Chapter 616: Reunited in Alliance

In the vast hall, milky-white flames filled the eyes; on this nearly thousand-zhang-wide plaza, countless flame figures stood rigidly silent, yet exuding an utterly terrifying spiritual pressure that permeated the space—this pressure seemed fused into one, forming a colossal flame dragon coiling above the figures, brimming with murderous intent.

At one end of the hall, Xiao Yan and Xun Er gazed at this scene, their brows slowly furrowing—it was not the first time they had seen such a sight; since entering that giant gate, they had already breached three halls nearly identical to this one, yet the deeper they pressed, the stronger the Fire Slaves became.

Now, the countless Fire Slaves before them were all at least Nine-Turn Dou Zun in cultivation realm. Though to Xun Er and Xiao Yan, Nine-Turn Dou Zun were merely ants crushed beneath a single palm, the true danger of these Fire Slaves lay not in their cultivation, but in the Pure Lotus Demon Fire contained within their bodies.

These Pure Lotus Demon Fires possessed immense purifying power, capable of cleansing all negative forces—even the desolation aura of the Gu Clan's Dà Jìmìe Shù could be purified, drastically weakening the potency of Dou Techniques.

Moreover, the number of these Fire Slaves was staggering; it was clear how many had rushed forward to die in pursuit of the Pure Lotus Demon Fire after the Demon Saint's demise.

"Xun Er, if we keep charging forward like this, our Dou Qi will eventually run out," Xiao Yan muttered, frowning at the new wave of Fire Slaves appearing ahead.

Even though he and Xun Er were powerful and had cultivated highly advanced Cultivation Methods, if they continued endlessly through these halls, their internal Dou Qi would inevitably be exhausted—the Heavenly Energy in this space was tainted with traces of Demon Fire, and even the Burning Art required focused effort to absorb and refine it.

Under these circumstances, when was there time for Xiao Yan to refine it? With Dou Qi draining faster than it could be replenished, even a Dou Sheng could not sustain this indefinitely.

"I think we're not far from the end," Xun Er sighed. "According to clan records, our ancestors also reached the origin of the Pure Lotus Demon Fire during previous appearances—but unfortunately, each time, various reasons prevented them from capturing it." After all, many Dou Emperor Families coveted the Pure Lotus Demon Fire; whenever they reached the origin space, internal strife always erupted.

Xiao Yan's brow furrowed deeper at this answer, a flicker of unusual expression crossing his eyes—after they passed, the Fire Slaves vanished mysteriously, as if an invisible hand had quietly erased them, forcing them to keep moving forward.

"We can only press on," Xiao Yan said, pulling out the four Residual Maps of the Pure Lotus Demon Fire—but sadly, the patterns inscribed on them were not maps of the Demon Fire Space.

Xiao Yan had tried every method to decipher them—soaking in water, refining with Dou Qi, blood oath, even burning them with Strange Fire—nothing worked. Even now, inside the Pure Lotus Demon Fire Space itself, the maps showed no change whatsoever.

With his Heaven Realm Great Perfection Soul Force and Three-Star Dou Saint cultivation, Xiao Yan could faintly sense that something was hidden within the Residual Maps—but something seemed to obstruct him, preventing him from unlocking their true content.

Finally, under the combined efforts of Xun Er and Xiao Yan—the two most top-tier geniuses of their time—they breached two more trials, and before them, the endless waves of Fire Slaves vanished, replaced by a middle-aged man standing directly in their path.

A slender figure stood rigidly, strangely devoid of milky-white flames swirling around his body; his eyes were tightly shut, yet an overwhelming spiritual pressure, like a mountain crushing down, radiated from within him!

"Four-Star Dou Sheng!"

Xiao Yan and Xun Er's bodies trembled slightly, their faces slowly darkening with gravity; though they possessed Divine Grade Bloodlines and extremely high cultivation, and Xun Er had inherited the Gu Clan's most supreme legacy—

the slender figure before them gave Xiao Yan a sense of threat equal to, if not greater than, the Lord of the Soul Hall—and even surpassing the Ancient South Sea.

"This… is also a Fire Slave?" Xiao Yan said in disbelief. How terrifying was the Pure Lotus Demon Fire that it could turn a Four-Star Dou Sheng into a Fire Slave?

"He's barely a Fire Slave—he retains his own consciousness. Unlike those fully controlled by the Pure Lotus Demon Fire, he possesses great autonomy."

Xun Er's expression was grave. "Brother Xiao Yan, be careful—this must be the final trial. Beyond him lies the location of the Pure Lotus Demon Fire!"

"This won't be easy," Xiao Yan muttered. Defeating a Four-Star Early Dou Sheng like Yao Wan Gui would be manageable with our combined strength.

But this man, though only Four-Star Mid-Stage Dou Sheng—just one minor tier above Yao Wan Gui—radiates an aura far stronger than Yao Wan Gui's; his combat power likely rivals the peak of Four-Star Dou Sheng.

Even Xiao Yan now frowned tightly; the mysterious man exerted immense pressure upon him.

"This man must be one of the top-tier powerhouses who entered the Demon Fire Space last time," Xiao Yan's Soul Force Perception scanned him. "The Pure Lotus Demon Fire couldn't refine him into a Fire Slave—instead, it controls him through Nightmare Mist."

"Brother Xiao Yan…"

"Mm. Let's join forces—there might still be a chance."

Xiao Yan and Xun Er exchanged glances. Xiao Yan suddenly smiled faintly. "This seems like the second time we've joined forces against an enemy."

Xun Er's eyes flickered with unusual emotion, a faint blush rising on her cheeks. The first time, of course, was when they did something naughty—at the Black Horn Region auction, Xiao Yan had dragged Xun Er to rob someone.

Imagine it—a Gu Clan heiress disguised and robbing others. If word reached the Gu Clan, Xun Er's reputation would be ruined.

But that incident left Xun Er with an unforgettable memory.

Boom! Boom! Two terrifyingly vast bursts of Dou Qi erupted from their bodies; twin Seven-Colored Divine Lights shot skyward. Instantly, Xiao Yan and Xun Er activated their Divine-Class Clan Marks—within an instant, Xiao Yan's cultivation surged from early Three-Star Dou Sheng to late Three-Star Dou Sheng, nearly crossing into Four-Star.

At the Three-Star Dou Sheng level, even the Xiao Clan's Divine Grade Bloodline could not grant such a one-tier leap.

But what stunned Xiao Yan more was that Xun Er's cultivation had also reached late Three-Star Dou Sheng—though slightly lower than his, the Gu Clan's Dou Emperor Bloodline prioritized not cultivation growth, but Dou Technique enhancement.

In truth, Xun Er's base cultivation was already slightly higher than Xiao Yan's.

Seeing Xiao Yan's stunned gaze, Xun Er grinned mischievously. "I can't compare to Brother Xiao Yan—I'm just benefiting from the clan's legacy, inheriting the ancestors' transmissions."

"And this is already the full extent of the inheritance—there's no way to boost cultivation this fast anymore."

At Three-Star or Four-Star Dou Sheng, inheritance reaches its limit—even the most top-tier legacies of the Grand Void Dragon Clan, the Tun Tian Mang Zong, or the Gu Clan can only take one this far. Beyond that, one must rely on oneself; even Divine Grade Bloodline can no longer grant such rapid advancement.

Yet even so, Xiao Yan was envious—his Xiao Clan's inheritance hadn't even reached Dou Sheng.

As Xiao Yan and Xun Er simultaneously unleashed their Dou Qi, the figure's tightly shut eyes slowly opened—two pitch-black pupils, cold and emotionless. Compared to the Fire Slaves they'd encountered before, these eyes held more vitality—but far too icy.

When the figure saw the Clan Mark on Xiao Yan's forehead, his eyes flickered with unusual light—but that gleam was instantly drowned by milky-white flame.

CRASH! As if stimulated by their Dou Qi, the silent hall trembled violently. The slender figure reached out and clasped the empty air before him—suddenly, a colossal, grotesquely shaped blood-red axe, dozens of zhang long, materialized. Against its monstrous form, his thin frame looked comical—but everyone present could clearly sense the terrifying power hidden within that frail body.

"This man is incredibly strong."

Xiao Yan's face grew grim—he simply couldn't imagine such a powerful being being controlled by the Pure Lotus Demon Fire.

Gazing at the blood-red axe, Xun Er's brow furrowed slightly, as if deep in thought.

After the axe appeared, neither side spoke. Six eyes locked, a gale erupted, and three figures collided head-on with brutal force.

Xiao Yan and Xun Er struck simultaneously. In that instant, Xiao Yan's Ancient Phoenix Wings flared, propelling him to extreme speed; Xun Er's Body Technique became ethereal and unmatched. Their speeds surged—within a blink, Xun Er vanished.

CLANG! CLANG! Two deafening crashes echoed across the vast hall. Xiao Yan swung his Xuan Heavy Ruler, slamming it against the blood-red axe. The ruler was sheathed in Fused Strange Fire—but the axe erupted with Pure Lotus Demon Fire, blocking the attack.

Instantly, a slender figure teleported behind the middle-aged man. Xun Er's right hand condensed Golden Emperor Burning Heaven Flame, and she slammed forward—a surge of Strange Fire shot forth like a shockwave.

But the man's strength was no less. He had sensed her movement early; gripping the axe in his right hand, he curled his left into a fist and struck backward.

Terrifying Dou Qi condensed into his fist, unleashing his Four-Star Mid-Stage cultivation—fist met palm in a violent collision.

The man's punch unleashed torrents of Dou Qi, like ten thousand divine mountains crushing down. His fist struck directly at Xun Er—beneath its force, the entire Demon Fire Space sank inward, and even the Golden Emperor Burning Heaven Flame trembled.

The power of a single punch could obliterate all—crush everything, shatter all things. The sheer terror of this middle-aged man's strength was evident—he far surpassed ordinary Dou Sheng of his level.

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!!!

Three figures flashed with dizzying speed, sparks exploding everywhere. The hall's incredibly hard floor cracked inch by inch, fissures spreading rapidly.

CLANG! Xiao Yan roared, thrusting his Xuan Heavy Ruler straight forward—a ruler piercing heaven, like a True Dragon leaping into the sky. The ruler howled, its force shattering all before it.

Facing Xiao Yan's untraceable, skyward strike, the man's eyes sharpened. CRASH! His axe reversed mid-air—now, he seemed perfectly fused with his weapon.

BOOM! This time, Xiao Yan was blasted backward—step after step—until, the instant he was thrown back, Xun Er extended a single finger.

"Dà Jìmìe Zhǐ!"

BOOM! A colossal finger, radiating the essence of total annihilation, materialized in midair. Simultaneously, Xiao Yan formed hand seals, mentally shouted, and unleashed: "Yellow Spring Finger!"

Boom—boom—boom!! Two colossal Dou Qi fingers, each as massive as a mountain range, instantly flanked him from front and back.

Facing the seamless coordination of Xun Er and Xiao Yan, even the middle-aged man's expression turned grave; instantly, his Dou Qi erupted, his massive axe spinning like a whirlwind, filling the hall with the stench of blood.

A low growl escaped his throat, and a crimson ring slashed forth from the axe—boom—boom—two crimson axe beams struck toward Dà Jìmìe Zhǐ and Yellow Spring Finger.

Even Heavenly Rank Dou Techniques could not withstand these two crimson axe beams; they were instantly split in two, the axe beams surging skyward, cleaving through the two giant fingers like a bamboo stalk split by a blade, straight toward Xiao Yan and Xun Er.

But the two were no pushovers—shhh—shhh—two bursts of Body Technique let them evade the crimson axe beams.

"Brother Xiao Yan, this man's strength is truly formidable," Xun Er appeared beside Xiao Yan, her expression growing ever more solemn—despite their combined efforts, they were falling into disadvantage.

"It seems we can't hold back our Dou Qi any longer; in this space, he can absorb Heaven and Earth Power to fight, making things increasingly unfavorable for us," Xiao Yan's eyes flashed a hint of ferocity.

The two exchanged a glance, silently nodding; the next instant, two immense, unstoppable waves of Dou Qi erupted from Xiao Yan and Xun Er.

The aura of Heavenly Rank Advanced Grade Dou Qi caused the entire Flame Space to crack and shatter.

Heavenly Rank Advanced Grade Dou Techniques! And two of them!

Hum—a single sound! Simultaneously, both Xiao Yan and Xun Er summoned two unique seals on their palms; these two palm-seal techniques appeared similar, yet in minute details, they differed greatly.

Flame Emperor Seal, Ancient Emperor Seal!

Xun Er bit her fingertip, and a drop of essence blood shimmering with Seven-Colored Divine Light flew into the Ancient Emperor Seal in her hand—instantly, a vast Emperor Might surged forth!

The true Ancient Emperor Seal! A peerless Dou Technique created by the Ancient Clan's Dou Emperor!

(End of Chapter)