Breaking the Masked Man

If someone were standing nearby at that moment, they would notice a figure sitting cross-legged in the center of the black hole.

Azure flames swirled around him, while he was supported by a blue lotus. The terrifying suction force continuously devoured everything around him, transforming the vast energy filled with fire poison into the purest energy and pouring it into his body, nourishing his meridians and muscles.

The dark red energy contained an extremely domineering power. Even though the fire poison had been purified by the fusion of the strange fire and the green lotus, the scorching heat it contained was still unbearable.

It's like swallowing scalding hot water directly; the pain is unimaginable.

However, these were commonplace for Yao Yan. Along his journey, he had never lacked the experience of enduring such pain. To become the strongest, pain was the most basic test. If one could not even bear a little pain, how could one go far on the path of cultivation?

"At this rate, I should be able to attempt to break through to the Dou Zong level in a while!"

Yao Yan sensed the changes in his internal fighting spirit and physical body, and could roughly judge his current state. At this moment, he was only one step away from becoming a Dou Zong. What he lacked in the past was only the accumulation of fighting spirit, but now that lack had been completely made up for by the Tianshan Blood Pool.

While external aids can accelerate the cultivation of battle qi, certain crucial stages require one to rely solely on oneself.

For example, the hurdle between becoming a Douhuang (Battle Emperor) and a Douzong (Battle Master).

With the Breakthrough Pill, one can easily break through, but this will also waste an opportunity, an opportunity to comprehend the world. The transformation from Dou Huang to Dou Zong is a metamorphosis, and the Dou Zong stage is even more about comprehending the power of space. Only by mastering the power of space to a sufficiently perfect degree can one be qualified to enter the Dou Zun level.

This process is different from the early stages of cultivation. Early cultivation only requires accumulating battle qi, but starting from the Dou Zong level, one must begin to comprehend the power of space, or rather, the power of heaven and earth.

After all, reaching the level of a Dou Sheng (Battle Saint) means being able to create a small world on one's own.

This method is nothing short of divine.

Time passed slowly. Despite the tedious and painful training, Yao Yan felt no annoyance. Nothing was more enjoyable than feeling his strength increase... except for matters between men and women, since those were beyond Yao Yan's control. A man can control his thoughts and actions, but he absolutely cannot control his manhood.

Even when he meets a woman he likes, he will take the initiative to make choices for men.

……

A month has passed in the blink of an eye.

Yao Yan continued to devour the dark red energy, as if his body could never be filled, allowing the immense energy to surge into it and permeate his limbs and bones. Now, his aura was more than two or three times stronger than before, and even without doing anything, he exuded a terrifying pressure.

As the power within his body continued to increase, the various bloodlines of the Dou Di within him also began to revitalize further. Their revitalization was obviously inseparable from the nourishment of abundant energy, and the energy of the Tianshan Blood Pool was the best tonic.

"...This energy is truly miraculous." Yao Yan's eyelids twitched slightly, and a hint of surprise suddenly appeared in his heart, because he felt that his soul was also beginning to advance towards the so-called Heavenly Realm level under the nourishment of this energy.

The energy of the Tianshan Blood Pool can not only temper the body, but also temper and nourish the soul.

Even with his peak Spirit Realm soul level, he could still clearly feel the tempering sensation. In just over a month, he could clearly feel that his soul power had increased significantly, and he was one step closer to the Heavenly Realm level.

In addition, Yao Yan felt that her body was very 'hungry' and needed a lot of energy to continue to nourish it.

This hunger clearly stemmed from those imperial bloodlines.

When Yao Yan fused with them, he was still a teenager, and his talent increased considerably as a result. However, these several Dou Di bloodlines were obviously not fully revived, since his body at that time could not possibly withstand the power of several imperial bloodlines being fully revived.

The power of an imperial bloodline alone, even if only activated, is enough to directly elevate a fighter's strength to the level of a Great Fighter or even a Fighting Spirit.

Moreover, it involves the power of several Dou Di bloodlines.

Once fully recovered, Yao Yan's strength would be enough to directly advance to the level of Dou Huang or even Dou Zong.

As his strength increased, the bloodlines of the Dou Di (Battle Emperor) began to fully recover, continuously enhancing Yao Yan's Dou Qi and body. Even his soul power increased accordingly. The so-called bottleneck seemed to have no existence at all. The power contained in the Dou Di bloodline directly erased all the barriers to breakthrough, as if a broad road was laid out before him, allowing him to roam freely.

"Perhaps when I break through to the Dou Zong realm, I can directly devour the Bone Spirit Cold Flame. With the combination of these powers, my soul might be able to directly enter the Heavenly Realm level!"

As Yao Yan sensed the transformation within his body, his mind stirred slightly, and the bone spirit cold fire that was located between his eyebrows floated directly to his dantian. It was then enveloped by the circulation path of the Burning Technique, which began to accelerate Yao Yan's transformation process.

At the same time, Yao Yan's mind began to settle down, and he began to use the spatial power within his body to comprehend the power of this world.

Time seemed to become irrelevant at this moment.

Ten days, half a month, one month, two months...

Half a year has passed in the blink of an eye.

……

……

The outside world didn't remain quiet for long. With the opening of the Tianshan Blood Pool, which occurs every three years, the Tianmu Mountains gradually became lively again.

The younger generation of countless forces and families in Zhongzhou flocked to the Tianmu Mountains, including many rogue cultivators, all vying for a spot in the Tianshan Blood Pool and hoping to use its power to reach the Dou Zong level.

At this moment, at the crater, two aged figures stood with their hands behind their backs.

These two were Jin Shi and Jin Gu from the Gold-Eating Rat clan. Both of them stared blankly at the calm Heavenly Mountain Blood Pool. The blood pool, which should have been overflowing with the opening of the Heavenly Mountain Blood Pool once every three years, was now dry. It was as if some gluttonous creature below had swallowed up all the accumulated energy, causing the Heavenly Mountain Blood Pool, which should have been overflowing, to dry up.

"Just what kind of monster is this kid?" Jin Shi couldn't help but ask.

The energy accumulated at the very bottom was enough to make Jin Shi think of Dou Zun, but now that energy seemed insufficient to satisfy that kid, and even caused the Heavenly Mountain Blood Pool above, which was supposed to be enjoyed by ten people, to suffer as well.

“I don’t understand… but this has become troublesome. The Heavenly Mountain Blood Pool is about to open, but this time there has been a change of events. Perhaps they can’t even give us three spots. How are we going to explain this to those people outside?” Jin Gu shook his head. He didn’t understand what Yao Yan was doing, but he knew how much trouble the Gold-Eating Rat Clan would suffer if the Heavenly Mountain Blood Pool were to be affected.

While the Blood Pool of Tianshan appears to be controlled by the Gold-Eating Rat Clan, they are in reality just a group of guards. Its openness is due to a consensus reached by various external forces. The so-called provision of two slots is merely a guarding fee for the Gold-Eating Rat Clan.

If a problem arises in a particular generation, the Gold-Eating Rat clan will inevitably have to give a reasonable answer, otherwise those families and forces will definitely not let it go.

Ultimately, the Gold-Eating Rat Clan has no Dou Zun (Battle Venerable) in charge, and the powerful families and forces outside do not take the Gold-Eating Rat Clan seriously.

The weak never have a voice.

"Let Venerable Feng handle this. We can't interfere in this matter. Let him negotiate," Jin Shi said in a deep voice, frowning.

"That's all it can do."

Jin Gu nodded, then looked at the still calm blood pool. He felt a strange sense of unease. The Gold-Eating Rat clan was extremely sensitive to energy, so he could roughly sense the ever-increasing aura below, that terrifying life force, as if some ancient beast was lurking within it.

It is hard to imagine that a human being could possess such a powerful life force, as if their level of life were above that of others.

"Do you think he might also be from that clan?" Jin Gu suddenly thought of something and asked.

"Medicine clan?"

Jin Shi's gaze sharpened slightly, and he said in a deep voice.

As the most well-informed Gold-Eating Rat clan, they were naturally familiar with the major imperial clans. Among them, the Medicine Clan had the most contact with the outside world, so they were naturally familiar with them. They had also heard about the relationship between the Medicine Elder and the Medicine Clan. Considering that Yao Yan was the Medicine Elder's descendant, everything seemed to make sense.

If it were someone from that clan, it would be conceivable that they possessed such a terrifying foundation. After all, the bloodline of the Dou Di (Battle Emperor) never follows any logic; they are born strong, which is also an important factor in maintaining the superior status of the various imperial clans.

"Fine, let's do him a favor. Even if that kid drains us dry, we'll just have to accept it." Jin Shi pondered for a moment, then said with a hint of helplessness.

Based on the current water level of the Blood Pool, if Yao Yan continues to absorb it for another year or two, it will probably really run dry.

But stopping it now is obviously impossible.

Neither the Medicine Venerable nor the Wind Venerable, who is being watched by outsiders, are beings they can provoke. There is a saying about sunk costs; they have already suffered such great losses, so what difference does a little more make?

Just as the two were talking, the long-calm Tianshan Blood Pool finally reacted.

"boom!"

A violent roar resounded from the depths of the blood pool. The next moment, the calm Tianshan Blood Pool suddenly trembled violently. At the same time, the temperature of the entire world began to soar, and the energy tide gathered above the crater also began to oscillate, exuding a misty aura, and gushing down towards the crater like a waterfall.

"What's going on? Is he about to break through?" Jin Gu swallowed hard, somewhat surprised.

Although the Heavenly Mountain Blood Pool has the effect of helping people break through to the Dou Zong level, it has never actually allowed anyone to break through on the spot. Most people need to settle down for a period of time before trying to break through. This is the first time that someone like Yao Yan has broken through on the spot.

"This kid really isn't afraid of any unexpected events!" Jin Shi couldn't help but say.

Breaking through from Dou Huang to Dou Zong is by no means an easy task, and there are many risks involved. If the breakthrough fails, at best one's cultivation will regress, and at worst one will be seriously injured and on the verge of death. It's not something that can be achieved so easily; only young people dare to be so brave.

The moment the two finished speaking.

The energy tide descending from the sky began to spread outwards, its influence covering the entire Tianmu Mountain Range. At the same time, a vortex-like structure appeared in the center, with immense energy continuously converging towards it.

From afar, the entire Tianmu Mountain Range was enveloped by this strange phenomenon, and the colorful and violent energy completely dispelled the thick fog that usually obscured the mountain range.

The scene was quite shocking.

This sudden change naturally attracted the attention of the entire Gold-Eating Rat Clan. Countless astonished gazes turned to look at the seemingly tangible, violent energy in the sky. The faintly pervasive energy pressure made many of the weaker Gold-Eating Rats feel a sense of dread.

Meanwhile, many of the younger generation from various factions who had arrived earlier were also watching this scene with surprise and disbelief, their faces showing astonishment.

Within a radius of a thousand miles, many powerful Dou Zong cultivators sensed the approach and looked toward the Tianmu Mountains.

"Another one is about to break through to the Dou Zong level? This location is the Tianmu Mountains... but the opening of the Tianshan Blood Pool should still be some time away. Could it be that a powerful member of the Gold-Eating Rat clan has broken through? That's really good luck."

"The Blood Pool of Tianshan, such an opportunity, but it can only benefit a group of magical beasts. It's a pity. If my sect could occupy it... Never mind, let's send more disciples."

"The Gold-Eating Rat Clan is about to become even stronger. It's truly enviable."

……

The reactions from the outside world were varied, with many young people in the Tianmu Mountains showing envy and longing.

The Wind Venerable's figure appeared out of nowhere high in the sky, looking down at the distant Tianmu Mountains. Sensing the ever-increasing aura, a strange look appeared in his eyes as he muttered to himself, "What is this kid up to?!"

At this moment, the aura emanating from the depths of the Heavenly Mountain Blood Pool has surpassed that of a three-star Dou Zong, and is still advancing towards the four-star level at an extremely terrifying speed. Such a speed of advancement is simply unheard of. Isn't Yao Yan worried about bursting himself out of control?

Who plays like this when breaking through to the Dou Zong realm?!

He hesitated, considering whether to stop her. With her strength increasing so drastically, he was worried that Yao Yan might lose control and explode.

But considering his old friend's praise, it was clear that Yao Yan was not the kind of person who didn't know his own limitations. Venerable Feng could only suppress his temper, clench his fist, and think to himself, "Fine, with that old guy Yao Chen's alchemy skills, even if this kid really ruins his own body, he can still be saved."

Compared to Venerable Feng's gradual calm, Jin Shi and Jin Gu were somewhat uneasy. They could clearly feel the pressure from the life level, and that sense of oppression was not just the pressure from the battle qi level.

"This kid really only broke through to the Dou Zong realm?!" Jin Gu suppressed his fear and asked Jin Shi beside him.

"I don't understand... His aura is almost at the level of a four-star Dou Zong... He has already surpassed it!" Jin Shi's eyes also revealed a look of fear. No wonder Yao Yan stayed in the depths of the blood pool for so long, and even absorbed most of its energy. This is not a breakthrough to Dou Zong, but clearly a move towards Dou Zun!

This kid isn't really planning to break through to Dou Zun in one go, is he?

What kind of ghost story is this?! (End of Chapter)