Chapter 196: Annihilation of the Divine Flame Cult · Exchange of Spirit Flame

Chapter 196: Annihilation of the Divine Flame Cult · Exchange of Spirit Flame

Gazing at the colossal fire dragon in the sky, and at Xiao Chen standing proudly in midair, Shouyuan Zhenren’s eyes flickered with dazed disbelief.

Is this truly what a prodigy looks like?

Have I been mistaken about the Southern Domain all along?

Even in this barren land, one can cultivate such a formidable spell?

Sword-bearer Zhenren’s eyes nearly popped out of his skull as he stared at the fiery behemoth above.

"A spell of this magnitude? This is a once-in-a-million talent for flame cultivation!"

He’d actually advised this young man to abandon flame cultivation for the sword path. What a ridiculous mistake!

Thankfully, Xiao Chen had ignored his advice. Otherwise, today’s battle might have lost its greatest ace.

Lei Yin Zhenren’s thoughts were simpler—pure, unbridled joy.

The Spirit Origin Sect is saved!

"Haha! Divine flame descends! So this is the legendary divine flame!"

Niejing Zhenren suddenly roared with laughter, his earlier fabricated prophecy now miraculously fulfilled. "The heavens themselves aid me! This world is destined for my dominion!"

Huh? Xiao Chen blinked, puzzled. Did this guy finally snap under pressure?

Why’s he ranting like a madman?

The others shared his confusion—until Duandao Zhenren’s expression darkened, realization dawning.

"You were born with original sin!" Niejing Zhenren pointed accusingly at Xiao Chen. "In the name of the Yellow Spring Sovereign, I hereby enact heavenly punishment! You are condemned to the Nine Infernal Realms, to eternal damnation in the Karmic Mirror Hell!"

As his voice echoed, ghostly shadows materialized across hundreds of meters. A void-like figure emerged, surrounded by the spectral aura of the Yellow Spring.

Compared to a Foundation Building cultivator’s technique, the Yellow Spring Secret Art unleashed by a Golden Core Zhenren was far more vivid. The Sovereign’s imperial crown, adorned with jade-like pendants, now revealed faint inscriptions on each orb—arcane sigils of judgment.

Simultaneously, three colossal treasure mirrors manifested before Niejing Zhenren, each standing 14.7 meters tall and 5.4 meters wide, their surfaces swirling with demonic qi linked to the Nine Netherworlds. Within them stood a shadow—identical in stature to Xiao Chen.

"Haha! Unexpected, isn’t it?" Niejing Zhenren sneered. "Two centuries of cultivation, and I’ve perfected the Eighteen Hell Techniques to the Grand Mastery Realm!"

"No prerequisites needed—I can replicate any cultivator perfectly! And I can create three manifestations at once, each matching your power!"

The battlefield fell silent.

Until now, the Karmic Mirror Hell had a flaw—it could only copy cultivation realms and spells, not spiritual artifacts. Thus, its manifestations were weaker than true Golden Core Zhenren. Even replicating a Golden Core Midstage cultivator yielded only 70% of their original might.

But Xiao Chen was an exception. His True Yang Fire Dragon was devastatingly powerful. If the replicas summoned identical dragons, the battle would become a one-sided slaughter.

The timely help had become the perfect target for the Hell Art.

Niejing Zhenren’s mockery intensified. "Xiao Chen, you’ve truly gifted me victory!"

"Today, I already had a 90% chance of winning. But with you as my material, I’m guaranteed total triumph!"

Victory, the Yellow Spring Path legacy, and the road to immortality—all within reach. Though Niejing Zhenren had lived over 300 years, he couldn’t suppress his premature celebration.

The other Demonic Dao Golden Cores joined in laughter, their spirits lightened. Meanwhile, the Orthodox Dao cultivators grew frantic.

"Quick! Withdraw your spell!" Yao Qin Zhenren urged. "Don’t let him replicate it!"

But Gongliang Master sighed. "Too late. Once the manifestation forms, it cannot be undone."

The Yellow Spring Path’s signature technique wasn’t so easily countered.

"Haha! The old fool actually understands something!" Niejing Zhenren cackled, relishing their despair.

As he spoke, the three manifestations executed hand seals, unleashing the True Yang Nine Dragon Dance. Moments later, three identical fire dragons roared into existence—each a mere 36 meters long, dwarfed by Xiao Chen’s original.

"Pfft, that’s all?" Yao Qin Zhenren scoffed, her tension easing. "Niejing, your fire dragons are so tiny."

The legendary Eighteen Hell Techniques… seemed underwhelming.

The Demonic Dao Golden Cores exchanged bewildered glances.

"Fellow Cultivator Niejing, what’s happening?" one demanded. "This technique was supposed to be our ace!"

But their confusion turned to dread as Niejing Zhenren stared blankly at the underwhelming replicas, his mind reeling.

Why?!

Two centuries of mastery, and never once did this fail!

Why now—on the most critical day of my life—does it falter?!

Refusing to accept defeat, he poured his vital blood into the technique, sacrificing years of lifespan in a futile retry. Without hextech reinforcement, the result remained unchanged.

"This… how?!" he rasped. "Why won’t it replicate his spell?!"

Desperate, he reattempted the ritual, his hair whitening as his face paled.

"Two hundred years! I spent 73,000 days perfecting this heart sutra!" he wailed. "Before every blood sacrifice, before forging a human elixir, I prayed to the Yellow Spring Sovereign!"

"I gave everything—my entire life! How could it end like this?!"

"Heaven IS Blind! I Refuse! I Refuse!"

His shriek echoed like a dying crow on a winter branch.

Normally, no one would spare a mass-murdering demonic cultivator. Xiao Chen certainly wouldn’t.

The battle turned one-sided. The Demonic Sect’s Golden Cores, outnumbered and outclassed, fell one by one.

"Xiao Chen, don’t force me!" Qianhong Zhenren threatened. "I’ll activate the Endless Blood Curse! We’ll all die together!"

His words ended as a fire dragon swallowed him whole. A crimson thread erupted from his corpse, binding to Xiao Chen’s soul—a life-link for mutual destruction.

But the Divine Veil instantly nullified the curse.

The fish died… but the net remained intact.

"Severing Blade’s Ultimate Secret: Body and Blade as One!" Duandao Zhenren transformed into a blood-red cleaver, charging at Xiao Chen with star-chasing speed.

He crashed into the Qiongtai Fire Lotus—becoming literal "severed blade."

Xiao Chen shook his head. That’s what happens when you prioritize speed over body cultivation.

Still, it reminded him—his escape techniques would improve, but body cultivation couldn’t wait. His Foundation Building Late Stage physique sufficed now, but at the Grand Mastery Realm, it’d become a liability.

"Please! Spare me!" Yaoshang Zhenren begged, tearing open her Magic Robe to reveal her voluptuous figure. "I’ll be your slave! I know so many positions—"

Achi Jin Si Leng Qi Jie Jian pierced her abdomen.

Pshk!

She stared at the protruding weapon, trembling.

Distracted by her own weakness, she died instantly.

Within half an incense stick’s time, the remaining five Demonic Sect Golden Cores fell. Poison, artifact self-destructions, escape manifestations—all failed. Xiao Chen’s escape techniques hunted every replica, real or fake.

The Divine Flame Cult’s two-century reign of terror in the Southern Domain ended in a single day.

Without Golden Core support, the remaining demonic cultivators posed no threat.

Half the crisis was over. The other half—the White Bone Demon Body—remained.

"Kill them all! Not one Demonic Cultivator escapes!"

"Time for vengeance! All Qi Family members, follow me!"

"Yao Dehai! Take a squad to reclaim Wangyan Mountain! Restart the defense formation and trap them like cornered dogs!"

After the Yuan Ci Peak battle, Xiao Chen didn’t rush to exchange his spirit flame. Instead, he helped hunt fleeing Foundation Building demonic cultivators, eradicating them by nightfall. Any survivors would be handled by lower-tier cultivators.

As night fell, the Spirit Origin Sect buzzed with celebration. Atop the peak, cultivators gathered for a feast.

Lei Yin Zhenren beamed, Gongliang Master’s joy overflowed, and Mingyue Zhenren celebrated heartily. Even Yao Hua Zhenren, who’d lost her Wan Hua Valley, relaxed for once.

"Cultivator Xiao", Sword-bearer Zhenren raised his cup, "on behalf of the entire Spirit Origin Sect, thank you for saving us today!"

As he spoke, he downed his drink in one gulp.

The others followed suit, raising their cups in turn to toast this rare victory.

The banquet hall buzzed with clinking goblets and lively chatter, the atmosphere electric with celebration.

Midway through, someone brought up Xiao Chen’s True Yang Fire Dragon, sparking a wave of praise. “Why not call him True Yang Zhenren from now on?” one suggested. “Or Fire Dragon Zhenren!” another chimed in.

Yet no one dared ask how Xiao Chen had ascended to Golden Core so swiftly, nor how he’d unleashed such a devastating spell.

Xiao Chen had prepared a stock answer about “luck” or “chance,” a habit from past breakthrough celebrations. But today, it seemed unnecessary.

Truthfully, now that he’d reached Golden Core, no one in the Southern Domain had the standing to question him. He welcomed the reprieve.

As the banquet wore on, Xiao Chen steered the conversation to his purpose in Hezhou: exchanging spirit flames with the Spirit Origin Sect and Wan Hua Valley.

He briefly recounted the situation in Li Zhou, then cut to the chase. “I won’t hide it—my Beidou Spirit Flame needs fragments of other flames to ascend.”

“This concerns the White Bone Demon Body. Might any of you fellow cultivators be willing to part with your flames?”

“Of course, I won’t ask for charity. I can offer third-tier Spirit Herbs in return.”

The Golden Core cultivators exchanged uneasy glances. Normally, aiding someone to cultivate a fourth-tier flame would threaten the region’s balance. But Xiao Chen had just slain eight Demonic Daogolden Core experts. Who could stop him now?

Refusing him would be like pretending the balance hadn’t already shifted.

Yao Hua Zhenren broke the silence first. “Cultivator Xiao, you seek these flames to combat the White Bone Demon Body—a noble cause that saves the Southern Domain. I’ll donate all three of Wan Hua Valley’s spirit flames.”

Lei Yin Zhenren scowled. Too late to claim the first gesture of goodwill, he quickly added, “Indeed! The White Bone Demon Body threatens us all. I’ll donate six flames from the Spirit Origin Sect, plus those of the Yao, Du, and Yang families.”

His rivals’ generosity left the Heavenly Mechanism Pavilion’s trio of Golden Cores flustered.

Huayang Zhenren compromised. “We’ll contribute one flame from our sect.”

Gongliang Master seized the moment. “The He Gua Pavilion will donate one as well.”

Yinxi Zhenren followed suit. “The Xiang Pavilion offers one. Three total from the three pavilions.”

Mingyue Zhenren hesitated, then sighed. “Qianzhu Bazaar’s lone flame is yours too.”

Xiao Chen blinked, stunned by their eagerness. “You misunderstand,” he interjected. “I only need five or six flames. Let’s trade fairly—I’ve no wish to profit.”

Lei Yin Zhenren waved him off. “This is a gift for the realm’s sake.”

But Xiao Chen insisted on exchanging a Gold Elemental Spirit Herb for the six flames. “I’ve no use for this herb. Let’s call it fair.”

He then offered the Five Elements Chain Loop Formation to Yao Hua Zhenren. “A defensive formation for your remaining flames?”

Yao Hua Zhenren hesitated. “A third-tier formation is worth more than three flames…”

“Use spirit stones to balance the trade,” Xiao Chen shrugged. “I’d sell the formation anyway.”

Relieved, she agreed.

Later, as the banquet dispersed, Shouyuan Zhenren’s voice echoed in Xiao Chen’s mind. “Meet me at Yuan Ci Peak’s southern slope—three hundred li south.”

Curious but unalarmed, Xiao Chen veered northwest, then doubled back.

Shouyuan Zhenren waited atop a hill. “Cultivator Xiao,” he began, “have you considered journeying to the Eastern Territory?”

Before Xiao Chen could answer, the elder launched into a tale.

Three centuries ago, a prodigy from the Spirit Origin Sect shattered Hezhou’s records, reaching Golden Core in twenty-four years at age forty.

Arrogant and ambitious, he ventured east seeking greatness. There, he glimpsed heaven-grade cultivation manuals, peerless artifacts, and spells spanning thousands of meters.

He’d thought himself atop the world—only to find himself at its foot.

A chance clash with bandit cultivators nearly killed him, saved only by a passing sect disciple. The same bandits, later crushed by a true genius, became a bitter punchline.

Returning home, he drank himself into oblivion, resenting his birth in the backward Southern Domain. Only when the Divine Flame Cult besieged his sect did he rise again.

“Cultivator Xiao,” Shouyuan Zhenren’s voice trembled, “that failure was me. You’ve shown me the truth—my weakness, not this land, was the chain. Accept this Faint Glow Cold Jade, a token of my gratitude.”

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end