In the stone tower, Xiao Yan gazed at the aged figure within the flames, whose eyes were tightly shut. Not sensing any changes, he heaved a small sigh of relief. Now that the body had been successfully refined, the next steps were no longer his concern. As long as Medicine Elder could smoothly merge with this new body, he would truly be reborn.
Wiping the cold sweat from his forehead, the continuous days of body refinement had been a tremendous strain on Xiao Yan. However, with a good stock of elixirs in his storage ring, he managed to endure it. “Teacher, the rest is up to you…” Xiao Yan muttered softly, then sat cross-legged on the nearby stone platform, closing his eyes and entering a state of cultivation, beginning to restore the massive expenditure of energy.
As Xiao Yan entered his cultivation state, the stone tower once again fell into silence, punctuated only by the rhythmic sounds of the flames. Several hours passed swiftly, and when Xiao Yan finally opened his eyes, they were filled with a faint, keen light before settling into calmness.
Having restored himself, Xiao Yan’s gaze turned to the stone platform. The Medicine Elder remained motionless, eyes still closed. Frowning slightly, Xiao Yan did not lose composure. It was normal for the integration process to take time; the materials used for this body were extraordinary, and perfect fusion was not an easy task.
“My strength remains at the one-star Dou Zun level, but the recent battles have been beneficial. I should be at the peak of the one-star Dou Zun level now…”
His thoughts wandered, and Xiao Yan reflected deeply. After swallowing the Three Thousand Flame, his strength had surged, but the rate of increase had since normalized. If he continued to train earnestly, reaching the two-star Dou Zun level would likely take at least half a year. However, his confrontations with the Soul Temple had become more frequent and intense. Though he had thus far remained unscathed, he knew the true strong players of the Soul Temple had yet to appear. Thus, under the pressure of the Soul Temple, he needed to strengthen himself as quickly as possible.
For Xiao Yan, the fastest way to gain power was to consume other Heavenly Flames. But after obtaining the Three Thousand Flame, he had no leads on other Heavenly Flames. He coveted the Sea Heart Flame of Mu Gu Lao Ren, but that old man seemed to have disappeared after ascending to Dou Zun, quelling Xiao Yan’s thoughts of forcibly acquiring it.
“Xun’er…”
Xiao Yan lightly stroked his fingers, pausing momentarily. He then plucked a few ancient maps from his storage ring. These three fragmented ancient maps were the mysterious charts he had held for years, detailing the third-ranked Lotus Core Devil Flame on the Heavenly Flame Ranking.
With his growing power, Xiao Yan understood the strength and rarity of the top-ranked Heavenly Flames. The Lotus Core Devil Flame was shrouded in mystery, even the Medicine Elder had never seen it. Xiao Yan’s extensive research had yielded no information on the flame, and he might have doubted its existence if not for the ancient maps in his possession.
“Three maps… still cannot discern their origin.”
Laying the ancient, fragmented maps out carefully, Xiao Yan examined them for a long time but still shook his head in frustration. The vast territory of the Dou Qi Continent made it impossible to identify the location on the maps. The winding paths were confusing and headache-inducing.
“Sigh, I must find the fourth map. Otherwise, the location of the Lotus Core Devil Flame will remain unknown.”
After giving up, Xiao Yan sighed and carefully put away the maps. Even though the odds were low, he wouldn’t give up anything related to the Lotus Core Devil Flame. Putting away the maps, Xiao Yan hesitated and produced a few milky-white bone fragments in his hand. These were fragments of a Saint Bone found in the ancient ruins, and what intrigued him was the tiny bit of Saint Marrow hidden within.
A Dou Sheng, a realm of such power, possessed the ability to obliterate mountains with a stomp. Each part of their body was something ordinary people could only dream of. For instance, a bit of Saint Marrow, if used on a child or infant, could transform even a cripple into a genius. This effect, while unbelievable, was a fact.
Xiao Yan carefully rubbed the milky-white bone fragments, then opened his mouth and expelled a purple-brown flame, enveloping the fragments in a searing heat. The extreme hardness of these bone fragments made them difficult to break. Without the aid of the Three Thousand Lotus Flame, extracting the marrow would be nearly impossible.
Even with the help of the Heavenly Flame, the extraction was no easy task, but Xiao Yan was prepared. When the bone fragments refused to yield, he calmly intensified the heat, slowly burning them down.
Days passed, and when Xiao Yan emerged from his cultivation, he smiled seeing the grayed bone fragments. He touched one with his finger, and it crumbled into ashes, revealing three droplets of a milky, gel-like substance. These droplets were exceptionally potent, and one alone could elevate a Dou Zun’s strength by a star.
Carefully placing two of the droplets in a jade vial, Xiao Yan popped the last one into his mouth. The droplet dissolved instantly, and a massive surge of pure energy flooded through him, raising his body temperature until smoke rose from his head.
Sensing the immense energy, Xiao Yan quickly sat down and entered a state of cultivation to absorb the power. This lasted for three days, and when Xiao Yan finally opened his eyes, he felt an unprecedented fullness in his body. His strength had directly ascended to the two-star Dou Zun level.
Exhaling deeply, Xiao Yan looked at the Medicine Elder, who remained unconscious. “The body is too powerful, even Teacher can’t control it easily,” he thought, shaking his head. Deciding to leave the tower and let Medicine Elder complete the fusion alone, Xiao Yan suddenly felt the stone tower tremble violently. A chilling voice boomed across the sky, “Starfall Pavilion, surrender Xiao Yan and Yao Chen, or this place will be bathed in blood today…”
The voice echoed, and Xiao Yan’s face twisted in alarm. Rising abruptly, he glanced out with a grim expression. “The Soul Temple has finally come!”
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