Start from a baby to become a Taoist

Chapter 465 The Spark of the Void Tomb

"Senior!" Xu Qinghan walked quickly to the old man, her voice trembling slightly.

The old man slowly opened his eyes. His gaze was cloudy and weary, but when he saw Xu Qinghan, a hint of surprise and relief flashed in his eyes.

"Qinghan...you're back..." the old man said hoarsely, his voice weak.

"Senior, how are you? Xin Huo Network..." Xu Qinghan asked anxiously.

The old man sighed softly and slowly shook his head: "The Flame Network... suffered a severe blow. Many guardians... burned their very essence to suppress the detonation of the Annihilation Star Core and the Void Tomb, and vanished completely..."

Xu Qinghan felt a sudden pang of pain in her heart. Although she had expected it, hearing it with her own ears still caused her excruciating grief.

"The Tomb of the Void... was it a success?" the old man asked with difficulty, a hint of anticipation in his eyes.

Xu Qinghan suddenly raised her head, her eyes flashing with determination: "Success! The spark of the Void Tomb has been integrated into my Ancient God's Flame!"

Upon hearing this, the old man's cloudy eyes suddenly blazed with brilliant light, and he trembled with excitement: "Good! Good! The flame will never be extinguished! Hope will live on forever!"

He struggled to reach out and press his hand against Xu Qinghan's brow. Xu Qinghan could feel a faint but pure power of the ancient divine flame flowing from the old man's palm into her body, nourishing her ancient divine flame.

The old man closed his eyes, carefully sensing the fluctuations of the primordial fire within Xu Qinghan's body. After a moment, he slowly withdrew his hand, a relieved smile appearing on his face.

"Your ignition... is several times stronger than before. The fire from the Extinction Star Core and the Void Tomb contains the ancient source of the ignition. By fusing them, your resistance to the void has greatly increased, and you have even comprehended the meaning of the extinguishing of the ignition, enabling you to convert the power of the void into your own use... This is a stroke of good fortune amidst misfortune," the old man said softly.

Xu Qinghan felt a pang of sadness. This so-called stroke of luck was bought with the lives of countless guardians of the torch.

"Senior, what should we do next?" Xu Qinghan asked.

The old man's gaze swept over the empty prayer cushions around the altar, a hint of pity flashing in his eyes.

The old man's gaze swept over the empty prayer cushions around the altar, a hint of pity flashing in his eyes.

"The passing on of the torch is a path that burns itself to illuminate the way forward... Those departed companions did not perish, but became part of the torch network. Their will will forever be with us." Although the old man's voice was weak, it carried a power that transcended time, as if one could see the thread of the torch's transmission over billions of years.

He slowly raised his head, his cloudy gaze looking up at the sky above the valley, which was being eroded by nothingness. There, fine cracks in the void were still slowly writhing, like wounds in the universe.

"Qinghan, your return this time not only brought back the spark of the Void Tomb, but more importantly, you have comprehended the meaning of the extinction of the flame, and can transform the power of nothingness into nourishment for the flame... This is an unprecedented breakthrough in the long history of the flame's inheritance." The old man said slowly, his tone tinged with solemnity. "This means that you are no longer simply fighting against nothingness, but have begun to truly understand it and master it."

Upon hearing this, Xu Qinghan's heart stirred. She could feel that the power of the primordial flame within her body was indeed different from before. It was no longer a simple gold, but a mixture of gold and black, like the first ray of light at the beginning of chaos, containing both vitality and annihilation. This power made her understanding of the universe more profound, as if she could see the boundary between life and death, existence and non-existence, becoming blurred and unified.

"Senior, what exactly is this extinguishing of the flame?" Xu Qinghan couldn't help but ask. Although she had mastered this power, she still had many questions about its essence.

The old man sighed softly, his gaze profound: "The extinguishing of the flame is not its fall, but its sublimation. For billions of years, the struggle between the flame and nothingness has always been a contest between life and death, a battle between hope and despair. We, the igniters of the flame, have always upheld the belief that 'the flame will never be extinguished,' using vitality to combat annihilation. However, the power of the Lord of Nothingness is not simply darkness; it is an ultimate 'nothingness,' a annihilation of the very origin of the universe. To truly defeat it, vitality alone is not enough."

He paused, his tone growing more weathered: "Ancient legends of the flame record that its ultimate form is not pure life, but the unity of life and death, the balance between hope and despair. When the flame can contain annihilation, when vitality can control nothingness, that is true 'eternal flame.' The Annihilation Star Core, as one of the birthplaces of the flame, contains a trace of insight into the origin of nothingness. And the Tomb of the Void is the result of countless ancient sages of the flame fighting against the power of nothingness with their bodies and souls, ultimately imprinting the origin of nothingness into the flame. Only by fusing these two flames could you glimpse the mystery of the flame's annihilation."

"The flame extinguished... the unity of life and death..." Xu Qinghan murmured to herself. She closed her eyes and felt the golden and black flames intertwined within her body. She understood that this was not the erosion of her by nothingness, but the "reverse fusion" of nothingness by the flames, a deeper level of evolution.

“Yes.” The old man nodded slowly. “The Lord of Nothingness believed that it could devour everything, obliterate everything, and reduce the universe to eternal nothingness. But it did not understand that life and death, annihilation and hope, are two sides of the same coin. Without death, how can there be life? Without annihilation, how can there be hope? The annihilation of the flame is to transform the power of nothingness into the nourishment of the flame, to turn despair into hope, and to turn death into new life!”

The old man's words were like a wake-up call, giving Xu Qinghan a deeper understanding of the extinguishing of the flame. She opened her eyes, which shimmered with a deep and mysterious golden-black chaotic light.

"Senior, how should I use this power?" Xu Qinghan asked.

The old man looked at her with satisfaction and said slowly, "The extinguishing of the flame is not merely a means of attack; it is more of an understanding of the laws and a mastery of the origin. You need time to comprehend it and hone your skills. Although the Flame Sanctuary has been severely damaged, it can still provide you with a relatively safe environment for cultivation. First, stabilize your realm here and completely integrate the power of the two flames. At the same time, we must also find a way to restore the Flame Network as soon as possible and contact the Flame Ignitioners scattered throughout the universe."

"The Flame Network has been severely damaged and will be difficult to restore in the short term." The old man sighed softly. "The Lord of Nothingness also paid a heavy price in the eruptions of the Annihilation Star Core and the Void Tomb, and there will be no large-scale actions for a while. But this is only a temporary calm. It will never allow a Flame Ignitioner like you to grow stronger."

Xu Qinghan nodded. She knew the real crisis was yet to come. The Lord of Nothingness—that was the true shadow looming over all living beings in the universe.

In the days that followed, Xu Qinghan began her secluded cultivation at the Firewood Shelter.

She sat cross-legged beside the altar, sensing the faint yet resilient fluctuations of the altar's flames, which resonated with the ancient divine flames within her. She immersed herself entirely in her understanding of the annihilation star core fire and the Void Tomb fire. The annihilation star core fire, carrying the chaos and annihilation of the universe's beginning, endowed Xu Qinghan's flames with the attribute of "annihilation," capable of fundamentally dismantling the power of nothingness and transforming it into nourishment for the flames. This transformation was not a simple energy conversion, but a reversal of a law, a "purification" of the origin of nothingness.

The spark from the Tomb of the Void contains the experience of countless ancient sages who fought against the void, as well as their profound understanding of the power of the void. It grants Xu Qinghan's spark the ability to "transform the void," enabling her to decompose and control the power of the void, and even, to a certain extent, simulate the form of the void, using the void to fight against the void.

She attempted to transform a wisp of ember's power into a chaotic form of interwoven gold and black. The flame lacked intense heat, yet it possessed a desolate yet regenerative quality capable of devouring everything. She gently pushed it out, and the wisp of flame silently dissipated into the void, as if merging into nothingness, or as if making nothingness its own.

She then attempted to absorb the sliver of ethereal energy remaining in the Void Tomb. This ethereal energy carried a chilling and decaying quality, but enveloped by the golden-black embers, it was purified bit by bit, like decomposed matter, ultimately transforming into the purest energy to nourish her embers. Although the conversion rate was extremely low, this ability was undoubtedly a heaven-defying force when facing the army of the Void Lord.

Her body was also constantly transforming through this cultivation. The golden-black flames flowed through her flesh, bones, and meridians, cleansing everything about her. Her physical body became more resilient, her soul more solid, and even the ancient god's flame mark between her brows became deeper, like a golden-black vortex containing endless mysteries.

Time flies by during cultivation. In the blink of an eye, several months have passed.

The Firewood Sanctuary remained silent, but Xu Qinghan's aura grew stronger and stronger. She was no longer the fledgling igniter of the fire; she now possessed an ancient and weathered air, as if she had been baptized by billions of years.

One day, Xu Qinghan awoke from her meditation. She slowly opened her eyes, a fleeting golden-black light flashing within them. She felt the surging power of the primordial flame within her, a power that had reached an unprecedented peak. She could even sense that the connection between the primordial flame and the origin of the universe had become even stronger, as if she herself were a part of the universe's life force.

She rose and went to the altar. The old man was still sitting cross-legged, his breath even weaker than before, as if he might dissipate at any moment.

"Senior," Xu Qinghan called softly.

The old man slowly opened his eyes, and when he saw Xu Qinghan, a look of amazement flashed in his eyes.

"Qinghan...you succeeded..." The old man's voice trembled slightly. He could feel the powerful yet restrained strength within Xu Qinghan's body, and the golden and black intertwined flame had reached a transcendent realm.

"Thanks to your guidance, senior," Xu Qinghan said respectfully.

The old man sighed softly, gazing into the distance: "Although the Flame Network has been severely damaged, it has begun to slowly recover under the nourishment of your flame. I can sense that some Flame Ignitioners scattered throughout the universe have begun to try to contact us."

"Really?!" Xu Qinghan was overjoyed. The Flame Network is the link between those who ignite the flame, and also an important force in the fight against the Lord of Nothingness.

“Yes.” The old man nodded. “But the Fireline Network is still fragile and cannot withstand large-scale fluctuations. Moreover, the Lord of Nothingness will not give us much time.”

He paused, his tone becoming serious: "Qinghan, you now possess enough power to protect yourself, and even to fight against beings at the level of the Void Lord. But the power of the Void Lord far exceeds your imagination. What it controls is the true origin of nothingness, the ultimate power that obliterates everything."

"Then what should we do?" Xu Qinghan asked.

The old man's gaze was profound, as if piercing through the endless void: "The hope of the flame is scattered throughout the universe. In ancient times, besides the cores of doomed stars and the tombs of the void, there were also some embers of the flame suppressed by the Lord of Nothingness. They contain different origins of the flame, representing its evolution in different eras and civilizations. Only by gathering them all together can the flame truly reach the realm of 'eternity' and possess the power to contend with the Lord of Nothingness."

"Gather all the sparks..." Xu Qinghan was shocked. This was undoubtedly a vast and arduous task.

“Yes,” the old man said slowly. “Although the Fire Network cannot operate on a large scale, some weak connections can guide you to find the whereabouts of those sparks. What you need to do now is to embark on a journey to find those sparks suppressed by the void, rekindle them, and let the hope of the Fire illuminate the universe once again.”

“But senior, the Fire of Life Shelter…” Xu Qinghan said with some worry.

The old man waved his hand, a relieved smile on his face: "The mission of the Fire Shelter is to protect the flame and nurture those who ignite it. Now that you have grown up, the hope of the fire rests on you. It is time for us old folks to return to our roots."

Xu Qinghan felt a pang of pain in her heart; she understood the meaning behind the old man's words. The Guardians of the Flame—their lives were intertwined with the Flame itself. To suppress the eruptions of the Silent Star Core and the Void Tomb, they had already burned away far too much of their very essence.

“Senior…” Xu Qinghan’s voice was choked with emotion.

"There is no need for sorrow," the old man said softly. "As long as the flame burns, hope endures. Our will will always be with you. Go, go and fulfill the mission of the flame, go and turn the eternal hope of the flame into reality!"

The old man slowly closed his eyes, and his body began to emit a faint golden light, like specks of starlight, slowly dissipating into the air. His breath grew weaker and weaker until finally, he completely merged into the fire of the altar.

"Senior!" Xu Qinghan let out a painful growl. She reached out, trying to grab something, but in the end, she only grasped nothingness.

The fire on the altar shone brightly after the old man returned to his origin. Although it was still faint, it had gained a sense of resilience and antiquity.

(End of this chapter)