Sixth Heavenly Cave

Amid a boundless violet-gold ocean, a high platform rose ever higher, as if it had reached its peak. At its center, the faint outline of a pill cauldron flickered in and out of sight.

After Bai Yixin swallowed the Black Sha Lotus, its medicinal properties—potent and overbearing—transformed inside him into a mass of black flames. They blazed fiercely, scorching his sinews and bones and tempering his flesh and blood.

At last, Bai Yixin abruptly opened his eyes. Two streaks of dark light shot from them, stretching more than ten zhang into the distance, and he sprang to his feet.

A "volcano" appeared beneath his feet. Its crater shone dazzlingly, "erupting" with lava that poured into his soles.

With that, he opened his sixth Heavenly Cave, and his strength rose another notch!

At that moment, his whole body surged with vital energy. The newly formed volcanic crater continuously spewed "lava" into him, strengthening his body as Runes intertwined and lightning flashed and thunder roared.

For a full day and night, Bai Yixin remained motionless, comprehending the mysteries of the Runes and experiencing his newfound power.

Only at dawn did he open his eyes. With a flash of light, the volcanic crater drew back and vanished.

"Phew, that doesn't feel too bad."

Rocks shot through the air as Bai Yixin burst out from beneath the ground.

The sun had just risen, its rays warm against his skin. Bai Yixin felt refreshed. After breaking through to the sixth Heavenly Cave, he could feel that he was especially powerful, as though he had strength to spare.

The landscape was devastated. Broken branches and fallen leaves littered the ground, and even several mountain peaks had been shattered.

"Judging by the destruction, that Black Tiger Beast King still had some sense. It looks like it only rampaged for a while before leaving," Bai Yixin murmured.

"About time for the trials to end, isn't it?"

As he made his way forward in stealth, Bai Yixin saw many geniuses in tattered clothes, spotted with blood. Not far away, battles kept erupting without warning. After roughly calculating how much time had passed, he mused, "I should make myself look a little worse for wear. Otherwise, being completely unharmed might raise suspicion."

After some thought, Bai Yixin headed to a muddy marsh.

The marsh bore clear signs of a fierce battle. Several bloody severed limbs lay on the ground. Judging by the traces, a crocodile had probably been living there.

The Ancient Crocodile before Bai Yixin was terrifying, measuring a full eighty meters long.

However, Bai Yixin noticed several scars on its mud-caked armored back.

"Roar..."

A sudden bellow rang out.

The mud burst apart like a mountain crumbling. Nearby rocks, trees, and everything else were sent flying into the sky.

"There's another one!"

Bai Yixin was startled. There was more than one vicious beast near this marsh—another, even stronger Ancient Crocodile was here, its enormous body no less than a hundred meters long.

Its body was covered in bronze-colored scales that glinted with a cold, metallic sheen. It leapt out of the mud and lunged at Bai Yixin.

"Whoosh!"

Bai Yixin darted sideways, moving at incredible speed, and dodged the bloodstained maw. With a crunch, the fearsome jaws snapped several towering ancient trees in half, the stench of blood pressing in on him.

With a roar, the Ancient Crocodile attacked ferociously. Its gaping maw had missed, so it brought down a ten-meter-long forelimb instead, Runes glittering across it as its killing intent surged.

"Hmph! You only got the jump on me. Don't think I can't beat you!"

Bai Yixin clenched both fists. Thick golden lightning coiled around them, and a piercing rumble of thunder rang out.

His lightning-wreathed fist met the giant claw head-on. Both sides unleashed astonishing strength, and both were sent staggering backward.

But the surging lightning was no joke. It exploded directly against the claw, scorching it black. Its scales fell away, leaving the flesh a bloody mess; the limb nearly broke off altogether.

The Ancient Crocodile was utterly shocked. This human was so small, yet possessed such powerful strength and Rune Treasure Techniques. It had collided with him using its hundred-meter body—and lost!

It had taken countless years of cultivation to reach this level. How old was this little brat?!

The Ancient Crocodile flew into a rage, nearly rearing upright as it charged at Bai Yixin. At the same time, the other giant crocodile rushed in at top speed, Runes flashing all over its body.

"Die!"

Bai Yixin showed no fear. He opened the way with lightning, golden flashes surging between his ten fingers as golden Runes filled the sky and crashed down.

Thunder shook the heavens. Golden energy engulfed the area, its might unstoppable. Wrapped in golden lightning, his small body looked like a Thunder God descending as he battled the two Ancient Crocodiles.

Golden lightning danced through the air. Bai Yixin charged fiercely, unleashing the might of thunder. Lightning filled the area, striking both Ancient Crocodiles.

A barrage of lightning came down, blasting them into the air. Several of their bones snapped, scorched black, and their internal organs were injured.

Bai Yixin then brought forth another Treasure Technique. A Silver Moon rose into the sky, with a Primordial Demon Bird poised within it, and slashed toward the Ancient Crocodiles.

The Ancient Crocodiles looked terrified and tried to dodge and counterattack, but the lightning surging through their bodies had already left them numb.

With a splatter, flesh flew everywhere. The slash seemed to shake heaven and earth. The silver radiance exploded, and a Demon Bird swept across, cleaving both Ancient Crocodiles in half one after the other.

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

"They got here pretty fast. But this is a good chance to show how outstanding I am and earn a greater share of resources." Bai Yixin's thoughts raced. Seeing the large group heading his way, he decided not to slip away.

Bai Yixin deliberately smeared some Ancient Crocodile blood on himself, hinting that he had won only after a bloody battle.

The group had just heard the rumbling from Bai Yixin's direction. When they arrived and saw the two severed Ancient Crocodiles beside him, they immediately smiled in astonishment and satisfaction.

"What a powerful child. He's unquestionably a heaven-gifted genius, the kind we see only once in ten years. The Heaven-Mending Pavilion has gained another extraordinary disciple!"

Standing beside the Ancient Crocodiles, Bai Yixin was still busy butchering them. Blood drenched the ground, and a murderous aura filled the air.

When everyone arrived and saw him like that, they couldn't help nodding. He was full of ferocity; if he grew up, he was destined to become an extraordinary overlord.

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

"Ten."

Bai Yixin lowered his butcher's knife and abruptly turned around. His eyes seemed to shoot out two terrifying rays of light, making everyone shudder. He tossed a Beast Skin bundle onto the ground.

"Ten? That's only just enough to meet the requirement. That can't be your limit, can it?" Elder Xiong Fei asked, a little surprised. With strength like his, he ought to have collected more than that.

"They were too weak. They weren't worth my while." Bai Yixin spoke with the air of a peerless master, though he paused before continuing.

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

Everyone broke into a sweat. How could he say something in such a peerless tone and still make himself sound so timid?

"Ahem. You're a remarkable young talent yourself. You just mentioned that a Black Tiger Beast King came out and rampaged. What happened?" Elder Xiong Fei asked with a dry cough.

This little fellow was quite interesting. The fact that he had taken down the Ancient Crocodiles, the vicious beasts that ruled the Second Battlefield, was enough to show how outstanding his talent was.

"I'm not sure what happened. It seemed like someone deliberately stirred up a beast tide, and then the Black Tiger Beast King came out. Not long afterward, it flew into a rage. Luckily, I was far away. Otherwise, I'd have suffered for it."

Bai Yixin ignored everyone's strange looks. He had achieved what he wanted: shown how powerful he was while making it clear that he knew nothing about the theft of the Black Sha Lotus.

The Heaven-Mending Pavilion's elders furrowed their brows. From what he said, the mountain forest really had been in chaos. Ancient trees had been destroyed, broken branches and fallen trees were everywhere, and some mountain peaks had even collapsed.

Could something have happened?