C1770 To Eliminate the Hidden Danger

Inside the Earthfire, President Lyi was relentlessly bombarded by the Forge of the Sun, his Sunsilver Body shattering like fragile porcelain. He had gone to great lengths to collect and refine the essences of gold, silver, copper, and iron within his body, only to have them rapidly consumed by the Vermillion Bird, fire dragon, Kylin, phoenix, and flamingo.

The fire dragon transformed into a majestic golden azure dragon, while the Vermillion Bird and flamingo absorbed elemental copper, turning a deep red hue. The Fire Kylin boasted a black iron body, and the phoenix shimmered with a silver sheen.

The alien beasts, etched onto the outer walls of the furnace, feasted on President Lyi, ingesting the Sunsilver Essence he had harvested from the Star River. Subsequently, these alien beasts and spirit animals returned to the Forge of the Sun.

As these divine and alien beasts with tangible forms reintegrated into the furnace, the Serpentflame, crafted by the Great Demon God Bertain, evolved in an instant into a formidable Divine Artifact. Moreover, an artifact soul began to take shape.

Mo Baichuan, nearly drained of his lifeblood, sat weakly at the furnace's base, watching the fire circle's wondrous transformation in astonishment. Strands of fire burst forth from the fire circle, streaming into his meridians, which were intertwined with the Fireheart Mountains.

His dominant soul was now imbued with numerous arcane skills related to the Earthfire, and he could distinctly feel the Earthfire that had aggressively stripped him of his lifeblood now offering the emotions he needed to recover.

"Furnace, President Lyi, artifact soul..." Mo Baichuan was so moved that he was on the verge of tears.

President Lyi, once seen as a threat by Han Miaoyuan and Boulderdawn, had been consumed by the earthfire for an extended period. Yet, ultimately, he was assimilated by his own furnace.

The Forge of the Sun now bore many enigmatic magic diagrams, initially etched into President Lyi's body by Yin Tiehua, which had become part of the Forge itself.

President Lyi's evil soul, along with his vast array of memories and experiences, had been cleansed by the earthfire and various alien beasts, leaving behind only the profound meanings of Sunsilver.

President Lyi had transformed into the artifact soul of the Serpentflame, albeit a temporary one, still in a nascent and disoriented state.

Mo Baichuan was capable of controlling such an artifact soul and could begin taming it from scratch. In a short span of time, the Serpentflame not only became more mystical, but he also earned the Earthfire's endorsement. The cosmic order of fire that manifested within his body, as well as within his soul, was the compensation bestowed by the Earthfire.

"Congratulations," a voice emerged from the green-black flag. Then, the flag soared out of the Earthfire and returned to the darkness shrouded by Tan Xiaotian of the Artifact Sect.

"President Lyi!" Yin Tiehua, who had inscribed numerous magic diagrams for President Lyi deep within the Ashlands, was the first to sense the change and exclaimed, "President Lyi's soul has undergone a transformation!"

"Senior Sister, how can you sense that?" Hu Po asked, astounded.

"Well..." Yin Tiehua cleared her throat, slightly embarrassed, "I etched a tiny Soul Nexus into President Lyi's unique Sunsilver Body, a connection only I could detect. After the Soul Nexus was activated, it lasted only a few seconds before being incinerated by the Earthfire."

"But I still felt it!" Yin Tiehua declared with excitement.

"What did you feel?" Hu Po inquired eagerly.

"He has transformed into an artifact soul, the soul of a brand-new Divine Artifact! This Divine Artifact, in Mo Baichuan's possession, has integrated President Lyi as part of it! In other words, the Divine Artifact has refined him, making him an integral component of the artifact itself!" Yin Tiehua explained, her own surprise evident in her voice.

Hu Po, the current leader of the Artifact Sect, managed to grasp the significance of Yin Tiehua's somewhat scattered explanation. The artifact in Mo Baichuan's hands had refined President Lyi, turning his Sunsilver Body and soul into parts of the artifact. This artifact was clearly destined for greatness!

Whoosh! A green-black flag flew out from the scorching magma pool and vanished into the darkness.

"Is everything settled?" Tan Xiaotian inquired, looking down at the flag where Jihui was concealed.

"All is in order," the flag rustled as if stirred by an unseen breeze, and Jihui, the God-King within, mused for a moment before responding, "Mo Baichuan of the Sunlit Order has used a furnace to dissolve President Lyi. That furnace is quite remarkable, and its mysteries elude me. President Lyi will become the artifact soul of the furnace, and Mo Baichuan has also received its favor."

"I guess the most challenging part of the new Path to Godhood has already been overcome."

"The will of Earthfire is weaker, revealing itself perhaps once every millennium. It shouldn't have been possible for anyone to communicate with it. Yet it was stirred by President Lyi and the Origin Deity and became intrigued by the furnace under Mo Baichuan's control. Using the power of the furnace and Mo Baichuan, it performed some miraculous deeds."

"Mo Baichuan has finally caught its attention. He was granted mastery over the exceptionally refined earthfire essence. Once he fully understands and refines it, he's poised to ascend to godhood."

At that moment, Tan Xiaotian, shrouded by the Darkland over the Fireheart Mountains, felt an uncomfortable scorching heat.

He also realized he could no longer sense Mo Baichuan.

"Baibai..."

Yu Yuan whispered in his heart, genuinely delighted for Mo Baichuan. He hadn't anticipated that the Forge of the Sun would become a lethal weapon against President Lyi at a crucial juncture.

Before Jihui could act, the roused Earthfire, with the aid of Mo Baichuan and Serpentflame, obliterated President Lyi in an explosive burst.

It didn't just destroy President Lyi; it absorbed him, transforming this entity, which should have become a malevolent spirit, into the artifact soul of Serpentflame!

Serpentflame was crafted by the Demon God Bertain.

Within Serpentflame, numerous arrays connected to Earthfire were inscribed, allowing for direct invocation by Earthfire. The outer ring, adorned with spirit animal patterns, could manifest surging earthfire when possessed by Earthfire, enabling it to launch powerful attacks.

The mysterious workings of the furnace and its ultimate gains prompted Yu Yuan to ponder deeply.

Long ago, during one of Earthfire's awakenings, the Demon God Bertain had encountered and communicated with it.

Having received the favor of the Primal Soul, Bertain's soul was purified, manifesting the will of the Primal Soul in this world.

Earthfire, ever the guardian of the Primal Soul, felt an affinity for Bertain. Perhaps it revealed its powers to him, and the supremely wise Bertain documented them. Thus, the Forge of the Sun and the fire circle came into existence.

Perhaps the Forge of the Sun was designed specifically for the Earthfire, with the intention that one day it would find a favored one to better showcase its power through the flames.

President Lyi's venture into the vast expanse of the Fireheart Mountains, with the aspiration of using the Earthfire to forge a physique unparalleled in the world, couldn't have been orchestrated by Bertain, could it?

The outcome is that President Lyi poses no threat, the Forge of the Sun has ascended to a Divine Artifact, and Mo Baichuan has overcome the toughest challenge—all of this triggered by the furnace.

Could Bertain, the Great Demon God, be lurking in the shadows?

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

An infinite darkness converged upon Tan Xiaotian. The Fireheart Mountains, once shrouded in obscurity, slowly reverted to their original state.

Zu Ann was the first to spot the cold moon emerging above the dome, knowing the Demon Lord had achieved his desired outcome.

"The threat has been thoroughly eliminated."

Tan Xiaotian flashed a smile, and deep within the darkened sky above, space magic began to take shape.

The green-black flag vanished silently into the dark expanse, its destination unknown.

"Mo Baichuan is now just one step away from forging his Divine Throne," Tan Xiaotian mused, stroking his chin and casting a sly look at Zu Ann. "He's only lacking the Origin. Should he acquire it and imprint the Earthfire Cosmic Order into the Divine Throne, he might even be bold enough to challenge the Dark Phoenix."

At this, Zu Ann let out a cold snort.

"Flag."

Yu Yuan's eyebrows lifted as he watched the green-black flag disappear into the vortex of darkness. He suddenly understood that the flag seemed to rightfully belong to Jihui.

Jihui had perished in the deep valleys of Skyreach Peak, betrayed and slain by the Dark Phoenix and Han Miaoyuan. The Dark Phoenix had acquired his belongings, including the flag, which was then discarded in the Shadow's Keep for tens of thousands of years, untouched by anyone.

Previously, Jihui had covertly unleashed Rift Cutters, and now, leveraging Tan Xiaotian's strength, he had struck at the Shadow's Keep, all to reclaim what he had lost.

He had achieved his goal, eradicating the last soul of the Origin Deity in this world. With his knowledge of space magic, he might now even command the Origin Realm.

"Hehe, he's far more intelligent than the Origin Deity. He got what he wanted and wiped out the Origin Deity's soul. Now, it's Dark Phoenix and Han Miaoyuan's turn to be troubled," Tan Xiaotian cackled with a mischievous glee. "I'm also eager to see Mo Baichuan ascend to divinity. Then, I can settle my own scores with that old hag."

"Let chaos reign in both worlds; I'm curious to see what the end result will be!"

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