Immortal Refiner

”Wait, the Fire Domain’s flames have weakened so much... perhaps he really can go deeper!”

With that, the Giant Spirit Race member stood up, instantly dispersing the surrounding wisps of purple mist.

Just as he was about to follow Li Qing into the seventh layer fire domain, a vast, oppressive pressure surged forth from the depths of the domain.

Boom!

The sky above the Fire Domain blazed an intense scarlet, and all clouds and mist vanished instantly.

This terrifying pressure swept across the Tonggu Continent in successive waves.

The stronger one’s cultivation, the more profound the sensation.

Even on the battlefield where the two races were locked in fierce combat, all the powerful warriors paused, their gazes turning toward the direction from which the disturbance had originated.

”What was that searing heat just now? It felt like even my mana was about to ignite!”

”It seems to be coming from the Fire Domain. Could something have happened there?”

The experts from various races ceased fighting, each clearly sensing the fleeting, scorching heat.

This was no ordinary heat. Had it persisted longer, they suspected even their mana and blood might have been set ablaze!

”Something’s definitely wrong with the Fire Domain! Look at the sky—it’s completely scarlet!”

True enough, the sky above the Fire Domain had been dyed a deep, crimson red.

In that instant, the warring clans abruptly ceased their battle, retreating in tacit agreement.

Within the Giant Spirit Race’s formation, an old monster from the body integration realm, who had previously intercepted Li Qing, frowned deeply as he gazed toward the Fire Domain. ”What’s going on? Could my good-for-nothing nephew be behind this?”

The Fire Domain’s mystique was profound. Many of Tonggu Continent’s strongest cultivators had ventured into its depths seeking secrets, but none had ever returned with any discoveries. The only use they had found for the domain was to refine weapons using its unique flames.

Meanwhile, deep within the Giant Spirit Clan’s Royal City, a powerful aura slowly began to stir.

An invisible gaze turned toward the Fire Domain. After a long silence, a voice boomed forth: ”The flame law fragment has been triggered again?”

”It’s been countless years since the last anomaly in the flame law fragment.”

Soon, the majestic voice faded back into silence.

At that moment, Li Qing, guided by the mysterious dao patterns into the Fire Domain’s depths, felt his scalp about to explode.

He realized these patterns were directly connected to the Fire Domain’s ninth layer!

Li Qing had reached the ninth layer, a place where legend claimed no one had ever set foot. Even great ascension realm experts regarded this place with deep trepidation.

In the ninth layer, no flames were visible. All the fire had been concentrated into a single, fragmented rune!

Li Qing didn’t recognize the script, but the moment he saw the rune, he knew it represented the character for ”fire.”

No, to be precise, this rune symbolized the essence of fire itself. Every concept related to fire—its heat, its destructive power, its transformative potential—was perfectly encapsulated within this single glyph.

Li Qing was certain that without the protection of these mysterious dao patterns, he would have been reduced to ashes long ago.

Even with the dao patterns’ protection, staring directly at the fragmented flame rune sent waves of scorching heat through his body, as if his very being were about to ignite.

Unbearable to gaze upon!

Li Qing wisely lowered his head. Beneath his feet lay vast quantities of Lihuo Profound Jade.

However, like the previous piece of Lihuo Profound Jade, all the spirituality within these stones had evaporated, leaving behind strange, ancient patterns etched across their surfaces.

Without a doubt, these were the handiwork of the Crimson Radiance Heavenly Monarch.

On a piece of Lihuo Profound Jade, Li Qing discovered long-lost characters from the human realm:

Chi Huang came here to comprehend the flame law.

Upon seeing these words, Li Qing finally understood the origin of the Fire Domain: it was a fragment of the flame law itself!

Law power was something only forbidden existences in the great ascension realm could even touch.

The Crimson Radiance Heavenly Monarch had actually cultivated to the point of comprehending the flame law. This was astonishing, suggesting that many years ago, he had already been a top-rank powerhouse in the great ascension realm.

Perhaps due to the flame law’s overwhelming presence, the Profound Yellow True Flame had fallen silent. The other three heavenly spirit fires were similarly subdued, their former ferocity reduced to the feeble flicker of newborn flames.

”The arrangement of these Lihuo Profound Jade stones conceals a profound secret. Disturbing them lightly could be disastrous. Without the protection of these dao patterns, the flame law’s power would instantly incinerate me into nothingness.”

Li Qing withdrew the four heavenly spirit fires that had been circling him, maintaining only the Crimson Blaze Heaven-Burning Art to keep the dao patterns shielding him.

”If even the Heavenly Monarch came here to comprehend the flame law, I wonder if he left anything behind.”

As he spoke, Li Qing began to examine the Lihuo Profound Jade slabs beneath his feet.

A vast sea of Lihuo Profound Jade, each inscribed with mysterious dao patterns, flooded Li Qing’s mind.

While a single slab had revealed little, the collective arrangement of these jade pieces formed a complex dao pattern that instantly drew Li Qing into its depths.

These dao patterns, in essence, represented the culmination of Crimson Radiance Heavenly Monarch’s daoist art.

His mastery of fire had transcended simple description; only these seemingly abstract yet profoundly meaningful patterns could capture its essence.

Using the Crimson Blaze Heaven-Burning Art he cultivated as a guide, Li Qing began to discern faint insights within the patterns.

Soon, he entered a state of sudden enlightenment.

At that moment, the Crimson Blaze Heaven-Burning Art began to circulate autonomously, without Li Qing’s conscious control.

Moreover, the technique’s circulation followed an entirely new path, reaching realms previously unexplored.

In this state of sudden enlightenment, Li Qing gradually comprehended the subsequent chapters of the Crimson Blaze Heaven-Burning Art.

He was deeply immersed in it, recognizing it as the pinnacle achievement of the fire domain—the very essence left behind by the Crimson Radiance Heavenly Monarch.

Unnoticed, the dao patterns that had been protecting Li Qing began to spread outward once more.

Several mysterious dao patterns even extended toward the flame rune, which floated between heaven and earth.

Though merely a fragment of the flame law, it represented the supreme power of the cosmos.

Boom!

The flame law fragment was touched, unleashing a terrifying surge of energy. Yet, it didn’t harm Li Qing in the slightest!

However, in the other layers of the Fire Domain—and even beyond its boundaries—the commotion was catastrophic!

All flames erupted into a frenzy, even the first layer’s flames becoming lethally intense.

A boundless sea of fire poured forth from every level of the Fire Domain, igniting the vast desert below. Countless grains of sand melted into magma.

”Great Spirit God above! What’s gotten into the Fire Domain today? Just now the flames weren’t hot enough, and now they’re about to incinerate my soul!”