Could it be...?
Lin Ming carefully guided another strand of lava fire into his heart. To his astonishment, just like before, the Heretical God Seed devoured it instantly!
Now he began to grasp the underlying principle. The Heretical God Seed's primary function was to gather and compress true essence energy.
Lava fire, being a form of energy itself, was naturally absorbed by the seed.
Using his soul force to probe carefully, Lin Ming discovered that after consuming the two strands of lava fire, the Heretical God Seed had begun to breathe. The breathing was incredibly faint, almost imperceptible, but through it, Lin Ming sensed that the seed had grown ever so slightly!
This discovery filled him with excitement.
He never expected to stumble upon a method to cultivate the Heretical God Seed. Yet he couldn't help but wonder – if this growth continued, what changes would occur?
The question left him somewhat uneasy.
According to the memories of the mighty elder, he had discovered the 'Heretical God Force' manual within an ancient ruin in the Realm of the Gods. There was a strong possibility that this secret technique was the final legacy of an evil god.
When the mighty elder had found the 'Heretical God Force', it had already been sealed away for tens of thousands of years. After obtaining this mystical technique, he had guarded it with utmost secrecy, never revealing even a hint of its existence. Throughout the entire Realm of the Gods, the 'Heretical God Force' was unique – only that mighty elder knew of it.
That was why the mighty elder had considered the 'Heretical God Force' to be the most precious among all mystical techniques in the Realm of the Gods. Even the legendary 'Golden Roc Shattering the Void' paled in comparison!
However, the mighty elder had only managed to cultivate the technique to the third layer before following Tian Mingzi to the Verdant Feather Sacred Lands in an attempt to steal the Divine Crystal Magic Cube. Not only did he fail to obtain the cube, but he lost his life in the process. His soul was shattered and the fragments were sealed within the Magic Cube.
From his discovery of the 'Heretical God Force' to his death, only a dozen years had passed.
During that time, the mighty elder had treated the 'Heretical God Force' as merely a supplementary technique. He had never uncovered the profound mysteries of the Heretical God Seed. The seed's ability to consume lava fire was something he had neither discovered nor imagined.
Without this stroke of luck, even Lin Ming would never have conceived of such a mysterious function.
The Heretical God Seed continued to devour the lava fire. Lin Ming began by introducing small amounts into his heart, gradually increasing to massive quantities. The seed accepted everything, welcoming the burning flames without resistance.
Though the lava fire was fierce and tyrannical, the Heretical God Seed proved even more dominant. No matter how the lava fire struggled, it could not escape the true essence bonds of the seed.
For five to six hours, the Heretical God Seed merged with the lava fire. Lin Ming lost track of how much had been consumed, but he sensed that the surrounding magma temperature had dropped.
As the seed devoured the lava fire, it grew steadily. Initially the size of a grain of rice, it had now expanded to the size of a mung bean.
Gradually, a deep crimson flame began to circle the Heretical God Seed. Bathed in these flames, the seed took on a ruby-red glow.
A tiny spark emerged from the seed's surface, orbiting it so subtly that Lin Ming nearly missed it.
"Could this be... Flame Essence?"
Lin Ming was stunned. All fires in the world possessed a soul. When fire existed for long periods in isolated places, it could give birth to Flame Essence.
In the depths of underground magma pools, Flame Essence could form naturally. Similarly, where Yin and Yang energies intersected, Frostfire Essence could emerge.
The crucial difference between ordinary fire and Flame Essence was that while normal fire required fuel to burn, Flame Essence was eternal. It could serve as an endless source of flame, capable of creating infernos that could consume entire forests without weakening.
This was why alchemists and refiners would venture into the most remote and dangerous places in search of Flame Essence, willing to risk everything to harness its power.
Lin Ming had never imagined that a Flame Essence would be born within his own heart. Of course, this seemed to be the weakest possible form – merely a spark, bred from low-grade lava fire. He could only imagine what might be possible with higher-grade flames.
Yet Lin Ming didn't underestimate it. If the Heretical God Seed could continuously devour more powerful flames, how might this Fire Essence evolve?
He continued to direct streams of lava fire into his body to test the seed's absorption, but discovered that new lava fire merely compressed around the seed without fusing into the Flame Essence.
It seemed the Heretical God Seed had reached saturation.
Perhaps this lava fire was simply too weak to fuel further growth.
The compressed lava fire had become true essence within the Heretical God Seed. Now the seed contained not only vast amounts of compressed true essence but also compressed fire lava. It was like a powder keg containing terrifying explosive potential.
"Such concentrated flame energy. But if this energy were released..." Lin Ming felt a twinge of apprehension.
The Heretical God Seed could condense energy – not just true essence, but flames as well. With such compressed power within his heart, some wariness was natural.
Lin Ming tried to reassure himself. Since this was an ancient technique from the Realm of the Gods, it surely wouldn't simply explode... right?
A new thought struck him. "If the Heretical God Seed can devour lava fire, could it absorb other forms of energy, like... lightning?"
The possibility gave him pause. Among the seven major killing arrays was Thunder Valley. If he wanted to absorb lightning power, that's where he would need to go.
But... he had already compressed so much fire energy. If he added lightning power on top of that...
Lin Ming couldn't help but swallow nervously. Lightning and fire were both volatile, violent energies. Combined, they might be explosive. With the Heretical God Seed in his heart, any accident would be catastrophic!
The possibility frightened him. Yet he couldn't resist its allure.
This mysterious technique was unique in all the Realm of the Gods!
Moreover, its potential seemed limitless. If it could absorb lava fire and condense it into Flame Essence, what might happen with lightning?
With such power within his grasp, how could he not be tempted?
"The 'Heretical God Force' is an ancient evil god's legacy, with far more functions than the mighty elder ever discovered. It's unfortunate he died so quickly, before he could study it further. Now only I can uncover its mysteries."
"I'll try absorbing lightning energy while carefully monitoring with my soul force. If I sense any danger, I'll immediately expel the thunder energy."
Though the potential power of the 'Heretical God Force' was tempting, Lin Ming knew that without his life, any power would be meaningless. With this resolve, he decided to venture into Thunder Valley.
---
Zhou Mountain stretched for hundreds of miles, riddled with canyons and treacherous peaks. Not far from the Seven Profound Martial House stood a palace of glazed tiles atop one such peak. Though not particularly large, it was resplendent with gold and the finest jade.
This was Seven Profound Palace, home of the current Seven Profound Envoy.
In a secret chamber within the palace, Ouyang Dihua sat brooding in a chair. Before him stood an remarkably feminine-looking man.
This was Bi Luo, the other deputy master of the Seven Profound Martial House.
Bi Luo had once studied under Ouyang Boyan, making him Ouyang Dihua's senior apprentice brother. However, Bi Luo's feminine nature had proven problematic. The Acacia Faction's cultivation methods were designed to complement Yang energy with Yin energy, best suited for virile young men. After years of cultivation, Bi Luo had achieved poor results and only grown more feminine. His martial progress had stagnated.
Left with no alternative, Bi Luo had left the Acacia Faction for the Mirage Faction, a mysterious sect within the Seven Profound Valleys. Founded by a woman, the Mirage Faction consisted almost entirely of female disciples who specialized in illusion techniques.
The Mirage Faction's cultivation methods were designed for women, nearly impossible for others to master. Yet Bi Luo found these feminine techniques perfectly suited to his nature. He had reached the middle Houtian realm and mastered the fourth layer of the 'Dreamheart Magic'. His illusions were flawless – even peak Houtian masters would struggle to see through them.
"What matter brings Junior Brother to summon me here? And in a secret chamber, no less?" Bi Luo's voice was as gentle and feminine as his appearance, making Ouyang Dihua distinctly uncomfortable.
Unconsciously, Ouyang Dihua pushed his chair back to create more distance between them. "I called Senior Brother here because I need your help to kill someone."
"Oh? Would that be Lin Ming?" Bi Luo asked with a faint smile. Though he hadn't attended the banquet, he knew of Ouyang Dihua's humiliating defeat at Lin Ming's hands. This Lin Ming was clearly no ordinary youth.
"Yes! Him!" Ouyang Dihua made no attempt to hide his intentions from Bi Luo.
After the banquet duel, Zhang Guanyu had remained comatose for a full day and night. When he finally awoke, all his meridians were ruined, his martial arts cultivation destroyed. Now he was nothing more than a broken man who had lost his mind. With Zhang Guanyu's destruction, Ouyang Dihua's hopes of obtaining the twelve Pure Yin girls had been crushed. He could not forgive Lin Ming for this.
"This could be problematic. I am, after all, a deputy house master of the Seven Profound Martial House. If word got out that I killed my own disciple, the consequences would be severe. Moreover, Lin Ming is soon to become a core disciple. He has status and influence, and Qin Ziya holds him in high regard. If I were to move against him and be discovered, it would be a grave matter indeed."
Though Bi Luo maintained a certain friendship with Ouyang Dihua, it wasn't deep enough to risk catastrophe. His relationship with Qin Ziya was already poor. If Qin Ziya found even the slightest opening, he would surely seize the chance to destroy him.