Chapter 83: Capturing the Fallen Heart Flame
The scorching heat waves continually spiraled upward as Xiao Tian's figure rapidly descended. At this moment, a jade-green flame enveloped his body, shielding him from the extreme heat of the environment.
Below him was a world of crimson magma, constantly emitting a suffocating heat.
"Blub! Blub!"
Large bubbles continuously emerged, and as they burst, they released scalding gases mixed with white poisonous smoke. If someone with low cultivation inhaled too much of this smoke, they would immediately suffer from fire poison.
Xiao Tian maneuvered through this space, often approaching the magma. He was deliberately baiting the Fallen Heart Flame, knowing that this intelligent entity wouldn't pass up such an enticing "meal" that kept appearing.
"Boom!"
As Xiao Tian once again neared the magma, a column of magma suddenly erupted. A massive head emerged from the column, opening its jaws wide to swallow Xiao Tian.
Xiao Tian, having kept his soul sense active, sensed the Fallen Heart Flame's approach. He immediately flew upwards, causing the creature to miss its target.
"Hiss!"
The magma fell back, revealing the Fallen Heart Flame. It was a gigantic fire serpent, several meters long, nearly transparent, and shrouded in invisible flames.
The moment it appeared, Xiao Tian felt a deep sense of malice and greed emanating from the creature. He realized that it saw him as prey.
However, Xiao Tian knew that the true hunter often disguised themselves as prey.
"Today, let's see who the real prey is!"
Xiao Tian smiled and said to Yao Lao, "Master, lend me your strength!"
Upon saying this, an immense power surged into Xiao Tian's body.
"Spatial Cage!"
Xiao Tian extended his hands and suddenly brought them together. In an instant, the surrounding space began to distort strangely.
"Roar!"
Sensing danger, the fire serpent opened its mouth wide, emitting a sharp, piercing cry. This sound carried immense power; if a Dou Ling were present, they would be torn apart by the force.
"Boom! Boom!"
As the fire serpent roared, the previously calm magma erupted violently, with magma and flames spraying everywhere. The fire serpent lashed its tail wildly, trying to break free from the spatial cage. However, its attacks, powerful enough to severely injure a Dou Huang, only caused minor ripples on the cage's surface.
"Spatial Compression!"
As Xiao Tian's right hand continued to close, the spatial barrier compressed inward. Under this pressure, the fire serpent could not move at all.
"Roar!"
It roared in fury, its body transforming into countless flames attempting to escape. But ultimately, they were all blocked by the spatial power.
After a short while, the flames reassembled into the fire serpent.
Xiao Tian's eyes gleamed with emerald flames. Through the power of his different fire, he saw a distinct scale beneath the serpent's head, different from the others.
Having read the original work, Xiao Tian knew this scale was the core of the Fallen Heart Flame.
With all his strength, Xiao Tian punched towards the scale.
"Boom!"
Upon impact, the fire serpent let out a shrill scream before its body exploded. The core scale transformed into a half-meter-tall mass of strange fire. The flame appeared intangible but felt solid to Xiao Tian, with a liquid-like substance flowing within.
Apart from this, Xiao Tian sensed a lively intelligence within the flame, as if it were a sentient being.
Even though the nineteenth-ranked Green Lotus Core Flame had some intelligence, the fourteenth-ranked Fallen Heart Flame possessing high intelligence wasn't surprising.
Xiao Tian swallowed the Earth Spirit Pill, then flashed into the spatial cage.
The fire serpent had been broken apart, and the Fallen Heart Flame was now in a weakened state—perfect timing for Xiao Tian to start refining it.
Thanks to the Earth Spirit Pill, Xiao Tian could approach the flame. He reached into the flames and pulled out a palm-sized fiery snake. The snake was milky white, struggling fiercely with eyes full of vitality.
If the outer flames were the core of the Fallen Heart Flame, then this snake was the core's essence.
"Whoosh!"
As soon as Xiao Tian grabbed the snake, heart fires began to appear all over his body. These flames were much hotter and more bizarre than the heart fires he encountered when he first entered the Sky Burning Qi Refining Tower, covering his entire body.
The heart fires emitted intense heat, burning Xiao Tian's body. Fortunately, the Earth Spirit Pill significantly suppressed the flames, and Xiao Tian's robust physique further mitigated the damage.
"Boom!"
Enduring the pain, Xiao Tian enveloped the fiery snake in his jade-green flames. Green threads extended from the flames, penetrating the snake's body.
Because the snake's intelligence was high, Xiao Tian needed to use his fusion flames to erase its consciousness.
Realizing the danger, the fiery snake struggled violently. But in its weakened state, it was no match for Xiao Tian. It was like a fish on a chopping board, at Xiao Tian's mercy.
As time passed, the snake's resistance weakened. Eventually, it transformed into a milky-white liquid, ceasing all movement.
Xiao Tian carefully inspected it and found that the consciousness of the Fallen Heart Flame had been completely erased. Now, it was like a newborn, devoid of any aggression.
"Finally, I can begin."
With this thought, Xiao Tian opened his mouth wide and swallowed the essence of the Fallen Heart Flame. He then started circulating his energy according to the "Burning Flame Art."
Even without its consciousness, the Fallen Heart Flame instinctively resisted, but without guidance, its resistance was futile.
(End of Chapter)