Battle Through the Heavens: Harmony of Flame and Shadow

This was a continent, once the largest volcano in the Great Thousand World. After tens of thousands of years of unbridled eruption, and after long periods of transformation, it has now become one of the top ten super continents, known as the Scarlet Flame Continent.

This place is a paradise for fire attribute cultivators, even surpassing the Fire Spirit Continent of the Fire Spirit Clan. If not for the frequent disturbances by the foreign evil races, this place would have been the holy land for fire attribute cultivators in the Great Thousand World.

In the central region of the Scarlet Flame Continent, there lies a vast group of volcanoes. The climate here is unsuitable for ordinary people to live in, with only the unique Fire Swallowing Clan having taken root on this continent.

However, there are many outsiders in this area due to the volcano cluster known as the Fire Rain Volcanoes, which has caused the fire attribute spiritual energy here to be incredibly dense, almost like a natural spirit-gathering formation.

The rich fire attribute spiritual energy, combined with frequent volcanic eruptions spewing out fire attribute ores and numerous fire attribute spiritual plants, make this place a treasure trove for fire attribute cultivation.

Such opportunities have led this continent to attract many fire attribute cultivators, either looking for places to train or seeking various precious fire resources.

This vast group of volcanoes is known as the Scarlet Flame Mountain Range, from which the continent gets its name.

The number of volcanoes here is said to be the highest in the Great Thousand World, with a preliminary count showing no fewer than ten thousand active volcanoes. They frequently erupt, spreading violent and active fire spiritual power across the entire continent through the Scarlet Heaven Mountain Range.

The harsh environment, combined with the threat of foreign evil races, has prevented any major forces from taking root here. Over time, this place has become a sanctuary for rogue fire attribute cultivators in the Great Thousand World.

There are rumors that the unusual conditions of the Scarlet Flame Mountain Range are due to a terrifying divine fire, the World-Extinguishing Flame, nurtured deep within the magma.

This fire is said to have world-ending power. Even saints among the heavenly supreme have tried to subdue it but have ultimately failed, getting burned alive in retaliation. Even the legendary Ten Thousand Fire Emperor lingered here for a long time with no success.

However, the legend of the World-Extinguishing Flame continues to this day, drawing countless cultivators to delve deep in search of it. Among them are many supreme beings, yet none have truly obtained or even seen this mystical flame.

In the depths of the Scarlet Flame Mountain Range, dense black-gray volcanic soot continuously escapes into the sky. Flames occasionally spurt from the ground, making the entire area look like a sea of fire from a distance, resembling a hellish landscape.

Amidst this vast sea of fire, shadows flit about from time to time, many of which are of fire attribute spirit beasts active on the volcanic continent.

However, there are also human figures here, with fiery red hair and skin that seems shrouded in flames.

This is the unique tribe of the Scarlet Flame Mountain Range, the Fire Swallowing Clan. Legends say they are born with strong bodies and can even temper and accelerate their cultivation by swallowing magma and flames.

Having thrived in this volcanic cluster for countless tens of thousands of years, the Fire Swallowing Clan, as the primary force of the Scarlet Flame Mountain Range, boasts considerable strength, with many supreme beings among them.

Above the Scarlet Flame Mountain Range, the figure of Jiang Yun appeared slowly. Looking at the land below, he could see a smoking volcano every few thousand miles, indicating that these were all active volcanoes prone to erupting at any moment.

"Such an apocalyptic scene!" Jiang Yun murmured as he took in this doomsday-like scenery. However, it didn't affect him anymore.

"I'd better find a volcano to break through to the Immortal grade. This is indeed a good place to seclude myself." Retracting his gaze, Jiang Yun began to search for a suitable place to seclude himself. Having traveled all the way here, his spiritual energy was already full, just one step away from breaking through to the Immortal grade. The Scarlet Flame Mountain Range was a perfect place for this breakthrough.

Soon, a towering volcano, tens of thousands of feet high, appeared in Jiang Yun's sight, resembling a crouching fire dragon.

Thick smoke billowed into the sky, accompanied by endless violent fire attribute spiritual energy erupting from the volcano mouth.

Jiang Yun stood above the volcano, looking down at the crater. The Reincarnation Demon Flame within him stirred, making him give the volcano a second look.

In the next moment, flames surrounded Jiang Yun's eyes. Before him, the scenery changed. Beneath the endless red magma lay a cluster of golden-red flames, quietly floating under the volcano.

The flame, like a small sun, emitted boundless heat and dazzling light.

Sensing the flame's aura, comparable to that of a quasi-heavenly supreme, Jiang Yun couldn't help but marvel, "No wonder the Scarlet Flame Continent has the densest fire attribute spiritual energy in the Great Thousand World. Even random volcanoes can hide divine flames on par with the Emperor Flames. I wonder, if I emptied the entire Scarlet Flame Mountain Range, how strong I could become?"

With similar towering volcanoes numbering in the tens of thousands, even if only one percent contained divine flames, that would be nearly a hundred quasi-heavenly supreme-level flames, an unimaginable power.

Observing the scattered members of the Fire Swallowing Clan on the mountains, many of whom harbored ambitions to refine this divine flame, Jiang Yun chuckled softly. 

The Scarlet Flame Mountain Range was too vast, with countless volcanic craters. Even the Fire Swallowing Clan living here didn't know which volcano harbored powerful divine flames and could only rely on luck.

And once a divine flame was discovered, they would guard this secret jealously for their own path, resulting in the dispersed nature of the Fire Swallowing Clan, spread out like numerous small tribes across countless corners of the Scarlet Flame Mountain Range.

Retracting his gaze, Jiang Yun no longer hesitated, transforming into a streak of light heading towards the volcano crater.

In the vast underground space, everything was a fiery red. The fiery aura around him resonated with his spiritual energy, and even deeper underground, there was a unique resonance.

Jiang Yun's figure continued to descend, deep into an area where the temperature was terrifyingly high and the spatial energy was chaotic and void. Without the strength of a supreme being, one couldn't survive here.

Following the direction of the resonance, Jiang Yun finally arrived at a scarlet flame world deep underground.

In this strange flame world, there was no molten lava. The temperature here was so high that even the magma had burned away, leaving only the golden-red flame quietly burning.

Infinite fire energy formed a strange fire lotus around him, with the source flame hidden within it.

Soon, Jiang Yun sat cross-legged in one place, summoning the mysterious Reincarnation Demon Flame. Sensing the terrifying power of the Reincarnation Demon Flame, the golden-red flame began to flicker uneasily as the surrounding energy grew chaotic.

"Come with me," Jiang Yun chuckled softly. Quickly changing his hand seals, the Reincarnation Demon Flame transformed into a dragon shadow, swooping towards the golden-red flame.

Sensing danger, the golden-red flame emitted buzzing sounds, and the invisible energy started to riot. However, before it could react, the Reincarnation Demon Flame dragon swallowed it whole and swiftly returned to Jiang Yun's body.

Jiang Yun then closed his eyes, controlling the Reincarnation Demon Flame within, refining both it and the Fire Spirit Clan's divine flame. Instantly, endless fire attribute spiritual energy surged crazily from the underground magma into Jiang Yun's body.

Within him, flames blossomed in all directions, permeating his spirit, body, and all aspects...

From the outside, Jiang Yun appeared to be sitting cross-legged in the magma, his body covered by a layer of flames, but with no signs of pain on his face.

With the divine flame source consumed and the accumulated fire attribute spiritual energy of tens of thousands of years bursting within Jiang Yun, it became the catalyst for his breakthrough.

Time passed slowly.

In the unchanging magma, a figure sat cross-legged, motionless. If not for his rising and falling chest, he would have seemed like a dead man.

Until a moment when Jiang Yun's body, spirit, and soul were tempered to the limit, breaking some kind of barrier and radiating countless rays of light, beginning an ultimate sublimation.

An extremely terrifying life force and incomparably violent spiritual energy spread out from Jiang Yun, rippling through the air, drawing in all the surrounding energy for tens, hundreds, thousands, and tens of thousands of feet...

The difference between Spirit Grade and Immortal Grade lies in the refinement of the spiritual body. After extreme sublimation, the spiritual body can accommodate more worldly energy, resulting in more robust power.

Of course, if a Spirit Grade supreme being's accumulation is deep enough, this gap can still be bridged.

Like Jiang Yun, whose quality and quantity of spiritual power far surpassed ordinary Immortal Grades. Coupled with invincible abilities like the Ten Thousand Laws Immunity, he could battle many demon emperors.

Now, after breaking through and fully sublimating, his strength would be even more terrifying.

Boom!

A seemingly non-existent sound echoed from Jiang Yun's body. The next moment, Jiang Yun's eyes snapped open. His figure, as sharp as a spear, stood tall in mid-air, surrounded by dancing flames like sprites.

The Reincarnation Demon Flame within Jiang Yun evolved again. The flames around him were enough to burn ordinary Spirit Grade supreme beings alive.

Jiang Yun moved his fingers, feeling the power within him. With his previous accumulation, he had directly broken through to the mid-Immortal Grade, with spiritual power several times more abundant than before. He was confident that he could now kill all those demon emperors in front of the Black Corpse Heavenly Demon Emperor, without needing Qin Tian and others to draw him away.

Even if the Black Corpse Heavenly Demon Emperor fought to the death, Jiang Yun believed he would ultimately be victorious.

At this moment, Jiang Yun truly had the power to kill a saint.

"If I have such power at the Immortal Grade, what kind of dominant force will I possess after another breakthrough to the Saint Grade?" Jiang Yun couldn't help but wonder, finally laughing and saying, "I should be invincible in the world, truly unbeaten in a hundred battles!"

"With the breakthrough completed, it's time to unify the Scarlet Flame Continent!"

Jiang Yun stretched lazily before disappearing as starlight at the bottom of the volcano.

"It's strange, but the fire attribute spiritual energy here has been declining recently; it's really odd!"

"You feel it too? Previously, I always had a throbbing sensation in my flames here, but now it's getting weaker and has completely disappeared today."

"Could it be that the divine flame in the volcano has been taken?"

"No, it can't be. Based on internal estimates, this flame is at least at the supreme level, and no one within the clan could have taken it without making a noise!"

"So, what exactly is going on?"

At the base of Jiang Yun's volcano, countless strong members of the Fire Swallowing Clan gathered, discussing recent anomalies.

Recently, the fire attribute energy in this area had been slowly quieting down, and the divine flame within seemed to have been subdued. This made the strong members of the Fire Swallowing Clan vigilant, leading to the current scene.

"Could it be an external power?" a young man suddenly voiced his suspicion amid the confusion.

"If that's the case, things could turn dire!" Hearing the young man's words, everyone's faces darkened. If true, then the person must be exceptionally powerful to have avoided detection by the clan's strong members.

This would be very bad news for everyone.

Despite the vastness of the Scarlet Flame Mountain Range and the countless volcanic craters, the ones capable of nurturing divine flames were one in a hundred, an extremely scarce treasure for the numerous members of the Fire Swallowing Clan and countless other fire attribute cultivators in the Great Thousand World.

Resources were limited, and demand was high!

"Damn it!" someone in the crowd cursed, looking at the middle-aged man in front. "Elder, these outsiders are hateful, taking our dwelling places and now robbing our opportunities. Over time, our clan's power will surely wane. Why not drive them out?"

"Easier said than done!"

The middle-aged man, after a moment of silence, sighed, looking at his agitated clan members, and said powerlessly.

Compared to the young man's hot-bloodedness, the elder understood better the reason the Fire Swallowing Clan could stand on the Scarlet Flame Continent—it wasn't their strength but their adaptability.