“Are you going to kill him just to satisfy your desire to kill a ruler?” Ran Ji’s words made Xiao Yan silent for a moment. Under the proud gaze of the former, Xiao Yan said solemnly.“Of course not. Although I really want to kill a ruler to increase the bounty from the Divine Court and qualify to enter the depths of the Sacred Path, the Fire Artisan has no connection to the Divine Court. His strength is still far from that of the Eight Rulers, and killing him won’t cause much of a stir.” Ran Ji shook his head like a rattle drum, seemingly not taking the Fire Artisan seriously at all. Xiao Yan looked at Ran Ji indifferently. This guy has quite a high spirit, but being targeted by Meng Dongcheng is enough to show that Ran Ji’s abilities are extraordinary.“The Fire Artisan is a ruler who has comprehended the Dao of Fire. If I can gain this understanding of fire, it will be much easier for me to break through to become a ruler in the future. Xiao Yan, if you can refine the fourth type of divine fire, it will greatly enhance your strength. Look, I will give you the fourth type of divine fire, so you must help me kill the Fire Artisan.” As he said this, Ran Ji put on a pitiful look, as if he was about to cry at any moment.“This divine fire was taken from the Fire Artisan; it has nothing to do with your offer.” Xiao Yan’s mouth twitched as he spoke unkindly.“Well… you can’t say that. If someone else had taken the divine fire, I would have already acted to snatch it. Because it was you, I didn’t take action.” Ran Ji smiled awkwardly and touched his nose.“Do you have confidence in helping me refine the divine fire?” Staring into Ran Ji’s eyes, Xiao Yan spoke word by word.“Of course.” Ran Ji proudly raised his head, his face full of self-satisfaction: “As long as you do as I say, refining the fourth type of divine fire will be a piece of cake.”“Deal.” Without any hesitation, Xiao Yan nodded directly. His straightforward attitude first stunned Ran Ji, then he was overjoyed, sitting cross-legged in front of Xiao Yan, clearing his throat, and whispering: “Then it’s settled. I will help you refine the divine fire, and you will help me kill the Fire Artisan. The news that the Fire Artisan has been captured by Yu Hengyuan has probably spread throughout the entire Northwest region. There will definitely be many people targeting him, so we must act quickly.”“Are you saying that many people in the Northwest will take this opportunity to attack the Divine Court?” Xiao Yan raised an eyebrow, catching the hidden meaning in Ran Ji’s words.“Of course. Yu Hengyuan is severely injured, and Qin Yan and Bai Qiling have not returned yet. In the entire Northwest Divine Court, there are only the three leaders, Shi Yue and the small fry from the three major legions, which is really insignificant. These big evildoers in the Northwest will not let go of this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.” Ran Ji spoke rapidly, and in this short time, he had thoroughly investigated the officials of the Northwest Divine Court.“We don’t have much time. If Bai Qiling and Qin Yan return, it will be difficult to act. Moreover, if I guess correctly, the special envoy sent by the Divine Court headquarters will arrive soon. Once they come, we will have no chance at all.” Pushing his messy hair back, Ran Ji’s expression became serious as he pointed to a small empty space in front of him and Xiao Yan, saying solemnly: “Now, take out the fourth type of divine fire.” Looking at Ran Ji with some suspicion, Xiao Yan did not hesitate at all. With a wave of his hand, a fireball surrounded by flames appeared in front of the two.“You came from the Great World, and it is not easy to gather the fifth type of divine fire. I heard that the Great World is vast, and each type of fire only has one kind, unlike the Outer Sky. For you to gather them is simply incredible.” Staring at the fireball floating in mid-air, Ran Ji couldn’t help but exclaim.“Indeed, it took a lot of effort.” Xiao Yan smiled. If it weren’t for finally obtaining all the imperial flames in the Underworld King’s Palace, who knows how long it would have taken him to collect them one by one. Ran Ji nodded, his expression becoming solemn: “Your fire spirit has merged with the fourth type of divine fire, so refining it will be relatively easier. However, this is a complete fourth type of divine fire, and its power is immense. Your strength is too weak, and refining it may pose a life-threatening risk. If you are not careful, you could turn to ashes, so you must think it through.”“I am well aware of this.” Xiao Yan sat upright, his expression serious. Ran Ji did not seem to be joking, but he had the Dao of Heaven Record, the epochal treasure most closely connected to divine fire, which was his greatest trump card.“Good.” Having received Xiao Yan’s clear answer, Ran Ji no longer hesitated. He extended both hands, placing them on either side of the fireball, and a transparent flame slowly surged in his palms, as if an invisible hand was gently smoothing out the immense killing intent surrounding the fireball. Xiao Yan’s gaze sharpened. The fireball was right in front of him, and under Ran Ji’s actions, he could clearly perceive the subtle changes within the fireball. In a daze, he seemed to see a vast world of flames. In this boundless world formed by fire, the endless pressure made Xiao Yan feel breathless, as if he sensed a vast hostility. Behind him, the fifth type of divine fire roared, transforming into a sea of flames. In the next moment, the world of flames collapsed, and Xiao Yan’s vision suddenly turned black. When he came to his senses, he was already drenched in sweat, with a faint pain in the center of his brow.“You must be careful. There is a mutual generation and overcoming relationship between each type of divine fire. The fifth divine fire you possess just happens to overcome the fourth type of divine fire.” Ran Ji did not raise his head, seemingly aware of Xiao Yan’s earlier feelings. Xiao Yan silently nodded. At that moment, he indeed felt an indescribable pressure. The collision of the two types of fire made his mind tremble. In the sixth layer of the underground prison, the dim light seemed to carry an inexplicable weight, making the air here feel extremely heavy. At the end of the deep corridor, in a vast abyss, stood a tall solitary peak. In the center of the solitary peak was a dark prison floating in mid-air, surrounded by flickering black light bars that shot up like spears, carrying an unparalleled power, containing even more immense force than the upper layers of the underground prison. In the dark prison, the Fire Artisan sat cross-legged within a purple formation, his arms tightly bound by thick black chains suspended on either side of the wall. His head hung low on his chest, and suddenly, the almost dying Fire Artisan let out a light laugh.
