Chapter 431: One and a Half Years
In the silence of the ancient hall, time passed rapidly. In the blink of an eye, ten days had gone by. During this period, Xiao Yan's body remained immersed in the blood pool. As the days went on and the blood purification continued, he had withered down to nothing but skin and bones. His complexion was deathly pale, and if not for the faint breath escaping his nostrils, no one would have thought he was still alive.
At the edge of the pool, Xun'er watched Xiao Yan's transformation over those ten days with deep heartache. Seeing the one she loved slowly waste away like that—it was a torment few could bear.
However, Xiao Yuan wasn't worried about Xiao Yan's condition.
With Xiao Yan's current strength, even if he truly died, his soul would remain. Xiao Yuan could simply leave the Heavenly Tomb, kill a Dou Sheng, and refine a new body for him.
No big deal!
Besides, Xiao Yan wouldn't die.
With his current quasi-Emperor soul realm, monitoring Xiao Yan's condition was child's play for Xiao Yuan.
And Xiao Yan also had one of Yao Lao's life-saving pills. As long as he swallowed it before death, he'd bounce right back.
With multiple layers of safeguards, Xiao Yuan wasn't concerned about Xiao Yan dying.
Moreover, Xiao Yuan had great faith in Xiao Yan. This was someone destined to become a Dou Di—how could he possibly fall here?
Xiao Xuan, despite his calm demeanor, still felt a tinge of tension inside.
Plop!
Roughly twelve days later, as the three of them waited in their various states of concern, a faint sound finally echoed from the calm blood pool. Bubbles began rising and bursting on the surface, followed by the formation of a blood-red vortex. At its center was the skeletal, deathly-thin figure of Xiao Yan.
"The blood purification is halfway complete. Next, we'll infuse the bloodline power into him—then he'll once again possess the Xiao Clan's ancestral bloodline!"
Xiao Xuan finally let out a sigh of relief and swiftly formed a hand seal. A beam of blood-red light shot into the blood pool.
Gurgle, gurgle…
As the light entered the pool, the blood began to boil. Countless bubbles surged upward, and a strange crimson liquid separated from the water and crawled up Xiao Yan's body, seeping into his pores in a continuous stream.
As this mysterious blood infused his body, Xiao Yan's ghastly white skin began to regain color, and his emaciated body slowly began to fill out again.
Seeing the recovery, Xun'er also breathed a little easier and asked softly:
"Senior Xiao Xuan, does this pool also contain the energy you sealed long ago? If Xiao Yan absorbs it all, wouldn't his strength soar?"
"Mm."
Xiao Xuan nodded and glanced at her with a smile.
"I know what you're thinking. Sudden growth through external force can become a huge obstacle to becoming a Dou Sheng. But Xiao Yan should understand that. To have come this far, I believe he'll make the rational choice. Trust him."
Xun'er nodded silently. She did worry. The energy Xiao Xuan had left behind was undoubtedly vast. It could probably propel Xiao Yan directly to peak Dou Zun—but if that happened, the odds of ever reaching Dou Sheng would drop to nearly zero. It was not a worthwhile trade-off in the long run.
Still, she wasn't too anxious. She knew Xiao Yan well—he was always rational and cautious with foreign power. She trusted he wouldn't make a short-sighted decision.
"Now we wait for the blood infusion to finish. It'll take some time."
Xiao Xuan spoke softly.
Xun'er nodded, glanced once more at the blood pool, and—seeing no anomalies—entered cultivation.
Seeing this, Xiao Xuan smiled and looked at Xiao Yan, muttering:
"This kid's got quite the charm…"
As the former clan leader of the Xiao Clan, Xiao Xuan deeply understood how rare it was for someone with divine-grade blood from an ancient clan to develop genuine feelings for someone. As they matured, their minds reached near-perfection, leaving little room for emotional entanglement.
But Xiao Yuan had told him about Xiao Yan and Xun'er's story, which had made him laugh heartily.
After all, it was like his child had charmed the daughter of his best friend. As an elder, he could only feel joy and pride.
Just as Xiao Xuan predicted, absorbing the sealed energy would take a long time. During this time, Xun'er cultivated diligently. Xiao Yuan focused on techniques and methods, while Xiao Xuan recovered his soul power.
The hall fell into silence once more.
And in that stillness, time slipped by like sand through fingers.
A year passed quietly within the ancient hall.
Over the year, Xun'er spent most of her time cultivating. The energy here was the richest in the entire tomb, and she gained significant progress—even her aura grew noticeably stronger.
At her level, progress was naturally slow. But within this tomb hall, even slow cultivation accelerated significantly.
Whenever she woke from cultivation, Xun'er would glance at the motionless Xiao Yan in the pool. In this entire year, he hadn't opened his eyes once. The energy continued flowing into his body endlessly, yet his aura never increased.
But Xun'er wasn't surprised. She knew—the true transformation would happen the moment the final trace of energy entered him.
As for Xiao Xuan and Xiao Yuan…
She looked toward a translucent space to the side, where two figures clashed with enough force to tear the very space around them.
In that space, meteor-like fireballs rained down, snowstorms froze everything in sight, and roaring giants shook the heavens. The sheer power of their battle would terrify even experienced Dou Shengs!
"Third Brother just keeps getting scarier…"
Watching Xiao Yuan stand his ground against Xiao Xuan, Xun'er couldn't help but sigh.
Though Xiao Yan had also gained a lot from the Heavenly Tomb, clearly, Xiao Yuan and Xiao Xuan had reaped the greatest benefits.
Xiao Yuan spent three months switching to a new cultivation method. The remaining nine months, he devoted to Dou Qi and technique training.
In the fourth month of training, he began sparring with Xiao Xuan.
As the new master of the Heavenly Tomb, Xiao Yuan could create empty arenas with a single thought for their battles.
Of the ten Heaven-tier techniques Xiao Xuan gave him, four were cultivation methods and six were Dou Techniques:
Fire Attribute, High Heaven-tier Cultivation Method: Three Yang Gathering Fire ArtMetal Attribute, Low Heaven-tier Cultivation Method: Hidden Edge TechniqueEarth Attribute, Low Heaven-tier Cultivation Method: Desolation ScriptureIce Attribute, Mid Heaven-tier Cultivation Method: Myriad Domain Ice Seal Art
And the six Dou Techniques:
Fire Attribute, High Heaven-tier: Three Yang Profound Fire TalismanFire Attribute, Mid Heaven-tier: Blazing Starfire SpearFire Attribute, Mid Heaven-tier: Heavenly Flame Burning SoulEarth Attribute, Low Heaven-tier: Desolation Body TechniqueIce Attribute, Mid Heaven-tier: Ice Seal DomainIce Attribute, Low Heaven-tier: Eternal Freeze Qi
Knowing that Xiao Yuan cultivated the Five Element Qi Palace Secret Method, Xiao Xuan tailored his gifts accordingly.
Unlike low-tier Heaven techniques, these included three mid-tier and one high-tier Heaven Dou Techniques—much harder to master, requiring time and battle experience.
Hence, the sparring.
Their sessions lasted long, and when Xun'er saw no end in sight, she resumed cultivating.
Time passed as she cycled between rest and training.
The blood pool slowly became clearer, its vast energy being absorbed by Xiao Yan bit by bit.
And then—about a year and a half later—the final trace of red disappeared. The pool returned to its calm, clear state.
As the last wisp of energy entered Xiao Yan, Xun'er seemed to sense it. She opened her eyes and locked her gaze on his still figure.
Xiao Yan hadn't moved, and his breathing remained steady. But with her strength, Xun'er could feel the terrifying power within him—like a volcano on the verge of eruption.
Boom!
After another thirty minutes of silence, the pool suddenly erupted with a thunderous roar. A massive column of water shot into the air and rained down like a storm.
Xun'er didn't flinch. Her eyes remained fixed on Xiao Yan. The falling water instantly evaporated into steam around her.
"His aura is surging…"
Suddenly, Xiao Xuan and Xiao Yuan appeared. Xiao Xuan spoke calmly.
Boom!
As he finished speaking, an immense aura burst from Xiao Yan's body—then rapidly skyrocketed.
"Peak Six-Star… Seven-Star… Peak Seven-Star… Eight-Star…"
Feeling Xiao Yan's aura rising like an unstoppable tide, Xun'er and Xiao Xuan grew tense.
"Nine-Star…"
In under ten minutes, his aura had climbed from Six-Star all the way to Nine-Star, and still showed signs of rising.
"He's nearly at Nine-Star Peak…"
Two more minutes passed, and Xun'er began to worry. If he stabilized here, his chances of ever becoming a Dou Sheng would drop drastically.
Xiao Xuan and Xiao Yuan, on the other hand, remained calm. They trusted Xiao Yan.
If necessary, Xiao Xuan would forcibly suppress his energy. After a year and a half of recovery, he was more than capable.
Under their gaze, Xiao Yan's aura surged to peak Nine-Star, even nearing the threshold of Two-Star Dou Zun.
"Brother Xiao Yan… if this keeps up, you'll be stuck here forever…"
Xun'er clenched her fists, anxiety written all over her face.
Just then, a strange rumble echoed from Xiao Yan's body. His face turned flushed, and his aura rapidly began to drop.
Whew…
Feeling his retreating aura, Xun'er finally exhaled with relief. He hadn't let her down!
Xiao Yan's aura dropped swiftly—from peak Two-Star Dou Zun all the way to Six-Star. But this new Six-Star realm was fundamentally different from before.
"This kid really went all out… but there's bound to be backlash."
Xiao Xuan clicked his tongue. He hadn't expected Xiao Yan to suppress his aura so hard.
Just as that thought crossed his mind, Xiao Yan's aura began to rebound.
However, this time, the rebound was much slower and clearly under control.
Six-Star Peak… Seven-Star… Peak Seven-Star… Eight-Star… Nine-Star…
His power gradually climbed back to the Nine-Star level—but didn't go beyond it.
"He can't compress it any further."
Xiao Yuan commented from the side.
Gurgle…
The clear pool bubbled softly. Xiao Yan's aura settled firmly at Nine-Star Dou Zun.
No matter how hard he tried to suppress it—it wouldn't go any lower.
(END CHAPTER)
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