Word Count: 3,299 Words
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Xiao Yan took out a Mighty Huang Pill from his storage ring. He no longer cared about the issue of unstable Dou Qi and directly tossed it into his mouth.
A violent surge of energy immediately rushed into his meridians. An intense tearing sensation spread through his body as the terrifying medicinal strength caused his meridians to swell painfully.
Xiao Yan had no time to refine the medicinal effects. He converted the Mighty Huang Pill's medicinal strength entirely into Dou Qi and injected 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 also why it was so difficult for magical beasts to transform into human form. Imagine compressing such a colossal body into just over a meter or two tall; the power required was astonishingly terrifying. No wonder Cai Lin could kill a Dou Ancestor with a mere light kick after transforming.
The mass didn't truly change. Magical beasts used their own cultivation and Dou Qi to lighten their body weight after transforming. It was equivalent to flying at all times.
As for Xiao Yan, he was only a 4-star Dou Emperor whose Dou Qi was exhausted, whose Spiritual Strength was overdrawn, and whose body was severely injured. The burden he bore under such extreme conditions far exceeded his own limits.
Still, he never paused. The agony coursing through him did not sway his resolute spirit. He continued stepping forward without hesitation.
Under normal circumstances, he would have flown upward, but in his condition, he could barely manage a slow walk.
From a distance, one could see an enormous seven-colored python creeping at a snail's pace along the seemingly endless heavenly ladder.
If someone were following behind and looked along the staircase emitting emerald green light, they would notice that every step bore a bloody footprint.
These bloody footprints contained both Xiao Yan's and Cai Lin's blood, now thoroughly mingled and indistinguishable.
Although Xiao Yan was persevering solely by physical strength, with the heavy weight pressing down on him, nothing could stop this man's footsteps.
Xiao Yan held up the body of the Seven-Colored Heaven Swallowing Python upright with both arms, clenched his teeth and pressed on, leaving a scarlet footprint with every step!
Thud!
He slipped, and the massive body of the Seven-Colored Heaven Swallowing Python pressed down upon him.
"Xiao Yan!" Venerable Tian Huo cried out in alarm and was about to lend help when he noticed that the Life Flame inside the Yin-Yang Life and Death Flame had begun to recede.
He promptly injected more Spiritual Strength to keep that white fish spitting out healing flames.
Time passed slowly. After about half an hour, the Seven-Colored Heaven Swallowing Python was slowly lifted again. Xiao Yan stood up once more, letting out a roar. He supported the python's body with both arms and lifted it up again!
One step, two steps, three steps... he had already forgotten how long he had been walking. Due to his exhausted Spiritual Strength and Cai Lin's body blocking his view, he couldn't even see how much farther the road ahead was.
Yet he remained strong, carrying the mountain-like Cai Lin on his back, walking with his head lowered.
Xiao Yan didn't even know why he was persevering so resolutely now. Perhaps it was just as Cai Lin often said.
Blame it on that soul connection.
He fell time and again, and stood up time and again. His already overdrawn body was pushed beyond its limits again and again.
Eventually, even Venerable Tian Huo's Spiritual Strength was exhausted. He had no choice but to enter the storage ring to rest. Xiao Yan alone continued forward.
He could not say how much time passed. Eventually, even his physical stamina was nearly gone, and it seemed as if his life was approaching its end.
Just then, a sudden light appeared ahead. A beam of emerald green light slowly shone down from the sky. It was this little bit of green light that gave him hope.
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, leaping like a carp over the dragon gate, charging past the staircase.
Thud! Thud! Thud!
The enormous python crashed heavily onto the ground, while Xiao Yan tumbled across the ground in a series of rolls before coming to a halt.
His legs had long since lost all sensation, his meridians and Dou Qi were both fully spent, yet his eyes gleamed brightly. He forced himself forward, crawling ahead on his hands.
Not far ahead, a cyan-colored snake about two meters long was coiled as if sleeping.
No introduction was needed; aside from being smaller, it was identical to the giant serpent statue. This was certainly the Jade-Eyed Snake Saint!
But Xiao Yan had no interest in its inheritance. His eyes were fixed unwaveringly on a floating fist-sized drop of essence blood before him. The energy it emitted made him realize that this was the Jade-Eyed Snake Saint's essence blood!
Whoosh!
A breathy whoosh broke the silence as a glowing red flame enveloped the essence blood. Xiao Yan mustered his last bit of energy and 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 and murmured, "I've finally repaid the favor." S~eaʀᴄh the NovelZone.fun website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.
Thud!
His arms lost all strength. He collapsed hard onto the ground with his eyes sliding shut, on the verge of death.
No more trump cards remained. He was completely spent.
'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 he felt he had no hope, an energy hidden within his body suddenly awakened. A gentle power surged from every cell, nourishing his overdrawn body and even replenishing his depleted Spiritual Strength!
He felt as if something within was undergoing a metamorphosis, like a cocoon about to split open. Two traces of Yin-Yang Dragon aura wrapped themselves around 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, it wasn't just about being severely injured to the point of near-death. If being near death was all it took for rebirth, one could just find someone to beat them half to death.
In reality, the Yin-Yang Mysterious Dragon Pill required one to exhaust all their strength, unleash all their potential, and fight to the limit before entering a near-death state. Only then could the true effects of the pill manifest.
This was a pill that stimulated the body's potential!
'This is... the Yin-Yang Mysterious Dragon Pill!' Xiao Yan was astonished. He had nearly forgotten about it; after all, so much time had passed. He had always regarded it as 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 yin-yang dragon aura of the Yin-Yang Mysterious Dragon Pill seemed to be protecting Xiao Yan like an invisible pair of large hands.
Xiao Yan had refined the Yin-Yang Mysterious Dragon Pill before and knew that Han Feng's alchemy skills couldn't possibly produce it. Only one person in this world could refine the Yin-Yang Mysterious Dragon Pill.
He knew that the Yin-Yang Mysterious Dragon Pill that Han Feng had placed in the auction house was refined by Venerable Yao. Han Feng had later obtained this pill through treachery and took it to the Black-Corner Region for auction.
Who would have thought that it would eventually fall into Xiao Yan's hands by a twist of fate and even save his life at this moment?
A pill refined by someone who had long since passed away had now saved the life of his inheritor.
Perhaps fate was just that wondrous.
Xiao Yan sat cross-legged and began to silently circulate his Qi Method, using 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 strength gradually emerged within his body. It seemed as if a giant dragon was about to awaken, and darkness was about to descend. Clusters of Heavenly Flames revolved around his body, making him seem like the master of all flames!
Time passed, second by second. In the end, three days had gone by. The first to awaken was naturally Qing Lin.
She slowly woke up and shook her head. It seemed as if she had a dream where she heard Xiao Yan calling her.
"Where is this place..." Qing Lin stood up. Her memories were still stuck at the moment in the grand hall.
After Xiao Yan and Cai Lin eliminated all the serpent puppets, Qing Lin heard a spiritual voice announce the beginning of the final trial. Then, countless soul memories flooded her mind.
Those memory fragments were filled with evil, anger, and hatred.
Gradually, Qing Lin's memories began to recover. She recalled what had happened.
"Young Master Xiao Yan!" Qing Lin exclaimed in shock. It seemed she had lost control, and then Xiao Yan had saved her!
Qing Lin unfolded her Dou Qi wings and flew to Xiao Yan, who was sitting cross-legged. Seeing that he was cultivating, she breathed a sigh of relief.
Qing Lin, who had been unconscious, naturally didn't know what had happened afterward.
Xiao Yan sensed her awakening and slowly opened his eyes, revealing a smile. In a deep voice, he said, "I'm sorry. Originally that Half-Saint essence blood should have been yours, but I happened to need it to save a life, so I used it."
Qing Lin hurriedly waved her hands. "Qing Lin doesn't dare. Young Master Xiao Yan saved my life; everything of mine belongs to Young Master."
"Go ahead. The Demon Saint's inheritance can only be obtained by you; it's of no use to me." Xiao Yan looked at the cyan serpent and said.
That cyan serpent was the Jade-Eyed Snake Saint's inheritance.
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 and said, "Don't be afraid. Once I obtain the Purifying Lotus Demon Flame, I can help you purify the negative energies brought by the 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 hurriedly waved her hands. In her heart, Xiao Yan was invincible.
Xiao Yan's tone changed to something solemn. "I have a premonition that in the future, when competing for the Purifying Lotus Demon Flame, I might need your strength, Qing Lin. So, I hope you can obtain that inheritance and better understand what kind of power the Triple Jade-Green Snake Flower Pupils truly hold."
Qing Lin's eyes instantly lit up upon hearing that Xiao Yan needed her. She nodded heavily. "I understand, Young Master Xiao Yan."
She no longer hesitated. As long as it was something Xiao Yan needed, she would do her best to obtain it, including this inheritance.
She approached the cyan serpent of inheritance. Sensing her arrival, the coiled serpent suddenly opened its eyes. Its eyes were exactly the same as Qing Lin's!
The two pairs of eyes met, and Qing Lin's Triple Jade-Green Snake Flower Pupils emitted a green light. The lights intertwined, and a beam of light enveloped her. Then, the light transformed into a spherical shield, encasing her inside.
Xiao Yan put his mind at ease seeing Qing Lin begin to inherit the Jade-Eyed Snake Saint's legacy. He then looked toward the Seven-Colored Heaven Swallowing Python's direction.
Cai Lin had already begun to recover after absorbing the Demon Saint essence blood 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. He needed to leverage the medicinal strength to break through, destroying the old to establish the new!
Time flew by, and soon half a year had passed. Xiao Yan suddenly opened his eyes at a certain moment, and an incomparably powerful Spiritual Strength erupted from his body.
The terrifying fluctuations of Spiritual Strength even caused the space around him to distort!
Xiao Yan's Spiritual Strength had actually reached the peak of the Mortal State!
He hadn't used the Yin-Yang Mysterious Dragon Pill to break through to the Dou Ancestor realm. Instead, he intended to break through the Mortal State and truly step into the Soul State!!!
His Spiritual Strength was originally already at the level of a middle-grade 7th-tier alchemist. Additionally, he had consumed the Great Soul Black Purple Pill to enhance his soul and had devoured so many soul bodies.
The medicinal effects of the Yin-Yang Mysterious Dragon Pill fully brought out all the Spiritual Strength from those soul bodies, allowing his Spiritual Strength to soar and reach the peak of the Mortal State in one leap!
Xiao Yan knew that such an opportunity was rare and must not be missed. He quickly formed hand seals and activated the Spirit Heart Gathering Soul Technique!
When cultivated to perfection, the greatest function of the Spirit Heart Gathering Soul Technique was that it could provide a chance to break through to the Soul State upon one's Spiritual Strength reaching the peak of the Mortal State.
This was the most significant use of this Soul Training Method!
"Spirit Heart Gathering Soul!"
Buzz!
A series of milky-white soul lights appeared on his body. This was all the soul light he had absorbed using the Spirit Heart Gathering Soul Technique.
The soul lights converged from all parts of his body toward his brow!
Xiao Yan's head buzzed loudly. The Spiritual Strength at his brow swelled rapidly at this moment. The swelling was so intense it caused a severe sense of expansion, making his brow feel as if it was about to explode!
Xiao Yan's heart trembled sensing this sudden change. However, he didn't dare to act recklessly. He could only stabilize his mind and observe the changes within his body.
Bang!
Xiao Yan's mind was directly blasted into a daze. His eyes were filled with golden light, and his mind was in chaos.
A glint of soul light flashed across his eyes. When Xiao Yan looked at the world again at this moment, 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 transcendent.
Xiao Yan lowered his head to look at his storage ring. He could see the slumbering Venerable Tian Huo after focusing his Spiritual Strength. Looking at the cyan shield enveloping Qing Lin, he couldn't see inside, but he could vaguely sense that Qing Lin had completed most of the inheritance and her cultivation was also improving.
Finally, he glanced toward Cai Lin. She had long since woken up and had now recovered her human form. She was wearing a loose robe, and her body was enveloped in a blood-red light.
Her injuries had fully healed after half a year. She was now fully refining the Demon Saint essence blood, hoping to seize the opportunity to break through to the Dou Venerate realm!
Xiao Yan sensed for a moment. His Spiritual Strength had finally reached the Soul State. One must know that even in the Pill Region of Central Plains, those who achieved the Soul State in Spiritual Strength were as rare as phoenix feathers and qilin horns. Most were old monster-level 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 was essentially wasted. The Yin-Yang Mysterious Dragon Pill didn't increase his cultivation much since Xiao Yan had concentrated the medicinal strength on breaking through his Spiritual State.
However, Xiao Yan's physical body also benefited from the Yin-Yang Mysterious Dragon Pill; his physical strength had improved somewhat.
'Qing Lin probably needs another half year.' Once Qing Lin inherited the Jade-Eyed Snake Saint's legacy, they could naturally leave this space.
Xiao Yan then took out his medicinal cauldron and refined some soul-replenishing medicinal liquid, which he infused into Venerable Tian Huo's storage ring.
He slowly stood up, glanced at his tattered and filthy clothes, and went to a corner to change into clean attire.
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!
Xiao Yan had swallowed Gu Tong's soul body along with the Wind and Thunder Fury Flame when he had transformed into Asura. Although the Wind and Thunder Fury Flame hadn't been refined, he already had eight Heavenly Flames in 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.
Xiao Yan finally had time to deal with this Wind and Thunder Fury Flame now that he had broken through to the Soul State and refined all the medicinal strength of the Yin-Yang Mysterious Dragon Pill.
'Nine kinds of Heavenly Flames. I wonder if this Wind and Thunder Fury Flame can elevate the Flame Mantra to Intermediate Tian Class.' A glint flashed in Xiao Yan's eyes; he had some expectations for this Wind and Thunder Fury Flame.
He had refined the Ghostly Poison Flame ranked 20th when the Flame Mantra reached Low Tian Class. However, its ranking was still somewhat low and couldn't advance the Flame Mantra further.
And 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 sat down cross-legged and began to circulate the Flame Mantra to refine the Wind and Thunder Fury Flame. The eight kinds of Heavenly Flames were like soldiers, almost pressing down on the Wind and Thunder Fury Flame like a criminal, following the path of the Flame Mantra.
The Wind and Thunder Fury Flame had once been Gu Tong's Heavenly Flame and was not an ownerless object. Its temperament was very 'proud' and even had an unyielding spirit, even though Gu Tong was already dead.
Xiao Yan wasn't anxious. He slowly circulated the Flame Mantra, gradually pushing the Wind and Thunder Fury Flame along.
It took him a month to finally tame this wild horse that was the Wind and Thunder Fury Flame. With a buzz, Xiao Yan's Acceptance Soul now contained 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!