Chapter 11: Abnormal flames
Abnormal Flames, also known as Eternal Flames or Heavenly Flames, were rare and extraordinary fires. They were not born from ordinary combustion, but from the very essence of nature and the heavens. These flames possessed a strength far surpassing mundane fire, imbued with a power that defied mortal understanding.
Their origins varied greatly. Some were said to be celestial flames sealed within meteors that had fallen from the heavens. Others emerged from the molten cores of ancient volcanoes long since extinguished. There were tales of flames appearing where ley lines of pure fire qi intersected deep beneath the earth, or in places where the boundaries between realms had ruptured due to elemental chaos. Some were even rumored to spark from the death of a phoenix or from divine lightning striking the land during a moment of cosmic imbalance.
Regardless of their origin, all Abnormal Flames shared one critical trait: for centuries, sometimes even millennia, they continuously absorbed the essence of the lands, the heavens, and the elements around them. The longer they burned, the more volatile and powerful they became.
This ever-growing potency made taming them incredibly difficult and unimaginably dangerous.
Throughout history, countless cultivators had sought to claim these flames for themselves. Most ended reduced to ash, their souls scattered to the winds. Only an exceptional few had succeeded—and some of them went on to become legends.
Even the weakest Abnormal Flame could drive the entire cultivation world into madness.
For to absorb one meant not only a tremendous increase in raw power, but also a complete transformation of a cultivator’s core essence. Their cultivation techniques would be refined, their spiritual potential amplified to unimaginable heights. To alchemists, an Abnormal Flame was the ultimate treasure. With such flames, pill-refining transcended mortal limitations; the purity, control, and heat they granted drastically increased success rates, allowing for the creation of pills far surpassing their original tiers.
Which was why...
Anyone known to possess an Abnormal Flame instantly became a target.
If they were weak, they would be hunted, assassinated, betrayed even by their own sects. But if they were strong enough to hold their ground, they became revered. Entire sects would bow before them; empires would offer titles, protection, even arrange marriages in hopes of establishing favorable connections.
Yet Abnormal Flames were so extraordinarily rare that throughout the vast lands of the Celestial Dragon Empire, only two had ever been confirmed to exist. Among those two, only one had ever been successfully tamed.
And if this cursed valley truly hid a third...