Fang Yang sat cross-legged, his aura surging like a tide, rising layer by layer.
His robes billowed without wind, rustling loudly.
Vast Dou Qi surged through his Meridians, emitting rumbling sounds like thunder, causing the entire Strange Flame Space to tremble slightly.
The Origin power of the twenty-two strange fires flowed ceaselessly within his body.
The devouring power of the Void Swallowing Flame, the purification power of the Purification Lotus Demon Flame, the burning power of the Golden Emperor Sky Burning Flame... all these distinctly different strange fire characteristics were now perfectly fused under the refinement of the Flame Mantra, transforming into the purest torrents of Dou Qi, continuously flowing into his limbs and bones.
"Boom!"
The barriers of the Realm, Three-Star Dou Sheng, Five-Star Dou Sheng, Seven-Star Dou Sheng... continuously loosened and shattered under the impact of this vast power.
On Fang Yang's glabella, a complex flame rune slowly emerged.
Every line seemed to contain the profound truths of heaven and earth, with threads of flame Dao韵 flowing endlessly within, emitting a heart-palpitating pressure.
His aura became increasingly profound, increasingly vast, as if merging with the entire heaven and earth.
Early Stage Nine-Star Dou Sheng, Middle Stage Nine-Star Dou Sheng, Peak Nine-Star Dou Sheng!
When his aura finally stabilized at the absolute Peak of the Dou Sheng Realm, Fang Yang slowly opened his eyes.
Within his eyes, it seemed as if star rivers flowed and the Universe was born and destroyed, eventually settling into a profound stillness like an ancient well.
He gently exhaled a breath; wherever his breath passed, space twisted, creating ripples that lingered for a long time.
At this moment, Fang Yang was only one step away from the legendary Emperor Realm.
"Not bad."
The ethereal and distant voice of the Artifact Spirit echoed in the Strange Flame Space, with a hint of imperceptible approval, "All twenty-two Strange Fire Origins have been fused, and the Flame Mantra has reached the Transcendent Realm."
"Your accumulation is now sufficient to assault that supreme Emperor Realm."
Fang Yang nodded slightly, feeling the vast, ocean-like power within his body, his gaze as calm as water.
He had waited too long for this moment, enduring countless hardships and dangers, finally standing at the Peak of this Realm.
"The opportunity to become an Emperor lies in Source Qi."
The Artifact Spirit continued, its voice carrying a hint of solemnity, "Without Source Qi, no matter how high your talent or how deep your accumulation, you will never be able to take that final step."
Fang Yang's gaze swept across the twenty-three towering pillars in the Strange Flame Plaza.
Twenty-two of them were already dim, only the central pillar still emitted brilliant light.
The colors of the twenty-two strange fires flowed ceaselessly upon it, beautiful and magnificent, like a rainbow spanning heaven and earth.
He suddenly remembered what the Artifact Spirit had once said, and his heart stirred: "Artifact Spirit, the Source Qi you mentioned earlier..."
"I know what you want to ask."
The Artifact Spirit's voice slowly sounded, "Indeed, Source Qi is sealed within these twenty-three towering pillars."
"I understand."
Fang Yang took a deep breath, a trace of determination flashing in his eyes.
"Emperor Flame, emerge!"
As the Artifact Spirit's voice fell, the central pillar vibrated violently.
A dazzling beam of light shot into the sky, illuminating the entire Strange Flame Space as if it were daytime.
Within that beam of light, a flame, flowing with twenty-two colors, slowly appeared.
It was not as violent as other strange fires; instead, it exuded a majesty that commanded all under heaven—it was the emperor of flames, the sovereign of all fires.
As soon as it appeared, the temperature of the entire space abruptly rose, and even the air began to twist and deform.
"This is the Emperor Flame..."
Fang Yang murmured to himself, feeling that the twenty-two strange fires within his body simultaneously showed signs of submission at this moment.
This was suppression from the Origin, the natural reverence of lower flames for the Emperor of Flames.
"The number one on the strange fire ranking list, Emperor Flame."
All things born of heaven and earth possess their own spiritual uniqueness, and fire is no exception.
Once, a strange fire was born between heaven and earth, taking a thousand years to form, ten thousand years to gather its spirit, and ten thousand years to Cultivate in seclusion, subtly undergoing a slight mutation.
It is well known that strange fires rarely actively leave their place of birth once formed.
However, this fire was different; after gaining sentience, it traveled along underground magma, wandering beneath the earth for a thousand years, subsisting by devouring fire, and the fires it devoured.
All had a ranking on the strange fire ranking list, and all twenty-two types had once been consumed by it.
After achieving its purpose, this strange fire named itself Emperor Flame and then Cultivated for another thousand years before finally breaking free into the world.
"Artifact Spirit, what do I need to do?" Fang Yang asked, his voice calm.
Yet, scorching flames burned in his eyes.
The Artifact Spirit spoke lightly: "The Emperor Flame is the core that suppresses the twenty-two strange fires."
"If you want to obtain Source Qi, you must first devour the Emperor Flame."
"What?"
Fang Yang was also somewhat surprised upon hearing this, "Is this why the other strange fires lacked energy?"
"Exactly."
The Artifact Spirit nodded, "The twenty-two strange fires are inherently creations of heaven and earth; the Seal Formation can only Seal them, but cannot prevent them from absorbing energy and continuously improving."
"If left unchecked, this Seal would have been broken by them long ago."
"Using the Origin Rune Formation as an auxiliary and the Emperor Flame as the core, this twenty-two-layered Great Seal Formation was set up."
"The Emperor Flame not only suppresses the twenty-two strange fires but also continuously absorbs their power to maintain the stability of the Seal."
"So that's how it is..."
Fang Yang immediately understood his previous confusion, "No wonder, besides the difficulty of devouring the first strange fire, it was relatively easy to devour the subsequent strange fires."
"Because most of their power had already been devoured by the Emperor Flame."
"Now, are you ready?"
The Artifact Spirit's voice was solemn, "To devour the head of all strange fires, the Emperor Flame!"
"Good."
Fang Yang nodded slightly.
His aura was restrained like an abyss, exuding a terrifying presence.
"I have been looking forward to this day for too long."
Fang Yang's gaze was firm, without the slightest hesitation.
"Wait a moment..."
The Artifact Spirit suddenly said.
The next moment, a massive stream of information surged into Fang Yang's mind, transforming into an abstruse and obscure Cultivation Technique.
"Pill Transformation Divine Art!"
Fang Yang felt the Cultivation Technique appearing in his mind and couldn't help but wonder, "Aren't I supposed to devour the Emperor Flame? Why give me this?"
"The Emperor Flame is just one part."
The Artifact Spirit's voice carried a hint of mystery, "strange flame pill, emerge!"
The next moment, the tops of all twenty-three towering pillars simultaneously lit up, each revealing a halo of flame.
Within the halos, crystalline Medicinal Pills slowly rotated, emitting heart-palpitating energy fluctuations.
It flowed with the colors of the twenty-two strange fires, as if the essence of all flames in the entire heaven and earth were condensed within it.
"This is..."
Fang Yang was dumbfounded.
He could feel the terrifying energy contained within that magnificent Medicinal Pill, "Emperor Pill?"
"Exactly."
The Artifact Spirit said, "This is a strange flame pill refined by the Emperor Flame, which devoured the energy of twenty-two strange fires, relying on the Formation."
"First, take the strange flame pill, then devour the Emperor Flame."
"Only by using the power of the Medicinal Pill to protect your heart Meridians and using the Pill Transformation Divine Art to dissolve the medicinal power can you withstand the impact of the Emperor Flame."
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