Chapter 141: Flame of the Void Acknowledges a Master

From the 2800th to the 3000th layer, the foes were Rampaging Giant Apes. One per layer, these hulking beasts towered with massive frames. Their brown fur covered a tough exterior, paired with razor-sharp fangs and unyielding strength.

Under the influence of their frenzied state, their power doubled. Fearless of pain, they felt nothing, driven only by the urge to fight until death. Their sole weakness lay hidden in a rather… delicate spot—their rear.

Yet this vulnerability was fiercely guarded by the apes, nearly impossible to locate. Even if found, breaking through it demanded overwhelming force.

Gu Xiaoyao faced a sudden onslaught of ten Rampaging Giant Apes. For a moment, he struggled to break free, entangled in their relentless assault. Only with the aid of the Skydome Sword did he manage to clash with them for a grueling 365 rounds.

As the battle stagnated with no clear victor, Gu Xiaoyao noticed the apes occasionally clutching their rears tightly. A spark of realization hit him—their weakness had to be there!

“Finally found it! Heaven’s on my side! Time to send you beasts on your way! Haha!”

With a booming laugh, Gu Xiaoyao gripped his twin swords. As the ten apes lunged at him in unison, his figure blurred into a fleeting shadow, weaving through their midst.

His sword qi struck with precision, piercing into the apes’ weak spot. By the time they reacted, it was too late. With unwilling roars and shocked glares, their vital points shattered, and they crashed heavily to the ground.

Gu Xiaoyao felt that climbing 200 layers at a time was still too slow. With the oppressive pressure of the Divine Path lifted, slaughtering these obstructing alien creatures felt like a tiger sprouting wings—effortless!

He burned with impatience to reach the end of the Divine Path, eager to face the unknown guardians there in a decisive battle. Stepping over their corpses, he would prove himself as the Sword God!

With a mighty leap, Gu Xiaoyao ascended directly to the 3500th layer. Upon arrival, the surrounding space pulsed rhythmically, almost like a heartbeat.

From the 3000th to the 3500th layer, the enemies were Dimensional Beings known as Crown Slippers. Invisible and traceless, they excelled at hiding within space itself, blending seamlessly with the surrounding time and space. Any creature that touched them would be dragged into their dimension and devoured completely.

Gu Xiaoyao didn’t dare act rashly. Turning back, he eyed the corpses of the Rampaging Giant Apes below. A plan formed in his mind. With a flick of two fingers, one of the massive bodies floated upward, hurtling toward him at breakneck speed.

A faint smirk curled on his lips. He turned and flung the ape’s corpse into the eerie space before him.

The moment the corpse touched the strange space, it was as if some bizarre suction force swallowed it whole in an instant, leaving no trace behind.

Gu Xiaoyao felt a twinge of shock but pressed on, sending the remaining nine ape corpses into the weird space. He wanted to test the limits of this devouring force and uncover what lurked within.

Yet what he witnessed next stunned him. His heart sank with a quiet dread, but he also felt a surge of relief for not acting impulsively. Had he done so, his fate would’ve mirrored that of the apes.

By sacrificing ten corpses, he gained a faint understanding. This was a bizarre space that devoured anything it touched.

It likely harbored unknown creatures with the power to consume everything. A single moment of carelessness could lead to a grim end—death.

Lost in thought and wrestling with how to break this stalemate, Gu Xiaoyao paced restlessly. Suddenly, something caught his eye—small text etched nearby, obscured by a layer of dust.

He quickly wiped it clean, revealing several startling lines of text.

“I am Li Ou, former Sect Master of the Ten Thousand Beast Sect.”

“Heed this, successor. If you’ve reached this layer, it means you possess sufficient strength.”

“I trust you’ll face the following challenges. I’ve left these words in hopes they aid you.”

“Beware of a strange spatial rift that will appear before you unnoticed. Do not touch it under any circumstances!”

“This entity, known as the Crown Slipper, is a dimensional being. It forms a bizarre space-time that devours everything it contacts. Do not even think of filling it with objects!”

“It’s utterly futile! But since I’ve left these words, there is indeed a way to overcome it. This method was realized at the cost of ten peak Sword Saints of our Human Race, who sacrificed their lives for this insight.”

“At the exact moment the Crown Slippers begin to devour, strike with a powerful flame technique directly into the devouring maw. Only then might you destroy these creatures!”

“Haha, I’ll stop here, successor. I believe you can conquer these ten thousand layers, slay those two gatekeepers, and fulfill the wish we could not achieve in life!”

“Attain the supreme title of Sword God! May you protect the Human Race for eternal peace! — Li Ou’s final words!”

A glint of excitement flashed in Gu Xiaoyao’s eyes as he finished reading. These words truly resolved his urgent dilemma. At the same time, he felt a pang of sorrow for the predecessors who fell on the Divine Path, one after another.

Fate might be inherently unfair. You never know what horrors or setbacks lie ahead. All you can do is grit your teeth and endure.

After a moment of thought, Gu Xiaoyao concluded that the strongest flame technique he wielded was Divine Edict: Solar Flare Impact.

Yet doubt gnawed at him. He couldn’t guarantee a one-shot annihilation of the Crown Slippers. If they grew wary, wiping them out later would become far harder.

Steeling himself, a flicker of resolve shone in his eyes. Using spiritual energy, he levitated chunks of a Ghost Face Boar corpse from below, slowly guiding them toward the floating spatial rifts.

The Crown Slippers, sensing the approaching boar remains, could no longer restrain their restless hunger.

They主动 opened a rift, extending countless slender tendrils that latched onto the boar chunks and dragged them back inside.

Gu Xiaoyao let out a chuckle. “Haha, I didn’t expect you to be so greedy. You’ve saved me a lot of trouble. Even the heavens are on my side!”

“Divine Edict: Solar Flare Impact!”

From the Skydome Sword erupted a blinding shockwave, like the sun itself. A powerful solar flare blasted into the rift at the speed of light. Immediately after, countless deafening explosions roared through the air.

The eerie space shattered and dissipated, revealing the true form of the Divine Path—a boundless, empty expanse flanked by piles of white bones.

Gu Xiaoyao’s face remained expressionless. With a twist of his wrist, he slung his sword over his back and leaped upward to the 4000th layer.

From the 3500th to the 4000th layer, the challenge was the Flame of the Void. This intangible fire possessed sentience, its pitch-black hue allowing it to silently latch onto a human body and incinerate them in an instant.

At the 4000th layer, the area was already blanketed in the Flame of the Void, a suffocating black mass. It was a fire without heat; drawing near felt bone-chilling, as if plunged into an arctic abyss.

The Flame of the Void could be tamed, but only if it chose to acknowledge a master. No other method would work.

When attached to a weapon, it could amplify the weapon’s original power threefold, ignoring all laws and rules, while adding the effect of Absolute Frost.

Against enemies weaker than the host, it could achieve instant kills. For foes stronger than the host, Absolute Frost could temporarily seal their meridians and body for half an incense stick’s time!

No method could break free; Absolute Frost was an unsolvable skill, only fading when the duration ended.

As Gu Xiaoyao stepped onto this layer, the dense swarm of Flame of the Void surged toward him. He swiftly drew his sword to resist. Among them, one particularly massive flame took advantage of his distraction.

It slipped past his guard, instantly merging into his sea of consciousness, completing the acknowledgment ritual. Right after, the endless sea of flames vanished, revealing that this single flame was the true entity.

“What is this?” Gu Xiaoyao muttered, a bit dazed. Lifting his left hand, he saw a tiny Flame of the Void flickering there.

The small flame stared at him with unbridled excitement. “I’ve waited ten thousand years! Finally, I’ve found a fated one! I can leave this place at last!”

“Stuck on this wretched Divine Path, I’ve been bored out of my mind. Trapped for over ten thousand years in an endless loop, and now, it’s finally over!”

“What are you? Get off my hand right now!” Gu Xiaoyao eyed the thing with confusion, shaking his hand wildly.

The Flame of the Void grew a bit annoyed at being shaken. “What are you doing? Are you rejecting me? Do you know how many dream of having me? Stop shaking!”

Gu Xiaoyao frowned, still puzzled. “What even are you? You say everyone dreams of having you, but you don’t look useful at all! Get off!”

“I can boost my host’s weapon power by threefold! Plus, I have an insanely powerful skill, Absolute Frost. It can instantly kill weaker enemies and seal stronger ones for the time of an incense stick! How’s that for important?” The Flame of the Void turned away with a proud huff.

Gu Xiaoyao listened, clearly skeptical, but decided to give it a shot with an open mind.

With a casual swing of the Skydome Sword, an eruption of power tripled its usual might. The Divine Path behind him shattered into dust, though thankfully, it could restore itself.

Only then did Gu Xiaoyao believe the flame’s claims. With this entity, he could blaze through the Divine Path at lightning speed. A grin spread across his face.

“Perfect! With your help, the rest of this Divine Path journey will be a breeze!”

“See? Believe me now, huh? You silly host, you don’t look all that reliable, but I hope I didn’t choose wrong.” The Flame of the Void shook its form and sighed.

Gu Xiaoyao smiled faintly. “Alright, I believe you. I’ll reluctantly take you as my little sidekick. I should give you a name—how about Xuyan?”

After being named by Gu Xiaoyao, the once pitch-black flame gradually transformed. It shrank to the size of a palm, becoming a tiny girl dressed in pink, with a delicate, adorable face, sitting in Gu Xiaoyao’s hand.

Xuyan spoke softly. “Fine, I’ll follow your lead, host. Not like I can resist, right?”

Gu Xiaoyao was mildly stunned to see the once dark, formless flame morph into a cute little girl.