Cloud Rain Sect!

Without the slightest hesitation, Lin Ran tossed it into his mouth and swallowed it.

As the Companion Amethyst Source entered his stomach, a wisp of purple light immediately emerged from Lin Ran's body.

The purple glow flickered in and out of sight across Lin Ran's skin like candlelight, while the temperature of the surrounding space began to rise.

"In the original story, Xiao Yan condensed a Purple Fire seed and opened up a small space within his qi vortex to contain it, thereby gaining control over Purple Fire."

"But fundamentally, that was still merely a 'tool-like' use of Purple Fire. Only after he devoured it with the Flame Mantra did he truly gain control over it."

"I don't need Purple Fire. I only need the energy within it... In that case..."

Sensing the condition within his body, Lin Ran slowly closed his eyes. He crossed his legs into a cultivation posture, formed a hand seal, focused his eyes on his nose and his nose on his heart, and gradually immersed his consciousness into his body.

As he devoured the Companion Amethyst Source, his entire body glimmered with purple light.

Yet after only a few breaths, fierce golden Dou Qi surfaced across Lin Ran's body. Wherever the Dou Qi passed, all the purple light retreated, completely suppressed within Lin Ran's body and forcibly fused with his flesh.

How powerful were a Dou Zong expert's Dou Qi and physique? Not to mention that Lin Ran's body possessed the Pure Yang Physique.

Once the Companion Amethyst Source had been suppressed within Lin Ran's body, it had no way to contend with his immense strength. It could only be shattered into energy by his Dou Qi and absorbed into his body.

A moment later, Lin Ran opened his eyes and moved his palm slightly, releasing a layer of Dou Qi.

Lin Ran's Dou Qi was crimson-gold and exceptionally dazzling. Yet at this moment, a trace of purple had been added to it, making it appear even more noble.

"Although my cultivation level hasn't risen, I can feel the vitality in my body increasing."

"It seems devouring such fierce Heavenly Materials and Earthly Treasures really can enhance my vitality!"

The Companion Amethyst Source was a companion treasure of the Amethyst Winged Lion King. It contained the exceptionally powerful origin energy of the Amethyst Winged Lion King race. In a sense, it was a 'dead' Young Amethyst Winged Lion King!

Now that Lin Ran had integrated this object into his bloodline and flesh, the strength of his vitality naturally increased.

"Looks like I need to keep an eye out for more Heavenly Materials and Earthly Treasures of this type. But the most important thing is still the ingredients for the Heavenly Spirit Blood Dragon Pill."

"As for Sixth-tier Monster Beasts, Queen Medusa is one nearby, the imperial family's Abyssal Sea Flood Dragon is another, and there's also the Eight-winged Black Snake Emperor that appeared in the Mo Clan..."

"Right, and Xiao Yi Xian's Calamity Poison Body!"

As if recalling something, Lin Ran's eyes lit up, and he abruptly rose to his feet.

He glanced at the rocky walls of the cave, then casually waved a hand. Countless rocks collapsed, and in the blink of an eye, the entire cave had become a pile of rubble.

The next moment, his figure turned into a black shadow and vanished from the spot.

Meanwhile, in the Tagor Desert.

A black shadow swiftly streaked through the air, only slowing down after a city appeared ahead.

The pale purple radiance emanating from the wings on his back slowly faded away. The figure flipped through the air, landing steadily on the ground with both feet.

After lightly dusting off his clothes, the newcomer raised his head to look at the enormous yellow city at the edge of his vision, finally letting out a breath of relief.

"Teacher, did we really have to run that fast? That guy looked only a little older than me."

"Only a little older? Hehe, unless my senses were wrong, that boy's strength is at least at the Dou Zong level!"

"D-Dou Zong?!"

Xiao Yan's mind shook, his face full of disbelief. "Don't joke around, Teacher. At that age, even if he started cultivating in the womb, he couldn't have reached Dou Zong. Stop messing with me!"

"Messing with you? Hehe."

A soul phantom floated out and hovered beside Xiao Yan. A grave look appeared on the old man's face.

"I would never misjudge the Dou Qi aura on that boy. He is definitely someone from the Cloud Rain Sect!"

"Cloud Rain Sect?"

"Yes, the Cloud Rain Sect."

Yao Chen said in a low voice, "It is a lecherous and bizarre sect. This sect raises Flesh Cauldrons to enhance its own strength. These so-called Flesh Cauldrons are talented young girls selected and given cultivation methods, made to cultivate bitterly for over a decade, then drained of the Dou Qi in their bodies through the Cloud Rain Sect's unique method of intercourse. Of course, that method is far too domineering. The women whose Dou Qi is drained often age and die within ten days."

"The Cloud Rain Sect has no fewer than a thousand disciples, and all of them are women. However, they are all Flesh Cauldrons as well, used by the three sect masters of the Cloud Rain Sect for absorption."

"There's actually a sect like that?!"

Xiao Yan was utterly shocked. This was too absurd!

"Wait, Teacher. You said the Cloud Rain Sect is entirely made up of women, with only three male sect masters. Could that boy be one of the three sect masters of the Cloud Rain Sect?"

Xiao Yan asked doubtfully.

"No. Though it has been many years since I last saw them, I would never forget the auras and appearances of those three."

Yao Chen shook his head. "Those three are utterly lecherous. Even in the entire Central Continent, they are notorious figures, known as the Scorpion Demon Three Ghosts! Their eldest, Heavenly Scorpion, possesses peak Nine Revolutions Dou Zun strength. The second, Earth Scorpion, is around Eight Revolutions Dou Zun. The third, Human Scorpion, is at the Six Revolutions Dou Zun level."

"That boy... is very likely the inheritor of the Scorpion Demon Three Ghosts' legacy!"

The Dou Qi Continent was divided into nine realms: Dou Zhe, Dou Shi, Da Dou Shi, Dou Ling, Dou Wang, Dou Huang, Dou Zong, Dou Zun, and Dou Sheng.

Legend had it that beyond Dou Sheng, there was an even higher realm known as Dou Di!

"Gulp..."

Xiao Yan swallowed hard, feeling as though a massive hammer had struck his mind. He had not even become a Dou Shi yet, while that youth, who looked only slightly older than him, was actually a Dou Zong expert. And his master was a Dou Zun expert, even a peak Dou Zun!

"Teacher, we don't... have any grudge against that guy, right..."

Xiao Yan forced out a smile, but Yao Chen's next words shattered his hopes.

"Although it is indeed too early to tell you this given your current strength, I have to remind you that I had quite a serious conflict with the Scorpion Demon Three Ghosts back then."

"By quite a serious conflict, you mean..."

"It wasn't quite a fight to the death. Just the kind where we'd slash each other a couple of times whenever we met."

"..."

Xiao Yan wailed inwardly. What the hell is this?

Peak Dou Zun—that was a Dou Zun!

The strongest member of his Xiao Family was only a Da Dou Shi. The strongest person in the entire Jia Ma Empire was probably only a Dou Huang. How had three Dou Zun-level figures suddenly appeared, possibly even his potential enemies?

I'm so fucking hopeless!