Chapter 686: Guang Chang (4000 Characters)

Seeing the door of the Tuoshe Ancient Emperor Cave Mansion open, a sense of mystery and the unknown surged in his heart; staring at the pitch-black space ahead, Xiao Yan silently stood behind the four Eight-Star Dou Sheng warriors bearing the Stone Gates.

Among them, besides Hun Yuantian, the other three were all living corpses!

"According to Xu Wu Tian Yan, he and the Pure Lotus Demon Flame were both trapped inside, barely escaping—so this Tuoshe Ancient Emperor wasn't any good either." Xiao Yan began muttering to himself in analysis.

After becoming a Sage Emperor, Tuoshe Ancient Emperor vanished; no one knew the true nature of this so-called Heavenly Flame Ranking First.

Xiao Yan always maintained reverence toward the unknown, especially this completely uncharted Dou Emperor Ruins, where even a single object could kill him.

As Xiao Yan pondered, the fluctuations emanating from the ancient stone door grew increasingly violent; yet as the fluctuations spread, the gap in the massive door widened further, until finally, with a thunderous crash, it stabilized completely!

"Boom!"

As the ancient stone door fully opened, a force as if originating from primordial times erupted violently; the entire Magma Sea exploded into towering waves, the earth trembled, and countless chasms thousands of zhang wide split open.

Facing this shockwave, Hun Tian Di furrowed his brows, waving his hand to resist the primordial pressure—even for Hun Tian Di, holding back was no simple task, proving the Tuoshe Ancient Emperor Cave Mansion was far from ordinary.

Hun Tian Di and Xu Wu Tian Yan exchanged glances, nodded, then surged forward first, leading a large group of Soul Sovereign warriors into the cave; Xiao Yan followed behind them.

As all Soul Sovereign warriors entered the Tuoshe Ancient Emperor Cave Mansion, the magma space grew utterly empty, leaving only the ancient massive gate standing silently above the Magma Sea!

After everyone had entered the Tuoshe Ancient Emperor Cave Mansion, in a hidden space within the cave, a pair of enormous pupils slowly opened, watching the incoming Soul Sovereigns.

There was a living thing inside the Tuoshe Ancient Emperor Cave Mansion—it had been awakened by Hun Tian Di and the others!

Soon after Hun Tian Di and the others fully entered the Tuoshe Ancient Emperor Cave Mansion, they discovered a faint mist shrouding this strange space, making the entire area hazy.

This space was utterly silent, as if it had been still for tens of thousands of years.

Xu Wu Tian Yan walked at the front; after wandering for an unknown length of time through this boundless expanse, a floating landmass appeared before everyone, suspended without support in the space like a castle in the air.

"That's land?!"

Seeing the landmass appear, Hun Tian Di's eyes narrowed slightly, his brow furrowing—even his Soul Perception could not detect anything on the land.

"No need to sense; this is the cave left by Tuoshe Ancient Emperor—here, Soul Force Perception is suppressed." Xu Wu Tian Yan said coolly.

Xiao Yan also frowned tightly; even his Emperor-grade Soul Force could not probe beyond a thousand zhang, clearly, this place heavily suppressed Soul Power.

"Four Demon Saints, take some men to investigate." Hun Tian Di said.

"Yes, Clan Leader!"

"Hss!"

The lonely continent, shrouded in millennia of solitude, was suddenly shattered; in the hazy space, several figures pierced through Space, darting rapidly forward, finally landing on the landmass.

"Clan Leader! This is a continent—no traps detected!" Soon after, a voice rang out.

"Go!" Hun Tian Di muttered, unable to contain his excitement, leading the Soul Sovereign warriors in a sudden surge forward.

Upon entering the floating continent, Xu Wu Tian Yan's eyes immediately flickered with peculiar ripples; then, with a flash of unusual expression, he surged ahead at once, with Hun Tian Di and the Soul Sovereign warriors hastily following behind.

"It seems Xu Wu Tian Yan wasn't lying—he really did escape from here." Seeing Xu Wu Tian Yan move as if familiar with the path, Xiao Yan finally believed he wasn't deceiving him.

But compared to Xu Wu Tian Yan, the Pure Lotus Demon Flame's eyes held a hint of confusion; perhaps due to being sealed at its source thousands of years ago, and having its source and memories erased three years prior, it had lost some memories.

Even Xu Wu Tian Yan dared not fly at full speed; this frantic rush lasted nearly ten minutes before Xu Wu Tian Yan and Hun Tian Di at the front gradually slowed down.

As they slowed, the four Eight-Star Dou Sheng and Xiao Yan behind swiftly caught up, gazing at the ancient Stone Hall that appeared before them on the vast plain.

Seeing this ancient hall appear, not only Hun Tian Di, but even Xiao Yan's stoic eyes glowed with heat.

Xiao Yan had explored many ancient powerhouse Ruins; usually, such halls housed treasures, and the legendary Imperial Grade Embryonic Pill was very likely inside!

The Stone Hall stood silently upon the endless plain, an ancient aura rippling outward, echoing through the heavens and earth.

Before the Stone Hall lay a vast, enormous Guang Chang; on both sides stood countless pillars, each thousands of zhang tall, radiating a majestic, overwhelming Spiritual Pressure.

"This Guang Chang…" When Xiao Yan landed on the Guang Chang, he inexplicably felt something strange—a sense of unease and oppression in his chest.

Even Hun Tian Di now moved cautiously; countless Soul Sovereign warriors formed a Sealing Array, alert in all directions. The soft rustling of footsteps on stone quietly echoed.

The Guang Chang was extremely vast; as the group walked through it, they resembled ants traversing a desert, unable to see its end.

"Hm?"

As they walked, Xiao Yan suddenly halted; he suddenly sensed the Xuan Huang Flame in his Nai Ling flicker slightly, as if encountering something terrifying.

Sensing the subtle change in Xuan Huang Flame, Xiao Yan turned his head, following its source of perception, gazing at the top of a nearby stone pillar—there, a deep yellow flame burned.

"A second Xuan Huang Flame?!" Xiao Yan exclaimed; due to suppressed perception, he only saw it now—the giant stone pillar's summit bore a Xuan Huang Flame!

Hearing Xiao Yan's cry, Hun Tian Di also turned to look; when he saw the faint, candle-like Xuan Huang Flame atop the pillar, he too showed a strange expression.

Aside from Xu Wu Tian Yan and the Pure Lotus Demon Flame, possessing a second Heavenly Flame on the Dou Qi Continent was not strange; though the conditions for Heavenly Flame birth were harsh, and two mature ones forming in the same era were difficult, it was not impossible. Moreover, Tuoshe Ancient Emperor was a Dou Emperor from thousands of years ago—collecting Xuan Huang Flame was no surprise.

What puzzled Xiao Yan and Hun Tian Di was that this Xuan Huang Flame was abnormally weak, as if it had lost its Heavenly Flame source—its power had drained over time, leaving only a trace of flame.

"No… this isn't a lost Heavenly Flame source—it's that all its power was absorbed. It seems Xu Wu Tian Yan didn't lie—Tuoshe Ancient Emperor truly absorbed all Heavenly Flames to form the first one." Xiao Yan naturally wouldn't believe Xu Wu Tian Yan just because he said so; he always held back, never fully trusting him.

Xiao Yan possessed many Heavenly Flames and understood them even better than the Spiritual Flame Fusion; one glance told him why this Xuan Huang Flame was so weak.

Only a few thousand years had passed—how could a Heavenly Flame weaken from time alone? The Heavenly Energy here was extremely rich; it should have grown stronger. The only explanation was: these Heavenly Flames were dead.

The Heavenly Flames on the pillars were specimens—the remnants left after being devoured!

That was why the Xuan Huang Flame in Xiao Yan's Nai Ling reacted so strongly—it was like discovering a skeleton stripped of all flesh!

At this moment, the Pure Lotus Demon Flame riding on Xiao Yan's neck slowly floated upward, gazing at the silent Guang Chang, its eyes suddenly filled with confusion.

"This… feels familiar."

Hearing Xiao Yi's quiet whisper, Xiao Yan looked at it in surprise; he hadn't expected Xiao Yi to retain any feeling for this place—so clearly, this location had left an extremely "profound" impression on the Pure Lotus Demon Flame.

Xiao Yan frowned tightly, quickening his pace; yet after advancing less than a hundred zhang, another towering stone pillar appeared, its top bearing yet another flame.

"Wan Shou Ling Huo, Heavenly Flame Ranking Twenty-Second."

Gazing at the red flame that faintly revealed the shapes of myriad beasts as it burned, Xiao Yan slowly exhaled, his gaze shifting, then suddenly accelerated his pace; seeing this, the Soul Sovereigns hurried to follow.

After advancing another hundred zhang, more stone pillars appeared—on them, naturally, were Yin Yang Shuang Yan, Ranking Twenty-First, then You Ming Du Huo, Qing Lian Di Xin Huo, Feng Nu Long Yan.

But these Heavenly Flames, like the initial Xuan Huang Flame, had their source power completely drained; what remained were mere shells—no significant power left, appearing like mere decorations.

Yet Xiao Yan, who mastered Heavenly Flames, knew these were not fakes—they were genuine Heavenly Flames!

Seeing Hun Tian Di's ignorance of the Heavenly Flame remnants on the pillars, Xiao Yan realized Xu Wu Tian Yan had concealed Tuoshe Ancient Emperor's secrets and never informed Hun Tian Di.

As Xiao Yan pressed deeper, the Guang Chang was now nearing its end; after the Golden Emperor Burning Heaven Flame, ranked fourth on the Heavenly Flame Ranking, two towering stone pillars appeared before everyone's eyes.

Gazing at those two especially massive pillars, everyone instantly turned their eyes to their peaks—yet this time, no heavenly flame rose.

The tops of the pillars were unusually empty; the Pure Lotus Demonic Flame and the Swallowing Flame did not appear as expected.

"Ha, it seems even Tuoshe Ancient Emperor, who loved collecting heavenly flames, never obtained the two most powerful ones," chuckled HunYan, one of the Four Demon Sages, believing Tuoshe Ancient Emperor merely enjoyed gathering heavenly flames.

Only Xiao Yan, Hun Tian Di, and the Swallowing Flame knew it wasn't that Tuoshe Ancient Emperor failed to obtain them—rather, the Swallowing Flame and the Pure Lotus Demonic Flame had ultimately escaped!

Xiao Yi rode on Xiao Yan's neck, gazing at the second pillar, her small face filled with complex emotion—confusion, pain, fear.

Xiao Yan gently stroked Xiao Yi's head, soothing her emotions.

Xiao Yan's expression grew grave as he scanned the surroundings, looking at the twenty-two stone pillars and the vast, mysterious Guang Chang—he finally understood why the Pure Lotus Demonic Flame, even with its memories lost, still remembered this place so vividly!

If Xiao Yan's guess was correct, back then, Tuoshe Ancient Emperor had captured each heavenly flame and chained it to these pillars, then continuously absorbed their Fire Energy, slowly fusing their power.

This Heavenly Flame Square was Tuoshe Ancient Emperor's Nascent Soul!

Tuoshe Ancient Emperor was not human—he was a heavenly flame. He could not create a Nascent Soul like Xiao Yan to contain heavenly flames; instead, he forged this entire square, locked the heavenly flames within, and activated the Burning Scripture to absorb their heavenly flame essence, leaving only empty shells behind.

One could imagine the torment the Pure Lotus Demonic Flame and the Swallowing Flame endured—no wonder the Pure Lotus Demonic Flame remembered this place so vividly!

"Hm? That doesn't make sense. If Tuoshe Ancient Emperor truly was as the Swallowing Flame claimed, then why…?" Xiao Yan suddenly narrowed his eyes—but before he could finish his thought, Hun Tian Di interrupted him.

"Where is the Imperial Grade Embryonic Pill?" Hun Tian Di tore his gaze from the pillars—he had no interest in heavenly flames—and turned to the Swallowing Flame, asking.

The Swallowing Flame turned its head, gazing toward the end of the Guang Chang, where the Stone Hall now lay shrouded in thick mist, obscuring all view within.

"Shhhhh!"

The Swallowing Flame opened its mouth, a powerful suction surged forth, swallowing every wisp of mist into its body. As the mist vanished, a colossal shadow suddenly engulfed the entire Guang Chang. Everyone snapped their heads upward—and with horror, saw a stone statue a hundred thousand zhang tall standing abruptly before their eyes!

The statue resembled an old man, and its face was familiar to Hun Tian Di—it was the master of the Ancient Emperor's Cave, the legendary Tuoshe Ancient Emperor!

It was identical to the old man projected from the Ancient Jade!

The statue stood between heaven and earth, radiating an overwhelming, supreme aura that dominated all existence. Beneath that aura, even Xiao Yan and Hun Tian Di felt as if mountains were crushing them; the Soul Sovereign warriors below the Four Demon Sages collapsed to their knees, shattering the hard stone floor into powder.

Hun Mie Sheng and others activated their Clan Marks and channeled their Battle Qi, slowly adapting until they could stand again.

Looking up at the statue, a deep, primal fear arose within them—how could a mere stone statue possess such power?!

(End of Chapter)