Advancing to Dou Shi

Knock, knock, knock!

Yun Yun had been staring absently at the mountains outside the window when a knock came from beyond the door. She immediately came back to her senses, rose to open it, and saw Gu He standing outside. Yun Yun then knew that Nalan Yanran must have told Gu He something, which was why he had come here.

Gu He smiled. "I heard you were back, so I came to see you. Won't you invite me in for a seat?"

Yun Yun glanced at Gu He with her cool eyes, then turned and walked inside. Gu He's face lit up, and he followed her in. Once Gu He had taken a seat, Yun Yun said, "I'm fine. There's no need to worry."

With the keen spiritual perception of a Sixth Grade Alchemist, Gu He noticed that Yun Yun's aura seemed much more powerful than before. He asked in surprise, "You broke through?" He was rather astonished. He knew Yun Yun had been stuck at the Three Star Dou Huang realm for a long time. He had not expected her to break through after merely taking a trip to the Monster Mountain Range.

At Gu He's words, Yun Yun's delicate brows furrowed slightly, as though she had recalled something. Her face turned a little pale before a faint blush rose to it. Gu He could not help staring.

Yun Yun seemed to sense that something was off about Gu He's gaze, so she quickly composed herself and said, "That's right. I gained a great deal from this trip to the Monster Mountain Range. However, I fought the Crystal Wing Lion King there and suffered some injuries. I also learned lessons and gained insights from that battle, so my cultivation naturally broke through."

"You were injured? Where were you hurt?" Gu He became nervous and hurriedly asked.

Yun Yun shook her head. "I'm fine. They were only minor injuries, and I've already recovered. My strength has also advanced to the Four Star Dou Huang realm."

Only after seeing that Yun Yun truly had no serious problems did Gu He relax. "Perfect. I'm planning to make a trip to the desert after some time. Now that you're a Four Star Dou Huang expert, I'd like to ask you to come with me."

Yun Yun's graceful brows furrowed slightly. "What are you going to the desert for? The desert is not Misty Cloud Sect territory. The Snake People Clan is entrenched there, and I hear their leader, Queen Medusa, is at the peak of the Dou Huang realm."

Gu He smiled faintly. "Queen Medusa may be the one I face on this trip to the desert."

Yun Yun asked in confusion, "What exactly are you trying to do?"

"Heavenly Flames," Gu He said softly. "Although I am the strongest alchemist in the Jia Ma Empire as a Sixth Grade Alchemist, a Sixth Grade Alchemist is not considered high-level across the entire continent. I have been stuck at the Sixth Grade Alchemist realm for many years, but now, I seem to have found the reason why I could not advance any further."

Yun Yun looked at Gu He with her beautiful eyes. "You mean Heavenly Flames can help you raise your alchemist grade?"

Gu He nodded. "On the Dou Qi Continent, Heavenly Flames are what alchemists dream of. If I can obtain a Heavenly Flame now, I will certainly be able to raise my alchemy skills to the seventh grade, perhaps even higher. That would bring nothing but benefits to you, me, and the Misty Cloud Sect."

Yun Yun fell silent. After lowering her head in thought for a moment, she looked at Gu He and said, "It does seem that the Heavenly Flame in the desert is with the Snake People Clan. How about this? Let me know when you decide to go to the desert. Then we'll head there together to obtain the Heavenly Flame."

Gu He nodded slightly and said nothing more. He rose and left. After Gu He was gone, Yun Yun gazed at the distant horizon and thought to herself, What happened in the Monster Mountain Range should be left behind!

Meanwhile, Xiao Yu, who was in the Monster Mountain Range, was having a miserable time. The seemingly solid clouds overhead shifted continuously, gradually forming a funnel shape. Lightning snakes slithered endlessly through the thick cloud layers on either side.

Xiao Yu felt extremely stifled. A terrifying force from the heavens had been locking onto him, yet the heavenly lightning refused to strike. This suspenseful torment truly annoyed him.

Rumble!

A thunderclap that resounded through heaven and earth suddenly rang out. The magical beasts in the Monster Mountain Range all trembled as they stared at the clouds above. During this period, they had lived in constant fear day and night, and when they looked at Xiao Yu, their eyes were filled with reverence.

The purple lightning snakes within the clouds rapidly gathered together, forming a bolt as thick as an adult's waist. Crack!

In an instant, the lightning bolt struck directly at Xiao Yu with speed too swift to evade. Xiao Yu could not dodge it at all.

The lightning poured into his body through the crown of his head. Its immense force slammed him into the ground, creating a charred, deep crater. In a single instant, all the clothes on Xiao Yu's body were burned away by the lightning.

Xiao Yu let out a muffled groan. The intense agony distorted his features, but he hastily circulated the Dou Qi in his body to protect his internal organs and withstand the damage inflicted by the lightning within him.

What Xiao Yu did not see was that the originally pale-purple lightning in the sky was turning dark purple. The bolts had shrunk from the thickness of an adult's waist to the thickness of an arm, yet their power had become even more terrifying. As expected, all the essence was concentrated within!

Crack! Crack! Crack!

Three more lightning bolts containing immense energy struck down in succession. Xiao Yu had only just risen from the crater and had not yet reacted when the three powerful forces once again rushed into his body and raged through it!

"Aah!" Xiao Yu could not endure it this time and let out a roar. The terrifying power of the heavenly tribulation made him violently cough up a mouthful of blood. The skin all over his body turned charred and split apart, blood flowing from the cracks. He was in a thoroughly miserable state.

The violent power was becoming too much for Xiao Yu. Taking advantage of the brief interval, he sat cross-legged within the crater. The Chaos Cultivation Source Method began circulating within his body, and Xiao Yu started absorbing the raging energy, using it to temper his physique.

The clouds overhead had now turned black, and the dark-purple lightning carried a faint reddish tint. It seemed the final heavenly tribulation was brewing.

As the Chaos Cultivation Source Method circulated, vast amounts of energy were refined and converted into Dou Qi. Xiao Yu's strength began to surge wildly—One-star Dou Shi, Two-star, Three-star, Four-star, Five-star, all the way to Nine-star Dou Shi. It seemed he had encountered the barrier to breaking through to Da Dou Shi, and only then did it slowly stop. Xiao Yu frowned. He knew that a towering building rose from level ground, and foundations were the most important thing. Thus, he began suppressing his strength.

Nine-star Dou Shi, Eight-star, Seven-star—he suppressed that energy all the way back down to One-star Dou Shi, after which it rebounded. This cycle repeated itself when the final, terrifying lightning tribulation descended. Xiao Yu immediately used the Diamond Guardian Shield, but after the lightning bolt, no thicker than a chopstick, shattered the shield, it was only slightly weakened before striking directly at Xiao Yu's soul body. Xiao Yu's face turned pale, and another trace of blood flowed from the corner of his mouth.

Xiao Yu quickly steadied his mind, and the Chaos Cultivation Source Method began circulating madly. The vast energy was rapidly refined, while his cultivation realm continuously rose and was suppressed again. After roughly ten breaths, Xiao Yu had stabilized his realm at Six-star Dou Shi. This was still under his utmost suppression. If he had used this power to force a breakthrough into Da Dou Shi, it would not have been impossible—but there would have been only one outcome for him: death!