The air crackled with fateful energy as Xiao Yan's steps brought him into the familiar yet estranged Poison Valley—a land thick with lethal mists and foreboding flora. However, this time, the once cautious youth walked with the quiet majesty of a Sovereign reborn. He was no longer the struggling outsider. He had returned—an Emperor of Flame in spirit and destiny.
Within the inner region of the valley, he reunited with Xiao Yixian, the woman who once stood between life and death, burdened by her Woeful Poison Body. As they confronted the dark history buried in the forest's depths, fate stirred once again. In the crumbled ruins of a forgotten Demon Saint Temple, they uncovered a quarter-section of an ancient map. It detailed the location of the Soul Demon Subduing Flame, a forbidden fire left by a long-deceased demon saint.
Xiao Yan's reborn knowledge unveiled a solution that would shift Xiao Yixian's destiny. He crafted a Poison Subduing Pill using the Nether Green Flame he had previously obtained, fused with the sixth-rank Scorpion Fire Beast Core and the Azure Lotus Fire Seeds. The concoction stabilized her Woeful Poison Body, allowing her to safely embrace her innate talents—and even pursue the path of an alchemist. With her body's condition stabilized, she began cultivating the Poison Flame Alchemy Art, dreaming anew.
Their journey continued. Yun Yun, now wandering in solitude after her break with the Mist Cloud Sect, reunited with Xiao Yan. With his new strength, Xiao Yan subdued the Amethyst Winged Lion King without killing it, taming both the lion and its cub as guardians of the Xiao Clan. Through compassion and power, he forged bonds anew—this time, without bloodshed.
As their trio traveled to the Snake-People Royal City, Xiao Yan brought forth the Azure Lotus Core Flame to assist Cai Lin in evolving her bloodline and body. Though her heart did not recognize this version of Xiao Yan, an inexplicable resonance stirred within her soul. In secret, he began laying the seeds to win her heart once more…
Meanwhile, deep within the mountain ranges between the Stone Desert City and the Black Chaotic Sea, Xiao Chen ventured through uncharted territory. He sought growth—strength that would prepare him for his four-year challenge against Nalan Yanran. Guided by instinct and the pull of the Sign-In System, he arrived before a mysterious rune embedded in a crag of chaotic ore.
Ding! Sign-In Activated at Chaos Saint Rune!
You have received:
Bodhi Enlightenment Pill – Clears mental distractions, enhances Dao comprehension, and accelerates soul evolution.
Primordial Chaos Foundation Pill – Strengthens root meridians and increases cultivation absorption tenfold.
Chaos Physique Forging Scripture – Cultivation method unique to the Chaos Divine Body. Merges Qi, Soul, and Blood into one.
Piece of the Chaos Divine Bloodline – Can activate latent ancient physique and resonate with lost laws of creation.
The inheritance awakened a spectral projection: the Chaos Saint Lord, a near Demi-Emperor powerhouse lost to time. After a brutal mental trial and a soul fusion ritual, Xiao Chen obtained the Chaos Divine Body, Chaos Qiankun Cauldron, and a preserved fragment of the Chaos Saint's will. Using the Bloodline Transfer technique, he imbued Xian'er—his contracted Divine Sky Fox—with a refined version of the Ten-Tailed Bloodline. She evolved into an Eight-Tailed Divine Sky Fox and broke through to Dou Zun.
In just three years and three months, Xiao Chen skyrocketed from Dou Ling 5-Star to Dou Huang 7-Star, breaking two major realms and several cultivation walls.
With strength rising, Xiao Chen returned to the Alchemist Association of the Central Plains to apply for his 5th-Rank Alchemist Badge—only to learn that Xiao Yan had already passed the same trial two years prior, causing waves across the continent. Even Xiao Yixian had shocked the alchemy world by attaining the 3rd-Rank Alchemist status.
As if that weren't enough, word spread of two new powers rising to challenge the dominance of alchemists.
First was the Weapon Alliance.
At the heart of its operations stood the newly established:
Heavenly Flame Forge Hall (天火铸殿 Tiānhuǒ Zhù Diàn)
Founder & Lord: Gu San (Tang San Reincarnate), 3-Star Dou Zong, Hidden Ancient Clan's heir.
Core Specialty: Flame-forged divine weaponry using Heavenly Flame Fusion and soul-infused metalwork.
Authority: Oversees all smiths; classifies weapons from Earth-rank to Divine Armaments.
Branches: Western and Northern Plains.
Even the ancient Heavenly Golden Hammer Venerate, an aging blacksmith close to Dou Zun Level 9, now followed Gu San's lead, attempting to forge a Spirit Weapon under his guidance.
Second was the Formation Tower and its new sacred haven:
Grand Formation Court (大阵天府 Dà Zhèn Tiānfǔ)
Founder: Mu Lie, Reincarnation of Nie Li, newly ascended Mu Family Patriarch.
Strength: Spatial sealing arrays, battlefield formations, soul illusions.
Ranks: From Low-Grade to Divine-Level Arrays.
Branches: Jia Ma Empire (North), Qi'an Empire (West), Killers Domain (East).
Mu Lie declined an offer from the Hidden Thunder Clan, choosing instead to unify the exiled Mu branch families into a sovereign clan. Ten days prior, several peak Dou Zun-level Earth Array Masters joined forces under Mu Lie's guidance to break into Heavenly Grade—thus founding the Formation Tower and giving birth to a new divine-class profession.
With his brother leading alchemy, Gu San mastering weaponry, and Mu Lie reshaping array traditions, Xiao Chen's path—shaped by chaos and flame—now stood at the threshold of legacy and destiny. Only one year remained until the duel with Nalan Yanran, and he would be ready.
But in the shadows of these rising stars… darker tides began to stir.