Qing Hua went up first—and came back down moments later, shoulders slumped and face filled with regret. He sighed heavily.
"In the end… I am simply not fated with a Heavenly Flame."
Next was Cao Ying. She returned with a wry smile and a helpless shake of her head.
"It's far too violent… Just standing before it made my legs tremble."
Then Dan Chen. Her eyes were red as she descended, silent and on the verge of tears.
After her came Song Qing. He drifted back like a soul without a body, saying nothing, his entire presence bleak and desolate.
Xiao Yan tried next. When he returned, bloodshot eyes and pallid skin said everything—he had failed, utterly drained as though his very essence had been hollowed out.
The three unfamiliar alchemists followed one after another, each attempting to subdue the Heavenly Flame, each returning soon after with bitterness etched on their faces—failures, all of them.
Elder Qiu Ling watched every attempt with a sinking heart. When all ten had failed, he could only sigh softly. As the First Elder of the Pill Tower, he knew this helplessness too well.
They possessed a Heavenly Flame yet had no one capable of taming it. Instead of gaining strength from it, they were forced to spend endless time and power suppressing it—losing energy for nothing.
And even worse, there was always the looming risk of the flame's backlash.
With disappointment weighing heavy in his voice, Qiu Ling said,
"Since no one can subdue the Three Thousand Burning Flame, we'll return for now. Let's not disturb it further—lest something unpredictable occurs."
"Hahaha!" A grating laugh split the silence. Mu Gu, who had been quiet until now, suddenly erupted in wild laughter, arrogance dripping from every note.
"Heavenly Flames are born of heaven and earth! You Pill Tower fools think you can imprison one and force it to submit? Impossible! Better hand it over to the Hall of Souls—it belongs with us!"
Everyone's expression darkened instantly. Elder Qiu Ling's Dou Qi burst forth like a storm, but he dared not attack rashly—the slightest disturbance could awaken the Heavenly Flame.
"Mu Gu!" he bellowed, his voice sharp as a blade. "Stop this madness while you still can! Outside, the city is filled with our Pill Tower experts—you can't escape! Don't throw your life away!"
Mu Gu sneered and flipped his palm, revealing a pitch-black scroll pulsing with intense spatial fluctuations.
"Oh? You think the Pill Tower has strong allies? You believe Holy Pill City still stands unharmed?" His voice was cold and mocking. "Dream on."
Then he crushed the scroll.
With a boom, endless waves of spatial energy surged outward, twisting into a massive vortex that spanned several zhang across.
A rasping, bone-chilling voice echoed from within the swirling darkness.
"Mu Gu, why so slow? We've been waiting quite a while for your call."
As the voice faded, three terrifying figures stepped out of the spatial vortex one after another, each exuding the overwhelming aura of a Dou Zun. When the third arrived, the vortex slowly dissipated.
Mu Gu's tone turned sharp. "Plans have changed—there are a few unexpected Dou Zuns here. Hold them off. I'll destroy the seal!"
And with that, he shot toward the Three Thousand Burning Flame like a streak of shadow.
The moment the three Hall of Souls powerhouses appeared, Elder Qiu Ling's expression changed drastically. This space can't withstand so many Dou Zun experts, he thought grimly. There were only two possible outcomes.
One: the Star Region itself would collapse, the seal would shatter, and Holy Pill City would be annihilated.
Two: Xuan Kongzi and the other two Pill Tower Giants would be forced to stabilize the realm—leaving them trapped and unable to intervene.
Cao Ying and the others immediately pulled out their signal orbs, but before they could activate them, two hidden alchemists suddenly attacked, trying to seize the orbs.
Before their hands could close, Liu Xi had already crushed his own signal orb and swept his sleeve through the air. A tremendous spatial force erupted outward, slamming into the two traitors.
Crack!
Pfft!
Bone snapped, blood spurted, and both men screamed—faces pale as death, their bodies collapsing limply. Against Liu Xi, they hadn't stood a chance.
Mere Dou Zongs daring to act against a Dou Zun… Truly suicidal.
Cao Ying, Dan Chen, Song Qing, and Xiao Yan managed to shatter their signal orbs as well, though it was clear from the faint tremors in the air that chaos had already erupted outside. For now, the Pill Tower's forces were too preoccupied to come to their aid.
Facing three Dou Zuns from the Hall of Souls, Elder Qiu Ling felt a crushing pressure close in. Ahead of him stood three enemies; behind him, Mu Gu was already rushing toward the seal.
Liu Xi's sudden intervention jolted him awake—he wasn't alone. Among these "junior" alchemists stood Liu Xi, a young Dou Zun in his own right, and Qing Hua, a veteran powerhouse.
"Everyone else, fall back!" Qiu Ling commanded sharply before turning to Liu Xi and Qing Hua, hope gleaming in his eyes.
"Master Liu, Master Qing Hua—will you stand with me? The Hall of Souls must not succeed!"
"There's no time to explain! If we don't act now, Mu Gu will destroy the seal!"
Liu Xi's figure blurred, vanishing in an instant. A moment later, two golden figures appeared at his sides—his Heavenly Demon Puppets, both radiating the power of mid-level Dou Zuns. With a flick of his sleeve, he charged straight into battle.
Seeing Liu Xi act without hesitation, Qiu Ling no longer held back. The sight of the two golden puppets reignited his confidence. With a thunderous stomp, he shot forward, leaving only a faint afterimage behind.
Qing Hua let out a bitter chuckle. "So much for staying out of it…" he muttered, then stepped forward as well. Whatever his reluctance, he was still a Pill Tower elder—and the Hall of Souls was the enemy of all alchemists.
"Little ones, fall back!" he called. "This is beyond your reach."
Cao Ying, Dan Chen, Song Qing, and Xiao Yan all stepped back, their faces grim. The first three, as direct descendants of Pill Tower families, felt their blood boil with fury at the Hall of Souls' audacity.
As for Xiao Yan—his hatred for the Hall of Souls ran far deeper. The murder of his clan, his father's suffering, and his teacher's capture… there was no peace between them.
Yet as he watched four Dou Zuns clash before his eyes, he could only clench his fists. 'The Hall of Souls… they're too strong. I'm still too weak.'
'No more waiting. I must become stronger—no matter the cost.'
Meanwhile, the battle raged violently.
The three Hall of Souls Dou Zuns fought desperately but quickly realized they were being suppressed. One fought Qiu Ling, another was locked against Liu Xi and one puppet, while the third struggled against Qing Hua and the second puppet.
Outnumbered and overwhelmed, they were forced into defense, barely holding their ground as the void trembled around them.
"Damn it!" one Hall of Souls' Dou Zun roared, dodging a blow from the puppet only to take a blazing strike from Liu Xi's Fire Azure Dragon across his back. His robes tore apart, revealing black armor beneath, but the impact still sent him spitting blood.
He staggered away, face twisted in fury. "Mu Gu! Hurry the hell up! If you don't destroy that seal now, we're all dead!"
A hoarse voice echoed back, full of impatience. "I'm working on it! Stop yelling!"
Then—
Boom!
A deafening explosion shook the Star Region. All eyes turned toward the center as the colossal dragon form of the Three Thousand Burning Flame shuddered violently.
Lines of condensed Spiritual Power that formed its bindings burned away under waves of violet-black fire.
And from deep within that sealed body, a monstrous, scorching, and ferocious aura awakened—proclaiming to the heavens that the Three Thousand Burning Flame had opened its eyes once more.
(End of Chapter)
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