Crossing to Douqi Continent and walking sideways

The seven totems on the flame portal glowed faintly in the dark cave. Six of them were as bright as stars, but the lotus-shaped totem in the center was dim. Xiao Muchen stared at the black gas seeping out of the crack in the door, and the new flame in his body suddenly became restless and uncontrollably.

"Behind this door..." Chu Li's voice trembled a little, and the ancient book in her hand automatically turned to a certain page, "The Secret Book of Emperor Yan records that this is the Gate of Burning Heaven, which seals the source of the strange fire that Emperor Yan has collected throughout his life."

Lin Wan'er lightly jumped to the door and slashed the totem with her short blade: "The six lit totems correspond to the strange fire we obtained, and we are still missing the last one." Her eyes fell on Xiao Muchen, "The lotus totem in the center needs..."

"The Lotus Fire of Purification." Xiao Muchen took over the conversation, the three-colored flames in his pupils flickering slightly, "Legend has it that this is the Supreme Holy Fire that can purify all the filth in the world."

Ling Shuang suddenly stretched out her hand and pressed the door. The icy spiritual power touched the flame on the door, making a "hissing" sound: "This door has been contaminated. These black air..." She suddenly retracted her hand, and her fingertips were stained with a trace of black lines.

Ye Feng swung up the mace and was about to smash the door: "Who cares about the black and white air? Just break it open first!"

"Stop!" Xiao Muchen stopped him, "Brute force will only trigger the ban." He turned to Chu Li, "Is there any ancient book that records the method to open it?"

Chu Li quickly flipped through the pages and suddenly stopped at an illustration: "It requires seven kinds of strange fire to be injected into the totem at the same time, but..." Her voice dropped, "The Pure World Lotus Fire has been lost for a thousand years."

Just as everyone was silent, the jade on Xiao Muchen's chest suddenly emitted a soft light. He took out the jade pendant thoughtfully, and saw fine lines appearing on the jade surface, vaguely forming the shape of a lotus.

"This is..." Chu Li widened his eyes.

Xiao Muchen stroked the jade pendant gently: "It is a relic left to me by my mother, and she said it is a family inheritance." He looked at the Burning Heaven Gate with a complicated look, "Perhaps, our Xiao family has some kind of connection with Emperor Yan."

Suddenly, the door shook violently, and the black gas seeping out of the cracks in the door suddenly increased, condensing into a vague human face in the air: "Those who trespass... will die..."

The human face opened its mouth and spewed out thick black flames. Xiao Muchen flashed forward, and the three-color flames formed a shield in his palm. The two forces collided and were evenly matched!

"This black flame is even purer than the Flame Demon Elder's!" Xiao Muchen gritted his teeth and said, "Everyone retreat!"

The black-faced man let out a piercing scream, and the entire cave began to collapse. Huge rocks fell from the top, and magma gushed out from the cracks. At the critical moment, the green jade in Xiao Muchen's hand suddenly flew towards the Burning Heaven Gate and firmly embedded itself into the groove of the lotus totem in the center.

“Click—”

A crisp mechanical sound was heard, and the jade blossomed with pure white light, gradually transforming into a crystal flaming lotus. Seven totems lit up at the same time, and the Burning Heaven Gate slowly opened.

Behind the door was not the treasure pile as imagined, but a void of darkness. In the darkness, seven clusters of flames of different colors burned quietly, forming a mysterious formation. In the center of the formation, a black fire was suspended, which was the source of all the black air!

"That is..." Chu Li exclaimed, "The contaminated original fire of Emperor Yan!"

The black fire seemed to sense the arrival of everyone and suddenly began to beat violently. Countless black air poured out of it and condensed into the shadow of an old man in a black robe in the air. The old man's eyes were closed and his face was covered with strange black lines, exactly the same as the Flame Demon Elder, but even deeper and more terrifying.

"It's been three thousand years..." The old man slowly opened his eyes, revealing a pair of completely dark eyes, "I finally waited until the seven flames gathered together..."

Xiao Muchen tensed up: "Who are you?"

The old man laughed hoarsely: "I am the first master of the Soul Palace, and also..." His figure suddenly twisted, "Emperor Yan's twin brother!"

This shocking secret struck everyone's heart like a thunderbolt. The old man continued, "Back then, he was determined to use the Pure World Lotus Fire to purify the world, and I..." The black energy suddenly ran wild, "I want to let it burn everything!"

Before he finished speaking, the dark fire suddenly exploded, turning into seven beams of black light that shot towards everyone. Xiao Muchen could only block three of them in a hurry, and the other four penetrated into Chu Li, Lin Wan'er, Ling Shuang, and Ye Feng's bodies respectively!

"Ah!" The four of them fell to their knees at the same time, with black lines appearing on their faces. Chu Li grabbed his chest in pain: "It is devouring... our strange fire..."

Xiao Muchen's eyes were red with anger, and he was about to step forward to help, but was stopped by the old man's shadow: "Don't be impatient, kid. Let me show you what the real... Burning Sky's Wrath is!"

The entire space suddenly twisted, and everyone felt dizzy. When they opened their eyes again, they were already in a burning world. In the sky, two blazing suns were facing each other - one was golden and blue, and the other was as black as ink.

"Welcome to..." The old man's voice came from all directions, "My Flame Realm!"

Xiao Muchen looked up and saw two towering figures fighting. One was holding a flaming spear, and the other was controlling a black flame chain. It was a peak duel between the Flame Emperor and the first master of the Soul Palace!

"This is... the last scene from three thousand years ago." Xiao Muchen suddenly realized, "We have been pulled into the memory fragments of the fire!"

At this moment, four screams rang out at the same time. Xiao Muchen looked back and saw that the black lines on Chu Li and the other three had spread all over their bodies. The strange fire in their bodies was being forcibly extracted and turned into four beams of light that were cast towards the black sun in the sky.

"No!" Xiao Muchen flew forward, only to see the four men floating up into the air, with black flames flickering in their eyes. Chu Li turned his head mechanically, his voice becoming hoarse and unfamiliar: "Brother Xiao... hurry up..."

Before he finished speaking, the four of them attacked at the same time! Chu Li's white flame turned into chains, Lin Wan'er's golden flame condensed into a sharp blade, Ling Shuang's blue flame froze the space, and Ye Feng's green flame gave birth to poisonous vines. With the blessing of the black sun, the power of the four kinds of fire skyrocketed several times!

Xiao Muchen was caught in a dilemma, having to resist the attack while not wanting to hurt his companions. In the blink of an eye, he was covered in wounds. What was worse was that the new flame in his body began to become restless, and the purple was gradually turning black.

"Give up." The old man's voice sounded, "Your fire originally came from me. Back then, I deliberately let the seven kinds of strange fire flow into the world just for today's reunion!"

Xiao Muchen knelt on one knee, a trickle of blood flowing from the corner of his mouth. Just when he was about to collapse, the jade pendant on his chest suddenly sent a cool breeze. The green jade that had turned into the Pure World Lotus Fire actually still retained a trace of connection!

He suddenly realized: "So that's it... The Pure World Lotus Fire is not lost, but has been waiting for..."

Xiao Muchen suddenly gave up resistance and let the four people attack him. In the severe pain, he put his hands together, and the three-colored flames in his body ran in reverse, and actually began to actively absorb the black air that invaded his body!

"Are you crazy?" the old man exclaimed, "You will be killed by the backlash if you do this!"

Xiao Muchen was unmoved, instead he accelerated his absorption. When the black energy accumulated to a critical point, he suddenly opened his eyes, and the purple in his pupils became stronger: "The true meaning of Emperor Yan's inheritance... is not to purify the world..."

He pressed his hands to the ground: "It's Nirvana!"

Pure white flames gushed out from the ground, sweeping across the entire Flame Realm in an instant. The black lines on Chu Li and the other three melted away like snow in the hot sun. The black sun in the sky let out a shrill scream and began to disintegrate.

“Impossible!” The old man’s shadow twisted and deformed, “The Pure World Lotus Fire has clearly…”

"The Pure Lotus Fire has never disappeared." Xiao Muchen stood up, surrounded by pure white flames, "It has always existed in the hearts of every kind-hearted cultivator. What my mother left me was not a jade pendant..." He looked at the four people who regained their freedom in the air, "but hope."

As the last trace of black air was purified, the Flame Realm began to collapse. Everyone's eyes blurred and they returned to the cave. The Burning Heaven Gate was already wide open, with a pure golden fire suspended in the center.

Chu Li opened her eyes weakly: "We... won?"

Before Xiao Muchen could answer, the entire Endless Fire Region suddenly shook violently. Screams could be heard from afar, as if countless creatures were waking up.

"No..." Ling Shuang's face turned pale. "We purified the fire and also awakened the sleeping fire in various places in the fire area..."

"The Fire Demon Army." Xiao Muchen replied solemnly, looking at the red sky outside the cave, "The real main force of the Soul Palace is coming."