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After a brief bout of chaos, all the contestants found their own stone platforms, then began arranging their tools, getting ready to refine pills.
Xuan Kongzi's gaze slowly swept across the stone platforms suspended in mid-air. A moment later, he looked up at the sky, and with a light flick of his sleeve—
Dong~
At once, a long, resonant chime rolled gently through heaven and earth.
"The time has come, everyone, raise your cauldrons and begin refining."
Bang! Bang! Bang!
As soon as Xuan Kongzi's words fell, the atmosphere of the entire world tightened. One after another, cauldrons of every size and pattern flashed into existence and landed heavily on the many stone platforms.
A deep metallic rumble echoed again and again.
Seeing those countless medicine cauldrons appear all at once, a low murmur of surprise rippled through the square. For many, this was the first time they had ever witnessed so many high-grade cauldrons manifest together.
Then—
Puff puff puff~
A string of soft sounds followed in quick succession. Flames of every color rose into the air. From a distance it looked like a sky filled with blossoming fireworks, dazzlingly gorgeous.
One after another, the multicolored flames were poured into the cauldrons, blazing fiercely as the warming process began.
Under the focus of countless eyes, Cao Ying flicked her finger. A flame so vividly red it stung the eyes slowly surged up from her palm. This flame shone with a brilliant crimson, richer even than fresh blood.
Within its rising heat one could faintly see a tiny figure, like a fire-spirit, darting and leaping about.
The instant this unnervingly beautiful flame appeared, the fires within the nearby alchemists' cauldrons quivered. Startled, they hastily steadied their control, then turned toward Cao Ying with looks of shock.
"This is the Blood Demon Flame!"
The sudden disturbance drew Wei Yang and the others' attention as well. Their gazes shifted, landing on the blood-red flame in Cao Ying's hand. Each of them paused, a flicker of surprise flashing in their eyes.
It was a strange kind of fire—neither Beast Flame nor Heavenly Flame. The so-called Blood Demon Flame could hardly be called a natural flame at all. To call it man-made would not be wrong.
It was somewhat similar to Xiao Yan's Transforming Flame. But the creation of this Blood Demon Flame was even more bizarre, for it was not condensed from fire at all.
It required the blood of nearly a thousand fire-attribute magic beasts. Those countless fire-attribute bloodlines had to be merged together, and only by drawing on the fiery energy within that blood could the flame finally take shape.
When it was fully formed, it became what was known as the Blood Demon Flame. Of course, this flame also had levels of strength, which could be judged by the completeness of the tiny figure within it.
Judging by the figure inside Cao Ying's flame, its power was at least on par with a high-level Dou Zong.
Although the Blood Demon Flame possessed formidable might, the method of creating it was cruel and demanding. Without immense wealth and resources, it was impossible to gather the blood of nearly a thousand fire-attribute beasts.
For the wealthy Cao Clan, however, this was hardly an obstacle. After Cao Ying, Song Qing and Dan Chen also summoned their flames.
Both of their fires were Beast Flames. Though weaker than Cao Ying's Blood Demon Flame, they were still quite impressive—seventh-rank Beast Flames, excellent tools for pill refinement.
Just then—
Puff~
An unusual heat and strange ripple suddenly spread through the air. Everyone's eyes were immediately drawn toward it.
Mu Gu raised his hand, and a mysterious jet-black flame slowly rose from his palm. This fire looked profoundly strange, without any discernible form to grasp.
The naked eye could see it clearly, yet it gave off a bizarre sense of nonexistence, as though it were not really there.
As it burned, the surrounding space silently turned pitch-black and empty, as if the flame were devouring the very fabric of space itself. The moment that black flame appeared, the pupils of everyone present contracted sharply.
"This kind of flame!"
Even the three great leaders on the high platform instantly turned their gazes toward it, their eyes narrowing.
Whoosh~
The dark flame writhed, transforming into a shadowy fire-serpent that coiled and danced around Mu Gu's body.
Bang!
With the emergence of this Nihility Devouring Flame, the faces of the alchemists closest to Mu Gu changed dramatically.
Because they discovered that the flames within their own cauldrons suddenly surged violently, and then—bang—a muffled detonation erupted inside,
A wave of scorching force swept outward, directly flinging several unprepared alchemists off their stone platforms.
"Heavenly Flame!"
Shouts of alarm burst across the square, echoing one after another.
This was the first appearance of a Heavenly Flame in the entire Pill Gathering. And it was none other than the legendary Nihility Devouring Flame!
However, many quickly noticed this was not the true Nihility Devouring Flame, merely a single sub-flame. Even so, a sub-flame alone was enough to cause an enormous stir. After all, that was ranked second on the Heavenly Flame Ranking!
In the eyes of the world, this flame was far too mysterious.
Nihility Devouring Flame.
Rumor said it was born within the void itself, without form to find or shape to grasp, an existence exceedingly strange and enigmatic.
It was said to devour heaven and earth, able to swallow all things. Across the vast world, only a rare few forces could resist its devouring might.
At this moment, countless burning gazes locked tightly onto that dark fire serpent. The serpent coiled and glided, and wherever it passed, the very space silently turned into pitch-black emptiness beneath its burn.
Terrifying beyond measure!
As for those unlucky ones who were thrown from their platforms and caught in the backlash, Mu Gu only curled his lips in a cold smile, utterly unconcerned.
The Nihility Devouring Flame circled and danced around him, a king among fire, as though all other flames present were paying homage.
He cast a provocative glance toward Wei Yang's group, the corners of his mouth lifting with mockery. Holding the sub-flame of the Nihility Devouring Flame, Mu Gu was the center of attention, reveling in his triumph.
Even though this sub-flame was merely a casual strand separated by the great Nihility itself, possessing only the might of a peak Dou Zong,
The devouring nature of the Nihility Devouring Flame meant that with this alone, Mu Gu need fear no fire, even those of Dou Zun level.
Wei Yang gave the taunting Mu Gu a faint glance, then withdrew his eyes. Just a sub-flame—showing off.
His gaze shifted to Ah Da on a nearby stone platform. Ah Da nodded slightly and turned his hand. At once, a dark-gray, chilling flame slowly emerged.
Ka ka ka~
As the flame appeared, the surrounding air seemed to freeze, emitting a faint cracking sound. The temperature around them dropped sharply, an extreme cold spreading outward.
Looking closely, one could see that even the space above the flame was frozen and cracking, fine fissures appearing in mid-air.
All eyes were drawn to it, followed by a collective uproar. Those with knowledge instantly named it.
Cold Nether Flame!
A Rank 8 Beast Flame.
A flame of Dou Zun level!
Learning its origin and power, many people were overwhelmed with excitement—today truly broadened their horizons.
A Rank 8 Beast Flame was no common treasure. Everyone knew that Rank 8 magic beasts were already rare, and those possessing a Beast Flame were rarer still.
Moreover, such magic beasts were terrifyingly strong. Even a human Dou Zun of the same level would hesitate to provoke one lightly. Therefore, obtaining a Rank 8 Beast Flame was exceedingly difficult!
Its difficulty far surpassed even that of creating a Blood Demon Flame.
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