Nie Kong sat cross-legged on the ground, his body blazing red, as if fire were consuming his skin and even his hair.

Blazing waves of heat rolled outward from Nie Kong in all directions. Within a radius of tens of meters, the lush vegetation had completely withered; the innermost circle closest to Nie Kong was scorched black, turning to ash that drifted away at the slightest disturbance.

As for the Phantom Eagle King, it had long since retreated several hundred meters away.

“Mouth!”

Guo Xin, Lan Ling, and Qing You stared at each other, their faces etched with shock and uncertainty.

“It’s alright, everyone, don’t worry.”

Tai Yan finally snapped out of her daze, beaming widely. “My brother is absorbing the Heavenly Fire from the lower volume of the ‘Chaos Jade Scroll.’ He’ll return to normal once he stops the absorption.”

As she spoke, Lan Ling and the others simultaneously realized this, letting out sighs of relief, their faces breaking into joyful smiles, though a thread of curiosity now laced their gazes.

They had all witnessed Nie Kong’s actions along the way. They had expected him to refine the Heavenly Fire only after returning to the Celestial Spirit Continent, not to begin so soon. Following Tai Yan’s direction, Lan Ling and the others dispersed around the area, observing Nie Kong while remaining vigilant of their surroundings.

Nie Kong’s current activity was too intense, and since they were near the edge of the Immortal Qin Sea, there was a real risk of attracting the powerful Sea Clan experts from that region; caution was paramount.

“Mouth!”

His acupoints vibrated, ceaselessly drawing the Heavenly Fire from the ‘Chaos Jade Scroll’ into his body. Nie Kong remained still as water, his spirit virtually undisturbed.

After twenty days of gentle nurturing, the lower volume’s Heavenly Fire, though still lacking the gentleness of the upper volume’s fire, had shed its “savage” nature. After deep consideration, Nie Kong had finally decided to absorb and refine it immediately. Consequently, the moment he sensed Tai Yan returning to the area, Nie Kong initiated the process.

Two or three minutes later, the Spirit God Acupoint was filled with the Heavenly Fire of the “Chaos Heavenly Fire.”

Guided by Nie Kong, the continuous surge of Heavenly Fire began pouring into the Nine Nether Stars, filling them one by one. Another two or three minutes passed, and all nine Nether Stars reached their limit.

Next, the Heavenly Fire entered the Mind Image of the “Violet Luo Illusionary Spirit Incense” between his brows!

Not long after that Mind Image filled, the Heavenly Fire was directed into the Sea of Qi’s “Blood Prison Carving King Tree” Dharma Aspect… Once the Dharma Aspect was also completely filled, the Heavenly Fire flooded into the wide channels of his meridians.

Roughly five minutes later, all the meridians were saturated.

“The ‘Chaos Heavenly Fire’ in the lower Jade Scroll is several times stronger than the upper volume’s!”

As the last sliver of Heavenly Fire squeezed into his meridians, Nie Kong secretly let out a breath of relief. If there had been any more of this Heavenly Fire, his body could not have contained it; the current amount was just right. Deprived of its fiery support, the lower “Chaos Jade Scroll” finally fulfilled its purpose and dissolved into the Pet Backpack.

Nie Kong’s focus completely withdrew from the Pet Backpack, returning to his own body.

Now, Nie Kong’s body was like a blazing furnace, his Spirit God Acupoint, the Nine Nether Stars, the Mind Image, the Dharma Aspect, and all his meridians were saturated with “Chaos Heavenly Fire.”

What he intended to do was not merely refine the Heavenly Fire, but to use his body as the crucible and the Chaos Heavenly Fire as the flame, fusing all the power within him into one. This approach was somewhat risky, but cultivation was inherently an act against heaven, and he had undertaken numerous risks in the years he had been in this world.

“Begin!”

With a thought, the “Chaos Heavenly Fire” quietly dormant in his acupoints, Nether Stars, Mind Image, Dharma Aspect, and meridians simultaneously erupted into roaring flames.

In that instant, it felt as if his entire body was being roasted in intense fire. Even Nie Kong’s body, tempered by the Six Heart Drum War Sound, could barely withstand it. A tearing, soul-piercing pain erupted from every cell and every nerve within him, causing Nie Kong’s face to twitch violently.

“Hoo!”

Heatwaves, growing ever more violent, surged out of his pores like a raging gale, rippling outwards.

Sensing this surge in heat, the Phantom, Lan Ling, Gourd, and Qing You successively retreated another hundred meters. Only Tai Yan remained rooted to the spot, her beautiful eyes never leaving Nie Kong. Initially, she thought Nie Kong was merely absorbing the Heavenly Fire, but now it seemed the reality was far more complex than she had imagined.

However, Tai Yan felt no profound worry; she possessed a blind faith in Nie Kong’s ability to succeed at whatever he set out to do. Her only task now was to stand guard alongside Lan Ling and the others, protecting Nie Kong from any form of disturbance during his cultivation.

Hoo! Hoo?

The Heavenly Fire roared within his body, seemingly intent on utterly incinerating Nie Kong’s physical form.

The excruciating pain crashed over him like waves, battering his flesh and stimulating his soul, wave after wave. Nie Kong remained firm as iron, allowing his muscles to writhe and contort, stubbornly holding on. Large beads of sweat erupted from his pores but were instantly vaporized by the heat radiating outward.

Time ticked by, each second feeling like an agonizing year for Nie Kong.

For a Spirit Master of Nie Kong’s cultivation level, there were numerous ways to alleviate physical pain, but the sensation of his soul being burned by the fierce flames was unavoidable. Currently, Nie Kong was like a soul trapped in a fiery hell, his body being scorched again and again by the “Chaos Heavenly Fire.”

This immense torment did not cause Nie Kong to lose consciousness; rather, it kept his awareness sharper and calmer than ever before.

He understood precisely what this process signified.

The tempering by the Six Heart Drum War Sound in the Nether Earth had laid the foundation for Nie Kong’s body to cultivate the “War God Star Seal.” Now, this tempering by the “Chaos Heavenly Fire” was even more potent than the Six Heart Drum War Sound. After this ordeal, not a single impurity would remain within Nie Kong’s body. At that point, it would be difficult for even the Divine Spirits like Marquis Wu to injure his body, let alone the ninth-rank experts of the Divine Void Realm.

Crimson flames billowed, and Nie Kong’s body began to undergo a strange transformation.

His muscles, bones, organs, blood… they started to turn translucent. Within his entire form, it seemed only clusters of raging fire remained. The heat remained fierce as before, but the unrelenting sense of pain began to gradually subside, disappearing entirely after a short while.

At this moment, Nie Kong felt an extraordinary sense of clarity.

This clarity wasn't just limited to his meridians but encompassed his entire physical form. It was as if small water pipes, previously carrying trickles of water and only the width of a finger, had suddenly been replaced by conduits as thick as water barrels, instantly increasing capacity several tens of times over; or as if a punch that could previously exert only one hundred kilograms of force could now unleash several thousand kilograms—this subtle feeling, understood intuitively rather than spoken, was profoundly wondrous, leaving Nie Kong feeling refreshed and invigorated.

Sweetness after bitterness!

The physical tempering was finally complete!

Nie Kong’s focus did not relax in the slightest; successfully tempering the body was only the first step, the foundation for fusing his power with the “Chaos Heavenly Fire.” What followed was the truly critical moment.