Unbeatable Martial Emperor

C10 – Sun Devouring Demonic Fire

“Brother Min Zhenkang, I owe you big time for saving my skin today. From here on out, you’re my brother, Guo Tao. If anyone messes with you, they’re picking a fight with me.” Guo Tao quickly made his stance clear as Min Zhenkang approached.

“Hand over what you’ve just picked.” Min Zhenkang ignored Guo Tao’s thanks and went straight to the point, demanding the fire dragon flower.

“Brother Min Zhenkang, what are you talking about? I’m not following you.” Guo Tao tried to feign ignorance.

“Playing dumb, huh? Would the Flaming Tiger have come after you if you hadn’t taken that herb? You’re not being very honest, are you?” Min Zhenkang pressed.

Realizing he couldn’t keep up the act, Guo Tao reluctantly pulled out the items. “Look, Brother Min Zhenkang, everything’s in my Bag of Heaven and Earth, but as you can see, the Flaming Tiger bit off my hands. Just give me a moment to…” Before he could finish, Min Zhenkang snatched the bag from his waist.

“Wow, you’ve got quite the collection of treasures here.” Min Zhenkang remarked as he retrieved the fire dragon flower and then casually pulled out several odd-looking bottles and jars.

“Love potions, huh? Carrying around these, you certainly live up to your reputation.” Min Zhenkang commented, finding that the bottles and jars were all such items.

“Heh, you know how it is for us guys – these things come in handy. Why not take some for a spin?” Guo Tao wasn’t the least bit embarrassed; instead, he nudged Min Zhenkang to try them.

“No thanks, I’ll pass. You keep your treasures to yourself.” Min Zhenkang said, crouching down.

Guo Tao mistakenly thought Min Zhenkang was offering a hand to help him up and flashed a grateful smile.

But then, “Ah ~ Wuu ~” to Guo Tao’s shock, Min Zhenkang grabbed his mouth and began pouring the contents of the bottles inside. In no time, they were all emptied.

“You…” Guo Tao tried to protest, but his consciousness was already fading.

Weakened by the significant blood loss from his severed arms, Guo Tao was in a bad way. After Min Zhenkang force-fed him all that medicine, he breathed his last.

“Sigh, I had hoped to collect a bit of interest from you, but you’re so eager to settle the score. Well, it’s for the best—saves me the trouble later on.” Watching Guo Tao’s breaths grow fainter, Min Zhenkang felt a wave of satisfaction wash over him before he made a beeline for Whalespell.

……

“Brother Shifei, is it really okay to just abandon our boss like this?” Little Six and Zhang Shifei had already left Antigough Rise and were on their way to Whalespell.

“What’s the problem? Guo Tao has always been awful to us. Without his status as the Guo family’s young master, he’d be nothing. Plus, you saw what happened to Little Four and Little Five. He never saw us as brothers.” Zhang Shifei’s resentment grew with each thought.

“But he is the young master of the Guo family. It’s expected he wouldn’t see us as brothers. Maybe we should go back and check on him. If he’s dead, fine, but if he’s alive, we’re the ones who’ll suffer later.” Little Six’s worry deepened the more he considered it.

“Go back if you want, but I’m not going back.” Zhang Shifei’s heart quivered at Little Six’s words, yet he refused to back down.

“Brother Shifei, just wait here for me. I’ll go back and see how the boss is doing,” he said, turning to head back.

“Hey, are you seriously going back? Wait up, I’ll come with you.” Eventually, Zhang Shifei’s resolve faltered, and he joined Little Six in returning to find Guo Tao.

……

Min Zhenkang had already arrived back in Whalespell, his spirits high as he planned to seek out Chu Keke. As he passed the auction house, a delightful sight caught his eye.

A flag with a flame pattern was billowing at the auction house entrance, looking like a dancing flame in the wind from a distance.

Elated, Min Zhenkang recognized the sign he had been searching for. He quickly ducked into a hidden spot to don his disguise and made his way back to the auction house.

Approaching the entrance, Min Zhenkang was nearly intercepted by the gatekeeper, but he promptly presented the VIP card Elder Di had given him. Recognizing the card, the gatekeeper realized the significance of the visitor; in all of Whalespell, only one person held such a card. Eager to show respect, the gatekeeper quickly escorted Min Zhenkang to Elder Di’s quarters.

“Sir, we’ve located the flame you were seeking, though I’m not certain it meets your standards,” Elder Di stated plainly upon greeting his guest.

“Oh? What flame are you referring to, Elder Di?” Min Zhenkang’s curiosity was piqued.

“The Sun Devouring Demonic Fire.”

Min Zhenkang drew in a sharp breath. He had hoped to find any flame, but the auction house had surpassed his expectations with such a formidable one.

……

On the Suanikos Continent, flames are categorized into four distinct types.

The most basic is the beast fire, a natural flame that fire-attribute Demonic Beasts carry from birth. Lacking intelligence, these beasts act on instinct alone, and not all possess such flames, making theirs the most rudimentary.

Next is the spirit fire. Although also inherent to spirit beasts, it is considerably more potent than beast fire. With their awakened intelligence, spirit beasts can refine their flames, enhancing their power. Some exceptional spirit beasts are said to have cultivated their flames to extraordinary levels through innate talent.

Then comes the Heavenly Flame, which arises under complex conditions, requiring the perfect alignment of elements. Its power varies greatly.

While the Heavenly Flame ranks above spirit fire, its might does not always surpass it. Some spirit beasts are believed to have evolved beyond their kind, becoming Divine Beasts like the Divine Dragon, Phoenix, and Vermillion Bird.

The flames of the Phoenix and Vermillion Bird are more powerful than the Heavenly Flame, second only to the supreme Heavenly Flame itself. Thus, an informal consensus exists within the Cultivation World: there are five types of flames—beast fire, spirit fire, Heavenly Flame, Divine Flame, and Heavenly Flame.

The remaining Heavenly Flames were born with the continent of Suanikos itself. There are only five such flames, and even the weakest among them is far stronger than any Divine Flame.

Since the dawn of cultivation on Suanikos, it’s been rumored that only the latter three Heavenly Flames have ever been claimed, and always by the most formidable cultivators of the land. The first and second flames, however, remain unclaimed, their names unknown to all.

……

The Sun Devouring Demonic Fire is the inherent flame of the Sun Devouring Tiger, classified as a Spiritual Flame and ranking quite high within that category.

“Sir, does this meet your expectations?” Elder Di, seeing no response from Min Zhenkang, felt uncertain and inquired once more, “If it’s not to your satisfaction, we can keep searching for you.”

“There’s no need, Elder Di. This one will suffice. I’m just not sure about the price of the Sun Devouring Demonic Fire…” Min Zhenkang knew he couldn’t tame such an intense flame in his current state, and he didn’t have the luxury of time to seek out others.

“Sir, the Sun Devouring Demonic Fire was acquired by another branch. I arranged for its immediate transport here upon receiving the news. While I have a decent rapport with the president of that branch, the final price is ultimately their call. Rest assured, I will advocate for the best possible deal on your behalf.”

“Thank you, Elder Di. I appreciate your efforts.”

After Elder Di left, Min Zhenkang remained seated in the room, sipping tea.

Before long, Elder Di returned.

“What’s the word, Elder Di?”

“The other side’s lowest asking price is 15,000 Mysterious Stones. The Heaven and Earth Auction House recently auctioned a flame of similar quality, which sold for 17,000 Mysterious Stones. Of course, we’re quite open to a barter arrangement, should you prefer that,” Elder Di explained, hoping to secure some high-level, top-grade pills from Min Zhenkang.

“Elder Di, could you assess the value of this item for me? How much more would I need to acquire the Sun Devouring Demonic Fire?” Min Zhenkang nonchalantly produced a secret tome from his Bag of Heaven and Earth.

“God’s Roar Technique, a high-level Yellow Rank cultivation method. If I’m not mistaken, this is a technique from the Guo family, isn’t it? Could it be that you are…?” Elder Di asked, his expression one of astonishment as he regarded Min Zhenkang.

Before leaving Antigough Rise, Min Zhenkang had already transferred everything from Guo Tao’s Bag of Heaven and Earth into his own. He then discarded the useless items along with Guo Tao’s bag back on the mountain.

“Elder Di, could you please evaluate this tome for me?” Min Zhenkang neither confirmed nor denied Elder Di’s speculation, instead prompting him to assess the tome’s value.

“Just a moment, sir. I’ll find someone to appraise this for you,” Elder Di replied, before stepping out.

Meanwhile, Min Zhenkang remained seated, leisurely enjoying the tea provided by the Heaven and Earth Auction House.

“Sir, after our Secret Book Appraiser’s evaluation, this tome is valued at 8,000 Mysterious Stones,” Elder Di announced upon his return.

“Would you mind appraising this one as well?” Min Zhenkang said, producing another tome from his Bag of Heaven and Earth.

“The Giant Dragon’s Five Spirits Sword Formation, a high-level Yellow Rank sword formation. Please wait a moment, sir,” Elder Di said and left once more.

“Sir, this sword formation has been appraised at 12,000 Mysterious Stones. Despite both being high-level Yellow Rank techniques, the sword formation is indeed more sought after than the tome.”

“Great, let’s proceed with the exchange for these two. I’d appreciate it if you could make the arrangements now, Elder Di,” Min Zhenkang said, eager to conclude the transaction.

“Just a moment, sir. I will have someone take care of it immediately,” Elder Di assured him, then called out, “Someone, please!”

“Elder Di,” a maidservant entered at his summons.

“Fetch the Sun Devouring Demonic Fire and 5,000 Mysterious Stones,” he instructed, handing over the tome and sword manual to the maidservant.

“Yes, Elder Di.”

“I’m curious about the origins of these two Secret Books, sir. Do they have any connection to the Guo family?” Elder Di already had his suspicions. The man before him was likely a core member of the Guo family or someone with a vendetta against them. Otherwise, he wouldn’t so casually produce two of the Guo family’s Secret Books.

But what puzzled Elder Di was, if this individual belonged to the Guo family, who could he be? And if he bore a grudge against them, surely he wasn’t a local of Whalespell. So who could he be?

“Elder Di, is the Heaven and Earth Auction House now in the business of verifying the legitimacy of item origins? If I acquired these secret manuals through other means, would the Auction House refuse them?” Min Zhenkang inquired.

“Sir, you’ve misunderstood. The Heaven and Earth Auction House is solely responsible for the appraisal and auctioning of items. We never inquire about their provenance. And there’s no question of us being too timid to accept any item,” Elder Di responded, puffing out his chest with pride.

Indeed, since its establishment in Whalespell, the Heaven and Earth Auction House had faced its share of disruptors. Yet, without fail, all those who caused trouble eventually vanished, regardless of their cultivation level or the depth of their connections.

“In that case, may I opt not to answer your question, Elder Di?”

“Haha, certainly. Please, enjoy your tea.” Elder Di, feeling a touch awkward from Min Zhenkang’s pointed words, took a slow, deliberate sip of his tea.

Elder Di then deftly steered the conversation onto lighter topics, engaging Min Zhenkang in casual chatter.

“Elder Di, the Sun Devouring Demonic Fire and 5,000 Mysterious Stones have arrived.” In the midst of their conversation, a maidservant entered, carrying a tray. Atop the tray rested a jade stone with a flame pulsing within it, and next to it lay a Bag of Heaven and Earth.