Chapter 1226: Crimson Flame (Part 2)

"What is he going to do?" Yun Che's peculiar actions drew everyone's gaze. Having just closed his eyes, Yun Che now spread his arms wide. A fierce, crimson-gold flame, his most trusted power and known throughout the Eastern Divine Region as the Golden Crow Flame, erupted from his right arm.

On his left arm, however, a cluster of crimson flames slowly ignited. Unlike the dazzling and violent Golden Crow Flame, this fire burned with exceptional tranquility.

As this crimson flame burned, everyone in the Flame God Realm's seating area was instantly stunned. More than half of the Phoenix Sect members, in particular, shot to their feet.

"Is that... the Phoenix Flame!?"

"It is the Phoenix Flame! There's no mistaking it!"

"What's happening? How can Yun Che wield the Phoenix Flame? This... this is unbelievable..."

Yan Juehai's face remained rigid for a moment. His gaze instinctively turned to Huo Rulie, only to find him equally dumbfounded. Then, he suddenly turned to him, "Sect Master Huo, how does young Yun possess the Phoenix Flame? What is happening?"

Yan Juehai shook his head heavily, then whispered, "His Phoenix Flame... its aura is incredibly pure. The only possibility is that he possesses the most primal Phoenix Divine Blood. And our Phoenix Sect has long since lost access to that primal divine blood." He added, "Just how many secrets does he still hide?"

Yan Juehai's reaction was essentially identical to Huo Rulie's initial shock when he first witnessed Yun Che wielding the Golden Crow Flame.

"Sect Master Yan," Huo Rulie whispered a reminder, "don't concern yourself with where his Phoenix Flame came from for now. Just let everyone assume it originated from you! Otherwise, it will cause this young man unnecessary trouble."

"I understand," Yan Juehai nodded slightly. "But why would he forcefully display the Phoenix Flame? If the Golden Crow Flame couldn't defeat Luo Changsheng, the Phoenix Flame won't either... Wait!"

Yan Juehai's expression suddenly shifted. "Ice Phoenix, Golden Crow, Phoenix... In that case, isn't Yun Che just like Luo Changsheng, possessing three divine power inheritances simultaneously?"

"It's more than that," Huo Rulie whispered. "The three supreme divine flames—Vermilion Bird, Phoenix, and Golden Crow—are inherently mutually exclusive. Once someone obtains one divine blood, it's impossible for them to gain the recognition and affinity of the other two unless the first is somehow erased. This is common knowledge, even among women and children, in our Flame God Realm. But Yun Che... he actually possesses both Phoenix and Golden Crow powers! This... this is truly... im... pos... si... ble..."

Huo Rulie's last words came out in an uncontrolled tremble.

"Three divine powers coexisting," remarked one of the Divine Emperors. On the eastern seats, several other Divine Emperors' gazes also shifted. The Eternal Heaven Divine Emperor sighed, "Beyond Luo Changsheng, there's actually another person who can possess three divine powers."

"However, Phoenix and Golden Crow powers are both fire. What significant difference is there between cultivating one and cultivating ten? If two divine flames burn simultaneously, it might even disperse one's concentration and profound energy," said the Moon God Emperor.

The Dragon Monarch remained silent.

On Yun Che's body, the golden Golden Crow Flame and the crimson Phoenix Flame were burning with exceptional intensity. They spread from his arms, simultaneously extending across his entire body. Soon, Yun Che was completely engulfed in fire, half golden and half crimson, each occupying a distinct half of his body.

"Oh?" Luo Changsheng approached unhurriedly, surprise flickering in his eyes. "Phoenix Flame? So you, too, can simultaneously wield three divine power inheritances. I thought I was the only one of this generation in the Eastern Divine Region. This is quite a pleasant surprise."

"However," Luo Changsheng's eyes narrowed slightly, "between a Golden Crow Flame at full power and a fifty-fifty mix of Golden Crow Flame and Phoenix Flame, I actually find the former poses a slightly greater threat. Don't you agree?"

Yun Che kept his eyes closed and remained silent. Then, his hands, each burning with a divine flame, slowly came together.

Flames can either be similar, repel each other, or mix. According to the Flame God Realm's understanding, the Phoenix Flame and Golden Crow Flame are highly antagonistic; even a slight proximity would cause them to annihilate each other, let alone direct contact. Yet, when the Phoenix Flame and Golden Crow Flame in Yun Che's hands touched, they silently merged like two streams of differently colored water, releasing a dazzling, unusual glow.

It was neither the crimson-gold of the Golden Crow Flame nor the crimson of the Phoenix Flame, but an exceptionally vibrant... scarlet!

The moment this strange fusion completed in his hands, it rapidly spread. All the Golden Crow Flame and Phoenix Flame on his body swiftly merged, covering Yun Che in a layer of scarlet flame-light that no one had ever seen before.

This scene caused everyone to gape in unison. The people from the Flame God Realm, including both Sect Masters, were so utterly stunned their eyeballs nearly popped out.

"That... that... what... what is that!?" Huo Rulie's jaw dropped, and he roared with a trembling voice.

The pure Golden Crow aura and the pure Phoenix aura vanished. An aura that none of the profound practitioners present had ever felt before surged across the Conferred God Stage. It seemed to be the Phoenix's aura, yet also the Golden Crow's, and somehow both, but distorted in an incomprehensible way.

"This... this... what in the world is this...?" Yan Juehai's eyes were fixed, and his body involuntarily stood up. "How... how could... something like this happen...?"

The Phoenix Flame and Golden Crow Flame, two of the three supreme divine fires of the Chaos, represent the highest level of flame power. This implies that no higher-tier flames could possibly exist in this world. All legends and records firmly attest to this.

And now, they were actually watching the Golden Crow Flame and Phoenix Flame in Yun Che's hands merge into a bizarre new flame, utterly different in both color and aura. This was beyond absurd. Had they not witnessed it themselves, they would sooner believe that the Fire Prison of Burying Gods could be extinguished with a single stream of urine than accept that such a thing could occur.

As for the fire strangely formed by the fusion of the two divine flames... as profound practitioners specializing in fire from the Flame God Realm, they had never seen a flame that displayed such a vibrant scarlet color, nor had they ever felt such a distorted and chaotic flame aura.

The scarlet fire on Yun Che's body was sometimes quiet, sometimes surging violently. It was unclear whether this was due to a mixture of the two divine flames' characteristics or if he simply couldn't fully control it yet.

Yun Che reached out, and the Heaven Smiting Devil Slayer Sword flew back into his hand. His fingers gently glided along the blade, and wherever his fingertip touched, the scarlet fire spread across the sword's body until it engulfed the entire blade.

Luo Changsheng's brows furrowed slightly. The flame aura in his spiritual perception was chaotic, yet its power seemed less than that of the Golden Crow Flame he had just witnessed. He smiled, "Interesting. This flame is truly beautiful. I wonder about its power, though."

Before he finished speaking, Yun Che had already flown into the air, the Heaven Smiting Sword sweeping up a scarlet flame sword-light.

During the "several months" he spent at the bottom of the Fire Prison of Burying Gods, after completing his cultivation of the Phoenix Nirvana Scripture, Yun Che suddenly thought of Iceflame. If ice and fire, two completely conflicting attributes, could be miraculously fused through the Heretic God's power that tampers with natural laws, then what would happen if Phoenix Flame and Golden Crow Flame attempted to merge through Heretic God profound energy?

The thought flashed through his mind, and he immediately began to experiment.

The moment the first trace of scarlet flame-light appeared, the Phoenix soul, which was still present then, let out a trembling screech of horror.

Because Golden Crow Flame and Phoenix Flame are both fire, their fusion, in terms of defying natural laws, was far less "heaven-defying" than that of Iceflame. Consequently, it was much faster and easier to fuse than Iceflame. Although he hadn't fully mastered it yet, with concentrated effort, he could barely complete the fusion in just a few breaths.

And as for the power of this scarlet fire, formed by the fusion of two divine flames in defiance of natural laws... no one knew.

If an ordinary profound practitioner suffered such severe injuries as Yun Che, their profound energy would be in chaos, their body sluggish, unable to unleash even sixty percent of their strength. But Yun Che's aura remained as potent as before, showing no signs of weakness from his injuries.

Facing Yun Che, who was burning with the bizarre flame, Luo Changsheng re-released his profound energy. His posture remained still, and as the yellow profound light shone from his body, the gravity field that had previously heavily suppressed Yun Che descended once more.

But in the next instant, Luo Changsheng's expression suddenly shifted.

Under the force of gravity, Yun Che's speed did not diminish, nor was his momentum suppressed. The scarlet fire burned quietly, and wherever it went, it burned away layers of the gravity field Luo Changsheng had cast. He instantly pierced through the immense force, and the scarlet sword-light directly struck Luo Changsheng's chest.

Boom!! The immense forces clashed. The Divine Wind Halberd firmly blocked the Heaven Smiting Sword's power. In terms of profound energy, Yun Che was vastly inferior to Luo Changsheng; his body violently shook, and his blood surged wildly. However, Luo Changsheng's expected counter-force, which should have sent Yun Che flying, did not erupt. His pupils widened, and his face suddenly showed an unprecedented tension.

The scarlet flame-light burned in his pupils. As sword and halberd collided and the scarlet flame enveloped him, he suddenly felt as if thousands of red-hot branding irons had been pressed onto his face and entire body. The immense pain in that instant almost made him scream. Simultaneously, he suddenly felt the Divine Wind Halberd tremble abnormally and emit a sharp, seemingly painful whimper.

Luo Changsheng quickly withdrew his power, retreating backward like lightning. The terrible burning pain finally disappeared. He lowered his head, and his pupils suddenly contracted.

The incredibly heavy Divine Wind Halberd was still trembling slightly. It possessed high spirituality, yet it had never been so pained and frightened as it was now. Where Luo Changsheng's gaze fell, on the part that had just resisted the Heaven Smiting Sword, there was a distinct, rather wide, shallow mark, faintly shimmering with a scarlet glow.

"What... what!?" Although they were extremely far apart, Divine Masters possessed incredible eyesight. Luo Shangchen, the Glazed Light Realm King, also saw the mark on the Divine Wind Halberd at a glance, his eyes widening in shock.

As Luo Changsheng struggled to believe his eyes, Yun Che's attack arrived again like a storm. When the scarlet flame-light neared his pupils, Luo Changsheng surprisingly dared not meet it head-on. A storm surged around him as he retreated far back. The Divine Wind Halberd and Saint Thunder Sword simultaneously struck down, unleashing three sword-lights, half a zhang thick, each carrying a terrifying storm, directly at Yun Che. Wherever they passed, they ploughed three shocking deep grooves into the Conferred God Stage below.

Yun Che had previously been utterly unable to directly withstand Luo Changsheng's full-power attacks. But this time, he neither retreated nor defended. Instead, he charged head-on, the Heaven Smiting Sword slamming down against the three storm sword-lights, exploding into a huge scarlet sword domain.

Sizzle, sizzle, sizzle, sizzle— The three storm sword-lights pierced into the scarlet sword domain. However, instead of tearing through its might and passing as Luo Changsheng expected, they emitted terrifying searing sounds. The three storm sword-lights melted away at an extremely fast speed within the scarlet sword domain, managing to pierce only about halfway before all their profound light and power were completely consumed and returned to nothingness.

"!!!!" Luo Changsheng's suddenly furrowed brows almost collided.

At this moment, Yun Che's speed sharply increased, rapidly closing the distance with Luo Changsheng. Behind him, a gigantic Phoenix phantom spread its wings, letting out an extremely clear Phoenix cry.

"Phoenix Wing Heaven's Vault!!"

Yun Che transformed into a scarlet stream of light, as if instantly traversing space. The sword might and flame power, unleashed to their utmost, bombarded Luo Changsheng without reservation.

Boom— Flame light exploded, and an earth-shattering profound energy burst occurred. Yun Che spat out a mouthful of bloody foam, sent flying far away. Luo Changsheng's body did not retreat, but the exploding scarlet flames directly burned through his most vaunted defensive barrier, sweeping across his chest.

"Ah!!!!"

On the Conferred God Stage, an extremely painful scream suddenly resounded.

Although this scream was immediately suppressed by Luo Changsheng, he couldn't suppress his body's reaction. His incomparably handsome, perpetually elegant and jade-like face was now severely distorted, his features almost completely squeezed together. His hands trembled violently, and on his chest, near where his fingers clenched, three connected, scorched, bloody holes were distinctly marked.

He was no ordinary person, but Luo Changsheng, the chief of the Eastern Divine Region's Four Divine Sons. For him to scream out in such agony in front of so many people, the pain must have been unimaginable.

"Changsheng!" Luo Guxie cried out in alarm, her face paling for the first time.

The searing pain of both the Phoenix Flame and Golden Crow Flame was already excruciating. However, the scarlet flame, forged from their fusion, not only possessed distorted power but also inflicted a burning agony that reached another twisted realm. Luo Changsheng was in such torment that even his soul was convulsing, when Yun Che's cold, mocking voice reached his ears:

"Didn't you just say you wouldn't let me leave a second scar on you?" Yun Che chuckled lowly. "Next time you make grand boasts, remember to first clearly see who is standing in front of you. Otherwise, when you get slapped in the face... it will hurt quite a lot!"