'My current five-colored Annihilation Lotus Flame should rival a High Di Class Dou Technique unleashed by a 7 or 8-star Dou Ancestor.' Xiao Yan gazed at the massive hole his Annihilation Lotus Flame had blasted through the sky.
The surrounding clouds were being frantically sucked into the void while lightning crackled wildly around the edges. He could even faintly glimpse spatial turbulence within!
Spatial turbulence was something even Dou Venerates wouldn't dare face lightly. While they could open wormholes, resisting such destructive chaotic flows was absolutely impossible.
The birthplace of the Nihility Devouring Flame was precisely such a void of absolute emptiness!
Opening wormholes was a Dou Venerate's ability, yet Xiao Yan had already managed to blast open spatial cracks!
He was still just a Dou Emperor!
At the Dou Emperor level, he could still be considered a child!
His five-colored Fire Lotus could instantly kill even high-star Dou Ancestors if they were caught off guard!
Sizzle, sizzle!
The spatial cracks in the sky absorbed the world's energy and slowly began closing. This was the Dou Qi Continent's self-repair mechanism at work. Thus, when Dou Venerates opened wormholes, if they didn't maintain them, the passages would gradually heal on their own.
In the North-Western Region and Black-Corner Region cities, some hidden clans had ancestors who'd once reached Dou Venerate and left behind wormholes connecting to the Central Plains. The best way to reach the Central Plains was to pay these clans a usage fee and travel through their wormholes. It was the fastest and most convenient method.
Xiao Yan frowned and looked up toward the heavenly ladder. He naturally hadn't been refining pills on the ladder itself, as that would have disturbed Cai Lin and Qing Lin.
He sensed intense spiritual fluctuations emanating from above.
'Looks like they're about to emerge from seclusion.'
With a wave of his hand, Mao Wu emerged from the void and transformed into a mass of black flame. A vortex-like passage resembling a black hole appeared before him.
He stepped through and instantly teleported to the massive platform atop the heavenly ladder.
After his Spiritual Strength reached the Soul State, Xiao Yan could now borrow the power of the Nihility Devouring Flame's Seed Flame to open wormhole passages.
Blood-red light surged skyward from Cai Lin's entire body as an extremely powerful force continuously collided within her. The blood silhouette of a Seven-Colored Heaven Swallowing Python roared behind her, as if rebelling against heaven itself in its attempt to break through to the Dou Venerate realm!
On the other side, Qing Lin underwent her transformation at almost the same moment. Strands of green light condensed at her forehead, and her cultivation had actually broken through to Dou Ancestor!
She'd beaten him by one step!
'Having specialized inheritances really is wonderful. These magical beasts don't follow any logic when improving their strength.' Xiao Yan shook his head. He wanted a Heavenly Flame inheritance too!
Was there no kind-hearted person willing to give him one?
Xiao Yan sat on the ground and pulled out a chicken leg. After Mao Wu breathed out a flame, the leg immediately began sizzling with oil. He sprinkled on some seasoning and started eating.
He ate while he waited; there wasn't much else he could do anyway.
'Here they come!' After finishing an entire chicken and tossing away the bones, Xiao Yan suddenly stood up.
Qing Lin achieved results first. The green light gradually faded as she floated gently upward. Suddenly, her eyes snapped open, revealing a pair of emerald Triple Jade-Green Snake Flower Pupils. Then, astonishingly, a third pupil opened on her forehead!
As the glow slowly receded, the third Triple Jade-Green Snake Flower Pupil vanished like an illusion.
But Xiao Yan knew it was absolutely real, not an illusion. Qing Lin must have awakened some kind of ability!
Tap, tap, tap.
Qing Lin descended from the sky like a graceful fairy with her hair in small braids, bouncing with each step.
Walking on air! A 2-star Dou Ancestor!
"Young Master Xiao Yan, I succeeded." Qing Lin approached like a little maid seeking praise, her eyes blinking expectantly as if waiting for compliments.
Xiao Yan forcefully held back his bitter tears, patted her head, and forced a smile. "Qing Lin is amazing, already a Dou Ancestor."
Was he the only one still a Dou Emperor?!
At that moment, the blood-red pillar of light around Cai Lin slowly dissipated, and the gigantic serpent shadow merged back into her body. What surprised Xiao Yan, however, was that Cai Lin had actually failed to break through!
She remained at peak 9-star Dou Ancestor, unable to advance to a Rank 8 magical beast!
Cai Lin furrowed her brows, then looked at Xiao Yan with confusion. He returned her gaze with an equally puzzled frown.
When he had helped Cai Lin condense her Heavenly Flame Serpent Body, he had calculated that with the power of three Heavenly Flames and her successful evolution to the Seven-Colored Heaven Swallowing Python bloodline, breaking through to Dou Saint might be challenging, but advancing to Dou Venerate shouldn't have been a problem.
She'd already transformed and obtained the Demon Saint's essence blood. There shouldn't be any bottlenecks.
"Don't worry. Peak 9-star Dou Ancestor is only one step away from Dou Venerate, and you've already transformed. If necessary, once my alchemy reaches peak tier 7, I'll refine a Venerate Breaking Pill for you. That should do the trick." Xiao Yan comforted her. After all, haste makes waste. Failing once was no big deal.
Cai Lin remained silent, merely casting a glance at him. She wasn't sure how to face this man right now.
She had been unconscious at the time but vaguely recalled certain events. Looking back now, she didn't even understand why she'd fought so desperately. If Xiao Yan died, then he died!
Xiao Yan saw Cai Lin ignore him. He rubbed his nose and chuckled awkwardly before turning to Qing Lin. "Qing Lin, where's the exit?"
Qing Lin's eyes swept their surroundings before she pointed downward. "The exit is at the grand hall! I should be able to open the passage."
"Good. We don't know how many days have passed in here. It's time to head out. Hopefully nothing major has happened. Some people had better be smart." A fierce light flashed through Xiao Yan's eyes. He had used up all the soul bodies in his Soul Command Token. If certain people weren't wise enough, he wouldn't mind replenishing his collection.
Cai Lin's gaze also turned icy at his words. If some people thought she was dead, then she'd make sure they became the dead ones.
After flying down from the heavenly ladder, they arrived at the former grand hall. The once-magnificent structure had become ruins, with the heavenly ladder extending from its center.
The exit was located right at this position on the heavenly ladder.
Qing Lin raised her hand and gently pressed it against the ground. Green light emanated from her palm, and the heavenly ladder began making creaking sounds. Only then did Xiao Yan realize the heavenly ladder was actually a snake! The enormous sky platform was formed by this snake's coiled body!
Soon, an exit resembling a teleportation array appeared beneath the trio's feet. With a flash of light, Xiao Yan and the others vanished.
…
Meanwhile, in the Jia Ma Empire's Sacred City at the westernmost edge of the North-Western Region, the entire city was shrouded in dark green poisonous gas. Like a wall of poison, it blocked the massive army not far away!
"Father, even you can't do anything?" She Tianhao gritted his teeth as he looked at the middle-aged man beside him. The once-aging She Tianhuang had somehow regained his vitality and appeared young again!
In contrast, She Tianhao had lost an arm that wouldn't regenerate no matter what pills he used. A strange, deadly poison had nearly claimed his life!
And this was merely from a young lady pointing at him from afar!
She Tianhuang's expression was grave. That poison was too terrifying; even he had no solution.
"Jie Jie Jie, it's no surprise you can't handle it. That's the Woeful Poison from the Woeful Poison Body. I never expected to find an innate Woeful Poison Body in this small North-Western Region." A black-robed figure wearing a Soul Robe emerged from the void.
Upon seeing this person, even the proud father and son, She Tianhao and She Tianhuang, didn't dare speak loudly. They bowed respectfully. "Greetings, Honorable Elder."