"Are you the Dou Di from a thousand years ago, the master of the Ancient Emperor's Cave Dwelling?" Xiao Yan couldn't contain his excitement. And for good reason, Hun Tiandi and the others had racked their brains just to obtain the Tutelage Imperial Jade, and the treasures in the depths of the cave dwelling.
In front of him, however, stood a genuine Dou Di!
Ha ha ha!
This is a Dou Di!
"Indeed, I am the Tuo She Ancient Emperor you speak of. The 'Burning Decision' has also been successfully cultivated by you. I didn't expect that you, a human, could also endure that kind of pain," Tuo She Ancient Emperor was also somewhat astonished. For a cultivator to devour and merge various Strange Fires was no simple feat, especially the physical torment involved, which was not something ordinary people could withstand.
Even with full preparation, how many had the mental fortitude to refine those Strange Fires, one after another?
When he, as a Strange Fire, was born, he obtained the 'Burning Decision' and then successfully cultivated it. Being a Strange Fire nurtured by heaven and earth, his body was naturally countless times stronger than that of humans.
This was precisely the point that Tuo She Ancient Emperor admired about Xiao Yan.
Only with a strong heart, one could fully cultivate the 'Burning Decision' to perfection.
During the refinement of Strange Fires, the smallest lapse in mental fortitude would lead to failure, followed by severe injury or even death.
"Compared to losing family, to losing loved ones, what does this pain count for?" Xiao Yan said with a bitter smile. He had never been afraid of physical torment; it was the devastation of the spirit he feared.
The acts perpetrated by Xu Ran upon him were indeed multiple assaults on his spirit. His dignity was trampled by Xu Ran, his family members were killed by Xu Ran... Compared to these, the absorption of Strange Fires was merely short-lived pain. Moreover, he didn't find the absorption of Strange Fires very uncomfortable; rather, it was the physical torment that made him forget his spiritual anguish at those times.
"It seems that ironically, that person has helped temper your spirit."
"He is also a Dou Di. And his strength is no less than mine," Tuo She Ancient Emperor's eyes shimmered with a strange light. When Xu Ran visited the Ancient Emperor Cave Dwelling, he had sensed his presence.
The appearance of a Dou Di had greatly surprised him.
Particularly, Xu Ran's aura and those enigmatic techniques, had even shocked him who had long since left the Fighting Spirit Continent. Of course, such techniques held no meaning to him; as a Strange Fire, only powerful flames were effective against him.
And Xu Ran happened to possess an extremely powerful Flame, even though its nature was unknown, the level of refinement of that Flame was not inferior to his own, and it seemed to contain something even he could not see through.
Xu Ran's Fire, stemmed from his own Kylin Beast Fire and then merged with the Divine Realm's Flame Sword Dao Principle, accompanied by his own Flame Sword Dao Principle. After coming to the Fighting Spirit Continent, he further integrated Strange Fire. That's why Xu Ran dared to say that his understanding of flames was not beneath that of Tuo She Ancient Emperor.
Originally, for Xu Ran, his Divine Fire had limited auxiliary combat capabilities; its fight power was far less compared to his other techniques such as the Destruction Sword Dao and the Slaughter Sword Path. However, now, his Divine Fire was on the verge of becoming one of his trump cards. This gradually ignited an ambition for Strange Fires in Xu Ran, who previously had little interest in them.
Of course, ordinary Strange Fires were hardly enough to pique Xu Ran's interest, only a Strange Fire like that of Tuo She Ancient Emperor who had broken through to become a Dou Di early could boost Xu Ran's strength significantly.
He believed that by devouring Tuo She Ancient Emperor, his "Cultivation Level" would soar directly, perhaps even reaching the pinnacle of Dou Di.
Therefore, when he first went to the Tuo She Ancient Emperor Cave Dwelling, aside from going to rescue Zhukun, Xu Ran also intended to draw Tuo She Ancient Emperor's attention to himself.
Tuo She Ancient Emperor and Xiao Yan practiced the same Cultivation Technique, which was Burning Decision.
Burning Decision required the devouring of flames to continuously evolve. He believed his Divine Fire would definitely pique Tuo She Ancient Emperor's interest, which is why he deliberately lured Tuo She Ancient Emperor out. If Tuo She Ancient Emperor can cultivate Burning Decision, why can't he?
As for who would devour whom, that would all come down to ability.
Of course, with the reminders from System Miss, he had already learned a lot about Tuo She Ancient Emperor's strength. Even if Tuo She Ancient Emperor was very strong, he would definitely not fear him.
"Xu Ran is actually a Dou Di," Xiao Yan was shocked beyond measure. Getting the answer from Tuo She Ancient Emperor, Xiao Yan realized just how wrong his previous assumptions had been. No matter how he schemed, even gathering all the Dou Saint Experts of the Continent to confront Xu Ran would not be sufficient.
How could anyone defeat a legendary existence like a Dou Di?
"Since Xu Ran is a Dou Di, why didn't he kill me, but instead keeps toying with me?" Xiao Yan was both shocked and angry.
"Perhaps to lure me out,"
Tuo She Ancient Emperor frowned. He didn't know if Xu Ran was deliberately tormenting Xiao Yan due to the influence of the original story, or if it was because of him.
Xiao Yan cultivated Burning Decision, a prodigy blessed by heaven, and naturally felt a kinship with him who also cultivated Burning Decision. Moreover, he could use Xiao Yan's body to channel some power.
Apart from the secrets hidden within Xu Ran, Xiao Yan's body was also highly valued by him.
Such a body, if nurtured by him, would surely become a Dou Di level existence in the future. And it also cultivated Burning Decision, the same as him—a treasure bestowed by the heavens. If he handled it well, this would certainly become a powerful tool for him in the future. Possessing a Dou Di avatar would greatly enhance his combat strength.
The benefits that Xu Ran and Xiao Yan brought to him would far exceed the total benefits of his many years of cultivation in the Great Thousand World.
And he wouldn't directly take over Xiao Yan's body, as doing so could jeopardize his chances of breaking through to Dou Di in the future. Because breaking through to Dou Di requires perfection in all aspects, mere possession makes the final hurdle to a breakthrough incredibly challenging. Hence, he needed Xiao Yan to break through to Dou Di himself and then willingly surrender his body to him.
"Senior previously said you'd help me, how do you plan to assist me?" Xiao Yan asked through gritted teeth. There's no such thing as a free lunch in the world, and right now, he's undoubtedly making a deal with the tiger. He couldn't possibly outsmart an ancient Dou Di expert.
"I need your body. I will help you break through to Dou Di, then let you kill Xu Ran to avenge your grudge. And what you need to pay is your body, your soul, everything. How about that?" Tuo She Ancient Emperor disdained to use any intrigue; this was an overt plot.
Only he could help Xiao Yan get revenge. Xiao Yan would surely agree.
The thought of a body that also cultivated Burning Decision being trained by him, practicing all his Cultivation Techniques, made him somewhat excited. Thus, that body wouldn't just be any ordinary presence; it might even become his second life. And if he were to obtain Xu Ran's secrets, in the future, even on higher-level Continents, he would become a ruler, a king of countless planes.