Episode 3: The Gathering Storm
The wind howled across the burning plains, its voice carrying distant echoes of battle and ruin. In the heart of the Fire Realm, deep within the volcanic caverns of the Flame God Temple, Xiao Yan sat cross-legged. Flames coiled around his body like serpents, bathing him in golden-red light. The God Flame Emperor had returned to silence, and now, only Xiao Yan remained.
The trial of ascension had passed, but its aftershocks still reverberated through his bones. The new power coursing through his veins was unlike anything he had ever felt. It was not merely Dou Qi — it was divine fire essence, drawn from the core of the heavens. Yet, he knew... this was only the beginning.
*"The Heavenly Flame Codex… has fused with the True Flame Will,"* he whispered to himself. His voice was calm, but his heart thundered. With the inheritance sealed inside him, the entire continent would eventually feel the tremors of his rise.
Suddenly, a fiery seal shimmered across the cavern walls. A message, carried by spiritual flames, had arrived.
**"The Five Realms Summit is being called."**
Xiao Yan's eyes narrowed.
He stood, robes fluttering with each motion. "So, the High Realms are beginning to move…"
The Five Realms — Ice, Wind, Earth, Lightning, and Fire — had long maintained a fragile peace. But the rebirth of the God Flame Emperor had shaken that balance. Whispers of rebellion, of divine relics awakening, and of ancient beasts stirring beneath the crust of the continent, now reached even the lowliest villages.
As Xiao Yan stepped outside the temple, his gaze turned west — toward the Storm Peak Mountains, where the summit was to be held. He had no allies there. And the ones who awaited him... might very well become enemies.
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Meanwhile, deep in the Lightning Realm…
A figure clad in crackling violet armor stood beneath a thundercloud sky. His name — Lei Yunzi, crowned successor of the Lightning Saint Hall.
"He has returned…" Lei Yunzi's voice was like the rumble of distant thunder. "The flame boy from the lower world dares to wear the title of Emperor once again. He must be tested… broken… before he rises any further."
A massive lightning eagle shrieked behind him. The heavens responded with bolts of wrath.
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Back in the Flame Realm, Xiao Yan summoned the three ancient flame spirits that now served as guardians of his temple: Crimson Sky, Nine-Tailed Ember Fox, and Flame Bone Dragon.
"All of you," he said, his tone filled with dominance, "Prepare for departure. I will represent the Flame Realm at the summit. But if any realm dares to provoke us… we will let the heavens burn."
The sky above the volcano darkened. A phoenix-like flame shot into the sky — a signal that the heir of fire had awakened, and war was no longer a distant threat.
The gathering storm had begun.
Xiao Yan's journey to godhood… was far from over.