Qiu Ling moved swiftly. In no time, he reached Cao Ying and the others, his face dark — literally blackened by soot — as he spoke in a deep, stern tone. "Come with me, quickly. We're leaving this place now. If the Three Thousand Burning Flame awakens, with your level of strength, a single breath from it would turn you all to ash."
Everyone had clearly seen and heard what had happened earlier — Liu Xi's words, his decision to stay behind and hold the Heavenly Flame at bay.
Cao Ying and Dan Chen looked anxious, Song Qing frowned silently, and Xiao Yan's eyes were filled with disbelief.
Cao Ying finally spoke, voice trembling, "What about Liu Xi? We can leave, but what about him? That's the Three Thousand Burning Flame we're talking about!"
Qing Hua arrived right then, respect flickering in his eyes. For someone to stay behind, risking his life to restrain the Heavenly Flame so that others might survive — it was truly admirable. Whatever resentment he'd once felt toward Liu Xi had now turned entirely into respect.
That clarity of heart allowed Qing Hua to make the wisest choice without hesitation.
"That's why we must hurry," he said gravely. "Liu Xi is a Dou Zun with a Heavenly Flame protecting him. The weakened Three Thousand Burning Flame won't be able to kill him immediately. But if we delay too long and miss the chance to summon the three giants inside, Liu Xi's fate will become uncertain."
"Fine, let's go!" Cao Ying gritted her teeth.
Once the Three Thousand Burning Flame escaped its seal, no one short of the three giants — or someone from the Hall of Souls with special preparations — could hope to subdue it.
With that realization, everyone followed Qiu Ling without hesitation. Some worried for Liu Xi, others for their own lives. The Star Region had become far too unstable — staying here felt like dancing atop a blade's edge.
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Inside the Three Thousand Burning Flame.
In the cramped, dark space, Liu Xi patted the little dragon's head — the creature wreathed in violet-black flames — and smiled approvingly. "Well done."
Within the core of the Heavenly Flame, the Origin Flame had mostly recovered and could already mobilize the power of its vast true body. Yet under Liu Xi's command, it remained obedient, bowing its head without resistance.
Such was the dominance of the Soul Control Technique. Even now, the Three Thousand Burning Flame harbored malice toward Liu Xi, yet it couldn't defy his orders in the slightest.
With this flame under control, Liu Xi's gains this time were immense. One Dou Zun had self-destructed beyond recovery — but three others, including the veteran alchemist Mu Gu, had conveniently fallen into his hands.
Under normal circumstances, killing Mu Gu would've been no simple feat. The man's skill at survival was legendary; he'd escaped Liu Xi's grasp twice before. But now that he was dead, all his treasures naturally belonged to Liu Xi.
An old 8th Tier Alchemist's lifetime collection — the thought alone made Liu Xi's fingers twitch with excitement.
"I can't hold back. Let's see what you've got, old ghost."
With gleaming eyes, Liu Xi pulled out Mu Gu's charred corpse. Without the slightest hesitation or disgust, he began searching through it, eventually slipping a blackened storage ring from its finger.
Holding the ring in his palm, he focused his Spiritual Power, channeling it straight into the ring.
"Hm?"
A thin, membrane-like resistance pushed his energy back. Liu Xi's lips curved coldly. "Mu Gu's dead — and you think I'll fear the scrap of his spiritual imprint?"
At once, he surged his Spiritual Power, weaving it into a spear-like strand and driving it forward with crushing force.
Crack!
A faint sound like a bubble bursting echoed, and the barrier shattered completely.
"Fragile," Liu Xi snorted.
Then, his senses swept through the ring's interior — and froze in astonishment before breaking into a grin.
"Well now… this collection's absurd. Qi Methods, Dou Techniques, Soul Techniques, cauldrons, medicinal herbs, pills, Pill Recipes… hiss — two 9th Tier Pill Recipes?! Mu Gu, you greedy old fox! Such treasures, and you couldn't even use them properly. Guess I'll be taking over for you."
His smile widened. Mu Gu might not have matched Medicine Sovereign Yao Chen in skill, but his lifelong accumulation could certainly rival him in wealth.
Reluctantly withdrawing his perception, Liu Xi decided to save the detailed sorting for later. Now wasn't the time for bookkeeping.
He pocketed the ring and immediately focused again, pressing his palm to Mu Gu's lower abdomen. His fingers curled slightly as a surge of suction burst forth.
"Come out!"
Before his eyes, a strand of deep black flame slowly drew itself out from Mu Gu's body.
Liu Xi raised an eyebrow. The instant the flame emerged, it began devouring the surrounding energy — even siphoning Liu Xi's own Dou Qi to sustain its burning.
"So this is the Void Devouring Flame's Sub-Flame, huh? A fragment with the power to consume all energy… though it feels dull, lifeless — not quite like a true Heavenly Flame."
Before he could study it further, the little dragon darted forward. Liu Xi quickly shifted his hand aside as the dragon's eyes gleamed with raw hunger.
When it spoke, its tone was cold and grudging, clearly reluctant to use words. "Let me eat it. I'll grow stronger."
"No can do," Liu Xi refused flatly. "This Sub-Flame from a Heavenly Flame that ranks second on the Heavenly Flame Ranking — far too precious to waste. I'll study it properly first."
Though the flame bore traces of the Void Devouring Flame's devouring nature, it lacked any trace of sentience. It wasn't truly a Heavenly Flame — more like a Beast Flame.
It made sense. True Heavenly Flames were unique — the world could not hold two of the same. If a Sub-Flame could be split off and form its own will, it would rival the original Void Devouring Flame itself. Impossible.
Thus, what had separated from the main flame was something akin to a beast-born variant — retaining its properties but not its soul. To devour it now would be a waste.
Liu Xi pulled out a jade vial, sealing it with a layer of Dou Qi before carefully placing the black flame inside. 'Research first, profit later.'
As for refining it? No — Liu Xi cultivated the spirits of Heavenly Flames, not mindless embers. There was no spirit to be gained here.
The little dragon's anxious tone softened. "If I grow stronger, it benefits you too. You could borrow more of my strength… unless—"
It paused, its eyes flashing with fear — unless Liu Xi chose to erase its consciousness entirely and refine it into power.
Liu Xi smiled, extending a hand toward it. "Three Thousand Burning Flame… become my strength."
Rage and despair flickered across the dragon's eyes, but its will could not move its body.
"To tame a Heavenly Flame, one must at least look the part," Liu Xi murmured with amusement. "If word got out that I subdued a Heavenly Flame just by glaring at it, that would bring me no end of trouble."
With a smile, he drew out a jade vial containing a single drop of radiant purple-gold blood — the Ancient Void Dragon Blood that Zi Yan had given him to activate the Dragon Seal.
(End of Chapter)
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