Burning Heaven Cauldron

These outer-sect cultivators were all 'selling' people within the Yin Yang Tower. Never had she expected that one day, she would actually see money flowing back to her.

"Yes, yes, yes."

That female outer-sect cultivator nodded like a mortar pounding garlic. How could she refuse?

"But you do not need to come inside."

Ning Fan continued.

He simply wanted to find a place to study the small cauldron he had just acquired; he needed to enter a barrier, nothing more.

"Hmm? What do you mean?"

The female disciple frowned, cautiously taking half a step back.

Could it be that Ning Fan was eyeing the Yin Yang Qi within the barrier she occupied? To her, the Yin Yang Qi was a grand Fated Chance.

She absolutely could not lose it over a mere three hundred Spirit Stones.

"Be at ease."

"I cannot refine the Yin Yang Qi behind this barrier on my own. I have merely encountered some difficulties in my cultivation and desire a quiet place to examine myself."

Ning Fan stated.

"Oh."

The female disciple nodded, seemingly gauging the truth in his words. After a moment, she gave her consent.

In any case, the Yin Yang Qi could not be refined by a single cultivator. Ning Fan entering would not cause her to lose her Fated Chance.

Earning three hundred Spirit Stones for nothing.

Why not do it?

"Pay first."

The female disciple demanded.

"No problem."

Ning Fan nodded.

It was only three hundred Spirit Stones. If the small cauldron truly possessed value and could serve as an aid, three hundred Spirit Stones was no loss at all.

After handing the Spirit Stones to the female disciple, Ning Fan approached the barrier. With a single palm strike, he shattered it and stepped inside.

The barrier slowly sealed itself, obscuring his figure.

The next moment, Ning Fan took out the two items he had obtained from the stall-the mysterious small stone and the small cauldron radiating the aura of the Wushi Seal.

He examined the small stone first.

It was small, fitting perfectly within his palm. Its entire body was black, etched with circular, white, snake-like patterns that emitted an ancient, weathered, and mysterious aura.

Ning Fan immediately funneled his spiritual power into it. Testing whether an item was a treasure artifact through the infusion of spiritual power was the most basic method.

If it were a treasure artifact, it would certainly react to spiritual power!

Yet, to his disappointment, no matter how much spiritual power he poured in, the stone remained unchanged. It could not even absorb the energy he provided.

It was nothing more than a stubborn rock.

"Could it be some kind of heavenly treasure?" Ning Fan murmured to himself.

But heavenly treasures were usually shrouded in visible Spiritual Qi, and one could not simply 'gamble' for them. Who would fail to recognize a valuable treasure placed right before their eyes?

Ning Fan suppressed his disappointment.

Since the stone had been chosen merely as a ruse to mask his interest in the cauldron, it was reasonable that it was not a treasure.

Subconsciously, he exerted force, intending to crush and destroy it.

But as he increased his strength, he noticed something strange. It was far too hard.

Ning Fan used his full strength to destroy it, even condensing Spirit Marks, yet he could not shake the stone in the slightest.

"Could it be that this stone truly contains some mystery?"

He hesitated. With a flick of his wrist, he stored the stone in his storage ring; he would have to ask Lingxu Fairy or Ye Honglian about it later.

Of course, it did not necessarily have to be later-midday would suffice.

Ning Fan flipped his palm, bringing the small cauldron out to examine it carefully. It was a common three-legged vessel with a round belly and two handles, its surface carved with intricate patterns. As he looked at the etchings, he froze.

"This is... writing?"

Ning Fan blurted out. To others, they looked like strange, illegible talismans, but to him, they bore the unmistakable flavor of a script-he had seen far too many similar inscriptions in places related to the ruins of the Wushi Heavenly Palace.

Excitement welled up in his heart. The cauldron was truly related to the Wushi Heavenly Palace; the possibility of its value had just increased significantly.

The cauldron was small. Ning Fan supported it with one hand while pressing his other palm against its body, pouring his spiritual power inside. To his surprise, the cauldron actually began to absorb the energy.

This was a good sign; it indicated the potential to become a treasure artifact.

But as he continued, he realized the cauldron was like a bottomless pit. No matter how much spiritual power he channeled, it remained silent.

That was only natural. If it had reacted immediately to spiritual power, it would never have ended up in his hands; the original stall owner would have claimed it long ago.

"This won't do."

Ning Fan murmured. He stopped the infusion; if he kept going like this, he would exhaust his entire reserve of spiritual power without making a dent.

"I feel as though this thing is in a deep slumber."

Could it be that he had spent one thousand Spirit Stones on two 'promising' items? Surely not.

Just as he was about to put the cauldron away, he recalled something. His free hand began to form seals.

As intricate, shifting seals danced upon his fingers, the Human Seal manifested before him.

He was not finished.

"Aura, infuse!"

Ning Fan mobilized the aura of the Wushi Seal within his body, merging it into the Human Seal. The Human Seal suddenly shone with brilliant radiance, and as that specific aura emerged, the small cauldron began to tremble.

Ning Fan's heart leaped with joy.

As expected, the cauldron was in a dormant state and required awakening. And the key to awakening it was the Wushi Seal, or rather, its aura.

Ning Fan drove the Human Seal to its limit. The Wushi Seal's aura grew denser and more profound, and the cauldron's trembling intensified.

Just as the cauldron was about to leap from his palm, Ning Fan realized his spiritual power was running dry.

Drops of sweat dripped from his forehead, shattering upon the ground.

Should he wait until next time?

No, he could not!

Determination flashed in his eyes. He raised his hand and pressed the Human Seal, now saturated with the Wushi Seal's aura, directly onto the cauldron.

"Boom-"

A wave of heat surged toward the sky. The small cauldron expanded violently, growing to the size of a person, and hovered silently in midair.

Next, the ancient runes coiled around the ears of the cauldron lit up in sequence. Dark red light raced along the cloud-and-thunder patterns on the belly, spreading like thousands of red snakes awakening beneath the bronze skin. A scorching aura suddenly erupted.

A red-gold torrent shot into the sky, then transformed into pure, blinding white incandescence. Finally, it condensed into a terrifying, liquid-like fire slurry. Waves of flame billowed toward the heavens, and the searing heat swept the surroundings like an invisible giant's palm, yet it did not harm Ning Fan, the master of the cauldron.

Countless flames gathered in the air, forming three large characters-

Cannot! Read! Them!

Exactly. Ning Fan had no idea what the script from the Wushi Heavenly Palace ruins meant.

"However..."

"Looking at how you have awakened, with the aura of burning all the eight wastelands, I shall simply call you-"

"The Burning Heaven Cauldron."

Ning Fan stared at the enlarged cauldron, sensing the power radiating from within.

This artifact's grade... was truly extraordinary.

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