After searching for over twenty minutes, Leo suddenly noticed a deep, profound light emanating from the sea of flames ahead.
Within the protective shield, Leo’s pupils contracted sharply. Eagerly, he swam quickly towards the source of the light.
The layers of water-like flames parted as Leo moved through them.
As he drew closer, the deep light became increasingly clear.
Could that be the source of the Nether Flame?
With great anticipation, Leo’s heartbeat quickened.
After swimming a bit further, Leo’s eyes lit up.
Ahead, about a few dozen meters away, a sea-blue heart-shaped object floated quietly in the sea of flames.
The heart-shaped object was as transparent as a deep blue crystal, surrounded by sea-blue flames, emitting an incredibly profound sea-blue light.
With each gentle pulse, the vast sea of flames undulated.
The source of the Nether Flame!
Leo’s gaze became intensely heated.
Overjoyed, the Nine-Petal Ice-Soul Lotus within Leo began to spin, thickening the Arctic Shield as he approached the source of the Nether Flame.
The closer he got to the source, the more terrifying the temperature became.
Within ten seconds, Leo was less than three meters away from the source of the Nether Flame.
Leo did not act immediately. His current state was not optimal. If any unexpected changes occurred while attempting to capture and refine the source of the Nether Flame, it could lead to failure.
So, Leo decided to first adjust his state, restore his internal spiritual power, and then return to capture and refine the source of the Nether Flame.
After spending an hour, Leo restored his spiritual power, mental strength, and physical strength to their peak states.
Additionally, he consumed several seventh-grade Spirit Fruits to completely eliminate his fatigue.
Leo then dove back into the lake and returned to where the source of the Nether Flame was located.
Closing the distance to within one meter, Leo’s eyes were resolute. With a thought, a drop of crimson blood essence, protected by extreme cold energy, merged into the source of the Nether Flame.
As soon as the blood essence entered the source of the Nether Flame, the sea-blue heart began to pulse violently.
The source of the Nether Flame had its own spirit and naturally resisted being refined. Immediately, overwhelming sea-blue high-temperature flames burned towards Leo.
The thick protective shield around Leo’s body began to dissolve at a visible rate.
Leo’s face was determined. He formed hand seals, and a powerful surge of extreme cold energy enveloped the source of the Nether Flame before sending it into his mouth.
Once inside Leo’s body, the source of the Nether Flame was directed by spiritual power to his dantian.
The source of the Nether Flame erupted with an incredibly terrifying high temperature, attempting to burn Leo’s dantian.
All at once, countless threads of deep sea-blue flames extended from the heart-shaped flame, burning towards Leo’s golden core, bones, muscles, and meridians.
Leo’s face twisted in pain. It felt as though every cell in his body was being incinerated by intense flames.
Leo let out a cry of pain, gritting his teeth as he mobilized his spiritual power and the extreme cold energy of the Nine-Petal Ice-Soul Lotus to resist.
Under the burst of extreme cold energy from the Nine-Petal Ice-Soul Lotus, Leo’s body felt slightly better.
Controlled by Leo’s mind, the Nine-Petal Ice-Soul Lotus also released countless threads of extreme cold energy to counteract the flame threads.
However, Leo underestimated the power of the source of the Nether Flame. The extreme cold threads were quickly incinerated by the flame threads.
Leo knew that he could not give up at this moment. Even a slight thought of giving up would result in his entire being turning to ashes.
Feeling the temperature within and on his body continuously rising, Leo quickly activated Nine Transformations of the Stars to push his physical strength to its limit.
Starlight emanated from Leo’s skin. The burnt flesh and cells began to regenerate.
The fifth level of Nine Transformations of the Stars could unlock an indestructible golden body. If Leo could withstand the burning of the source of the Nether Flame, he would successfully break through to the fifth level.
With a clear mind, Leo exerted all his abilities to resist the burning of the source of the Nether Flame.
Soon, Leo was engulfed in sea-blue flames, transforming into a sea-blue cocoon of fire.
Inside the cocoon, Leo’s skin and muscles were repeatedly burned and regenerated by the flames.
This process was undoubtedly more painful than being boiled in oil.
But Leo gritted his teeth and endured. He understood that in this world, no power came without a price.
Leo’s task now was to persevere and maintain clarity. As long as he wasn’t destroyed by the source of the Nether Flame, he would not only successfully refine it but also significantly enhance his physical strength and power.
The profound sea-blue cocoon emerged from the lake water and floated quietly in mid-air.
Inside the cocoon, Leo’s clothes had long turned to ashes. His body emitted starlight as it was repeatedly burned and regenerated by flames.
Every second inside the cocoon felt like a year.
Time passed continuously-an hour… a day… two days…
Leo steadfastly maintained that sliver of clarity in his mind. He couldn’t be destroyed by the source of the Nether Flame; he still hadn’t found Sophia…
On the ninth day,
Leo’s life essence blood finally fully merged with the source of the Nether Flame.
At that moment, a crack appeared on the massive cocoon of fire.
The crack spread like a spider web until it covered the entire cocoon.
Threads of deep sea-blue light seeped through the cracks in the cocoon.
The cocoon split open down its center, revealing a large gap.
Through this gap, one could see a person sitting cross-legged inside, exuding an immensely powerful aura.
With a crisp sound, the entire cocoon shattered into two halves. The figure inside was fully revealed.
He was completely naked. His skin was flawless like exquisite jade. On its surface, sea-blue light and starlight intertwined and flickered.
Around him and beneath his feet, terrifyingly high-temperature sea-blue flames now touched him gently like water.
Leo slowly opened his eyes.
As soon as he opened them, sea-blue flames in the lake surged up in waves dozens of meters high as if welcoming something!
Finally successful!
Feeling how friendly the surrounding sea-blue flames were to him, Leo couldn’t help but smile with joy.
In an instant, Leo shot up like a soaring dragon.
High above the small lake, completely naked Leo let out a long howl, releasing all accumulated energy within him.