A Tier-2 Beast Fire? The realization struck Luo Zhen with the force of a physical blow.
His status screen was clear: the Red Lotus Fire burning within him was second-tier. That single fact opened up a universe of possibilities. If there was a second tier, there had to be a third, a fourth, and beyond. And what exactly was a "Beast Fire"? Were there other kinds?
"System," he asked, the question forming in his mind, "what's a Beast Fire?"
The System's response was immediate, its familiar, disembodied voice echoing in his consciousness. "The elemental flames of this world are categorized by their power. From weakest to strongest, they are: Mortal Fire, Beast Fire, Unique Fire, Earthly Fire, Heavenly Fire, and Immortal Fire."
It continued its breakdown. "Mortal Fire is the most common—the flame a human uses to cook a meal or the simple fire magic cast by a low-level demonic beast. The fireballs you once spat were nothing more than this. Beast Fire, however, is different. It is an intrinsic flame, forged in the very soul of a powerful demonic beast. Some, like you, awaken it through an extraordinary bloodline, creating a unique fire like your Red Lotus. Others might stumble upon it by consuming a rare spiritual fruit, receiving an ancient inheritance, or through sheer, unrelenting will, absorbing a wild, untamed flame."
Luo Zhen absorbed the information, his mind racing. "And the others? Unique, Earthly…?"
"Unique Fires possess special, often strange, properties. Earthly Fires are born in the planet's core, deep beneath the ground. Heavenly Fires are the flames of the sun and the stars themselves. As for Immortal Fire… that is a power reserved for the Immortal Realm."
"I see," Luo Zhen murmured, a new understanding dawning. "So my Red Lotus Fire is a second-tier Beast Fire. What does that mean, exactly?"
"Beyond Mortal Fire, all flames are ranked on a scale of one to nine. Tier one is the weakest; tier nine is the strongest."
A wave of disappointment washed over him. "So my fire is only a tier-two Beast Fire? That… doesn't sound very impressive."
"Do not be mistaken," the System countered. "While it may only be a tier-two Beast Fire, among all the native demonic beasts of the Eastern Yue Kingdom, your Red Lotus Fire is the most powerful of all."
The highest-level demonic fire in the entire kingdom? Luo Zhen's serpent eyes flared with a sudden, brilliant light. This wasn't just a new skill. It was a trump card.
His thoughts were shattered by a wave of raw, demonic power that rolled over the mountainside. It was followed by a roar that shook the very trees.
"You rebel in these mountains—prepare to die!"
The voice was a physical force, making Luo Zhen's scales tingle. Oh no. It has to be the beasts from Ghost Sha Mountain. He immediately braced for a fight. He'd been unconscious for three whole days during his evolution. It was enough time for them to realize their envoy wasn't returning.
Flicking his forked tongue, Luo Zhen scanned the horizon. A colossal figure emerged, a tiger easily the size of a six-story building. Its fur wasn't orange and black but a deathly silver-gray, and a palpable, malevolent aura rolled off it in waves. But its head… its head was a bare, grinning skull, a horrifying visage of death.
Luo Zhen's mind tightened as he pulled up the creature's stats.
Name: Ghost-Headed Tiger
Race: Tiger
Strength: Early Heaven Profound Realm
Skills: Unknown (Your realm is too low to view)
Affiliation: Lord of Ghost Sha Mountain
The Lord of Ghost Sha Mountain himself! A Heaven Profound beast! Panic flared in Luo Zhen's chest. No wonder this creature was considered the undefeated ruler of the Eastern Yue Kingdom. He was outclassed.
This is bad, he thought, his body tensing, ready to flee at a moment's notice. There's no way I can win this fight. The only reason he hadn't already bolted was the flickering Red Lotus Fire in his soul. Without it, he'd be long gone. This tiger was an entire realm above him. Any other beast would be on the ground, begging for its life. But Luo Zhen could fly, and he had his flame. Maybe, just maybe, he could survive.
The Ghost-Headed Tiger closed the distance with terrifying speed. "You dare kill my envoy?" it roared, its voice a gravelly boom. "Today, you die!"
Its skeletal jaw snapped open, launching a dense ball of demonic energy straight at him. With a thought, Luo Zhen's wings erupted from his back, and he shot into the sky, the energy sphere screaming past where he'd been a second before. It slammed into the ground with the force of a missile, gouging out a crater the size of a house.
"You damned snake, you can fly?!" the tiger bellowed, its empty eye sockets somehow conveying pure fury.
"That's right," Luo Zhen hissed back, hovering just out of reach. "Come on up if you think you can."
"Hmph. You think flight makes you invincible? Fool!" The tiger sneered, and then its maw opened again, unleashing not a ball of energy, but a vast, rolling cloud of gray, spectral fire.
The ghostly flames expanded with incredible speed, blanketing the sky. There was no time to dodge. Luo Zhen's only option was to throw up a defense. "Water Light Shield!"
A shimmering blue barrier of water materialized around him, encasing him completely. A moment later, the gray demonic fire washed over him, swallowing him whole.
"A defensive shield?" the tiger noted, a flicker of surprise in its voice, quickly replaced by contempt. "My fire is a true Beast Fire. Let's see how long your little bubble can last!"
He was right. Under the relentless assault of the gray flames, Luo Zhen's water shield began to visibly sizzle and evaporate. At this rate, he had maybe two minutes before it collapsed entirely.
Suppressing his rising panic, Luo Zhen focused his System on the flames.
Name: Gray Ghost Fire
Rank: Tier-1 Beast Fire
Owner: Ghost-Headed Tiger, Lord of Ghost Sha Mountain
A Tier-1 Beast Fire, Luo Zhen realized with a flash of insight. No wonder it's so powerful. But… I have a Beast Fire too. And mine is Tier-2. A surge of confidence, hot and fierce, flooded through him. My Red Lotus Fire can crush this!
He didn't hesitate. Opening his jaws, he unleashed a single, perfect lotus-shaped flame. It was small, no bigger than a tabletop, but the moment it appeared, the surrounding Gray Ghost Fire recoiled as if burned, parting to create a wide space around him.
"What is that?" the Ghost-Headed Tiger growled, its skeletal gaze fixed on the crimson lotus. With a sharp inhale, it drew all the gray fire back into its lungs. Beast Fire wasn't like Mortal Fire; you couldn't just create more. Every flicker was precious.
It stared at Luo Zhen, a new understanding in its hollow eyes. "That flame… It's a Beast Fire, isn't it?"
"Took you long enough to figure it out," Luo Zhen retorted, letting the Red Lotus Fire dance beside him.
"You are no ordinary black snake," the tiger mused aloud. "Wings, and now a Beast Fire of your own. You must be a Spirit Beast."
"Is Beast Fire really so rare?" Luo Zhen asked, genuinely curious.
"Of course it's rare, you fool!" the tiger snapped. "Do you think every beast on the mountain has one? Even Demonic Generals with fully formed cores are rarely so gifted. Some Demonic Kings have never manifested a flame of their own!"
"Good to know," Luo Zhen said slowly, a grin spreading across his serpentine face.
"I went through hell to claim my Gray Ghost Fire," the tiger snarled. "But I don't care what you are. You killed my envoy, and that is an insult I will not tolerate. Even with a Beast Fire, you will die here!"
With a final, deafening roar, the tiger unleashed its full power. A concentrated pillar of Gray Ghost Fire erupted from its mouth, a roaring torrent aimed straight at the sky.
"Bring it on!" Luo Zhen roared back, all fear gone, replaced by the thrill of battle. He sent his Red Lotus Fire hurtling downward, a streak of crimson light meeting the ghostly pillar head-on.
BOOM!
The explosion rocked the heavens. The pillar of Gray Ghost Fire shattered into a million dying embers, scattering across the sky. But the Red Lotus Fire, though slightly diminished, was almost entirely unharmed. It continued its descent, aimed directly at the stunned Ghost-Headed Tiger below.
"How is this possible!?" the tiger shrieked, its composure finally breaking. His fire—his ultimate weapon, his trump card that had won him countless battles for over a century—had just been obliterated.
And it was done by a black snake, a full realm beneath him.
How could this be?
Though stunned, the Ghost-Headed Tiger's combat instincts took over. With a desperate gasp, it sucked the scattered remnants of its Gray Ghost Fire back towards it, hastily forming a defensive wall of flame just as Luo Zhen's Red Lotus Fire was about to strike.
Another concussive blast echoed through the mountains. The gray firewall shattered, but it had done its job. Luo Zhen's attack was spent, his Red Lotus Fire breaking apart into flickering embers. High above, Luo Zhen inhaled sharply, pulling the scattered fragments of his own flame back into himself. He could feel the loss—about five percent of his total reserve was gone, consumed in the clash.
Down below, the tiger was nursing a much greater wound to its pride and its power. Luo Zhen's Tier-2 fire had clearly outmatched its Tier-1 flame.
"Looks like your Gray Ghost Fire took a beating," Luo Zhen called down, his voice laced with mockery.
The tiger just snorted, a low growl rumbling in its chest. "Your little flame is surprisingly potent."
"It's a Tier-2 fire," Luo Zhen announced proudly. "Yours is only Tier-1. Look, I don't want to be your enemy. I admit, killing your envoy was a mistake. What if I apologize, and we call it even?"
"Call it even? You think you have the right to bargain with me?" the tiger scoffed, its arrogance returning. "You're a puny Earth Profound welp. So what if your flame is a higher quality? I can still tear you to pieces!"
Luo Zhen's patience snapped. This tiger was impossible. "You really want to fight to the death, then?"
"You're not capable of taking me down with you!" the tiger roared. "Your fire may be higher quality, but you have so little of it! I'll gladly sacrifice all of my Gray Ghost Fire to see you dead!"
Luo Zhen just laughed. He flexed his powerful black wings. "I can fly. You can't touch me."
The tiger's skeletal jaw tightened, unable to argue the point.
Suddenly, a series of sharp whistles cut through the air, followed by human shouts from the treeline.
"There's the damned flying snake! Die!"
Three figures burst from the forest, moving with incredible speed. They were human martial artists, and Luo Zhen could immediately sense that all three were at the peak of the Earth Profound Realm. They came to a halt, their eyes widening at the sight of the colossal, skull-faced tiger.
"Such immense demonic power!" one of them breathed. He quickly recovered, offering a respectful bow. "An aura of the Heaven Profound Realm… there is only one such beast in the Eastern Yue Kingdom. You must be the great Ghost-Headed Tiger, Lord of Ghost Sha Mountain."
"I am," the tiger confirmed.
"We greet the Lord of Ghost Sha Mountain," the three said in unison.
"Save the formalities," the tiger grumbled. "What do you want?"
"We came for the flying snake," the lead warrior said, pointing a sword at Luo Zhen. "We are here to kill it. What brings you here, Lord Tiger?"
"A coincidence," the tiger replied. "I'm here to kill it too."
A wave of relief washed over the three humans. "Excellent! We feared you might be here to protect it."
Luo Zhen, however, was completely bewildered. "I don't even know you people," he called down. "Why do you want to kill me?"
"You don't know us?" one of them spat. "Wasn't it you who attacked the Thorn Flower Chamber of Commerce in Bright Moon City a few days ago?"
"And the Golden Rose Chamber of Commerce!" another added.
"And the Hundred Treasures Pavilion!" the third finished.
The chambers of commerce, Luo Zhen realized. In his desperation for resources, he'd gotten reckless and raided several major merchant guilds. He never thought they'd track him down this fast.
"Yeah, that was me," he admitted without shame.
"Then prepare to die!" the three roared. Their swords glowed with cold light as they began channeling their energy for a powerful attack. Beside them, the Ghost-Headed Tiger began gathering its own demonic fire.
Luo Zhen's heart sank. A Heaven Profound beast and three peak Earth Profound warriors? He was completely, utterly outmatched. It was time to go.
"Well, it's been fun, but I'm out of here," he announced, flapping his wings and banking sharply to flee.
"He's getting away!" the tiger yelled.
"Don't worry, Lord Tiger," one of the warriors said calmly. "We came prepared."
The three humans brought their swords together. In a flash of light, the three blades merged into a single, massive greatsword.
"Rise!" they chanted, pouring their energy into the weapon. The greatsword lifted off the ground and shot after Luo Zhen like a guided missile.
A wave of pure danger washed over Luo Zhen, so intense his scales stood on end. He instantly threw up another Water Light Shield just as the flying sword slammed into him.
The impact was staggering. He nearly plummeted from the sky as his shield shattered, the force of the blow rattling him to his core. That sword is no joke, he thought, his heart pounding. Without the shield, I'd have been sliced in two.
Below, his enemies were closing in.
"Nowhere to run, snake!" the warriors yelled, as the greatsword circled for another pass. The Ghost-Headed Tiger joined in, launching volleys of demonic energy at him.
Luo Zhen twisted and dodged, weaving through the energy blasts, but the flying sword was relentless. It tracked his every move, changing direction in mid-air. A few seconds later, it struck again, shattering his newly formed shield.
Furious, he retaliated, spitting fireballs and even unleashing his Red Lotus Fire, but the sword was seemingly indestructible, shrugging off his attacks without a scratch. He was trapped in a losing battle, his only option was to keep throwing up shields as he fled. He had one destination in mind: the Blackwater Lake.
Fighting a desperate running battle, he finally reached the edge of the Eastern Yue Kingdom. An immense, seemingly endless body of dark water spread out before him.
The Blackwater Lake. I made it.
With a final, powerful beat of his wings, he dove headfirst into the murky depths.
His pursuers arrived moments later, panting at the water's edge. The flying sword was useless underwater, and the Ghost-Headed Tiger, a creature of the land, was completely out of its element.
"Get out here, you coward!" one of the warriors screamed at the lake.
Luo Zhen's massive head breached the surface. "Not a chance," he hissed back. "Why don't you come in?"
With a final, taunting flick of his tongue, he submerged completely and vanished into the darkness.
"Damn it!" the humans cursed, helpless.
"Watch your tone," the Ghost-Headed Tiger warned them suddenly.
"What do you mean?" a warrior asked, confused. "Don't you want him dead, too?"
"I do," the tiger said gravely. "But this is the Blackwater Lake. This lake is vast, and it is home to countless ancient and powerful demonic beasts. Your shouting could easily provoke something far worse than that snake. The creatures in this lake are notoriously arrogant and territorial. They don't care who you're yelling at."
"So what do we do?" another warrior asked, frustrated. "Just let him go?"
The Ghost-Headed Tiger let out a long, slow sigh. "We have no choice. There are things in this lake that even I would not dare to anger. For now… the snake has escaped."