Chapter 361: Chapter 361: Transformation
Support me at patreon for 160+ advanced Chapters :
Thick black clouds churned overhead, flickering with silver lightning.
Rumble—!
The deafening roar of thunder echoed through the void.
Crack!
Bolts of lightning, each several zhang long, crashed down like heavenly whips, tearing through space itself.
Each blinding flash illuminated the dark void, making it as bright as day for a fleeting moment.
Below, a black sun hovered in midair, its surface surging with raging black flames. Black lightning snaked across it, crackling noisily.
And as those massive bolts of lightning rained down endlessly, the black sun behaved like a bottomless black hole, devouring them all.
Its aura grew increasingly powerful.
Wei Yang narrowed his eyes, staring up at the sky. Reflections of silver lightning flickered in his pupils—bright one moment, extinguished the next.
"Almost at the next level, huh?" he muttered, anticipation brimming in his heart.
If the Black Sun Burning Heaven Flame could break through this time, it would officially step into the high-level Dou Zong!
After devouring the energy essence of the Fallen Heart Flame and enduring the Pill Lightning during the refining of the Life Returning Pill, the Black Sun Burning Heaven Flame had already reached the mid-level Dou Zong stage.
Thanks to its lightning-fire dual nature and Wei Yang’s Dou Qi support, it could erupt with force strong enough to rival a peak Dou Zong.
But it was only comparable—its true realm still remained at mid-level Dou Zong.
Now, after absorbing a large amount of energy from the Sea of Life Flame, and with this new wave of Pill Lightning...barring any surprises, it was about to make the full breakthrough into high-level Dou Zong!
As for how powerful it would be then—whether it could truly compare to a Dou Zun—that remained to be seen.
Its growth had been remarkably smooth.
At the very least, as long as it was fed enough energy to devour, the Black Sun Burning Heaven Flame had never encountered a bottleneck.
Everything progressed naturally, like water flowing downstream.
Thinking back to when they first met, and all they’d been through together since... the flame’s performance had repeatedly shattered Wei Yang’s expectations.
If there were truly something like a bug in this world, then the Black Sun Burning Heaven Flame was it.
Its growth speed was simply insane!
From Dou Wang all the way to the brink of high-level Dou Zong—how many years had passed?
Only a few short years!
And don’t forget—this was a Heavenly Flame.
If Yao Lao was the golden cheat that changed Xiao Yan’s fate...then the Black Sun Burning Heaven Flame was undoubtedly the greatest golden finger that rewrote Wei Yang’s destiny.
The funny part?
Despite possessing the Black Sun Burning Heaven Flame, he had once developed a heart demon because of encountering the Life Spirit Flame.
What a cruel irony.
Flame Mantra?
Emperor Flame?
Wei Yang took a deep breath, his fists slowly clenching with strength.
"The Black Sun Burning Heaven Flame... one day, it will be no less than the Emperor Flame."
At this moment, his resolve had never been stronger.
Even if someone now laid the Nihility Devouring Flame and Purifying Demonic Lotus Flame before him side by side with the Black Sun Burning Heaven Flame, asking him to choose one Wei Yang wouldn’t hesitate for even a second. He’d still choose the Black Sun Burning Heaven Flame.
Its potential was bottomless.
And more importantly, it was a newborn flame. With its innate ability to mimic and learn, it was like a blank canvas—ready for Wei Yang to shape, mold, and develop however he wished.
The future accomplishments of the Black Sun Burning Heaven Flame would depend entirely on what it learned and the path it chose moving forward.
How far it could go would come down to how well Wei Yang nurtured and guided it.
That was also why, when Wei Yang first discovered the flame trying to mimic the Fallen Heart Flame, he instinctively stopped it.
The first stroke on a painting always sets the tone for the entire work.
Crack!
A massive bolt of silver lightning tore through the void, slamming down again and again on the hovering black sun below.
But even under such relentless bombardment, the black sun showed no signs of weakening. On the contrary—its aura only grew stronger.
It devoured with wild abandon, silently accumulating energy... waiting for the moment of qualitative change, to break into the next realm.
This time, the process of absorbing and converting the lightning energy was much faster.
Because after the last wave of Pill Lightning, the Black Sun Burning Heaven Flame had already gained lightning attributes.
So now, this destructive thunder energy wasn’t just a great tonic—it shared the same elemental origin, making absorption smooth and efficient.
This spectacle continued for almost half an hour...within the dark clouds above, the power of lightning had begun to weaken.
The energy within the clouds was nearly spent.
Soon after, the roiling thunderclouds gradually stilled, and their deep, oppressive color slowly faded.
Clearly, this wave of Pill Lightning was coming to an end.
Crack!
With the final bolt of lightning striking the black sun—then being completely devoured—the heavy black clouds began to disperse.
The Pill Lightning had ended.
And the oppressive pressure that had blanketed this stretch of dark void also vanished completely.
As the endless darkness once again cloaked the sky, all returned to silence.
Only that enormous black sun remained, hovering in place with a faint tremble. Its aura had become increasingly unstable.
"It’s finally about to break through?" Wei Yang’s eyes lit up. He immediately waved and called out, "Little Black, come down!"
Whoosh—!
The black sun fell from the sky. Its size hadn’t shrunk—instead, it rhythmically expanded and contracted like a beating heart, hovering excitedly in front of Wei Yang.
Buzz buzz buzz—
Full... full... so full... must grow stronger... stronger...
It pulsed with waves of emotion, like a satisfied child.
Crackle—!
As it trembled and throbbed, countless tiny arcs of black lightning danced wildly across its surface.
Each of those arcs held terrifying power—enough to tear space apart, enough to severely injure a typical low-level Dou Zong expert.
Wei Yang smiled at it and reached out to gently touch it.
Zap—!
A stray silver arc of lightning, not yet fully digested, suddenly lashed out, making Wei Yang retract his hand in surprise.
Whoosh!
A surge of black flames swept out, quickly wrapping around the escaping arc and pulling it back inside.
Then—
Buzz buzz buzz—!
The black sun began trembling eagerly, as if it couldn’t wait any longer.
Full... full... want to grow stronger... must evolve... evolve...
It continued digesting, but at the same time urged Wei Yang to assist it in advancing.
In truth, it could have completed the breakthrough on its own—but deep down, it wanted Wei Yang’s help. It was a form of psychological reliance.
Like a child depending on a parent.
Ever since it had followed Wei Yang, every one of its breakthroughs had involved his help and guidance.
So a habit had formed.
"Alright, alright, but calm down first," Wei Yang chuckled. "Before you advance, I need to talk to you about some principles—about the path ahead. You’d better listen carefully."
Buzz?
The black sun quivered slightly, as if confused.
"This concerns your future... and mine. You need to understand the road we’re going to walk."
As he spoke, Wei Yang sat cross-legged and extended both hands, placing them gently on the surface of the black sun, then slowly began circulating his cultivation technique.
At the same time, he projected his thoughts and insights directly into the flame’s consciousness:
"There’s a saying—Extreme Yin cannot give birth alone; Extreme Yang cannot grow alone.
Right now, you possess the ultimate destructive powers of lightning and fire...
But extremity leads to reversal. Within that destruction lies a spark of life..."
"All things in heaven and earth have two sides—where there is life, there is death. Where there is destruction, there is rebirth. This is the concept of yin and yang."
"The Dao that can be spoken is not the eternal Dao. The name that can be named is not the eternal name.
The nameless is the beginning of heaven and earth; the named is the mother of all things...
With constant non-desire, one may behold the mystery; with constant desire, one may behold the manifestation.
Though named differently, they come from the same source... Darkness within darkness—this is the gateway to all mystery..."
"The Dao gives birth to One; One gives birth to Two; Two gives birth to Three; and Three gives birth to all things.
All things carry yin and embrace yang, and through the blending of qi, they achieve harmony..."
"Great fullness appears empty, yet its use is never exhausted... Great completion appears flawed, yet its use is never obstructed..."
Wei Yang softly chanted the Five Thousand Words of Laozi (also known as the Tao Te Ching based on the silk manuscripts unearthed at the Mawangdui Han Tombs, not the later altered versions).
At the same time, he transmitted his understanding and interpretations of those verses to the Black Sun Burning Heaven Flame.
Buzz—
The black sun quivered lightly and gradually calmed down. Its surging aura began to retract inward, becoming restrained.
Deep within, the destructive essence of thunder and fire began undergoing a mysterious, unknown transformation.
And from within that ultimate destruction... a faint spark of life quietly began to take shape.
[ Author’s Note – Not counted toward fanfic word count:
In 1973, silk manuscripts of Laozi’s Five Thousand Words were unearthed from the Mawangdui Han tombs, containing versions labeled as A and B. Their discovery shocked the world and led to a major re-evaluation of the traditional Tao Te Ching. Content-wise, these versions differ significantly—and sometimes even contradict—the passed-down editions, highlighting the original text’s profound depth and complexity. ]
------------------------------------------------------------
Support me at patreon for 160+ advanced Chapters :