Battle Through The Heavens : I Am The Thunder Emperor

Chapter 160: Extracting the Fire Seed and Beginning the Devouring

In the bright cave, the crimson flame roared and flickered intensely. As the flames leaped, the surrounding space began to distort visibly due to the intense heat. The Vermilion Bird Skyfire Thunder in Mu Yu's hand crackled with electric snakes of lightning, emitting a destructive aura that made the air tremble.

As the heart of the Ten Thousand Beast Flame grew increasingly wild, the Snake Lord was the first to notice the change. His immense soul power quickly spread out, completely enveloping the cave and isolating the scorching heat that had suddenly surged within.

In mid-air, the crimson flame swelled with the wind, expanding its size nearly a hundredfold in the blink of an eye. A terrifying aura of countless beasts seemed to emanate from it, pressing down on everything around. However, when faced with the Vermilion Bird Skyfire Thunder, this beastly aura showed signs of dissipating.

Seeing this, Mu Yu felt a sense of understanding. The Vermilion Bird, as one of the Four Great Divine Beasts of his past life's continent, standing alongside the Azure Dragon, White Tiger, and Black Tortoise, had a bloodline that was no less powerful than that of the three super magic beast clans on the Dou Qi Continent.

In comparison, the Ten Thousand Beast Flame, ranked only twenty-second on the Heavenly Flame Ranking, had absorbed many beast bloodlines and souls, but it was its quantity that earned it its rank. In terms of quality, the beasts' levels likely did not exceed that of Dou Zong (Dou Ancestor).

This realization gave Mu Yu more confidence in his plan to have the Skyfire Thunder devour the Heavenly Flame. However, since the Vermilion Bird Skyfire Thunder had not yet reached its peak, Mu Yu couldn't help but feel more serious about the upcoming devouring process.

Fixing his gaze on the massive crimson flame in mid-air, Mu Yu took a deep breath of the scorching air, then extended his hand toward the Ten Thousand Beast Flame and unleashed a strong suction force.

Normally, this force would have easily pulled a large rock, but when used on the Heavenly Flame, it only managed to move it slowly through the air.

The short distance of just a few meters took nearly a fifth of Mu Yu's Dou Qi to close, which showed just how much energy it consumed.

As the heart of the Ten Thousand Beast Flame drew closer, its terrifying heat and beastly aura became so overwhelming that even the Snake Lord, watching from the side, showed signs of shock on his face.

To be ranked among the Heavenly Flames, the Ten Thousand Beast Flame was clearly no ordinary flame. Even a Dou Zun (Dou Venerate) would have to treat it with caution.

When the massive crimson flame stopped about a meter in front of Mu Yu, the temperature inside the cave, despite being isolated by the Snake Lord's soul power, still caused the cave's hard green granite to crack and splinter.

As Mu Yu stared intently at the massive crimson flame before him, the Snake Lord's slightly illusory body suddenly began to ripple like water. His face changed slightly as he quickly formed a hand seal, and a golden-purple light rapidly rose from within him, enveloping his body and gradually stabilizing it.

After summoning his bloodline power, the Snake Lord's form finally calmed down. He took a few steps back, his cold and sinister face now serious as he kept a close watch on the turbulent crimson flame.

"Back when I was evolving, I also devoured a Heavenly Flame. Typically, at the core of a Heavenly Flame, there's a seed—its very essence. You have to extract it," the Snake Lord explained.

Hearing this, Mu Yu furrowed his brow slightly and smiled wryly. Sticking his hand into a Heavenly Flame might as well be a death sentence to anyone else.

But as the master of the Skyfire Thunder, Mu Yu knew that the fire seed of a Heavenly Flame was akin to the lightning source of the Skyfire Thunder—only by controlling it could the devouring be completed.

After a moment of steadying his nerves, Mu Yu resolved to see this through. He had already paid a steep price for the Ten Thousand Beast Flame. If not for the unexpected intervention of the Heavenly Serpent Mansion, he might have already perished at the hands of the Lion-Headed Elder or the Black Lizard Demon Snake King.

Now, at the most critical moment, there was no turning back.

His dark eyes reflected the eerie crimson glow of the flame, casting a serious look across his handsome face. The next moment, Mu Yu's arm shot forward, plunging into the heart of the crimson flame.

As Mu Yu's arm entered the heart of the Ten Thousand Beast Flame, the Vermilion Bird Skyfire Thunder let out a cry. The electric current crackled violently, transforming into serpentine tendrils of lightning that wrapped around Mu Yu's arm, forming a protective barrier.

With this layer of protection, Mu Yu could resist the intense heat of the Heavenly Flame and safeguard his arm.

As his arm delved deeper into the heart of the Ten Thousand Beast Flame, the protective barrier of lightning began to melt away rapidly. The serpentine tendrils of lightning were incinerated one after another by the crimson flame, turning into nothingness.

Though the lightning was melting quickly, the Vermilion Bird Skyfire Thunder continued to generate new streams of lightning to replenish the barrier on Mu Yu's arm.

In this cycle of melting and repairing, Mu Yu's arm finally penetrated fully into the Heavenly Flame.

At such close proximity to the heart of the Ten Thousand Beast Flame, Mu Yu was drenched in sweat, feeling as though his entire body might melt.

Realizing this, Mu Yu focused his mind, commanding the Vermilion Bird Skyfire Thunder to form a lightning barrier around his entire body, offering some relief.

His eyes never left the turbulent crimson flame as his hand moved swiftly within it.

Without the protection of the Skyfire Thunder, this act of "retrieving the egg" from within the Heavenly Flame would have been tantamount to suicide. In the original story, Xiao Yan had managed to do something similar with the help of Yao Lao (Medicine Elder) and a fifth-tier pill called Blood Lotus Pill, which formed a protective layer on his body.

If he could, Mu Yu would have used both the Skyfire Thunder and a Blood Lotus Pill, but a fifth-tier pill was beyond his current means.

As the lightning shield continued to protect him, sweat poured from Mu Yu's forehead, evaporating into steam before it could even hit the ground.

With his face covered in sweat, Mu Yu's eyes remained fixed on the crimson flame as his hand moved tirelessly within it.

Meanwhile, the heart of the Ten Thousand Beast Flame seemed to sense Mu Yu's actions, and the crimson flame surged violently.

The surrounding space, filled with the energy of the heavens and the earth, suddenly seemed to go berserk. The beastly energy, carrying the aura of countless beasts, began to flow like a river, creating a terrifying and majestic scene.

As the heart of the Ten Thousand Beast Flame roared to life, the already scorching temperature within the cave soared even higher. The cave's walls, already cracked, began to crumble under the intense heat, with massive fissures spreading across the stone.

In a matter of moments, the entire cave was riddled with cracks, and it would have collapsed long ago if not for the Snake Lord's support.

"Not bad for a Heavenly Flame. This is only the lowest-ranked Ten Thousand Beast Flame, yet it wields such power. No wonder Xiao Yan later earned the title of Flame Emperor after devouring so many Heavenly Flames," Mu Yu mused as he glanced around the cave, which had changed drastically in mere moments.

Seeing this, Mu Yu refocused his attention on the Snake Lord, who was watching the crimson flame closely with a serious expression. Feeling Mu Yu's gaze, the Snake Lord nodded slightly and offered a reassuring smile.

Mu Yu returned the smile, but his expression quickly shifted as he sensed something within the crimson flame. He turned his attention back to the flame and focused intently on it.

His hand, still encased in the lightning shield, moved swiftly through the heart of the crimson flame. Suddenly, his arm froze, and a hint of a smile tugged at the corners of Mu Yu's mouth.

Seeing Mu Yu's reaction, the Snake Lord's sinister face showed a trace of surprise.

Back in the day, he had spent a great deal of effort searching for a fire seed, but this boy had found it in just a matter of minutes.

Gripping something solid within the flame, Mu Yu clenched his teeth, enduring the searing pain in his hand as he slowly withdrew his arm from the crimson flame.

When his arm emerged from the flame, Mu Yu opened his hand to reveal a small, writhing mass of red, like the brain of a beast, radiating an intense heat.

"So this is the fire seed of the Ten Thousand Beast Flame?" Mu Yu muttered as he stared at the small, terrifyingly hot red core in his palm.

With the extraction of the fire seed, the massive crimson flame in front of him began to shrink rapidly. Within moments, it had diminished to a small wisp, which then merged with the red core in Mu Yu's hand.

"This is the essence of the Ten Thousand Beast Flame. Don't underestimate its size. When it first formed, it was as large as half a mountain, but after thousands of years of compression, it has shrunk to this small size. Only when it reaches this size can it develop a flame spirit and be considered a true Heavenly Flame," the Snake Lord explained, eyeing the wriggling red core in Mu Yu's palm and licking his lips.

Mu Yu nodded, understanding that while the Ten Thousand Beast Flame was the first Heavenly Flame he had encountered, he was well-versed in the lore of Heavenly Flames.

"What will you do next? Will you have your Xuan Thunder devour the Heavenly Flame directly?" the Snake Lord asked, his eyes gleaming with curiosity.

"What's next?" Mu Yu frowned, staring at the red core in his left hand and the Vermilion Bird Skyfire Thunder in his right.

"Swallow it!" Mu Yu's expression hardened as he spoke.

Allowing the Skyfire Thunder to devour the Ten Thousand Beast Flame directly was far too risky. As two of the most explosive forces in nature, lightning and fire were inherently incompatible. If the Skyfire Thunder devoured the Heavenly Flame recklessly, success would be great, but failure could be catastrophic, possibly resulting in both being destroyed and even endangering his life.

In such a case, not only would the Heavenly Flame and Skyfire Thunder be lost, but the resulting explosion could flatten the entire mountain range, leaving Mu Yu with no place to rest in peace.

Mu Yu had no intention of leaving his fate to chance. He would take matters into his own hands.

As the master of the Skyfire Thunder, it was an extension of himself. If that was the case, Mu Yu would swallow the Heavenly Flame himself. Once he had become the master of the Ten Thousand Beast Flame, he could then command the Vermilion Bird Skyfire Thunder to devour it.

At that point, it would be more of a fusion than a devouring. However, the Vermilion Bird Skyfire Thunder was clearly more powerful than the Ten Thousand Beast Flame.

Even in fusion, the Skyfire Thunder would dominate, and the Heavenly Flame would serve as its fuel.

If the fusion succeeded, the Vermilion Bird Skyfire Thunder would be restored to its peak!

The Snake Lord seemed to understand Mu Yu's intentions. The golden-purple light on his body trembled, and his normally sinister face showed a hint of trepidation.

Swallowing a fire seed was something he had barely survived even as a peak Dou Huang (Dou Emperor).

No matter how tough a person's body is, the inside is always the most vulnerable. Letting something like a Heavenly Flame enter the body could be disastrous. Even a small foreign object could drive a strong fighter to despair.

Therefore, the Snake Lord was both shocked and impressed by Mu Yu's bold decision.

However, Mu Yu's idea of taking control of the risk himself was sound, but only if he had the ability to successfully devour the fire seed. Otherwise, it would only hasten his demise!

Mu Yu was aware of this as well, and a look of hesitation crossed his face.

The cave grew silent, the oppressive heat lingering as it drifted out through the cracks.

Seeing the hesitation in Mu Yu's eyes, the Snake Lord sighed softly, not disappointed in the slightest. Having experienced the process of devouring a Heavenly Flame himself, he understood the immense inner turmoil that came with this moment.

After a few minutes, Mu Yu exhaled slowly, a wry smile tugging at his lips.

Despite having faced countless dangers in his previous life, here he was, hesitating like an indecisive child. It seemed that living a few peaceful years after being reborn had softened him.

Raising the fire seed in his hand toward the Snake Lord, Mu Yu smiled lightly. "Snake Lord, let's begin!"

The Snake Lord's sinister face showed a hint of surprise at Mu Yu's sudden ease. His eyes gleamed with approval as he nodded slightly, smiling back. "You truly are a remarkable human boy. My hopes rest with you. You must succeed..."

(End of Chapter)

Friends, if you want to read chapters in advance, subscribe to my patreon.

You can also buy the book if you are only interested in reading the novel.