Eternal Heavenly Emperor-Chapter 404 - 394: Fusing with the Spiritual Fire
Chu Hao fully stimulated his physique, with each cell transforming into a Flame Furnace, burning vigorously as if it could scorch the heavens and boil the earth.
This was not an impossible feat. Those with a fully developed fire physique could incinerate seas with a mere wave of their hand, and those with a fully developed frost physique could leave behind thousands of miles of ice wherever they passed, truly powerful beyond natural reason.
Or rather, the emergence of such a physique was in itself a gift from the operations of heaven and earth.
Humming sounds thrummed as his entire being became a flame. What was strange, however, was that his clothes remained completely undamaged, raising suspicions that the flames were perhaps just an illusion. But should anyone dare to touch them, they would definitely be burnt to cinders without doubt.
In the astonished gazes of He Luo and the Barbaric Girl, they saw the Heaven and Earth Spirit Fire actually hopping and jumping towards Chu Hao.
He Luo instinctively wanted to intervene. Although most heavenly objects lacked power, such beings possessed unique ultra-abilities. The Spiritual Fire, for example, held immense heat. Even a War Venerate, upon encountering one, would have to be extremely cautious to avoid being scorched.
Chu Hao was merely a Warrior, and should the Spiritual Fire touch him, he would definitely not be able to endure it.
But then he remembered that Chu Hao had said earlier he only needed his protection, so he forcefully restrained the urge to act, yet he still couldn’t help his immense worry. What if Chu Hao had miscalculated? After all, he was just a Warrior; could he possibly be more knowledgeable than He Luo himself?
The Barbaric Girl, however, found it quite amusing that the fire actually formed the shape of a rabbit. It was so entertaining.
The Spiritual Fire reached Chu Hao’s side but did not merge with him immediately as he had thought. Instead, it circled around him as if inspecting him.
"The Spiritual Fire is checking whether you’re qualified to merge with it," Fat Cat explained via Divine Sense transmission from the side. "Don’t move, continue stimulating your physique."
Chu Hao stood still, his body wrapped in chaotic flames. Green flames danced in his eyes, casting a pale green hue over his entire figure.
Swoosh, at that moment, the Spiritual Fire suddenly leaped towards Chu Hao, entering directly through the crown of his head and disappearing cleanly in an instant.
"Ah!" He Luo couldn’t help but exclaim softly, but seeing that Chu Hao was still standing perfectly fine, he finally breathed a sigh of relief.
Chu Hao, however, had collapsed to the ground. The Heaven and Earth Spirit Fire spread throughout his body, splitting into countless tiny particles and entering each of his cells.
Inside him, mysterious changes were occurring that were beyond words and explanations, but he had one clear realization: his Flame Furnace had grown even more vigorous.
The stronger the Flame Furnace, the faster he could refine energy, and the more powerful the blade of flames he could form.
He felt a strong heat. Although the Spiritual Fire had dispersed into countless particles, each granule possessed a terrifying high temperature, so intense that even his supreme yang physique could barely bear it. His body’s moisture evaporated instantly, and he rapidly became withered and desiccated.
He Luo paced back and forth anxiously. Having never fused with Spiritual Fire nor witnessed anyone else do it, he had no idea what the process entailed. Seeing Chu Hao gradually take on the appearance of a mummy, he could no longer remain seated.
This was the He Family’s future Family Head, and possibly someone who could break the Gu Clan’s curse to become a War God. If something were to go awry under his watch, how could he ever face the ancestors of the He Family?
Chu Hao’s body grew increasingly desiccated, as if all his blood and fluids had completely evaporated, leaving nothing but skin and bones, looking even worse than the destitute refugees in the slums. If not for witnessing this transformation firsthand, it would be impossible for any acquaintance to recognize him.
Fortunately, his aura remained strong, and there was a vigorous vitality about him that kept He Luo from intervening. Nevertheless, he was too anxious to remain still, pacing back and forth while constantly rubbing his hands together in a state of impatience.
One day, two days, three days—Chu Hao lay motionless like a corpse, but on the fourth day, his body suddenly released a terrifying heat wave that caused He Luo’s complexion to change dramatically. He quickly moved in front of the Barbaric Girl and raised his hand to form a Star Force shield.
Boom, the heat wave surged past, fearsomely powerful. 𝗳𝗿𝐞𝕖𝘄𝗲𝕓𝗻𝚘𝚟𝕖𝐥.𝚌𝕠𝕞
Fat Cat had already hidden far away, with its clever and slippery instincts, how could it possibly allow itself to be in danger?
The Barbaric Girl poked her head out from behind He Luo and shouted in cheer: "Chu Hao, you’re finally alive again!"
Indeed, Chu Hao slowly propped himself up, having awakened from his meditative state.
"Young Master, have you succeeded?" He Luo asked with some excitement. Fusing with Spiritual Fire was something only a War Venerate could achieve, like an Elemental Transformation. But to fuse with Spiritual Fire in the Warrior Realm, what kind of terrifying power could that lead to?
Chu Hao nodded with a smile, saying, "I was lucky to succeed." As he spoke, even he couldn’t believe how hoarse his voice sounded. He raised his hand to look, and was immediately startled. Had he turned into a dried-up mummy?
"Hahaha!" The Barbaric Girl burst out laughing.
Chu Hao took out some clean water and guzzled it down, no wonder he felt both hungry and thirsty—his body had withered to a mummy.
After downing two jars of water, his body immediately plumped up at a visible speed, his skin quickly recovering its elasticity, like top-quality jade stone emitting a faint clear luster.
"Young master, after merging with the Spiritual Fire, how much has your combat power increased?" He Luo asked curiously.
Chu Hao flicked his right hand, and a flame blade appeared in his fist immediately, blue with a tinge of purple, but still mostly blue.
His physique had greatly improved.
"Blue, green, purple, yellow, orange, red, black—the change in flame colors represents the enhancement of your physique. If you reach pure black, then your physique will have stepped into the second flow. But whether you can go further and become a true Taiyang Body depends on your own effort. Merging with more heavenly materials and earthly treasures is useless. By then, the Taiyang Body will return to its Origin, and the black flames will morph into an invisible domain, because the Taiyang Body ultimately isn’t a flame physique," Fat Cat transmitted via divine sense.
"So, what flow does my physique correspond to now?" Chu Hao couldn’t help but be curious. As he advanced in levels, he became more and more aware of the importance of physique.
"Barely 15th flow. Once the flame turns completely purple, you will be at the 14th flow," Fat Cat thought for a moment and said, "Don’t get too happy too soon. Your physique is weak right now, and this was your first merger with the Spiritual Fire, which is why there was such a significant improvement. In the future, even merging with five Spiritual Fires will only be able to raise your physique by one level."
"After that, it might take ten, twenty, or even fifty more to raise your physique by another level."
Chu Hao nodded. The 15th flow was already strong; previously, eating the Thousand Illusion Fruit only raised his physique from the 20th to the 18th flow. However, the Thousand Illusion Fruit had improved all aspects of his physical qualities, whereas merging with the Spiritual Fire only seemed to enhance the capacity of his Flame Furnace while also increasing the destructive power of his flame physique. His cultivation hadn’t made dramatic leaps and bounds.
Fortunately, he had just undergone the Ancestral Pool baptism, and his cultivation was already in a period of rapid growth. If it soared further upon this foundation, he might encounter trouble.
Too fast wasn’t necessarily a good thing.
"Let’s go, leave this place and seal it off completely. There is an extremely terrifying existence sealed under this stele. If it were to be released... the entire Sky Martial Star would be devastated!" Chu Hao said.
He Luo couldn’t help but be alarmed. At his level, what was being cultivated was no longer oneself, but the great Tao of heaven and earth. And with the great Tao came the concept of cause and effect. If he were to release an ultimate fiend, the slaughter committed by that being would also partly fall upon his own head.
As a result, the chances of encountering danger would greatly increase, like facing formidable enemies he shouldn’t have met; there would be an intervention of heavenly will. Unless his strength could reach an absolutely dominant peak, he could disregard such fears.
They left the palace and returned to the volcano mouth. He Luo unleashed his divine might and flattened the volcano. With tremendous force, he compressed the passages below.
This naturally caused a great stir, but He Luo just dusted off his hands and took Chu Hao away. Other people would naturally deal with the mess; his mission was simply to protect Chu Hao.
Considering the time, there were only two months left until the Heaven Talented Assembly. Chu Hao decided it was time to set out.
To his surprise, the venue for the Heaven Talented Assembly was overseas.
It wasn’t in any one of the states or over any particular sea, but beyond the Nine States.
In fact, the Nine States did not make up the entirety of Sky Martial Star. According to the predictions of many powerful beings, the Nine States probably only accounted for one-fourth of Sky Martial Star’s area, with three sides surrounded by vast oceans and the last side bordered by an endless desert.
No one knew what lay at the ends of the ocean and the desert because no one who ventured deep into them had ever come back alive. It was said that there were terrifying restrictions deep within both the ocean and the desert, fearsome even to War Gods.
However, while delving deep was not dared, it was still feasible to explore the peripheral regions. Besides, there were Star Stones and precious metal veins in the sea, representing immense wealth that any capable power would not neglect.
Beyond that, there were many ancient ruins, equally coveted by many.
The Heaven Talented Assembly had always been held within one such ruin. This ruin should have been a place for selecting talents even in Ancient Times, as its numerous challenges were clearly designed for this purpose.
Being involved with Ancient Times meant mystery and uncontrollability. This ruin was no different—sometimes it would open once every decade, sometimes every several decades, or even after a century. For instance, the last Heaven Talented Assembly was over a hundred years ago.
However, the longer the gap between openings, the more benefits could be gained upon entry, but the danger also increased—this had been continuously confirmed over a million years.
The entry conditions for this ancient ruin were quite relaxed, requiring only that one be below War Venerate. But how far one could go inside was uncertain. Generally speaking, the stronger the individual, the more they benefitted, but this wasn’t absolute.
On the way, Chu Hao asked He Luo about the specific details of this ancient ruin. (To be continued. If you like this work, you are welcome to vote for it on Qidian, be it recommendation tickets or monthly votes. Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users please visit m.qidian.com to read.)
