likely hesitate to venture into the depths to test the power of the Fallen Heart Flame.
Heavenly flames, unique objects of the world, do not have a specific level division. The strength of these flames is usually determined by their energy level.
The energy level of the Fallen Heart Flame should lie between that of a Dou Huang and a Dou Zong. However, after years of nurturing, the heartfire it birthed was extremely terrifying. If that power were fully considered, the true strength it could unleash would be formidable. In the original text, it was this very power that allowed the Fallen Heart Flame to break its seal.
"Hiss~"
As if sensing Yao Yan's probing, the Fallen Heart Flame, hiding deep in the dark red magma, slowly appeared. Its enormous body, over ten meters long, shaped itself into a giant fire serpent. Its dark red eyes were filled with destruction and cruelty, coldly staring at Yao Yan. It was clear that it had recognized him.
After all, it hadn't been more than a month since Yao Yan's slap.
"Quite intelligent, but unfortunately too driven by destruction. If you continue rampaging, I'm afraid the entire Canaan Academy will be destroyed..." Yao Yan whispered to himself. Heavenly flames were inherently violent. Among all the heavenly flames on the list, the only exception was Ling'er's original form, the Spirit Flame. The rest, once they acquired intelligence, had an instinctual desire for destruction and slaughter.
This was evident with the Clean Lotus Demon Flame, which, even after losing its memories and undergoing the teachings of the Clean Lotus Demon Sage, still retained its terrible personality. If not for this, the Clean Lotus Demon Sage wouldn't have sealed it for thousands of years.
As for the Void Devouring Flame, it never saw human life as valuable.
The Fallen Heart Flame slowly raised its head and then suddenly shot out a dark red flame, fiercely striking the seal. The energy seal vibrated violently, seemingly attempting to greet Yao Yan or intimidate him.
"That's not how you greet someone," Yao Yan chuckled lightly, stepping forward. His body was immediately surrounded by a silver glow. Unlike before, where it only lingered on the surface of his body, this time the silver aura seemed to integrate with his flesh.
This was a sign that the second stage of the Indestructible Body of Vajra was nearing completion, and the power and defensive boost it provided was immense.
Based on his estimation, even if he allowed the Fallen Heart Flame to burn him, it would likely be unable to destroy his body. In fact, it could even potentially refine his body, making him stronger.
"Boom!"
Yao Yan took a step forward, clenched his fist, and then swung it powerfully, striking the seal. The terrifying force caused the energy seal to shake violently, even causing the magma world below to erupt in response, sending streams of magma shooting up.
After the first punch, he threw several more, each powerful enough to severely injure a Dou Zong-level expert, assuming they were foolish enough to take the hit head-on.
"..."
The Fallen Heart Flame observed Yao Yan's actions. Its serpent-like eyes flashed with confusion, not understanding why Yao Yan was doing this. Was he trying to help it break the seal?
Although it possessed considerable intelligence, it couldn't match that of humans, so it couldn't comprehend Yao Yan's reasoning.
However, it didn't care about these things. Looking at the wavering seal, it let out an excited and joyous roar, shooting several strong fire pillars from its mouth. The already unstable energy seal flickered, seemingly unable to withstand the combined pressure of the flame and the magma.
"Just a little more..." Yao Yan muttered, staring at the giant volcanic crater below. After hesitating briefly, his dark eyes were covered by a strange blue flame.
As he drew upon the power of the Heavenly Lotus Earth Heartfire, the magma below instantly began to boil, as if responding to a summons. The previously calm magma started to spread upward, eventually filling the entire energy seal. But this was just the beginning.
At this point, the energy seal resembled a balloon, and under the combined pressure of the Fallen Heart Flame and the erupting magma, it began to swell. Yao Yan continued his assault from the outside.
Eventually, the already "fragile" seal was forcibly torn open, creating a massive rift, and the magma and the Fallen Heart Flame surged out.
"Boom!"
Countless streams of magma erupted, immediately covering the bottom floor of the Sky Burning Refining Tower.
Yao Yan, surrounded by the Heavenly Lotus Earth Heartfire, wasn't afraid of the scorching magma. He allowed it to flow over him, halting his control over the magma. His gaze was calm as he watched the Fallen Heart Flame break free from the seal, a faint smile appearing on his lips.
"Roar!"
The Fallen Heart Flame, now free, let out an excited roar. Its eyes locked onto Yao Yan with an intense gaze, like a predator eyeing its prey. Its massive body loomed over the tiny human before it. It could feel the aura of a heavenly flame emanating from Yao Yan, which triggered an instinctive desire to devour him.
"Whoosh~"
Endless streams of magma flowed down its enormous body. In its giant snake-like eyes, there was a trace of hesitation and struggle. Eventually, its instinctive desire to devour took over. It shot out a mouthful of invisible Origin Heartfire toward Yao Yan. The terrifying temperature was far more intense than the dark red flame it had previously emitted.
"Boom!"
Almost as soon as the Fallen Heart Flame made its move, Yao Yan threw a punch, the terrifying force compressing the air and turning it into a powerful punch that tore through the incoming invisible flame. It then slammed into the Fallen Heart Flame's body, causing its fiery form to explode, followed by a pitiful screech.
Yao Yan was relentless, flashing forward and closing in on the Fallen Heart Flame. His tiny body stretched out both arms, with his palms enveloped in Heavenly Lotus Earth Heartfire. He grabbed the Fallen Heart Flame's main body and slammed it heavily against the shattered energy seal.
"Bang~"
The loud crash reverberated through the entire bottom floor, but this was only the beginning.
Yao Yan seemed to have activated his berserk mode, repeatedly slamming the Fallen Heart Flame's body into the seal, trying to smash it completely. Against his overwhelming strength, the Fallen Heart Flame couldn't resist. It was utterly helpless, unable to fight back. Even its proud heavenly flame power had little effect on Yao Yan.
The Heavenly Lotus Earth Heartfire surrounding Yao Yan perfectly isolated the intense heat of the Fallen Heart Flame, so there was no need to worry about burning his body.
After dozens of brutal strikes, Yao Yan finally released the Fallen Heart Flame. At this point, it was in a weakened state, its massive body nearly falling apart. Clearly, if Yao Yan continued, the Fallen Heart Flame would revert to its original form.
At this moment, the Fallen Heart Flame's head was pressed under Yao Yan's foot, rubbing against the seal. Faced with the brute force and the Heavenly Lotus Earth Heartfire, the Fallen Heart Flame couldn't resist at all.
"Indeed, there's a big difference between heavenly flames," Yao Yan said calmly without turning around. He then raised his hand and threw a punch behind him, knocking away the incoming attack from the Fallen Heart Flame. His palm was entirely enveloped by the Heavenly Lotus Earth Heartfire, and the flames turned a vivid green.
He then thrust the palm, covered in green flames, into the Fallen Heart Flame's main body. At the same time, the overwhelming soul power from his Spiritual Realm entered the Fallen Heart Flame's serpentine body.
Soon, a tiny fire snake appeared before his eyes. Its size was minuscule, like a miniature version of the fire serpent, and it was surrounded by invisible flames. Its serpent eyes showed fear as it stared at Yao Yan.
Clearly, at this moment, it knew fear.
"Does this count as a puppet technique using heavenly flames?" Yao Yan joked lightly, his fingers tracing the long, green thread connecting to the Fallen Heart Flame's main body, completely controlling the massive fire serpent beneath him. Now, the Fallen Heart Flame's intelligence had shrunk into its original body, and the outer shell was now fully under his control.
However, this control could only be exerted through the Fallen Heart Flame's original form. To completely erase its intelligence would take more time than this.
"It won't last much longer outside," Yao Yan observed the magma world below. After a moment's pause, he guided the fire serpent's body deeper into the magma, and his own body merged with the serpent, shielding himself from the magma's pressure.
This was his first time here, and he knew that the next time he came, it might be decades later.
The fire serpent swam its tail through the magma, heading deeper into the molten world. During this time, Yao Yan took out a magma-like object from the Bone Flame Ring. It was a material crystal born from a volcanic eruption, normally black at room temperature, but turning into magma-like hues when exposed to high heat— a very common material.
Now, the Tuo She Ancient Emperor Jade was placed inside it, with two layers of protection.
The ancient jade was initially placed in a box that could shield energy signatures, then wrapped in a material that blocked soul perception, and finally placed inside a spirit storage ring. The rock crystal served as the final disguise.
Looking at the hot object in his hand, Yao Yan's gaze shifted slightly. He casually tossed it into the nearby magma. The moment it encountered the high temperature, it merged with the magma's color. As the fire serpent wriggled, the jade piece disappeared from Yao Yan's soul perception.
At this moment, Yao Yan inexplicably felt a sense of emptiness in his heart, as if he had discarded a treasure. He understood that, when facing the Tuo She Ancient Emperor's inheritance, no one could remain calm— even he, as a transmigrator, felt the weight of it.
But at least the Tuo She Ancient Emperor Jade was handled. Now, he just needed to take away the Heavenly Fire Sovereign, and everything here would be buried.
As for how to find the final piece of the Tuo She Ancient Emperor Jade in the future...
Once his strength reached a certain level, he would only need to know its general location, and there would be no difficulty finding it. If necessary, he could even refine the entire Black-Corner Domain. As for whether it would fall into someone else's hands... if someone else found it, Yao Yan would accept it.
As for why he didn't leave a soul imprint on it... Safety came first.
A single trace of soul aura could allow powerful experts to locate its owner. For a shard of the Tuo She Ancient Emperor Jade, it wasn't worth the risk. After all, he did all this to buy time for his cultivation and delay the Soul Heaven Emperor's pursuit of the Imperial Clan.
...
...
In the vast and endless magma, everything was a crimson red. In this fiery world, the enormous body of the Fallen Heart Flame was particularly conspicuous, rapidly descending at a terrifying speed. As they neared the bottom, Yao Yan could even sense the Fallen Heart Flame's body emanating fear, as if something terrifying was down there.
At the same time, an almost imperceptible sense of calling also appeared.
Yao Yan didn't suppress this feeling. Instead, he followed the pull, speeding toward the location. With the Fallen Heart Flame's body protecting him, he didn't need to worry about the magma pressure surrounding him.
After diving for about half an hour, an invisible light circle appeared in Yao Yan's soul perception. Below, an eerie darkness also came into view. Unlike the dark red of the magma world, this place exuded an ominous blackness, as though it represented the end of this world.
Yao Yan knew exactly what this place was. He felt an unspoken pressure in his heart, which made him hesitate to linger. His gaze quickly fixed on the location of the light circle. Inside, he saw a skeleton with a Fallen Heart Flame floating above it, emitting a faint glow that illuminated the dark world.
(END CHAPTER)
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