After sharing a tender moment with Yun Yun and Nalan Yanran, Xu Ran immediately began his seclusion.
The Void-swallowing Flame, when it reappeared in Xu Ran's hand, was no longer the defiant spirit it once was. Its expression was one of sheer terror. The Void-swallowing Flame really had terrible luck; initially, Tuo She Ancient Emperor captured it for Refinement, and only after he became a Dou Di did it receive half a reprieve. Now, just as it harbored hopes of becoming an Emperor itself, it encountered someone even more terrifying than Tuo She Ancient Emperor—a freak of nature.
Especially since Xu Ran had no intention of letting it escape.
But how could the Void-swallowing Flame possibly break free after being captured by Xu Ran?
No matter how much it struggled, it remained locked in place, only able to watch helplessly as it was being refined.
"Xu Ran, what are you doing? Don't refine me, please don't," the Void-swallowing Flame pleaded. Even though Xu Ran was a Dou Di, it didn't want to spend its life under someone's control, becoming Xu Ran's slave. After scheming for so many years to break through to the level of Dou Di, how could it be willing to be Xu Ran's vassal?
"Oh? Don't you want to break through to Dou Di? I can help you with that," said Xu Ran, pausing the engulfing force.
"You're that kind-hearted?"
"I can provide you with an endless supply of Yuan Qi to enable your breakthrough to Dou Di. Then, you'll be devoured by me. How does that sound? Even if you serve me, at least you'll be able to realize your dream. If you perform well, I might even spare you." If the Void-swallowing Flame could break through to Dou Di, not only would its strength greatly increase, but it could also become a separate Dou Di Expert. Taming a Strange Fire and taming a pet had their similarities. Nevertheless, when subduing a Strange Fire, one could gain a substantial amount of energy from it.
However, no matter how strong the Void-swallowing Flame was, it couldn't surpass Xu Ran, and the benefits it could get from him were bound to be even greater.
"Are you sure?"
The Void-swallowing Flame materialized into human form, somewhat incredulous of what it heard.
Xu Ran had such good intentions?
Moreover, if it managed to break through to Dou Di, it wouldn't be so easy to control. Was Xu Ran sure he wanted this? If a Dou Di level Strange Fire were that easy to control, Tuo She Ancient Emperor wouldn't have let it slip away.
"That's none of your concern," Xu Ran replied.
Xu Ran was different from Tuo She Ancient Emperor; no matter how strong the Void-swallowing Flame became, it could never surpass him.
"As long as I can break through to Dou Di, what does it matter if I heed your commands?" the Void-swallowing Flame didn't hesitate to agree. Although it had slight assurance of breaking through to Dou Di on its own—merely ten or twenty percent at best—if a Dou Di Expert was willing to assist it, it was certain it could guarantee a hundred percent chance of success.
The upper limit for beings with innate abilities to devour power was very high. The strength of the Void-swallowing Flame was largely dependent on the tier of the world it inhabited. In a world with abundant Yuan Qi, the Void-swallowing Flame could effortlessly break through to Dou Di by devouring. However, at the same time, it was hard for the Void-swallowing Flame to become one of the topmost powerhouses. In the original story, even if the Void-swallowing Flame was given an Emperor Grade Young Pill, its chance of breaking through to Dou Di wasn't substantial. Unlike Hun Tiandi or Xiao Yan, who slowly grew stronger, a small amount of Yuan Qi could allow them to comprehend the Emperor's Way. This might not necessarily be true for the Void-swallowing Flame.
But as long as it had access to a large quantity of such energy, the breakthrough for the Void-swallowing Flame was virtually effortless.
Therefore, Xu Ran's assessment of the Void-swallowing Flame was that it might not be the most formidable among the elites, but it could easily become a top-tier expert below them.
"Then you should concentrate on your breakthrough."
Infinite energy erupted within Xu Ran's body, the dense Yuan Qi enveloping him. A substantial part of Xu Ran's strength originated from the Divine Realm, as if a thick pipeline had connected him directly to it, promptly replenishing his power whenever it was consumed.
"Such pure energy."
Void-swallowing Flame took a deep breath of energy into his system and a satisfied smile graced his face.
At this moment, he even felt that one day he might have the chance to seek vengeance against Tuo She Ancient Emperor.
Tuo She Ancient Emperor had purely devoured him back then, and after leaving the Fighting Spirit Continent, he had kept him confined in a cave dwelling. Had he followed the path of growth, he would undoubtedly have been devoured by the Inheritor of Tuo She Ancient Emperor, contributing his power to the Cultivation of the Burning Decision.
Compared to the vendetta with Tuo She Ancient Emperor, his little scuffles with Xu Ran were nothing more than child's play.
Having so much energy to devour made him more than happy; he even started to think of Xu Ran as a good person. Even though, after being devoured by Xu Ran, he became Xu Ran's fighter, bound to him unless Xu Ran chose to release him or perished, everything else seemed negligible as long as he could become a Dou Di.
Especially since, by following such a ruthless person as Xu Ran, he likely wouldn't lack energy to devour in the future, and his breakthroughs in "Cultivation Level" should not be too slow either.
Void-swallowing Flame focused on devouring the surging energy around him, with his strength visibly increasing. The first to break through was his Soul Power, which, nourished by the Yuan Qi, directly breached the barrier, reaching the Emperor Realm.
Void-swallowing Flame was astonished; he couldn't understand why Xu Ran would possess Yuan Qi. Xu Ran's aura was entirely different from that of Tuo She Ancient Emperor.
But even with Void-swallowing Flame's devouring capability, he estimated that breaking through to Dou Di would require at least a month or two.
Among those powers Void-swallowing Flame possessed, Xu Ran had infused plenty of Divine Power that only Xu Ran could control, allowing him to easily manipulate Void-swallowing Flame. Should there be any anomaly in Void-swallowing Flame, Xu Ran could instantaneously trigger an energy upheaval within him.
At the inception of the Fighting Spirit Continent, two energies were born between heaven and earth, one of which was the familiar Dou Qi, while the other was Yuan Qi, which can be understood as the essence of the Fighting Spirit Continent. Yuan Qi has a fixed value and cannot be reborn by nature. As people began to practice Cultivation, Nine-Star Dou Sheng experts breaking through to the Dou Di realm would consume a certain amount of Yuan Qi. Initially, no one paid attention to the consumption of Yuan Qi. As more and more experts reached the Dou Di realm, Yuan Qi was depleted, and Tuo She Ancient Emperor was the last Dou Di. Knowing that Yuan Qi was about to be exhausted, he crafted an Emperor-Class Elixir, storing the remaining Yuan Qi within it.
Thousands of years passed, and both Gu Yuan and Hun Tiandi had not advanced in the slightest, still stuck at the Nine-Star Dou Sheng Peak, merely a step away from the Dou Di realm. However, that final step remained elusive due to the lack of Yuan Qi.
Or rather, Dou Qi is just a part of the energy used for Cultivation in this world, and only when combined with Yuan Qi does it become complete.
Like the Fighting Spirit Continent, the Divine Realm and the essential energies of its respective continents are also fixed. Consequently, the number of godhoods remains largely static. Even if new gods emerge, they are typically successors to the old. The number of mighty beings in the Divine Realm corresponds to the number of gods; it does not increase or decrease, and the essential power does not wither from consumption – there is even a surplus. The Fighting Spirit Continent is different; a bit of Yuan Qi is consumed by one Dou Di, and gradually it is all exhausted.
After Xu Ran crossed over, apart from transforming Divine Power into Dou Qi, he also brought with him an abundance of Yuan Qi. To him, it seemed akin to the special powers needed by a Titled Douluo to ascend to godhood. Faith? Laws, or other mysteries? In short, it was a complex aggregate, which even Xu Ran didn't fully comprehend.
Now, only Dou Qi remains as the energy in the Fighting Spirit Continent, whereas the energy of the Divine Realm is complete. Thus, as the Dominator of the Divine Realm, he could easily draw forth Yuan Qi.