Beyond the continuous mountain range lies the city of Maple City, modest in size yet holding a prominent position within the Black Corner Domain—thanks solely to the fact that the Domain’s renowned herbal master, Han Feng, resides there. As the foremost expert in herbal crafting within the Black Corner Domain, Han Feng has already attained the rank of Sixth-Class Herbalist, earning him high regard among numerous factions and even among the stronger figures. Indeed, a Sixth-Class Herbalist is a rare achievement across the entire continent; even ordinary Duophoenix or Duozong-level warriors would approach him with due respect, for all recognize the immense influence and appeal such a master commands. The city of Maple City is named after Han Feng himself—a distinction that, in a domain marked by constant chaos and conflict, is held by only a few individuals. Han Feng is one of those rare few. At the very heart of the city lies a bamboo grove that stands in stark contrast to the bustling market outside. This grove is fiercely defended, and ordinary people not only find it difficult to enter but are often subjected to unrelenting attacks even when they come within a certain range. Each year, numerous individuals are killed by the guards of the grove for these very reasons. Though the grove is serene, it has become a sanctuary of fear and dread in the hearts of many residents of Feng City. Deep within the grove stands a bamboo pavilion, its lush green hue resembling jade, exuding a delicate fragrance of bamboo. Within the pavilion, in a high, window-facing bamboo room, a man sits cross-legged, dressed in a robe of a pharmacist. On the back of his robe, a finely crafted character "Feng" is embroidered. At this moment, he is deeply absorbed in a prescription held in his hands, his focus undisturbed and his concentration absolute. As he quietly focused, the man with his head bowed suddenly lifted his gaze sharply, his piercing eyes fixed on the distant northern horizon, where he sensed an unusual, almost familiar energy ripple. With a slightly furrowed brow, the man possessed a strikingly handsome appearance, his thin lips pressed tightly together, conveying a sense of cool determination—precisely this quality that gave him an uncommon charm. "This feeling..." he murmured softly, the scroll in his hand gently tapping his forehead. A cascade of images and information flashed through his mind. After a while, the scroll abruptly stiffened, and the man's eyes flashed with electric intensity, once again directed toward the source of the energy ripple, his voice filled with astonishment and surprise: "This... this seems like the ripple of a strange fire?" The calm demeanor was now stirred by the sudden surge of energy. The man's eyes slightly narrowed, and after a moment, they slowly closed. With a gentle flick of his fingers, a deep blue flame—clear as a still lake—emerged mysteriously from within him, fully enveloping him. This deep blue flame was most unusual; it appeared as though flowing water in a clear lake, yet the true sensation revealed that it was not water at all, but flame. As the deep blue flame rose, the man's spiritual power surged dramatically. What had previously been a somewhat hazy perception now surged vividly, as if flowing around him. Indeed, it was extraordinary flame! The deep blue flames surging through his body suddenly contracted, and the man suddenly stood upright, his gaze blazing as he fixed it on the distant mountains. After a moment, as if recognizing something, his brows furrowed again, and he murmured to himself, "The direction of the energy fluctuation—seems to be where the inner courtyard of Canan Academy is said to be. Could it be theirs?" Though he commanded immense influence within the Black Corner Domain, Canan Academy itself was a towering institution; generally, even he would not readily engage it—unless the stakes were high enough, in which case, such reluctance would naturally fade, as with... the allure of the unique flames! "Han Beng!" The man abruptly turned and called out in a firm voice. As soon as the words fell, a figure like a ghost materialized and appeared within the bamboo pavilion, kneeling on one knee. Though his voice was hoarse, it remained respectful: "What be the master's command?" "Hold these seals and notify the Di-Yan Sect, the Eight-Gate Sect, the Blood Sect, and also—have their patriarchs arrive at 'Feng City' within two hours. I have matters that require their assistance. Furthermore, these two seals shall be personally delivered to that location. Please also make the two gentlemen make the journey." The man casually cast several seals of unusual design, tossing them toward the kneeling figure, who swiftly caught them with lightning speed, just barely receiving them into his storage amulet, then launched two more—golden and silver—directly at him. The figure, who had remained expressionless throughout, now showed a subtle touch of emotion, speaking softly, "The master is even extending an invitation to them? Usually, they don't even see the master. This time, perhaps the master will need to offer something truly compelling to win them over." "Simply follow my instructions. Should I succeed in achieving my goals, their desires will naturally be fulfilled." The man said calmly. "Understood!" "Heard this, the figure no longer hesitated, bowed respectfully and replied, then swiftly disappeared into the darkness, vanishing entirely. As the silhouette faded, the man slowly exhaled, then walked steadily to the window, gazing out toward the distant mountains. Suddenly, deep blue flames surged within his eyes. 'Strange fire... Heh, I've been searching for years—never expected it to be hidden deep within these mountains. If I can obtain a second strange fire and absorb and refine it... Then...' A sudden warmth spread across his usually stern face. He clenched his hands tightly, about to speak, when his brows furrowed, pressing his palms against his chest, coughing rapidly. His breath grew slightly disordered at that moment." Coughing persisted for a while before gradually subsiding. The man exhaled deeply, teeth clenched, and murmured in low tones, "Damn old fool! Back then, he had me study the 'Burned Decree'—that was all it took to make everything fine. What nonsense about inner virtue and righteousness! My talent in alchemy surpasses yours by far!" By the end of the sentence, his voice had dropped noticeably, yet the tight grip of his fists revealed the depth of his anger and resentment. …… "Boom!" The formless fire serpent struck the vibrant energy net once again with great force, sending out another thunderous explosion. Yet the net remained tense and fluctuating, making it difficult for the fire serpent to break free in the short term. As the fire serpent continued its successive impacts, the vibrant hues of the net grew progressively dimmer, and several elders' faces began to pale, their breaths growing rapid—clearly, the effort they were expending to withstand the relentless strikes was considerable. "Boom!" The intangible fire serpent wildly slammed against the energy network. Its massive body, combined with the immense energy, delivered each impact with terrifying force. Amidst this near-frenzied collision, after roughly one to two hours, one elder finally could no longer hold on. "Pfft!" During a particularly fierce impact, the elder's internal qi first began to wane, and a steady stream of blood burst forth, unable to contain it. Then, with great effort, he gently stirred the remaining qi within him, flapping his qi wings and descending slowly. With one elder's power lost, the remaining elders immediately felt mounting pressure. The intangible fire serpent, seemingly aware that the moment had arrived, intensified its strikes. Just十余 minutes later, another elder collapsed, bleeding from the mouth. Twenty minutes after that, a third elder also retreated. Watching the elders one after another, pale and retreating, Su Qian's own expression grew increasingly grim. Though he had been battling the Falling Heart Flame for years, he had never truly witnessed its full fury before. Now, seeing it firsthand, he realized how truly terrifying such a celestial phenomenon could be. Within just three hours, ten out of the eighteen elders had already withdrawn, leaving only eight elders and Su Qian still struggling to hold on. Though the Inner Chamber elders suffered heavy losses, the intangible fire serpent's condition was far from ideal. The relentless impacts and immense energy consumption had dimmed its surface flames significantly, and the force of its attacks was gradually weakening. Among the elders who clung on desperately, only by sensing the increasingly feeble strikes of the serpent could they glimpse a glimmer of hope. Hidden within the ground flames, Xiao Yan watched the elders retreating one after another, gasping with blood on their lips, and wiped a bead of sweat from his brow. So many elders working together had still been driven to such distress by the falling heart flame—clearly, the effort required to subdue it would be even greater than the previous time when they had consumed the Qinglian Earth Heart Flame. "Given the current situation, it seems the Inner Chamber elders can't hold much longer," Xiao Yan thought anxiously. "Master, when should we intervene?" He worried that once the falling heart flame broke through their defenses, it would vanish swiftly, making it extremely difficult to locate and engage it thereafter. “Don’t worry…” the voice of the medicine elder surged swiftly in his mind: “A large number of energies are rushing in from the east—surely they are the strong ones from the Outer Courtyard. Let them engage with the Fallen Heart Flame for a while longer.” Upon hearing this, Xiao Yan was momentarily stunned and immediately turned his gaze toward the eastern sky. There, he indeed spotted faint clusters of dark shapes. These dark points rapidly expanded and, within a short while, transformed into numerous figures clearly visible to the Inner Courtyard’s onlookers. “Hah! Su Elder, it took us some time to gather our forces. I hope we haven’t arrived too late,” boomed a warm, elderly voice that suddenly echoed across the sky. That voice, though slightly familiar, wasn’t quite that of the Vice Director of the Outer Courtyard, was it? Looking at the reinforcements arriving at the crucial moment, Su Qian finally exhaled in relief—today would surely not turn out to be the worst possible scenario. As the reinforcements reached the inner courtyard, numerous powerful figures from the Black Corner Domain, who held significant influence far beyond the mountain ranges, gathered together. Finally, under the laughter of the man whose robe bore maple leaves, a vast crowd of warriors ascended into the sky, unfurling their aura wings and swiftly rushing toward the inner courtyard at the other end of the mountains! The great battle was now imminent.