Outside the darkness was the Sun and Moon in the Same Sky, a vast expanse of Ice Plains. Seeing this unusual sight, Zhao Li had a guess in his heart.
Zhao Li felt as though he was currently trapped within the perspective of the Bone Chilling Flame, forced to experience everything it saw and heard. But why this was happening, he didn't know.
Soon, Zhao Li stopped dwelling on it, as if something had just occurred to him:
"Since you've pulled me here, wouldn't it be a waste of your good intentions if I didn't thoroughly study you?"
Although Zhao Li still had many questions, he didn't find anything immediately wrong. Instead, he shifted his attention to the Bone Chilling Flame. He intended to use this opportunity to experience the Bone Chilling Flame and understand it completely, inside and out.
Quickly, Zhao Li immersed himself in the Flame. After the initial novelty wore off, it began to wander across the Ice Plains. Time passed rapidly. As the sun gradually faded and only the Moon remained in the sky, it returned to its original spot, a place of complete darkness.
"This must be where it was born, right? Appearing for a hundred years... Does that invisible path represent the duration of its existence? No wonder."
Zhao Li suddenly understood. The span of time, no matter how far one traveled through Space, would never reach an end.
All fear stems from the unknown, but Zhao Li now understood his current situation. Even though he was once again in darkness, Zhao Li was no longer as despairing or agitated as he was initially. Now, he saw hope.
In fact, Zhao Li stopped paying attention to the darkness outside and focused entirely on studying 'himself'.
After all, he couldn't waste such an opportunity to accompany a Heavenly Flame as it grew, could he?
After calming down, what Zhao Li felt during the long stretch of time wasn't loneliness, but joy.
Every flicker of the Flame was a source of satisfaction.
People are like this. At first, they are ignorant and extremely happy. After experiencing the Mortal World, along with their knowledge, their desires also grow.
Zhao Li began to immerse himself in the Flame, experiencing its various changes.
With something to strive for and think about in his heart, he felt settled. While studying, Zhao Li no longer felt tormented. Time flew by, and once again, it was the Sun and Moon in the Same Sky, and the environment had completely changed.
This time, the Flame was no longer curious about its surroundings. As soon as it appeared, it drifted into the distance, resembling the Nether Ghost Flame.
On the Ice Plains, Zhao Li saw steep cliffs with Ice Cones hanging down, glistening with colorful light under the sunlight. He also saw Exotic Flowers and Strange Herbs, adding color to the vast white landscape. He even saw water flowing beneath the ice, occasionally carrying away large chunks of ice, with a White Bear sleeping soundly on one...
Even though time passed quickly for Zhao Li as he focused on perceiving himself, having been in darkness for such a long time, seeing these sights suddenly brought Zhao Li immense joy.
In that moment, it seemed as though he had truly become that solitary Flame.
As the human and the fire resonated, Zhao Li sensed an invisible pull. It was providing him with energy every single moment!
"What is that? The Power of Rules of the Heavenly Flame's origin?"
Following that thread of connection, Zhao Li sensed a magnificent, vast, yet familiar aura, and his heart filled with questions.
Happy times pass faster. A strange reluctance appeared in Zhao Li's heart. Zhao Li watched the sun slowly fade, knowing he would soon return to that dark, sunless place.
In the darkness, Zhao Li continued to think about that connection. Gradually, Zhao Li's consciousness followed the pull, slowly rising.
After a long time, Zhao Li saw a cluster of golden, radiant light again...
It wasn't light, but the appearance of countless threads weaving together, converging as light flowed between them.
From within the interwoven threads, Zhao Li seemed to see the wind, the rain, and everything in the world!
All things in the world were within it, and Zhao Li's consciousness seemed to have a tendency to be assimilated.
Suddenly, a surge of anticipation and joy arose in his heart. Another black and white transition occurred, and only then was Zhao Li startled awake, his eyes hazy.
A hundred years in an instant!
After a long while, Zhao Li finally regained clarity. Looking at the vast expanse of white before him, a wave of lingering fear washed over him.
"What was that thing? Was it something like the Heavenly Dao?"
Zhao Li belatedly realized that he had almost 'assimilated into the Dao', but at the same time, many questions arose.
"Hmm? A person!"
Not long after, Zhao Li was attracted by the scene outside. On the Ice Plains, Zhao Li finally saw a person.
That person also saw the Bone Chilling Flame and, with a look of joy, reached out to grab Zhao Li.
The Bone Chilling Flame didn't understand why and instinctively began to churn. An intense cold spread, and combined with the chill of the Ice Plains, that person was instantly frozen into an ice sculpture.
The Bone Chilling Flame also felt a surge of joy and curiosity. It drilled into the person's mind and wandered within.
Zhao Li naturally knew that this person would become the Bone Chilling Flame's first Puppet, thus opening the floodgates of desire in the Bone Chilling Flame's heart.
He had been studying 'himself' for so long that he naturally knew the effects of the Power of Rules contained within the Bone Chilling Flame. Besides extreme cold and extreme heat, there was also 'Spirit'. Its function was to create a soul that would obey its control for the physical body.
After the sun set, it returned to the darkness, but the wisp of flame it had separated did not retract and continued to wander outside.
Indeed, after countless black and white transitions, and who knows how many cycles, the Bone Chilling Flame grew stronger and stronger, and the number of Puppets outside increased.
After it gained consciousness, it could have continued to grow indefinitely. Zhao Li also thought it would, until it was subdued by someone.
But suddenly one day, it was swallowed by a mass of black flame, and only a small wisp of flame returned to that patch of darkness.
"What was that? The Nihility Devouring Flame? Or Tuoshe Ancient Emperor?"
Zhao Li witnessed the struggle between Heavenly Flames, a battle to the death!
At the same time, Zhao Li's curiosity about the Flame Mantra arose once more:
"If the Flame Mantra's almost endless evolutionary ability was created by a person, then its creator would definitely not be unknown. Why isn't it in the Great Thousand World? Unless, it wasn't created by a person at all..."
When Zhao Li first transmigrated, he was quite interested in the Flame Mantra, but after discovering the timeline he was in, he gave up on the idea.
Later, because he had achieved success in his cultivation, he paid even less attention. But now, Zhao Li had developed a great interest in its origins and the story behind it.
But Zhao Li didn't think too much about it; being trapped here, thinking about those things wasn't very useful:
"After this time, I'm afraid the Bone Chilling Flame will need to recover for a long time. Sigh, do I really have to live through its entire life before I can leave this cursed place? Or, after it's over, will I also be refined into one of its Puppets?"
Zhao Li felt a bit deflated. Although he had gained many things from the Bone Chilling Flame, he was also wary, afraid of becoming one of its Puppets. After all, to this day, he still didn't understand why he was here.
Then, it was cycle after cycle, long years passing. Zhao Li felt extremely lonely. If not for the daily progress and the hope it brought, he would have gone crazy long ago.
Although Zhao Li was already a Dou Venerate expert, he was still quite young, only around thirty at most. He was far from having experienced the suffering of longevity.
But this time, by chance, he understood early on that lonely longevity would not bring happiness.
Zhao Li couldn't imagine how he would spend his long life if he stood at the peak of the continent, with nowhere left to advance, looking out and seeing no family or friends in the world.
"Fortunately, even at the absolute peak of strength, there are still many secrets in this world that attract me to explore, so it won't be boring. It's just, sigh~ Although thinking about these things now is a bit early, I can prepare in advance. Whether it's opponents or friends, I still need to have them."
After sighing, Zhao Li immersed himself in the Flame once more.
After who knows how many more cycles, the Bone Chilling Flame gradually recovered its origin. Boom—
On the Ice Plains, the Flame erupted, engulfing everyone nearby.
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