Cultivation begins in Qingfeng Market.

Lin Zhao has arrived at the former site of the Heavenly Fire Dynasty—now the Heavenly Fire Secret Realm.

That catastrophe occurred when dozens of volcanoes erupted simultaneously, turning an area of ​​thousands of miles into a sea of ​​fire.

Decades have passed, and although the surrounding environment has improved somewhat, with some sparse shrubs and wild grasses growing, the core area is still devastated.

Thick, scorching smoke and steam billowed from the depths of the rift, and the air was filled with scorching fire-attribute spiritual energy. The spiritual energy here was extremely violent, making it impossible for ordinary cultivators to survive.

The edges of the rift were crawling with monsters that had surged up from the ground—fire lizards, lava scorpions, and fire bats. They built nests between the cracks and turned this ruin into a paradise.

This place has become a secret realm, where many cultivators search for treasures. Occasionally, they can even find relics of cultivators buried under volcanic ash when the Heavenly Fire Dynasty was destroyed.

But the most central area—the location of that giant crater spanning hundreds of miles—remains the most dangerous place.

That was the battlefield where the Jade Yang Fire Fiend Dharma Body was besieged and killed back then. The spiritual power of the Nascent Soul level has not dissipated to this day, and even ordinary Core Formation cultivators dare not venture deep into it.

Lin Zhao is no ordinary Core Formation cultivator. Even if his Jade Yang Fire Fiend Body were to reappear, the outcome would only be known after a fight.

He flew into the giant pit, over the cooled rock layers, and followed a crevice down into the rock.

It was getting hotter and hotter, and the air seemed to have turned into a viscous gel, making each breath feel like swallowing fire.

After plunging ten thousand feet underground, Lin Zhao landed on a solitary, high cliff.

Before them lay a vast, empty cavern, its walls composed of dark red rock layers formed from cooled magma.

This is the place where the Jade Yang Fire Fiend Dharma Body was forged back then.

The bottom of the cave was once a raging sea of ​​lava, but now the lava has shrunk to less than one-tenth of its original size, leaving only a dark red lava lake at the bottom of the cave.

Lin Zhao sat cross-legged on the rock.

He flipped his hand and took out the Fire Spirit Shield. The shield was dark red, and at its core was a crimson-gold spirit pattern. He poured his magic power into it, and countless flames shot up from the shield, illuminating the entire void as if it were daytime.

The flames surged, condensed, and grew, eventually transforming into a colossal entity.

Its upper body is humanoid, with blurred features but a majestic outline, broad shoulders, and thick arms. Its lower body is a surging, ceaseless flame, like a huge fire storm.

Supernatural power: Fire Spirit Flame God.

The Fire Spirit Flame God spread its arms behind Lin Zhao and roared with its head raised.

A terrifying suction force erupted from its body, frantically drawing all the fire-attribute spiritual energy in the underground space toward this side.

It seemed to be breathing; with each breath, the entire sea of ​​fire surged and undulated.

Endless fire-attribute spiritual power surged wildly from all directions, transforming into streaks of red spiritual light, which were then swallowed up by the Fire Spirit God.

But that's not enough; the fire below is much smaller than before.

Lin Zhao then took out the Heavenly Treasure Jade Talisman.

The jade talisman spun in his palm, and its shape began to change, transforming into a white jade-colored Dharma wheel.

The wheel slowly rotates, composed of countless extremely fine runes, each of which constantly changes as it rotates.

A white, jade-colored aura flowed across the surface of the wheel, emitting a very faint hum with each turn.

The third-tier top-grade auxiliary magic weapon, the Heavenly Treasure Spirit Wheel.

The Heavenly Treasure Spirit Wheel ascended into the sky and flew to the highest point of the hollow dome.

It is like a white jade sun, scattering countless rays of light, each one a tiny rune.

These runes fell into the ground, echoing each other and forming a massive rune array covering hundreds of miles, with the Heavenly Treasure Spirit Wheel at its core.

The array enveloped the entire underground cavity, and the array patterns extended to every corner of the cavity, even penetrating deeper into the rock layers.

The Heavenly Treasure Jade Sun Formation.

Lin Zhao simply chose a name.

Once the formation was complete, the rock walls began to tremble, and scorching spiritual energy surged from the cracks, while magma was forcibly drawn up from deeper underground.

Following the flow and convergence of the array, the magma was re-injected into the lava lake below, and the lake began to expand at a visible speed. The dark red flames once again illuminated the entire underground cavity.

Lin Zhao intends to use the spiritual energy of the entire underground sea of ​​fire as raw material to transform the Fire Spirit Flame God into a physical entity. At that time, the Fire Spirit Yuan Shield will naturally advance to a fourth-tier magic weapon.

This method is exactly the same as when True Lord Taixu forged the Jade Yang Fire Fiend Dharma Body—he did it to forge the Dharma Body, while Lin Zhao did it to advance his magic weapon and comprehend the rules of fire.

The difference is that back then, the Jade Yang Fire Fiend Dharma Body was interfered with by humans, causing the spiritual power of the sea of ​​fire to go out of control. Dozens of volcanoes erupted at the same time, the Heavenly Fire Dynasty was razed to the ground, and tens of millions of mortals died in that catastrophe.

Lin Zhao learned from this lesson. He set up an array of restrictions with the Heavenly Treasure Spirit Wheel as the core, firmly controlling this massive spiritual power, which was enough to destroy a dynasty, within the array.

The Heavenly Treasure Jade Yang Formation is not only responsible for extracting spiritual energy from the earth, but also has the ability to suppress and regulate spiritual energy—where the spiritual energy is extracted from, where it is sent, how long it takes, everything is under the control of the Heavenly Treasure Spiritual Wheel.

But that's not enough to guarantee safety.

If outsiders come, the Heavenly Treasure Jade Yang Formation, although it has certain offensive and defensive capabilities, is ultimately an auxiliary formation, not specifically designed for combat.

The spiritual light of the Crimson Feather Golden Phoenix Robe shone on Lin Zhao's robe.

A phoenix phantom emerged from the robe, emitting a clear cry. The golden phoenix flew out of the robe, its entire body a deep crimson gold, each feather a finely crafted metal structure.

Red feather golden phoenix.

It is essentially formed by the fusion of the Heavenly Dawn Golden Wheel and the Golden Phoenix Bow's immortal attributes, and has an invisible soul connection with Lin Zhao, essentially serving as another spiritual body.

It can also absorb external spiritual energy to exist for a long time, and even act independently a hundred or even a thousand miles away from Lin Zhao.

When acting autonomously, his combat power is comparable to the late stage of Core Formation. If Lin Zhao actively controls his soul, his combat power will rival that of the peak of Core Formation.

With a flap of its wings, the golden phoenix burst out of the void and flew into the rock strata of the underground world.

It will patrol the surrounding area for thousands of miles, eliminating all obstacles.

Neither cultivators nor demonic beasts, whether they infiltrate from the surface or burrow from underground, can get close to this area.

If anyone trespasses, they will be discovered immediately and expelled, or even killed, to prevent such an incident from happening again.

Everything is ready.

Lin Zhao closed his eyes and sat cross-legged on the high rock.

The Hundred-Foot Fire Spirit Flame God hovered behind him, its face formed by flames flickering in the firelight.

Above their heads, the Heavenly Treasure Spirit Wheel hung high, casting down a white jade-colored radiance. The Heavenly Treasure Jade Yang Formation slowly began to operate, and the sea of ​​fire continued to rise, with dark red magma spreading upwards.

Outside the massive void, the Crimson-feathered Golden Phoenix silently patrolled the rock strata, its golden form occasionally flashing across the stone walls, leaving behind a fleeting golden light.

This method and this lineup are no less impressive than the Jade Yang Fire Fiend Dharma Body of yesteryear.

Decades ago, when the Heavenly Fire Dynasty was destroyed, Lin Zhao was just a Foundation Establishment cultivator who could only watch the battle from afar. In just a few decades, he has reached this level.

Using the entire underground sea of ​​fire as a furnace and the spiritual energy of heaven and earth as a hammer, a fourth-tier magic weapon is forged and upgraded.

Lin Zhao expelled the last wisp of distracting thought from his mind, raised his hand and cast a spell. The Fire Spirit God behind him suddenly expanded, and the firelight in the entire underground cavity shone brightly at that moment.

The image of Lin Zhao sitting cross-legged was projected onto the opposite rock wall, transforming into a huge black shadow.

It felt like another cycle of reincarnation.