Chapter 395: Refine the Blood Essence, Learn the Battle Skill
In a secluded chamber within Starfall Pavilion, Xiao Yuan stood deep in thought as he gazed at the objects laid out before him.
The chamber was vast, yet packed to the brim with three specific items:
A Dou Saint's skeleton, the ancient remains of a Sky Phoenix, and a lump of bloodied flesh from the Heavenly Demon Phoenix clan.
Thanks to his prior encounter with a Sky Phoenix corpse, Xiao Yuan could clearly discern the differences between it and the Heavenly Demon Phoenix. The Sky Phoenix's skeleton contained over a dozen more bones, most notably around the wings—a part he planned to preserve for personal use.
As for the rest of the body, his goal was to refine its remaining blood essence.
To revive Yao Lao, the necessary ingredients were all prepared—the pills, the body.
Only the essence blood was still lacking.
Though he had gathered the remains of some members of the Heavenly Demon Phoenix clan, even the highest-quality essence within them barely reached the level of a five-star Dou Zun—nowhere near worthy of a Dou Saint skeleton.
Thus, Xiao Yuan planned to extract the ancient bloodline sealed within the Sky Phoenix's remains.
Even after countless years and the birth of the Dragon-Phoenix Origin Fruit, there was still residual blood essence within the massive body. Once refined and blended with the blood from the Heavenly Demon Phoenixes, it would suffice for the revival.
Decision made, Xiao Yuan exhaled a golden flame from his mouth. The flame transformed into a fire dragon, which enveloped the flesh floating in midair, suspended by spatial force. With a wave of his palm, his soul power split off the wings and then wrapped the rest of the bones in golden flame for refining.
Given his current Heaven-Grade soul and the terrifying heat of his flame, extracting the essence blood wasn't difficult.
Within an hour, both the flesh and bones were gone, replaced by a large mass of cyan-red essence blood, alongside three gleaming golden-blue drops of refined essence.
Next, Xiao Yuan separated a third of the cyan-red essence, dividing it into three parts and guiding each toward a golden-blue droplet.
As expected, the moment the cyan-red blood neared the golden drops, it was instantly absorbed.
This technique was developed only after consulting with Tian Huo Zun-zhe, Yao Lao, Xuan Yi, Cai Lin, and even Cao Ying.
The former three were seasoned experts, while the latter two—one a magical beast, the other the wielder of Blood Fiend Flame—provided unique perspectives.
Drawing from the Flame Refinement Art of Blazing Flame Valley and Cao Ying's blood-based methods, Xiao Yuan had experimented—and the results matched his expectations.
Plus, as the ancient ancestor of the Heavenly Demon Phoenixes, the Sky Phoenix naturally shared bloodline compatibility.
After depleting all the cyan-red essence, he managed to cultivate six refined drops of Sky Phoenix essence.
A result that left him less than satisfied.
But there was little he could do.
That lump of flesh only included a two-star Dou Zun, a five-star Dou Zun, and several peak Dou Huangs.
To get six drops from that was already a blessing.
With a sigh, Xiao Yuan stored the six golden-blue droplets and turned his attention to a specific trio of ribs from the Dou Saint skeleton.
He stepped forward and touched them. The bones felt neither coarse nor dead, but smooth and cool—like polished jade.
Upon closer inspection, intricate and ancient script covered them, incomprehensible and profound.
Even with his vast talent, Xiao Yuan couldn't decipher a single word.
"Looks like regular means won't work on this," he muttered, frowning.
After a long pause, he gently pressed one of the ribs to his forehead, releasing a stream of soul power toward it—only to have it repelled.
"A seal?"
Smiling slightly, his gaze turned sharp.
He unleashed countless threads of soul power, blasting the bones repeatedly. At the same time, he bathed them in his golden flame, twisting the surrounding space with the heat.
The seal was strong—but not strong enough.
After three full hours, it finally shattered.
Whoosh—
A strange liquid sound echoed through the chamber as Xiao Yuan's closed eyes opened.
From the bones seeped a viscous, dark-golden liquid that floated midair, sometimes shifting into bizarre shapes.
"So this is what's inside…"
After a pause, he extended a hand into the flame, then cautiously dipped a finger into the liquid.
Ssss—
At once, it coiled around his hand like a living creature.
"Ugh!"
An unbearable itch shot up his arm, twisting his face in pain.
But after a moment, the liquid recoiled as if burned, pulling away from his hand entirely.
"...What?"
Before he could process what had happened, a booming voice echoed in his mind.
"Hmm? Great Heaven Creation Palm?"
BOOM!
His soul shook violently as his vision blurred—and he found himself in a strange space.
Empty, lifeless.
Then he saw it: a lone figure standing with hands behind his back.
The man looked completely ordinary—no presence, no Dou Qi—but that only made Xiao Yuan more cautious.
"This is likely a memory imprint embedded within the Dou Technique," Xiao Yuan murmured. "This must be the original owner of the Great Heaven Creation Palm—the Dou Saint from the ancient ruins."
Sure enough, the man ignored Xiao Yuan and began to speak in a calm, neutral tone.
"Great Heaven Creation Palm—low-tier Heaven-level Dou Technique. This technique is the culmination of a lifetime's study of a hundred battle skills. It embodies the force of creation—shattering heaven, crushing all."
"Only those who possess the bones may receive this inheritance. If you've reached this point, your hand must have been refined by Golden Spirit Nectar. Remember: without the tempered hand, using this technique will result in severe backlash."
Xiao Yuan's brow twitched.
That Golden Spirit Nectar had recoiled from him earlier… that wasn't a good sign.
"The Great Heaven Creation Palm carries the power of creation."
As the voice faded, the figure's body began to glow, becoming transparent. His internal meridian routes lit up, flowing with a dark-golden energy.
"This is the circulation path!"
Xiao Yuan immediately focused and memorized the route.
After several cycles, the light faded.
Then the figure's hand burst with dark-golden light—and he slammed his palm into empty air.
BOOM!
A black shockwave erupted, shattering the surrounding space like glass.
Xiao Yuan watched silently, then bowed toward the fading figure.
"Remember my name: Sage of Creation."
The final words echoed like thunder in his soul.
And then—the image vanished.
The legacy of a Dou Saint ended there.
Xiao Yuan stood in silence as the black shockwave devoured him.
…
"This combination of materials should be enough to restore Yao Chen's peak. But can it let him break through to Dou Saint?" Wind Venerable stroked his beard.
"Unlikely," Yao Lao said, shaking his head. "Dou Zun and Dou Saint are worlds apart. A true Dou Saint stands atop the continent's peak. Look at Xiao Yuan—he's never met a real one."
(Well, aside from that undead one in the ruins, which still almost wiped them out.)
"The sooner we start, the better," Wind Venerable added. "With Yao Chen back at full strength, we can face whatever the Hall of Souls throws at us."
"Agreed."
Both nodded solemnly. Though things seemed calm, they all sensed the brewing storm.
…
In his chamber, Xiao Yuan opened his eyes with a long exhale.
"Will this work…?"
Looking at his right hand, the Golden Spirit Nectar hovered a foot away—curious but hesitant.
With a sigh, he bottled it, then focused inward.
"Let's try it."
He began guiding his Dou Qi along the complex route burned into his memory.
Slowly at first—until he completed one full cycle.
Boom—
Dark-golden light exploded from his palm as Dou Qi flooded in at an alarming rate.
"Damn, the consumption! It's worse than Heaven-Crushing Seal!"
The light intensified—until finally, a dot of black appeared.
A terrifying suction emerged. The golden light vanished into it.
"Wait—no good!"
Xiao Yuan immediately halted the process, clenched his fist—and the black dot slowly faded, turning back into Dou Qi.
Wiping sweat from his brow, he glanced at the Dou Saint skeleton, which had been pulled several inches closer.
"Whew… good thing I stopped. That could've ended badly."
He fell silent.
"Why did the Sage of Creation say the technique must be used with a hand refined by Golden Spirit Nectar?"
A question with no clear answer—for now.
(END CHAPTER)
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