The crimson magma world burned endlessly. Above the molten sea, the colossal serpent of invisible flame hovered in the air, its body coiling lazily as waves of heat distorted the horizon.
By its massive jaws, Liu Xi stood suspended midair, his expression calm yet intent. Having already drawn Han Feng's soul from his body, he wasn't finished.
He extended his hand once more and pressed it lightly against Han Feng's soul form. His fingers clenched slightly—then pulled.
A deep-blue flame emerged from within Han Feng's spectral body. It rippled like a living ocean, shimmering with waves that flowed outward like faint water ripples.
It was the Sea Heart Flame.
Yet at this moment, the once-proud flame seemed dim and weakened. Its energy was restless, uneasy—almost frightened.
Heavenly Flames possessed spirit. This one had already been refined by Han Feng once, its essence violated and bound. Now that it was free again, it found itself surrounded by two other Heavenly Flames—both eyeing it like predators.
Were it not for Liu Xi's suppression, it would have fled long ago.
Liu Xi smiled faintly. "Sea Heart Flame, Fallen Heart Flame, and Green Lotus Core Flame… all three are finally gathered. A pity they can't directly raise my cultivation."
Still, his tone was relaxed—content. The three flames required for the Poison Pill Method were now his.
He glanced at Han Feng's expression—frozen between disbelief and despair—and said playfully, "Surprised? Weren't you once the most talented disciple of Medicine Sovereign? Yet after all these years, you're still just a 6th Tier Alchemist."
The mention of Medicine Sovereign's name made Han Feng's soul tremble violently, his eyes flashing with a mixture of fear and hatred. His mouth moved against his will.
"I've already mastered 7th Tier alchemy! I just haven't gone to the Pill Tower to test for certification. Those old geezers keep watching me—I had no choice but to hide in the Black-Corner Region!"
Liu Xi nodded slowly. "That's more like it. Medicine Sovereign's favorite disciple—if you couldn't even reach the 7th Tier, that would've been truly pathetic."
Han Feng's face twisted with resentment. "If that old man hadn't been jealous of my talent and refused to teach me the full Flame Mantra, I wouldn't have ended up exiled here, too scared to even return to Central Plains!"
Liu Xi ignored his rambling. With a wave of his hand, the Sea Heart Flame reentered Han Feng's soul body.
"An incomplete Flame Mantra, huh… far too many flaws. Fine, I'll let the Sea Heart Flame remain with you. At least you'll serve as a Dou Zong–level fighting force under my control."
He lowered his gaze, scanning the charred remains of Han Feng's corpse. A faint bluish glint caught his eye—a dim sparkle on the blackened right index finger.
"As expected of a high-grade storage ring," Liu Xi murmured. "Even the magma can't destroy it."
Under Han Feng's helpless stare, Liu Xi calmly plucked the ring from the corpse and rolled it between his fingers.
Inside Han Feng's mind, silent fury roared— 'That's mine! I spent years to get that!'
Liu Xi's lips curved as he infused his Spiritual Power into the ring. The next instant, a repelling force struck back—the resistance of Han Feng's soul imprint.
"Oh? Impressive," Liu Xi said with mocking admiration. "Even protected against intrusion. But now… it's mine."
High-grade rings could store their owner's soul mark, alerting them when tampered with. But that meant little before Liu Xi.
A violent wave of Spiritual Power crashed through the ring, erasing Han Feng's imprint like smoke in the wind. In its place, Liu Xi left his own mark.
Han Feng's transparent form shook with fury as he sensed his connection to the ring vanish completely.
Satisfied, Liu Xi slipped the dark-blue ring onto his finger. A thought—and his Spiritual Perception slid effortlessly into its space.
The inner world of the Nether Sea Ring stretched vast and orderly. Rows of shelves lined the chamber, filled with precious jars, boxes, and vials—each containing rare, high-tier herbs. Bottles of refined pills gleamed softly on another rack; none were lower than 4th Tier.
Scrolls of high-ranked Qi Methods and Dou Techniques lay stacked carelessly to one side.
But what caught Liu Xi's attention most were the rows of pill recipes— 5th Tier Yuan Recovery Pill, 6th Tier Ground Spirit Pill, 6th Tier Deep Green Longevity Pill, 7th Tier Life Returning Pill, 7th Tier Yin-Yang Mysterious Dragon Pill, and even an 8th Tier Bone Growing Blood Fusing Pill.
Seeing them, Liu Xi couldn't help but grin. He had few 6th Tier recipes to his name—and even fewer beyond that. These were exactly what he lacked.
The Jia Nan Academy's inheritance only extended to 6th Tier techniques. On the continent, only the Pill Tower and the ancient Yao Clan held the most complete collections of higher-tier alchemy knowledge.
But no one would simply teach such techniques to him. That was why he had targeted Han Feng in the first place—and fortunately, Han Feng's greed for Heavenly Flames had driven him straight into Liu Xi's hands.
'If not for the perfect timing—the place, the flame, the serpent—I might not have won today.'
After scanning the contents, Liu Xi's senses caught a faint bestial roar deep within the spatial chamber. He followed it to the far end—and froze.
There stood a massive crimson cauldron, covered in ancient carvings and fierce beast engravings that seemed almost alive.
"The Ten Thousand Beast Cauldron," Liu Xi whispered, awe flickering in his eyes. "Ranked 13th on the Heavenly Cauldron Ranking… Han Feng, I should thank you."
No alchemist could resist such a treasure. For the first time, Liu Xi actually felt some goodwill toward the dead man.
"Han Feng, what a generous man," he said with a grin. "You've gifted me a Sky Cauldron from across a thousand miles—how thoughtful."
Retracting his consciousness from the ring, Liu Xi smiled in satisfaction. His gaze shifted toward Han Feng's floating spirit.
He raised his palm, and with a flick of his fingers, a powerful suction force erupted. Han Feng's soul body was instantly drawn into the Nether Sea Ring.
"Good thing I've got this ring. Otherwise, I wouldn't know where to store you."
Then his eyes lifted toward the monstrous, invisible serpent that hovered nearby. The blue fire armor covering him faded, transforming into gentle azure flames that receded into his body.
He placed a hand upon the serpent's face.
The immense body began to blur and distort, dissolving into streams of unseen flame that were pulled into Liu Xi's palm like a vortex.
That vast, Dou Zong–level energy surged through his meridians and gathered at his heart, where it condensed into a small, coiled flame serpent resting quietly within.
Boom!
Liu Xi's Dou Qi erupted, roaring through every vein like a storm-driven windmill. Each circulation made his energy denser, more refined.
Heavenly Flames devoured one another by instinct, and Liu Xi could only suppress them to coexist—separated, never fused. To command many, but never merge them.
Even so, the power coursing through him was overwhelming.
He willed the invisible flame through his veins, letting it surface to cloak his body—instantly, the pressure of a peak Dou Huang spread across the magma world.
"This is the power of the Fallen Heart Flame… terrifying," Liu Xi murmured. "Even a Dou Zong—I might just dare to face one head-on."
He gazed down at the sea of magma beneath him, a faint smile tugging at his lips. "This fierce serpent will follow me from now on. But first… I should find that little Heart Flame still hidden in the Inner Academy."
With that, he dropped downward.
A faint plop echoed through the magma—
and Liu Xi vanished.
(End of Chapter)
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