The azure flames surged across the sky, and at every glance, the space itself seemed to warp and distort. A scorching heat, carried through the air, enveloped the entire inner courtyard. Ground-level observers stared in wide-eyed astonishment at the flames that spread like a wildfire, their hands instinctively brushing their sleeves in nervousness—such overwhelming power was truly breathtaking. At the heart of the vast azure fire lay a pool of blood only a few zhang wide. Once so proud and dominant, this blood pool now rapidly contracted under the intense heat of the surrounding flames, releasing delicate plumes of blood vapor that gradually dissipated into nothingness. As the vapor rose continuously, the blood pool itself steadily shrank. At this pace, it wouldn’t take long before it was entirely evaporated into mist. "An unusual fire?" As the azure flame surged across the sky, a series of astonished exclamations rang out. Instantly, people's gazes turned naturally toward Han Feng, who was now locked in quiet exchange with Huo Qian. At the very moment the azure flame appeared, Han Feng had not blinked once, his eyes fixed intently on Xiao Yan, filled with unmistakable shock. He hadn't expected someone of Xiao Yan's age to possess such a rare hetero-flame. Indeed, back then, to secure the fifteenth-ranked "Sea Heart Flame" on the Hetero-Flame List, Han Feng had nearly lost his life—his luck had been truly fortunate to obtain it. Moreover, the subsequent process of absorption and refinement had proven grueling. Compounding this, due to the incomplete nature of his "Burn Technique," the suppression of the hetero-flame had never been fully effective, resulting in frequent surges of internal flames that constantly drained his energy and caused him great wear. Thus, seeing Xiao Yan at his current age and already able to command a unique flame with complete confidence, even with Han Feng's keen instincts, a sense of envy naturally arises. "The hue of this flame, coupled with the ethereal lotus-like patterns that occasionally emerge during its combustion—this must be the No. 19 flame on the Unique Flame Ranking, the Qinglian Dixin Fire!" His eyes flashed rapidly, and a growing sense of greed shimmered in the gaze he directed at Xiao Yan. "I never thought I'd witness two unique flames within just one day. Heh, truly a worthwhile journey. If I can secure both of these flames and, using the remaining fragments of the 'Burn Technique' scroll, successfully absorb and integrate them, my strength will surely surge. Then, even if that old man from the Gan Nan Academy returns, I'll have no trouble standing against him." Thoughts swirling within him, a quiet smile of both cold resolve and fervor began to spread across Han Feng's lips. "Though this young man is still young, his mastery over flame appears exceptionally strong. This vast sea of fire—something I can only manage with difficulty—he handles effortlessly. It seems unlikely that I'll be able to wrest the hetero-flame from him." Observing Xiao Yan, who remained composed despite having just unleashed such a powerful blaze, Han Feng slightly furrowed his brow, murmuring to himself. On the Continent of Battle Qi, while hetero-flame is rare and precious, it can still be cultivated and transferred through two primary methods. The first involves forcibly extracting it. This aggressive method requires the recipient to offer no resistance at all. Once the hetero-flame is successfully taken, the recipient gradually dies as the flame departs. Thus, this approach is typically employed by those who are particularly resolute and willing to make great sacrifices in order to obtain the hetero-flame. The second type involves inheriting a unique flame. Inheriting such a flame also entails an immense cost. For instance, the secret technique known as "Heavenly Fire Triple Transformations," which Xiao Yan practices, originates from Burned Flame Valley—a sect renowned for its mastery of fire magic—where this unique flame has been passed down through generations. This flame is exclusively inheritable by the Valley's Master, and thus, it is passed from one Master to the next, serving as the sect's strongest safeguard. However, each time a current Master transmits the flame to the next generation, their own power typically plummets by half, and in some cases, they may even face life-threatening risks. Such occurrences are nearly commonplace within the lineage of Burned Flame Valley. These two methods of fusing hetero-flames are widely used across the continent, known by most strong practitioners once they reach a certain level. With Han Feng's standing, he naturally has access to this knowledge. In fact, when he first confronted Yao Elder, he had harbored the ambitious intention of forcibly seizing the hetero-flames—yet ultimately, Yao Elder remained vigilant, preventing him from achieving his goal. Xiao Yan far away naturally didn't know that merely demonstrating his unique fire had already drawn people's attention. Over the years, many people had learned of his possession of the unique fire—indeed, even during the time of the Jia Ma Empire, the Pharmacy Guild and the Master of Herbs, Gu He, were aware of it. Yet few had ever seriously sought to seize it. First, those who could control the unique fire were typically difficult to handle, like thorns; second, attempting to forcibly claim it carried considerable risks. Thus, generally speaking, only a few exceptionally determined individuals actively pursued such ambitions. And precisely, Han Feng was one of these rare, determined few—someone who, for the sake of strength, would go to any lengths, even undertaking actions as unprecedented as becoming a devourer of life, without any sense of regret. Yet at this moment, Xiao Yan had no time to attend to the man who had already begun to harbor ill intentions—he was fully focused on his opponent, Fan Lao. Within the vast expanse of emerald flames, the blood-swath measuring several zhang wide stood like a rock amidst a surging sea of waves, constantly threatened with collapse and extinction. Amidst the blood sea, Fan Lao felt the intense, turbulent heat surrounding him, his face growing increasingly grim. Though he knew the opponent's unique fire had certain counteracting effects on the blood sea, he hadn't anticipated that these effects would be so severe. Under the relentless heat, the previously sharp, cold energies that defined the blood sea had completely lost their potency, and the very area of the blood sea was gradually shrinking. At this pace, it wouldn't last much longer. "This damn fool!" Bitting his teeth, he muttered darkly. Fan Lao lifted his gaze, his eyes passing through the flames and settling on the black-robed young man standing aloft nearby. A faint twitch crossed his lips. He hadn't expected, given his prominent status and reputation within Black Angle Domain, to be so at a loss before such a mere youngster—this was a significant blow. "If I lose to someone like this, I'll surely be made to laugh at by the others in Black Angle Domain," he thought firmly. Clenching his teeth, Fan Lao swiftly activated his hand seal. Instantly, the blood sea, already shrinking under the encircling green flames, surged violently and then rapidly contracted, drawing threads of blood into his body. "Blood transformation!" As the vital energy surged in, the surrounding sea of blood rapidly thinned, and Fan Lao's eyes slowly turned blood-red. His dry hands grew paler, with sharp, blood-colored nails extending from the tips like keen, blade-like slices, reflecting a cold, eerie sheen under the sunlight. A slight tremor ran through his back, and a surge of blood erupted, spreading across his blood-colored wings. The aura wings then twitched and rippled, transforming instantly—becoming longer and more strange in appearance, as if a fusion of bird and bat wings. Once the final thread of vital energy had entered Fan Lao's body, the sea of blood completely vanished, and his form once again came into view under Xiao Yan's gaze. "You've managed to push me to use 'Blood Transformation'—that's something truly worthy of pride." A faint glow of blood-colored light spread out from within him, instantly isolating the intense heat around him. As范痨's wings gently trembled behind him, his form surged forward like a streak of blood lightning, swiftly cutting through the encircling flames and appearing just ten meters away from Xiao Yan. A cold, resonant laugh echoed across the sky. As he spoke, Xiao Yan swept his sleeve, and the vast expanse of azure flame surging across the sky rapidly wriggled, finally coalescing once more into two long serpentine flames of jade-green hue, which swiftly darted back, entering his body through the tips of his fingers. "Little scamp, if today I, Fan Lao, don't shred you to pieces and extract your bones and sinews, then you'd be better off committing suicide right here!" Facing Fan Lao's thunderous murderous intent and the countless astonished gazes pouring down from below, Xiao Yan merely smiled, delivering his light, casual words that completely ignited the already volatile Fan Lao. "Then... go on, die, old dog."