Time flowed on, swift as a white steed flashing past a gap; several months passed in the blink of an eye.
On this day, Xiao Fan stood high in the sky, his black robes snapping in the wind.
Looking back on the past few months, he was filled with emotion.
Thanks to Xiao Yi Xian, Yun Yun, Medusa, and the entire Demon Division continuously providing him with "energy," his strength had already climbed to the Five-Star Dou Zong realm.
His vast Dou Qi surged recklessly through his body like raging waves.
As for why he had come alone to the skies above this desert today, the reason was simple.
Just moments ago, a clear system notification had sounded in his mind: his Bragging Points had finally surpassed the one-million mark.
"Finally..."
Xiao Fan's lips curved into a faint, satisfied smile.
He owed it all to his lovely and capable maid, Qing Lin.
Every day, Qing Lin tirelessly traveled among the Snake-Person Tribe, embellishing and loudly spreading the stories of him, Great Emperor Xiao Fan.
Meanwhile, he only had to lounge around somewhere and cultivate, and he could easily rake in a massive haul of Bragging Points.
The feeling of collecting points without lifting a finger was simply wonderful.
As expected of my maid! She really is capable!
"System..."
Xiao Fan called softly.
In an instant, the space around him rippled faintly, and a system interface radiating mysterious light appeared before his eyes. "Buy the Beginningless Scripture..."
A profound look flashed through Xiao Fan's eyes, and he issued the command without hesitation.
[Beep! Beginningless Scripture successfully purchased!]
As the system's icy notification sounded, golden scripture appeared around him.
In an instant, heaven and earth changed color, and the winds and clouds shifted.
The sky, originally as blue as a sapphire, was instantly shrouded by billowing dark clouds.
Like ancient beasts from primordial times, the clouds piled atop one another, exuding a pressure that chilled the heart.
Within the clouds, lightning snakes danced wildly. Thick bolts, like colossal axes cleaving open the heavens, crashed down toward the earth, making the entire Tagor Desert flicker between light and shadow.
Xiao Fan's figure stood out sharply against the chaotic sky. He sat cross-legged in midair, his posture as straight as a pine tree.
Crimson-gold scripture seemed alive as it slowly emerged from his body, crawling over his skin until it covered him from head to toe.
Feeling the power of the Beginningless Scripture, Xiao Fan's lips curved slightly upward.
His Innate Sacred Body Dao Fetus was already a rare constitution, one in a billion.
From the moment it was born, this constitution had been endowed with powerful innate advantages. Now, fused with the Beginningless Scripture, it was like a tiger with wings. The moment he began comprehending it, he had already started to delve deeply into the potential of his Innate Sacred Body Dao Fetus.
Nourished by the power of the Beginningless Scripture, Xiao Fan's body began to undergo a complete transformation.
His flesh and blood were like reforged steel, every inch of muscle containing the power to destroy the heavens and shatter the earth.
His bones had become as translucent as jade, giving off a faint sheen.
Now, even if he faced the sharpest divine weapons, he could withstand them with his body alone, without suffering so much as a scratch.
And that wasn't all...
The uniqueness of the Beginningless Scripture lay not only in its ability to enhance a cultivator's strength in every respect, but also in the Dao patterns and laws it contained—the deepest understanding and comprehension of the Great Dao of Heaven and Earth by Great Emperor Beginningless.
In battle, he only needed to circulate the scripture lightly to mobilize the power of heaven and earth, unleashing terrifying strength far beyond that of cultivators at the same level.
Compared with ordinary cultivation techniques that favored either offense or defense, it was comprehensive and profound, encompassing every aspect of a cultivator's advancement, use of power, and comprehension of the Great Dao of Heaven and Earth.
Ordinary techniques could only aid a cultivator in one particular field, but the Beginningless Scripture allowed a cultivator to make a qualitative leap in every dimension.
"No wonder this world doesn't allow it..."
This cultivation technique was simply too powerful!
Xiao Fan glanced up at the increasingly violent tribulation lightning in the sky, his eyes entirely free of fear or panic.
After all, the Beginningless Scripture he had obtained was one of the highest-level scriptures in the Shrouding the Heavens world. Its level far surpassed the so-called Heaven-tier cultivation techniques of this world.
It was only natural that the appearance of such a powerful cultivation technique would provoke a tribulation this terrifying.
Rumble!!!
A dazzling blue bolt crashed down.
But Xiao Fan hovered quietly in the void like an ancient deity, completely ignoring the tribulation lightning above him, which seemed capable of destroying the world.
His eyes were shut tight, his entire mind immersed in comprehending the Beginningless Scripture.
His aura surged like a raging tide, growing ever more vigorous.
His realm, which had been firmly established at Five-Star Dou Zong, now began to rise steadily at a speed that left people speechless.
Five-Star Dou Zong... Six-Star Dou Zong... Seven-Star Dou Zong!
"So that's it... This is the Dao..."
Xiao Fan murmured softly. Though his voice was quiet, it echoed for a long time through the space ravaged by thunder.
Yet his words seemed to enrage the heavens.
In an instant, a bolt of blinding lightning seemed to break through the limits of time and space, hurtling toward Xiao Fan at an unparalleled speed. Its power was enough to reduce a mountain to dust in an instant.
But just as the lightning was about to strike Xiao Fan, a thin layer of scripture suddenly appeared around him.
The scripture glimmered with golden light like ancient divine incantations, radiating an aura of sanctity that could not be violated.
The seemingly fragile characters were now impossibly resilient, firmly blocking the terrifying bolt of lightning.
Lightning collided with scripture in a deafening roar. Countless ripples of energy spread in every direction, kicking up a sandstorm beneath them that blotted out the sky.
Bathed in lightning, Xiao Fan seemed to become one with heaven and earth.
Amid the onslaught and cleansing of the lightning, it was as if he had already pierced the workings of the universe and understood everything in the world.
Far below, Medusa gazed silently up at the sky, watching the scene unfold as though a god had descended.
Her exquisite face was filled with shock and reverence.
Her eyes shimmered with wonder.
"Master is so powerful..."
Medusa sighed softly to herself.
An instinctive submission to the strong made her body tremble slightly.
Her slender, soft tongue unconsciously licked her lips, and a different sort of feeling showed in her eyes.
Medusa understood that she had to cling tightly to her master's coattails; only then could she rise with him in the future...
In the Jia Ma Empire, this land on the Northwest Continent, the once-peaceful sky was suddenly shattered by several figures tearing through the air.
Ten Soul Hall Protectors appeared out of thin air. The black-robed protectors were tall, and beneath their robes, a pair of shadowy eyes gleamed with cold light... They surveyed the land beneath them...