The first rays of morning sunlight had yet to fully dispel the morning mist over the Magical Beast Mountain Range when Xiao Fan's figure flickered into view like a ghost.
He observed the heaven and earth's Dou Qi deep within the Magical Beast Mountain Range and found that there was less of it than when he had absorbed it last time.
"Recovery's so slow... but it'll do..."
Beside him, the Two-Star Dou Zong puppet stood motionless, a faint pressure radiating from its body.
Xiao Fan took a deep breath and brought his palms together. His surging Dou Qi began to churn.
As he released his Dou Qi, the air around him began to tremble violently, as if stirred by an invisible force.
The next instant, a dazzling light flared beneath his feet and spread rapidly in every direction, centered on him.
Wherever the light reached, the earth began to shake. Boulders tumbled down with dull, rumbling crashes.
In the blink of an eye, a grand formation covering most of the Magical Beast Mountain Range's depths rose from the ground.
Its formation lines shimmered with golden light, crisscrossing to sketch out a mysterious and intricate pattern.
Runes surged within the formation, light coursing through them as countless stars seemed to flicker in and out.
It was as if the Milky Way had been hung upside down, its cascading starlight gathering into a brilliant curtain that shrouded the formation.
Under the formation's pressure, the surrounding space warped, as if it could collapse at any moment.
Howling gales swept past, bending the trees in the mountain forests and sending branches and leaves flying everywhere.
The magical beasts dwelling in the mountains sensed this terrifying aura and shrieked in alarm as they fled in every direction.
It was as if, before this power, their usual ferocity had vanished without a trace, leaving only instinctive fear.
Xiao Fan's expression was calm as still water as he watched every subtle change in the formation.
At that moment, he had become one with the grand formation, which radiated an ancient and mighty aura. An indescribable majesty surrounded him.
It was as if he had become the sovereign of heaven and earth in an instant, commanding the cycle of life and death in this world.
"Gather Qi..."
Xiao Fan softly spoke these two words, his low voice echoing across the open expanse.
His purpose this time was clear: he intended to draw on the abundant Dou Qi filling this vast world as a source of energy and temper the Two-Star Dou Zong puppet at the center of the formation to a higher level.
As his hands moved, forming one mysterious and complex seal after another, the energy between heaven and earth seemed to be drawn by some immense force, pouring into the formation like a raging tide.
As the boundless energy poured into it, the puppet at the formation's center steadily grew more powerful.
Three-Star Dou Zong... Four-Star... Five-Star... Eight-Star... Nine-Star... until it reached the peak of the Nine-Star Dou Zong level!
The surging energy sent ripples through the surrounding space.
Yet in the end, it seemed to crash into an invisible wall, unable to advance another step.
"So it really won't work?"
Xiao Fan looked at the puppet, stuck at the Nine-Star Dou Zong level, and couldn't help but show a hint of disdain.
He had secretly hoped he might be able to refine a Dou Zun-level puppet—something that would at least be worth looking at.
But the limitations of the puppet's physical body had stopped it from advancing at this crucial moment.
Xiao Fan curled his lip and clicked his tongue, muttering to himself, "What a piece of junk. Looks like I'll need a body at least at the Dou Zong level..."
After all, Yun Shan was only a mere Dou Emperor. The materials for refining this puppet simply hadn't been good enough; they were far beneath his notice.
Xiao Fan sensed the strength of the Dou Zong puppet again and considered testing it himself... then decided against it. Using even one more move would be an insult to the name of the Young Emperor Body.
"Forget it..."
Xiao Fan sighed softly and swept out his long sleeve. Then he headed toward the Xiao Clan with the Dou Zong puppet, walking through the air.
Actually, according to his original plan, he should have taken the puppet to pay the Misty Cloud Sect a visit first.
But today was different. It was the crucial day when Xiao Yi Xian's Woeful Poison Body would erupt.
After constantly consuming Poison Pills over this period, her Dou Qi had already reached the Dou Ling stage. Today, the poison she had accumulated over the past while would erupt.
For Xiao Fan, that took priority.
When Xiao Fan returned to his room, Xiao Yi Xian was already sitting quietly on his bed.
She wore a long, pure-white dress, its hem spread across the bed as softly as flowing water.
Xiao Yi Xian's features were exquisite as a painting, her lips like cherry blossoms. They lifted into a sweet smile as she softly called, "Brother Xiao Fan~"
Xiao Fan nodded slightly, a faint smile on his face, and strode forward.
The instant he entered the room, the formation that had already been set up activated on its own. Runes glimmered faintly, weaving into an invisible net.
This formation had two wondrous effects: concealment and confinement. Once activated, no matter what earth-shaking events took place inside, the outside world would be unable to detect the slightest sign of them.
"Let's begin..."
Xiao Fan's calm voice rang out. This wasn't the first time the two of them had been through a scene like this. The initial shyness and awkwardness had long since faded through their past experiences, leaving only understanding and ease.
They sat down cross-legged with practiced familiarity, facing each other.
"Mmm..."
As the Woeful Poison Body began to erupt, Xiao Yi Xian let out a strange sound despite herself.
In an instant, her originally glossy black hair turned white at a visible speed. Each silver strand shimmered with an eerie light in the dim room.
A faint, dusky purple glimmer rose in her eyes.
Then the entire room was rapidly filled with a thick, pungent poison gas.
The poison gas was a strange, inky green. It rolled and surged as if it had a life of its own.
Yet Xiao Fan remained completely composed. He drew a deep breath, and the Heaven-Swallowing Demonic Art within him began to circulate at once.
A faint black light appeared around him, swirling like a massive vortex as it drew in all the poison gas filling the room and transformed it into his own reserves.
No one knew how much time had passed.
Just as Xiao Fan was absorbed in the crucial process of taking in the poison gas and increasing his strength, Xiao Yi Xian made a new move.
Her tightly shut eyes opened a fraction, and a sly glimmer flashed deep within them, like that of a clever little fox.
Then her fair legs, which had been folded beneath her, parted slightly before wrapping gently but firmly around Xiao Fan's waist.
"..."
Feeling Xiao Yi Xian's sudden little move, Xiao Fan's lips twitched.
Woman! Don't even think about disrupting my cultivation!
With no other choice, he quickly brought his hands together, trying to cast aside distracting thoughts and return to his state of selfless cultivation.
But Xiao Yi Xian's little movements didn't stop there.
Using the strength of her legs around Xiao Fan's waist, she slowly drew her whole body closer.
Then her soft, warm lips gently pressed against Xiao Fan's cheek, leaving a faint imprint.
Xiao Fan could only open his eyes helplessly. He looked at Xiao Yi Xian, who now seemed both enchanting and breathtakingly beautiful, his gaze full of affection and helplessness.
Xiao Yi Xian softly asked, "Brother, am I not beautiful?"
Before her words had even faded, her arms wound around Xiao Fan's neck like lithe snakes. Their soft lips met, and the eruption of the Woeful Poison Body grew even more intense...
The surroundings seemed to change as well. Fragments of some Great Dao's laws, taking the form of runes, floated impatiently all around him, as if they wanted Xiao Fan to remember them...