The next day.
A wave of demonic aura spread for thousands of miles above the Ten Thousand Daos Demon Sect.
Many disciples who had risen early looked up at the nine black dragons roaring past, their eyes filled with intense admiration.
"It's the Young Master's Nine Dragon Golden Chariot! Where is the Young Master going?"
The battle between Ling Xiao and Qin Feng yesterday had already spread throughout the entire Demon Sect.
Even the newly enrolled outer sect disciples now knew of Young Master Ling Xiao's peerless demonic might.
Especially the fact that he dared to crush Qin Feng to death right in front of the Great Elder made many feel the overwhelming demonic ferocity emanating from this Young Master.
An immortal-like demeanor, crushing the current era.
Now, the entire Ten Thousand Daos Demon Sect was truly united, all looking up to Young Master Ling Xiao as their model on the immortal path!
Of course, except for Zhuge Liuyun, who had long since fled the sect.
"Have you heard? Some strange things have been happening lately near the Flaming Rock Valley."
"Oh? What strange things?"
"Not sure. It seems people keep disappearing mysteriously."
"Really? Hasn't anyone gone to investigate?"
"Who dares? There's supposedly a great menace living in seclusion in those mountains. Probably..."
"Watch your words."
Northern Frontier, Holy State. A mountain town thousands of miles from the Ten Thousand Daos Demon Sect.
A handsome young man in white robes sat in front of a tea stall, seriously sipping the light tea in his cup.
"Flaming Rock Valley? It seems the Undying Heartflame should be there." A smile lifted the corner of the young man's mouth. He looked up at the speakers, stood, and walked over.
"Gentlemen, may I ask, who is this 'great menace' you speak of?"
The young man was naturally Lin Xi, who had followed Nian Qingyun. But Nian Qingyun seemed to be avoiding him intentionally and hadn't shown herself for days.
With a little inquiry, Lin Xi learned the location of the Ling Clan and traveled from the Ethereal Dao Palace to this Sunset Mountain City.
This city was located in the Sunset Mountain Range, adjacent to the Ling Clan's sacred territory.
And, more importantly, the Heaven-Earth Spirit Flame he had been searching for, the Undying Heartflame, seemed to be within this very mountain range.
Isn't that a coincidence?
Originally, he came here just to announce to all the forces of the Eastern Frontier that only he, Lin Xi, was worthy of Nian Qingyun.
He never expected there would be an unexpected gain.
If he could merge with that Heaven-Earth Spirit Flame, his cultivation would thoroughly step into the Paragon Breakthrough Realm.
By then, the entire younger generation of the Holy State would inevitably look to him as their leader!
What ancient clan young masters, what supreme legacies? They would all be trampled under his feet!
So what if he came from a minor family?
So what if his innate talent was poor?
Only a genius tempered through endless trials and slaughter could stand at the pinnacle of the world!
Besides, he still hadn't found his little sister, Ling'er. In the vast Holy State, he had no idea where to start.
But if he could build enough reputation, surely she would hear about him and come find him, right?
A trace of loneliness flashed in Lin Xi's eyes.
His Lin family had already declined by the time he was born.
His father, Lin Dong, was originally a famous prodigy in the Eastern Frontier but was framed by villains, ultimately becoming a cripple who led the clan to relocate to a small border town.
Ling'er wasn't his biological sister but an orphan his father adopted from the streets.
Life for the Lin family was peaceful and stable, but on Lin Xi's fourteenth birthday, the enemies who had framed his father actually tracked them down, swearing to exterminate them all.
Lin Dong sent Lin Xi and Ling'er away overnight, but they were pursued on the road.
In the end, the three were separated, with no news since.
Lin Xi, while escaping, fell off a cliff and accidentally found a ring.
Who would have thought that ring contained the remnant soul of a peerless expert?
According to Elder Ling, his cultivation had reached the Venerable Realm before his death, and he was known as the Celestial Flame Venerable.
Of course, Lin Xi didn't fully believe him.
After all, the strongest in the Holy State today were only at the Emperor Realm; the Venerable Realm was already a legend.
But it was undeniable that the technique Elder Ling taught him was truly mysterious and terrifying—it actually allowed one to cultivation by merging with Heaven-Earth Spirit Flames.
Although the process was extremely dangerous, his combat power was top-tier among his peers.
Lin Xi's innate talent wasn't originally monstrous, but since cultivating the Flame Sutra, he had faintly touched upon a trace of Dao Principle power.
How terrifyingly talented was that?
How many in the entire Holy State could comprehend the Great Dao at the Profound Clear Realm?
"Ling'er, Father, no matter where you are, I will find you. Wait for me. Wait until the name Lin Xi resounds throughout the Holy State. That will be the day we reunite."
...
"Who are you?" The young men at the nearby table frowned, looking Lin Xi up and down with guarded expressions.
"My name is Lin Xi. I come from a border town in the Eastern Frontier. Gentlemen, this powerful expert living in seclusion you mentioned—who is he? Is he very powerful?" Lin Xi needed to understand the situation in the mountains before searching for the flame.
The Undying Heartflame, even on the Heaven-Earth Spirit Flame ranking, was a terrifying existence placed seventh.
Once such a spirit flame appeared, it would inevitably attract some supremely powerful beings.
Although Lin Xi had many trump cards, he still stood no chance against those old monsters.
Moreover, the day after tomorrow was the day of Ling Xiao and Nian Qingyun's engagement. The Ling Clan's sacred territory would surely be filled with powerful experts.
He needed to make preparations in advance. Once the matter with the Ling Clan was settled, he would immediately retrieve the flame and leave.
"Of course he's powerful. His true form is a thousand-year Fire Wolf. His cultivation has long reached the peak of the Divine Marquis Realm. Even Divine King experts wouldn't provoke him lightly." The young men looked at Lin Xi as if he were a country bumpkin.
"I see. Thank you." A Divine Marquis expert, with combat power a Divine King.
Troublesome indeed.
However, the fact that this Fire Wolf was living in seclusion here wasn't entirely bad for Lin Xi.
At the very least, for a short time, probably no one would explore the secret realm hiding the Undying Heartflame.
If he weren't cultivating the Flame Sutra, which gave him an instinctive intuition for Heaven-Earth Spirit Flames, he wouldn't have been able to sense the flame's aura at all.
As for those who mysteriously disappeared, Lin Xi guessed they were probably turned to ash by that strange heartflame.
"Ling Xiao, the day after tomorrow, I will let the entire Holy State know that you, the young master of an ancient clan, are nothing in my eyes! Nian Qingyun, you are mine."
With these words, Lin Xi immediately stepped towards the Sunset Mountain Range.
"Xi'er, I sense a very familiar aura within that mountain range." Elder Ling's voice suddenly came from the ring.
Although this Venerable Realm expert was no longer as mighty as he once was, his soul had recovered quite a bit over the past few years thanks to Lin Xi's diligent care.
Moreover, he himself had cultivated the Flame Sutra and was extremely familiar with the aura of all flames in the world.
"A familiar aura, Elder Ling? Is it the Undying Heartflame?" Lin Xi felt his breathing quicken.
Although he didn't have enough time to merge with the flame right now, how many people in the entire Holy State besides him could actually merge a spirit flame into their body?
"It's not the aura of a spirit flame. This aura... it's a Dao Principle Spirit Fruit!!"