Demonic Cultivation: Devouring Ten Thousand Demonic Beasts
Chapter 11: Abnormal flames

Chapter 11: Abnormal flames

Abnormal Flames, also known as Eternal Flames or Heavenly Flames, were rare and extraordinary fires. They were not born from ordinary combustion, but from the very essence of nature and the heavens. These flames possessed a strength far surpassing mundane fire, imbued with a power that defied mortal understanding.

Their origins varied greatly. Some were said to be celestial flames sealed within meteors that had fallen from the heavens. Others emerged from the molten cores of ancient volcanoes long since extinguished. There were tales of flames appearing where ley lines of pure fire qi intersected deep beneath the earth, or in places where the boundaries between realms had ruptured due to elemental chaos. Some were even rumored to spark from the death of a phoenix or from divine lightning striking the land during a moment of cosmic imbalance.

Regardless of their origin, all Abnormal Flames shared one critical trait: for centuries, sometimes even millennia, they continuously absorbed the essence of the lands, the heavens, and the elements around them. The longer they burned, the more volatile and powerful they became.

This ever-growing potency made taming them incredibly difficult and unimaginably dangerous.

Throughout history, countless cultivators had sought to claim these flames for themselves. Most ended reduced to ash, their souls scattered to the winds. Only an exceptional few had succeeded—and some of them went on to become legends.

Even the weakest Abnormal Flame could drive the entire cultivation world into madness.

For to absorb one meant not only a tremendous increase in raw power, but also a complete transformation of a cultivator’s core essence. Their cultivation techniques would be refined, their spiritual potential amplified to unimaginable heights. To alchemists, an Abnormal Flame was the ultimate treasure. With such flames, pill-refining transcended mortal limitations; the purity, control, and heat they granted drastically increased success rates, allowing for the creation of pills far surpassing their original tiers.

Which was why...

Anyone known to possess an Abnormal Flame instantly became a target.

If they were weak, they would be hunted, assassinated, betrayed even by their own sects. But if they were strong enough to hold their ground, they became revered. Entire sects would bow before them; empires would offer titles, protection, even arrange marriages in hopes of establishing favorable connections.

Yet Abnormal Flames were so extraordinarily rare that throughout the vast lands of the Celestial Dragon Empire, only two had ever been confirmed to exist. Among those two, only one had ever been successfully tamed.

And if this cursed valley truly hid a third...

The entire cultivation world would quake to its foundations.

Once news spread, a bloodbath of unimaginable proportions would inevitably follow.

One of the key characteristics of Abnormal Flames was their dominance over weaker fires within an incredibly wide radius. After all, Abnormal Flames were the sovereigns of all fire, kings among flames.

Sometimes their mere presence would extinguish weaker flames entirely, causing lesser fires to fade on their own. Even lesser Abnormal Flames instinctively withdrew in the presence of a stronger one.

Other times, their influence might produce the opposite effect: causing nearby flames to burn hotter and brighter, shift colors, or even develop unusual properties.

The wider and more potent this area of influence, the stronger the Abnormal Flame was likely to be.

As Langtian stared at the fire before him now, he noticed something strange. The flames burned brighter and redder, more intense than they should. An unsettling heat pressed against his skin, making him feel vaguely uneasy.

It could have been just his imagination, though.

"No, Junior Brother, you’re not imagining it," Yue Ling said suddenly, her own eyes fixed on the fire pit as well.

She stood up and lifted her hand. At her gesture, the fire flickered, and a small wisp of flame floated upward, gently hovering in her palm.

As a Second-Tier Alchemist, Shangguan Yue Ling could control fire to a certain extent and perform a few basic tricks like this.

With her other hand, she reached over to a nearby shelf and took down a small bone—the fang of a demonic beast.

"As you probably know, an ordinary wood fire could never incinerate bone to ash," Yue Ling said calmly. "But watch closely what happens when I let this flame touch a demonic beast fang."

She dropped the fang into the flame hovering over her palm.

Instantly—

Blaze!

The fire surged, flaring violently with a whoosh!

And the bone?

It vanished entirely.

Gone in a blink.

Yue Ling blew the flame out lightly, and all that remained was a fine dusting of gray ash in her palm.

"What?!" Langtian’s eyes widened in disbelief.

Even with expert flame control, not even a Third-Tier Alchemist could destroy bone so quickly—especially not a demonic beast bone, which was said to be at least ten times tougher than ordinary bone!

There could be only one explanation...

That flame just now had been heavily influenced by something—something that amplified its strength to an absurd degree.

But then another question struck him.

"Wait... then how?" Langtian blinked. "How can you leave a flame that strong burning in a regular fire pit? Shouldn’t it have burned straight through the stones already—or, I don’t know, set the entire house ablaze?"

Yue Ling let out a quiet laugh and shrugged.

"Well, here’s the weird thing—it only reacts violently to demonic beast materials. Their meat, bones, tendons, whatever. Throw anything else into the fire, and it behaves just like an ordinary flame."

Langtian stared at her, blinking slowly.

"...Wait. A flame that only reacts violently with demonic beasts?"

"Yup," Yue Ling replied casually. "It’s extremely handy for cooking those beasts and processing their parts for my alchemy. Aside from that, it acts like any ordinary fire."

"I... I see. That’s... interesting..." Langtian murmured, rubbing his chin thoughtfully.

But then his mind caught on something else.

"Wait a second. What do you mean by cooking? And alchemy?"

A chill crept down his spine.

A horrifying realization began to form.

"Y-you’ve been eating... demonic beasts?" he asked, voice trembling.

Yue Ling tilted her head slightly, eyes narrowing as a mischievous smile curved her lips.

"What else did you think I’ve been eating to survive all this time?"

At her answer, Langtian felt his entire world tilt on its axis.

Because as far as he knew, no cultivator in their right mind would willingly consume the flesh of demonic beasts.

And there were very good reasons for that.