Chapter 75: Evolution of Burning Heaven

A hint of joy crossed Rod’s face as he hurried forward and reached the giant beast. He grabbed the blood-stained inner core, feeling its immense energy, and smiled—success at last! All those days of waiting hadn’t been in vain; he had finally obtained it.
Holding the softly textured core, Rod handled it with extreme care, fearing it might be damaged. The pure energy inside astonished him—his guess was correct; it was the energy of fire, of terrifying purity.
Looking around, he showed no interest in the rest of the beast’s remains and prepared to leave. There was no doubt this item would be of great help in his future cultivation.
A light howl echoed, followed by a low growl. In an instant, Burning Heaven appeared before him, circling around him.
Rod was slightly puzzled—Burning Heaven’s behavior seemed strange. At least, he had never seen it act like this before. Perhaps due to the contract, Rod could sense its excitement.
“What’s wrong?” With deep confusion, he observed Burning Heaven carefully. It seemed unharmed—so why was it circling like that?
“Do you want it?” After observing for a while, Rod frowned slightly. Burning Heaven’s gaze was fixed on the core still in his hand, as if it desired it desperately.
At this stage of growth, Burning Heaven’s intelligence was quite high, roughly equivalent to that of a fifteen- or sixteen-year-old boy. Naturally, it understood Rod’s question and immediately showed excitement, circling up and down.
“Is that it?” Seeing that his guess was correct, Rod grew even more puzzled. What could it want with this thing? To restore its beast soul’s energy, surely absorbing external elements and its own combat energy was sufficient. As for growth, it relied on the purest energy in the world and the purest part of its own combat energy—nothing seemed to relate to this core!

“Could it be?” Suddenly, Rod’s eyes lit up. It seemed he had guessed something, showing a hint of excitement. Promotion—yes, could the energy of this core help Fen Tian advance? If so, that would be great. He had been struggling recently, unable to find a way to help Fen Tian grow, and had to give up on his idea. Now, seeing this, Rod’s heart was once again filled with hope, eager to take action.

Yet doubt followed soon after. The energy required by a beast soul was indeed the purest energy in the world. Although the energy from a magical beast’s core was the essence of that beast, extremely pure, different-level magical beasts still contained varying amounts of impurities—higher-level beasts having fewer. From what he knew, only the cores of divine-level magical beasts could reach absolute purity and be utilized by a beast soul. Could it be…

His breathing quickened as he stared at the core in his hand, his eyes gleaming. “Could this core’s purity already compare to that of a divine-level magical beast’s core, to the point where it can be used by a beast soul?” Suddenly, Rod felt his heartbeat accelerate, his blood flow surging. If that were true, wouldn’t his plan succeed? With such energy, once Fen Tian grew stronger, he would have an extra means of survival in this strange place! That was exactly what he hoped for.

There was no doubt. Watching Fen Tian circle around the core in his hand with such hopeful eyes, Rod knew his guess was correct. Magical beasts were very sensitive to the energy in the world, especially higher-level ones. If it hadn’t met their standards, Fen Tian wouldn’t have reacted this way!

“Good, I’ll give it to you. Come on, let’s find a place to try it!” With determination, a crazy plan popped into his mind, and Rod said excitedly.

Clutching the core tightly, he took Fen Tian and quickly headed to the place where he had been practicing lately—a place considered extremely safe.

Upon entering the cave, he looked at Fen Tian and took a deep breath. “Alright, I’m giving this to you. Whether it works depends on you. I’ll protect you! I hope it brings me a surprise!”

At this moment, Rod had already risked everything on Fen Tian. A Core wasn’t much—although it was valuable and highly needed, he wouldn’t care under these circumstances. He could fight again if he lost the Core and earn more money, but this opportunity only came once. Besides, Fen Tian was qualified to use it.

Understanding Rod’s words, Fen Tian immediately showed extreme excitement. He roared loudly, his howl causing the surroundings to tremble violently. The rocks and soil above him began to fall as if the ground were about to collapse. Fortunately, Fen Tian stopped soon after. Then, as if it had found a treasure, he circled around the Core floating in the air, treating it as a precious gem, afraid of damaging it even accidentally.

After a while, amidst excited roars, he wrapped the Core up and found a corner to land in. Staring at the Core for a long time, he opened his mouth wide and swallowed it whole.

Watching Fen Tian anxiously, Rod’s heart was in his throat as he witnessed everything. He stared intently at Fen Tian, not blinking, afraid of missing any detail.

A moment later, Fen Tian’s body suddenly swelled like a balloon. His already dark red complexion grew even more eerie. In the next instant, elements from the universe rushed toward him and poured into his body as if finding a focal point.

Fen Tian became even more terrifying. Visible red patterns, like solid matter, moved around his body. With each pass, his color deepened, until it seemed he could bleed at any moment. His aura also surged dramatically, radiating power in all directions—true regal might on full display.

Rod witnessed all these changes in horror. He had no doubt that if he still had an imperial-level or lower strength, he might not have been able to withstand such pressure. Even with his current sacred-level strength, he almost felt compelled to worship him at that moment.

“The Dragon Clan’s pressure is terrifying; when a king appears, all creatures bow!” This saying was true—true royal might couldn’t be compared to ordinary power.

A loud howl echoed through the air, tinged with pain—Fen Tian seemed to be expressing its suffering. Under the onslaught of immense energy, its body began to tremble and roll. Even it could hardly withstand such force.

Inside this narrow cave, a fierce wind blew, filling the air with dust, making it difficult for Rod to keep his eyes open. He could only anxiously watch from afar, knowing he couldn’t do much. All he could do was observe calmly, hoping Fen Tian could endure this trial on its own.

The elements grew increasingly violent, especially the intense fire element. In moments, the entire cave seemed to heat up significantly under its influence, turning into a veritable oven. Even Rod, who practiced fire elements, couldn’t help but feel distressed.

Trying to stabilize his own breath and avoid being disturbed by the surroundings, Rod smiled bitterly. The noise was indeed too loud. He just hoped Fen Tian was fine! Under such intense elemental pressure, it wasn’t long before Rod could no longer bear it either, so he sat cross-legged and began cultivating as well.

Perhaps thanks to Fen Tian’s evolution, Rod’s cultivation progressed rapidly amidst the abundant elements. He didn’t need to exert much effort—pure fire elements flowed continuously into his body.

Time passed unknowingly. The constant roars of Fen Tian kept Rod anxious, though he was helpless. Only when his own combat energy returned to its peak did the external changes gradually subside, almost disappearing.

Hurriedly opening his eyes, Rod looked at Fen Tian with anticipation and concern. At that moment, Fen Tian lay weakly on the ground, panting heavily, surrounded by a layer of fiery red mist—energy evaporated from its body mixed with external elements.

Gradually, everything stopped. Ignoring everything else, Rod rushed to Fen Tian’s side and examined it carefully.

Looking at Rod, Fen Tian weakly murmured, seemingly trying to convey something. It was at its weakest state, and Rod could clearly sense the huge difference from before.

“Did it work?” A thought of joy flashed through Rod’s mind as he watched anxiously.

As time passed, Fen Tian began to regain its strength in the restored cave. Gradually, its weak appearance vanished, and it once again became vibrant.

Suddenly, a long howl was heard, and the elements that had disappeared before gathered here once again. This sight scared Rod greatly. But in an instant, he realized something was wrong—the energy surging this time seemed to bring a sense of warmth. For some reason, Rod’s worries dissipated. His intuition told him there would be no problems this time, and indeed, as he felt, nothing happened.