Although Dyon was practicing energy manipulation techniques of the solidification path, none of them were so great that they could make such a large pillar of fire seem more like stone than the light it was meant to be.
'Is his soul really so amazing that it can make up for his weakness everywhere else?' Esmeralda couldn't help but feel like she was watching a legend unfold.
His whole life up until now, Dyon hadn't thought he had an affinity for anything. It was to the point where he relied on his master's and his martial uncle's blood essence to gain particular affinities. But, who would have known that his own manifestations trumped this many times over.
With just a thought, Dyon's black flames, flames he had ignored for so long, shattered the intent barrier of comprehension, climbed past the one with mind realm, and steadily entered the one with heart realm without showing any signs of slowing.
This wasn't a simple matter of paths. Dyon's much weaker red flames followed the sovereign path as well. However, not every path, even when carrying the same title, followed the same exact methods. There were innumerable kinds of rulers and sovereigns in this world. You could be cruel, kind, benevolent or unruly. Still, you would be a ruler.
Dyon's red flames had no real substance. They wanted to follow the sovereign path, but didn't have the strength or direction to do so. However, Dyon's black flame was a tyrant, filled with rage and fury, wanting to burn the whole world down and into the ground.
Flames were special. Without warmth, life wouldn't exist at all. In fact, the so-called heat death many were worried about would result in a complete lack of heat. Without heat and energy, the universe and cosmos as everyone knew it would die.
This was why, even as an elemental will, fire reserved a special place in the heart of the heavens, along with lightning. On the surface, these two elemental wills were just as forgettable as the others, however, the truth was that they rose above the rest in a very special way.
Prince Belmont wanted Madeleine for her flames, the Flame Rebirth Sect wanted Madeleine for her flames, even the Golden Crow Sect wanted Madeleine for her flames.
Why isn't it that wind cultivators want Clara for her wind? Or why isn't it that ice cultivators want Ri for her ice?
Cultivating flames was different and so was its comprehension. Path mattered much less than affinity. Without the proper lineage, cultivating flames was foolish. But, should you have the correct lineage… Fire will could very well be as powerful as any supreme law in existence.
However, Dyon was on the verge of losing his mind. His roar had become layered and hellish. It was almost as though he was a beast crawling up from its abyssal imprisonment instead of the human being that he was.
'One with body…' Dyon's master panicked slightly, sending Clara into the tower as quickly as she could. She was just a spirit, she couldn't continue to protect against this level of heat.
At that moment, Dyon's body no longer burned due to his own flames. However, the golden dragon beneath his feet burst into nothingness.
'One with soul… How far will it go? It can't be that it will grow to match his soul? Will it?'
A shocking thought overwhelmed the White Mother's mind. Dyon black flames were his own, but they were birthed from his manifestation. If it followed the normal trend, it wouldn't stop until…
'Until it reached One with Dao…' Esmeralda paled. 'I can't allow him to increase so far so quickly. He'll lose his mind!'
If Dyon's unique flame was amiable and calm in nature, this wouldn't be a problem at all. Although his body would be strained by using such a high level will, it wouldn't be beyond the realm of possibility since he had a celestial body. But, the issue was that it wasn't!
Esmeralda could tell that this flame wanted nothing more than to obliterate the world. If it continued like this, there would be no coming back.
The second tier caught flames, spreading out in every direction and recreating a hell on earth. The hundreds to thousands of miles that once made up this tier was suddenly overwhelmed by an oppressive and savage heat.
'Dyon! Dyon!' Esmeralda called, sending waves of soul energy through Dyon's Mind's Eye, hoping to wake him up.
However, the moment the small baby sensed danger within its domain, it rolled in its sleep, gurgling slightly as it sucked it thumb. In an instant, all 11 remaining spirits couldn't move. It was as though they had met their worst nightmares but could only be petrified in place.
Esmeralda trembled. 'If I had known this would happen, I would have never awakened this half of him.'
Maybe if Evangeline had been there to speak her mind, she too would have felt a heavy guilt overwhelm her. She had travelled through space and time to awaken Dyon's soul and wills ahead of time… But, what if things weren't meant to be this way?...
By awakening Dyon's manifestation more than 900 years ahead of time, Dyon had much less time to mature… His mentality was still that of a young man…
In the future, when this occurred, he would be able to rein himself in long before he lost control… But now?... He had long since lost consciousness.
...
Head Arie watched this scene with a combination of disbelief and concern on her delicate features. She had never seen such an oppressive innate fire… The offensive capabilities of Dyon's flames could be said to be the greatest she had ever seen.
For her to think such a thing, it meant a lot. After all, her Celestial Deer Clan had a lot of relations with the Drago-Qilin lands. Among them, the legendary red dragon was among the most powerful. Strong and majestic creatures with scales as beautiful rubies coating them. They were both a marvel to look at while also being among the strongest race of beasts to ever exist.
Not to mention the Fire Dragon Clan, dragons and qilins in general had high fire affinities. For example, Dyon's martial uncle, a member of the Demon Qilin Clan had strong fire affinity himself. In fact, it was because of this that Dyon believed his red flames were his true flames with his black flame was simply an augmenter of dark type wills.
Clearly, he was very much mistaken…
"Family head, shouldn't we help? If this continues…" Saintess Rue and Ray panicked. After watching Dyon for so long, they were stricken by his determination and talent. They already saw him as a little brother they couldn't bare to see anything happen to.
Of course, this was only reinforced by the fact Head Arie only referred to him as grandson.
They didn't know why, but they had begun to subconsciously believe that Dyon was younger than them, no matter what their better judgements said.
Head Arie's delicate jaw slightly clenched before she eventually shook her head. "No. The only way to remove the plight of this innate flame from him would be to strip him of the flame itself. But, you know as well as I how cruel such a thing is. If he can surpass this hurdle, he will benefit greatly…
"His flame has two characteristics. And that's just my initial estimate…"
"Two?!" By now, even the silent Saintess Ray couldn't help but exclaim. A flame even having one characteristic was almost unheard of, how could his have two?
"No… I think it's three…" Head Arie mumbled.
"This…" The two saintesses didn't know how to react.
For context, even the mighty phoenixes only had two characteristics to their flames, it wasn't until Amethyst was born that a mighty flame with four characteristics was birthed into the world.
An ice phoenixes blue flame would have a piercing cold characteristic along with a life characteristic. This was why they were both known as ice phoenixes while also being the heaven's representation of life.
A fire phoenix would have an inextinguishable heat characteristic along with a reincarnation characteristic. Obviously, this was why they were known as fire phoenixes while also being the heaven's representation of reincarnation.
Dark phoenixes also had two characteristics. Their flames had both a darkness characteristic that allowed them to thrive in the shadows, while also having a death characteristic that made them heaven's representations of death.
