Frozen Echoes, the Dou Zong Realm

The snow across the Frozen Wasteland slowly melted in the lingering warmth of the Mysterious Yellow Earth-Core Flame, exposing the black soil beneath. Xiao Yan sat at the edge of the enormous crater left by the battle a year ago. Golden flames flickered at his fingertips like steady breaths, illuminating his calm profile. A full year had passed since the decisive battle that had determined the fate of the Central Plains.

Over that year, the Central Plains Continent had slowly begun to recover. The Myriad Spirits Purification Arrays continued operating throughout the major mountain ranges, and lands polluted by demonic qi gradually regained their vitality. Refugees returned to their hometowns one after another to rebuild their homes. The Soul Hall had taken the lead in establishing the Demon-Extermination Alliance, regularly dispatching powerful fighters to eliminate the remaining Otherworldly Demon forces, while the Pill Tower and the Yao Clan worked together to improve the Purification Pill, restoring the health of more people afflicted by demonic qi.

Xiao Yan, meanwhile, had chosen to enter secluded cultivation in the Frozen Wasteland. After the baptism of that great battle, the Heaven and Earth Spiritual Energy here was sparse but exceptionally pure. Together with the residual Otherworldly Demon energy, it made this an ideal place to temper his Dou Qi. He had carved out a stone chamber at the bottom of the crater and used the twelve bonded demonic artifacts seized from the Otherworldly Demon hall masters as formation anchors to establish a Heaven-Burning Body-Refinement Array.

"Whew..." Xiao Yan slowly exhaled a breath of stale air. The Dou Qi in his dantian surged through his meridians like boiling magma, never resting. The barrier at the peak of Five-Star Dou Emperor had already begun to loosen. After purifying vast quantities of demonic qi, the Mysterious Yellow Earth-Core Flame had grown more condensed. The runes emerging within its golden flames became increasingly distinct, faintly forming a miniature purification array.

Throughout that year, he had wrestled daily with the medicinal power of the Heaven-Burning Pill within him. The energy of a Peak Eighth-Tier Pill was far too domineering; the slightest misstep could send his Dou Qi spiraling out of control. Using the pressure of the Heaven-Burning Body-Refinement Array, he had forced its medicinal power into every limb and bone, thread by thread. Not only had this stabilized his Five-Star Dou Emperor cultivation, but it had also pushed his physical strength to the utmost limit of the Dou Emperor level.

A faint vibration came from the stone chamber's entrance. Yao Qing Lin walked in carrying a food box, her emerald skirt strikingly vivid against the dim stone walls. She placed a steaming bowl of spiritual porridge on the stone table, then looked at Xiao Yan with a flicker of relief in her eyes. "Brother Xiao Yan, your aura is even stronger than it was yesterday. It looks like you'll break through within the next few days."

Xiao Yan opened his eyes, a golden gleam flashing through them before vanishing. "I still need a catalyst. The last trace of the Heaven-Burning Pill's medicinal power is lodged deep within my dantian. The Mysterious Yellow Flame can't refine it for now." He accepted the porridge and lifted a spoonful to his lips. "Any news from the alliance?"

Yao Qing Lin sat opposite him and took out a communication Jade Slip. "The Sixth Elder said they discovered an unrecorded Otherworldly Demon Altar deep in the Black Wind Mountain Range. They suspect it's a contingency left behind by the twelve hall masters. Liu Changkong has already headed there with the Pill Tower disciples. He asked us to come support them as soon as we finish our secluded cultivation."

Xiao Yan's brow furrowed slightly. "The Black Wind Mountain Range again... Its spiritual veins only recovered recently. We can't let them be polluted again." He drained the bowl of porridge, rose, and stretched his limbs, his bones crackling sharply. "Perhaps the catalyst for my breakthrough is waiting there."

Yao Qing Lin looked worried. "But you're so close to breaking through. Wouldn't leaving now be dangerous?" Xiao Yan smiled, a cluster of Mysterious Yellow Flame igniting at his fingertips. "The Heaven-Burning Pill's medicinal power needs greater pressure to draw it out. Ordinary secluded cultivation won't work anymore. Perhaps fighting Otherworldly Demons is the only way to find the catalyst I need."

He walked to the center of the stone chamber and returned the twelve bonded demonic artifacts to his Storage Ring. These artifacts had once struck terror into the Central Plains' powerful fighters at the mere mention of them. After a year of purification by the Mysterious Yellow Flame, their black demonic qi had faded, revealing their ancient, unadorned forms. The ancient runes engraved on them were faintly visible.

"Let's go." Xiao Yan unfurled his Azure Luan Wings, his golden feathers tracing a streak of light through the stone chamber. "Let's meet those hidden Otherworldly Demon remnants." Yao Qing Lin nodded and took out a newly forged longsword. A faint medicinal fragrance drifted from its blade. This was the Clear Resonance Sword, which she had spent a year painstakingly refining, and it could amplify the power of purification-type Dou Techniques.

The two left the Frozen Wasteland and raced toward the Black Wind Mountain Range. The scenery along the way was completely different from a year ago. Cooking smoke curled above rebuilt towns, tender green crops filled the fields, and children chased one another along the roadside. Occasionally, patrols from the Demon-Extermination Alliance passed by. Everything was changing for the better.

"The altar is just ahead." Yao Qing Lin pointed toward a mist-shrouded valley. "Liu Changkong and the others have set up an array outside the valley. They're waiting for us to join them." Xiao Yan circulated his soul power, piercing the thick mist to sense the situation inside. An enormous Otherworldly Demon crouched at the center of the altar. Its aura had actually reached the peak of the eighth rank, equivalent to a human Peak Dou Emperor!

Even more alarming, the runes carved around the altar were slowly rotating, converting the valley's spiritual energy into demonic qi. They were clearly attempting to reopen a spatial rift. "This Otherworldly Demon is sacrificing its own origin power to accelerate the array!" Xiao Yan's expression shifted slightly. "We have to stop it immediately, or the consequences will be unthinkable!"

Liu Changkong had long been waiting outside the valley. Seeing Xiao Yan arrive, he immediately went to greet him. "Young friend Xiao Yan, you're finally here. This Otherworldly Demon is exceptionally cunning. Its demonic qi repelled several of our assaults." He pointed at the Otherworldly Demon in the valley, his eyes grave. "Its innate ability can devour Dou Qi. Ordinary attacks don't work on it."

Xiao Yan looked into the valley. The Otherworldly Demon resembled a gigantic bear, its entire body covered in pitch-black scales. Every breath drew in the surrounding spiritual energy. A vertical eye on its forehead gleamed with an eerie green light, clearly the source of its power. "It's a Qi-Devouring Demon Bear, an ancient Otherworldly Demon recorded in old texts. It feeds on Dou Qi and spiritual energy."

He drew the Heavy Sword, and the Mysterious Yellow Flame blazed along its blade. "Ordinary attacks won't work on him, but my Mysterious Yellow Flame can purify his origin demonic qi. Pavilion Master Liu, sorry for the trouble, but please lead your disciples in setting up a containment array. I'll slay this demon bear!" Liu Changkong nodded. "Leave it to us! The Pill Tower's Nine-Palace Spirit-Locking Array can temporarily sever his connection to the Heaven and Earth Spiritual Energy!"

At Liu Changkong's command, twenty Pill Tower disciples acted simultaneously. The radiance of the Nine-Palace Spirit-Locking Array instantly enveloped the valley. Sensing that his supply of spiritual energy had been cut off, the Qi-Devouring Demon Bear let out an enraged roar. His enormous paw slammed into the ground, and countless demonic qi tentacles burst from beneath the earth, lunging toward the Pill Tower disciples outside the array.

"Now!" Xiao Yan unfurled his Azure Luan Wings and shot toward the demon bear like an arrow loosed from its bow. The Mysterious Yellow Flame condensed into a golden spear in his hand. With the force to purify all things, it thrust toward the vertical eye on the demon bear's forehead. "Roar!" Sensing a mortal threat, the demon bear opened his mouth and spat out a mass of pitch-black demonic qi, which collided with the golden spear.

"Sss!" The demonic qi released an ear-piercing hiss upon contact with the Mysterious Yellow Flame, boiling violently like hot oil meeting water. Xiao Yan could sense a familiar trace within the demon bear's demonic qi. It shared the same origin as the twelve hall masters' bonded demonic artifacts. Clearly, the bear had evolved to the peak of the eighth rank by absorbing their remaining power.

"Break!" Xiao Yan shouted in a low voice, pouring more Dou Qi into the spear. Like a wildfire sweeping across the plains, the golden flames instantly swallowed the pitch-black demonic qi. Without pausing, the spear pierced the demon bear's vertical eye. "Aah!" The demon bear let out a shrill scream. His enormous body began to collapse, dissolving into countless streaks of black light that darted toward the runes at the center of the altar.

"Trying to activate the array? Not so easy!" Xiao Yan would never let him succeed. He swept the Heavy Sword across, unleashing the Four-Symbol Heaven-Burning Flame. Gold, azure, red, and blue flames formed an enormous vortex, drawing in all the scattering demonic qi. The Mysterious Yellow Flame spun furiously at the vortex's center, purifying the demonic qi bit by bit and converting it into pure energy to replenish itself.

Just then, the Heaven-Burning Pill's medicinal power suddenly erupted within his dantian! Perhaps because he had absorbed the demon bear's origin demonic qi, that last trace of domineering medicinal power burst forth like a volcano, battering the barrier at the peak of Dou Emperor. Xiao Yan's vision went black. His meridians felt as though they were being torn apart, and even the circulation of the Mysterious Yellow Flame grew erratic.

"Brother Xiao Yan!" Yao Qing Lin's voice trembled with tears. The Clear Resonance Sword became a streak of green light, shielding him and cutting all the remaining demonic qi to pieces. Liu Changkong also led his disciples in an attack, temporarily stabilizing their position.

Xiao Yan clenched his teeth, enduring the pain of his meridians tearing. He knew this was his last chance to break through! He guided the violent medicinal power into an assault on the barrier at the peak of Dou Emperor. Once, twice, three times... The barrier did not budge. Instead, the force of the backlash made him cough up a mouthful of blood.

Can I really not do it? A trace of despair flashed through Xiao Yan's heart. Before his eyes appeared the comrades who had fallen in the battle of the Frozen Wasteland, the hopeful gazes of the people rebuilding their homes, and Yao Qing Lin's worried face. No! I can't give up!

He abruptly raised his head, a hint of madness flashing in his eyes. He made an extremely dangerous decision: he would draw the Mysterious Yellow Flame into his dantian and use the Heaven-Burning Pill's medicinal power to forcibly ignite his Dou Qi! Golden flames surged down his meridians into his dantian, colliding with the violent medicinal power in an earth-shaking explosion.

Boom! Xiao Yan's body erupted in roaring golden flames like an ignited firecracker. His aura soared at a visibly astonishing rate. The peak of Five-Star Dou Emperor, six stars, seven stars... Only when it reached the utmost limit of the Dou Huang Realm did it abruptly pause. Then, like a butterfly breaking free of its cocoon, it burst forth with entirely new power!

"This is... Dou Zong!" Liu Changkong's eyes widened, disbelief written across his face. In a single instant, Xiao Yan's aura had crossed the vast chasm between Dou Emperor and Dou Zong, reaching the realm countless people dreamed of attaining!

Xiao Yan slowly opened his eyes, his gaze calm and still. The instant he broke through to Dou Zong, he felt the entire world change. The Heaven and Earth Spiritual Energy seemed as easy to command as his own arm. The Mysterious Yellow Flame's purification power had increased more than tenfold, and even his soul power had undergone a qualitative transformation. He could clearly sense every blade of grass and every tree within a hundred-li radius.

With a wave of his hand, the golden Mysterious Yellow Flame seemed to come alive, forming an enormous flame array on its own and completely purifying the runes on the altar. The last lingering trace of the Qi-Devouring Demon Bear's consciousness let out a defiant howl before the flames finally swallowed him, dispersing him between heaven and earth.

"He did it..." Looking at the Dou Zong aura surrounding Xiao Yan, Yao Qing Lin's eyes brimmed with tears of joy. Liu Changkong stepped forward and cupped his hands. "Young friend Xiao Yan... No, Master Xiao Yan, congratulations on breaking through to the Dou Zong realm! It is truly a blessing for the Central Plains to have someone as powerful as you!"

Xiao Yan smiled faintly, feeling the Dou Zong-level Dou Qi surging within him. "This is only the beginning. The twelve hall masters may have been destroyed, but the threat of the Otherworldly Demons hasn't disappeared. We still have to work harder if we're to protect this continent completely." He looked toward the depths of the Black Wind Mountain Range, resolve shining in his eyes.

After breaking through to Dou Zong, he could feel a closer connection between the Mysterious Yellow Flame and the Heaven and Earth Spiritual Energy. Perhaps he would soon master the Qi-to-Wings Transformation that only Dou Zong experts could perform. Now that he had completely refined the Heaven-Burning Pill's medicinal power, his strength had stabilized at One-Star Dou Zong. With the Mysterious Yellow Flame and the Mystic Treasure Bodyguard Armor, he was strong enough to contend with a Three-Star Dou Zong.

On the way back to the alliance headquarters, Xiao Yan received a message from the Sixth Elder. The Demon-Extermination Alliance had decided to hold the second Central Plains Factions Conference in a month to discuss plans for completely eliminating the Otherworldly Demon remnants. They had also invited him to serve as the alliance's Honorary Elder. "Looks like we'll have more and more to do from now on," Xiao Yan said to Yao Qing Lin with a smile.

Yao Qing Lin nodded, anticipation flickering in her eyes. "I heard that after the conference, the Soul Hall will open the entrance to an ancient ruin. There might be secrets about the origins of the Otherworldly Demons inside. With your current strength, you're sure to reap tremendous rewards there." Xiao Yan tightened his grip on the Heavy Sword, the Mysterious Yellow Flame dancing in his palm. "Whatever those secrets are, I'll uncover them. For the Central Plains, and for ourselves."

Beneath the setting sun, two figures traveled side by side, golden wings and an emerald skirt reflecting each other in the evening glow. The decisive battle in the Frozen Wasteland had ended, but Xiao Yan's legend had only just begun. The Dou Zong realm was merely his first step toward the summit. A far vaster world awaited his exploration.