It was precisely the flame power within the magma dross, drawn by the might of the Vermilion Bird's holy blood in his body, actively drilling into him.

The magma pool contained far too much flame power, energy that ordinary individuals could never hope to collect. However, after the blood in his body merged with that of the Sacred Beast Vermilion Bird, the all-consuming characteristic of the magma pool’s flames seemed to lose its effect on him.

Suddenly, Ji Changkong’s body appeared to be of the same lineage and origin as the flames; his flesh had become a part of the fire, naturally rendering him immune to its influence.

He didn't even need to actively do anything. Merely maintaining the state of merging his body with the magma pool allowed the flame power from the pool to actively surge into him, penetrating every sinew and bone, continuously tempering his physical form, polishing and strengthening his flesh, meridians, and skeletal structure once again.

As time slipped by, immersed in the magma pool, Ji Changkong felt an increasing comfort washing over him. The initially heart-wrenching agony had vanished without a trace. He didn't know when it happened, but the middle finger of his left hand had completely regenerated; the skin and flesh had regrown. Without opening his eyes, he knew his left middle finger was sound and whole, presenting no further issues.

And so, he opened his heart, immersing himself in the magma pool, letting the power of the blood within him suckle at the flame energy in the dross without restraint.

Although his body still registered a searing heat, it was not overwhelmingly intense, remaining completely within his tolerance. He understood that this bodily scorching was the result of his internal meridians, flesh, and bones digesting the flame power, using it to forge greater physical resilience. Then, a marvelous sensation bloomed in his heart.

This flame power from the magma pool was drilling into his body, utilizing itself like a celestial artificer tempering a divine weapon. The moment this wondrous sensation manifested in his mind, Ji Changkong instantly understood.

No, those flame powers surged through his body, saturating every meridian, muscle, and bone, making his already mighty physique even more indestructible, enabling his body to adapt to any extreme heat. It was akin to infusing a divine weapon of peerless quality with some miraculously rare substance, using that substance’s unique attributes to make the weapon even sharper, granting it new properties. In terms of method or essence, this process shared a profound similarity.

Thinking thus, Ji Changkong suddenly realized that from the perspective of the Four Sacred Beasts, his so-called role as their guardian was precisely that of a divine weapon in their hands. To allow that weapon to unleash its greatest power, they had to infuse their vital essence into it, enabling the weapon to offer them greater assistance.

This notion, once it flickered into his mind, seemed impossible to dispel. Ji Changkong, floating in the magma pool, pondered for a moment, thinking to himself: Am I merely a weapon in the hands of the Four Sacred Beasts? Time flowed silently onward.

Lost in his own thoughts, Ji Changkong was abruptly startled from his reverie. He suddenly noticed that the flame forces which had flooded into his body, having tempered him entirely, were now beginning to surge toward his Divine Soul.

This sensation was deeply familiar. Back when he was in the Five Elements Heaven Realm, utilizing fire-elemental crystals according to the Limit Body Tempering Grand Art to advance the fire elemental energy within him, his spirit had also been penetrated by flames.

As this marvelous sensation emerged, Ji Changkong immediately focused his attention. Naturally, he deployed his self-created Limit Body Tempering Grand Art, following the established steps from years ago to guide the power of those flames, attempting to utilize the flame energy correctly to re-temper his Divine Soul.

Before leaving Mount Tianshan, Li Hentian had repeatedly stressed that he absolutely must obtain the power of the Vermilion Bird and utilize its flame energy to temper his Divine Soul before entering the Heart of the Sun to acquire the Nine Luminaries Life Tree. This was because the area around the Tree was saturated with Heavenly Fire; without his soul tempered by the Vermilion Bird’s flame energy, approaching the Heavenly Fire meant certain obliteration of his spirit.

Therefore, the moment this sensation surfaced, Ji Changkong was both startled and overjoyed, immediately treating the refining of his soul with this flame power as the final step in fusing with the blood.

Pushing the Limit Body Tempering Grand Art to its extreme, he forced himself to channel more flame power to circulate within his nebula-like Divine Soul, enduring agonizing, piercing pain as he step-by-step executed his plan.

A thousand feet beneath the earth in the Heart Magma Pool, he persevered, gathering every last bit of flame power that had previously surged into his body, tempering his Divine Soul over and over again.

In the magma pool, his Divine Soul even manifested externally, appearing as a crimson nebula map, radiating brilliant light and heat, which attracted copious amounts of flame power from the surrounding pool. These coalesced masses of flame energy violently rushed into his crimson, nebula-shaped soul, causing it to burn continuously like a ball of fire, emitting light and heat.

It was unclear how long this lasted.

From the ten-thousand-foot depth of the Heart of the Earth beneath the magma pool, a faint, elusive thought descended. This thought, like a flickering, minuscule star, suddenly dropped into Ji Changkong's crimson, nebula-shaped Divine Soul.

The star-like thought instantly exploded within his soul-nebula, its scattered fragments deeply imprinted upon Ji Changkong's spirit—memories so profound they could only fade if his soul completely dispersed. The Three Absolute Fires of Heaven and Earth!

Those shattered thoughts were, in fact, a method of fire control. Since the Sacred Beast Vermilion Bird governs Fire, having obtained its power, he too could skillfully command the flames between heaven and earth.

And the Three Absolute Fires of Heaven and Earth are the three most miraculous flames in existence: Heavenly Fire, Earthly Fire, and Samadhi True Fire. These three flames all possess the ability to incinerate all things, yet they possess subtle distinctions.

Heavenly Fire originates from the heavens. Only Celestial Artificers at the Eight Trigrams Heaven Realm, who have spiritually traversed the Solar Flame, can deploy it. Heavenly Fire has a terrifying destructive capability against soul-based lifeforms; simply manifesting it can completely refine and destroy a Celestial Artificer's soul.

Earthly Fire originates from the heart of the Earth’s lungs—the fundamental fire within this very magma pool. Earthly Fire can temper divine weapons, physical bodies, and spiritual medicines. If one can master Earthly Fire, they can forge weapons and medicines, or utilize it to cleanse impurities from the bodies of Celestial Artificers with poor aptitude, enabling them to undergo complete transformation.

Samadhi True Fire originates from the Celestial Artificer’s own body, stimulated through special methods using internal Yuan Power. It can burn all physical matter—even seawater, hard ice, stone, or steel. Whatever the substance, Samadhi True Fire can ignite it. In combat, if one manages to unleash Samadhi True Fire onto an opponent, and they are hit by accident, unless they immediately sever the contaminated flesh, they will quickly be engulfed and entirely burned to ash.

Samadhi True Fire, used in conjunction with Heavenly Fire, which extinguishes souls, is incredibly malevolent. If a Celestial Artificer is enveloped by both, their soul cannot escape and will be incinerated to nothingness, disappearing entirely from existence. Heavenly Fire, Earthly Fire, and Samadhi True Fire—collectively, the Three Absolute Fires of Heaven and Earth—are the Vermilion Bird’s unique method for fire control.

As the thought from ten thousand feet below shattered within Ji Changkong’s soul, revealing the cultivation method for the Three Absolute Fires of Heaven and Earth in his mind, his nebula-shaped Divine Soul once again underwent a transformation.

His soul-nebula could shift into wondrous configurations according to his will. When he attempted to sense the Three Absolute Fires, seeking to control the Earthly Fire in the magma pool according to the method, his soul suddenly restructured itself into three flames arranged in a character formation (), interconnected, with the power of the flame energy secretly flowing and nourishing the connections between them.

Greatly astonished, Ji Changkong tested deploying the Aura Divine Sect Soul Skill. The three flames instantly reverted to their nebula shape, a truly marvelous transformation.

Ji Changkong was thrilled to discover that the form of the Divine Soul could change arbitrarily, depending on what he intended to do; whatever power he wished to utilize, the soul would morph into the corresponding shape—infinitely versatile, entirely subject to his will.

This discovery excited him. He once again reshaped his soul into three connected flames and attempted to manipulate the Earthly Fire, following the profound essence of the Earthly Fire control method detailed in the Three Absolute Fires of Heaven and Earth. As he proceeded according to the principles, he found that the Earthly Fire hidden within the magma pool was being drawn out like threads, slowly separated from the molten mass. The Earthly Fire gathered together, its intensity fluctuating according to his changing will.

Suddenly, he realized that the reason this Earthly Fire, capable of melting people, could temper divine weapons and spiritual medicines was because, relatively speaking, it seemed quite docile; he could adjust its intensity as he pleased.

He understood that if he modulated the flame power of the Earthly Fire to a gentle degree, he could not only temper divine weapons and medicines but also slowly help a person purge the dross within their body. Provided he managed the heat and proceeded incrementally, it seemed he had a very high chance of burning away every impurity within a person while simultaneously tempering their meridians and bones.

Ji Changkong attempted this manipulation several times, finding that mastering the Earthly Fire required no difficulty. A wave of joy washed over him. He tried to use his Divine Soul to contact the Sacred Beast Vermilion Bird ten thousand feet below, wishing to express some measure of gratitude. Alas, as his soul penetrated the Earth’s core, he sensed a spiritual resonance emanating from within, urging him to leave quickly. He knew the Sacred Beast Vermilion Bird was ushering him out.

Stunned, Ji Changkong didn't offer further words. He slowly ascended from the magma pool, glanced down at the rolling, vaporous surface of the pool, and retraced his path.

【Ti: Dear reader, the current chapter has reached the final page of this book】