Word Count: 3,207 Words
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Xiao Yan retrieved a Mighty Huang Pill from his storage ring. He no longer cared about the risk of unstable Dou Qi and tossed it directly into his mouth.
A violent surge of energy coursed through his meridians, followed by an intense tearing sensation as the pill's terrifying medicinal strength made them swell painfully.
Xiao Yan had no time to refine its medicinal effects. He converted the Mighty Huang Pill's strength entirely into Dou Qi and channeled it into the Yin-Yang Life and Death Flame. Once the white fish received his Dou Qi, it produced yet more Life Flames to sustain Cai Lin's life force.
But what Xiao Yan was carrying now was the Seven-Colored Heaven Swallowing Python!!
This ancient magical beast, known for its ability to swallow the heavens and devour the earth, had an extremely terrifying and exaggerated body size close to a thousand meters in length!
This was why transformation into human form was so difficult for magical beasts. Imagine compressing such a colossal body into a height of merely one or two meters; the power required was astounding. No wonder Cai Lin could kill a Dou Ancestor with a mere light kick after transforming.
Their density was terrifyingly high; mass didn't truly change upon transformation. Instead, magical beasts relied on their cultivation and Dou Qi to lighten their apparent body weight. It was equivalent to flying at all times.
Xiao Yan, however, was only a 4-star Dou Emperor. His Dou Qi was exhausted, his Spiritual Strength overdrawn, and his body severely injured. Under such extreme duress, the burden he bore far exceeded his limits.
Yet, Xiao Yan's steps never faltered. The agony coursing through him failed to sway his resolute spirit; he pressed onward, his advance unwavering.
Under normal circumstances, he would have flown upward, but in his condition, he could barely manage a slow walk.
From a distance, an enormous seven-colored python could be seen inching its way up the seemingly endless heavenly ladder. Were anyone following, looking up the long ladder that emitted a faint jade-green glow, they would have seen a bloody footprint marking each step. These footprints were left by both Xiao Yan's blood and Cai Lin's, now so thoroughly mingled as to be indistinguishable.
Though Xiao Yan persevered on sheer physical strength alone, the crushing weight on his shoulders could not halt his advance. Hoisting the Seven-Colored Heaven Swallowing Python with both arms, he clenched his teeth and pressed on, each step leaving a fresh, scarlet footprint.
Thud!
His foot slipped, and the colossal weight of the Seven-Colored Heaven Swallowing Python crashed down, pinning him.
"Xiao Yan!" Venerable Tian Huo cried out in alarm. Just as he was about to intervene, he noticed the Life Flame within the Yin-Yang Life and Death Flame diminishing. He quickly channeled more of his Spiritual Strength into it, compelling the white fish to continue spitting out healing flames.
Time crawled by. After roughly half an hour, the Seven-Colored Heaven Swallowing Python was slowly hoisted once more. Xiao Yan staggered to his feet, roaring as he again supported the python's immense body with both arms and lifted!
One step, two, three... Xiao Yan had long since lost track of how long he'd been walking. His Spiritual Strength was depleted, and Cai Lin's massive form blocked his vision, preventing him from seeing how much farther he had to go.
Yet, he remained steadfast, head down, carrying the mountain-like Cai Lin on his back.
Xiao Yan no longer knew why he persevered so resolutely. Perhaps it was, as Cai Lin often said:
Blame it on that soul connection.
He fell and rose, time and again, his already overdrawn body pushed repeatedly beyond its limits. Eventually, even Venerable Tian Huo's Spiritual Strength was depleted, forcing him to retreat into the storage ring to recuperate. Xiao Yan pressed on alone.
An unknown amount of time passed. Finally, Xiao Yan's physical stamina completely gave out, and his life felt as if it were drawing to a close.
Then, a light flared ahead. A beam of jade-green radiance slowly descended from the sky, a tiny beacon that ignited hope within Xiao Yan.
Almost there!
"Three Thousand Lightning Movement!" Xiao Yan let out a fierce roar, his face contorted.
Boom!!
A deafening thunderclap resounded! A flash of lightning streaked by. The massive Seven-Colored Heaven Swallowing Python suddenly burst forth at extreme speed. Like a carp leaping the dragon gate, it shot past the final stretch of the ladder.
Thud, thud, thud, thud!
The enormous python crashed heavily to the ground. Xiao Yan tumbled several times before rolling to a stop.
Though his legs were numb and devoid of sensation, his meridians empty and Dou Qi utterly depleted, Xiao Yan's eyes gleamed with fierce brightness. He clawed his way forward on his hands.
Not far ahead lay a coiled, jade-green serpent, roughly two meters long, seemingly asleep.
No introduction was necessary; apart from its size, it was identical to the giant serpent statue. This was undoubtedly the Jade-Eyed Snake Saint!
Xiao Yan, however, had no interest in its inheritance. His gaze was fixed unwaveringly on an infant's fist-sized glob of essence blood floating before it. The potent energy it radiated confirmed his guess. This was the Jade-Eyed Snake Saint's essence blood!
Whoosh!
A blood-red flame gently enveloped the essence blood. Xiao Yan, mustering his final ounce of strength, guided it into Cai Lin's mouth.
Buzz!
The essence blood entered her mouth, and Cai Lin's body, which had begun to turn grayish-white, gradually regained its color. Only then did Xiao Yan exhale in relief. He murmured, "I've finally repaid the debt."
Thwack!
His arms lost all strength. Xiao Yan collapsed heavily, his eyes slowly closing, his breath already as faint as a silken thread. He was on the verge of death.
Xiao Yan had no other recourse; he had exhausted all his tricks.
'It's over... I'm going to break my promise to Xun Er for the first time.'
Xiao Yan slowly closed his eyes. Just when all hope seemed lost, a hidden energy within him abruptly awakened. A gentle power surged from every cell, nourishing his ravaged body and even beginning to replenish his depleted Spiritual Strength!
His body felt as if it were undergoing a metamorphosis, like a cocoon about to yield a butterfly. Two streams of Yin-Yang Dragon aura gently enveloped him. He roared involuntarily, letting dragon might billow skyward!
The Yin-Yang Mysterious Dragon Pill!
Destruction before rebirth!
To truly unleash the effects of the Yin-Yang Mysterious Dragon Pill, merely being severely injured to the brink of death wasn't enough. If that were all it took for this 'destruction before rebirth,' one could simply arrange to be beaten half to death.
In truth, the pill demanded that one first exhaust every shred of strength, unleash all latent potential, and battle to the absolute limit before entering that near-death state. Only then would its true power manifest.
This was a pill that unlocked the body's deepest potential!
'This is... the Yin-Yang Mysterious Dragon Pill!' Xiao Yan was astonished. He'd almost forgotten about it; so much time had passed, and he'd always considered it merely a pill that granted a trace of dragon aura.
A trace of gratitude flashed in his eyes. He touched the Bone Flame Ring on his hand and softly said, "Thank you, Master."
From a distance, the pill's yin-yang dragon aura seemed to be protecting Xiao Yan like a pair of vast, invisible hands.
Xiao Yan had prior experience with the Yin-Yang Mysterious Dragon Pill; he knew Han Feng's alchemy skills were utterly incapable of producing it. Only one person in this world could refine the Yin-Yang Mysterious Dragon Pill.
He knew the pill Han Feng had auctioned in the Black-Corner Region had been refined by Venerable Yao. Han Feng obtained it through treachery after Venerable Yao was ambushed and eventually put it up for auction.
Who could have imagined that, by a twist of fate, it would eventually fall into Xiao Yan's hands and now save his life?
A pill refined years ago by someone long dead had now saved the life of his successor.
Perhaps the ways of the world were indeed that wondrous.
Xiao Yan sat cross-legged and began to silently circulate his Qi Method, refining the power of the Yin-Yang Mysterious Dragon Pill to transform all the potential unleashed in the earlier battle into his own strength.
An unprecedented power gradually stirred within his body, as if a great dragon was about to awaken, as if darkness itself was about to descend. Clusters of Heavenly Flames revolved around him, making him seem like the master of all fire!
Time passed, second by second. Three days went by. The first to awaken was, naturally, Qing Lin.
She slowly opened her eyes and shook her head, feeling as though she had just woken from a dream in which she heard Xiao Yan calling her.
"Where is this place…" Qing Lin stood up, her memory still lingering on the events in the great hall.
Back then, after Xiao Yan and Cai Lin had eliminated all the serpent puppets, Qing Lin had heard a spiritual voice announce the commencement of the final trial. Then, countless soul memories had flooded her mind.
Those memory fragments were filled with evil, anger, and hatred.
Gradually, her memories returned, and she recalled what had transpired.
"Young Master Xiao Yan!" Qing Lin exclaimed, startled. She remembered losing control, and then Xiao Yan saving her!
She unfurled her Dou Qi wings and flew to where Xiao Yan was sitting cross-legged. A sense of relief washed over her when she saw him cultivating.
Having been unconscious, she knew nothing of the events that followed.
Xiao Yan slowly opened his eyes, sensing her awakening, and a faint smile appeared on his lips. In a deep voice, he said, "My apologies. That Half-Saint essence blood should have been yours, but I urgently needed it to save a life."
Qing Lin hurriedly waved her hands. "Qing Lin wouldn't dare claim it! Young Master Xiao Yan saved my life; everything I have belongs to Young Master."
"Go on," Xiao Yan said, looking at the cyan serpent. "Only you can obtain the Demon Saint's inheritance; it's of no use to me."
That cyan serpent was the inheritance of the Jade-Eyed Snake Saint.
Qing Lin looked at the cyan serpent but didn't rush over immediately. She appeared a bit hesitant. Xiao Yan saw at a glance that she already knew about the side effects of her Triple Jade-Green Snake Flower Pupils and was afraid of losing control again.
He smiled. "Don't be afraid. Once I obtain the Purifying Lotus Demon Flame, I can help you purify the negative energies from your Triple Jade-Green Snake Flower Pupils. Or... do you not believe me?"
"How could that be? Young Master Xiao Yan is the most powerful! I'm just afraid..." Qing Lin quickly waved her hands; in her heart, Xiao Yan was invincible.
Xiao Yan's tone turned solemn. "I have a premonition, Qing Lin, that I might need your strength in the future contest for the Purifying Lotus Demon Flame. Therefore, I hope you will obtain that inheritance and gain a better understanding of the true power your Triple Jade-Green Snake Flower Pupils hold."
When she heard that Xiao Yan needed her, Qing Lin's eyes instantly brightened. She nodded heavily. "I understand, Young Master Xiao Yan."
She hesitated no longer. If Xiao Yan needed something, she would strive to obtain it, and this inheritance was no exception.
As she approached the cyan serpent of inheritance, it sensed her arrival and its coiled form stirred. It suddenly opened its eyes, eyes identical to Qing Lin's!
The two pairs of eyes met. Qing Lin's Triple Jade-Green Snake Flower Pupils emitted a green light, which intertwined with the light from the serpent. A luminous pillar enveloped Qing Lin, then transformed into a spherical shield, encasing her within.
Xiao Yan put his mind at ease seeing Qing Lin begin to inherit the Jade-Eyed Snake Saint's inheritance. He then glanced toward where the Seven-Colored Heaven Swallowing Python lay.
Having absorbed the Demon Saint's essence blood, Cai Lin had already started to recover and would likely awaken soon.
Xiao Yan slowly closed his eyes and continued to refine the medicinal strength of the Yin-Yang Mysterious Dragon Pill. Destruction before rebirth; he needed to leverage this power to achieve a breakthrough!
Time flew, and half a year passed in a flash. At a certain moment, Xiao Yan's eyes snapped open, and an incomparably potent Spiritual Strength erupted from within him.
The terrifying fluctuations of this Spiritual Strength even caused the surrounding space to distort!
Xiao Yan's Spiritual Strength had actually reached the perfected Mortal State!
He hadn't used the Yin-Yang Mysterious Dragon Pill to break through to the Dou Ancestor realm. Instead, he intended to transcend the Mortal State and truly step into the Soul State!
His Spiritual Strength had already been at the level of a middle-grade 7th-tier alchemist. Furthermore, he had consumed the Great Soul Black Purple Pill to enhance his soul and devoured numerous soul bodies.
The medicinal effects of the Yin-Yang Mysterious Dragon Pill had now fully unleashed the Spiritual Strength from those consumed souls, allowing his own to advance by leaps and bounds, reaching the perfected Mortal State in a single stroke!
Xiao Yan knew this was a rare opportunity not to be missed. He quickly formed hand seals and activated the Spirit Heart Gathering Soul Technique.
When cultivated to perfection, the Spirit Heart Gathering Soul Technique's greatest function was to provide a chance to break through to the Soul State once one's Spiritual Strength reached the perfected Mortal State.
This was the most significant aspect of this Soul Training Method!
"Spirit Heart Gathering Soul!"
Buzz!
A series of milky-white soul lights emanated from his body. This was all the soul light he had absorbed using the technique.
These soul lights converged from all parts of his body toward the spot between his eyebrows!
Xiao Yan's head buzzed loudly. The Spiritual Strength concentrated there swelled with astonishing rapidity, causing an intense, throbbing pain, as if his head were about to explode.
His heart trembled when he sensed this sudden change, but he didn't dare act recklessly. He could only force himself to remain calm and observe the transformations within.
Bang!
With the sound of an internal explosion, Xiao Yan's consciousness was thrown into a daze. Golden light filled his vision, and his mind descended into chaos.
A glint of soul light flashed across his eyes. When Xiao Yan looked at the world again, it appeared somewhat different.
'So this is the Soul State? Marvelous, truly marvelous,' Xiao Yan sighed in admiration. Indeed, the Mortal State was the realm of mortals; only by entering the Soul State could one's Spiritual Strength be considered truly transcendent.
He lowered his head to look at his storage ring. By focusing his Spiritual Strength, he could now perceive the slumbering Venerable Tian Huo within. Looking at the cyan shield enveloping Qing Lin, though he couldn't see inside, he could vaguely sense that she had completed most of the inheritance, and her cultivation was also improving.
Finally, he glanced toward Cai Lin. She had awakened long ago and had resumed her human form. She was wearing a loose robe, and her body was enveloped in a blood-red light.
After half a year, her injuries had fully healed. She was now concentrating all her efforts on refining the Demon Saint's essence blood, hoping to seize this opportunity to break through to the Dou Venerate realm!
Xiao Yan took a moment to assess himself. His Spiritual Strength had finally reached the Soul State. One had to understand that even in the Pill Region of the Central Plains, those whose Spiritual Strength reached the Soul State were as rare as phoenix feathers and qilin horns, mostly consisting of ancient, monstrous alchemists.
And Xiao Yan was only twenty-four years old now!
What made him regretful was that his cultivation had only improved by two stars, reaching the 6-star Dou Emperor stage. That Mighty Huang Pill had been largely wasted, and the Yin-Yang Mysterious Dragon Pill hadn't increased his cultivation much, as he had focused its medicinal strength on breaking through his Spiritual State.
However, his physical body had also benefited from the Yin-Yang Mysterious Dragon Pill, and his physical strength had improved somewhat.
'Qing Lin probably needs another half year.' Once Qing Lin inherited the Jade-Eyed Snake Saint's inheritance, they could naturally leave this space.
Xiao Yan then took out his medicinal cauldron and refined some soul-replenishing medicinal liquid, which he carefully infused into Venerable Tian Huo's storage ring.
He slowly stood up, glanced at his tattered and filthy clothes, and found a corner to change into a clean set.
He didn't remain idle seeing that Cai Lin and the others still needed some time. He prepared to refine his ninth Heavenly Flame!
That's right, the ninth one!
When he had transformed into Asura, Xiao Yan had swallowed Gu Tong's soul body along with the Wind and Thunder Fury Flame. Although the flame hadn't been refined yet, he already possessed eight kinds of Heavenly Flames within his body!
The Wind and Thunder Fury Flame wanted to wreak havoc but couldn't. Mao Wu and the other fire spirits were suppressing it inside Xiao Yan's body, keeping it tightly sealed and unable to escape.
Now, having broken through to the Soul State and fully assimilated the Yin-Yang Mysterious Dragon Pill's medicinal strength, Xiao Yan finally had the time to deal with the Wind and Thunder Fury Flame.
'Nine kinds of Heavenly Flames now. I wonder if this Wind and Thunder Fury Flame can elevate the Flame Mantra to the Intermediate Tian Class.' A fiery glint flashed in Xiao Yan's eyes; he held considerable expectations for this flame.
When the Flame Mantra had reached the Low Tian Class, he had refined the Ghostly Poison Flame, ranked 20th. However, its ranking was a bit too low to elevate the Flame Mantra further.
This time, the Wind and Thunder Fury Flame was ranked 18th, one rank higher than the Green Lotus Core Flame. There was still some hope.
Xiao Yan slowly sat down cross-legged and began to circulate the Flame Mantra to refine the Wind and Thunder Fury Flame. His eight existing Heavenly Flames acted like soldiers, practically escorting the Wind and Thunder Fury Flame, the 'prisoner,' along the pathways of the Flame Mantra.
The Wind and Thunder Fury Flame had, after all, once belonged to Gu Tong and was not an ownerless entity. Even though Gu Tong was dead, the flame possessed a very 'proud' temperament, even an unyielding, defiant spirit.
Xiao Yan wasn't anxious. He circulated the Flame Mantra steadily, bit by bit, gradually guiding the Wind and Thunder Fury Flame.
It took him a full month to finally tame this wild steed. Xiao Yan's Acceptance Soul now held nine kinds of Heavenly Flames!
Nihility Devouring Flame's Seed Flame, Ten Thousand Beast Flame, Yin-Yang Twin Flame, Ghostly Poison Flame, Green Lotus Core Flame, Wind and Thunder Fury Flame, Sea Heart Flame, Fallen Heart Flame, Bone Chilling Flame, and now, another member was added, the Wind and Thunder Fury Flame!