Infinite Fire Record

Chapter 2: Medicine Old Man

A black crack had appeared in the sky.

Suddenly, a half-red, half-white figure emerged from within. However, it was not a man—it was a soul.

That soul was none other than Imperial Sky.

Imperial Sky slowly opened his eyes. Before him stood a black-robed man, and a voice echoed in his ears. “Haha! I, Pillfather, have finally obtained the Bone Spirit Cold Flame! Haha!”

The voice rang with an almost divine resonance as if it were the most marvelous existence between heaven and earth.

Imperial Sky, still in soul form, stiffened before muttering, “The Bone Spirit Cold Flame… A peculiar flame that merges extreme cold and searing heat, appearing once every hundred years in a land of absolute yin, when the sun and moon converge. Is this not the strange fire from the Dou Bo Cang Dome? How did I end up here?”

His gaze fixed upon the black-robed figure before him—this man who had called himself Pill Old Man. Imperial Sky’s eyes widened in shock.

Though Imperial Sky had always been ruthless in his pursuit of power, he was also a devoted reader of novels. He recognized this so-called Pill Old Man at once. Is this not Xiao Yan’s master from ‘Fighting Broken Vault’?

His focus shifted to the man’s every movement, listening closely to his words.

“The Bone Spirit Cold Flame… What a marvelous fire!” Pill Old Man murmured, admiration gleaming in his eyes. “It burns with searing heat, yet carries the chill of absolute ice! Such a flame is a perfect complement for alchemy!”

With that, Pill Old Man strode toward the ‘Bone Spirit Cold Flame.’

Watching this unfold, Imperial Sky felt a bold idea take shape within him. He knew he lacked a physical body, but his soul had been tempered during his time adrift in the void, making it exceptionally condensed.

His gaze locked onto the flickering pale flame. I possess both fire and ice psychic abilities, and their ranks are evenly matched… After all, the Ice Emperor and I were on the same level. If so, I should be able to merge with the Bone Spirit Cold Flame. My attributes align perfectly, and with my Devouring Ability, I might just succeed!

Determination settled in his heart. He had made up his mind to seize the Bone Spirit Cold Flame.

A sharp glint flashed in his eyes as he observed Pill Old Man. Luckily, I have already devoured an ability from a powerful spirit user, allowing me to conceal my soul’s presence. He will not notice me—not yet.

At this moment, Pill Old Man was too elated to notice anything amiss. A strange fire was an unparalleled treasure to an alchemist, and his excitement clouded his usual vigilance. Had he been more aware, he would have detected Imperial Sky’s presence despite his concealment.

Pill Old Man retrieved a precious elixir from his storage ring, carefully consuming it before extending his right hand toward the Bone Spirit Cold Flame. His rough, calloused palm gleamed with a blood-colored keratin layer that rapidly expanded, encasing his hand entirely. With this protection, he reached directly into the flame.

The Bone Spirit Cold Flame, newly born and lacking intelligence, still exuded immense power. Its fluctuating heat and cold were beyond what an ordinary person could endure. The opposing forces within the flame clashed violently, unleashing destruction.

But Pill Old Man had prepared for this moment meticulously. As soon as his keratin-covered hand entered the flame, it was both ignited and frozen simultaneously. The protective layer melted away, only to regenerate just as quickly. This allowed him to reach deeper into the flame’s core.

Despite its limited intelligence, the Bone Spirit Cold Flame instinctively resisted capture. As the eleventh-ranked foreign flame, it was not easily subdued. Yet, with swift precision, Pill Old Man extracted a pale wisp from the flame—its very source.

Without hesitation, he swallowed the flame whole.

At that very moment, Imperial Sky lunged toward the Bone Spirit Cold Flame.

Pill Old Man’s entire focus was on refining the flame. He did not even sense Imperial Sky’s approach. The moment he ingested the source, pale flames erupted over his body, swiftly freezing him from the inside out.

Imperial Sky had already entered Pill Old Man’s body, merging with the Bone Spirit Cold Flame.

Once inside, Imperial Sky could feel the immense energy surging toward the flame. The Bone Spirit Cold Flame, though lacking intelligence, still understood the danger. Instinct drove it to resist, knowing that if it were engulfed, it would be powerless to fight back.

Its flames surged violently, lashing out in desperation. But Imperial Sky endured the burning agony. I am a soul body. This fire does not burn souls, and my attributes resonate with it. With both ice and fire abilities, my very soul is attuned to the Bone Spirit Cold Flame!

With that thought, he plunged forward, pressing himself into the very core of the flame. Compared to the Bone Spirit Cold Flame, his abilities were insignificant—mere embers before an inferno.

But he had something else: his Devouring Ability.

He activated it, pulling the flame’s essence into himself. The Bone Spirit Cold Flame, now besieged on two fronts—Pill Old Man’s formidable Dou Qi from the outside and Imperial Sky’s devouring force from within—had no choice but to surrender.

Weakened and drained, it could no longer resist.

Both Imperial Sky and Pill Old Man smiled.

Pill Old Man, believing he was refining the flame with his Dou Qi, remained blissfully unaware of the soul lurking within. Sensing the Bone Spirit Cold Flame’s dwindling strength, he eagerly intensified his devouring efforts, determined to claim its power as his own.

However, deep within his body, Imperial Sky had already reached the heart of the flame, settling into place for the final step of absorption.

Unbeknownst to Pill Old Man, he was not refining the Bone Spirit Cold Flame.

He was merely assisting Imperial Sky in devouring it.