Chapter 689: Stabilization and Ascension

The Baro Flame Demon was attacked by Yizite's Soul‑Rending Touch, which sliced off fragments of its soul; if it had not died at the time it would have recovered quickly, but dying while its soul was incomplete causes it to lose a portion of its Elements.

Fortunately, the most powerful "Flame Demon Crown" is still intact.

The Baro Flame Demon's legendary Elements include more than just a Flame Demon Crown; there was also a level‑16 power, but that's gone. In addition, there were a dozen or so fire‑related Arcane Elements, most of which were lost, and the remainder were extracted by the teacher and fashioned into Law Seals.

The most valuable among them are the Nine-ring Technique "Flame Storm" and the super‑natural Element "Flame Body".

Both are supreme Elements; Flame Storm needs no introduction—the fire‑element practitioner can fuse it to become one of the three Nine-ring Techniques of a Holy Soul Ascension Wizard; Flame Body is similar to a "Flame Furnace", enhancing fire‑element affinity, granting near‑immune resistance to fire spells, allowing one to assume a flame form that leaps within fire and reduces physical damage.

In terms of practicality, Flame Body surpasses the Flame Furnace, but like all elemental magic bodies it is exclusive.

Once fused with Flame Body, one cannot also gain affinity for other Elements.

If one already possesses other elemental affinity, forcibly fusing Flame Body will inevitably fail, cannot be stabilized, and wastes a supreme Element.

This kind of elemental magic body suits only an elemental practitioner who specializes in a single school of spells.

For example, Anxiwodasi.

The other five or six Law Seals are Arcane Elements, i. e., spells such as Flame Burst, Fire‑Ring Resistance, True Knowledge, Greater Dispel Magic, Soul‑Capturing, Command Shock, Mind Control, and so on; they are generally Seven‑ring or higher and are highly valuable.

However, for Reslin they are of little use; a Wizard cannot fuse Law Seals.

Moreover, he has already mastered most of these spells.

While Reslin observed, Anxiwodasi kept appraising him. Anxiwodasi knows that Lei En has a duplicate, but hasn't seen it in years; today, upon seeing it, he finds it has already reached Legendary Peak, higher than Lei En's level!

He grew more astonished and couldn't help asking, "Lei… Reslin, you aren't about to challenge the Holy Soul Wizard, are you?"

"Yes, teacher," Reslin replied honestly.

Even though Anxiwodasi has lived over a thousand years, he was still shocked, his eyes widening and his snow‑white beard standing up.

If he remembers correctly, Lei En's duplicate was created just over three years ago, right?

In just three or four short years, a fragile duplicate has achieved Holy Soul Ascension!

"How confident are you? Roughly how long?" Anxiwodasi asked repeatedly; he was truly astonished, but he was more concerned about whether Reslin could succeed. If Reslin attains Holy Soul Ascension and joins the Supreme Council, then Weizelan's influence…

Reslin smiled, understanding the teacher's eager expectation.

He didn't overstate, nor did he reveal that he was attempting to develop "Time Stop"; calmly he replied, "If all goes well it may take only five years; if not, perhaps a dozen or more, I can't be certain. As for confidence, it should be over seventy percent."

In fact, if one doesn't pursue time spells, it might take less than three years, and confidence would be a full hundred percent.

"Five years!"

Anxiwodasi almost lost his composure; he had thought it would take at least twenty years no matter what.

He stared at Reslin, solemnly asking, "Lei En, tell me honestly, are you an incarnation of some deity descended to the mortal world, or perhaps a reincarnated retrainer?"

Reslin was stunned for a moment, his face a mix of laughter and tears.

"Teacher, I am myself, not any deity's incarnation; I am merely a mortal." He replied earnestly, though in his mind he considered himself also a reincarnated retrainer, but unrelated to any god; in his previous life he was also a common mortal.

Anxiwodasi was half‑believing, half‑doubting; Lei En's performance had far exceeded the realm of mortal geniuses, and even he could not be certain.

Seeing Reslin deny so earnestly, he found it hard to press further.

"Are you preparing to stabilize the Flame Demon Crown?" Anxiwodasi looked at the few Law Seals, knowing Reslin is a Wizard, and asked, "Do you need my help?"

"Thank you, teacher, I am already prepared," Reslin declined.

Anxiwodasi sighed inwardly, suddenly feeling a lack of accomplishment. Outsiders say Lei En's current achievements and strength could not exist without his guidance, but he knows clearly that it all stems from Lei En's own talent and effort, and his role as teacher is actually minor.

On the contrary, Lei En has done much for him, and Weizelan has risen along with it.

Reslin, unaware of the teacher's thoughts, picked up a Law Seal and said, "Teacher, I have no use for this 'Flame Body'; if you have use for it…"

"I already have one," Anxiwodasi shook his head, "Flame Body can only be fused once; additional ones have no effect."

After a pause he added, "Roni should be able to use it; you can give it to him. Also the Flame Storm—Roni will soon reach Legendary Peak; he is already pre‑collecting Nine-ring Techniques, perhaps he'll like it, and these two Law Seals could save him a lot of time."

Before Lei En, Roni was Weizelan's most promising Holy Soul Ascension Wizard.

If Roni also breaks through to Holy Soul Wizard within a few decades, Weizelan's Fu Kong Cheng will fully dominate the Empire; thinking of this, Anxiwodasi felt a surge of excitement.

"Alright." Reslin nodded.

"Good water does not flow to outsiders"; he planned to visit Speaker Ronnie tomorrow, and to half‑gift, half‑sell the remaining Law Seals to Weizelan's Legendary Wizards as a favor.

After bidding the teacher farewell, Reslin teleported to his own tower.

In recent days, Lei En has gathered all the materials needed for stabilization and, in a magical laboratory within his tower, has inscribed the Stabilization Array.

Reslin entered the laboratory, looking at the Array etched on the floor.

The Stabilization spell's Array is an Elven heritage, not particularly complex, equivalent to a Seven-ring Technique; Lei En mastered it in half a day. The key was gathering materials—over a dozen kinds, worth tens of thousands of Gold Shields, and the primary spell to be stabilized.

Given Lei En's current wealth and status, the materials were no issue; they were collected in half a day.

The only thing lacking is the Flame Demon Crown.

Reslin stood at the edge of the Array for a final check, looking very carefully, not wanting any slip. The alchemical materials could be ruined without worry, but there is only one Flame Demon Crown, which must be ensured flawless.

After a moment, he gave a slight nod.

Then he placed the Flame Demon Crown's Law Seal at the core of the Array, stepped onto it, infused magical energy to activate the Array, and instantly the Elven runes lit up one by one.

Magic Stabilization!

When all alchemical materials were activated, Reslin instantly cast this Seven-ring Technique.

The rune Array was fully triggered; a massive energy, amplified by the Array, melted all the alchemical materials and merged them into the central Law Seal.

Boom!

The Law Seal shattered, unleashing a flame‑like heat wave.

From the blazing crimson fire flew an odd rune, emitting the Baro Flame Demon's unique terrifying aura, echoing through the magical laboratory.

Reslin's expression remained focused, showing no sign of fluctuation.

The flame rune slowly floated upward as the Array's energy continuously poured into it; surrounding fire elements were drawn in, forming a brilliant fire ring around the rune. A half‑meter‑diameter fire ring, like a crown made entirely of flame, became increasingly solid, its light growing brighter.

This is the elemental manifestation of the Flame Demon Crown.

Reslin looked up and admired for half a minute; when the crown stabilized, he used the Stabilization Array to lower it, while the fire ring shrank, fitting perfectly as a crown on his head.

The seemingly scorching Flame Crown, when it touched the top of his head, felt only a faint warmth.

It slowly merged into Reslin's head.

"Ugh!"

Reslin felt a sting, but it ended in the blink of an eye, and the Flame Crown on his head vanished.

In the next instant, he sensed the Lake of Stars in his mind shifting, and a brand-new dazzling nova lit up the night sky reflected on its surface.

The stellar core is the Element rune of the Flame Demon Crown!

The sustain succeeded.

Reslin let out a sigh of relief, stopped maintaining the rune formation beneath his feet, and the flow of energy quickly subsided. He soon felt the effect of the Flame Demon Crown, as his body seemed to become a magnet, drawing fire elements in the air toward him.

A thought flickered, and a red flame sparked at his fingertips.

As his will shifted, the flame underwent a dramatic change, turning from a tiny spark into a fireball that swelled to the size of a head, its surface roiling with heat waves and its interior as hot as lava, brimming with terrifying power.

The temperature of the entire magic laboratory suddenly rose, as if standing at the mouth of a volcano.

Reslin could not stop praising it.

It's merely a Three-Ring Fireball Technique, yet its power rivals that of the Five-Ring Flame Explosion Technique—truly worthy of a Legendary Element!

He has mastered a great many spells, including numerous flame spells, but aside from Mayoufu's Micro Meteor, he seldom uses the others, precisely because he possesses only a single Flame Affinity, making his power insufficient—far weaker than his own Arcane.

Now that the Flame Demon Crown is sustained, the potency of flame spells has leapt beyond Arcane!

Arcane suits the Naiser sect better, while flame is the Mo Du sect's favorite.

Previously Reslin resembled a Naiser sect wizard; now he has truly returned to the Mo Du sect's path, developing toward a direction that combines the advantages of both casting philosophies.

He opened his phone interface and saw the "Flame Demon Crown" icon.

At present it's only a sustained effect; if someone dispels it, the loss cannot be restored. Reslin naturally refused to take that risk—his spirit pool still held over 1,800 units of energy, and he invested his spirit power without hesitation.

The crown icon began to flash, and the energy units dropped rapidly.

To permanently solidify a sustained spell requires a great amount of mana; Reslin had foreseen this, so he was not particularly surprised.

After all, it is merely solidifying, not increasing the ring count; after consuming over three hundred units of energy, the Flame Demon Crown fully merged into Reslin's soul, and the Element rune on the Lake of Stars became completely stable.

The solidified sustained effect can still be dispelled.

However, as long as one pays the price of permanently losing that portion of mana, the sustain can be re‑established instantly, without any materials.

For Reslin, this is hardly a cost at all.

He had long been well aware of the Flame Demon Crown's effects.

It can push flame potency to its limit, amplifying it by roughly threefold; every flame spell cast casually carries the dual effects of "burst combustion" and "explosion". Burst combustion raises flame temperature, while explosion adds a physical shockwave—simple and brutal, yet one of the two Legendary Elements coveted by all fire element users.

The other is "Phoenix Nirvana".

Phoenix Nirvana leans more toward precise control of fire elements; its power is weaker than the Flame Demon Crown, but it allows rebirth within flame.

Lei En had already witnessed this rebirth effect on Sabbath Dean.

The two Legendary Elements can be obtained together, unlike a flame-bodied form which repels them.

However, a single Phoenix Nirvana suffices—more brings no benefit—whereas the Flame Demon Crown can be stacked; like other Affinity Elements, the more you have, the stronger the potency.

"This is only the first..." Reslin murmured softly.

If the chance arises, Phoenix Nirvana will surely be sustained as well; it all depends on luck.

The Flame Demon Crown—naturally, the more the better!

Baro Flame Demons are far easier to find than the Phoenix; in the bottomless Abyss there are already a dozen known Baro Flame Demons, with many more unknown. A few powerful Baro Flame Demons possess more than one Flame Demon Crown; if we could slay them, we could sustain several more Flame Demon Crowns…

Reslin suddenly felt an urge to charge into the Abyss.

After great effort suppressing the urge, he sensed Lei En happily consulting with teammates in Albert Bay, so he did not rush to exchange back.

He decided to test his hand in the magic laboratory, to adapt to the enhanced flame spells.

Until the next day.

Lei En and Asina fought fiercely in a hotel in Albert Bay all night; after leaving the hotel they performed a castling with Reslin and teleported back to Yizite's home.

The other two teammates arrived, sitting in the courtyard waiting.

Seeing Asina's flushed complexion, they all gave a knowing smile, then returned to solemnity; today, Yizite will attempt to break through the Saint Rank.

"Has it begun?"

Daon Soth replied, "We've been waiting for you, Reslin."

"Fine." Reslin brandished his Endless Storm Staff, activated the underground rune array, and a rune array used to block sound and breath opened, enveloping Yizite's courtyard.

He had set this up a few days earlier, just in case.

"I begin now," the dark elf's voice came from the room; he had recently kept himself locked inside, rarely emerging, and out of respect for his privacy no one had entered, as the Demonic Hunter's ascension ceremony is not meant for outsiders.

"If I fail, you must not hesitate."

The room fell into silence.

Gradually, an evil Abyssal aura spread, familiar to everyone—it was the flesh-and-blood essence of that Baro Flame Demon.

The flesh-and-blood essence, containing massive Demon power, was fully released.

Soon Yizite's voice rang out, sounding extremely painful; at first he could endure, but as time passed his cries grew higher, like a non‑human roar, caught in a process of collapse and reformation, making his condition unimaginable.

Reslin maintained the rune array, his expression unchanged.

The teammates remained silent, their eyes unable to hide tension and unease, even their breathing softened slightly.

Gaining power has never been without cost, especially for Demonic Hunters, who walk the edge between reason and madness, sustained solely by Willpower.

Demons are both their prey and the reason for their existence.

Essentially, a Demonic Hunter is a kind of Demon; if the ascension fails and they lose control, they are no different from true Demons.

At that point, the teammates must be the first to kill Yizite.

Since the birth of the Demonic Hunters over ten thousand years ago, almost none have met a good end—either slain by foes or losing control during ascension and becoming Demons. Demonic Hunters who have ascended to the Saint Rank are even rarer.

"Hope he can pull through."

"This is Reslin and his teammates' shared idea."

"(End of chapter)"