The moment Xiao Yan entered the depths of the Void Thunder Pool, the surrounding lightning forces began to gather toward him. However, just as they neared his body, they abruptly halted and scattered in every direction. Xiao Yan paused for a brief second before realizing the reason—the lightning was instinctively avoiding the presence of the many Heavenly Flames within his body.
'These lightning bolts must be afraid of my Heavenly Flames...' he thought with slight exasperation.
It was understandable. The Illusive Heart Flame Lotus, formed by fusing more than ten Heavenly Flames within him, already possessed destructive power comparable to the Purifying Lotus Demon Flame. For natural forces like these lightning bolts to avoid it was only to be expected.
Still, Xiao Yan hadn't come here expecting these lightning bolts to help him level up significantly. At his current strength, even absorbing all the lightning around him wouldn't bring about a massive improvement. So after tossing ten Earth Demon Puppets from the ruin into the outer zone of the Void Thunder Pool to temper their bodies, he pressed further inward.
Only minutes passed before he reached the core of the thunder pool. There, a sea of black lightning surged around him, exuding a terrifying aura of destruction.
"Black Demon Thunder…" Xiao Yan's eyes narrowed in surprise. This particular type of thunder only appeared during the refining of ninth-grade pills. But here, not only was it present—it was densely packed in swarms. Even if every ninth-grade alchemist on the continent were to exhaust themselves refining pills nonstop, they couldn't summon even a fraction of the Black Demon Thunder seen here.
"Alright. This is the place." With a deep breath, Xiao Yan planted the Heavy Xuan Ruler and the Pseudo Dragon-Slaying Sword into the ground beside him. Then he sat down cross-legged, releasing a massive black dragon from within his body, which transformed into a vast vortex of darkness above his head. Under the vortex's pull, bolts of Black Demon Thunder were sucked in and refined into pure thunder energy, which poured into Xiao Yan's body.
Compared to the lightning he'd absorbed in the past, this energy was exponentially more potent. Even Half-Saints would hesitate to touch Black Demon Thunder, yet Xiao Yan, already a One-Star Dou Sheng, and strengthened by the Nirvana Void Demon Body, could withstand its wild force.
As he absorbed several bolts, he clearly sensed his strength rising, edging into the late One-Star Dou Sheng level. Considering he'd already been at the mid-stage before this, and had recently fought several high-intensity battles, such rapid advancement felt completely natural.
Feeling the substantial growth in his power, Xiao Yan exhaled deeply. Then he released the blood fiend aura gathered from devouring the North Dragon King and the three-island coalition. Simultaneously, his vast soul force condensed into the Refining Spirit Tower, shielding him in layers of protection.
The blood aura surged into his body, but before the malicious intent it carried could erupt, it was incinerated by his soul flames and the purified thunder energy. At the same time, Xiao Yan began refining the blood aura using the Nirvana Void Demon Body, forging new demonic runes along his skin.
While his body was absorbing both thunder and blood energies, several arcs of Black Demon Thunder landed on the Heavy Xuan Ruler and the Pseudo Dragon-Slaying Sword. The crimson demonic patterns on the ruler became even more restrained and deep, while the Pseudo Dragon-Slaying Sword lost its tainted blood hue—refined into a pure golden gleam by the thunder's purifying power.
Meanwhile, hidden in Xiao Yan's sleeve, Queen Medusa, in her Seven-Colored Swallowing Python form, was also benefiting from the aftermath of Xiao Yan's cultivation. Though she couldn't directly absorb Black Demon Thunder, even the residual essence that leaked from Xiao Yan's body significantly boosted her strength.
Time flew by, and a month passed in a flash.
After thirty days of relentless absorption, Xiao Yan successfully advanced to the Two-Star Dou Sheng level—and not just the early stage, but well into the mid-stage. Even more astounding, the demonic runes that now circulated across his body had nearly tripled, increasing to thirty lines in total!
Such explosive progress was the result of two main factors: the vast supply of blood aura provided by the Dragon Transformation Demon Array, and the relentless tempering by Black Demon Thunder. However, all the blood aura gathered from the North Dragon King had now been completely exhausted. In the future, he'd likely never experience such an absurd leap in strength again.
But the changes didn't end there.
Xiao Yan's Dou Qi and the Illusive Heart Flame Lotus that coursed across his skin now carried a subtle trace of black lightning. It seemed his fusion with the Black Demon Thunder had mutated his flame slightly, infusing it with the properties of lightning. As a result, his offensive capabilities had increased even further.
That said, perhaps due to absorbing too much Black Demon Thunder, the energy's effectiveness started to diminish after a point. Xiao Yan's body had begun developing resistance, preventing further dramatic improvement. It was clear he wouldn't be reaching Three-Star Dou Sheng in one leap.
'Whatever. Advancing a whole star is already incredible,' he thought, ending his cultivation.
With his body at its peak, Xiao Yan extended his hand and summoned a green flame—the Life Spirit Flame he had obtained in Ye City. After months of gentle nurturing, it was finally time to refine it.
Ranked fifth on the Heavenly Flame list, the Life Spirit Flame wasn't a combat-centric flame, but it contained an enormous reservoir of energy. Its benefits rivaled, if not exceeded, the gains from absorbing Black Demon Thunder. Moreover, its nature meant the refining process was not painful—in fact, it was surprisingly soothing thanks to its life-giving essence.
As the flame merged into his body, Xiao Yan's cultivation broke through the bottleneck to Three-Star Dou Sheng, and his power continued to rise steadily. The potent life energy within the flame also swiftly healed all the lingering injuries he had sustained during recent battles. His physical body was further enhanced and toughened by the flame's transformative properties.
At this point, Xiao Yan's constitution had become so durable that even rank nine magical beasts might not be able to bite through his skin. If the meat of the monk Tang Sanzang could grant immortality in Journey to the West, then Xiao Yan's flesh might be even more precious!
Eventually, with the complete refinement of the Life Spirit Flame, Xiao Yan successfully advanced to the Four-Star Dou Sheng level.
Meanwhile, Nalan Yanran had also made a breakthrough, reaching Two-Star Dou Zhe, and was working hard to advance to the next level.
(End of Chapter)
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