Ranked First Among Heavenly Flames, the Devouring Void Sacred Flame!

Su Xuan shook his head. He figured Li Guanqi had probably only sensed that something was amiss and felt a degree of suspicion. As for the deeper meaning behind it, the boy most likely did not know. At the thought, Su Xuan could not help but sigh wistfully. "He has had a sharp mind ever since he was a boy. Does he intend to wait until the very end to ask me...?" Yet just as Li Guanqi returned to the First Domain, a thunderous voice suddenly resonated across the entire Immortal Burial Realm! "Within three days, everyone must evacuate the Third Domain!" "No one may enter the Third Domain, and cultivators from the Fourth Domain may not descend!" Su Xuan's voice reverberated through the whole Immortal Burial Realm. No one knew what had happened, but neither did anyone offer resistance. Only a few people with keen intentions had a flicker in their eyes upon hearing the announcement. Li Guanqi murmured softly, "It looks like it's about to begin." The corners of his mouth curved slightly. Turning around with a sweep of his sleeves, he whispered in his heart: *Then...* *Step right into the trap!* Turning, Li Guanqi left behind only a dashing silhouette atop the White Jade Tower. That very night, a shadowy figure violated the Realm Lord’s verbal command, quietly sneaking into the Third Domain! At this moment, the fire-element spiritual energy throughout the entire Third Domain had run completely amok, turning the realm into a boundless sea of fire. Volcanoes erupted, and rivers formed of crimson magma flowed sluggishly everywhere. The blistering heat felt as though it could incinerate all of creation! The annihilating void was constantly crumbling, and the shadowy figure held out for only a few breaths before quietly retreating. A pair of eyes silently watched without saying a word. They allowed the shadowy figure to slip away undisturbed, and even when it reached the mysterious stone pillar in the Second Domain, no one moved to stop it. Just like that, the news was quietly transmitted outside. *** Ethereal Immortal Domain. In an utterly unremarkable town, an old man in the twilight of his years sat at his doorway in a daze. The sunset bathed his figure, and his slightly hunched frame trembled. With a withered hand, he shut the door and walked to a stone pillar in the backyard, giving it a gentle stroke. "This flame aura..." The old man's turbid eyes suddenly turned bright, and he murmured under his breath, "So this is what you prepared for him all along?" "Indeed, a heaven-sent stroke of fortune..." Yet upon second thought, the old man flipped his wrist and retrieved another spatial transmission talisman. "Now that the Third Domain is sealed off, someone is bound to be keeping watch. Even if it isn't Ling Tianchen, it would be the Four Kings." "How could such vital intelligence be gathered so easily?" The old man's eyes flickered, showing none of his earlier decrepitude. He slowly sat down on a chair, eyes narrowing into slits as his fingers lightly tapped the tabletop. "They want to lure me out..." "Has Li Qingchan turned traitor? Otherwise, how could she have obtained this intelligence so effortlessly?" "Or did they already notice something and deliberately lay a trap to leak this information?" At this thought, the old man slowly closed his eyes. Countless thoughts raced through his mind, yet he still could not fathom Li Qingchan's current situation. Within the blink of an eye, however, a plan formed. He issued a command to Li Qingchan, disclosing a crucial detail regarding the next step of his scheme. Having done all this, the old man's posture gradually straightened. In an instant, he transformed into a tall, slender young man. He wore an embroidered purple-black robe, its sleeves traced with golden thread depicting mist-shrouded mountains and rivers. His long black hair was tied back with a simple black silk ribbon, leaving a single loose strand drifting across his forehead. He had fair skin, handsome features, and deep eyes that resembled dark, starry expanses. In his hand, he lightly unfurled a folding fan painted with a hideous demonic face. Having restored his true form, a faint smile played at the young man's lips. His voice was soft and slightly high-pitched—neither rugged nor overly masculine, yet not piercing or feminine either. He seemed just like an eighteen- or nineteen-year-old scholar reciting poetry with youthful vigor. "What a clever trap to invite the guest into the jar. I only wonder... can you truly bear to part with the bait?" In truth, by this point, Gu Xici had already begun to regard Li Qingchan and all the pieces in the Seventh Domain as expendable. However... This time, not only had Li Guanqi cast bait for him, but Su Xuan had also cast bait... The crucial point was that Su Xuan's bait was simply too grand... So grand that it could grant him the power to break free from the control of that person above! To him, the temptation was nearly fatal. The corners of Gu Xici's mouth curved upward. With a wave of his hand, he tore open a spatial rift within the unremarkable courtyard and stepped through. A faint, indistinct voice echoed from the rift: "Then... let's cross swords." "It is time for me, Gu Xici, to stake my life in pursuit of my true self." With those words, the spatial rift snapped shut, leaving the courtyard looking as though nothing had ever transpired. *** Yet right after Gu Xici concealed his presence, far away in the Realm of Celestial Spirits, Li Qingchan's expression changed drastically! She knew that right now, she could not afford the slightest rash move. Now that her clone was merged into one with her, she knew that Gu Xici's test had arrived after all... And for now, she could only wait inside the Mortal Sojourner tavern, watching the passage of time. She waited for the curtain to fall on the final outcome... Whether it would be good or bad, she could not say. In the past, she would not have felt the slightest dread or fear toward such uncertainty. Back then, she had harbored no hope whatsoever for the future. Whether she lived or died simply did not matter. Yet things were different now... Someone had walked into her heart. *I want to live.* She wanted to truly live in this mortal world! Li Qingchan leaned against the counter and sighed softly, her beautiful eyes scanning the street outside, though she failed to spot that familiar figure. *** Three days slipped by in a flash. The Mortal Sojourner tavern did not open its doors today. This was hardly unusual, as Li Qingchan occasionally had to venture out to purchase supplies and brew wine within the shop. Thus, it aroused no suspicion. Li Qingchan changed into a black robe that concealed her figure and aura. Just then, an indistinct, colorful streak of light flashed and vanished. *** White Jade Tower. Li Guanqi stepped out of the White Jade Tower alongside Ye Feng and the others. Meng Wanshu had taken advantage of her momentum and begun preparing to break through to the Tribulation Transcendence realm in one go. Consequently, only Li Guanqi, Ye Feng, and a few others were together this time. A gentle breeze brushed against them. Li Guanqi smiled, greeting passing cultivators. On his wrist, the bracelet formed by Jiuxiao slightly cracked an eye open before shutting it again. The party of six headed straight for the Third Domain's gate of light. Little did they know that the moment they entered the gate, a spatial ripple so faint as to be undetectable flashed and faded. At the same time, beneath the sea of fire in the Third Domain, within the magma, a palm-sized spatial rift slowly cracked open! Danger... was quietly creeping toward them. Li Guanqi's eyes flickered with light. Turning to the group, he said, "This time... I expect it will take quite a while. Once I go in, head back first." No sooner had his voice fallen than the flames of the entire Third Domain surged violently skyward. Even those among them possessing heavenly flames could barely withstand the blinding, all-consuming fire. A plume of purple-black flame shot straight into the sky! It condensed into a flame spirit roughly a zhang in size! With eyes blazing with violet light, it possessed an almost humanoid shape, yet carried an air of extreme arrogance. Cao Yan narrowed his eyes, murmuring in breathless awe: "Ranked first among heavenly flames, the Devouring Void Sacred Flame..."