A Lotus in the Eternal Azure Sky

The instant he swallowed the Emperor's Blood,

Lu Zhou felt as though his entire body were being burned by fire. Blazing blood energy surged into the heavens, and clouds of blood mist actually rose around him, wrapping him like a cocoon.

Rolling heat waves boiled within the blood mist. The skin all over Lu Zhou's body had turned bright red, making him look rather miserable, like a humanoid shrimp thrown into a wok of boiling oil.

Lu Zhou's flawless white bones crackled like frying beans. His heart thundered like a war drum, the blood vessels throughout his body dilated, and blood roared through them like a great river.

Most astonishing of all, before long, Lu Zhou's internal organs began to tremble lightly, as though they were playing a melody, as though they were sounding a tune of the Dao.

Gradually, the sound of scriptures rang out within his body. He circulated the Sea of Suffering Chapter of the Dao Sutra, doing his utmost to refine the Emperor's Blood he had swallowed.

Had he not been inside the Qiankun Pearl, the commotion he was causing would surely have alerted some of the great demons in the Primitive Ruins.

Three days later, Lu Zhou had refined that one-hundredth of a drop of Emperor's Blood. His body became even more crystalline and powerful.

Lu Zhou could clearly feel that compared to three days ago, his physique had grown much stronger. With a slight clench of his fist, he could tell that his strength had increased considerably as well.

"This still isn't enough. This physique is still far inferior to Ye Fan's Desolate Ancient Saint Body!"

Lu Zhou sensed that there was still nothing unusual outside the Qiankun Pearl, so he continued drawing in Emperor's Blood to refine.

This time, he directly drew in one-tenth of a drop of Emperor's Blood for refinement.

In just six days, he had completely refined it.

His physique was noticeably strengthened once more.

He was confident that he could now barehandedly contend with the weapons refined by some Sea of Suffering cultivators.

"What a pity... I'm merely of an ordinary constitution. The foundation of my physique is far too weak. I simply can't completely absorb and digest all the essence contained within the Emperor's Blood as Ye Fan can..."

"So much of the essence contained in the Emperor's Blood has gone to waste..."

"If not for that, after refining this Emperor's Blood, my physique should have become even more powerful..."

At that moment, Lu Zhou grew ever more eager to sign in for a constitution!

Within Qiankun Heaven and Earth, Lu Zhou continued refining the remaining Emperor's Blood.

Ten days later, he finally refined all the Emperor's Blood. The instant he clenched his fist, rosy light burst forth, divine radiance flickered from his flesh, and he had the illusion that he could punch through heaven and earth.

He had undergone a transformation that remade him from the inside out. Though he was still of an ordinary constitution, he now dared to use his physique to directly contend with some Life Spring weapons.

Though a diluted drop of Emperor's Blood mainly enhanced his physique, it also nourished his Life Spring.

At the center of his palm-sized Sea of Suffering, his Life Spring surged with vitality, countless auspicious rays gleamed, and the spring of Divine Power boiled. Compared to before he refined the Emperor's Blood, that Life Spring's spring eye had expanded many times over.

"Divine Power surges like the tide, rosy light fills the sky. It has only been a little over twenty days since I broke into the Life Spring realm, yet I have already reached the peak of the Life Spring!"

"Sure enough, leaving Lingxu Grotto-Heaven and continuously signing in at places where I can sign in is the path I should be taking. Only then can I cultivate faster."

Time passed, and another day soon went by. Only after Lu Zhou had fully mastered his greatly increased cultivation and physique did he leave the Qiankun Pearl.

He stood atop the crater of Azure Emperor's Yang Tomb. The heat waves rising from the crater whipped his robes until they snapped in the wind.

His body was slender. In merely a little over twenty days, he had shot up noticeably, now appearing to be around one meter seventy-five.

Lu Zhou looked in every direction, cold lightning seeming to flash in his eyes as he searched for the location of Azure Emperor's Yin Tomb.

He had not overlooked that when he signed in here nineteen days ago, the system announcement had referred to Azure Emperor's Yang Tomb, not Azure Emperor's Tomb.

In that case, Azure Emperor's Yin Tomb should also allow him to sign in.

Before long, Lu Zhou descended the volcano using the Xingzi Secret. He knew nothing of tombology and could not determine the location of Azure Emperor's Yin Tomb, nor could he remember how it had been described in the original novel.

It did not matter. As long as he knew that Azure Emperor's Yin Tomb was definitely within the Primitive Ruins, that was enough.

He had plenty of time to search for its location.

About half a month later, Lu Zhou stood beside a deep pool within a mountain range.

The deep pool was pitch-black and still as stone, without the slightest ripple. Waves of chilling coldness seeped from it, making one's heart tremble.

He vaguely remembered that Azure Emperor's Yin Tomb was located within a deep pool.

Upon arriving here, he indeed found the words "sign-in available" appearing on his system panel once again.

Lu Zhou immediately began the sign-in.

Ding! Host successfully signed in at Azure Emperor's Yin Tomb. Host has obtained one Azure Lotus, which has been stored within the host's Qiankun Pearl!

"Azure Lotus?"

Lu Zhou muttered to himself, recalling the phrase, a lotus in the eternal azure sky.

He entered the Qiankun Pearl to inspect it.

It was a lotus roughly half a meter long, verdant and lush, brimming with vigorous life.

It had three lotus leaves and a twelve-petaled lotus flower. On the lotus pod, about the size of an adult's fist and wrapped within the flower, grew three lotus seeds of different colors.

After thinking for a moment, Lu Zhou plucked a lotus seed that shimmered with azure rays, then submerged the entire lotus plant in the Empress's Sacred Spring.

Back when he was at Lingxu Grotto-Heaven, Lu Zhou had built a small jade spring pool within the Qiankun Pearl to hold the Empress's Sacred Spring.

Now, when he submerged the entire Azure Lotus in the Sacred Spring pool, Lu Zhou discovered that its leaves and roots began to stretch out. It took root in the Sacred Spring pool and began to grow.

Lu Zhou observed it for a while. Seeing nothing unusual, he turned his attention to the lotus seed pinched between his fingertips.

This azure lotus seed was not large, only about the size of a peanut. Emerald radiance swirled around it, and it gave off rich Vital Energy. Lu Zhou merely took a light breath of it and felt completely refreshed, as though he had taken some miraculous tonic.

Within his Sea of Suffering, waves rose, while the Life Spring at its center surged even more vigorously than usual!

Clearly, this lotus seed was a great medicine capable of increasing Lu Zhou's cultivation.

It far surpassed the so-called Hundred Herbs Liquid. Its effect was also much stronger than drinking a mouthful of the Sacred Spring.

Without hesitation, Lu Zhou sat down cross-legged and tossed the lotus seed into his mouth.

He lightly bit down, and a faint bitterness spread through his mouth.

Then, that bitterness transformed into incomparably vigorous Vital Energy that surged throughout his entire body.

Lu Zhou hurriedly circulated the Dao Sutra to refine it.

Over a month later, rumbling sounds emerged from the Qiankun Pearl, like a sea-shaking tsunami or peals of thunder.

Rays of rainbow light shot out from Lu Zhou's body.

At that moment, a dazzling rainbow hung high above Lu Zhou's Sea of Suffering. It seemed capable of spanning the heavens, incomparably resplendent.

This was Lu Zhou's Divine Vein, suspended above his Sea of Suffering. He had broken into the Divine Bridge realm.

After breaking into the Divine Bridge realm, Lu Zhou did not immediately stop cultivating. The lotus seed's residual medicinal power still remained within his body, and he continued circulating the Dao Sutra to refine it, striving not to waste even the slightest bit.

Another month passed. This day also happened to mark exactly one year since Lu Zhou had arrived in the Big Dipper. He finally refined all the medicinal power in that lotus seed.

The Divine Vein hanging above his Sea of Suffering had extended a great deal farther than when he had first broken into the Divine Bridge realm a month ago. It appeared thicker and more crystalline.

He had reached the peak of the Divine Bridge realm!

Just then, Lu Zhou suddenly found everything before his eyes hazy. He could no longer see anything!

His five senses and spiritual perception became increasingly blurred...