Boom-thump! His heartbeat rang out like great bronze bells, and with each beat of Xiao Yan's heart, the entire sea of magma pulsed in rhythm.
When the blood and qi throughout his body reached their peak, the aperture at his heart lit up as well. Boundless divine power poured continuously from his Dao Palace, circulating through his body in an endless cycle.
Perfecting the heart divine treasury and opening his heart aperture lent his blood even greater mystical qualities. He devoured the green lotus core flame completely, wasting not a trace, and charged straight into the second heaven of the Dao Palace.
Normally, the Dao Palaces were opened by following the five elements in either their generating or overcoming sequence. In truth, however, there was no fixed order, so Xiao Yan chose the liver divine treasury for his second Dao Palace. The liver belonged to wood and regulated the flow of qi; its substance was yin, while its function was yang.
The instant he stepped into the second heaven of the Dao Palace, the manifestation of a boundless sea of fire arose again. Golden lotuses swayed within it, now carrying a greater measure of resilience and vitality.
The spreading nature of fire gained some of wood's burgeoning energy. With the two Dao Palaces connected, the energy within Xiao Yan grew still more powerful.
The green lotus core flame, now completely incorporated into Xiao Yan's fundamental essence, flew out of his dantian and merged into the liver divine treasury.
An azure lotus rose from the liver divine treasury, towering between heaven and earth. Once its dense vitality reached its utmost limit, it suddenly burst into flame, and a deity manifested within it.
He wore azure-gold imperial robes and a lotus imperial crown. Azure-red flame patterns lined the edges of his robes,