Mystic Eyes: My Eyes Steal the Laws of Cultivation Chapter 364: Orange Flame

While lost in thought, Kyrian’s gaze abruptly shot towards the heavens.

For a fleeting moment, Kyrian couldn't pinpoint the reason for looking up. It was an automatic, almost instinctual reaction, as though some unseen force had tugged at his awareness without a whisper, a silent summons only his eyes could register.

Something had shifted within his peripheral vision.

Far, far above. Impossibly distant.

It was so expertly concealed amidst the swirling smoke and ash that even a cultivator of considerable attainment would struggle to detect it. Mundane vision, even when augmented by Qi, would find it a Herculean task to discern a solitary ember within the countless incandescent specks adrift in the volcanic expanse.

Yet, Kyrian’s eyes found it.

High in the fiery sky, cloaked by the ascending tendrils of smoke and ash from the Great Volcano’s caldera, a minuscule orange flame flickered in silent motion.

It resembled nothing more than common fire, a lone spark lost among thousands, utterly insignificant against the backdrop of fiery destruction and searing heat that characterized the terrain.

But Kyrian instantly perceived its anomaly.

That flame was far from ordinary. It held a gaze fixed upon him.

Kyrian’s eyes instantly narrowed.

The flame remained suspended, unmoving for a second, suspended in the air and glowing softly amidst the particulate clouds, as though awaiting a specific moment. Or perhaps, a specific individual.

Then, it seemed to fix its attention directly on him.

This was no mere feeling or vague impression; it was an absolute certainty. Kyrian felt the unblinking stare of that flame upon him, traversing an unimaginable distance. It was as if a sentient, conscious entity resided within it, employing it as a remote sentinel.

A peculiar sensation washed over Kyrian in that instant.

It felt as though intelligence resided within that dancing flame. A consciousness.

Something was observing him, assessing him, endeavoring to comprehend him.

‘What could that be?’

The question reverberated in his mind, yet no answer materialized.

Most strangely, Kyrian detected no animosity emanating from the flame. It posed no threat, nor did it signal an impending assault. It was simply... watching.

Perhaps curiosity was the motive.

As if the entity within sought to understand his nature.

But before he could delve deeper into its analysis or contemplate any action, the flame simply ceased to be.

It dissolved into the very air from which it seemingly appeared.

It didn’t fade away progressively. It didn’t extinguish like mundane fire, with lingering smoke and dying embers. In one instant, it was present, a miniature orange star blazing in the sky… and in the next, only smoke remained.

Kyrian’s eyes remained locked onto that precise spot in the heavens for several prolonged seconds.

His brow gradually knitted in a deep furrow.

‘What was that…?’

‘Another beast?’

It hadn't felt precisely like one.

‘A cultivator?’

Kyrian was uncertain.

He lacked sufficient data to construct a coherent theory.

However, one irrefutable fact remained: that flame was undeniably extraordinary.

After several moments of quiet contemplation, Kyrian finally shifted his gaze away.

There was no purpose in remaining stationary, staring into the sky.

He was still wounded. Fatigue weighed heavily upon him. Utter exhaustion.

Aches permeated his entire being, not solely from external burns and lacerations, but from deep within. That peculiar internal chill persisted, as if something within him had become encased in ice.

Before attending to any other matter, before resuming his quest for Ming Hai’s tomb, and prior to investigating the alteration of his own eyes, Kyrian required rest.

His body had reached its breaking point. To persist in disregarding the signals of extreme fatigue would undoubtedly lead to even more severe repercussions.

Kyrian surveyed his surroundings.

Even in his weakened state, his vision penetrated the smoke and volcanic peaks as if they were mere wisps of vapor. He scanned the expanse for several kilometers, seeking a suitable refuge.

Before long, he located it.

A modest cave, concealed between two imposing dark rock formations, partially obscured by fallen stones and the hot steam venting from the earth below. The location offered discretion, invisible to any who weren't actively seeking it, and provided sanctuary from both the oppressive heat and potential dangers.

Without a second's hesitation, Kyrian commenced his movement towards it.

...

Each deliberate step sent sharp jolts of pain coursing through his now-frozen musculature.

His body felt leaden, as though remnants of that mysterious blue energy still circulated sluggishly beneath his skin. Kyrian could perceive the icy essence within his very bones, permeating even his blood.

It was an experience utterly alien to anything he had encountered previously.

As he advanced, Kyrian slowly began to acclimate to the biting, internal cold.

His body was adapting.

Not wholly, not by any significant measure, but sufficiently to enable him to proceed without audible groans accompanying each footfall. The discomfort didn't vanish, yet Kyrian learned to disregard it, to perceive it as mere ambient noise within the theater of his consciousness.

Concurrently, his mind inevitably drifted back to the recent confrontation with the Five-Horned Lava Lizard.

His ice-attributed eyes had undeniably played a pivotal role.

Not solely during the climactic strike, nor concerning the blue aura that still baffled him, but throughout the entirety of the engagement. The ice barriers that repelled the fiery onslaught. The protective armors that absorbed brutal impacts. The sharp projectiles that pierced the formidable scales of the beast.

‘Had I employed a different form of Qi…’

Kyrian pondered the potential.

He wielded other abilities, other forms of vision, each with its own strengths and capacities.

Yet, ice stood as his most potent countermeasure against fire.

Were it not for the frozen barriers that impeded the flames,

Without the pristine ice armors that absorbed the forceful impacts,

Without the incredible capacity to decelerate, obstruct, and diminish the potency of draconic fire...

Kyrian would have met his demise on numerous occasions during that fierce confrontation.

The very first instant the reptilian behemoth unleashed its draconic breath, had it not been for those barriers, he would have been utterly obliterated. When its tail struck him for the first time, if not for the protective ice armor, his very bones would have been pulverized.

The recollection brought a subtle smile to his lips.

Though perilously challenging, the battle had been exhilarating.

And it was a rare admission for Kyrian to make such a statement.

Not just exhilarating. For the first time in a considerable span, Kyrian genuinely felt his spirit ignited amidst the clash.

The sensation of intense pressure, the compulsion to expend his every resource merely to endure, this was an experience he hadn't encountered since...

How much time had elapsed?

Perhaps never. For even in the most arduous skirmishes he had endured, Kyrian had never been so thoroughly outmatched in sheer physical might.

The dragon-like creature was stronger. Swifter. More resilient. It possessed more Qi. Its bloodline was clearly superior.

And yet, Kyrian emerged victorious.

Moreover, that intense engagement had revealed something novel to him.

A more profound comprehension of his unique eyes. A fresh bond with the element of ice.

A power he still couldn't fully grasp, but which he could sense radiating within him.

Even if he couldn't harness it again at this moment, as his body was incapable of withstanding another surge of that azure energy, Kyrian instinctively recognized its immense value.

As his physical form strengthened, and his cultivation level advanced,

He would gain a formidable new asset. A decisive trump card.