Looking at the Fallen Heart Flame dancing nimbly on his fingertip, Lin Yuan smiled faintly. With a mere thought, the shape of the Fallen Heart Flame changed at his command, shifting effortlessly between the forms of a dragon, phoenix, wolf, leopard, lion, tiger, and flood dragon.
Seeing this, Venerable Tian Huo sighed with admiration.
"Your cultivation and your fire control techniques are truly extraordinary."
At that moment, he fully understood the extent of Lin Yuan's absolute control over the Fallen Heart Flame.
"Hehe."
Lin Yuan chuckled and casually waved his hand.
"Senior, you flatter me. A cultivation that hasn't even reached the Dou Ancestor Realm is hardly worth mentioning. As for fire control, it's merely one of the basic skills every alchemist should possess."
"As expected, this young man is an alchemist."
Hearing Lin Yuan's explanation, Venerable Tian Huo nodded inwardly.
He was not surprised in the slightest. Someone so young, yet already possessing such astonishing mastery over flames, could hardly be anything but an alchemist and most likely a high-tier one.
Glancing once more at Lin Yuan's youthful appearance, he estimated that the young man before him was only around twenty years old.
Recalling what he himself had been like at that age, a trace of nostalgia appeared in Venerable Tian Huo's eyes. He shook his head and sighed.
"You are too modest, little friend. To have achieved so much at your age is enough to astonish the world."
Lin Yuan did not continue to downplay himself. Instead, his gaze shifted toward the infant Fallen Heart Flame.
Following his gaze, Venerable Tian Huo also looked at the immature Heavenly Flame and said calmly,"So, you're interested in this Fallen Heart Flame as well?"
"Yes."
Lin Yuan admitted frankly.
"The more Heavenly Flames I have, the better."
After a brief moment of silence, Lin Yuan's expression turned serious.
"I have a very good impression of you, Senior, so I'd rather not waste time with empty formalities. I think we should be more straightforward with each other."
"Senior, your current state won't last much longer. If you give me this Heavenly Flame, I'll take you out of this place. How about it?"
"Straightforward conversation suits this old man just fine."
Venerable Tian Huo nodded before saying thoughtfully,
"You may have it. However, besides taking me out of here, you'll also have to help me with something. Naturally, I'll reward you accordingly."
"Please tell me."
Lin Yuan's heart stirred, though he maintained a smile.
"Since you're an alchemist, you should know how to repair a damaged soul, shouldn't you?"
Venerable Tian Huo asked with a faint smile.
"Naturally."
Lin Yuan nodded confidently.
"I have considerable experience when it comes to matters involving souls. If it's soul restoration, then I can agree to it right now."
Upon hearing this, Venerable Tian Huo was overjoyed.
"Haha! Excellent!"
With a wave of his hand, a snow-white storage ring flew out from among the bones and landed in his palm.
He then took out a pale white scroll from the ring and tossed it toward Lin Yuan.
"This is my signature technique, the Five-Ring Flame Separation Technique."
"Hehe, calling it a Dou Technique isn't entirely accurate. It would be more appropriate to call it a fire-control art."
"So long as you can restore my soul, this technique will be yours. If you doubt my sincerity, you can inspect the scroll first. Once you've confirmed that everything is genuine, you can help restore my soul afterward."
Lin Yuan caught the scroll decorated with patterns of birds and beasts. Suppressing the excitement in his heart, he slowly unfurled it.
Five-Ring Flame Separation Technique.
A supreme fire-control art divided into five stages, distinguished by the forms of the wolf, leopard, lion, tiger, and flood dragon. Each stage possesses its own flame spirit. Once the technique reaches perfection and all five beasts are gathered, they can form the Five-Ring Flame Formation, possessing the terrifying power to evaporate seas and burn the heavens.
If four of the five flame beasts are condensed from Heavenly Flames, then the power of this technique will rival that of a Heaven Class Dou Technique.
"What an incredible technique."
Lin Yuan praised sincerely.
The fire-control methods contained within the Five-Ring Flame Separation Technique were far more exquisite than those of the Flame Manipulation Art.
As for the Abyssal Fire Control Art, the fire-control technique Lin Yuan had personally created and continuously refined, it might not lose to the Five-Ring Flame Separation Technique in terms of pure fire manipulation.
However, in terms of offensive power, it was clearly inferior. After all, the two techniques emphasized completely different aspects.
The Abyssal Fire Control Art focused primarily on alchemy.
The Five-Ring Flame Separation Technique focused entirely on combat.
It combined a Dou Technique, fire-control methods, and formation techniques into a single comprehensive offensive art.
For a mere Five-Star Dou Venerable to create such a technique. Venerable Tian Huo's talent truly deserved the words terrifying beyond measure.
Thinking further, he was also proficient in sealing techniques, having created the Heavenly Capital Fire Seal capable of suppressing the eruption of the Woeful Poison Body.
Although his combat strength was not considered among the very strongest of Dou Venerables, his creativity was astonishing.
He was the exceedingly rare type of cultivator best described as a research-oriented genius.
With genuine admiration in his heart, Lin Yuan stored the Five-Ring Flame Separation Technique inside his storage ring before taking out a snow-white scroll and handing it over.
"Since Senior is being so sincere, I won't hide anything either."
"Why don't you take a look at this?"
"I have to say, meeting me today was your good fortune. Give me enough time, and every one of your problems can be solved."
Hearing this, surprise flashed across Venerable Tian Huo's face.
He accepted the scroll and slowly opened it.
The instant he read its contents, his pupils contracted sharply.
"A perfect physical body rebirth, three Heavenly Flames, the body of a Dou Ancestor. Bone-Melting Blood-Fusing Pill, the essence blood of a Seventh-Rank Magical Beast."
Suppressing the overwhelming joy in his heart with great effort, he asked solemnly,
"Little friend, state your conditions. So long as they don't violate my principles, this old man will agree."
If he truly could be reborn, then today was undoubtedly the luckiest day of his life.
Lin Yuan shook his head.
"I don't really have any conditions."
"Instead, let's take this as a sign of sincerity and form a mutually beneficial alliance."
"I'll do my utmost to prepare for your resurrection, while you assist me whenever it's within your capabilities."
"I'm also someone who creates techniques. Unless something unexpected happens, the help I'll seek from you in the future will mainly involve creating and deducing Dou Techniques and secret arts."
"After all, the fact that you created the Five-Ring Flame Separation Technique is enough to earn my admiration."
In terms of combat strength, Lin Yuan currently lacked nothing.
Compared to fighting, Venerable Tian Huo would be far more valuable in helping him perfect the Demonic Flame Spot.
"Creating and deducing techniques?"
A trace of pride flashed through Venerable Tian Huo's eyes as he looked at Lin Yuan approvingly.
"I didn't expect you to be interested in such things. Little friend, you truly have a discerning eye."
"I accept this alliance."
"Excellent."
Lin Yuan nodded and extended his right hand.
"Why don't we seal our agreement with a handshake?"
"An excellent idea!"
Venerable Tian Huo also extended his right hand.
Smack!
Their palms met with a crisp clap, and both of them smiled in satisfaction.
"This infant Fallen Heart Flame shall belong to you first, little friend."
Yao Tianhuo raised his hand, and the Fallen Heart Flame resting upon his skeleton floated into his palm. After taking one deep look at Lin Yuan, he flicked his wrist, sending the infant flame gently toward him.
Lin Yuan accepted the infant Fallen Heart Flame. With a thought, the Storage Ring flashed, and a silver-and-bronze puppet appeared before him.
"Open."
Lin Yuan spoke calmly.
Click!
A soft mechanical sound rang out as a small storage compartment extended from the abdomen of the Earth Demon Puppet.
Seeing this, a faint smile appeared on Lin Yuan's face.
This had been a sudden inspiration when he forged his second puppet. Perhaps driven by a peculiar whim, he had incorporated some forging and mechanism techniques to give the Earth Demon Puppet a built-in storage compartment.
The result, however, was that the overall quality of the second puppet had fallen slightly short of his original expectations.
Lin Yuan condensed his Dou Qi into a solid crystalline barrier, sealing the infant Fallen Heart Flame within it before placing it inside the puppet's storage compartment.
He had yet to completely refine this infant Heavenly Flame, so it was better not to absorb it into his body for the time being.
Click!
Another soft mechanical sound echoed as the compartment closed once more.
The aura of the Heavenly Flame was completely concealed, and the puppet's abdomen returned to its smooth, ordinary appearance.
Afterward, Lin Yuan turned toward Venerable Tian Huo and chuckled, a hint of pride in his voice.
"The little feature I added while refining this puppet is rather interesting, don't you think?"
However, Venerable Tian Huo wore an expression as though he wanted to say something but hesitated.
Lin Yuan immediately felt a bad premonition.
Pretending not to care, he casually waved his hand.
"Senior, if you have something to say, just say it. Holding it back must be uncomfortable."
Hearing this, amusement appeared in Venerable Tian Huo's eyes.
"I can tell that your intention was to give the puppet a storage function."
"But to be honest, that wasn't really necessary."
"You could simply have the puppet hold the item in its mouth or swallow it into its stomach, couldn't you?"
"Uh..."
Lin Yuan froze on the spot.
Thinking about it now, he really had gotten carried away back then. He had been so focused on creating the storage compartment that he completely overlooked the obvious solution.
It really was a rather useless feature.
"Hahaha..."
Lin Yuan laughed awkwardly as he scratched the back of his head.
"It does seem you're right, Senior. I've made a fool of myself. Everyone gets carried away from time to time, especially people like us."
Venerable Tian Huo waved his hand dismissively with a smile.
"When I was creating the Five-Ring Flame Separation Technique, I came up with countless foolish ideas and went down just as many wrong paths."
The two continued chatting.
Perhaps because they both shared the mindset of researchers, they gradually developed the feeling of having met a kindred spirit despite the vast difference in their ages.
Through their conversation, they gained a deeper understanding of each other and established an initial foundation of trust.
"The Ancient Emperor's Cave Mansion really should be beneath the sea of magma."
After confirming the unusual reaction of the Ancient Emperor Jade inside his storage ring, Lin Yuan reached his conclusion.
His deep eyes discreetly glanced toward the depths below before immediately looking away.
At his current level, he was still far from qualified to explore what lay beneath.
Casting a glance toward the outside, he spoke solemnly,
"The Flame Lizardmen patrolling outside have moved away. This is our chance. Let's leave while we can."
Hearing this, Venerable Tian Huo lowered his head to look at his own skeleton.
A complicated expression appeared in his eyes as he sighed softly.
"Little friend, take my skeleton with you as well. It's still the skeleton of a Dou Venerable and has some unique uses."
Lin Yuan nodded.
With a wave of his hand, the pile of bones flew over and was stored inside his storage ring.
After extending his Spiritual Strength to confirm the surroundings, delight appeared on his face.
"A perfect opportunity. Let's go!"
Venerable Tian Huo nodded.
With a slight movement of his hand seal, the white storage ring in his hand automatically slipped onto Lin Yuan's finger, while his blurry soul figure transformed into a streak of light and entered the ring.
"Move at full speed."
"This old man will use my remaining strength to conceal your traces."
"Do not hesitate for even a moment."
"The Flame Lizardmen are extremely sensitive to disturbances in the magma. There are many powerful individuals among them, including Dou Ancestors and even Dou Venerables. We absolutely cannot let them entangle us."
"They cannot leave the sea of magma. Once we escape, we'll be safe."
As his words fell, the protective light barrier surrounding the space finally lost its support and gradually melted away.
Lin Yuan nodded slightly.
The Invisible Fallen Heart Flame once again enveloped his body, transforming into a rapidly spinning flaming shuttle.
After sensing the direction of his Shadow Clone, Lin Yuan controlled the flaming shuttle as it shot upward like a bolt of lightning.
Several minutes later, a patrol led by a Flame Lizardman with the aura of a Dou Ancestor happened to block their path.
The moment it discovered Lin Yuan, it immediately unleashed an incredibly condensed pillar of magma.
"You're courting death!"
A fierce glint flashed through Lin Yuan's eyes.
With a flip of his hand, three Dou Ancestor puppets appeared before him.
"End this quickly."
"Kill them."
His voice was ice-cold.
Before his words had even faded, the Earth Demon Puppet erupted forward with the violent aura of a Seven-Star Dou Ancestor.
It threw out a punch.
The space ahead instantly twisted as a terrifying shockwave exploded outward, shattering the incoming magma pillar in a single blow before continuing unabated toward the Flame Lizardman blocking their way.
Meanwhile, the other two Earth Demon Puppets split up.
One sealed off the enemy's retreat, while the other began slaughtering the remaining Flame Lizardmen.
The Dou Ancestor Flame Lizardman crossed both arms before itself, letting out a muffled grunt as it barely managed to withstand the terrifying fist wind.
But the attacks came one after another without giving it the slightest chance to recover.
Soul Mysterious Seal!
A silver flash streaked across the battlefield as Lin Yuan instantly appeared before it, his palm glowing with a radiant silver light before slamming forward.
Realizing that it had encountered a life-and-death crisis with no hope of escape, a savage light flashed in the Dou Ancestor Flame Lizardman's eyes.
It clenched its massive fist as fire-attributed energy gathered upon it before smashing it furiously toward Lin Yuan.
The fist and palm collided.
A powerful ripple of energy erupted, blasting Lin Yuan backward.
However, he had anticipated this from the very beginning.
Borrowing the recoil, he retreated with the Unloading Art and his movement technique, instantly dispersing the force acting upon him before stabilizing himself effortlessly.
The Dou Ancestor Flame Lizardman, however, felt as though its soul had been struck by an enormous hammer.
Its consciousness instantly fell into a daze.
At that very moment, a silver flash appeared.
The Earth Demon Puppet materialized before it like a ghost.
Slash!
Its dagger-like ghost claw shot forward, instantly piercing through and shredding the Flame Lizardman's chest before pulling out a deep crimson fire pearl from within its body.
Without the slightest hesitation, the merciless killing machine immediately turned around and joined the slaughter of the remaining Flame Lizardmen.
In less than a minute, the entire patrol had been completely annihilated.
Watching everything unfold from within the snow-white storage ring, even Venerable Tian Huo couldn't help but click his tongue in amazement.
At the same time, he secretly felt fortunate.
Although Lin Yuan had yet to become a Dou Ancestor, the power under his command was already far beyond what his current self could contend against.
Fortunately, he had treated Lin Yuan with courtesy from the very beginning.
Otherwise Lin Yuan stored the fire pearl away with satisfaction before turning into a streak of lightning once more and continuing his rapid ascent toward the surface.
The vast sea of magma was deathly silent.
There was neither wind nor waves, only the occasional burst of bubbles breaking the eerie stillness.
Splash!
Suddenly, the sound of something breaking through the surface echoed across the magma sea.
A flaming shuttle shot out from beneath the magma and came to a stop high in the air.
The flames dispersed.
Lin Yuan and the three Earth Demon Puppets revealed themselves.
"We've finally escaped that cursed place."
Lin Yuan let out a long breath of relief.
A trace of gratitude lingered in his heart.
"Thankfully, it was a close call but nothing more."
"It's fortunate that I refined three Earth Demon Puppets beforehand. Otherwise, I truly have no idea what might have happened."
After eliminating the first Dou Ancestor Flame Lizardman patrol, he had actually been "fortunate" enough to encounter an even stronger squad.
Luckily, Lin Yuan himself was powerful enough, and the puppets under his command were both numerous and strong enough to end each battle swiftly.
Otherwise, had they been delayed even briefly, there was a very real possibility that he would have perished within the sea of magma.
After all, immediately after destroying the second patrol, he had sensed several even more terrifying auras rapidly approaching.
"Still, this battle brought considerable rewards."
Looking at the large number of fire pearls inside his storage ring, especially the three whose energy fluctuations were exceptionally abundant, a satisfied smile spread across Lin Yuan's face.
"With these, the energy required for my breakthrough to the Dou Ancestor Realm is more than sufficiently guaranteed."
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