The Dou Qi Continent Was No Simple Place!

To Jiang Yun, the Saint Heavenly Demon Flame was important, but so was the unknown information about the Dou Qi Continent.

Qing Ming gave Jiang Yun an approving glance. The ability to quickly regain his composure in the face of temptation was an important quality, too.

"When I descended upon this continent, I sensed traces of battles involving dozens of Heavenly Sovereigns," Qing Ming said in a low, distant voice, his gaze fixed on Jiang Yun.

At first, Jiang Yun found Qing Ming's words hard to believe. But he soon realized the key to it. From what he knew, the Dou Qi Continent had once enjoyed immense glory, with Dou Di emerging one after another.

There were more than a dozen known Dou Di alone, and all of them had disappeared back then.

A Dou Di from the Dou Qi Continent would be a Quasi-Heavenly Sovereign upon reaching the Great Thousand World. The outstanding ones might even be Heavenly Sovereigns. With so many disappearing at once, it seemed things might not have been as simple as ascension.

"Was it the Outer Realm Evil Clan?" Jiang Yun guessed.

The only battle Jiang Yun could think of that involved over a hundred Heavenly Sovereigns was the great war nearly fifty thousand years ago.

The Heavenly Evil God had launched a full-scale invasion of the Great Thousand World, and these Lower Planes would naturally have been among his targets. Perhaps the Dou Qi Continent had not been an ordinary Lower Plane back then at all. It might even have been a battlefield between the two sides.

"Indeed. Of those hundred Heavenly Sovereigns, nearly half left auras that carried an evil presence-the very aura of the Outer Realm Evil Clan."

"Senior, do you know where they died?" Now that the deaths of Heavenly Sovereigns were confirmed, how could Jiang Yun not be tempted?

"I don't!" Unfortunately, Qing Ming disappointed him. He slowly shook his head. "You'll have to search for them yourself in the future."

"That's fine. Once I'm strong enough, I'll go looking. Since the people native to this continent haven't discovered them after all these years, they must be hidden in some concealed space-or perhaps they're long gone. I'll just treat it as a goal to spur me on along my cultivation journey!"

Jiang Yun was not disappointed by this answer. Or rather, he had already prepared himself for it.

Nearly fifty thousand years had passed since the all-out war between the Outer Realm Evil Clan and the Great Thousand World. Over the Dou Qi Continent's long history, aside from Tou She Ancient God, the last Dou Di born from heavenly flames,

there had been a vast span of time in which many other Dou Di had emerged, including the ancestors of the Ancient Eight Clans. None of those Dou Di had discovered anything unusual about the Dou Qi Continent, leaving only two possibilities.

There was nothing left, or it was hidden in a concealed space.

Having learned about the Dou Qi Continent's hidden dungeon, Jiang Yun began turning his attention to cultivation.

Cultivation on the Dou Qi Continent differed from that of the Great Thousand World. The former cultivated Dou Qi, while the latter cultivated spiritual energy.

Dou Qi was violent. During the Dou Power stage, external aids could not be used; one could only cultivate slowly, bit by bit. Now, thanks to what he had accumulated while among the Evil Spirit Clan, Jiang Yun had leaped straight into becoming a sixth-stage Dou Power "expert."

"Exactly. Food must be eaten one mouthful at a time, and a road must be walked one step at a time. You should return and cultivate," Qing Ming's calm voice rang out, his figure growing even more ethereal.

The next moment, the world spun around him, and Jiang Yun had left the space inside the tower.

When he opened his eyes again, the sky outside was still pitch-black. Yet Jiang Yun was now brimming with vigor, all the weariness he had felt upon arriving swept away.

Jiang Yun rose, sat down cross-legged, and began his first cultivation session.

The Great Elder had already taught him the knack of absorbing Dou Qi during the day. Since he already had Dou Qi within him, cultivation now came readily.

The Dou Power stage involved absorbing the Dou Qi between heaven and earth and letting it repeatedly scour the body, strengthening it until the meridians could withstand the rush of Dou Qi. Then one could break through to Dou Zhe and formally begin cultivation.

As Jiang Yun emptied his mind and carefully sensed everything around him, his formidable soul power began slowly spilling out from between his brows.

It felt as though he had returned in a dream to his great battle with "Second Senior Brother," sensing the vividly colored world around his body. It was unlike the fully formed images he saw with his naked eyes.

Now, everything he saw was an ocean of different colors. The small figure in the room next door stood out in particular. The energy there was striking, like a volcano about to erupt. Moreover, she was rapidly absorbing the energy between heaven and earth. As she absorbed it, her aura began to rise and fall; she was presumably close to advancing.

As for places farther away, Jiang Yun refrained from "disturbing" anyone. If he happened to flush out an elder, it would only cause more trouble.

Looking at the Dou Qi drifting between heaven and earth, Jiang Yun no longer hesitated and began drawing it into his body. As he cultivated, the thin golden membrane covering his skin shattered. The next moment, the surrounding Dou Qi seemed to riot, rushing into his body in a frantic scramble. For a time, it flowed in like water, ceaseless and unbroken.

Sensing the vast flood of Dou Qi surging toward him, Jiang Yun did not dare be careless. His formidable soul power enveloped the Dou Qi entering his body, guiding it to scour his resilient meridians while keeping it within the limits of what he could endure.

As time passed, more and more Dou Qi gathered inside Jiang Yun. Like wild horses freed from their reins, it began galloping unchecked. His entire body became a funnel, madly devouring the surrounding Dou Qi.

The Dou Qi swelled, soon filling most of Jiang Yun's meridians and reaching the limit of their capacity.

"Break!"

At a certain moment, Jiang Yun's hands began forming seals at lightning speed, and a powerful surge of energy burst from his body.

Seventh-stage Dou Power!

With his advancement, Jiang Yun's eyes snapped open. A streak of white flashed through his dark pupils and vanished.

Rising to his feet, Jiang Yun rolled his neck, producing a series of crisp cracks from his bones. He lightly clenched his hands, feeling the substantial strength within them. The feeling of growing stronger really is wonderful!

Bang, bang, bang!

"Xiao Yun, Xiao Yun, the sun's shining on your backside! If you don't get up, I'm coming in to spank you!"

A furious pounding sounded at the door. Hearing the clear, bright calls outside, Jiang Yun's face darkened with exasperation.

Creak-

Opening the door, he found Zi Yan neatly dressed, no longer as grubby as she had been yesterday. Her head was tilted, and she smiled with carefree abandon, her eyes narrowed as she looked at Jiang Yun. No matter how he looked at her, she seemed like a sweet little girl.

But when Jiang Yun glanced back at the fist marks on the doorframe, he had no doubt that if he had opened the door any later, it would not have survived.

"Ah, Xiao Yun, you're awake!" At the sight of Jiang Yun, Zi Yan's eyes lit up, without the slightest awareness that she had nearly smashed his door.

"With you knocking like that, staying asleep would be hard even if I wanted to!" Jiang Yun grumbled.

"Hmph! You ungrateful thing! I came out of the goodness of my heart to wake you up so we could hunt for treasure together, and you're actually complaining about me!" Zi Yan pursed her little lips, her eyes reddening as though she might burst into tears at any moment.

Having already become familiar with Zi Yan, how could Jiang Yun believe her act? If this "ten-thousand-year-old" little girl were cut open, she would definitely be black inside.