The colossal flames surrounding the chamber suddenly shifted.
With a single motion from the Infernal Abyss Beast, the fire in the palace swirled and gathered, condensing into something far more structured—far more terrifying.
Before Qin Chen, an imposing staircase materialized.
Each step was forged from eternal fire, flames that burned with hues of gold, crimson, and deep violet.
It wasn't a normal staircase.
It was a trial.
And he was meant to climb it.
The Infernal Abyss Beast's golden eyes flickered with an unreadable emotion.
"Each step represents the path of flame cultivation. The weak will falter before reaching the peak."
The temperature around the staircase surged, turning the very air into liquid fire.
"Climb," the beast said simply. "And prove that you are worthy."
Qin Chen smirked.
"You really think flames can stop me?"
Without hesitation, he took the first step.
BOOM!
The moment Qin Chen stepped forward, a burst of fire Qi surged around him.
The first layer of flames exploded outward—Basic Fire Qi, the kind that low-level fire cultivators used to temper their meridians.
It was nothing.
Qin Chen strode forward without breaking stride.
Step.
Step.
With each movement, the flames intensified.
Step 10: Mortal-Tier Fire Essence – Useless.
Step 20: Earth-Tier Fire Essence – Barely a breeze.
Step 30: Heaven-Tier Fire Qi – It didn't even make his skin tingle.
The flames swirled violently, as if attempting to consume him, but his Fire Sovereign Dao Body simply devoured them.
It was as if the trial itself was feeding him power instead of resisting him.
The Infernal Abyss Beast narrowed its golden eyes as it watched.
"As expected… the low-level flames mean nothing to him."
Qin Chen, however, was unimpressed.
"This is it?"
Then—
Step 50.
BOOOOOOM!
Suddenly, the flames around him shifted.
They were no longer just heat.
They were alive.
A golden-red inferno roared to life, twisting into sovereign flames—flames that held an unmatched will of fire itself.
Qin Chen's smirk vanished.
For the first time since entering the staircase, he felt pressure.
These flames…
They were like his own.
Sovereign Flames.
A force that should never exist naturally in the world.
And yet—here they were.
The flames weren't just trying to test him anymore.
They were trying to overwhelm him.
Qin Chen clenched his fists.
"Is that all?"
BOOOOOM!
His own flames erupted outward, golden and pure, clashing against the trial's flames with a thunderous explosion.
The entire chamber shook as the two sovereign flames collided, battling for dominance.
The staircase burned brighter, as if enraged by his defiance.
The flames surged higher, growing more violent.
The golden inferno in front of him coiled like a living beast, pressing down on him with an almost divine pressure.
Qin Chen's Fire Sovereign Dao Body reacted instinctively, his golden flames flaring higher, forming a protective phoenix-shaped aura around him.
It wasn't just a test of flame resistance anymore.
It was a battle of will.
However, the sovereign flames here were just flames, he was a real Sovereign Dao Body.
If the sovereign who had put these flames onto the trial was here, Qin Chen knew he would be done for.
But, for right now, he held the advantage.
The Sovereign Flames weren't something that could be overpowered by brute force.
They were flames that required submission.
Qin Chen narrowed his eyes.
"If you think I'll bow to you—"
BOOOOOOOOM!
His sovereign flames exploded, rising to meet the challenge head-on.
He didn't just endure them.
He dominated them.
His flames wrapped around the staircase's flames, coiling into them, devouring them from the inside out.
It was not a contest of strength anymore—it was a matter of control.
Step by step, he took the flames in, refining them, absorbing their essence into his own.
Each step made his Fire Sovereign Dao Body pulse, refining itself further.
Step 60.
Step 70.
Step 80.
By the time he reached the final step, the once raging Sovereign Flames of the trial had been completely absorbed into his body.
The staircase dimmed.
The flames had submitted.
Qin Chen took his final step, standing at the peak of the staircase.
He looked down at where he started.
There was nothing left.
He had consumed every last trace of fire.
His golden flames flickered, far stronger, far denser than before.
The Infernal Abyss Beast, who had watched the entire time, let out a slow rumble.
"…You really did it."
Qin Chen turned to face the beast, his flames still simmering around him.
"You sound surprised."
The beast chuckled, its massive form shifting.
"It was never meant to be possible."
Qin Chen raised an eyebrow.
"What do you mean?"
The beast's golden eyes flickered.
"This staircase was designed as an impossible trial—a test that no one, not even peak Saint Realm cultivators, should be able to pass."
Qin Chen frowned.
"Then why put it here?"
The beast rumbled.
"Because the one who built this place… left something behind. Something that should have been lost long ago."
A faint pulse of energy surged through the peak of the staircase.
In the air before him—something began to manifest.
A scripture of flame, its characters burning with divine radiance, floated in midair.
The Infernal Abyss Beast's voice echoed across the chamber.
"That… is the final trial reward."
Qin Chen's eyes narrowed.
A technique?
The scripture hovered before him, glowing faintly.
As Qin Chen reached out, the flames around it recognized him, sinking into his hand.
Ding!
[Congratulations! You have obtained Infernal God's Scripture!]
[This scripture contains profound insights into fire cultivation, battle techniques, and the forgotten methods of flame refinement.]
[Special Effect: Grants access to the lost Infernal God's Domain, a domain of sovereign flames that can only be summoned by those who master it.]
"The owner of this place, and my master, Daoist Ninelives, was a good friend of the Fire Sovereign. However, when he had found this technique, the Fire Sovereign had already ascended."
"This place was originally meant to be a simple inheritance land where part of the trial included having to resist the pressure of the Sovereign Flames, just the pressure, not actually devour them." It said with a smirk.
"However, scripture was useless to him at the time, so he left it here on the miniscule chance that another Fire Sovereign Dao Body would reach this place. You are the only one with some hope of actually putting the scripture to use, good luck, little one."
Qin Chen's heart pounded.
This wasn't just a battle technique.
This was a path—a divine-level scripture meant for those who could command absolute fire.
He clenched his fists.
His golden flames burned brighter than ever before.
With this…
The world had just become far too small for him.