Chapter 519: Life-Sacrificing Disintegration Enhancement Material

When Zuo Fan rushed back to the Celestial Spirit Alliance with Mu Can, who was now just a head and a torso, his face went pale.

The Celestial Spirit Alliance’s base might not have been magnificent, but it was at least well-ordered and structured. Now, all that remained were charred, broken ruins.

He couldn’t think of anyone who could wield such powerful flames except for Xu Ziyang, the Red Dragon Flame Demon.

Before grief could even set in, rage erupted first.

For no other reason than that he saw Xu Ziyang, the Red Dragon Flame Demon, walking out from the depths of the Celestial Spirit Alliance’s ruins.

“I’ve been waiting for you for a long time. You’re a little slow.” After speaking, Xu Ziyang’s gaze fell on Mu Can, held in Zuo Fan’s hand, and his expression immediately grew grave.

It was true that the old Mu Can was no match for him.

But he also knew the characteristics of the “Blood Sea Killing Sutra” that Mu Can cultivated. The man’s recent slaughter meant his strength was definitely no less than his own.

Yet Zuo Fan had reduced him to little more than a torso. This meant Zuo Fan’s power was also far beyond what it used to be.

“It seems you’ve made great progress recently. I just wonder…” As Xu Ziyang’s words fell, he was already in front of Zuo Fan. “…just how much strength you really have.”

He used his hand as a sword, striking directly for Zuo Fan’s head.

Zuo Fan’s figure instantly swelled as he transformed into his Flame Demon form to resist.

He first tanked Xu Ziyang’s attack head-on, then his two Li Huo Giant Swords unleashed the strongest move of the Innate Li Fire Sword Technique: A Myriad of Household Lights.

He hadn’t even used this move when dealing with Mu Can.

But now, rage had completely consumed his consciousness. He threw all caution to the wind, using his strongest move right from the start.

“A Myriad of Household Lights? I know that one too!” A mocking smile appeared on Xu Ziyang’s face.

Although he no longer used a sword, by using his hand as a blade, the power of his Innate Li Fire Sword Technique had not only not diminished, but showed signs of becoming even stronger.

Flames soared into the sky, transforming into two terrifying seas of fire that tangled together.

The two seas of fire were clearly distinct, never truly mixing.

But soon, a figure was sent flying backward, half of his body gone.

This person was, of course, Xu Ziyang. Although he had used numerous Yang and Fire attribute Spiritual Techniques to strengthen his Red Dragon Flame Demon form, he was, in the end, a mutated version of a Flame Demon. He lacked the Undying Fire Element True Technique, the core principle.

Even with his later efforts to compensate, he could never fully make up for his inherent deficiency.

Not to mention Zuo Fan’s strike was a full-power blow fueled by rage.

“I have no desire to argue with you about right and wrong anymore!”

“I just want you dead!!”

“A MYRIAD OF HOUSEHOLD LIGHTS!!!!” Zuo Fan had no intention of stopping, unhesitatingly unleashing the move once more.

This filled the just-landed Xu Ziyang’s expression with madness. He got up without hesitation and, despite having only half a body left, launched an attack of his own.

Normally, the move A Myriad of Household Lights could only be used once a day.

It required ample rest afterward, which was why neither Zuo Fan nor Xu Ziyang used it often.

But that didn’t mean it couldn’t be used consecutively. As long as your body could withstand it, it didn’t matter.

Both of them were Flame Demons, so their physical fortitude went without saying. It was just a matter of injury; if they wanted to, they could exchange a dozen blows of A Myriad of Household Lights and not die.

As for the aftermath, that was another matter entirely.

BOOM—

Xu Ziyang was the one who failed again. The remaining half of his body exploded into a shower of fireworks.

However, he didn’t die. The fireworks reformed into Xu Ziyang within the sea of fire, restoring him to his normal state.

This was not without a price. The flames on his body visibly dimmed.

This meant that if he died too many times, Xu Ziyang would truly die for good.

But the current Xu Ziyang’s consciousness had long been devoured by the desire for destruction.

He charged at Zuo Fan once more, heedless of the cost.

“I may not be as orthodox as you…” Xu Ziyang’s fist punched through Zuo Fan’s chest, just as Zuo Fan’s Li Huo Giant Sword pierced through his head. “…but I have my own path.”

Those words planted a seed of unease in Zuo Fan’s heart.

But he quickly suppressed the feeling, withdrawing his Li Huo Giant Sword and preparing to strike with A Myriad of Household Lights yet again.

Xu Ziyang was faster. But this time, he didn’t use a move from the Innate Li Fire Sword Technique. Instead, it was a technique Zuo Fan had never seen or heard of.

“Flame Demon Dissolving Technique!”

“This is a powerful Spiritual Technique I created by combining the Flame Demon Body Refining Technique with all the Yang Fire Spiritual Techniques I’ve acquired.”

As Xu Ziyang finished speaking, Zuo Fan watched as his body began to crack apart inch by inch, with countless streams of magma-like blood flowing from the fissures.

At that moment, even Zuo Fan, who had become a Fire Elemental Flame Demon, felt a blast of searing heat wash over him.

‘This is absurd. I’m a Flame Demon myself, yet I can still encounter a temperature that feels hot to me.’

“I was originally saving this move for that wooden blockhead, but it doesn’t matter. You’re powerful enough to be a worthy substitute.”

“So you’d better be quick. Kill me before I die on my own, or you’ll lose your chance to avenge your Celestial Spirit Alliance. Hahahaha~” Toward the end, Xu Ziyang even started laughing.

But his attack didn’t stop. With a single punch, he shattered Zuo Fan’s Li Huo Giant Sword. A second punch landed on Zuo Fan’s chest.

The force not only pierced through Zuo Fan’s chest but also slammed him deep into the ground.

Before Zuo Fan could get up, Xu Ziyang was upon him again, yanking him out of the ground.

BAM, BAM, BAM! Three punches rained down on Zuo Fan’s head. Even the hardest skull was pulverized under the blows.

Zuo Fan was instantly turned into a headless Flame Demon.

But at their level of power, Zuo Fan’s life force and regenerative abilities were naturally strong enough for him to survive and regrow his head.

And the process was fast; it grew back almost immediately after being destroyed.

However, Xu Ziyang, who had used the Flame Demon Dissolving Technique, was even stronger. He shattered his head once again.

But the flames on his own body grew dimmer and dimmer. Compared to his peak, his current brilliance was less than one percent of what it had been.

After that final punch, Xu Ziyang finally let go of Zuo Fan. He staggered back a few steps but couldn’t even stay on his feet, collapsing onto his butt. He just sat there.

He tried to get up, but after struggling several times, he still couldn’t manage it.

On the other side, Zuo Fan had already recovered. Seeing Xu Ziyang’s condition, his expression was complicated.

“Sect Leader, do you regret it?” Zuo Fan stood before him. Even if he didn’t act, Xu Ziyang only had about a minute of life left.

He could feel that the flames on the other man’s body were like a candle flickering in the wind.

“Regret? Never,” Xu Ziyang said in a low voice. “The time after I became a Flame Demon… that was the happiest, most joyful time of my life.”

“I didn’t have to worry about any bullshit rules, didn’t have to care about social obligations.”

“I could act wantonly, be completely unrestrained. It was simply wonderful.”

As he spoke, his voice even took on a hint of the euphoric energy that comes with a final burst of life.

“Hah. You really aren’t the Sect Leader. You’re just a Flame Demon.” Contempt showed in Zuo Fan’s expression.

‘I regret it, too,’ Zuo Fan thought. ‘If I had known that a cultivation deviation from the Flame Demon Body Refining Technique would lead to such a terrifying state, I never would have given it to Xu Ziyang back then.’

But what was done was done. Saying such things now was useless.

“If you say so, then so be it.” Xu Ziyang’s euphoria dissipated along with the flames on his body, and his final sliver of life was extinguished.

Xu Ziyang was dead. Not by Zuo Fan’s hand, but by his own.

In the end, he was consumed by his own destruction.

“I…” Zuo Fan sighed, looking at the ruins of the Celestial Spirit Alliance’s base.

Just as he was about to leave, a flicker of fire suddenly flashed from within Xu Ziyang’s withered-wood-like body.

A sudden change occurred. With lightning speed, the flicker of fire shot directly into Zuo Fan’s body.

This change caught Zuo Fan completely off guard. Before he could even inspect himself with his own Yang Fire Spiritual Power, a vast power began to spread through his limbs and bones.

But that wasn’t the main point. The main point was that countless memories were now appearing in his mind.

These memories didn’t belong to Xu Ziyang, but to the Red Dragon Flame Demon. They were all various Yang and Fire attribute Spiritual Techniques.

Among them were the Sect’s Spiritual Technique of the Yanghuang Sect: the Nine Fire True Yang Red Dragon Skill and the Flame Dragon True Qi.

In the process, Zuo Fan mastered these Spiritual Techniques one by one, and his level of attainment was directly inherited from Xu Ziyang’s state of perfection.

***

“Looks like I can save on some costs again.” Qi Suian looked at the data in his hand. As the fluctuations in the universe’s parameters began to skyrocket, he also sensed the intentions of the Ginseng Fruit Tree’s Celestial Dao.

“Originally, I was going to have to open the channels to the other four planets myself to create a river of blood.”

“Now this is much better. That Ginseng Fruit Tree is doing it for me.”

“It seems these five planets of Metal, Wood, Water, Fire, and Earth are very useful to it.”

“Perfect. Let’s have Zuo Fan test the Ginseng Fruit Tree’s foundations.”

Qi Suian put down the document in his hand, his gaze falling on Zuo Fan. Xu Ziyang, the first batch of “reinforcement material,” had already been used on Zuo Fan.

‘As for Mu Can, that batch of reinforcement material, I’ll give it to him after Zuo Fan is done with this current enhancement.’

“After two enhancements, Zuo Fan should reach the threshold to be able to use the Pure Yang Fire Seed.”

“I hope he doesn’t die too miserably when he goes up against the Ginseng Fruit Tree.”

“It would be best if he could last a while longer, so I can observe more data.”

Qi Suian naturally knew how vast the gap between them was. If Zuo Fan had mastered the Pure Yang Fire Seed in its prime, he could still win.

But even after the enhancement, he would only have reached the threshold to use it. Mastering it was out of the question.

Besides, the Pure Yang Fire Seed was already crippled. Compared to its prime, it was just dregs.

“It still feels a bit weird not fighting on the front lines myself. It seems I’m more suited to the brutish, straightforward type, not some schemer behind the scenes.”

Qi Suian always had the urge to just go over and kill the Ginseng Fruit Tree with a single punch, but the benefits of doing so were too few, so he could only endure.