Qi Refining Seventh Layer!

Dark green flames still licked at the broken walls and ruins.

The air was filled with the stench of burning and decay, and the chaotic fluctuations caused by the violent tearing apart of pure Yin Qi.

The defensive Formation Art that once gathered countless vengeful spirits around the stronghold has now vanished.

All that remained was a huge, charred crater with glass-like edges.

A figure approached from afar, moving with incredible speed, and stepped into this realm of destruction.

"It exhausted ninety percent of my True Qi. The power is indeed decent, but the speed is too slow. It can only strike some large, immobile targets." Looking around at the ruins of the Yellow Springs Netherworld stronghold, Qi Yun silently summarized this rare experience.

As the investigation progressed, the remaining resistance almost completely disappeared.

The breath of life was pitifully weak; what remained were mostly lingering traces of Essence Blood essence and chaotic fragments of the soul.

He finally arrived at the very center of the stronghold.

This place was originally a grand hall for presiding over the Formation Art, but it has now been razed to the ground by the previous explosion.

All that remained was a deeper and wider crater, and a few broken stone pillars that barely stood but were covered in cracks.

He paused, slowly coming to a stop, feeling the True Essence within his body, slightly depleted from the repeated casting of spells and battles, yet stirring restlessly under the nourishment of some power.

With a slight thought, Qi Yun made a Method Formula seal with his right hand.

Metaphor!

The eighty-one skeletal skeletons that were completely annihilated in that devastating explosion have now reformed.

Time will come, and the mournful cries of ghosts and fierce warriors will rise again!

Eighty-one skulls, burning with eerie green flames, roared with excitement like a school of piranhas drawn by the scent of blood. They transformed into streaks of pale green Flowing Light and hurtled towards every corner of the ruins!

They precisely located the remains of the Yellow Springs Netherworld cultivators—some who had been killed by the shock, some who had been burned, and some who were still clinging to life—and hovered over them.

The will-o'-the-wisps blazed brightly in his eye sockets, emitting an invisible yet powerful suction force!

Hoo hoo hoo!

Strands of crimson, blood-red, condensed and pure life essence, mixed with the not-yet-completely-dissipated soul essence, were forcibly extracted from the corpses like rivers flowing into the sea, transforming into streams of red that continuously flowed into the mouths of those greedy skeletons.

[Essence Devouring] Divine Ability, unleash its full power!

At the same time, the distorted shadow beneath Qi Yun's feet began to ripple slightly, as if it were alive.

The [Stealing and Devouring Gu] sensed the dense, impenetrable aura of death, the dissipating Yin energy, and the chaotic yet powerful residual Dao essence from the explosion—all of which became its best food!

An invisible and intangible yet immense suction force emanated from the shadow, like an invisible vortex, frantically plundering and devouring all the chaotic energy in the surrounding environment.

Actively plunder the blood and souls of living beings!

Passively devouring the embers of heaven and earth!

The two mysterious forces, one bright and one dark, complemented each other perfectly.

Boom!

Qi Yun's body trembled slightly as he felt an unprecedented surge of immense energy, like a torrent Purple Mansion its banks, forcefully rushing into his Dantian.

The nitrogen-argon True Essence vortex, which already occupied 80% of the Purple Mansion space and was slowly rotating, visibly expanded and grew in size under the frenzied infusion of this new power.

Eight and a half percent!

Ninety percent!

95%!

The True Essence surged and churned, like a boiling sea of clouds, rapidly devouring and assimilating the last remaining pure true True Qi that had not yet been transformed!

finally-

Boom!!!

It was as if a deafening roar, like the first explosion of the universe, resounded deep within Qi Yun's Purple Mansion!

Within the Purple Mansion Dantian, the last trace of True Qi completely dissipated, replaced by a vast and pure True Essence that was overflowing and refined to the extreme.

The entire Purple Mansion space was now completely filled with abundant True Essence, leaving no room for even a fraction of it!

Quantitative change led to qualitative change.

An opportunity for a breakthrough.

Right now!

Qi Yun was inspired and without hesitation began to circulate the "Innate One Nothingness Heart Method," guiding his overflowing True Essence to break through the invisible barrier of the Qi Refining Seventh Layer.

Buzz!

His aura suddenly surged, and his robes fluttered and rustled even without wind.

Centered on him, a powerful pressure suddenly spread out.

The fine pebbles and dust on the ground were all pushed aside, forming a clean circle.

Within the Purple Mansion Dantian, the overflowing True Essence was no longer calm, but began to rotate and compress violently.

The entire Purple Mansion space was trembling slightly, and the edges seemed to be widened and reinforced by an invisible force.

At the same time, the foundation originally built from True Qi also underwent a new transformation under the influence of True Essence.

The color of the True Essence became deeper, and as it flowed, it carried a texture as solid as mercury, as harmonious and auspicious.

The Qi Refining Seventh Layer— the True Essence Filling the Mansion— has been achieved!

The moment his realm stabilized, Qi Yun suddenly opened his eyes, and a glint of light, almost tangible, flashed deep within them.

The powerful and ferocious aura emanating from him was more than twice as strong as before.

He slowly raised his hand, feeling the powerful and boundless energy within his body, and a satisfied smile finally appeared on his lips.

"Qi Refining Seventh Layer is a natural progression."

One year's effort yields what an ordinary person achieves in ten years!

With his realm initially stabilized, Qi Yun's surging True Essence still carried the heat and excitement of breaking through the barrier, yet he did not hesitate to savor the joy of this advancement.

Time is of the essence; the Yellow Springs Netherworld's counterattack could come at any moment.

He must make the most of every moment to become stronger.

He reached into the storage bracelet with his backhand, and a flash of light appeared.

A catalogue, neither silk nor paper, cool to the touch yet imbued with starlight, appeared in his hand.

The Qi Refining Eighth Layer is called [Hundred Apertures Spirit Connection].

This realm can no longer be broken through simply by accumulating True Essence.

One must use True Essence as a guide to find the naturally occurring positions of the Heavenly Gang and Earthly Fiends in the world.

Then, by absorbing the unique and powerful energy within, one can open and connect the corresponding 108 key acupoints in the human body one by one.

Thirty-six Heavenly Gang Points, Seventy-two Earthly Fiend Points.

Only when all the acupoints are opened and inspiration arises spontaneously can one truly grasp the essence of the Late Qi Refining.

This will lay the most solid foundation for future Foundation Establishment.

Without guidance, cultivators would be like headless flies, wasting countless hours trying their luck in the vast mountains and rivers, which was inefficient and fraught with danger.

What Qi Yun holds in his hand right now is the key to solving this problem—"The Secret Detailed Explanation of the Northwest Heavenly Gang and Earthly Sha Positions"!

This map was a secret creation of the Holy Sect, and it not only marks the exact locations of most of the known Heavenly Gang and Earthly Fiends in the Northwest region.

It also includes a brief analysis of its scent characteristics, surrounding environment, potential risks, and ease of absorption.

With this map in hand, he could follow it to find the right path, saving him from countless futile trips and unknown dangers.

This is the source of confidence for the disciples of the Grand Sect.

It is a foundation that even disciples of minor sects and Rogue Cultivator can only envy.

"One picture drained my savings of three years and left me with a debt of 20,000 Sacred Yuan— " Qi Yun ran his fingertips along the cold edge of the catalog, a helpless, bitter smile appearing on his lips.

"Hopefully, it's really worth the price."

That soft sigh revealed the reality he faced after entering the Inner Mansion.

Once upon a time, thanks to his skill in making talismans and his "reasonable" allocation of resources, he considered himself a wealthy man with considerable assets in the Outer Mansion.

But after being promoted to the Inner Mansion, he truly understood what it meant to be "there are always people more capable than you, and there's always something beyond your understanding."

The true cultivators of the Inner Mansion all start at the Qi Refining Sixth Layer; aren't they all characters who have fought their way through mountains of corpses and Blood Sea?

They have long since moved beyond the rudimentary stage of accumulating Sacred Yuan like beasts of burden, which was common among the Outer Mansion disciples.

They may possess unique skills in alchemy, weapon crafting, and Formation Deployment formation, or they may have already become disciples of a Foundation Establishment True Person, possessing various hidden resources and monetization channels.

Its business network has even extended beyond the Holy Sect.

It has intricate connections with various markets and chambers of commerce.

He still vividly remembers the shock he felt when he first stepped into the Inner Mansion City.

The treasures there were indeed dazzling and far surpassed those in the Outer Mansion, ranging from fragments of High Antiquity Law Artifact with astonishing power to rare elixirs that could revive the dead and heal the wounded, from rare and exotic beasts to Jade Slip containing magical Law Technique with bizarre and Divine Ability —everything was there.

But correspondingly, there are staggering price tags.

Even the simplest thing he finds appealing might require him to go bankrupt to acquire.

That trip to Baoshi was like a bucket of cold water, completely extinguishing the arrogance that had gradually grown within him due to the smooth sailing along the way.

It also made him realize that on this path of cultivation, he was still just a follower who had just started.

However, the urgent task of descending the mountain to carry out the clearing operation was imminent.

Knowing that opportunities and risks coexist, Qi Yun understood that he must seize this opportunity to operate abroad and maximize his strength.

Cultivation was always his top priority!

Especially after witnessing the overwhelming power of a ferocious demon like Situ Huaji, and indirectly experiencing the immense power of a Foundation Establishment True Person from Situ Huaji, a power as deep and unfathomable as a prison, capable of moving mountains and overturning peaks with a wave of the hand.

His yearning for a higher realm became more intense than ever before.

That's exactly what that saying means.

When you are not cultivating yourself, you see me like a frog at the bottom of a well looking up at the moon; you perceive its size but do not know its distance.

If you cultivate yourself, you will see me as a grain of sand reflecting the blue sky, and realize the vastness of the universe and the insignificance of your own being.

This thirst for power, coupled with a clear understanding of the difficulties ahead, ultimately led him to grit his teeth and make the decision to borrow money to purchase this painting, "Detailed Explanation."

"Investing in the future always requires capital." Qi Yun composed himself, his gaze becoming firm and sharp.

He slowly immersed his Divine Sense into the catalog in his hand.

During the foggy time, a miniature, starlit, and faintly visible image of the Northwest region appeared in his Sea of Consciousness.

Countless points of light, some bright and some dim, are embedded in this map like stars.

Beside it are detailed rune annotations, indicating its attributes and details.

Qi Yun's gaze quickly fell on several points of light that were relatively close to his current location.