Ignace Blaze was at a loss, unsure how to clarify the situation. But then he recalled what the senior had said, so he spoke: "Palace Lord Bianca, rest assured. If he is the Sacred Flame Successor, he won't die in there."
"Then what about him?" Bianca said, unconvinced.
"Something must have happened, so I ask Palace Lord Bianca to wait here at the palace for now," Ignace said.
Bianca was furious and needed someone to vent her anger on, so she asked, "Where are those six?"
"I'll go find them right away," Ignace replied, then took Bianca to the palace. After they arrived, Ignace sent people to search for the six, but the reply came back: the six were nowhere to be found.
"Palace Lord Ignace, is this your answer?" Bianca said angrily.
"Palace Lord Bianca, I promise I will give you a proper explanation. Please wait here with peace of mind," Ignace said.
Bianca snorted coldly and sat down. After some thought, Ignace spoke up, "Palace Lord Bianca, I wonder if I may ask something?" "Speak," Bianca said, displeased. "How did Evan Yang become a member of the Water Temple? And where does he come from?" Ignace asked.
"He is one of our Water Temple people. As for where he comes from, I don't know myself. Why are you asking?" Bianca replied.
"Nothing, it's just that he might be the Sacred Flame Successor, so I want to understand more. You know how important the Successor is to us," Ignace said.
"Are you sure he's one too?" Bianca finally calmed down and asked curiously.
"If he absorbed the flames from the Eighteenth Layer, then it's possible. Only the Sacred Flame can contain such power. And if he can come out of Skyfire Cliff alive, that proves it even more," Ignace said.
Bianca frowned and pondered, then said, "No matter what, he has to survive. If he dies, you know what that means for our two palaces."
"That's why I'll find a way to locate him, don't worry," Ignace said.
Bianca nodded. Meanwhile, Evan Yang was radiating endless flames at Skyfire Cliff, merging himself with those flames until he became nearly transparent—even Immortal Sovereigns couldn't sense his presence.
"How many years will this take?" Evan wondered to himself. He noticed that ever since arriving here, at the moment he turned transparent, his Sacred Flame left his body, but slowly returned.
The return was slow, but each time it did, the power became purer. Evan knew this would help his Sacred Flame advance, so he closed his eyes and waited patiently.
And so, time passed bit by bit.
At Skyfire Cliff, Ignace and Bianca came to check every few days. Years later, Ignace said to Bianca, "Did you notice anything?"
"Notice what?" Bianca didn't know what Ignace meant.
"The temperature at Skyfire Cliff is dropping!" Ignace said.
"Really?" Bianca asked suspiciously. She toured Skyfire Cliff again, then returned and said, "You're right, it's definitely different from the first time we came."
"That means Evan Yang must be somewhere below, absorbing the flames. That's why the temperature is dropping," Ignace said.
"If that's really the case, that's best. If not, then who knows where Evan Yang has gone," Bianca muttered.
Ignace also hoped Evan was below. The two waited, year after year. If not for the dropping temperature, they would have given up long ago.
Because of the changes at Skyfire Cliff, Ignace and Bianca didn't give up. Over a hundred years passed, and then one day, the flames inside Skyfire Cliff boiled like water—roaring and erupting into the sky.
Ignace was shocked and immediately ordered everyone nearby to evacuate. He and Bianca rushed to shield people from the flames' harm.
But the temperature was still too high, and some people were injured. It was a disaster for the Fire Temple—they had never seen Skyfire Cliff erupt like this before.
Only after confirming no one had died, and most were just injured, did Ignace relax. He returned to Skyfire Cliff, stared at it, and said, "What in the world is going on?"
"I don't know. It's so strange," Bianca said.
"Could there be some mutation happening?" Ignace muttered.
Bianca curiously watched Skyfire Cliff. The two waited until a figure, cloaked in flames, slowly rose from the chasm.
Both of them were overjoyed when they saw who it was—it was none other than Evan Yang, and at that moment, Evan opened his eyes.
Evan felt as if he'd slept for ages, but his Sacred Flame was now far purer and at least ten times stronger than before. He believed even peak Emperor-level cultivators would now retreat before him. Besides that, his cultivation had advanced from fourth-tier to sixth-tier.
As a sixth-tier Immortal Lord, Evan could easily defeat a peak ninth-tier opponent without even fully transforming or going all out.
After their initial joy, the two were startled by Evan's gaze—it looked as though flames burned in his eyes, and wherever he looked seemed ready to ignite.
This was the result of Evan fusing the Ninety-Ninefold Purefire: 'fire pupils.' If Evan wished, flames could shoot from his eyes—Sacred Flame, at that—catching enemies off guard with a devastating attack.
"Evan Yang, put away that gaze—it's too scary," Bianca said with a smile. She was genuinely delighted by Evan's progress.
Evan smiled and withdrew the flames. Ignace walked over and apologized, "Sorry you had to suffer."
"No need to be so formal, Palace Lord Ignace. I stumbled into this place by accident—otherwise, I never would have realized how much it could improve me," Evan said with a laugh.
Ignace smiled. "So, you're the Sacred Flame Successor, aren't you?"
"Looks like Palace Lord Ignace figured it out," Evan said with a smile.
"Good, that's excellent. Since that's the case, I wonder if you'd come with me somewhere?" Ignace asked.
Evan nodded, while Bianca waited at the Fire Temple palace. As Evan followed Ignace, Ignace kept asking questions, secretly thinking, "Holding two Successor identities... Looks like I can finally accomplish my great task. This is wonderful."
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Evan had been speaking normally with Ignace, but suddenly felt something was off. Then Soul-Slaying Water said something that shocked Evan.
That sentence startled Evan. He knew Ignace's strength—and if Ignace really wanted his life, he'd have to escape as quickly as possible.
Soon after, Evan arrived at a chamber filled with flames, where he saw a fire pill furnace—and inside the furnace, a person.
The person looked familiar to Evan. When the man opened his eyes and saw Evan, he smiled, "We meet again."
"You..." Evan began searching his memory.
"What? Don't remember? You let me see your flames back then," the man said with a smile.
Evan finally remembered: this man had once captured him in a strange forest, asked some odd questions, then left happily. Afterward, Evan found the unconscious Yanxia Nangong and left the forest.
"You remember now, right?" the man said, seeing Evan's realization.
"So it was you, Senior," Evan said respectfully.
"I never expected you to cultivate so quickly. I thought it would take you many years to grow stronger. And even more surprising—you turned out to be the Ice-fire Successor," the man said, smiling.
"Just lucky," Evan replied with a smile.
Suddenly, flames surged around them and the exit was sealed. Both Evan and the man looked puzzled. At that moment, Ignace threw a punch at Evan.
Evan had been wary of Ignace, so he dodged quickly. But Ignace's Immortal Sovereign strength was overwhelming—Evan was still caught by the shockwave, blood trickling from his lips.
The sudden turn of events shocked the man in the furnace. "Ignace, what are you doing?" he exclaimed.
"Master, I'm getting rid of him!" Ignace said coldly.
"What? Do you know what you're doing? He's the Sacred Flame Successor!" the man said angrily.
While they spoke, Evan quietly began to recover from his injuries. Ignace sneered, believing Evan couldn't escape the chamber. "Master, that's just what I call you here. But do you know my true identity?" he said coldly.
Suddenly, as Ignace spoke, his face transformed into someone else—plus, a colorful tail appeared. The man in the furnace was shocked, "What? How did you infiltrate the Fire Temple?"
"Ha! Old fool, looks like you've forgotten. Years ago, your disciple and some others tried to kill me, but he was careless. I not only destroyed his soul but took over his body and memories. I originally just wanted to heal inside the Fire Temple, thinking I wouldn't be discovered. But unexpectedly, I waited for the appearance of your so-called Successor—one who holds two Successor identities. Once this person dies, will you still have hope? I fear your hopes will be shattered, and your palaces will be destroyed! Ha ha!" the colorful-tailed figure sneered.
"You... I'll kill you!" the man shouted angrily, trying to leave the furnace, but couldn't—something was blocking him.
The figure inside Ignace sneered, "Don't bother struggling. I've set things up so you can't get out—even if you're powerful. It's perfect, trapping you in this treasure."
"Damn you, beast! I'll kill you!" the man in the furnace roared.
"Kill me? You'd better watch how I destroy your hope instead," the impostor sneered.
The impostor slowly approached Evan. Evan knew he was facing a formidable enemy and prepared to enter the strange shell at any moment—even if he was discovered, it didn't matter anymore.