BTTH: Demon Emperor Xiao Yan

At this moment, Xiao Yan had no idea what was happening in Wutan City. But even if he did, he wouldn't have paid it much mind—his full focus was on fusing the two types of flames within his body.

Although he had successfully refined the Nether Poison Flame, that didn't mean his task was finished. On the contrary, it had only just begun. In order for Flame Mantra to evolve again, the most crucial step was to merge these two flames into a brand-new Heavenly Flame.

This kind of fusion was entirely different from what he did when creating the Demonic Wrath Flame Lotus. That technique merely harnessed the berserk energy from two clashing flames. But to truly fuse Heavenly Flames, the two flames had to fully integrate and become one.

Even in his previous life, Xiao Yan had never succeeded in this. After all, the fusion process had to take place inside one's own body, and his first acquired flame back then was the Purifying Lotus Demonic Flame. No matter how skilled or daring he had been, there was no way he would have used something that dangerous for internal experiments.

Furthermore, although he had subdued several other Heavenly Flames with his past strength, he had merely forced them to remain in his body—they were neither refined nor fused.

In his memory, only the leader of the Flame Clan had successfully achieved a full fusion of Heavenly Flames. Xiao Yan had once fought that clan leader and still remembered the immense power of that fused flame. However, even that flame couldn't compare to his Purifying Lotus Demonic Flame.

Still, that fused flame had been powerful enough to leave an impression. And so, Xiao Yan couldn't help feeling excited about the potential of this new flame formed from the Nine Nether Flame and the Nether Poison Flame.

Unknowingly, a month had passed since Xiao Yan began refining the Nether Poison Flame. During that time, people from the Chu Yun Empire had certainly noticed the massive explosion at the Heavenly Poison Swamp. But due to the swamp's extreme danger, no one dared venture near despite their curiosity.

Deep within the swamp, the poisonous mist still lingered, and the black trees—whatever their origin—had grown back at an astonishing rate. In just one month, they had once again formed a dense forest. Anyone who hadn't witnessed the place being razed flat would find it hard to believe that a terrifying explosion capable of frightening even a Dou Wang had occurred here just a month ago.

Leaves drifted slowly down from above, covering the bottomless pit and the meditating figure of Xiao Yan seated within...

Just like that, another month passed. The explosion at the Heavenly Poison Swamp faded from public discussion. Since the swamp hadn't changed and the outside world remained unaffected, people simply moved on. At most, it became a source of idle speculation—perhaps some high-tier magical beast had self-detonated its magic core, they said.

The swamp remained as eerily quiet as ever. But soon, this two-month silence was shattered by a sudden disturbance. From the buried pit, a strange flame suddenly ignited, burning away the covering leaves. Then, a black-haired youth leaped from the depths and landed lightly on the surface.

He slowly opened his eyes. Within the deep black of his pupils, a flash of violet-black light flickered briefly before vanishing without a trace. However, the massive black tree before him instantly exploded into ashes.

"Hu..." Xiao Yan exhaled deeply. Ignoring his completely scorched clothing from refining the flame, he calmly raised his palm. With a single thought, a strange violet-black flame began to surge out.

This violet-black fire was the brand-new Heavenly Flame formed by the fusion of the Nine Nether Flame and the Nether Poison Flame. Based on Xiao Yan's judgment, this fusion flame could easily rank in the top ten of the Heavenly Flame Ranking. Its power far surpassed that of the Bone Spirit Cold Flame left behind by Yao Lao.

"I'll call you the Nine Nether Illusion Flame," Xiao Yan said casually as he played with the flame in his hand. The 'Illusion' in the name naturally came from the Nether Poison Flame's terrifying neurotoxin. While it might not affect Dou Zong experts in open environments, against anyone below Dou Wang, it was basically a city-level wipeout weapon.

In his past life, when Xiao Yan tried to subdue the Purifying Lotus Demonic Flame, he'd fallen prey to a technique called Nightmare Mist—a unique illusion technique passed down by the Purifying Lotus Saint. That technique, like the Heaven Refining Array, had once been the Saint's signature move. Even Dou Shengs could be caught in it. If not for Xiao Yan's possession of some fragmented maps of the flame, he might have remained lost in that illusion forever.

Once activated, the Nightmare Mist could envelop thousands of kilometers, plunging all living beings within into an eternal dream. Even at his peak, Xiao Yan had dreamed of wielding such power. Unfortunately, while he had inherited the Heaven Refining Array, he never obtained that illusion technique. Otherwise, he might've charged into the Hun Clan alone.

Now, with the Nine Nether Illusion Flame in hand, Xiao Yan could simulate a low-tier version of that technique. While it couldn't trap millions for centuries, it could certainly wipe out an entire city in silence.

After storing the Nine Nether Illusion Flame away, Xiao Yan focused inward, activating Flame Mantra. He carefully traced its flow and rate of absorbing Dou Qi, then quickly determined its current tier. After devouring the Nether Poison Flame, Flame Mantra had successfully evolved into an Earth Rank technique.

Ordinarily, refining a standard Nether Poison Flame wouldn't be enough to reach this level. Although a Heavenly Flame, its rank was too low, and Flame Mantra needed immense energy to evolve—each step requiring exponentially more.

However, the version of the flame Xiao Yan obtained had existed for over ten thousand years. Its accumulated energy was massive, and that overwhelming quantity compensated for its lesser quality, allowing Flame Mantra to break through to Earth Rank.

"Earth Rank, huh... that's enough," Xiao Yan murmured with a small smile. He retrieved a set of clothes from his storage ring and changed. Then, turning his gaze toward the edge of the swamp, he said, "Time to go."

(End of Chapter)

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