Chapter 49: The Mysterious Disc’s Transformation

From the moment the mysterious disc flew out on its own, to the devouring of the flame crystal, and then to Qiu Han being drawn into the disc, the entire sequence, though seeming slow when described, actually unfolded in the span of just a few breaths.

Now, within the cavern, only the molten lava and the beast king, still crouched within the massive desert red crystal, remained. The beast king was stupefied, only now beginning to comprehend what had transpired. Everything had happened too suddenly. All that was left was its furious countenance, yet beneath that fury, a trace of fear could be discerned.

What appeared before Qiu Han was an endless expanse—no light, no life, no substance of any kind. Yet, there was warmth, a faint sense of heat. Qiu Han sent out his spiritual sense, but saw nothing material. He flew forward, not knowing how much time had passed, until, within the range of his perception, a thousand feet ahead, he saw a small orb emitting a red glow, about the size of a pill. Upon closer inspection, he realized it was merely a sphere of red light, without any physical form.

As he drew near, the heat around him intensified, prompting a suspicion in his heart.

“Could it be that this orb is the transformed essence of the flame crystal just now?”

After staring at the orb for a while, Qiu Han murmured, “Earlier, I noticed I’d overlooked something: this mysterious disc was supposed to have healing properties. But on my journey here, even when wounded fighting the fire-breathing bird, I sensed nothing of the sort. It was as if, once the disc entered my sea of consciousness, it lost its effect.

But now, since entering the disc’s internal space, not only has all my spent spiritual power been restored, even the old hidden injuries in my body have healed completely. Could this be connected to the devoured flame crystal?”

“But how do I leave? And even if I do, if I end up back in that cavern, the danger will remain. Yet it seems this space within the mysterious disc could be an excellent sanctuary—perhaps it will be of great use to me in the future.”

After pondering the gains and losses of the situation, Qiu Han settled down cross-legged within the red orb and began to meditate.

Time passed swiftly in this mysterious space. Three months slipped by as Qiu Han sat motionless beside the glowing sphere, his eyes opening only three times during that span. The rest of the time, he seemed immersed in deep meditation, oblivious to any changes outside or the passage of time.

But at that moment, Qiu Han, who had been sitting with his eyes closed, suddenly opened them wide. Had anyone seen him then, they would have found his gaze utterly terrifying.

His eyes were bloodshot and his face showed signs of exhaustion, but his gaze was keen and bright. If one looked closely, a flicker of flame could be seen trembling within his pupils. Soon, he closed his eyes once again, resuming his meditation without the slightest movement.

Time flew by like a fleeting horse. In the blink of an eye, Qiu Han had been meditating in the mysterious disc’s space for a whole year. Around him, everything remained utterly silent, the stillness akin to death.

Throughout that year, the fluctuations of spiritual power from Qiu Han’s body stayed constant, indicating his cultivation had not advanced at all since he first entered the space. Yet, had someone observed him closely, they would have noticed a change: at first, he sweated profusely sitting beside the glowing sphere, but now he was entirely at ease, as if transformed by some profound metamorphosis.

On the final day of that year, Qiu Han opened his eyes again—only the fifth time in all that time. Now, within his gaze, instead of a mere spark, a blue flame the size of a fingernail floated gently in his eyes. In that instant, an invisible pressure radiated from him, one so immense that any cultivator or beast below the tenth layer of Qi Refinement would be instantly obliterated by it.

Rising to his feet and ending his meditation, Qiu Han murmured, “Fire… I suppose I now have some understanding of the fire of heaven and earth, though there remains a veil obscuring the essence. I can only grasp it vaguely and cannot yet reach its true core. I wonder, if I were to use my fire-controlling technique now, just how powerful it would be.”

“It’s time to leave. I wonder how much time has passed outside. Here in this space, I can sense that at most a year has gone by.”

Meanwhile, in the cavern, the beast king still stared at the spot where Qiu Han had vanished half a month before. Just as it prepared to settle down to rest, a figure suddenly appeared at the very place where Qiu Han had disappeared.

Clad in white, with black hair cascading to his waist and a refined, handsome face, sword-like brows, and eyes sharp as stars, it was indeed Qiu Han, who had vanished half a month ago. Emerging from the mysterious disc’s space, he found himself back in the cavern.

At the same moment the beast king saw Qiu Han, Qiu Han saw it. In that silent instant, battle erupted. The beast king lunged in fury, reaching to seize him.

A cold glint flashed in Qiu Han’s eyes, and a faint, icy smile touched his lips. Strangely, under his gaze, the beast king actually showed fear. At the same time, the lava all around seemed to halt in its flow beside Qiu Han. That scalding molten rock, hot enough to turn him to ash before, now posed no threat or discomfort, as though Qiu Han had become the master of the flames themselves.

As the beast king’s claws reached out, Qiu Han gently lifted his hand and softly uttered, “Fire.”

A mass of blue flame instantly gathered in his palm, enveloping the beast king’s arms. In the blink of an eye, its limbs were incinerated into nothingness. In the next moment, before the beast’s terrified eyes, the flames consumed its entire body...

Instant death.

No elaborate spell, no mighty artifact—just a single, effortless gesture, and the beast king, who even the lava could not harm, was destroyed in an instant. Compared to Qiu Han as he first entered the cavern half a month ago, the transformation was earth-shattering.

Qiu Han’s expression barely changed, as if none of this could stir the slightest ripple in his heart. Yet inwardly, he was filled with delight.

“To think that my insights into fire, meditating upon the flame crystal in the disc’s space, have granted me such mastery and power over flame...”

Suppressing his excitement, Qiu Han took a few steps forward, his gaze settling on the massive desert red crystal.

“With such a giant desert red crystal, it’s no wonder a flame crystal could be born here. But what secrets does this desert conceal? No matter—for now, I must focus on finding a way out. But to escape safely, I cannot leave the way I came, through the ant beast nest.”