Under the crushing pressure of the death energy, the Nether Fire surged violently, its searing aura rolling out like waves. Sensing the fierce activity within his right palm, Nie Kong’s heart remained perfectly calm.

No construction without destruction; to build anew after breaking apart! Nie Kong’s plan was to annihilate the original flame seed and then reforge a new one using this purest Nether Fire. If successful, Nie Kong could then absorb the dense death energy from the Fire Source without restraint.

With the "War God Star Seal," the "Life Barrier," a body tempered by the "Heart Drum Battle Sound," and even the War Clan's supreme treasure, the "Blood Spirit Jade Diagram," held by Zhan Feihong, Nie Kong wasn't concerned about his safety; his only worry was whether the flame seed could be successfully condensed a second time.

For a Nether Alchemist, there was only one chance to condense a flame seed. If the seed collapsed and was destroyed, the foundation for refining Nether Pills would be lost forever. If they didn't know about the "Nether Sea Fire Source," losing the seed would be the end of it, but since he still needed to cultivate here, caution was essential.

However, once the flame seed truly collapsed, Nie Kong worried no more.

To be precise, although Nie Kong's flame seed had fractured, it hadn't dissipated; instead, it was entirely absorbed by the "Life Barrier" along with the heat emitted by the surging Nether Fire. This meant Nie Kong still possessed the foundation for condensing a second flame seed.

With this foundation, coupled with the experience Nie Kong had accumulated previously, the subsequent steps became significantly easier for him. Moreover, due to the "Life Barrier," the Nether Fire in his right palm now contained a rich vitality, meaning Nie Kong didn't need to imbue it with life force himself.

"Boom!"

With a thought from Nie Kong, a powerful wave of heat exploded outward, and immediately, a crimson glow shone through the skin of his right palm. Following this, guided by the life energy, the heat and the surging death energy rapidly merged, and the crimson glow on Nie Kong's right palm quickly receded.

Then, under Nie Kong's meticulous control, the heat agitated in waves, and each fusion with the death energy was extremely brief. The speed at which the crimson light flashed on Nie Kong's right palm was equally swift, almost comparable to the final moments of condensing the original flame seed.

Zhan Feihong, who had noticed the signs of flame seed condensation in Nie Kong's right palm, had initially expressed full confidence, but inside, he still held a degree of worry. Seeing this scene, the slight apprehension in Zhan Feihong's chest vanished without a trace.

"I knew it. This kid is definitely going to succeed," Zhan Feihong exclaimed happily. Although the area glowing crimson was confined to Nie Kong's right palm, and the speed of flashing already surpassed the first attempt, the underlying process was identical to the first condensation.

"How could you be so sure?" Zhan Baisong couldn't help but laugh.

"Feihong should be right."

Zhan Baige involuntarily nodded. Looking at the flashing crimson palm, he and Zhan Feixing and the others recalled Zhan Feihong’s descriptions of Nie Kong condensing the flame seed, and their confidence in Nie Kong succeeding again rose by several levels.

The old man from the Duntian Sect had only managed to temper his flame seed using the Nether Fire here to become the only Pill King in the Nether Land. Nie Kong, however, was taking a step further, directly recondensing his flame seed with this location's Nether Fire—an achievement no one had accomplished in two thousand years.

If Nie Kong continued his efforts, he was destined to forge a glory far surpassing that of the Pill King. For a moment, several of them were overcome with emotion, especially the four high-tier Nether Alchemists: Zhan Baige, Zhan Feihong, and the others.

Among the Nether Land’s supreme sects, the Zhan Clan’s alchemy standard was quite good, and they had produced several supreme-tier Nether Alchemists historically. Yet, compared to the Duntian Sect, there remained a significant gap. Surpassing the Duntian Sect had always been the fervent aspiration of successive generations of Zhan Clan Nether Alchemists. Now, the performance of Nie Kong, an adopted disciple, offered them a tangible hope; how could they not feel intensely motivated?

After a long pause, the crowd finally calmed down. Zhan Baisong and Zhan Baifeng, the highest-ranked among them, constantly monitored their surroundings, while Zhan Baige, Zhan Feihong, and the other two closely observed Nie Kong’s condition, ensuring they could intervene to prevent any mishap.

Time quietly slipped away, and the speed of the crimson light flashing in Nie Kong's right palm grew even faster.

"Boom!"

"Boom!"

"..."

The explosive sounds within Nie Kong's right palm gradually weakened, and the radiating heat diminished. The final moment of the flame seed taking shape was approaching. Nie Kong’s mind quieted as the solidified but unscattered death energy in his right palm began to contract and gather towards his palm center.

Gradually, a flame the size of a grain of rice manifested near the skin of Nie Kong’s palm. As the death energy continued to compress, the flame slowly expanded until, at the very instant the crimson light on Nie Kong's right palm ceased flashing, the flame imprinted itself onto his palm like a birthmark.

"The flame seed has finally condensed successfully again!" Nie Kong let out a breath, sensing the state of his right palm, a trace of irrepressible joy blooming on his face.

Flame seeds condensed from different Nether Fires indeed possessed fundamentally different qualities. If the Nether Fire beneath the Pill King Tower was a young girl, the Nether Fire at the "Nether Sea Fire Source" was equivalent to the mother of several young girls. The gap between them was self-evident.

Excluding the dense death energy here, in terms of pure Fire Spirit elemental energy alone, this Nether Fire could absolutely rival the ultimate fire spirit element 'Blazing Spirit Fire' absorbed by Hong Ling. Refining Nether Pills with such a flame seed would yield far superior results compared to an ordinary seed.

Of course, alchemy was secondary; the most crucial aspect was that with this seed, Nie Kong could absorb the death energy here at will without sustaining injury.

In a flash of thought, Nie Kong felt an urge to try circulating the "War God Star Seal," but Zhan Feihong's urgent voice rang out beside his ear: "Kid, quickly, quickly, let us see this newly condensed flame seed of yours."

Hearing this, Nie Kong chuckled softly.

Compared to his own thoughts, for Zhan Feihong and the other Nether Alchemists, condensing a new flame seed and gaining superior alchemy capabilities were the primary concerns. Utilizing the death energy here for cultivation was merely a pretext—a catalyst for him to venture to the "Nether Sea Fire Source."

Despite their differing priorities, Nie Kong was deeply grateful to Zhan Feihong and the others. Throughout the journey, these Eighth and Ninth-Rank Black Spirit Masters had done their utmost to protect him. Furthermore, without them, Nie Kong would likely still be struggling to cultivate in the Zhan Clan's Nether Spirit Valley, unable to find such a miraculous place to train.

It was best to make them happy now.

The thought flashed through his mind, and Nie Kong smiled as he opened his eyes. Zhan Feihong was already eagerly grabbing Nie Kong's right hand, only to see that his palm was flushed crimson, the flame imprint nearly dominating the entire hand.

Zhan Baige and the others quickly gathered around.

The moment the crimson seal entered their sight, they couldn't help but gasp in surprise. They hadn't expected Nie Kong's newly condensed flame seed to be so... immense.

Nie Kong's flame seed truly deserved the descriptor "immense." Among the four high-tier Nether Alchemists at the "Heart of Flames," Zhan Feihong possessed the largest flame seed, yet it was only the size of a thumb, even smaller than Nie Kong’s previous seed.

Nie Kong's new seed was more than ten times larger than Zhan Feihong's.

For Nether Alchemists, a larger seed was always better. A larger seed meant absorbing more Nether Fire, and more death energy could be channeled through the seed during alchemy. It was rumored that the Pill King's seed had also expanded considerably after tempering, taking up nearly half a hand.

"Good! Good! Good!"

Zhan Feihong was overjoyed, admiring the print on Nie Kong's palm repeatedly. "It's much larger than the old man from the Duntian Sect’s seed, and yours was condensed from the purest Nether Fire here. Perhaps it will hold unique advantages when refining pills."

Having said that, Zhan Feihong smiled so broadly his mouth almost couldn't close.

When Nie Kong first arrived, his arrogant demeanor made Zhan Feihong wish he could smash his head into a pig's snout. But in just a few days, Zhan Feihong found Nie Kong increasingly agreeable; even if Nie Kong behaved even more outrageously now, Zhan Feihong felt it was only natural.

"Not bad. It’s a pity there are no medicinal herbs here, nor a medicine cauldron, otherwise, we could test it immediately."

"Since the flame seed is successfully condensed, let’s hurry back to War God Mountain. Or, once we leave the Nether Sea, we can find the nearest sect and request some herbs and a cauldron."

"That’s right, I’m already a bit impatient."

"..."

Several people spoke over one another, eager to immediately place herbs and a cauldron before Nie Kong to witness the spectacle of alchemy using the new seed. Nie Kong, however, listened with amusement, realizing they had all selectively forgotten the true purpose of his coming to the "Nether Sea Fire Source."

Nie Kong couldn't help but cough deeply and looked at Zhan Feihong, who was showing the most eagerness. "Third Uncle, you seem to have forgotten something."

"Hmm?"

Zhan Feihong paused, a large question mark hanging on his face.

Seeing Zhan Baige and the others look equally bewildered, Nie Kong could only smile and remind them, "This is an excellent place for cultivation. Even the Zhan Clan's Nether Source might not compare. If I cultivate here, perhaps I won't even need a full year to break through to the Sixth Rank!"

"Ah? Oh, oh... well..."

Zhan Feihong snapped out of his daze, suddenly recalling the words he used to entice Nie Kong to the "Nether Sea Fire Source." He couldn't help but manage an awkward smile. Allowing Nie Kong to cultivate here was fine, but the thought of having to wait so long before witnessing Nie Kong's flame seed made him feel as if he were being scratched by a cat’s claws.

Stuttering for a moment, Zhan Feihong’s eyes darted around, and he chuckled dryly, "Ahem, kid, you don't know this yet, but in nine days, this 'Heart of Flames' will sink, and it will take at least nearly three months before it resurfaces. Why don't you return with us first to learn Nether Pill refining, and then a few of us will personally escort you back here to cultivate in three months?"

Upon hearing this, the expressions of everyone nearby became somewhat strange. Nie Kong smiled cryptically. "Third Uncle, I think you have it backward. If I recall correctly, this 'Heart of Flames' will sink in about three months, and it will only remain submerged for nine days."

"How do you know?"

Zhan Feihong was stunned, immediately puffing up his cheeks in anger. "That little brat Zhan Tianlun must have told you!" Nie Kong smiled without speaking, and under Zhan Feihong's fierce glare, he sat down cross-legged on the "Heart of Flames"...