Four-star Dou Emperor

Inside the Alchemy Room.

After Gu He shut the door and set up a barrier around the Alchemy Room, he walked to the center of the room and sat down cross-legged.

Then, Gu He closed his eyes and slowly sank his consciousness into the System Space.

Afterward, Gu He silently said, "System, begin fusing thirteen years of cultivation!"

As soon as Gu He's words fell, the colorless orb that had been floating in the System Space instantly transformed into a brilliant ray of light and shot into his body.

As the brilliant light entered his body, Gu He felt a muffled boom erupt within him the next moment, followed by an incomparably vast surge of energy.

This energy was extremely tyrannical. It surged wildly through his body like a tornado, sweeping toward every limb and bone.

Bone-piercing pain spread through his body, and Gu He's face instantly turned deathly pale.

Then, following the method from last time, the instant this energy entered his body, Purple Flame rippled out from within him.

Compared to this energy, Purple Flame was even more tyrannical. The instant the two came into contact, it directly dispersed the energy.

Gu He then controlled the scattered energy and guided it into his dantian.

As more and more energy entered his dantian, the aura emanating from Gu He's body grew increasingly dense.

A moment later, the Dou Qi in his dantian was several times more powerful than it had been before he began cultivating.

In such a short span of time, it was equivalent to nearly half a year of bitter cultivation.

The sensation made Gu He unable to help but lose himself in it.

By now, he was incomparably skilled at refining energy. Moreover, this energy was exceptionally pure, so it required little time to condense.

All he had to do was disperse the energy and smoothly guide it into his dantian.

I wonder how far my cultivation will soar after I absorb all this energy?

Still, while this kind of cultivation increase is certainly fast, it will also make the Dou Qi in my body unstable and throw my foundation out of balance. I'll need to spend quite some time consolidating my cultivation afterward.

Immersed in the exhilaration of his rapidly rising cultivation, Gu He remained calm as he quietly absorbed and refined the energy.

As time slowly passed, half an hour soon went by.

At that moment, as Gu He guided another strand of dispersed energy into his dantian, the Dou Qi vortex within his body began spinning violently in an astonishing manner, while his aura started soaring.

With a muffled boom from within Gu He's body, a terrifying pressure burst uncontrollably from him.

The pressure swept outward, passed through the special walls of the Alchemy Room, and was ultimately stopped by the barrier outside.

Two-star Dou Emperor!

At this moment, Gu He's cultivation had broken through to the level of a Two-star Dou Emperor.

However, it was not over yet.

A great deal of energy still remained in Gu He's body. The energy he had absorbed so far was less than one-tenth of the total.

After breaking through, Gu He was even more motivated and continued absorbing the energy within him.

As time passed, Gu He's cultivation continued to break through.

An hour later, terrifying pressure erupted once more.

Three-star Dou Emperor!

At this moment, he had broken through to the realm of a Three-star Dou Emperor.

As more and more energy poured into Gu He's body, his aura continued to soar.

Another hour passed, and a muffled boom rang out from within Gu He's body again.

Four-star Dou Emperor!

With this breakthrough, the energy inside Gu He's body was finally completely absorbed.

The next moment, Gu He slowly opened his eyes.

Purple Flame immediately surged within his black pupils.

At the same time, powerful pressure burst forth and uncontrollably surged toward the barrier outside.

Crack!

Under the impact of that pressure, the outer barrier immediately seemed somewhat fragile, and cracks actually appeared across it.

Seeing this, Gu He's expression changed, and he hurriedly restrained his aura.

Several breaths later, Gu He's gaze gradually returned to calm.

Is this the strength of a Four-star Dou Emperor?

Gu He slowly spread his hands, feeling the immense power within his body as a faint smile appeared on his lips.

This sensation of his strength soaring made him feel extremely satisfied.

As he lightly clenched his right hand, the Dou Qi within his body instantly transformed into a storm and swept out, striking the barrier outside.

Amid repeated cracking sounds, the barrier enveloping the Alchemy Room shattered with a bang.

The next moment, an even sturdier barrier appeared outside the Alchemy Room.

With his breakthrough complete, Gu He had no intention of leaving the Alchemy Room.

He intended to take advantage of this breakthrough to condense his Destiny Divine Flame.

As the contents of the Divine Fire Scripture rapidly flashed through his mind, shock involuntarily appeared on Gu He's face.

"The prerequisite for cultivating the Divine Fire Scripture is actually successfully controlling a Heavenly Flame. As expected of a Heaven-tier High-grade Cultivation Art. This cultivation threshold alone is enough to bar the vast majority of people."

"Fortunately, I happen to control a Heavenly Flame now."

"However, the cultivation method of this Divine Fire Scripture is far too self-destructive. The first step is actually to draw the Heavenly Flame one controls into the body and fuse it into one's flesh, bones, and even soul. It must be completely integrated, rather than merely controlling the Heavenly Flame within the body."

This method reminded Gu He of how Queen Medusa used the Green Lotus Core Flame to evolve in the original story.

However, though the methods were somewhat similar, the difference was that the Heavenly Flame Gu He was cultivating with was already under his control.

Even if it was self-destructive, it remained within controllable limits. Unlike Queen Medusa, who had been completely gambling on luck.

"It seems that if I want to condense my Destiny Divine Flame, I'll have to endure some torment."

A bitter smile appeared on Gu He's lips as he slowly closed his eyes and once again reviewed the contents of the Divine Fire Scripture in his mind.

A moment later, Gu He adjusted himself to his peak condition. After softly exhaling, he prepared to begin cultivating the Divine Fire Art.

He decided to use the Nine Nether Flame to condense his Destiny Divine Flame. After all, the Nine Nether Flame was the only Heavenly Flame he currently controlled.

With his eyes slightly closed, Gu He sat cross-legged in the Alchemy Room. With a thought, Purple Flame immediately rippled through every limb and bone in his body.

Following the cultivation route described in the Divine Fire Scripture, Gu He directly controlled Purple Flame. The surrounding Dou Qi instantly converged, then crashed into Gu He's flesh and bones. Strands of Purple Flame even drilled into Gu He's soul.

In an instant, Gu He's body was completely enveloped in Purple Flame.

"Ah!"

A pain like being cut into a thousand pieces surged through Gu He's body, spreading through every bone, every piece of flesh, and even his soul...