Three Flourishes and Three Declines

Within the spiritual sanctum of Ten Thousand Demons Valley, where Yan Kuan had secluded himself for cultivation, an energy storm churned through the quiet chamber. Spatial ripples surged without end as streams of incomparably pure spiritual energy of heaven and earth rushed in, flooding into the seated figure.

Yan Kuan's body seemed like a bottomless pit. No matter how much energy poured into him, there was never any sign of it overflowing.

An emerald divine dragon and a dark yin serpent coiled around him, driving Life-Death Qi through his body. In an extremely short time, he broke through to the peak of the Dou Wang realm. At that moment, two Jade Vials flew out, and he swallowed the two pills one after another.

The Battle Spirit Pill was a sixth-grade pill that could directly raise a Dou Wang Strong's cultivation by one star. However, it also came with strong drug resistance, and only the first dose produced its greatest effect.

The Imperial Zenith Pill was a high-grade sixth-grade pill. Its effects and limitations were similar to those of the Battle Spirit Pill, but it was specifically used to raise a Dou Emperor Strong's cultivation. With enough luck, it could even directly raise one's cultivation by two stars.

Yan Kuan chose to take the Battle Spirit Pill and Imperial Zenith Pill at this time in order to break through more effectively and reduce the loss of his life Origin.

The Life-Devouring Pill allowed him to rapidly break through by burning his life Origin. The more difficult the bottleneck, the greater the consumption. If he could use other pills to assist his breakthrough, he could reduce his losses and replenish them more easily afterward.

Taking the Battle Spirit Pill and Imperial Zenith Pill together, Yan Kuan refined them completely at the fastest speed under the Life-Devouring Pill's effects. He successfully advanced to a three-star Dou Emperor, then continued breaking through with the Life-Devouring Pill's power, reaching a level ordinary people could hardly hope to attain in just a few days.

After three days and three nights, Yan Kuan sat cross-legged in his secluded chamber, motionless as a boulder. Only the spiritual energy vortex spinning ceaselessly above his head still gave off a low, whistling roar.

After this cultivation continued for a long time, he slowly opened his eyes. His dark pupils were ancient and unremarkable, so placid that they seemed devoid of the slightest ripple.

He slowly raised his head and spread his palm. With a thought, a burst of flame appeared in his hand, while the pair of fiery wings behind him swelled to more than thirty feet in length.

The divine power circulating through his body returned to the Sea of Bitterness. A sharp glint suddenly flashed through his dark eyes, and his aura soared in a straight line. After rapidly breaking through to the perfected peak of the nine-star Dou Emperor realm, his aura gradually stabilized.

Yan Kuan flipped his hand slightly, and a faint silver light appeared at the center of the flame in his palm. The power of space—this was a Law power that only a Dou Zong could wield. Even across this universe, it was an exceptionally special force, one that only cultivation methods involving the path of space could control.

"Peak Dou Emperor... I can finally begin the first perfect transformation!"

Yan Kuan had spent five years cultivating bitterly and tempering his foundation. Only then did he have the capital to soar into the heavens with the aid of pills. Leaping straight to the peak of the Dou Emperor realm had cost him no small amount of lifespan, but it had also given him the foundation for transformation.

Five years ago, Yan Kuan had gone to the Immortal Sword Sky Pool to cultivate, using the Great Saint's Sword Intent to temper his foundation for three years. In truth, he could have broken through beyond the Dou Wang realm at that time, but he had not followed the usual path. Instead, he chose to continue refining pills for another two years.

During those two years of pill refinement, his alchemy experience advanced by leaps and bounds. Once he had acquired the foundation to refine seventh-grade pills, he chose to initiate his plan—a plan that had begun when he entered Ten Thousand Demons Valley two years ago.

Yan Kuan obtained three pieces of Ancient Jade at the Immortal Sword Sky Pool, which recorded some of the secrets of the Burial Grounds of Earth Immortals. He also knew clearly that the other six pieces of Ancient Jade were within Ten Thousand Demons Valley.

That was why he entered Ten Thousand Demons Valley to discuss cooperation. Part of it truly was cooperation: refining pills to gain experience, each taking what they needed from the arrangement. The other reason was these six pieces of Ancient Jade.

Monkey and Old Crane did not know the specific details of the Burial Grounds of Earth Immortals, but Yan Kuan knew them clearly. His original target had been the branches of the Undying Divine Tree tainted by death Qi. He had long planned to use them to refine the Life-Devouring Pill.

The Life-Devouring Pill could not only rapidly increase Yan Kuan's strength, but also provide crucial assistance for his cultivation of a single Secret Realm.

The key to cultivating a single Secret Realm involved the nine transformations of the Other Shore, the fourth realm of the Wheel Sea. More precisely, it was a method of enlightenment that used the nine transformations as its guiding principle, constantly transforming oneself and excavating the potential of the Wheel Sea Secret Realm, allowing cultivators of ordinary talent to transform into heavenly prodigies.

During the nine transformations of the Other Shore realm, a cultivator's flesh, organs, and bones would all wither away, followed by an alternative Rebirth. Their blood would be replaced and their bones transformed nine times in succession, completing the transformation.

The process was akin to shedding one's mortal frame and remaking one's bones. For most cultivators of ordinary aptitude, this was their only chance to change their talent.

According to legend, the transformation method used by Ancient Great Powers who cultivated only the Wheel Sea Secret Realm had drawn inspiration from this. Referencing the methods used by supreme experts to begin a Second Life, they underwent even more radical and thorough transformations, experiencing Nine Deaths and Nine Lives before finally breaking free from the cocoon and becoming a butterfly, attaining great perfection.

Once the transformation of Nine Deaths and Nine Lives succeeded, the moment one emerged from seclusion, clouds would stir in all directions and phenomena would pierce the heavens. Even a cultivator of ordinary aptitude, after undergoing a transformation akin to living another life, would be elevated into a Supreme Great Power with unparalleled phenomena—a prodigy of the age.

Of course, ascending to become an Ancient Great Power through Nine Deaths and Nine Lives was the result of years upon years of effort, not something achieved overnight. Some who specialized in a single Secret Realm cultivated for their entire lives without succeeding.

Cultivating a single Secret Realm required not only a powerful cultivation method, but also the support of certain ancient Secret Arts. Only by undergoing the ultimate transformation could one complete all nine cycles.

To a certain extent, the ancient method of cultivating a single Secret Realm was even more difficult. Time, patience, perseverance, resources, cultivation methods, and many other factors were all indispensable.

Yan Kuan had chosen this path of cultivating only the Wheel Sea. For the time being, he lacked neither secret methods nor resources, and he believed he possessed sufficient patience and perseverance. Only time was something he had to find a way to shorten. The thing that could help him do so was this Life-Devouring Spirit Pill.

The Life-Devouring Pill used branches of the Undying Divine Medicine tainted by death Qi as its primary ingredient. It inherently contained the power of life and death cycling, subtly corresponding to the profound meaning of the Wheel Sea's Nine Deaths and Nine Lives cultivation.

After Yan Kuan consumed it, not only could he rapidly raise his cultivation to the peak of the Dou Emperor realm, comparable to the Extreme Realm of the Four Extremes, he could also use the life force and death Qi saturating his entire body and entwined within him to undergo a life-death transformation of the Wheel Sea Secret Realm.

Over the past several years, he had meticulously studied Daoist scriptures, mystical texts, and numerous cultivation manuals. He had long formed his own unique insights into Wheel Sea cultivation. Comparing his own circumstances with his existing foundation, he deduced a cultivation method and set of stages suited to himself.

He planned to divide the Wheel Sea Secret Realm's nine life-death transformations into three steps: Three Flourishes and Three Declines, Six Withers and Six Revivals, and Nine Deaths and Nine Lives. Advancing step by step in this way would allow him to rise to become an ancient Wheel Sea Great Ability at the fastest speed, after which he could reach even greater heights.

Now, having consumed the Life-Devouring Pill, he could begin the first step: three consecutive life-death transformations. He called it Three Flourishes and Three Declines.