The gathering energy ripples forced Xiao Yan to take a few steps back.
Watching Yun Yun, who was now glowing faintly on the stone bed, Xiao Yan exhaled slowly in surprise: "She's about to break through to four-star Dou Huang!"
As the sect master of the Yunlan Sect and one of the few female Dou Huangs in the Jia Ma Empire, Yun Yun's talent was naturally exceptional.
The golden light he had just used was actually Dou Qi transformed by the secret technique Three Realizations of the Bodhi, which fused multiple Heavenly Flames into a single stream.
Using such high-quality Dou Qi to perform Three Realizations of the Bodhi enhanced its marrow-cleansing effects.
This was why even Yun Yun's Dou Qi, as a Dou Huang powerhouse, was refined and condensed with overwhelming efficiency.
After this round of tempering, Yun Yun's cultivation aptitude had risen to another level, and the bottleneck she had been stuck at for some time was now loosening.
Xiao Yan observed quietly for a while before picking up his black robe and silently exiting the cave.
As long as there was enough energy, Yun Yun's breakthrough would proceed smoothly without any need for concern.
Moving lightly, he passed through the waterfall and landed softly on the ground. Picking up the half-eaten grilled fish Yun Yun had dropped earlier, Xiao Yan warmed it over the campfire and, adhering to the principle of not wasting food, devoured it in large bites.
The seasoning on it was comparable to a fifth-tier pill, and the ingredients used were hard to come by.
After finishing Yun Yun's leftovers, Xiao Yan also ate the third fish he had grilled for himself.
Thankfully, Yun Yun had intervened—if he had eaten all three fish at once, the consequences would have been unbearable.
Once he finished the fish, scorching white steam rose from Xiao Yan's body, and a wave of heat rushed straight to his mind.
Tossing the branch into the campfire, Xiao Yan immediately sat cross-legged and activated Three Realizations of the Bodhi.
Having just personally practiced and applied the technique, Xiao Yan had noticed some of its flaws.
The mind and body were interconnected, yet Three Realizations of the Bodhi leaned too heavily toward strengthening mental fortitude, making it an imperfect secret technique.
Currently, his physical strength far surpassed his mental resilience, but if this balance reversed or evened out over time, unpredictable issues could arise.
This wasn't due to any lack of comprehension on Xiao Yan's part—rather, the unbearable heat he had experienced earlier was indescribable, and in his desperation for a solution, the technique had naturally skewed toward extremity.
As he cultivated Three Realizations of the Bodhi, Xiao Yan gradually began refining it.
The technique was overly focused on mental fortification, pushing it to such an extreme that it had incidentally developed some bodily purification effects.
The strange fragrance his body emitted was proof of this. What Xiao Yan needed to do now was amplify those secondary effects!
Muttering incantations under his breath, the black-and-gold lotus beneath him slowly bloomed, its petals unfurling in a mesmerizing display.
The radiant lotus absorbed all the desires and cravings that could lead one astray, converting them into mental strength. His mind grew steadily more resilient, unshakable as a mountain, capable of weathering any storm.
As he modified the technique, the light seeped into his flesh.
Suddenly, a deafening roar erupted in Xiao Yan's mind. His consciousness expanded rapidly, stretching and magnifying until it plunged into a single cell.
What he found was an unimaginably vast microscopic world—boundless, like an endless supercontinent.
The land stretched beyond sight, crisscrossed with deep ravines that seemed to plunge straight into hell. The sky was a dark crimson, as if the apocalypse had descended.
After searching for some time, Xiao Yan finally discovered a strange red forest where two groups of lifeforms were locked in battle.
One group was grotesquely shaped, best described as emaciated skeletons.
The other was entirely black, resembling ancient insects, gathering like a dark cloud in the sky and emanating overwhelming demonic energy.
Wherever the dark cloud passed, devastation followed. The once-vibrant forest withered into lifeless silence in moments.
The skeletal beings fought desperately, but they were far too weak to stand against the insect horde.
Just as they were about to be annihilated, a beam of golden light suddenly descended from the heavens, enveloping them.
With a thunderous crash, the insect swarm was instantly scattered.
The creatures let out eerie screeches, glaring skyward with clear fear.
Meanwhile, the skeletal beings seemed to receive divine energy, rapidly growing into towering giants over ten zhang tall.
Clad in golden armor and wielding bows, spears, and swords, they were armed to the teeth.
With this immense boost, the golden warriors transformed from scattered guerrillas into a disciplined army, launching a coordinated assault on the insect swarm.
Golden arrows rained down, felling the insects in droves.
Once their arrows were exhausted, the warriors switched to melee weapons.
After the golden light's intervention, the battle ended as swiftly as autumn leaves swept away by the wind.
Victorious, the golden warriors eagerly grabbed the insect carcasses and devoured them.
Once all traces of the enemy were gone, the warriors sat cross-legged, and beneath each of them, a lotus flower emerged, radiating sacred light as all traces of demonic energy vanished.
Xiao Yan watched in fascination. Who would have thought that within a single cell lay such an expansive world?
Observing several other cells, he found similar scenarios—grotesque beings battling various demonic insects in each microcosm.
However, in some worlds, the beings were strong enough to hunt the insects, while in others, they were on the brink of extinction even without the insects' interference.
After surveying several worlds, Xiao Yan descended into one and questioned the inhabitants about their circumstances.
He had expected communication to be difficult, perhaps requiring gestures or drawings, but to his surprise, they understood him perfectly.
According to the golden-armored giants, they had lived on that continent for generations until one day, the black demonic insects appeared, polluting the land and devouring their kin.
From then on, an endless war had raged between them.
However, over time, the demonic insects grew more numerous and powerful.
Especially in recent years, their growth had accelerated as if they were consuming some potent tonic, becoming increasingly ferocious.
After some thought, Xiao Yan quickly grasped the situation.
From birth, his body had naturally accumulated impurities. But in recent years, he had consumed vast quantities of pills to strengthen his Heavenly Flames, effectively turning himself into a "medicine jar."
The number of pills he had taken in a single month likely exceeded what an ordinary person would consume in a lifetime.
(End of Chapter)
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