Two flames burned in the air—both pitch-black, radiating an unimaginably intense heat. The temperature in the study instantly soared.
Even the ambient elemental energy in the room grew restless from the appearance of these two black flames.
These were no ordinary flames—they were sub-flames of the Void Swallowing Flame, and they carried a power comparable to some of the legendary Heavenly Flames.
Even among sub-flames, there was a hierarchy: one was an ordinary sub-flame, the other an advanced sub-flame—one weak, one strong.
The ordinary sub-flame could simply be separated from the Void Swallowing Flame's body. But the advanced one was different—it contained a trace of the Void Swallowing Flame's origin, something no ordinary sub-flame could compare to.
Within the Hun Clan, only a handful—fewer than five—had ever possessed a sub-flame of the Void Swallowing Flame. Without enormous merit, not even a top-tier expert of the Hun Clan could hope to receive one.
Now, for this clan tournament, Hun Tiandi had actually ordered the Void Swallowing Flame to hand over two sub-flames—one of them being the advanced origin flame.
This clearly showed how much Hun Tiandi valued this year's clan tournament.
"Mm."
Hun Tiandi raised his hand, and the two sub-flames hovering in the palm of the Void Swallowing Flame immediately flew into his own palm.
"Hm?"
The Void Swallowing Flame's pupils flickered with black flame as he asked, "Tiandi, what's the meaning of this?"
Hun Tiandi put away the two sub-flames and said, "Now that Gu Yuan is here in the clan, I'm certain he came for the tournament, hoping to gauge the depths of our foundation. There's no need for you to appear this time."
"After all, you took quite a loss at his hands a thousand years ago. By all rights, you've yet to fully recover, haven't you?"
Void Swallowing Flame: "…"
"…Very well. I understand."After silently digesting Hun Tiandi's words, the Void Swallowing Flame nodded in agreement. He found the logic sound.
The core foundation of the Hun Clan was now essentially embodied in him. If that old fox Gu Yuan sensed anything unusual, it would be a huge loss.
The Hun Clan still needed to bide its time and hide its strength for a few more years. Their grand plan had already begun to unfold—soon, it would be time to fully execute it.
Endure the small, preserve the great.
A temporary retreat was not only acceptable—it was necessary.
"Good. I'm glad you understand."Hun Tiandi nodded slightly at his response.
With that, the Void Swallowing Flame slowly turned into a stream of black fire and vanished from the study.
Sensing his departure, Hun Tiandi narrowed his eyes slightly and muttered:
"So... even you are no longer staying within your bounds. You dared to stretch your hand toward my son… Void."
As he spoke, two black flames gradually emerged from within his own body.
From the flames, two fine threads of soul power slowly appeared. As Hun Tiandi stared at them—so cleverly hidden—his eyes turned cold, and a faint yet chilling killing intent spread from him.
"Hmph…"
The Next Morning
"Hsssss…"
Hun Xiu slowly awoke from his bed. He tried to turn over but winced instantly in pain.
"Damn… that hurts!"
The sharp ache brought him fully awake, sleep wiped from his mind. As the memories of the previous night flooded back, a chill ran down his spine.
"What… what was Father trying to say?" he muttered, uneasily.
Struggling to sit up, he looked down at his battered body and muttered again:"Why didn't the system heal me this time? Last time, I was fully recovered by the time I woke up. But now… the pain's still here. My injuries haven't improved at all."
[Hun Tiandi: "Heal you? You're dreaming. If it wasn't for me last time, you'd still be lying in bed. You dare act cocky in front of me? Do you think your system is omnipotent? No. Without me—your all-powerful father—you're nothing."]
Hun Xiu reached a conclusion and muttered,"Looks like… the system doesn't automatically heal me every time."
"It's not truly omnipotent."
[System: "What? What are you saying? I don't get it at all."]
"Haaah…"
Hun Xiu exhaled deeply. Relying on others is less reliable than relying on yourself.If the system wouldn't help, then he wouldn't expect it to.
Self-reliance is the only true path.
He crossed his legs on the bed and began forming hand seals. With eyes closed, he began drawing in the Dou Qi of the world. It surged madly toward him.
Dou Qi didn't just make one stronger—it could also heal.
Who said you needed pills or rare herbs?
Hun Xiu scoffed at such things. As his mastery of the Flame Devouring Codex increased, his absorption rate of world energy became monstrous.
What were so-called heavenly treasures anyway? Just herbs and minerals that absorbed nature's energy over time.
But he—he devoured heaven and earth's power directly.
Healing through cultivation wouldn't be slower than taking heavenly treasures. In fact, it might be faster.
His mysterious cultivation technique was enough to rival every heavenly treasure on the continent.
He didn't need them.So why not give them to others in the clan who did?
One strong individual isn't impressive. But a strong clan? That's true power.
While Hun Xiu was cultivating and healing, on the other side of the clan compound, Hun Tiandi summoned Hun Feng, Hun Yu, and Hun Huan'er to the study.
"Father."
"Clan leader." ×2
The three stood respectfully before him, clearly nervous. None dared look him in the eye.
Seeing their behavior, Hun Tiandi's gaze darkened for a moment with fleeting disappointment.
He asked in a solemn voice,"Hun Feng, Hun Yu, Hun Huan'er—do you know why I summoned you today?"
"Uh…"
The three exchanged glances, their confusion evident. They shook their heads.
"I don't know."
"Nor do we." ×2
They'd been training diligently lately and hadn't caused any trouble, so they were genuinely clueless.
Hun Tiandi said lightly,"In less than half a month, the clan tournament will begin. This time, the top two rewards are sub-flames of the Void Swallowing Flame."
"I expect those top two positions to come from among the three of you. Do you understand?"
Gulp.
The three of them swallowed nervously.
Clan tournaments? They never really took them seriously. As elite members of the Hun Clan, their abundant resources were guaranteed so long as they demonstrated talent.
So what if they didn't take first or second? They didn't lack anything.
But now… the top prizes were Void Lord's sub-flames.
That was entirely different.
Within the Hun Clan, only a few individuals had ever been granted one.
That alone proved the sub-flames' immense value and status. To obtain one was a symbol of favor and prestige.
For the first time, all three of them felt their blood heat up. Their throats dried.
No longer indifferent, all three secretly vowed:
"This time, I'm taking first place in the clan tournament."