The Dou Zun Threshold, the Echo of the Otherworldly Demon

The volcanoes at the far southern edge of Central Plains spewed scorching magma year-round, crimson flows of flame winding through the valleys like the pulsing veins of the earth. Xiao Yan sat cross-legged at the rim of the largest crater, beneath him a churning lake of magma, flames of interwoven gold and black circulating around his body, resonating with the fire-attribute energy between heaven and earth.

Half a year had passed since the last Otherworldly Demon stronghold was cleared. The Central Plains Continent grew more vibrant by the day, yet Xiao Yan had chosen to come to this desolate volcanic range for secluded cultivation. The closer he drew to the Dou Zun threshold, the more he could feel the solidity of the bottleneck-it was not merely an accumulation of Dou Qi, but a deep fusion of soul and the energy of heaven and earth.

"Just a little more..." Xiao Yan murmured to himself, when the gold-black flames at his fingertips suddenly leaped violently. He tried to merge the flames into the surrounding magma, but the instant they made contact, backlash struck-the scalding magma congealed into black crystal as if meeting freezing ice. This was a new change that had appeared after the Yellow Mystic Flame fused with the Otherworldly Demon Origin; it could both purify and erode, and the balance between the two forces was growing ever harder to control.

Light footsteps came from beyond the crater. Yao Qing Lin walked through the scorching heat waves carrying a food box, her emerald skirt shimmering with a gentle luster in the firelight. She set the lotus seed soup, chilled with spirit spring water, on a rock and said softly, "Brother Xiao Yan, the Sixth Elder sent word. Senior Xuan Kongzi, while organizing the Pill Tower's ancient texts, discovered records about the 'Otherworldly Demon Origin.'"

Xiao Yan opened his eyes, gold-black light interweaving in his pupils. "The Otherworldly Demon Origin?" Yao Qing Lin nodded and produced a Jade Slip. "The ancient texts say the Otherworldly Demons did not originate in Central Plains, but came from a far more distant place-the 'Outer Demon Realm.' What the first-generation Otherworldly Demon Hall Master fused back then was only a fragment of the origin. The true Otherworldly Demon Origin still drifts beyond the domain, drawing near to Central Plains once every thousand years."

Xiao Yan took the Jade Slip, his soul power sweeping across it, and his expression gradually turned grave. The Jade Slip also recorded that the next approach of the origin would occur in three years. If its connection to Central Plains could not be completely severed by then, the purified Demonic Qi might revive once more. "So peace is only temporary." He put the Jade Slip away. "Does Senior Xuan Kongzi have a way to deal with it?"

"He says we need to refine the 'Boundary Realm Pill' to open a spatial barrier when the origin draws near." A flicker of worry passed through Yao Qing Lin's eyes. "But one of the required ingredients is 'World-Origin Grass.' That herb only grows where Dou Zun experts have fallen, and it hasn't appeared in Central Plains for many years."

Xiao Yan stood up, and the magma automatically parted to form a path beneath his feet. "Perhaps the Ancient Ruins will have clues." He recalled the murals he had seen in the ruins beneath the Endless Sea-the first-generation Hall Master's sword seemed to be entwined with a pattern of World-Origin Grass. "Let's go to the Pill Tower and ask Senior Xuan Kongzi in detail."

The Pill Tower was located in Sacred Pill City in the heart of Central Plains. This city, famed for pill refining, had been rebuilt even more grandly after the great war. When Xiao Yan and Yao Qing Lin arrived, they happened upon the Pill Tower's annual Pill Refining Convention. The streets were packed with alchemists from all over, and the air was thick with the fragrance of medicine.

Xuan Kongzi's study was in the highest pavilion of the Pill Tower, with an endless field of medicinal herbs visible beyond the window. The old man was pondering a Star Map. Seeing Xiao Yan enter, he set down the jade ruler in his hand and smiled. "You've come at the right time. I've just calculated the possible location of the World-Origin Grass." He pointed to a blank spot on the Star Map. "This is 'Fallen Venerable Cliff.' Legend says a Dou Zun fell here in ancient times, but no one has found its exact location in nearly a thousand years."

Xiao Yan looked at the blank region on the Star Map, and his soul power suddenly stirred faintly-the coordinates of that region coincided with the spatial fluctuations he had sensed while cultivating in the volcanoes. "I know where it is." He tapped the Star Map with his fingertip. "The deepest part of the far southern volcanic range. The spatial laws there are extremely unstable-that should be the entrance to Fallen Venerable Cliff."

A flash of delight crossed Xuan Kongzi's eyes. "Just as I thought! The ancient texts say Fallen Venerable Cliff is hidden by spatial rifts, and only a powerhouse who can stir the energy of heaven and earth can discover it." He produced a pill formula. "This is the refining method for the Boundary Realm Pill. It requires World-Origin Grass as the main ingredient, supplemented by three types of Heavenly Flames and your gold-black flames."

Xiao Yan took the pill formula and found the refining steps to be extraordinarily complex, with demands on flame control reaching an almost inconceivable level. He pondered for a moment. "I can try, but I'll need time to familiarize myself with the formula." Xuan Kongzi nodded. "No rush. There are still three years. First go to Fallen Venerable Cliff and find the World-Origin Grass. Leave the rest to us."

As they left the Pill Tower, brilliant Pill Flames lit up the night sky over Sacred Pill City. Yao Qing Lin looked at the streaking lights across the sky and smiled. "I heard Sister Wang Yue also came to the Pill Refining Convention. Her 'Profound Water Pill' took first place in the preliminaries." Xiao Yan followed her gaze and saw a crowd gathered before the Wang Family's display platform. Wang Yue was holding a jade ladle, focused on stirring the medicinal liquid in her cauldron, a few specks of powder staining her dark robe but not diminishing her heroic spirit in the least.

When the three met at the Pill Tower plaza, Wang Yue had just finished her final match. She handed a crystalline pill to Xiao Yan. "This was refined with the spirit spring from Black Wind Mountain Range. It can stabilize soul power and may help you break through to Dou Zun." Xiao Yan took the pill and could feel the gentle energy contained within. He teased with a smile, "Seems the Wang Family isn't just good at body refining-your pill refining is about to catch up with the Yao Clan."

Wang Yue's cheeks flushed slightly. "It was just luck. By the way, I met an alchemist from the Western Region during the competition. He said strange black mist has appeared there. Anyone who touches it falls into a deep sleep-very similar to the symptoms of Demonic Qi erosion." Xiao Yan and Yao Qing Lin exchanged a glance, both their eyes flashing with gravity-could the Demonic Qi really be reviving?

The three hurried to the Western Region without pause. The scene here was utterly different from the heart of Central Plains. Slumbering herdsmen lay scattered across the withered yellow grasslands, their faces serene as if merely asleep, but soul power detection revealed that their souls were wrapped in a faint black qi.

"It's not the Demonic Qi of the Otherworldly Demon Hall." Xiao Yan's gold-black flames gently touched the brow of a herdsman. The black qi did not dissipate upon meeting the flames-instead it grew denser. "This power is gentler, yet harder to remove. It's like... some kind of mental suggestion." Yao Qing Lin produced silver needles and inserted them into the herdsman's acupoints. "Their vitality is unharmed, but the connection between soul and body has been severed."

In the largest town of the Western Region, the three found the alchemist who had sent word. He was a gaunt old man, using specially prepared incense to disperse the black mist. "The black mist drifts from 'Soul-Confusing Valley' to the north. It used to be an ordinary valley, but three months ago it suddenly began emitting black smoke." He handed Xiao Yan a bottle of medicine. "This was refined from the local 'Soul-Awakening Flower.' It can temporarily wake the sleepers, but its effectiveness is growing weaker."

The entrance to Soul-Confusing Valley was shrouded in thick black mist. Within the mist, distorted lights and shadows could be faintly seen, as if countless figures were swaying inside. Xiao Yan circulated his soul power to probe, and deep within the black mist he sensed a familiar aura-of the same origin as the remnant soul of the first-generation Otherworldly Demon Hall Master, but purer, containing no trace of erosion.

"Let's go in and see." With gold-black flames guarding his body, Xiao Yan stepped into the black mist first. The scene inside astonished all three of them: at the center of the valley grew an enormous black flower, its petals layered upon layers, each petal bearing the face of a sleeper. The black mist was emanating from the flower's core.

"This is... the 'Dream Soul Flower'?" Yao Qing Lin stared at the flower, disbelief filling her eyes. "An ancient exotic flower recorded in the old texts, able to absorb living beings' dreams and convert them into energy. How could it appear here?" Xiao Yan approached the flower, and his gold-black flames suddenly leaped violently. The faces on the petals simultaneously opened their eyes, letting out silent screams.

"It's calling for help." Xiao Yan's heart stirred. The flames at his fingertips gently touched the petals, and the flower suddenly trembled violently. A blurry image surfaced in the black mist-countless Dream Soul Flowers blooming in the Outer Demon Realm, uprooted by a gigantic demonic hand. Only this one had drifted through a spatial rift to Central Plains.

"It's not eroding souls-it's afraid." Xiao Yan suddenly understood. "Something may have happened beyond the domain. It's transmitting information to Central Plains through dreams." Yao Qing Lin produced a jade bottle and collected some of the black mist. "This mist contains a great deal of information from beyond the domain. We might be able to decipher more from it."

Just then, the Dream Soul Flower suddenly contracted violently. The faces on the petals vanished one by one, transforming into a streak of light that shot into Xiao Yan's brow. Countless fragmented images flooded his mind: the starry sky of the Outer Demon Realm, floating continents, innumerable Otherworldly Demons kneeling in worship before a colossal dark shadow... Finally, it froze on three ancient words-"World-Devouring Demon."

"World-Devouring Demon..." Xiao Yan murmured, a chill rising from the depths of his heart. The terrifying aura contained in those three words far surpassed the combined might of the twelve Hall Masters and the first-generation Hall Master. The message from the Dream Soul Flower was clear: what would approach Central Plains in three years was not the Otherworldly Demon Origin, but the Vanguard Force of the World-Devouring Demon. The Otherworldly Demon Hall was merely their outpost.

"We must find the World-Origin Grass as soon as possible and refine the Boundary Realm Pill." A flash of resolve passed through Xiao Yan's eyes. "Not only to sever the connection, but to prepare for battle." Wang Yue gripped her Heavy Sword. "The Wang Family is willing to dispatch all its forces to help search for Fallen Venerable Cliff." Yao Qing Lin nodded. "The Yao Clan will give full support as well. Whatever comes, we must hold Central Plains."

When they left Soul-Confusing Valley, the black mist had dispersed, and the slumbering herdsmen gradually awakened. Xiao Yan channeled his gold-black flames into the roots of the Dream Soul Flower. The flower bloomed anew with pure white petals, no longer emitting black mist but releasing gentle energy that nourished the parched valley.

"It will guard the Western Region here." Xiao Yan looked at the flower, revived with vitality. "Just as we guard Central Plains." The three turned and departed, their figures disappearing at the end of the grasslands. Under the setting sun, the Dream Soul Flower's petals reflected golden light, as if seeing them off.

Deep within the far southern volcanic range, Xiao Yan stood before an enormous spatial rift. The rift flickered with seven-colored light, and on the cliff face opposite, a crystalline little grass could be faintly seen, its leaves coursing with the fluctuations of spatial energy-it was the World-Origin Grass.

"Fallen Venerable Cliff really is here." Xiao Yan drew a deep breath, gold-black flames forming a barrier around his body. "I'll go in and get the World-Origin Grass. You two wait here in support." Yao Qing Lin and Wang Yue nodded, each setting up defensive and warning formations.

The instant he stepped into the spatial rift, Xiao Yan felt all his Dou Qi suppressed, yet his soul power became extraordinarily sharp. Countless remnant souls of Dou Zun experts floated within the rift. Though their auras were faint, they contained pure energy laws. The gold-black flames automatically guarded their master, gently wrapping the approaching remnant souls and guiding their power to merge into him.

"This is the key to breaking through to Dou Zun." Xiao Yan suddenly understood. Dou Zun was not merely an accumulation of Dou Qi, but an understanding and application of the energy laws of heaven and earth. The law force contained in these remnant souls was precisely the opportunity he needed most.

He no longer rushed to find the World-Origin Grass. Instead, he sat cross-legged within the rift, letting the gold-black flames guide the remnant souls' power through his entire body. Dou Qi, soul, and laws interwove within him, forming a constantly rotating vortex. When the vortex reached its peak, Xiao Yan's aura began to soar-One-Star Dou Zun, Two-Star Dou Zun... only stabilizing at Three-Star Dou Zun.

"Finally... a breakthrough." Xiao Yan opened his eyes, seeming to have flowing light turning within his pupils. He raised his hand and waved; the gold-black flames transformed into a bridge, easily spanning the spatial rift to uproot the World-Origin Grass. The instant the grass leaves left the soil, the entire Fallen Venerable Cliff began to tremble. Countless remnant souls let out sighs of satisfaction, gradually dissipating into the rift.

When Xiao Yan walked out of the rift with the World-Origin Grass, Yao Qing Lin and Wang Yue simultaneously sensed the change in him, delight flashing in their eyes. "You broke through?" Xiao Yan nodded and handed the World-Origin Grass to Yao Qing Lin. "Hurry back to the Pill Tower. Have Senior Xuan Kongzi begin preparing to refine the Boundary Realm Pill."

He looked toward the western sky, where the clouds faintly tinged with black. "Three years is enough time for us to prepare." Gold-black flames blazed in his palm, reflecting a resolute gaze. Whatever they were about to face-the World-Devouring Demon or an even stronger enemy-he had the confidence to protect this hard-won peace.

The rebirth of Central Plains was not yet complete, and new challenges were already quietly brewing. But this time, Xiao Yan was no longer alone. Beside him were companions fighting shoulder to shoulder, and behind him countless people yearning for peace. Their battle had only just begun.