Breaking the Masked Man

Right now, Yao Yan is more concerned about the Sea Heart Flame and the Fallen Heart Flame in front of him. As for the Bone Spirit Cold Flame in Yao Lao's body, he is not in a hurry to withdraw it, because these two strange flames are enough for him to digest for a long time. Now his strength is not far from Dou Huang, but he still needs a long time to hone his skills before he can truly take that step.

After all, his strength has increased too quickly in the past few months. He can still control it now, but it's hard to say what will happen in the future, especially when he enters the Dou Huang level. His Dou Qi will increase even more rapidly, and he is not sure if he can still control it perfectly. In particular, his body is different from ordinary people, and his Dou Qi foundation is much stronger than that of ordinary people.

However, he will completely resolve these hidden dangers during the process of refining the strange fire, thoroughly solidifying the somewhat shaky foundation and preparing for breaking through to the Dou Zong realm in the future.

……

In Black Seal City, in a hidden chamber.

Yao Yan sat cross-legged on a futon, with two ice crystal-like trays in front of him. Inside the trays were the two strange flames, the Sea Heart Flame and the Fallen Heart Flame. They were different colors and emitted a faint halo. Under the restraint of the ice crystals formed by the Ice Spirit Cold Spring, their auras were extremely low, as if they had fallen into a deep sleep.

The gently swaying flames possessed an indescribable beauty, without revealing any heat.

However, if someone were to reach out and touch it, they might understand why this strange fire is called the emperor of fire. Its ferocity and destructiveness are unmatched by ordinary flames. Once it is fully unleashed, it is enough to burn everything within a radius of several miles.

"Logically speaking, the lower the ranking of a strange fire, the weaker its power. The Sea Heart Flame ranks after the Fallen Heart Flame, and within a certain level, its power is undoubtedly much weaker than the Fallen Heart Flame. Moreover, this Sea Heart Flame should have only recently been born, far from being comparable to the Fallen Heart Flame... However, with my assistance, your success rate in refining the Fallen Heart Flame is actually higher. After all, it followed me for hundreds of years!"

The figure of Venerable Tianhuo appeared behind Yao Yan at some point. He stroked his white beard, his eyes showing a hint of reminiscence, and let out a soft sigh.

There was a pause.

He then looked at Yao Yan, his tone becoming more serious: "However, all of this is based on the premise that the cultivation method you mentioned is feasible. If the Burning Technique you mentioned cannot accommodate two different flames at the same time, then your physical body will most likely be burned to the point of being riddled with holes in an instant. Even when I was a five-star Dou Zun, I could not withstand the explosion of two different flames within my body, which shows its power. If you fail later, I can only guarantee that your life will be safe at most. As for the rest, it will depend on your own luck."

Venerable Tianhuo was not exaggerating when he said this; he was simply warning Yao Yan that such a technique, which could evolve by devouring different flames, was unheard of even in his time. Even if someone wanted to harm others, they wouldn't create such an outrageous lie.

Who would be so foolish as to try this kind of technique? They must really be tired of living.

Unfortunately, Yao Yan began cultivating and even successfully devoured the Azure Lotus Earth Core Flame.

However, in the eyes of Venerable Tianhuo, this success was full of chance. Devouring one strange fire and devouring two strange fires are two completely different things. The difficulty increases exponentially. If he is not careful, Yao Yan will be crippled even if he does not die. With Yao Yan's talent, it is a waste to cultivate this kind of technique.

It looks just like a natural jade, and you still have to carve and polish it, the risks of which are self-evident.

Cai Lin stood to one side, pursed her red lips, and a hint of worry flashed in her cold and beautiful eyes. However, she did not say anything, because she knew how arrogant the man in front of her was. Once he made up his mind, he would not listen to anyone's advice, especially such a major decision that concerned himself.

"If I don't cultivate this technique, won't your resurrection be a long way off?" Yao Yan chuckled and teased.

"It's just a matter of waiting a little longer. With your talent, if you grow normally, your future achievements will definitely surpass those of that Medicine Venerable. At that time, I believe you will have a way to perfectly revive me. So, I'm not in a hurry. I've waited for so many years, what's a few more decades? Actually, I would like to advise you to give up, but you probably won't listen."

Venerable Tianhuo smiled and shook his head, saying with a hint of helplessness.

Generally, exceptionally talented prodigies are full of self-confidence, even arrogance. They believe they can do what others cannot. However, it is precisely because of this that they can achieve far greater success than ordinary people. Those who die halfway through their lives never have the chance to be called prodigies.

Ultimately, the path to genius is a process of constant selection; it's all about who can make it to the end.

“I have already cultivated to the Nine-Star Dou Wang level. If I were to switch cultivation methods now, wouldn’t all the hardships I’ve endured over the years be in vain? Besides, I have already gathered several different kinds of strange fire. If it were you, would you choose to give it up?” Yao Yan retorted calmly.

"Hehe, definitely not~"

Venerable Tianhuo chuckled and replied that he himself was also an adventurous fellow. Otherwise, he would not have done the foolish thing of accommodating two Fallen Heart Flames back then. However, he did not have the means to do so back then, and relied solely on his own strength and his superb fire manipulation technique.

I thought the origins of the two fallen heart flames could be compatible... but it was just wishful thinking.

"I'll have to trouble you to keep an eye on things for me. If anything unexpected happens, please help me suppress it." Yao Yan chuckled, then looked at the Fallen Heart Flame. Compared to the Sea Heart Flame, he was clearly more interested in the Fallen Heart Flame. Whether in terms of ranking or energy level, the Fallen Heart Flame was far superior to the Sea Heart Flame.

However, with Venerable Heavenly Fire assisting on the side, the refining process should be very easy. The only thing to worry about is how to use the Burning Technique to devour it later.

"Don't worry, I'm keeping an eye on things!" Venerable Heavenly Fire replied in a deep voice.

Yao Yan nodded, took a slight breath, and looked at the Fallen Heart Flame. At this moment, the Fallen Heart Flame had returned to its original form, resembling a miniature snake, curled up in a ball, its entire body amber in color, like a beautiful jade. However, the aura it emitted was extremely scorching, and even a slight touch of soul power caused an extremely obvious stinging sensation.

It's like a person's flesh touching a branding iron; the stinging pain is almost unbearable.

"Let's begin..." Yao Yan murmured to himself, reaching out to grab the Fallen Heart Flame's true form. Then, under the watchful eyes of Venerable Heavenly Fire and Cai Lin, he stuffed it into his mouth and swallowed it whole. Instantly, a scalding, magma-like substance surged into his abdomen, and the next moment, an extremely violent energy spread throughout his body.

"Humph!"

Yao Yan grunted, and then a powerful battle aura surged from his body, suppressing the Fallen Heart Flame. At this moment, the Fallen Heart Flame had completely broken free of its 'seal' and awakened from its slumber. It immediately revealed its sharp fangs and began to rampage through his body. Its primordial heart fire recklessly poured outwards, scorching his flesh.

Yao Yan remained unmoved. He was already used to the pain from the tempering of the strange fire, but he could not let the Fallen Heart Flame run rampant in his body. He calmly took out the Ice Heart Pill from his storage ring and swallowed it. Instantly, a cold current surged through his body, and the violent Fallen Heart Flame was suppressed.

At the same time, the raging inner fire within his body seemed to have met its nemesis, and was completely extinguished under the circulation of the Ice Heart Pill's medicinal power.

However, the Fallen Heart Flame was clearly unwilling to be refined by Yao Yan in this way, and began to escape within his body. However, the route it escaped was exactly the route that Yao Yan had deliberately arranged, which was exactly the same as the operating route of the Burning Technique. In just one cycle, a portion of the Fallen Heart Flame's original power was absorbed by Yao Yan, which also caused his battle qi to be tainted with some of the Fallen Heart Flame's aura. He could even feel the change in the Azure Lotus Earth Core Flame, whose color seemed to have become a bit deeper.

“It works as expected…” Yao Yan was extremely calm at this moment. He deliberately preserved the intelligence of the Fallen Heart Flame in order to verify whether the Burning Technique could accommodate two different flames at the same time. The obvious change in his battle qi was enough to verify the special nature of the Burning Technique. It could perfectly accommodate any flame.

Even different kinds of fire are the same.

This is no longer compatibility, but a kind of devouring, turning everything of the strange fire into its own source power.

"Jiji!"

Compared to Yao Yan, the Fallen Heart Flame also felt a deadly threat at this moment. If it had been refined before, it would have only resisted at most. But now, the experience of having its body devoured made it feel as if it was shrouded in death. This feeling made it instinctively go crazy and start to resist.

"Is it a little too late to realize this now?"

Yao Yan chuckled lightly, looking at the Fallen Heart Flame surrounded by the medicinal power of the Ice Heart Pill. The Azure Lotus Earth Core Flame within his body moved with his will, surging out instantly and forcing the Fallen Heart Flame to continue swimming along its predetermined route. As for other places, they were all blocked by his battle qi and the Azure Lotus Earth Core Flame, leaving it no other choice.

Even the soul power transformed into chains, directly entering the body of the Fallen Heart Flame and beginning to erase its intelligence.

"Chirp~" Fallen Heartflame let out a pleading cry, as if it wanted to give in.

Unfortunately, Yao Yan had no interest in it. He only valued one different kind of spirit fire, and he had no interest in contacting the others. As his soul power surged in, the Fallen Heart Flame began to resist fiercely. Unfortunately, the Heavenly Fire Venerable outside had already taught Yao Yan the method to tame the Fallen Heart Flame.

As the first master of the Fallen Heart Flame, Venerable Heavenly Fire naturally knew how to refine the Fallen Heart Flame, and even taught Yao Yan some of the hidden techniques involved.

Venerable Tianhuo valued Yao Yan highly and naturally did not want anything to happen to him.

As the consciousness of the Fallen Heart Flame was erased, its original snake-like body also changed, transforming into a ball of milky white flame that gently surged within its crystal-clear and spacious meridians. Gone was its previous frenzy; it was as docile as a little lamb, as if Yao Yan could make it into whatever form he desired.

However, this docility lasted only a moment. Upon contact with the Azure Lotus Earth Core Flame, the two strange flames became violent again, seemingly instinctively wanting to devour each other. This stemmed from the instinct of the strange flames to gain greater power by devouring each other.

“Refining the Fallen Heart Flame is simple, but how to completely devour it is the troublesome thing…” Yao Yan thought to himself. After hesitating for a moment, he began to manipulate the two flames to fuse together. Unlike the previous tricky refining, this behavior was more direct and brutal, because only in this way could the origin of the Fallen Heart Flame and the origin of the Azure Lotus Earth Core Flame be completely compatible.

Enveloped by the 'Burning Technique' battle aura, the fusion of the two different flames still produced a series of banging sounds, as if they were about to explode at any moment. However, the 'Burning Technique' battle aura possessed a unique power that could slow down the repulsion between the two different flames. Moreover, as the cycle of circulation increased, the repulsive reaction between the two also decreased, and they gradually merged together, each containing the other.

However, this fusion process is extremely slow and obviously cannot be completed in a short period of time.

It was unclear how long this continued, but when the first wisp of emerald green flame appeared from the fusion of the two, Yao Yan's spirit suddenly jolted. He knew he had succeeded; the two strange flames were now truly fused together, and this power would continuously change the nature of his battle qi and his physical talents.

Just as the old doctor said, the benefits of tempering the body with the power of different flames are never instantaneous. They will subtly change your body and enhance your talents in all aspects.

However, the appearance of this emerald green flame is just the beginning. Yao Yan needs to transform all the flames in his body into this kind of flame, which will still take time.

……

Looking at Yao Yan, who had completely fallen into calm, Venerable Tianhuo couldn't help but show a hint of astonishment. He could clearly feel the conflict between the two strange flames in Yao Yan's body. At the most dangerous moment, a destructive aura emanated from him. He was ready to rescue her, but this violent aura subsided in a very short time.

"Because of that cultivation technique?" Venerable Tianhuo's eyes flickered slightly as he muttered to himself. This was the first time he had ever seen a cultivation technique that could fuse with a different kind of fire.

"Did you make it?"

At that moment, a weary voice came from the side. It was as if Yao Lao had appeared in the secret room at some point, his eyes lowered as he looked at Yao Yan, who was cultivating.

"It should be a success."

The Heavenly Fire Venerable did not inquire about Han Feng's fate, but nodded slightly and responded.

The old apothecary frowned, his tone slightly somber: "The most difficult step is yet to come..." (End of Chapter)

Chapter 173 I'm not that kind of person.

173.

The hardest step?

Upon hearing Yao Lao's words, Cai Lin couldn't help but ask, "What do you mean by the most difficult step? Wasn't his process of refining the strange fire quite smooth?"

Yao Yan's aura was constantly increasing, yet she showed no signs of difficulty. The Fallen Heart Flame that she had swallowed was being suppressed and unable to move, allowing her to refine it at will. She really couldn't see any difficulty in it.

"...Ordinary people can only accommodate one type of strange fire at most. He has taken advantage of his cultivation technique to accommodate two types of strange fire at the same time, which may indeed cause some side effects."

Venerable Tianhuo pondered for a moment, then suddenly seemed to have thought of something. A strange look flashed in his eyes, and he muttered something under his breath. At the same time, he glanced at the serious-looking Elder Yao. The two old men's eyes met, and then they coughed at each other. Clearly, they had guessed the same thing.

As an alchemist with the Bone Spirit Cold Flame, Yao Lao naturally understood the special nature of strange flames. If the human body wanted to perfectly integrate with it, it would inevitably be affected by it. In particular, the Fallen Heart Flame, a strange flame that greatly affects the mind, would bring even more evil fire than the Azure Lotus Earth Core Flame. Especially for a young man like Yao Yan, who was full of vigor and blood, the slightest stimulation would cause his yang energy to surge.

If left unchecked, it could very likely lead to one going astray and becoming possessed by evil spirits.

As for how to address this...

The old apothecary looked slightly embarrassed. He didn't say it directly, but glanced at Cai Lin. With his many years of experience, how could he not see that this Medusa Queen had some feelings for Yao Yan? Otherwise, she wouldn't be so concerned about this kid. However, perhaps because of her sister Cai Die, she had been restraining her feelings and deliberately keeping her distance from Yao Yan.

However, this barrier eventually needs to be broken.

As an old man with experience, he naturally didn't want to see Cai Lin regret it in the future. This time was an opportunity, and if he seized it well... it would be a good thing for that brat Yao Yan.

What exactly are you talking about?

Cai Lin's eyes showed even more doubt as she looked at the two old rascals in front of her and asked with a frown.

Venerable Tianhuo coughed and gave Yao Lao a look, asking him to explain.

Old Yao was clearly no decent person either. Looking at the clueless Queen Medusa, he used his thick-skinned skills, his expression slightly hardening, and said in a deep voice, "He can't stand being disturbed during his seclusion. Moreover, during the refining process, the Yang Fire Qi in his body will continue to surge, and he can't withstand stimulation. I have the Bone Spirit Cold Fire in my body, so it's not suitable for me to protect him. And since he was the former master of the Fallen Heart Flame, he is also prone to some changes. Therefore, I will have to trouble you for the next period of time."

He spoke very seriously, and his reasoned arguments were so compelling that even Venerable Tianhuo couldn't help but glance at him, as if he were getting to know this old fellow all over again.

"I see."

Cai Lin nodded, not finding the matter particularly difficult. She also wanted to use this time to familiarize herself with the aura of the strange fire, preparing for her future evolution. Furthermore, she could gain a lot of experience by observing Yao Yan.

The old man and Venerable Tianhuo exchanged a glance, then looked away somewhat guiltily before heading out of the secret chamber. Before leaving, they made sure to seal the door shut. As for what would happen next, they had a general idea. At their level, they could easily deduce many things.

"Wouldn't it be a bit unethical for us to do this..." Venerable Tianhuo hesitated for a moment before asking Elder Yao.

"Queen Medusa is also deeply in love with this young man, but she doesn't realize it. If we don't help her, she probably won't ever confess her feelings. I am also an elder to this young man, and I don't want to see him miss out on a good marriage. I'll help him if I can."