Chapter 68: The Sacred Flame Rekindled

Nuoluo watched as the King of the Underworld and Fuli signaled that they were ready to begin.

Niaoniao stood nearby, anxiously observing them. Earlier, Nuoluo had hinted that it should leave this dangerous place for its own safety, but how could Niaoniao abandon her at such a crucial moment?

Nuoluo cast one last glance at Niaoniao, but her heart was no longer concerned for its safety.

When the Sacred Earth Fire and Nether Flame simultaneously appeared in Nuoluo’s palms, the atmosphere inside the barrier grew suddenly tense.

The flames, infused with the essence of heaven and earth, emerged in all their dazzling glory.

Nuoluo was immediately awed by the overwhelming power—though both flames had always resided within her hands, this was her first time seeing them together.

They repelled each other, yet an invisible force seemed to bind them, preventing either from escaping.

The King of the Underworld’s gaze remained fixed on the Sacred Earth Fire. He had already sensed its unique aura atop Sunset Mountain, and its might far surpassed the flames of Sunset. He looked at Nuoluo with admiration; carrying such scorching fire within her, traversing the dangers of the underworld—indeed, she was worthy of being chosen by the Underworld Butterfly.

The Underworld Butterfly had not followed the King out of the underworld. Now, it had a more important task: to help Lige resolve a certain matter.

Fuli was also witnessing these two unique flames for the first time. He had heard legends of Sunset Mountain, though never seen the Sacred Earth Fire. But the appearance of the Nether Flame truly stunned him.

This flame was the very essence of chilling cold, devoid of warmth, expelling all heat in an instant. And she had carried it all the way back to the mortal realm. Such courage and sacrifice were unthinkable.

He had heard rumors of the catastrophe in the mortal realm while still in the divine realm, but had never cared—his duty was only to the divine realm, while the mortal realm belonged to the lineage of the Earth Gods.

Yet this time, on his journey to the mortal realm, Fuli’s perspective had changed after witnessing the devastation firsthand.

Everywhere was dead and silent; the occasional drifting figures were either spirits or gods of the Earth Goddess’s temple. Humans, those who had survived, were almost extinct.

His thoughts were abruptly interrupted. “What is she doing?” Fuli exclaimed in surprise, as did the King of the Underworld.

Nuoluo had already sliced open her wrist. Instead of blood flowing down, it pooled together, gradually forming a thin red thread, which slowly traced a faint path.

Within this trajectory, the Sacred Earth Fire and Nether Flame were bound, unable to escape.

Nuoluo signaled that they could proceed. She did not allow the King or Fuli to touch either flame. Instead, she used her own blood as a bond to tether them together.

Within the barrier of the Nether Flame, Fengming had warned her about the consequences of contact with it. Regardless of whether the prophecy would come true, she had no intention of spreading such a terrifying fate. This was a destiny the lineage of the Earth God could not escape; let her bear it alone.

Moreover, only by using her blood as a bond could the two flames truly merge.

As the blood gathered, Nuoluo summoned all the power of her ice and fire spiritual energies, injecting the accumulated strength into the flames. With the infusion of these energies, the flames began to fuse, releasing a sibilant burning sound.

The King of the Underworld and Fuli exchanged glances, channeling their power into Nuoluo’s hands.

Thus, with Nuoluo at the center, the purest forces of heaven and earth converged. An unending stream of power flowed into the flames.

The flames, continually merging, clashed fiercely, unwilling to fuse and resisting the forces pressing upon them.

At the center, Nuoluo seemed as if bound to the pyre, enduring agony beyond words.

She possessed both the bloodline of the Earth Gods and the Phoenix Clan. Deathly power from the King and divine energy from Fuli poured into her, untransformed, forced into her body. She had no time to adjust before being forced to unleash it again. The overwhelming disparity nearly shattered her.

Nuoluo gritted her teeth against the pain. She could not relax for an instant, or all previous sacrifices would be lost.

Niaoniao watched anxiously, seeing the color drain from Nuoluo’s face, her fingertips trembling.

With a soft sound, blood trickled from the corner of Nuoluo’s mouth; she seemed on the verge of losing her last ounce of strength.

The King of the Underworld observed her closely. Seeing her condition, his gaze deepened, and he abruptly ceased channeling his power.

Fuli, noticing every change in Nuoluo, withdrew his power as well.

Nuoluo collapsed to the ground. At that moment, the fused flames suddenly separated.

“Continue. If we stop now, everything will be wasted,” Nuoluo struggled to stand, though she barely had the strength to remain upright.

“You…” The King’s words were cut off by Nuoluo.

“I’m fine! I can keep going.” Her eyes remained fixed on the flames. Seeing them begin to split, the sorrow in her heart was greater than any physical pain.

She had to persevere.

The King did not mind her abruptness, gathering his power once more.

Nuoluo endured unimaginable torment, again hovering between life and death. Her strength waned, her vision blurred. She blinked hard, desperate to see clearly.

The boundary between Sacred Earth Fire and Nether Flame faded, slowly merging.

Suddenly, the fusion halted—at the very moment when success seemed imminent, everything froze.

Time itself seemed to stop, capturing this instant: the flames stalled, refusing to merge. What had happened?

Nuoluo was perplexed. Her power was not diminishing, but growing stronger. Why, then, had this occurred?

She poured her last reserves into the flames, as did the King and Fuli, strengthening their efforts.

Yet the flames remained unmoved.

Nuoluo’s heart felt as if it had ceased beating. She could scarcely believe that, after coming so far, at the final moment, failure loomed.

Could it be that Fengming’s message was false? Perhaps the Sacred Earth Fire did not require external power—otherwise, how had her mother ignited it alone years ago?

Or was it that the Sacred Earth Fire was never meant to burn forever, that after countless ages, it was destined to extinguish, and the involvement of the King and Fuli only made things worse?

Nuoluo reconsidered. Surely things were not as she imagined. Fengming had waited countless cycles within the Nether Flame barrier for her ultimate success; how could he have given her false information at the last moment? There must be some unknown factor at play.

She did not stop, nor did the King or Fuli.

Power continued to pour into the flames, yet nothing changed. The fusion halted, suspended at the final step.

“Don’t give up, never give up!” Nuoluo kept encouraging herself.

She withheld the power from the King and Fuli, instead gathering it within herself. The surging energy battered every inch of her skin.

Nuoluo felt her flesh begin to tear, but ignored her body’s suffering, her gaze locked on the stalled flames.

Step by step, she approached, carrying the last condensed energy toward the flames. Since the fire had lingered in her palm so long, perhaps some peculiar strength remained within her, which could be the key to their fusion. She could not abandon her final hope.

“Nuoluo, stop! You mustn’t do this!” Niaoniao cried out anxiously, powerless to prevent Nuoluo from walking into the flames.

Nuoluo did not look back, nor did she pause. Her eyes saw only the halted flames. She gripped the fire once more, and a sudden transformation occurred.

Everything happened so quickly, as if waiting only for her return. The instant Nuoluo touched the flames, their stalled fusion resumed.

She felt her body shatter into fragments, invisible threads passing through her, each movement infused with a bloodthirsty force.

The King and Fuli, witnessing this, grew curious to see what might happen. They continued channeling power into Nuoluo.

She did not let go, holding the flames tightly. The blaze scorched her skin, burned her soul, but she refused to release her grip, fearing that even a moment’s negligence would lead to regrets lasting a lifetime. She could not allow any accident due to her own lapse.

Her vision dimmed further; ice and fire energies poured endlessly into the flames.

At last, the Sacred Earth Fire and Nether Flame fused successfully. After countless setbacks, after endless tests of life and death, Nuoluo brought them back to the mortal realm and finally witnessed the ignition of the Heart of Earth Flame.

Nuoluo smiled faintly, releasing her hold. She had finally seen the moment of victory. Now she could breathe, at last, relaxing her taut nerves.

Her smile seemed to bid farewell to past hardships, to all she had endured.

Nuoluo collapsed, closing her eyes. Now she could rest, if only for a short while. Though what lay ahead might be even harder, in this moment, as the Heart of Earth Flame burned, she wanted only to rest. She was exhausted.