Read Novel Full Chapter 377 - 378
Chapter 377 - 378
The Spirit seemed to be literally made of Fire Qi. And an extremely pure Qi at that, so pure that Kyrian could feel its quality even from a distance.
Even so, strangely...
The temperature of the chamber did not increase after its appearance.
It was as if it completely concealed its energy. As if all that monstrous power was perfectly contained within that translucent body, without allowing a single degree of wasted heat to escape.
’Absolute control.’ Kyrian thought.
Then the Spirit spoke.
Its voice was hoarse. Deep. Filled with echoes.
It sounded like volcanic rocks breaking apart inside boiling lava.
"You have arrived."
Kyrian did not answer immediately.
The two simply stared at each other.
Kyrian observed the Spirit, its form, its energy, and its expression.
The Spirit observed Kyrian, his eyes, his cultivation, and his presence.
An entire minute passed in silence.
Both seemed curious.
Kyrian had never seen a Fire Spirit before. He had read about them in the Blood Library, in the scrolls Dong Zhen had made available. But reading about something and seeing it were completely different experiences.
Then, suddenly...
Kyrian felt something pass through his body.
It was not pain. It was not physical discomfort. It was a strange sensation, similar to a spiritual sense. But different.
’Hot.’ Kyrian thought.
’Very hot.’
The sensation slowly moved through every part of his body, from head to toe, from his arms to his torso. It was like an invisible wave trying to analyze absolutely everything about him.
Kyrian frowned slightly.
That was uncomfortable.
Not because it hurt, but because it was invasive. Kyrian did not like being analyzed. No one would.
But he did not resist.
The Spirit was clearly far stronger than him. If it wanted to harm him, it would not need a probing technique.
Three seconds later, the sensation disappeared.
And at that same instant...
The Spirit’s expression completely changed.
Its orange eyes, those eyes that seemed to contain burning stars, widened.
"Impossible..." Its voice came out louder than before, echoing through the dome like muffled thunder.
"How is this possible?"
Kyrian slightly raised an eyebrow.
"What exactly?"
The Spirit continued staring at him in disbelief, its flaming eyes scanning Kyrian’s body as if looking at something impossible.
"You are not connected to the Heavenly Will."
Silence filled the chamber for an instant. Even the magma below seemed to quiet down, as if the volcano itself were paying attention.
Kyrian immediately frowned.
Heavenly Will. The term was unfamiliar to him.
"Aside from your strange eyes, whose origin I cannot see, and the small mark on your hand, which is connected to the Heavenly Will..."
The Spirit continued slowly, as if processing every word before speaking it.
"The rest of your body... is connected to absolutely nothing."
"How is that possible?"
Kyrian remained silent for a few seconds.
His eyes shifted toward his own hand. Toward the small mark that always burned whenever he sensed natural formations.
He had never known what it was. Only that it existed.
Then he looked up again.
"What exactly is this Heavenly Will?" he asked calmly.
The Spirit seemed irritated for a moment. Perhaps because of Kyrian’s ignorance, perhaps because it had to explain something it considered basic.
"Humans truly are ignorant."
Its voice echoed throughout the entire dome, amplified by the natural acoustics of the chamber.
"The Heavenly Will is the supreme law of the world."
"Everything is connected to it."
"All living beings."
"All things."
"It is thanks to the Heavenly Will that humans are able to cultivate spiritual energy, that Qi flows, that meridians open, and that cores are formed."
The Spirit narrowed its flaming eyes.
"At least... I believed everyone was connected."
"Until I saw you."
Kyrian silently absorbed that information.
He had never heard of this before. None of the books he had read mentioned it. None of the cultivators he had spoken to ever talked about it.
But then...
Something suddenly made sense in his mind.
’If the Heavenly Will is the supreme law, and mortals exist outside that law...’
"Maybe it’s because I’m a mortal," he said calmly.
"What?"
The Spirit seemed genuinely confused. Its flaming brow furrowed, forming wrinkles of fire.
"Mortals cannot cultivate," Kyrian explained, his voice neutral.
"They cannot sense Qi. They cannot manipulate it. Qi simply passes through them as if they do not exist, without settling, without being absorbed."
"No matter how much they try."
The Spirit’s flaming eyes slowly moved, processing that information.
"...Such beings exist?"
Its voice carried pure disdain. The contempt of someone who had never needed to worry about limitations.
"Then those mortals are even more useless than ordinary humans."
But then doubt surfaced again. Confusion returned to its flaming face.
"If mortals cannot cultivate..."
"How do you cultivate?"
Kyrian answered without hesitation, his voice firm.
"I possess an Innate Talent."
"It allows me to cultivate differently. It allows me to manipulate Qi even as a mortal. It is an anomaly, an exception to the rule."
The Spirit remained silent.
Clearly processing that information. It was obvious it had never heard of something like this in all its long years of existence.
Finally, after some time, it spoke again.
"I thought you were the perfect heir for Ming Hai."
Its voice now carried uncertainty, something that had not been there before. The conviction it had shown at the entrance had vanished, replaced by doubt.
"Your talent is undeniable. Your eyes... your eyes impress me. And that gray flame... I have never seen anything like it."
"But now... I am not sure."
Kyrian did not react. His face remained expressionless, his eyes fixed on the Spirit’s. He simply continued observing.
The Spirit seemed to be thinking deeply. Its flaming eyes moved from side to side, following some internal pattern of thought.
It clearly did not want to remain trapped in that place for more centuries waiting for another successor. Ming Hai had died eight hundred years ago. The Spirit had guarded his inheritance all that time, alone, waiting.
And Kyrian was absurdly talented.
Even strange.
Even abnormal.
Even as a mortal.
’Perhaps.’ The Spirit thought.
’Perhaps this is the best that will appear in the next centuries... I need to try.’
Finally, after a long pause, the Spirit made its decision.
"Child."
"Open Ming Hai’s tomb."
Kyrian immediately approached the coffin.
He did not hesitate. He did not ask why. He simply acted.
Without hesitation, he placed his hand over the red runes.
The Eyes of the Gray Flame appeared, Fire Qi beginning to flow from his eyes into the runes.
Instantly, the thousands of runes lit up.
One by one, in rapid sequence, the ancient inscriptions awakened from their long slumber. Red. Orange. Golden.
The entire altar began to tremble.
The stones vibrated. The ground shook. Even the magma below seemed to move in sync with the runes, as if the volcano itself were responding to the awakening.
Then, a gigantic orange flame exploded from the coffin.
The pillar of fire shot toward the ceiling of the dome, so intense that Kyrian had to close his eyes for a moment. It illuminated the entire bridge, the entire altar, and the entire colossal chamber with a radiance that resembled the light of a rising sun.
The magma below churned violently, gigantic waves crashing against the walls.
The Fire Qi became so dense it felt liquid. Kyrian could feel it in the air, on his skin, and in his lungs. Every breath was like swallowing fire.
Five seconds passed.
Five seconds of intense heat, blinding light, and ancient power awakening.
Then the flame vanished.
As suddenly as it had appeared.
And the coffin lid...
Disintegrated.
Turning into ashes.
It did not crack apart. It did not open. It simply crumbled, transforming into fine particles that floated in the air for a moment before vanishing completely.
Kyrian looked inside the tomb.
And for the first time since entering the Great Volcano...
His expression completely changed.
Surprise.
Because inside the coffin...
It was not merely an ordinary corpse.