Sixfold (Cave) Heaven

Within a boundless expanse of purple-gold ocean, a high platform rose ever higher, as if reaching a zenith, with a phantom cauldron flickering in and out of existence at its center.

After Bai Yixin swallowed the Black Sha Lotus, the medicinal properties proved extremely potent and tyrannical, transforming into a mass of black flames within his body. They burned fiercely, roasting his sinews and bones, tempering his flesh and blood.

Finally, Bai Yixin snapped his eyes open. Two beams of dark light shot from his pupils, extending over ten yards, and he stood up with a sudden surge of momentum.

A "volcano" appeared beneath his feet, its crater dazzling as it "erupted" magma, which poured directly into the soles of his feet.

With this, he had opened his sixth Heavenly Cave, his strength rising another notch!

At this moment, his vital energy surged. The newly emerged volcanic crater continuously spewed "magma" that sank into his body, strengthening his frame as runes intertwined amidst flashes of lightning and rolls of thunder.

For an entire day and night, Bai Yixin remained motionless, comprehending the profound mysteries of the runes and experiencing his newfound power.

It was not until dawn that he opened his eyes. With a "swish," a flash of light passed, and the volcanic crater retracted and vanished.

"Whew, that feels pretty good."

With rocks shattering and flying through the air, Bai Yixin burst forth from the underground.

The sun had just risen, casting warm rays of light. Bai Yixin felt refreshed; after breaking through to the sixth Heavenly Cave, he felt exceptionally powerful, as if he possessed an inexhaustible supply of strength.

The landscape before him was devastated, littered with broken branches and withered leaves, with even some mountain peaks having been collapsed.

"Judging by the extent of the destruction, that Black Tiger Beast King still possessed some rationality. It seems it just rampaged for a bit before retreating," Bai Yixin muttered to himself.

"It's about time, the assessment should be ending soon, right?"

Moving stealthily, Bai Yixin saw many geniuses in tattered clothes stained with blood. Not far away, battles erupted from time to time. After roughly calculating the time, Bai Yixin pondered.

"I need to disguise my condition; otherwise, appearing completely unscathed will easily invite suspicion."

After a moment of thought, Bai Yixin arrived at a swampy area.

There were clear signs of a fierce battle here, with bloody severed limbs scattered on the ground. Judging by the traces, the creature residing here should have been a crocodile.

The Ancient Crocodile currently before Bai Yixin was terrifyingly large, measuring a full eighty meters in length.

However, Bai Yixin noticed several wounds on its muddy dorsal armor.

"Awoo..."

Suddenly, a roar echoed out.

The mud exploded as if the mountains were collapsing and the earth splitting, sending nearby rocks and trees flying high into the sky.

"There's another one!"

Bai Yixin was startled. There was not just one fierce beast near this swamp, but a more powerful Ancient Crocodile, massive in size and no less than a hundred meters long.

Its body was covered in bronze-colored scales that shimmered with a cold, metallic luster. It leaped from the mud and lunged at Bai Yixin.

"Swish."

Bai Yixin shifted sideways with extreme speed, narrowly avoiding the bloody maw. With a "crack," those terrifying jaws bit through several towering ancient trees, the scent of blood becoming stifling.

With a "boom," the Ancient Crocodile proved ferocious. When its gaping maw missed, its ten-meter-long claw swiped down, shimmering with runes and overflowing with murderous intent.

"Hmph! You only had the advantage of a sneak attack; do you really think I can't beat you?"

Bai Yixin clenched his fists, thick golden lightning coiling around them, accompanied by a piercing, thunderous roar.

His lightning-infused fist collided directly with the giant claw. Both possessed astonishing divine power, and both were sent reeling backward.

But the surging lightning was not to be trifled with; it exploded directly onto the giant claw. Instantly, the claw turned charred black, its scales falling off and its flesh becoming a mangled mess, nearly snapping off entirely.

The Ancient Crocodile was shocked. This human was so young, yet possessed such formidable strength and runic Treasure Techniques. It had collided with its hundred-meter-long body, and yet it had lost!

One had to know, it had cultivated for long, arduous years to reach this realm. How old was this little brat?!

The Ancient Crocodile flew into a rage, standing almost upright as it lunged at Bai Yixin. At the same time, the other giant crocodile also surged with runes and rushed over at high speed.

"Die!"

Bai Yixin was fearless. He led with lightning, electric arcs surging between his ten fingers as golden runes filled the sky and pressed down.

Thunder shook the ears, and golden energy flooded the area with an unstoppable momentum. His small body was enveloped in golden electric light, like a god of thunder descending to battle the two Ancient Crocodiles.

Golden lightning danced as Bai Yixin charged valiantly, unleashing the divine might of thunder. The area was dense with electric arcs, all of which rained down upon the two Ancient Crocodiles.

A barrage of thunderbolts descended, sending them flying. Several of their bones shattered, leaving them charred and black, their internal organs injured.

Bai Yixin then unleashed another Treasure Technique. A Silver Moon rose into the sky, within which a Primordial Demon Bird was gestating, and it slashed toward the Ancient Crocodiles.

The Ancient Crocodiles looked on in terror, wanting to dodge or counter, but the lightning surging through their bodies had already paralyzed them.

With a "pfft," flesh and blood flew. This strike seemed to shake the heavens and earth; the silver radiance shattered, and the Demon Bird swept across, directly slicing both Ancient Crocodiles in two.

In the distance, the elders of the Heaven-Mending Pavilion had finally dealt with the mess caused by Bai Yixin and Little One, and were leading everyone into the Second Battlefield to see how things stood.

"They arrived quite quickly, but this is the perfect opportunity to show my excellence and secure more resource allocation," Bai Yixin thought, his mind turning quickly. Seeing the large group heading his way, he did not slip away.

Bai Yixin deliberately stained himself with some of the Ancient Crocodile's blood, implying that he had only emerged victorious after a bloody battle.

Hearing the rumbling from Bai Yixin's direction, the group arrived to see the two severed Ancient Crocodiles beside him, and they immediately revealed looks of astonishment and satisfied smiles.

"What a strong child. He is absolutely a heaven-sent talent, the likes of which I haven't seen in ten years. My Heaven-Mending Pavilion has gained another incredible disciple!"

Bai Yixin stood beside the Ancient Crocodiles and began to dismember them, his body covered in blood and radiating a fierce aura.

When the crowd arrived and saw Bai Yixin in such a state, they couldn't help but nod; he was brimming with ferocity, and if he were to grow, he would undoubtedly become a formidable hegemon in the future.

"Young man, how many Heaven-Mending Stones have you collected?" Elder Xiong Fei, who was in charge of the assessment, walked over and asked with a pleasant expression.

"Ten."

Bai Yixin put down his butcher's blade and turned around abruptly. His eyes seemed to shoot out two terrifying beams of cold light that made everyone shudder as he tossed a bundle wrapped in Beast Skin onto the ground.

"Ten, that's just barely reaching the threshold. This isn't your limit, is it?" Elder Xiong Fei was somewhat surprised; given such imposing power, he shouldn't have only managed this much.

"They were too weak and not worth my effort." Bai Yixin spoke with the aura of Dugu Qiubai, but after a pause, he added.

"Not long ago, a Black Tiger Beast King suddenly went berserk and rampaged through the mountain forest. Since I had already collected enough Heaven-Mending Stones, there was no need for me to go back in and get involved."

The crowd broke into a sweat. How could he manage to sound so cowardly while using such an invincible tone?

"Ahem, you can be considered a young hero. You just mentioned a Black Tiger Beast King went on a rampage—what exactly happened?" Elder Xiong Fei asked with a dry cough.

This little guy was quite interesting; being able to take down the Ancient Crocodile, a beast hegemon in the Second Battlefield, was enough to prove his exceptional talent.

"I'm not sure what happened either. It seemed like someone deliberately incited a beast tide, and then the Black Tiger Beast King emerged. Not long after, it flew into a rage. Fortunately, I was hiding far away, otherwise, I would have been in trouble."

Bai Yixin ignored the strange looks from the crowd, but he had achieved his desired result: he had demonstrated his strength while simultaneously indicating that he knew nothing about the theft of the Black Sha Lotus.

The elders of the Heaven-Mending Pavilion furrowed their brows. Listening to this, the mountain forest was indeed in chaos; ancient trees were destroyed, broken branches were scattered everywhere, and some mountain peaks had even collapsed.

Could something have happened?