The old man proceeded down the path until he reached the eighth floor.
"Grand Elder? Why are you here today?" Elder Wang, who was stationed there, was startled by the figure emerging from the passage.
"Just happened to have some free time," the old man said, glancing at him. "Where is the student who's practicing the Flame Soul Separation Technique?"
"Grand Elder, he might not be available right now," Elder Wang replied, casting a glance towards a certain cultivation room. "I thought you were coming in a couple of days. I just arranged a strand of Fallen Heart Flame for him. Lin Xiu should be in cultivation now."
"I see... That's fine. I'll go check the situation with the Fallen Heart Flame below," the old man said calmly.
Nearby in a cultivation room, flames surged as Lin Xiu sat on a black stone platform, manipulating the Green Demon Flame.
A continuous stream of heat waves flowed out from a passage below.
A little Ox formed from flames stood on all fours inside the room, greedily swallowing the billowing heat waves.
In just a moment, the little Ox's body began to expand, from the size of a fist to a meter in diameter.
"Hmm?" Lin Xiu's brows furrowed as he witnessed this scene. "Something's not right. Why is the Fire Spirit expanding so quickly?!"
Normally, it would take at least half a day for the Fire Spirit to reach this level.
Suddenly!
To Lin Xiu's left, flames surged, revealing a transparent silhouette inside, resembling a python.
It charged straight towards Lin Xiu.
Bang!
Caught off guard, Lin Xiu was sent flying, lifted off the stone platform.
In midair, a pair of wings sprang forth from Lin Xiu's back.
Dou Qi Wings!
At this moment, Lin Xiu abandoned any thoughts of concealing his strength. After swiftly steadying himself, he glanced around the entire room with a slightly narrowed gaze.
"This is the Blazing Sky Qi Refining Tower. The only thing that could ambush me here is... the Fallen Heart Flame!"
His vision was dominated by a deep red flame energy, and for a moment, Lin Xiu couldn't locate the source of the ambush.
How could it escape while still sealed? Moreover, with its energy, the tower's elders couldn't possibly have remained unaware!
It must be a fragment!
At that moment, Lin Xiu felt pressure behind him. With a flash of lightning beneath his feet, he appeared in another location.
Where he had been standing, there was a dark figure that quickly dissipated after being pierced by an invisible flame.
"It truly is the Fallen Heart Flame!"
Seeing his own silhouette destroyed, Lin Xiu's emotions calmed instead.
Within the flames, there was an entity without a specific form, but its outline was visible to the naked eye.
It coiled within the flames like a snake.
Though the entity had no eyes, Lin Xiu felt as though it were fixated on him.
Underneath his clothes, his skin erupted in goosebumps, and his hairs stood on end.
"You sensed my threat, so you wanted to eliminate me ahead of time? Unfortunately, if you were the main body, perhaps there would still be a chance."
Lin Xiu muttered softly.
The blue Dou Qi wings on his back underwent a rapid transformation, changing from blue to snow-white in an instant, emitting a chill.
Facing the invisible flames charging at him once again, Lin Xiu spread his hands forward.
Countless icy particles surged forth from his palms.
The temperature in the cultivation room plummeted rapidly.
"Hiss..."
The invisible flames seemed angered, opening its mouth in a silent roar.
The cultivation room suddenly shook, and from the channel spewing flames, a substantial red light burst forth.
Under this surge of energy, the invisible flames became clear.
The cold air emitted by Lin Xiu was directly evaporated, and then the entire invisible flames encircled him.
The invisible flames, resembling a python, completely enveloped Lin Xiu.
Hiss!
The ice armor on the surface of his body emitted a rapid melting sound.
Lin Xiu's exposed facial and hand skin instantly turned deep red.
Inside his body, a flame kept wandering.
Wherever it passed, there was a burning sensation in the flesh and blood vessels.
Fallen Heart Flame, manifesting through the heart!
Ordinary people would have panicked if they encountered such a powerful heart fire invading their bodies.
Even the stationed elders wouldn't allow the heart fire to roam freely within their bodies.
However, Lin Xiu remained unfazed.
Within his body, Dou Qi surged, and dots of light appeared in his flesh and blood vessels, flickering incessantly like stars in the night sky.
At the same time,
An invisible energy emerged, like an unseen giant hand, directly seizing the wandering heart fire.
"Squeak..."
The invisible flames entwining Lin Xiu trembled violently, their temperature rising once again, and their shrinkage speed increased.
Feeling the force from the other side, a hint of disdain curved Lin Xiu's lips. "Is this all the strength you have?"
Vast amounts of starlight surged out from within Lin Xiu's body. The invisible flames' body expanded and elongated as Lin Xiu lifted his arms.
"Hah!"
At a certain moment, the invisible flames were directly split into several segments by Lin Xiu.
Freed from restraint, Lin Xiu calmly watched the reassembling of the invisible flames nearby, curling his finger.
It surged up and down, rushing towards Lin Xiu once more.
"Dragon Soars Four Oceans Break!"
His right fist clenched, blue and green Dou Qi intertwined, covering Lin Xiu's arm.
With a punch, a ferocious dragon emerged.
The surrounding air was subjected to immense pressure, instantly turning into a vacuum.
The invisible flames collided and, lasting less than a second, dispersed once again into wisps.
This time, it took longer for them to reassemble.
"In two months, I'll be your master. Now, widen your eyes and remember my appearance!" Lin Xiu sneered.
A mere Heavenly Flame dared to ambush me?! If the time were right, I would have taken you long ago!
The invisible flames stopped several meters away, seeming to contemplate and weigh their options.
After several exchanges, it seemed to realize that with just this strand of flame, it couldn't do much against Lin Xiu.
However, it was definitely not going to give up!
Its gaze fell upon the Green Fire little Ox.
"With me here, I won't give you the chance to destroy it."
Lin Xiu's mind was clear, and he easily guessed its intentions.
The Fallen Heart Flame seemed to have an impression of someone attempting to weaken its existence.
When it spotted the Green Fire little Ox, it realized the threat.
Thus, without warning, the fire attribute energy in the cultivation room began to intensify.
The ground beneath his feet trembled incessantly.
Lin Xiu glanced at the invisible flames, and suddenly a somewhat frightening thought flashed through his mind.
It wouldn't decide to use its main body's power, would it?
In the original novel, the Fallen Heart Flame at this stage had already accumulated enough energy.
If it wanted to break through the seal, it definitely had the opportunity!
Moreover, there was another very bad news: currently in the eighth floor of the Blazing Sky Qi Refining Tower, it was very close to the main body of the Fallen Heart Flame below.
From breaking the seal to reaching him, it wouldn't take much time at all.
The trembling underfoot grew more intense, and the temperature rose higher and higher. The walls of the cultivation room even turned dark red.
"Damn it! Fallen Heart Flame, are you for real?"
Lin Xiu realized something was wrong. He swiftly retracted the Fire Spirit, not even caring about the Purple Fire Crystal Card, and dashed towards the door.
At the same time,
Just as he descended to the tenth floor, Grand Elder Su Qian also noticed the abnormal deep red color at the central opening.
Almost instantaneously, Su Qian appeared at the edge of this tens of meters wide opening as if teleporting.
Underneath a pale energy shield, lava surged incessantly, resembling boiling water.
Numerous invisible flames roamed inside.
Suddenly!
Boom!
A tremendously thick invisible fire python rushed towards the energy shield, and spider-web-like cracks appeared.
One after another, figures appeared around the opening.
The expressionless face of Su Qian suddenly turned grim.
"All elders, rush to the tower! All students, evacuate the Blazing Sky Qi Refining Tower a hundred meters away!"
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