Chapter 12: The Dou Qi Continent Is Not Simple!
In Jiang Yun's view, the Saint Demon Flame was important, but unknown intelligence about the Dou Qi Continent was equally vital.
Qing Ming cast an appreciative glance at Jiang Yun. To be able to swiftly calm oneself when faced with temptation was also an important quality.
"At the moment I descended upon this continent, this old man sensed the traces of battles involving dozens of Heavenly Sovereign-level existences on this land." Qing Ming gazed at Jiang Yun, his tone faint and distant.
Upon first hearing Qing Ming's words, Jiang Yun felt a surge of disbelief in his heart. Yet, very quickly, he grasped the crux of the matter. Based on what he knew, the Dou Qi Continent had once been exceedingly glorious, with Dou Di powerhouses emerging one after another.
There were more than a dozen named Dou Di alone, and all of those Dou Di had eventually vanished.
A Dou Di of the Dou Qi Continent, upon reaching the Great Thousand World, would be a quasi-Heavenly Sovereign. The most exceptional among them would even be full Heavenly Sovereigns. Such a massive disappearance... it seemed unlikely to be as simple as ascension.
"Was it the Extraterrestrial Evil Race?" Jiang Yun speculated.
A great battle on the scale of a hundred Heavenly Sovereigns—Jiang Yun could only think of 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 the targets. Perhaps, back then, the Dou Qi Continent was never an ordinary lower plane, but rather a battlefield for both sides.
"Correct. Among those hundred Heavenly Sovereigns, nearly half of their auras indeed radiated evil energy. It was the aura of the Extraterrestrial Evil Race."
"Does Senior know where they fell?" Since it was confirmed that Heavenly Sovereigns had fallen, how could Jiang Yun not be stirred?
"I do not." Unfortunately, Qing Ming slowly shook his head, disappointing Jiang Yun's hopes. "That is something you will have to seek out on your own in the future."
"Very well. Once my strength is sufficient in the future, I'll go search for it. After so many years without being discovered by the natives of this continent, they are clearly hidden within some concealed space... or perhaps they have long since vanished into nothing. Let it simply serve as a motivating goal on the path of cultivation!"
Receiving this answer, Jiang Yun was not discouraged, or rather, he had been mentally prepared.
Nearly fifty thousand years had passed since the all-out war between the Extraterrestrial Evil Race and the Great Thousand World. In all the long ages since on the Dou Qi Continent, aside from Tu She Ancient God, the last of the Heavenly Flame Dou Di,
there had been a vast stretch of time in between which also birthed quite a few Dou Di, among them the ancestors of the Eight Ancient Clans. None of these Dou Di had ever discovered anything unusual about the Dou Qi Continent. This meant only two outcomes were possible.
Either they do not exist, or they are hidden within some concealed space.
Having learned of the Dou Qi Continent's hidden instance, Jiang Yun now turned his focus toward cultivation.
Cultivation on the Dou Qi Continent differed from that of the Great Thousand World. The former cultivated Dou Qi, the latter cultivated spiritual energy.
Dou Qi was violent by nature. During the Dou Zhi Qi stage, no external aids could be used for assistance. One had to painstakingly cultivate bit by bit. Now, relying on the accumulation from his time among the Xie Ling Clan, Jiang Yun had leapt to become a 'powerhouse' at the 6th Stage of Dou Zhi Qi.
"That is precisely the way. Meals must be eaten one bite at a time, and the road must be walked step by step. It's time for you to return to your cultivation." Qing Ming's faint voice drifted over. His figure grew even more illusory.
In the next instant, the world spun around him, and Jiang Yun had already departed the space within the tower.
When he opened his eyes again, the sky outside was still as pitch-black as ink. Yet at this moment, Jiang Yun was brimming with energy, the fatigue he'd arrived with swept completely away.
Jiang Yun rose, sat cross-legged, and began his very first session of cultivation.
The trick to absorbing Dou Zhi Qi had already been taught to him by the First Elder during the day. Because his body already contained Dou Qi, when he now began to cultivate, it felt like second nature.
The Dou Zhi Qi stage was all about absorbing the Dou Qi of heaven and earth, using it to continuously temper and strengthen the body, so that one's meridians could withstand the scouring of Dou Qi, breaking through to Dou Zhe to begin formal cultivation.
As Jiang Yun emptied his mind and carefully sensed everything around him, his terrifying soul power began to slowly overflow from his brow.
At this moment, it was as if he had returned in a dream to the battle against 'Pigsy,' perceiving the brilliantly colorful world around his body. Unlike what the naked eye could see—fully formed images—
what he now saw was an ocean of various colors. In particular, that small figure in the room beside his stood out vividly; the energy there was so conspicuous, like a volcano on the verge of eruption. Moreover, she was rapidly absorbing the energy between heaven and earth. As she absorbed, her aura began to fluctuate up and down—she was likely not far from advancing.
As for those farther away, Jiang Yun did not go 'disturbing' them. In case he accidentally stirred some elder awake, it would only bring about a great deal of unnecessary trouble.
Jiang Yun observed the Dou Qi drifting freely between heaven and earth and no longer hesitated. He began pulling it into his body. And as he cultivated, the layer of golden film on the surface of his body shattered along with it. In the next moment, the Dou Qi of heaven and earth seemed to riot, all of it vying madly to surge into Jiang Yun's body. For a time, it was as continuous and unending as flowing water.
Feeling the vast quantities of Dou Qi rushing at him, Jiang Yun dared not be careless. He wrapped the Dou Qi entering his body with his terrifying soul power, letting it scour his resilient meridians while keeping it within a tolerable range.
As time passed, the Dou Qi within Jiang Yun's body grew more and more, like wild horses that had broken free of their reins, galloping completely unchecked. His entire body became like a funnel, madly devouring the surrounding Dou Zhi Qi.
The Dou Zhi Qi swelled and soon filled the vast majority of Jiang Yun's meridians, reaching the limit of what he could contain.
"Break—"
At a certain moment, Jiang Yun's hands began to rapidly form hand seals. A forceful energy erupted outward from his body.
7th Stage Dou Zhi Qi!
As his advancement completed, Jiang Yun's eyes abruptly opened. Within those ink-black pupils, a streak of white flashed and then vanished.
Standing up, Jiang Yun twisted his neck, producing a series of crisp bone-cracking sounds. He lightly clenched his palm and felt a gratifying sense of fullness and strength. The sensation of becoming stronger truly was wonderful!
"Bang! Bang! Bang!"
"Little Yunzi, Little Yunzi! The sun's already burning your butt! If you don't get up, I'm coming in to smack it for you!"
Just then, a violent pounding on the door rang out. Hearing the clear, ringing shouts from outside, Jiang Yun's head was instantly filled with black lines.
"Creak—"
He opened the door and saw Zi Yan, neatly dressed outside and no longer grimy like the day before. She stood there with her head tilted, laughing without a care in the world, looking at him with squinted eyes. From any angle, she was a sweet and lovely little loli.
But when Jiang Yun glanced back at the fist prints on the door frame, he had absolutely no doubt—had he opened the door one moment later, this door's fate would have been sealed.
"Ah— Little Yunzi, you're awake!" Catching sight of Jiang Yun, Zi Yan's eyes instantly lit up, utterly without any self-awareness that she had nearly shattered the door.
"With you knocking like that, it'd be harder for me not to wake up!" Jiang Yun grumbled in exasperation.
"Hmph— so ungrateful! I kindly came to call you up to go treasure hunting together, and you actually dislike me for it!" Zi Yan pouted, her eye sockets reddening, as if she would burst into tears the very next second.
But Jiang Yun, already familiar with Zi Yan by now, would never fall for it. This 'ten-thousand-year' loli—cut her open, and the inside was definitely black at heart.
(End of Chapter)