Advancing to Dou Master

Knock, knock, knock!

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

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

Yun Yun glanced at Gu He with her cool eyes, then turned and walked inside. Gu He's expression brightened, and he followed her in. Once he had sat down, Yun Yun said, "I'm fine. There's no need to worry."

With the keen spiritual perception of a Sixth-grade Alchemist, Gu He sensed that Yun Yun's aura seemed far more powerful than before. He asked in surprise, "You broke through?" He was astonished. He knew Yun Yun had been stalled at the Three-Star Dou Emperor realm for a long time. He had never expected her to break through after merely taking a trip to the Monster Beast 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, then a faint flush rose to her cheeks. 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 Beast Mountain Range. However, I fought the Purple Crystal Winged Lion King there and suffered some injuries. I also learned lessons and gained insights from that battle, so my cultivation broke through naturally."

"You were injured? Where were you hurt?" Gu He asked anxiously.

Yun Yun shook her head. "I'm fine. They were only minor injuries, and I've already recovered. My strength has also broken through to the Four-Star Dou Emperor 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 Emperor, I'd like to ask you to accompany me there."

Yun Yun's elegant brows knit 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've heard their Clan Leader, Queen Medusa, is at peak Dou Huang."

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. "As a Sixth-grade Alchemist, I may be the strongest alchemist in the Jia Ma Empire, but across the entire continent, a Sixth-grade Alchemist cannot be considered a high-level alchemist at all. I have been stuck at the Sixth-grade Alchemist realm for many years, but now I seem to have found the reason I've been unable to advance."

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 every alchemist dreams of. As long as I obtain a Heavenly Flame, I will certainly be able to raise my alchemy skills to the seventh grade, or 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? When you decide to go to the desert, tell me. Then we'll go together and obtain the Heavenly Flame."

Gu He nodded slightly and said no more. He rose and left. After Gu He departed, Yun Yun gazed at the distant horizon and thought to herself, What happened in the Monster Beast Mountain Range should be over.

Meanwhile, Xiao Yu, who was still in the Monster Beast Mountain Range, was having an extremely difficult time. The almost tangible dark clouds in the sky continuously shifted, gradually forming a funnel shape. Electric snakes slithered endlessly through the thick clouds on either side.

Xiao Yu felt incredibly stifled. A terrifying aura in the sky had been locked onto him the entire time, yet the heavenly lightning refused to fall. This suspenseful torment was truly getting on his nerves.

Rumble!

A thunderclap that echoed through heaven and earth suddenly rang out. The magical beasts of the Monster Beast Mountain Range all trembled as they stared at the clouds overhead. They had spent this entire period living in constant fear, yet when they looked at Xiao Yu, their eyes were filled with reverence.

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

Without warning, the lightning bolt struck directly at Xiao Yu with lightning speed. He had no way to dodge it!

The lightning poured into his body through the top of his head. The tremendous force smashed him into the ground, creating a charred crater. In an instant, every scrap of clothing on Xiao Yu's body was burned away by the lightning.

Xiao Yu grunted, his features twisting from the intense pain. Still, he hurriedly circulated the Dou Qi within his body to protect his internal organs and resist the damage caused by the lightning raging inside him.

What Xiao Yu did not see was that the pale purple lightning in the sky was gradually darkening into deep violet. The bolts had changed from being as thick as an adult's waist to merely arm-thick, but their power had become even more terrifying. Truly, all the essence was in the concentration!

Crack! Crack! Crack!

Three more lightning bolts containing enormous energy struck down in succession. Xiao Yu had only just risen in the crater and had no time to react before the three powerful forces surged into his body once more and ran rampant!

"Aah!" This time, Xiao Yu could not endure it. With a roar, he violently spat out a mouthful of blood under the terrifying power of the Heavenly Tribulation. The skin across his body turned charred and split apart, blood flowing from the cracks. He looked utterly miserable.

The berserk force was becoming too much for Xiao Yu to bear. Taking advantage of the brief gap, he sat cross-legged in the crater and began circulating the Chaos Origin Cultivation Method. The raging energy was gradually absorbed by Xiao Yu, tempering his physique.

The dark clouds overhead had now turned black, while the deep violet lightning carried a faint hint of red. It seemed to be brewing the final Heavenly Tribulation.

As the Chaos Origin Cultivation Method circulated, vast amounts of energy were refined and converted into Dou Qi. Xiao Yu's strength began soaring: One-Star Dou Master, Two-Star, Three-Star, Four-Star, Five-Star, all the way to Nine-Star Dou Master. Only when he seemed to encounter the barrier to breaking through into Da Dou Shi did it slowly stop. Xiao Yu frowned. He knew that a towering building rose from level ground and that foundations were the most important, so he began suppressing his cultivation.

Nine-Star Dou Master, Eight-Star, Seven-Star—he suppressed that energy all the way down to One-Star Dou Master before it began rebounding again. This cycle repeated itself. Just then, the final terrifying lightning tribulation descended. Xiao Yu immediately used the Vajra Guardian Shield, but after the lightning, no thicker than a chopstick, shattered the shield, it was only weakened slightly before striking directly at Xiao Yu's soul body. Xiao Yu's face paled, and another trickle of blood flowed from the corner of his mouth.

Xiao Yu quickly steadied his mind and frantically circulated the Chaos Origin Cultivation Method. That vast energy was rapidly refined, and his cultivation level continuously rose before being suppressed again. After roughly ten breaths, Xiao Yu had stabilized his realm at the Six-Star Dou Master level. This was still under his utmost suppression. If he used this power to force a full breakthrough into Da Dou Shi, it would not be impossible—but there would be only one outcome for him: death.