I Can Solidify All Talents: Battle Through the Heavens

In this remote Tagor Desert, whatever mysterious thing could block Xiao Qing's Soul Power perception was certainly no ordinary object!

That place blocking my Soul Power perception is very likely where the Green Lotus Core Flame was born!

Xiao Qing sank into thought, growing increasingly certain of his guess.

Just then, his Soul Power perception caught a scorching aura suddenly appearing at the edge of that isolated region.

Xiao Qing looked closely with his senses and discovered that it was an enormous Magical Beast!

The beast was four or five zhang long, its entire body covered in fiery crimson scales.

Two savage snake heads sat atop its long neck, four vertical pupils gleaming viciously as it happily circled the mysterious place.

It was a Tier 4 Magical Beast—the Two-Headed Fire Spirit Snake!

This kind of pure Fire Attribute Magical Beast naturally loved dwelling in places filled with magma. The underground lava was its ideal Training Grounds and nest.

Its appearance here, coupled with that mysterious place that blocked Soul Power perception, revealed the answer in an instant!

As expected! The place blocking my Soul Power perception must be where the Green Lotus Core Flame was born!

Xiao Qing's eyes flashed brightly, a trace of excitement rising in his heart.

The Heavenly Flame he had searched for so long was finally right before him!

"If it can block the perception of your Peak Mortal Realm soul, then it must be a heavenly treasure. It seems our target is most likely at the very bottom of this basin!"

Old Yao's voice carried a hint of understanding and anticipation as well.

"Then we'll blast through the crust and go down to investigate!"

Xiao Qing nodded and spoke directly.

Briefly Entering the Dou Zong Realm; One Finger Pierces Heaven and Earth!

He took a deep breath. The Dou Qi pathways behind his back began to flow, and a pair of purple wings suddenly unfolded!

Black Rank High-grade flying Dou Skill—Purple Cloud Wings!

He had obtained them from a cave in the Magical Beast Mountain Range, where he had also found the Fragmented Map of the Purifying Demonic Lotus Flame.

Xiao Qing's wings abruptly flapped, and his body shot toward the sky like a golden-red arrow.

In the blink of an eye, he had reached the air directly above the basin where energy ran wild.

Below him lay a Gobi desert filled with towering boulders and violent energy currents, while above him was an unusually clear sky seemingly cut off by some invisible force.

The desert's hot wind stirred several strands of hair before his forehead, now turned golden-red. Yet his youthful face bore a calmness far beyond his years.

He took a deep breath of hot air, and a sharp gleam flashed through his eyes.

"Teacher, lend me your strength!"

Xiao Qing shouted softly. Though his voice was not loud, it echoed clearly through the surrounding area under the cover of Dou Qi.

"I'll force open the ground and blast a passage straight down to the underground lava!"

"You brat... you really know how to trouble this old man." Old Yao laughed and scolded helplessly, though his tone carried appreciation and praise.

Before his words had faded, an incomparably vast and chillingly terrifying power surged out from the black ring. It was the source power of the Bone Chilling Flame, carrying Old Yao's strength!

The next instant, bone-white Bone Chilling Flame surfaced around Xiao Qing's body, instantly enveloping him from head to toe.

The black hair on his head, along with his eyebrows, turned snow-white at a visible speed.

A terrifying power that did not belong to him awakened like a sleeping ancient dragon and erupted completely from within his body!

His powerful aura began to soar at an incredible speed, instantly breaking through the boundaries of Dou Wang and Dou Emperor!

It finally stabilized at the Peak Dou Emperor level!

This was the temporary enhancement brought by Old Yao's Soul Power and the source power of the Bone Chilling Flame!

However, it was not over yet.

Xiao Qing's own golden-red Dou Qi suddenly surged as well, merging with the Bone Chilling Flame around his body.

Golden-red and bone-white intertwined. Strangely enough, the two powers did not clash directly!

Instead, they formed a heaven-shaking phenomenon like the sun and moon shining together!

Under Xiao Qing's powerful soul control, along with the harmonizing effect of his Innate Spirit Body,

Old Yao's power was temporarily converted and absorbed, then perfectly integrated into Xiao Qing's own strength!

Buzz!

An even more terrifying fluctuation erupted!

The critical threshold of Peak Dou Emperor was shattered directly, and his aura entered an entirely new realm!

Dou Zong!

At that moment, with Old Yao's strength and the combination of his Burning Mantra and Law of Fire,

Xiao Qing temporarily stepped into the realm of Dou Zong—the threshold of true experts on this continent!

Xiao Qing slowly raised his right hand, his five fingers slightly spread.

Everything centered on him. The Fire Attribute energy within several miles seemed to answer an irresistible summons, frantically gathering toward his palm.

The surging energy even formed a crimson vortex visible to the naked eye in the air.

All the energy of heaven and earth, along with all its might, was forcibly compressed and condensed by his powerful Soul Power.

In the end, a layer of golden-red radiance covered his palm, scattering heart-palpitating golden-red sparks.

Even the space around those sparks could not withstand such extreme power. It began to twist slightly, rippling with fine distortions.

He was about to unleash an Earth Rank Low-grade Dou Skill—Finger of Nirvana!

This time, he concentrated all his power at one point, pursuing absolute penetration and destruction!

This would be the strongest strike he had ever unleashed!

Xiao Qing's gaze sharpened as he looked down at the point in the basin where the energy was most chaotic...

Then, he suddenly thrust out a finger!

The golden-red and bone-white flame energy condensed at his fingertip shone like a radiance tearing apart the heavens.

Carrying incomparable momentum, it blasted directly into the Gobi ground below!

Boom—!!!

A deafening explosion erupted!

The radiance at the point of impact instantly swallowed everything, while an indescribably terrifying wave of energy spread outward like ripples!

Wherever the residual energy passed, the sand dunes within several miles were not merely blasted away—they were instantly vaporized by the extreme heat.

All that remained was a vast stretch of gleaming material melted into a glass-like state!

Meanwhile, that power of Nirvana pierced through layer upon layer of earth and rock with unstoppable force.

A massive pit over a hundred meters in diameter appeared at the center of the basin!

The edges of the hollow were as smooth as mirrors, possessing the glassy texture of cooled lava and billowing thick smoke!

Through that bottomless, dark passageway leading straight underground, it seemed like a gateway into another world...

An incomparably pure and scorching Fire Attribute energy mixed with a pungent sulfurous smell, erupting skyward like a volcano suppressed for ten thousand years!

A dark-red pillar of energy pierced through heaven and earth!

At the same time, within the Holy City of the Snake-People Tribe deep in the desert.

Deep inside a quiet and magnificent palace, a bewitching figure with breathtaking curves suddenly opened her eyes upon the throne.

Shock and gravity filled her peerlessly beautiful face, which could enchant all living beings.

"This fluctuation of power... what happened?"

Queen Medusa straightened up, supported by her beautiful snake tail. Her slender fingertips turned faintly pale from the force she exerted.

Just moments ago, a terrifying wave of power that made even her feel small and alarmed had swept over the Holy City from afar like a violent gale.

Though it had lasted only an instant, it was enough to trigger tremendous panic and unrest throughout the Holy City!

She could clearly sense the fear that had risen among her people in that instant!

"Hua She'er!"

Her cool voice, carrying unquestionable majesty, traveled beyond the hall.

"Your Majesty!"

Hua She'er, captain of the Snake-People guards outside the palace, immediately responded.

"Pass down the order. Do everything possible to calm the people of the Holy City! Without my command, no one is to act rashly!"

Queen Medusa issued her orders quickly. Her alluring eyes turned toward the source of the power fluctuation, filled with wariness and resolve.

"I will personally go and investigate!"

Before her words had ended, Dou Qi surged wildly around her, condensing into a pair of gorgeous energy wings.

With one beat of those wings, she transformed into a violet streak of light and shot through the opening at the top of the palace.

At her fastest speed, she raced toward the depths of the Tagor Desert, toward the source of that eruption of power.

Deep underground—

The mysterious place shielded from perception, along with the Two-Headed Fire Spirit Snake guarding it, seemed to grow restless because of that heaven-shaking strike from above.

The lava churned even more violently. Both heads of the Two-Headed Fire Spirit Snake rose at once, its four vertical pupils warily fixed on the forcibly opened passage as it let out threatening hisses.

Xiao Qing hovered above the enormous hollow, his burning gaze fixed on the bottomless darkness below and the faintly transmitted scorching aura and beastly hisses.

He slowly withdrew his outstretched finger, lowered his head, and stared intently at his long palm, which contained terrifying power.

An unprecedented sensation of strength filled every corner of his body!

The Terrifying Might of a Dou Zong; Entering the Underground World

"So this is... the power of a Dou Zong..."

He murmured softly, his voice carrying an unconcealable trace of shock and intoxication.

When he had unleashed that Finger of Nirvana just now!

The feeling of controlling the energy of heaven and earth, of seeming able to briefly twist even space itself, had been deeply engraved in his soul.

He could clearly sense that the destructive power of ultimate penetration contained within that finger strike was absolutely not something an ordinary Dou Zong could withstand!

He had an instinctive feeling that even a Mid-stage Dou Zong, if struck head-on by that finger just now,

would suffer severe injuries even if they did not die, or perhaps even... be completely annihilated.

The feeling of wielding such incomparably powerful strength was enough to make anyone's blood surge and even give rise to boundless ambition in their heart!

However, just as that sensation of power was nearly clouding his mind!

"Hmph."

A cold snort rang out like a bell directly within the depths of his mind.

It was Old Yao!

"Wake up, brat!"

Old Yao's voice carried a hint of severity and warning.

"Do not let this borrowed power suddenly cloud your heart! Though Dou Zongs are powerful and can dominate a region in the Northwest Continent, in the entire Dou Qi Continent, they have merely stepped across the threshold of true experts! The true peak is far beyond anything you can imagine!"

"Moreover, this borrowed power is ultimately external. It does not belong to you and cannot last! If you become addicted to it, even lose yourself in it, and abandon your pursuit of your own foundation, then you will be destroying your own future!"

Xiao Qing froze, then shuddered sharply as though a bucket of cold water had been poured over his head. He instantly woke from the intoxication of that terrifying power.

That was right!

No matter how powerful it was, this strength had only been temporarily converted through Old Yao's Soul Power. It did not truly belong to him.

If he became addicted to such false strength and developed a dependence on it, then what would be the meaning of his cultivation, of his pursuit to stand at the pinnacle of the world?

The purpose of gaining strength was to better control his own fate—to wield power himself, not let power control him and turn him into its slave!