The bright scarlet Scorching Evil Fire lay in the crack which was about a meter wide on the ground. It
was crackling and sparks were flying everywhere.
Austin gazed at the scarlet flame as he stood by the crack, not even daring to take a reckless move as
he contemplated how to go about this dilemma.
The Unearthly Fire, it was said, was like dynamite, which needed to be treated with great caution, for it
would produce a violent and destructive force if triggered accidentally.
The pale white light that had just led him the way was now suspended above the Scorching Evil Fire,
as if it was waiting for Austin's next move.
Austin observed that the Scorching Evil Fire remained quiet and safe despite of his proximity. It was all
because of the pale white light which was suspended above it. He was sure that without it, the
Scorching Evil Fire would have consumed him in seconds. How much more dangerous if it was an
ignorant person who would carelessly approach it.
Austin tried to recall several times the method of collecting the fire, which Angus had put into his Soul
Sea.
Actually, the method was very simple and easy to follow. It only consisted of three steps.
First of all, Austin must merge the soul aura which Angus had left behind in his Soul Sea with his soul.
This would create a sort of camouflage for Austin because his soul would contain a little bit of Angus'
aura. It was a perfect method to hide his aura.
Then, he must make a spiritual sign in the Scorching Evil Fire.
And finally, Austin needed only to absorb the Scorching Evil Fire into his body and refine it.
After reviewing the method a few times in his head and making sure there were no mistakes, Austin sat
down crossed-legged on the ground. Of course, Austin tried his best to be quiet and gentle, or else he
might disturb the Scorching Evil Fire beside him. Any unnecessary and false move might trigger the
flames and its destructive power. If that should ever happen, then he would definitely be burned into
ashes in just a few minutes.
Sitting cross-legged, Austin took a gentle deep breath before he began. He first wrapped Angus' soul
aura and infused it with his spiritual sense in his Soul Sea. This required extreme concentration, so
Austin closed his mind off from his surroundings and focused at the task at hand.
Thankfully, the first step went fairly smooth.
This method was from Angus after all, so there was no way that his soul aura would resist. His spiritual
sense openly accepted it.
After a few seconds, Angus' soul aura was fully integrated into Austin's spiritual sense.
Austin instantly sensed a special touch of vicissitudes and wisdom added to his spiritual sense. It was
as if he underwent enlightenment.
That was because, of course, when Angus' soul aura had fused with his, Austin's spiritual sense
received something of Angus' aura.
Then he proceeded to the second step, which was to make a spiritual sign in the Scorching Evil Fire.
Staring at the scarlet flame silently suspended in the crack in the ground, Austin knew that the second
step was crucial. He was a bit confident that it would work, but still doubt crept into his mind. It was only
when the Scorching Evil Fire recognized his soul aura that he might be able to draw it into his body and
refine it.
If the Scorching Evil Fire did not recognize his soul aura, he, a mortal, would not even dare to absorb
the Unearthly Fire, which contained the power of furious destruction, lest he would become a heap of
ashes in an instant. It was as if he was trying to fool a flaming lock that he was the correct key. Even a
small incompatibility would result in being locked out forever.
In addition, if something went wrong while he was making the spiritual sign, and the fire didn't
recognize his spiritual sense, it would immediately attack Austin. It was obvious then what would
happen to Austin, which he knew was not a pretty outcome.
After hesitating for a few minutes, Austin summoned all of his courage and went ahead with the
method, a look of determination etched in his eyes.
All throughout history up to present times, great wealth and power can only be obtained by taking big
risks. The bigger the risk, the greater the reward reaped. Therefore, in order to get the very rare
Unearthly Fire between heaven and earth, Austin decided to just go for it.
With that strong and solid determination, Austin activated his will and the pale white light that had been
suspended over the Scorching Evil Fire gently descended towards it.
The pale white light was turned from Angus' spiritual sense, so when it neared the Scorching Evil Fire,
the fire only gave a slight hum and trembled before it fell silent again, letting the light fade into the
flame. It was as if the pale white light was engulfed by the flames.
Instantly, Austin, who was already sweating with worry and fear, suddenly breathed a sigh of relief.
Before the second step, Austin was worried sick that the Scorching Evil Fire wouldn't recognize Angus'
soul breath. After all, hundreds of years had already passed since Angus refined the Scorching Evil
Fire.
It seemed like that the Scorching Evil Fire still recognized Angus. That was why Austin was more
confident in absorbing it. A boost of confidence was all he needed to wash all his worries away.
As the pale white light melted into the Scorching Evil Fire, Austin took a whiff of his own spiritual sense
and manipulated it, which slowly moved towards the scarlet flame in between the crack.
When Austin's spiritual sense was about to touch the fire, the fire suddenly gently retreated. Apparently,
it was still somewhat hesitant towards Austin's spiritual sense. It was like a pet which sniffed a different
scent other than its owner.
Austin knew that although Angus' breath was mixed with his spiritual sense, there was also his own
breath. Hence, the Scorching Evil Fire was both familiar and resistant to the spiritual sense which
neared it. This only meant that it would not fully accept his spiritual sense immediately and easily. He
was trying to fool a very smart and cautious flame.
According to Angus, dealing with this kind of situation required a great deal of patience and
concentration. Being hasty would only complicate the situation even further.
Therefore, Austin controlled the whiff of spiritual sense, inch by inch, as slowly and softly as possible
towards the Scorching Evil Fire.
He tried once, twice, three times... After Austin tried several times, the Scorching Evil Fire finally
lowered its guard against Austin's spiritual sense.
After all, there was Angus' aura in the spiritual sense.
Finally, the trace of spiritual sense melted into the fire and made a sign in it.
With the appearance of the sign, Austin suddenly felt a peculiar connection with the Scorching Evil Fire
—he could actually communicate with it through his mind. It was a weird feeling but Austin eventually
got used to it.
Whew!
Austin let out a long sigh of relief. The second step was successfully completed. His patience paid off in
the end.
It was really thanks to Angus' soul breath that the Scorching Evil Fire finally accepted Austin's spiritual
sense.
Then there was the last step—to absorb the Scorching Evil Fire into his body!
Austin communicated with the Scorching Evil Fire with his mind and then instructed the spiritual sign
inside the fire to slowly float towards him.
In the process, the Scorching Evil Fire seemed to have sensed that something was amiss. Its scarlet
flame began to billow slowly, expanding wide in the blink of an eye, and it slowly released out a stream
of energy which frightened Austin.
With the terrifying energy sent out of the Scorching Evil Fire, Austin's clothes were instantly incinerated
and turned into ashes in the blink of an eye. Austin didn't even have enough time to react in order to
protect himself. Everything happened so fast.
62fb1bb41dcb31934bd49bda