At this moment, the turmoil within Xiao Yan's heart was as if waves had surged violently—Void Devouring Flame, ranked second on the Unusual Flame List, surpassed even Jinglian Demon Flame in strength. In terms of mystery, it surpassed Jinglian Demon Flame as well. While the emergence of Jinglian Demon Flame had once been recorded across the continent, there had been no such news reported about Void Devouring Flame up until now, not even a single mention from Xiao Yan himself.
The Void Devours Flame, ranked second on the List of Strange Flares—this flame arises within the void, formless and intangible, elusive to both sight and grasp. From a certain level of profundity, the Void Devours Flame might indeed be considered a remarkably rare and extraordinary phenomenon. It is said to consume the heavens and the earth, possessing the power to devour all things. In the vast expanse of the cosmos, only a few rare entities can stand against such devouring might. Yet, throughout history, the Void Devours Flame has always remained a mere legend, never having been observed in tangible existence. Thus, when Xiao Yan now witnesses the Hall’s Master suddenly summoning this legendary flame, the sheer magnitude of his astonishment is beyond measure.
Hearing these words, the people standing beside him all stiffened, and even the venerable Dan Ta Elder saw his expression grow serious. Gazing at the now utterly silent peak of Yunluo, several of the stronger figures around him expressed some bewilderment. Vujin was so enigmatic that only a few had ever truly recognized him, and thus many remained puzzled about the black flame held by the Master of the Soul Palace.
Xiao Yan's gaze never wavered from the human-faced black flame, and after a long while, his brows suddenly slightly furrowed as he slowly shook his head, his voice low and steady. "Your unique flame is not the Void-Consuming Flame!"
Xiao Yan stared at the face of the Hall Master of the Soul Palace, smiled gently, and gradually calmed the shock that had been building within him. While the Void Devouring Flame truly radiated that unique devouring power, Xiao Yan, possessing six distinct hetero-flames, was arguably the most knowledgeable about hetero-flames on the continent. As he grew more composed, subtle inconsistencies began to surface—though these were only intuitions. Upon hearing the Hall Master’s response, however, those intuitions solidified into a growing sense of certainty.
Xiao Yan's gaze remained fixed on the Hall Master of the Soul Palace, yet suddenly spoke. The so-called Zi-Huo—fire born from the differentiation of the primordial flame—possesses certain abilities of the primordial flame, though its power is significantly weaker. In a certain sense, it can be regarded as a manifestation or embodiment of a rare type of hetero-fire. However, the ability to separate such a distinct flame is exceptionally rare among hetero-fires. The Pure Lotus Spirit Fire of the past may have possessed this capability, yet it never did so, because upon separating its manifestation, it also effectively divided its own strength, and it disliked the sensation of its power being fragmented. Xiao Yan's eyes remained locked firmly on the Hall Master's face, and as he uttered the words "Zi-Huo," he clearly observed that the latter's eyes slightly narrowed.
"Indeed..." Seeing this, Xiao Yan let out a cold laugh. If the man truly held the original body of the Void-Consuming Flame, the energy of this entire realm should have been completely absorbed long ago—yet here they were, slowly and steadily accumulating it. "However, he seems to be wielding a fragment of the Void-Consuming Flame. That suggests the Hún clan must indeed possess the Void-Consuming Flame. Xiao Yan found himself somewhat serious, never expecting to uncover such depth within the Hún clan. The Void-Consuming Flame—once merely a legendary entity—now appears to be actually held by the Hún clan. For Xiao Yan, this discovery was far from a welcome development.
"Indeed, you're no stranger to handling flame...” The Hall Master gently held the human-faced black flame in his hands, then offered a quiet smile after a moment—clearly confirming Xiao Yan's assumption. How vital the Void-Consuming Flame was to the Spirit Clan! Though his status was high, he could hardly bring out its true form. Not only did he lack the ability to command the Void-Black Flame himself, but even if he did, the Clan would never allow anyone other than the Clan Elder to carry it beyond the Spirit Realm. "Even as a mere offspring of the flame, he'll have no trouble handling you." With a raised hand, the Hall Master watched as the human-faced flame opened its mouth and bit firmly into his palm. Instantly, a steady flow of qi surged from within the flame, fully absorbed and consumed by the black flame.
As the qi within the Hall of the Soul Palace was gradually consumed by the black flame, the Hall Master's complexion grew slightly pale. Yet the black flame grew ever more powerful, eventually emitting a sharp roar from his mouth. His originally head-sized form swayed and expanded, reaching nearly a hundred paces in height. Instantly, the sky was filled with roaring black flames, and everyone present could feel their internal qi subtly pressing against their bodies, as though about to burst through their skin. They quickly stabilized themselves to avoid any embarrassment.
"Heard this, the man with the black flame roared in fury, then surged through the space with a whirlwind of flames, moving as swiftly and ghostly as a phantom—completely sealing off the space around Xiao Yan. Black flame lines spread out like tendrils, weaving into a prison that encased Xiao Yan within. This sudden development left everyone stunned; no one had expected the strange black flame to attack on its own. 'Such a delicious flavor...' the black flame writhed, and the massive face reappeared before Xiao Yan, its voice sharp and mocking as it cried, 'Now, be gentle and let me consume you!' 'Boom!' As the black flame's laughter faded, a tremendous force of consumption erupted from the surrounding space. Even Xiao Yan, though his face paled under the pressure, managed to steady himself. Yet, just as he prepared to contain the surging energy of his inner fire, a powerful wave of rosy flame suddenly surged forth from within him, flooding out in all directions without warning."
The sudden turn of events startled Xiao Yan. Immediately, he saw the rosy flames rapidly gathering in front of him, coalescing into a fire infant the size of a palm—none other than Xiao Yi. "Xiao Yi, come back!" As he saw this, Xiao Yan's heart leapt with concern. Xiao Yi now embodied the essence of six distinct hetero-flames. If that formless black flame consumed Xiao Yi, Xiao Yan would indeed be furious. "I-wa-I-wa!"
As for Xiao Yan's urgent cries, Xiao Yi merely shook her little head. Her youthful face, now unusually flushed with anger, stared intently at the figure before her. The pure lotus divine flame and the ethereal black flame—ranked third and second, respectively—were hard to compare in terms of strength and intimidation. Indeed, no one had ever witnessed a direct confrontation between these two unique flames, so the outcome remained uncertain. Though currently, the new flame had integrated six distinct divine flames, Xiao Yi's primary consciousness still leaned more toward the pure lotus divine flame. Thus, when she saw the ethereal black flame—especially when she noticed that this ethereal black flame, merely a subordinate flame, dared to boast and challenge her with such confidence—the deep-seated anger within her surged. "Ii! Ii!"
Furious, Xiao Yi's small body suddenly exploded, and instantly, a surge of rosy flames rapidly spread across the sky. The black flame prison formed by the ethereal black fire was instantly shattered under the force of the impact, and then the pink flames reversed, coiling inward to form an even larger flame prison that now encased the ethereal black fire's massive face. Under Xiao Yi's control, the hetero-fire within Xiao Xiang's body nearly reached 100% of its full potential. Even when Xiao Xiang himself exerted his efforts, he could not match Xiao Yi's performance—because, after all, Xiao Yi was truly capable of mastering the hetero-fire with flawless precision. For Xiao Yi was, in essence, the spirit of flame itself.
Such a turn of events also startled the formless black flame, prompting it to urgently unleash its devouring power. Yet this time, it was not so fortunate—under Xiao Yi's direct control, each strand of flame carried its own consciousness. If the formless black flame itself had attempted to consume it, the outcome might have been uncertain. But how could this mere strand of fire dare to show its mettle before it? "Iwa!