Han Jue exhaled slowly, his breath misting in the superheated air as he surveyed the carnage before him.
Dulan Lian lay crumpled at his feet, her once-proud form reduced to a broken shell. The battle had pushed him to his absolute limits, every bone in his body had been fractured during their brutal exchange, leaving him resembling a tattered marionette with strings half-severed. Bloody wounds covered his frame, and the pale green flames of the Mukong Holy Flame had consumed substantial portions of his flesh. Had he not mastered the fourth stage of the Ice Evolution Body, that single desperate strike would have killed him instantly.
'That woman was absolutely ruthless,' Han Jue thought grimly, forcing his battered body to remain upright through sheer willpower alone. 'She nearly dragged me down with her.'
Dulan Lian's physical condition could only sustain a single attack at peak World Master level, anything beyond that threshold would inflict catastrophic damage to her body, potentially proving fatal. Yet she'd persisted for over ten exchanges, holding him back through determination and tactical brilliance. Fortunately, the Star-Eating Grass had swiftly dispatched her Blood Orchid Vine, and its timely intervention had finally ended the duel.
Han Jue retrieved a considerable quantity of healing elixirs from his spatial storage, consuming them rapidly as his enhanced constitution worked to repair the damage. While his body mended itself, he watched the pale green flames emerge from Dulan Lian's corpse, coalescing around something solid suspended within their ethereal glow.
Within the ghostly flames floated a dark crystalline sphere roughly the size of a marble, pulsing with condensed power.
The Mukong Holy Flame's Origin Fire Seed!
Carefully securing the invaluable treasure, Han Jue looked up to find a figure materializing before him, power radiating from the newcomer like heat from a forge.
"Grandpa!" Yaoguang Ye's voice rang out as he rushed forward, having regained consciousness at some point during the aftermath.
Yaoguang Tianyou's gaze swept over his grandson with clinical detachment. "When you can eliminate a main city Lord single-handedly, you may call me grandfather again."
Yaoguang Ye's mouth snapped shut, any protest dying unspoken.
"Lord Yaoguang," Han Jue said carefully, his tone measured and respectful despite his guard remaining high. "To what do I owe this visit?"
The Star-Eating Grass coiled protectively around Han Jue's position, its countless vines bristling with hostility as it regarded Yaoguang Tianyou with the same wariness its master displayed.
Yaoguang Tianyou didn't answer immediately. Instead, his attention shifted to Dulan Lian's shattered corpse, then to the barely-living Blood Orchid Vine nearby. The parasitic plant's legendary vitality kept it clinging to existence despite the grievous wounds that should have killed any ordinary creature.
"You needn't worry, I have no intention of attacking you," Yaoguang Tianyou stated flatly. "Though you've been impersonating Ye'er, you've also helped my family capture a major city. From this moment forward, I won't obstruct your path. The position of Dulan City Lord is yours to claim."
During Han Jue and Dulan Lian's battle, Yaoguang Tianyou had already taken decisive action. Every member of the Dulan family hierarchy had fallen to his blade, eliminating any potential opposition to Han Jue's ascension. The path to power lay open and uncontested.
The only complication might be that Yaoguang Tianyou's people now occupied every significant administrative position within the city. However, Han Jue found he didn't particularly care. His purpose for obtaining this identity was singular, participation in the Sacred Pillar Trial. Only by undertaking that challenge could he obtain an Origin Flame Seed.
"Given your accomplishments and your..." Yaoguang Tianyou paused meaningfully, his gaze penetrating, "...unique circumstances, the Holy Spirits will likely approach you personally. Don't be concerned, they won't harm you."
Han Jue nodded his understanding, and under the Star-Eating Grass's protective escort, he entered Dulan City proper.
The true highlight of his time in the Seven Flames Palace was about to begin.
Yaoguang Tianyou departed shortly after, but Yaoguang Ye and Qi Yunxian remained at Han Jue's side.
According to Yaoguang Tianyou's explanation, Han Jue had "poisoned" both of them, making their continued service and cooperation the most prudent course of action. It was a convenient fiction that served everyone's purposes.
Events unfolded precisely as Yaoguang Tianyou had predicted.
Han Jue's unprecedented achievements had drawn the attention of the mighty Holy Spirits themselves.
Inside the City Lord's Mansion in Dulan's main city, Han Jue had just disconnected from the virtual universe network when he found himself surrounded by three flames of distinctly different colors, their presence both awe-inspiring and unmistakable.
Recognizing what this meant, Han Jue showed no surprise. "Holy Spirits?"
"Indeed," replied the blue flame representing the Mirror Lake Holy Spirit, its voice carrying the weight of ages.
"According to the ancient rules we established," the white flame of the Qiming Holy Spirit interjected, "since you successfully defeated the Lord of Dulan City in sanctioned combat, you're entitled to inherit everything she possessed. Tell us, what is it you desire?"
"Lord Holy Spirits," Han Jue said respectfully, "I wish to undertake the Sacred Pillar Trial."
"As expected," the three Holy Spirits acknowledged in unison, their flames flickering with what might have been approval.
This pattern had repeated itself countless times over the millennia. Whenever the true geniuses of the Virtual Universe Company discovered the genuine opportunity concealed within the Seven Flames Palace, none hesitated to challenge the Sacred Pillar Trial. The greater their talent and strength, the more pronounced this tendency became.
However, this marked the first instance of someone forcibly eliminating a main city Lord to secure qualification for the challenge. Most seekers employed alternative methods to attract the Holy Spirits' attention and earn their opportunity, persuading a main city Lord to unify the Divine Kingdom through political maneuvering, becoming the wealthiest merchant through business acumen, orchestrating wars between Divine Kingdoms through strategic manipulation, or even directly challenging the Holy Spirits' disciples. Any of these approaches could potentially catch the ancient beings' interest.
To prevent the Seven Flames Palace from descending into complete chaos, the Holy Spirits typically granted these ambitious princes their requested opportunity, allowing them to attempt the Sacred Pillar Trial.
"Since that's your desire," the Mirror Lake Holy Spirit declared, "we shall depart immediately."
Before Han Jue could respond, the three Holy Spirits' essence enveloped his body, and reality twisted. The world dissolved into streams of light and shadow as they teleported away.
Back in the mansion, Yaoguang Ye and Qi Yunxian entered through the doorway, only to find the chamber completely empty.
"Where...?" Yaoguang Ye looked around in confusion, his voice trailing off into bewildered silence.
"They were just here!" Qi Yunxian added, equally mystified.
"Big Brother!" Yaoguang Ye called out anxiously. "You can't get injured! We still need you!"
But only silence answered their concerns.
The Holy Ruins.
Legend claimed this desolate wasteland was created during the seven Holy Spirits' joint battle against extraterritorial demons, a conflict so catastrophic it had scarred reality itself. Even World Master-level powerhouses who ventured into this cursed place found themselves affected by the residual law fluctuations lingering within the ruins. Only peak World Masters could traverse the area without suffering debilitating effects.
Paradoxically, despite its ominous reputation, the Holy Ruins contained no treasures of value, rendering it largely ignored by treasure seekers.
The ruins occupied the precise center of the Land of Order, at the geographical intersection of the seven Divine Kingdoms. From above, they appeared as a massive chasm, a sinkhole descending into darkness like an abyss with no visible bottom.
"This location serves as the main entrance to the Seven Flames Palace," the Qiming Holy Spirit explained as they descended. "The so-called Holy Ruins were formed when an ancient master entered the palace, received approval from a Holy Flame, and forcibly opened a crack in the sealed gate."
"Why reveal so much?" the Mirror Lake Holy Spirit asked, a note of mild disapproval in its voice.
"It's harmless knowledge," the Linmu Holy Spirit interjected peacefully. "He'll discover these facts eventually. Better he understands now."
The three Holy Spirits escorted Han Jue deeper into the ruins. After navigating through a narrow passage that seemed to compress space itself, the environment suddenly opened up into something magnificent.
"In the past," the Qiming Holy Spirit continued conversationally, "city Lords who challenged the Sacred Pillar Trial were escorted by divine messengers. You, however, have the three of us personally serving as your guides. Consider yourself fortunate."
"Thank you, Lord Holy Spirits," Han Jue replied with genuine gratitude, though his attention had already shifted to examining his surroundings.
This was the core of the Seven Flames Palace, the legendary Sacred Pillar Space.
Seven massive pillars of white jade supported this impossible realm. Each pillar stretched over ten million kilometers to the naked eye, as though they were full-sized cosmic structures somehow compressed to a scale ten thousand times smaller while retaining their essence.
Atop each of the seven pillars burned a flame of a different color, illuminating the space with their combined radiance. These were the seven Holy Flames, the source of the palace's name and power.
At the center of the seven pillars stood a colossal octagonal altar. In the altar's heart lay a circular depression, clearly designed to hold something significant. Whatever had once occupied that space was now conspicuously absent.
Han Jue's enhanced perception immediately noticed another detail, in one corner of the Sacred Pillar Space, a collapsed pillar lay in ruins, corresponding to a missing section of the octagonal altar.
'Could that correspond to the missing Fire-Sky Holy Flame?' Han Jue wondered.
It seemed logical. Countless ages ago, the Seven Flames Palace should have been called the Eight Flames Palace. This entire structure appeared designed as a holy sanctuary for practicing fusion laws, eight varieties of Holy Flames corresponding perfectly to the Way of the Eight Beast Gods, allowing practitioners to comprehend the mysteries of law fusion.
The Fire-Sky Holy Flame had likely been removed or destroyed in some ancient catastrophe, reducing the eight to seven and leaving this permanent scar upon the sacred space.