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**
Night had fallen.
A streak of black light shot through the darkness, speeding away into the distance.
Only when they were far from the fortress did the figure gradually slow down, finally landing atop a sand dune.
"Let's rest here for a while. They probably won't dare to chase us recklessly," Wei Yang released Xiao Yan as he spoke. "Up ahead is the core city of the Snake-People Clan."
"That was intense just now—I thought I was going to die!" Xiao Yan stepped onto the soft sand, exhaling a long breath. He still felt his legs were a little weak.
"With me here, what are you afraid of?" Wei Yang waved his sleeve casually, speaking indifferently.
"Of course you're not afraid." Xiao Yan curled his lips, then asked curiously, "That roar you used just now—Furious Lion Roar—that's the High-Level Xuan Grade Dou Technique: Furious Lion Roar, right?"
"Mm." Wei Yang nodded.
"Hehe, bro…" Xiao Yan rubbed his hands, eyes glowing.
Furious Lion Roar—having personally witnessed its terrifying power, Xiao Yan was now practically drooling over it.
"Hold it right there," Wei Yang raised his hand to stop what Xiao Yan was about to say. "Let's get something straight first—friendship is friendship, trade is trade. Don't mix the two."
"If you want it, you'll have to trade something for it."
Setting the rules early on was always best, to avoid misunderstandings and unpleasantness later.
Xiao Yan nodded at his words.
He naturally understood Wei Yang's meaning. Even between blood brothers, accounts should be kept clear. Indeed, setting boundaries ahead of time was wise.
That way, they could avoid suspicion or future disputes.
Everyone would trade fairly for what they needed, and no one would feel shortchanged. That was the kind of relationship that could last.
"Then put it on credit for now. I'll repay you when I have something worthy," Xiao Yan said. "Surely you don't think I'd run off with it, do you?"
"I can live with that." Wei Yang flipped his hand and pulled out a scroll, tossing it directly to Xiao Yan. "Given our friendship, a High-Level Xuan Grade Dou Technique can be loaned out temporarily."
"Hehe, thanks!" Xiao Yan caught the scroll, licked his lips in excitement, and eagerly walked to the side to examine it.
His current strongest offensive technique was a single Earth Grade Dou Technique: Flame Splitting Tsunami, which was used in conjunction with the Heavy Xuan Ruler.
Aside from that move, he didn't have much else to rely on.
And that Earth Grade Dou Technique—given that he was currently only at the Two-Star Dou Shi level—was simply beyond his ability to fully unleash. Even if he forced it, it'd be a case of injuring the enemy a thousand and harming himself eight hundred.
After just one use, he would be completely drained, unable to continue fighting, and even risk damage to his meridians.
But a High-Level Xuan Grade Dou Technique would give him another viable means of attack. In fact, for Xiao Yan at this stage, it might even be a better choice than the Earth Grade one.
…
Wei Yang sat cross-legged atop the sand dune, silently gazing in the direction they had come from, as if waiting for something.
A faint, old, translucent figure slowly drifted toward him.
"Brat Wei, what are you waiting for?" asked the aged figure.
"I'm waiting for that research subject—cough—I mean, that Snake-People female commander," Wei Yang said. "There's a high chance she'll rush off overnight to inform Medusa, so they can quickly mobilize the entire Snake-People Clan to hunt us down. So, I figured I'd wait here for her and have her take us directly to Medusa instead."
Yao Lao stroked his long beard and nodded in approval. "Hmm, not a bad idea. Could save a lot of trouble."
"Senior, you didn't come all the way just to ask about this, did you?" Wei Yang glanced at Yao Lao.
"Hehe, I do have something else to ask," Yao Lao sat down as well, staring at Wei Yang with an unreadable expression. "That black flame you just used… was it a Heavenly Flame?"
"Heavenly Flame?" Not far away, Xiao Yan looked up from the scroll, his face filled with shock as he turned to stare.
"That's right—it was a Heavenly Flame," Wei Yang nodded in acknowledgment.
"I thought so." Yao Lao wasn't surprised at all. Instead, he continued asking, "Which one is it? I don't believe I've ever seen it before."
Xiao Yan quickly put away the scroll and walked over to sit down, his expression full of excitement as he looked at Wei Yang.
Heavenly Flame!
He had seen the Green Lotus Core Flame before—though it hadn't been refined yet. That was the one he himself was preparing to refine soon.
Bone Chilling Flame—that was Master's Heavenly Flame.
And now, there was finally a chance… to witness another Heavenly Flame?
Wei Yang smiled, extending his pale, slender hand from within the wide sleeves of his robe. With a mere thought—
Whoosh~
A jet-black flame erupted on his palm, blazing fiercely.
The terrifying heat caused the space above the flame to visibly distort.
The surrounding temperature rapidly rose, sweeping away the chill of the night.
"A pitch-black Heavenly Flame… such terrifying heat… It's completely different from Master's Bone Chilling Flame. One is extreme cold, the other extreme heat!" Xiao Yan stared, captivated, the flame's reflection dancing in his pupils.
At the same time, anticipation surged in his heart. His fists clenched unconsciously—he had to refine the Green Lotus Core Flame as soon as possible!
Yao Lao also stared intently at the black flame, his brows tightly furrowed. He murmured, "This level of heat, power, and spiritual aura—it's undoubtedly a Heavenly Flame… yet it's not any of the known ones!"
"What?!" Xiao Yan was so shocked that he nearly shouted aloud. "Could it be… an unknown Heavenly Flame?"
"I've already explained the twenty-three Heavenly Flames on the ranking to you in detail, haven't I?" Yao Lao glanced at Xiao Yan. "Does this match any of them?"
Xiao Yan frowned in thought for a moment, then shook his head. "None of them match."
Immediately, both master and disciple turned their eyes toward Wei Yang.
Wei Yang nodded and smiled. "You're right. This is indeed not one of the Heavenly Flames listed in the ranking. It's a completely new and unknown Heavenly Flame."
"And as its owner, I've named it—Black Sun Burning Heaven Flame!"
"A brand new, unknown Heavenly Flame… Black Sun Burning Heaven Flame?" Yao Lao repeated softly. After a moment, he sighed in admiration, "As the one who discovered a new Heavenly Flame and became its first master, you indeed have the right to name it."
"And in the future, as your name spreads across the continent, this flame will also become known to the world."
"Looks like it won't be long before another flame is added to the Heavenly Flame Ranking… The twenty-fourth: Black Sun Burning Heaven Flame!"
Yao Lao's expression was complex, with a hint of excitement in his eyes.
Another brand-new Heavenly Flame had appeared.
And today, the two of them were witnesses.
On the Heavenly Flame Ranking, aside from the number one Emperor Flame, which had never been found…
The other twenty-two Heavenly Flames all truly existed and could be refined—and some even existed in more than one instance.
In other words, there were twenty-two Heavenly Flames that were real and could be controlled by humans.
And now, a twenty-third had appeared!
As witnesses to this event, both master and disciple felt a sense of honor and pride.
Though shocked, it wasn't beyond belief.
After all, throughout countless years of the Dou Qi Continent's history, the twenty-three known Heavenly Flames had all been gradually discovered by people.
They didn't just appear all at once.
The Heavenly Flame Ranking wasn't created overnight either—it was compiled by the efforts of countless predecessors over countless generations, adding one Heavenly Flame at a time.
Now, a new one had appeared—it wasn't strange at all.
In fact, the number twenty-four somehow felt more complete.
The previous twenty-three always seemed… like something was missing.
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