The bright cavern blazed with intense azure flames, waves of heat twisting the air itself into visible distortions.
As Liu Xi drew the Green Lotus Core Flame toward him, the previously tranquil fire grew violent, hissing and crackling as it devoured the very air around it, leaving pockets of nothingness in its wake.
But the azure fire's rage could not halt its slow, inevitable drift toward Liu Xi. Guided by the vast Dou Qi of a Dou Wang, the Green Lotus Core Flame advanced steadily, inch by inch, until it hovered right before him—close enough that he could reach out and touch it. The searing breath of destruction pressed against his face, and there was no longer any room for hesitation.
Gritting his teeth, Liu Xi thrust his right hand—covered in the crimson blood armor of the Blood Lotus Pill—straight into the blazing mass, searching desperately for the core seed.
The instant his hand plunged into the inferno, the blood-red armor began to melt at terrifying speed. Droplets of liquefied crimson fell from his arm and vanished in a hiss of vapor the moment they touched the air, consumed utterly by the divine fire.
Liu Xi ignored the pain, his hand inching through the molten blaze, searching… 'If the Blood Armor melts away before I find the source… this arm is gone for sure—even with a Dou Wang's body.'
Then suddenly—his eyes lit up with wild joy. His fingers clenched around something solid within the flames. Gritting his teeth against the agony burning through his palm, he slowly drew his arm back.
When he withdrew, a thread of molten azure magma writhed weakly in his hand, emanating a heat that could melt the heavens.
"This is it… the core seed of the Green Lotus Core Flame!" Liu Xi's voice trembled as he stared at the pulsing azure light. The next step—was to swallow it.
There was no turning back now. He raised the vial of Ice Spirit Cold Spring in his left hand, ready for what would come. With one fierce motion, he tilted his head back and swallowed the flame seed whole.
The moment it entered his body, the molten azure essence split into countless streams of Green Flame, tearing through his meridians like wild serpents. His crimson Dou Qi was instantly crushed wherever it met the invading fire, and even the blood armor's protection could not stop the burning agony that lanced through every vein.
Liu Xi's entire body convulsed with pain. He almost screamed—but instead he forced down another mouthful of the Ice Spirit Cold Spring.
The freezing liquid burst through him like a flood of winter. Frost bloomed across his meridians, forming a fragile, icy film that managed to restrain the rampaging flames just enough to let him fight back.
'A Dou Wang must act like a Dou Wang!'
With his channels temporarily stabilized, Liu Xi's vast Dou Qi surged from his Dou Crystal and wrapped around the flames, trying to herd them along the correct meridian paths.
But the Green Lotus Core Flame was like a rebellious child—the more he constrained it, the more violently it thrashed. Each time it burned away a layer of Dou Qi, Liu Xi condensed another, pushing it onward with unyielding will.
To subdue the Heavenly Flame, he went all out. His Dou Qi flooded from his core without restraint, while his Nine Nether Ghost Flame Technique erupted to its limit—absorbing heat, sapping the Green Flame's power, weakening it bit by bit.
And so began a long, grueling struggle between man and flame.
The Green Lotus Core Flame destroyed layer after layer of his Dou Qi barrier, but Liu Xi replaced each one instantly, pressing the fire forward, forcing it inch by inch toward his dantian. Though the pace was agonizingly slow, he never stopped.
This was the truest expression of survival of the fittest. 'When Xiao Yan obtained the Green Lotus Core Flame, he was merely a Dou Shi—weak, fragile, and burning alive just to tame it. But I… I am a Dou Wang. Prepared. Strong. I will make it yield.'
Feeling the situation gradually come under control, Liu Xi's lips curled into a fierce grin.
"If you'd stayed whole, I might not have been able to deal with you. But splitting yourself into fragments… you've dug your own grave."
The first wisp of azure flame, now bound by his Dou Qi, was nearing his dantian. After the long journey through his channels, the rebellious fire had already been branded with his spiritual imprint. The moment it entered his Dou Sea, it quieted.
It circled his Dou Crystal like a fish swimming joyfully through water, peaceful at last.
Liu Xi's face showed a flicker of satisfaction—but the relief didn't last. His expression soon darkened as his complexion turned pale.
Inside his dantian, the once-calm Green Flame suddenly surged with fury. It had encountered the Scarlet Flame Lion's Beast Flame, the secondary fire seed he had long possessed. Though that red flame cowered before the mightier Heavenly Flame, the Green Lotus Core Flame seemed provoked.
Before Liu Xi could intervene, the azure blaze expanded violently and devoured the Scarlet Flame Lion's fire whole. The weaker flame didn't even dare to resist.
Liu Xi cursed aloud. "Damn it! That Scarlet Flame was one of my core powers! Now it's gone, and the rest of this will be even harder!"
But before he could think of a solution, the Heavenly Flame acted on its own.
After swallowing the red flame, the Green Lotus Core Flame suddenly calmed, shrinking into a small wisp and nestling into his Dou Crystal. It began to purify his Dou Qi—not destroying, but refining—dyeing his Dou Crystal in a faint azure hue.
His entire energy now carried the aura of the Green Lotus Core Flame.
When his strengthened Dou Qi spread through his meridians to restrain the remaining flames, the rebellious wisps immediately softened, submitting joyfully to his control and flowing obediently toward the dantian.
One after another, the azure flames merged within his Dou Sea, reforming into molten azure magma that fused completely into his Dou Crystal.
At last—it was done.
Within his dantian, the Green Lotus Core Flame no longer raged. Instead, it pulsed gently, radiating warmth and serenity. It even helped refine his Dou Qi and heal the burns within his body.
Then, as if whispering directly into his mind, the Green Lotus Core Flame revealed its dual nature—its primary attribute was blazing Fire, but its secondary attribute was the tranquil vitality of Wood, born from the lotus itself.
Liu Xi could only stare in disbelief. 'What kind of flame is this? A Heavenly Flame acting like… a doting pet?'
He muttered aloud, half amused and half exasperated. "It's like the Green Lotus Core Flame just saw the Scarlet Flame as a love rival, burned it to death, and now it's acting all smug—'See? I'm the best! Those other flashy flames can't compare to me!' So that's it, huh? The mistress killed the wife and became the main one herself."
Boom!
A muffled explosion echoed from within his body as his aura skyrocketed—he had broken through to 2-Star Dou Wang!
Normally, absorbing a Heavenly Flame only granted power, not a realm breakthrough. Xiao Yan achieved such a leap only because of the Devouring Technique of the Flame Mantra. But Liu Xi—he had advanced purely through the Green Lotus Core Flame's aid.
The Heavenly Flame seemed proud of itself, pulsing energetically within his dantian.
Liu Xi gave a strange look, then summoned the final component—Acceptance Soul. With a thought, he absorbed it into his body, letting it appear within his Dou Sea.
"Go in," he commanded calmly.
The Green Lotus Core Flame drifted toward the Acceptance Soul hesitantly, almost as if it understood what awaited. It lingered, trembling faintly.
Liu Xi's tone hardened. "Now."
The Heavenly Flame flickered with what seemed like reluctant sadness, then slid obediently inside.
When it finally merged with the Acceptance Soul, Liu Xi couldn't help but feel a strange mix of triumph and guilt. Joy—for subduing the Green Lotus Core Flame. Guilt—because it almost felt like he had bullied it into submission.
(End of Chapter)
---
A Huge Shoutout and Welcome to Josef B for Joining us on Patreon and Becoming a Member of Diamond.
---
This Fanfiction Has more than 400 Chapters on Patreon already, Go Check It Out.
Support me if you like this Fanfiction.
Patreon,com/Fallen_Archangel_
(Remove comma for dot.)
Leave a 5 star Review and a Power Stone.