"It's a big deal now," Uncle Li said to Lin San outside.
"The Lord of Linhai City just mentioned that it's not just Tianyun City. Many large cities in the Martial God Realm are under attack by a massive force of demon gods!"
"Demon gods from the Demon Domain are pouring out?" Lin San was shocked upon hearing this.
Such a large number of demon gods—what could they be planning? Was a great war about to begin?
As this thought crossed his mind, Lin San's expression grew serious.
"I'm not sure, but I have a feeling that the great war from many years ago might be happening again," Uncle Li said gravely while shaking his head.
That war had even involved the God Emperor, and the memory of it was terrifying.
"Uncle Li, do you know where the strongest flame in the Martial God Realm can be found?" Lin San asked after thinking for a moment.
"The strongest flame?" Uncle Li pondered briefly before shaking his head.
"I'm not sure. Are you thinking of using a powerful flame to become a God King?" The Lord of Tianyun City interjected, his eyes on Lin San.
"Yes," Lin San nodded slightly.
He needed a powerful flame to assist him in refining his body and cultivating the Divine Technique: Golden Crow Flame Heaven Technique to its peak. Once he achieved this, he would be able to break through and become a God King.
"To the east of the Martial God Realm, near the border, there's a flame that is the strongest I've ever seen," the Lord of Tianyun City continued.
"The Blood Lotus Flame."
"Blood Lotus Flame?" Lin San raised an eyebrow.
"Yes, it's a flame shaped like a lotus flower—immensely powerful," the Lord of Tianyun City explained earnestly.
"When I was trying to ascend to God King, I sought out a powerful flame to refine myself, but this flame was too strong, and I couldn't get close to it," he said with a sigh, recalling the past.
He, too, cultivated fire techniques, and in order to become a God King, he needed the aid of powerful fire energy.
"Let me give it a try," Lin San said, narrowing his eyes thoughtfully.
The more powerful the flame, the greater the strength he could gain from absorbing it.
"Here," the Lord of Tianyun City said, as a thought crossed his mind. A scroll made of sheepskin appeared in front of Lin San.
Lin San took it and examined it carefully. Soon, he realized it was a map.
Seeing this, his pupils contracted slightly in surprise.
He hadn't expected there to be a map to guide him to the location of the Blood Lotus Flame.
"Thank you," Lin San said earnestly as he turned his gaze toward the Lord of Tianyun City.
"No need to thank me," the lord replied, shaking his head. "You saved my life after all. Without you, those demon gods would have killed me."
The Lord of Tianyun City sighed helplessly.
"Well then, I should get going," Lin San said after a brief pause.
"So soon?" Uncle Li was taken aback and instinctively spoke up.
"Yes, I need to become stronger as quickly as possible," Lin San said seriously.
The demon gods from the Demon Domain were now pouring into the Martial God Realm, attacking its cities. Who knew how many more Demon God Kings they would face?
If it was already this difficult to defeat just one, future battles against other Demon God Kings would be even more challenging.
"Goodbye, Uncle Li."
With a smile, Lin San activated his energy, and in a flash, his figure shot into the sky, disappearing in the blink of an eye.
"This kid... leaving so quickly," Uncle Li muttered, stroking his beard and chuckling.
"I have a feeling he's going to become a very powerful God King," the Lord of Tianyun City murmured, gazing up at the sky as if speaking to himself.
…
"The swords those Demon God Kings wield might contain more fragments like this one," Lin San thought to himself as he flew toward the east.
When he had killed the Demon God King, the sword it wielded had shattered, revealing a fragment that had merged into the Ye Fan Sword, as if it had always belonged there.
With the fragment's return, the Ye Fan Sword had grown even more powerful.
Although Lin San was curious to see if the other Demon God Kings also had similar weapons, now was not the time. His strength was still insufficient.
He needed to ascend to God King status quickly; only then would he be at his most powerful.
With that thought, Lin San pushed his speed to the limit, heading swiftly toward the east.
Time passed, and as he flew, the sky gradually darkened. Soon, Lin San could feel the air around him growing scorching hot.
"Am I close?" he muttered, glancing at the sheepskin map in his hand.
Following the map's directions, Lin San flew toward the indicated area. Before long, he saw a faint red glow in the distance.
"I found it!"
Upon reaching the area, Lin San felt the heat in the air grow so intense that it seemed to be capable of melting flesh.
Beads of sweat formed on Lin San's forehead, even though he had cultivated a fire-based technique.
If a regular Martial God had reached this place, they would have already succumbed to the oppressive heat.
Lin San's skin had turned a shade of red from the intense heat. Activating his energy, he quickly circulated it through his body to mitigate the scorching sensation.
Taking a deep breath, Lin San rushed forward.
In an instant, a more intense wave of heat washed over him, as if his entire body was about to be consumed by flames.
Ahead, he saw a massive flame, blood-red in color, shaped like a lotus flower.
The land around the flame was scorched a deep red from the intense heat.
"So this is the Blood Lotus Flame," Lin San murmured, his eyes wide with awe as he stared at the magnificent flame.
"If I can absorb this flame's power, I should be able to fully cultivate my technique to its peak..."
But the question was—how could he absorb it?