btth 2: the new flame

Xiao Tian's body burned with exhaustion, but he didn't stop. His feet pounded against the earth as he raced through the dense forest, weaving between towering trees and leaping over thick roots. Behind him, the two mysterious pursuers from the Black Flame Sect closed the distance, their dark robes billowing as they moved with inhuman speed.

"I can't outrun them forever."

He gritted his teeth. The embers of the Forgotten Flame flickered in his palm, urging him to fight. But he had barely grasped its power—was he truly ready to face cultivators of this level?

A sharp whistling sound split the air.

Xiao Tian instinctively twisted his body, narrowly dodging a black spear of condensed flame that embedded itself into a tree. The impact was explosive, sending splinters flying in all directions. He turned to see the scarred man raising his hand, a second spear forming in his palm.

"Enough running, boy." His voice was cold. "Surrender the flame, and we might spare your life."

Xiao Tian's fingers curled into a fist. The ember in his palm pulsed in defiance.

"Then you'll have to take it from me."

With a roar, he channeled the Forgotten Flame. His body ignited with wild, golden-red flames, and with a swift movement, he unleashed a spiraling firestorm at his pursuers. The raging fire consumed everything in its path, swallowing the trees in an inferno.

But the silver-haired man merely scoffed. He extended his hand, and a dark, suffocating energy spread outward. The Forgotten Flame flickered and dimmed as if being devoured.

"Dark Flame Devourer Art!"

Xiao Tian's heart sank. They can suppress my flames?

The silver-haired man smirked. "Did you think you were the first to wield an ancient flame? We've been hunting flames like yours for generations."

Before Xiao Tian could react, the scarred man blurred forward, appearing right in front of him. A devastating palm strike landed on Xiao Tian's chest, sending him crashing through several trees. Pain exploded in his ribs as he gasped for air.

He tried to stand, but the scarred man placed a foot on his chest, pinning him down.

"You're strong for a novice, but you lack experience," he said, pressing harder. "Your flame belongs to us now."

Xiao Tian clenched his teeth, but his vision blurred from the pain. Is this it?

Then, just as the silver-haired man reached down to extract the flame from his body—

A powerful BOOM shook the forest.

A wave of searing energy washed over them as a crimson figure descended from the sky like a meteor. The shockwave sent the two pursuers stumbling backward.

Xiao Tian's breath caught as he looked up.

A woman in crimson robes floated before him, her long, fiery hair billowing like living flames. Her golden eyes burned with an intensity that made even the Black Flame Sect cultivators hesitate.

"Who dares to lay a hand on my disciple?"

The temperature in the forest skyrocketed. The very air trembled as flames surged around her, forming the shape of a massive phoenix.

The silver-haired man's face paled. "The—The Scarlet Phoenix Elder!"

Xiao Tian's eyes widened. Disciple?

Before he could even process what was happening, the woman raised a single finger. A pillar of scarlet flames erupted from the earth, swallowing the two men in an instant. Their agonized screams echoed through the night before they vanished into ashes.

The woman turned to Xiao Tian, her expression unreadable.

"Get up," she said. "Your real training begins now."

Xiao Tian staggered to his feet, his heart pounding. He didn't know what the future held, but one thing was certain—

His journey had only just begun.

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