Chapter 719

Xiao Yan sat cross-legged on the ground, hands cupped in front of him, where a jet-black Strange Fire burned—within this black flame flickered a dazzling, multicolored candlelight; if one looked closely, countless tiny threads were incessantly invading that radiant light.

Those fine black threads continuously assimilated the multicolored candlelight, and Mao Wu's power rose steadily.

You should know that this Strange Fire contains the complete inheritance of Emperor Tuoshe, possessing an immensely vast power, as well as enough energy to allow a Seven-Star Dou Saint to become an Emperor. Mao Wu has not yet devoured and refined it, yet its aura is already on par with the Pure Lotus Demon Fire and the Void Devouring Flame!

【3】 This Strange Fire contained the full legacy of Tuoshe Ancient Emperor, possessing immense power and enough energy to elevate a Seven Star Dou Sheng to Emperor status. Even before Mao Wu had swallowed or refined it, its aura had already approached that of Pure Lotus Demonic Fire and Void Swallowing Flame!

Xiao Yan clasped his hands in meditation, expression focused, fully immersed in the process of refining the Strange Fire.

As time passed, Xiao Yan's body gradually emitted a faint black mist; the surrounding air grew increasingly scorching, and even the entire Heavenly Tomb began to warm, space warping.

Xiao Xuan, seeing the space of the Heavenly Tomb twisting, froze in shock, then sighed helplessly: "The distortion of the Heavenly Tomb's time has been corrected—it seems the Heavenly Tomb still cannot affect the power of a Dou Emperor."

One day outside equals six days inside the Heavenly Tomb; even Gu Yuan could enjoy sixfold time acceleration here, but since energy here is scarce, cultivation beyond Dou Sheng yields little benefit.

Yet now, the power released by Xiao Yan's cultivation has already altered the entire Heavenly Tomb—after all, the Heavenly Tomb was created by a Dou Emperor; how could it possibly affect a Dou Emperor?

Xiao Yan didn't mind lacking the sixfold time—he now possessed nearly endless life as a Dou Emperor. His gaze sharpened, flashes of brilliance occasionally darting through, followed by unwavering resolve.

Slowly raising his hands, his Imperial Soul Force and the Fire Elimination's Dou Qi surged wildly into the Black Flame—immediately, the jet-black Strange Fire erupted, entangling with the flame seed.

As the refining process deepened, a flush spread across Xiao Yan's face, beads of sweat forming on his brow. Yet he did not stop, continuing to direct his Soul Power and Fire Elimination Dou Qi, driving the Black Flame to devour even more ferociously.

Since seizing Tuoshe Ancient Emperor's legacy, over two years had passed—now only one final step remained to succeed.

ZZZZZZ!! Suddenly, the entire Heavenly Tomb trembled violently, space twisting.

"What's going on?!"

"It's coming from the Heavenly Tomb!"

Shhh-shhh-shhh! Gu Yuan and the Three Immortals of Gu Clan flew in from the Ancient Realm, faces instantly grim; with a low shout, numerous Gu Clan elders surged from the surrounding Shan Mai, Dou Qi surging as they rapidly formed a defensive Barrier.

Yet the moment the Barrier took shape, it inexplicably burst into flames.

"W-what is this?!"

Seeing this, Gu Yuan relaxed, waving his hand: "It's fine—stand down the alert. It's probably Xiao Yan entering the Heavenly Tomb."

Instantly, everyone let out an "Oh!" and gradually dispersed.

So it's a Dou Emperor coming to visit a grave—no wonder, no wonder.

At this moment, within the Heavenly Tomb, as Xiao Yan furiously activated the Fire Elimination, the Black Flame surged wildly, a world-shaking aura rising from the flames—then Xiao Yan felt the Fire Elimination stir again, revealing a new Cultivation Method pathway!

"Mao Wu has evolved successfully!!"

Whoosh! A shadow appeared beside Xiao Yan—Void Swallowing Flame stared in shock at the surging Black Flame: "It actually succeeded!"

You should know that Mao Wu was originally a sub-flame of the Void Devouring Flame, a clone split from a tiny fraction of its origin. Although it was born with spiritual nature, it was still merely a sub-flame.

【25】 Mao Wu originally was merely a sub-flame of Void Swallowing Flame, a tiny fragment split from its origin—though naturally sentient, it was still just a sub-flame.

Yet now, Mao Wu had not only become completely independent, but evolved successfully—even surpassing Void Swallowing Flame itself!

This is backwards!

At the moment of successful evolution, a Sky Phenomenon erupted—above the Heavenly Tomb, gales howled, lightning cracked, and the sky, thick with dark clouds, was slashed by silver lightning like colossal serpents, bathing all creation in blinding white.

Within this phenomenon, people saw a jet-black flame slowly rising into the sky, like a massive black hole devouring everything around it. The heat and energy it radiated made one feel as if all of heaven and earth were about to be consumed.

Within the black hole, faint multicolored lights shimmered—like decorations, or as if being swallowed, utterly wondrous.

At this moment, all beings in the Ancient Realm, even across the entire Dou Qi Continent, involuntarily paused their actions, gazing up at this mysterious, powerful Strange Fire. Every heart filled with awe and wonder—they knew this was a force capable of reshaping the entire world.

"What kind of flame is this?!"

"Strange Fire!! It's definitely Strange Fire!"

"A new Strange Fire has been born!"

"Heavens! A New Different Flame has appeared—Sky Phenomenon has manifested!"

Yan Jin, Clan Leader of the Yan Clan, gazed at the celestial spectacle, murmuring: "Since ancient times, there have always been exactly twenty-two Strange Fires. The top-ranked Emperor Flame is the fusion of all twenty-two. This… this new Strange Fire already feels stronger than Void Swallowing Flame!"

Huo Zhi looked upward, her beautiful eyes gleaming—she knew this was Xiao Yan's doing, and only he could achieve it.

"From now on, this will be the number-one Strange Fire on the Heavenly Flame Ranking."

As time passed, the Strange Fire grew brighter, its radiance illuminating heaven and earth. People saw countless tiny flame petals erupting from the Black Flame, like twinkling starfire, breathtakingly beautiful. At this moment, all of heaven and earth were shrouded in a mysterious, magnificent aura.

The black hole slowly reshaped—seen from afar, the rising Strange Fire resembled a dark lotus blooming, its flames like petals, yet not entirely black: veins of the lotus glowed with streams of multicolored flames, flowing like the lotus's blood.

At this instant, all who knew the Heavenly Flame Ranking received a single, undeniable truth: the Strange Fire Ranking was now complete!

Soon after, the Sky Phenomenon faded, and the space around the Heavenly Tomb gradually returned to normal.

Within the Heavenly Tomb, a black flame threaded with multicolored hues rose slowly before Xiao Yan, then reshaped—there sat a familiar black cat upon the void. Unlike before, Mao Wu's eyes now glowed with shifting, exquisite colors.

~o(=∩ω∩=) Meow!

Mao Wu opened its mouth and "meowed," then lowered its head to lick its paw, scratching the back of its neck with its hind leg.

"Finally, evolution succeeded!" Xiao Yan could barely conceal his excitement—Mao Wu was no longer a sub-flame of Void Swallowing Flame, but an entirely new Strange Fire, its power surpassing even Void Swallowing Flame's original form!

Meow! Mao Wu, equally thrilled, had slept for two years—now awakened, it dashed and zoomed wildly around, flying everywhere.

"Enough, enough—stop flying, you're giving me vertigo." Xiao Yan chuckled, reaching out to grab the overexcited Mao Wu.

Meow~~

"You've now swallowed Tuoshe Ancient Emperor's Emperor Flame seed—you're no longer a sub-flame of Void Swallowing Flame. You've become the number-one Strange Fire on the ranking. You need a proper name."

Xiao Yan pondered: originally, the top-ranked Strange Fire was the fusion of twenty-two flames, called Emperor Flame.

But now, Mao Wu was not a fusion of twenty-two flames—yet had already reached Emperor-level Strange Fire status!

(>^ω^<) Meow meow meow meow!! (I am the Flying Cat Divine Fire!)

【53】 (>^ω^<) Meow meow meow meow!! (I am the Flying Cat Divine Fire!)

Hearing Mao Wu's naming taste, Xiao Yan rolled his eyes, seething—this was to be inscribed on the Heavenly Flame Ranking, the number-one flame, called "Flying Cat Divine Fire"? He'd be laughed to death!

Xiao Yan flicked Mao Wu's forehead with a finger, sighing: "Stop fooling around—what kind of name is that? Look at Void Swallowing Flame, Pure Lotus Demonic Fire, Xuan Huang Flame, Fallen Heart Flame—each radiates power, their names reflecting their essence or origin. 'Flying Cat Divine Fire'? Do you think this is some cartoon, 'Flying Powerpuff Girls'?!"

Xiao Yan glanced at Mao Wu, now sulking and turned away, then murmured after a moment: "Since you evolved by swallowing Tuoshe Ancient Emperor's Emperor Flame seed, your name shall be 【Emperor Dark Black Flame】."

The instant Xiao Yan finished speaking, the entire Dou Qi Continent trembled—this tremor even reached the infinite heavens beyond the Dou Qi Continent.

ZZZZZZ!! Suddenly, twenty-two projections of Strange Fire phenomena appeared in the sky, each arranged in order, forming a ranking list!

These Strange Fires were lifelike, as if truly recognized by heaven and earth, like the legendary Book of Divine Enthronement.

"Strange Fire Ranking, Twenty-Third: Xuan Huang Flame."

"Strange Fire Ranking twenty-second, Ten Thousand Beasts Spiritual Flame."

"Strange Fire Ranking twenty-first, Yin Yang Twin Flame."

"Strange Fire Ranking twentieth, Netherworld Poison Flame."

"Strange Fire Ranking nineteenth, Green Lotus Earth Core Fire."

"Strange Fire Ranking eighteenth, Wind Wrath Dragon Flame."

"Strange Fire Ranking seventeenth, Volcano Stone Flame."

"Strange Fire Ranking sixteenth, Fire Cloud Water Flame."

"Strange Fire Ranking fifteenth, Sea Heart Flame."

"Strange Fire Ranking fourteenth, Falling Heart Flame."

"Strange Fire Ranking thirteenth, Turtle Spirit Earth Flame."

"Strange Fire Ranking twelfth, Nine Dragon Thunder Gang Fire."

"Strange Fire Ranking eleventh, Bone Spirit Cold Fire."

"Strange Fire Ranking tenth, Nine Underworld Wind Flame."

"Strange Fire Ranking ninth, Three Thousand Yan Flame."

"Strange Fire Ranking eighth, Red Lotus Karma Fire."

"Strange Fire Ranking seventh, Nine Nether Golden Ancestor Fire."

"Strange Fire Ranking sixth, Eight Wastes Annihilation Flame."

"Strange Fire Ranking fifth, Flame of Living Beings."

"Strange Fire Ranking fourth, Golden Emperor Burning Heaven Flame."

"Strange Fire Ranking third, Pure Lotus Demon Flame."

"Strange Fire Ranking second, Void Swallowing Flame."

When the twenty-two kinds of Strange Fire appeared one after another, a cluster of Strange Fire slowly rose above the Void Swallowing Flame. This cluster of Strange Fire looked very similar to the Void Swallowing Flame, yet was different, with flowing colored light within it.

"Strange Fire Ranking first, Di An Black Flame!"

(Alias: Flying Cat Cat Divine Fire)

(End of this chapter)