Abnormal Flames, also known as Eternal Flames, or Heavenly Flames, were rare and extraordinary types of fire. They were not born from ordinary combustion, but from the very essence of nature and the heavens. These flames were far stronger than any mundane fire, imbued with a power that defied mortal understanding.
Their origins varied. Some were said to be celestial fire sealed within a meteor that had fallen from the sky. Others were born from the flame core of an ancient volcano long since extinguished. There were tales of flames emerging where ley lines of pure fire qi intersected deep beneath the earth, or in places where the boundaries between realms had been ruptured by elemental chaos. Some were even rumored to spark from the death of a phoenix, or from divine lightning striking the land in a moment of cosmic imbalance.
Whatever their origin, all Abnormal Flames shared one thing in common: they absorbed the essence of the land, the heavens, and the elements around them for hundreds, sometimes thousands of years. The longer they burned, the more volatile and powerful they became.
That was what made taming one so incredibly difficult and unimaginably dangerous.
Throughout history, countless cultivators had tried to claim these flames. Most were reduced to nothing more than ash, their souls scattered to the winds. Only a rare few had succeeded… and some of them had gone on to become legends.
Even the weakest Abnormal Flame was more than enough to drive the entire cultivation world into madness.
Because to absorb one was not only to gain a tremendous increase in raw power, it also transformed a cultivator's very core, refining their techniques and amplifying their spiritual potential to unimaginable heights. For alchemists, an Abnormal Flame was the ultimate treasure. With it, pill refining transcended mortal limits. The purity, control, and heat granted by such flames drastically increased success rates and allowed for the creation of pills far beyond their original tier.
Which was why…
Anyone known to possess an Abnormal Flame instantly became a target.
If they were weak, they were hunted, assassinated, betrayed by even their own sects. But if they were strong enough to hold their ground, they became revered. Entire sects would bow before them. Empires would offer titles, protection, even arranging marriages in hopes of forming ties.
Yet Abnormal Flames were so rare that, across the vast lands of the Celestial Dragon Empire, only two had ever been confirmed to exist. And among those two, only one was ever tamed successfully.
And if this cursed valley truly hid a third…
It would shake the cultivation world to its core.
And when the news got out, certainly, there would be a bloodbath of unimaginable scale.
Anyway…
One of the key characteristics of Abnormal Flames was that, when left in nature and unbound, they would completely dominate weaker flames within an incredibly wide radius. After all, Abnormal Flames were the sovereigns of all fire, the kings among flames.
Sometimes, their presence would snuff out all nearby fires entirely, causing weaker flames to extinguish on their own. Even lesser Abnormal Flames would instinctively retreat in the presence of a stronger one.
Other times, their influence could be total opposite. They could affect nearby flames in strange ways, making them burn hotter, brighter, shift colors, or even develop unusual properties.
The wider and more potent the area of influence, the stronger the Abnormal Flame likely was.
As Langtian stared at the fire in front of him now, he noticed something off. The flames were burning a little bit brighter, redder and more intense than they should, and there was a strange, unsettling heat pressing against his skin.
It made him vaguely uneasy.
It could have been his imagination, though.
"No, junior brother, you're not imagining it," Yue Ling said, her eyes fixed on the fire pit as well.
She stood up and raised her hand. At her gesture, the fire flickered, and a small wisp of flame lifted itself from the pit, rising into the air and hovering gently in her palm.
As a Second-Tier Alchemist, Shangguan Yue Ling could control fire to a certain extent and perform a few basic tricks like this.
With her other hand, she reached over to a nearby shelf and pulled down a small bone.
The fang of a demonic beast.
"As you probably already know, a normal wood fire could never incinerate a bone to ash," Yue Ling said calmly. "But watch what happens when I let this fire touch the demonic beast fang."
She tossed the demonic beast bone into the flame hovering above her palm.
Instantly—
Blaze!
The fire surged, flaring violently with a whoosh!
And the bone?
It vanished.
Gone in a blink.
Yue Ling blew out the fire with a light breath, and all that remained in her palm was a fine layer of gray bone dust.
"What?!" Langtian's eyes widened in disbelief.
Even with expert flame control, not even a Third-Tier Alchemist could destroy a bone that quickly, let alone a demonic beast bone, which was said to be ten times tougher than normal ones!
Which could only mean one thing…
That flame just now had been heavily influenced by something… something that amplified its strength to an absurd degree!
But then a new thought struck him.
"Wait… then how?" Langtian blinked. "How can you leave a flame that strong burning in a regular fire pit? Wouldn't it have burned through the stones already? Or, I don't know, set the entire house on fire?"
Yue Ling let out a small laugh and shrugged.
"Well, the weird thing is—it only reacts that way with demonic beast materials. Their meat, bones, tendons, whatever. Toss anything else in, and it behaves like a normal flame."
Langtian blinked.
"…Wait. A flame that only reacts violently with demonic beasts?"
"Yup," Yue Ling replied, utterly casual. "It's really handy for cooking those beasts and processing their parts for my alchemy. But other than that, it behaves just like any ordinary fire."
"I… I see. That's… interesting…" Langtian murmured, rubbing his chin.
But then his thoughts snagged on something else.
"Wait a second. What do you mean by cooking? And alchemy?"
A chill crept down his spine.
A horrifying realization began to form.
"Y-You've been eating… demonic beasts?" he asked, voice trembling.
Yue Ling tilted her head, eyes narrowing slightly as a mischievous smile curved her lips.
"What? How else did you think I've survived in this place for so long?"
At her answer, Langtian felt his world tilt.
Because as far as he knew, no one in their right mind would eat the flesh of demonic beasts.
And there were very good reasons for that.