From Five Animal Exercises to being hailed as a saint and ancestor

Stepping across that invisible boundary felt like traversing two worlds.

The outside world is perpetually gloomy and deathly silent, with mournful howls and bone-chilling cold penetrating everywhere.

However, within this area, which is only a hundred feet in diameter, the scene is quite different.

A vast, warm, and seemingly all-encompassing aura enveloped the area.

This aura was not fiery, but rather like the early spring sun melting snow, like the virtuous earth embracing life, carrying an indescribable warmth and tranquility, rejecting all the strangeness and filth of the outside world.

With each breath, there is freshness and peace in the lungs and internal organs, and even the soul seems to be cleansed, becoming exceptionally clear and comfortable.

Yao Mengkang looked up and saw that the scenery in this pure land was completely different from that in the outside world.

The ground was normal dark brown soil, even carrying a hint of damp vitality.

Several clumps of strange grass, sculpted like crystal and emitting a soft white light, swayed gently in the breeze.

Even more astonishingly, at the edge of that area, several strange trees that had long since withered and had blackened branches miraculously sprouted tender green buds on their inner branches. Although weak, these buds stubbornly resisted the deathly laws of the entire Silent Soul Abyss, proclaiming the indomitable spirit of life.

All this vitality originates from the very center of this region.

There, a complete skeleton sat quietly in a cross-legged position.

The skeleton was entirely covered in a warm and pure gold color, as if it were cast from the finest celestial gold, radiating a faint, not dazzling but incredibly firm golden light.

It was this golden light, along with the vast, luminous, and profoundly comforting power emanating from the skeleton itself, that formed the only pure land in this desolate place, driving back the endless breaths of silent souls.

Even though he had long since perished and only his bones remained, the lingering aura on them still made Yao Mengkang feel his own insignificance and inspire awe.

This was no ordinary cultivator; he must have been a peerless figure who stood at the pinnacle of the continent during his lifetime!

He suppressed the shock in his heart and carefully walked towards the golden skeleton.

The closer you get, the stronger that warm and profound aura becomes, making you want to bow down and worship.

The skeleton remained seated, its bones translucent and clear, with golden divine light seemingly flowing slowly within, containing unimaginable and boundless energy.

Beside the right finger bone of the skeletal skeleton, which was sitting cross-legged, Yao Mengkang saw a plain-looking, grayish-white jade slip.

He hesitated for a moment, but finally bent down and carefully picked up the recording jade slip.

The jade slip felt cool to the touch and carried no dangerous aura.

He separated a wisp of his divine consciousness and probed into the jade slip.

After a brief silence, a slightly hoarse voice, carrying an ancient and unchanging indifference and disdain, resounded directly in his mind:

"You scum of the Heavenly Dao Sect, I've killed you all. Your sacred body is for you to admire. Rank? Ha, don't even dream about it!"

His words were brief, arrogant, and domineering!

With undisguised ruthlessness and disdain, he casually announced the end of a saint as if crushing an ant, and directly trampled the covetousness of the Heavenly Dao Sect underfoot!

Yao Mengkang was deeply shocked!

As expected! This golden skeleton is none other than the Heavenly Dao Sect Saint who perished a few days ago—Master Xuan Gu! And the person who left the message is the mastermind behind the killing of the Saint!

However... this hoarse voice, although deliberately altered in tone to conceal its original characteristics, still gave Yao Mengkang a strange sense of familiarity.

"That voice... I'm absolutely certain I've heard it somewhere before!"

His brows furrowed, and his mind raced through a series of people he had met, whose voices might be hoarse or that they could fake it.

Li Hanshan, the Lord of the Underworld?

No, Li Hanshan's voice was more cold and lifeless.

He pondered deeply, but it was as if he were looking through a thin veil, unable to grasp that crucial spark of inspiration.

The other party clearly did not want to reveal their identity and disguised themselves very well.

Just as he was deep in thought, a sudden change occurred!

Within his dantian, the chaotic stone bead that had been spinning faster since entering this pure land seemed to have finally confirmed something, or perhaps it was completely aroused by the pure power emanating from the golden skeleton, and its spinning speed suddenly increased tenfold or a hundredfold!

Like a suddenly formed miniature black hole, it unleashed a terrifying suction force!

No longer the gentle and passive absorption of the Soul's Breath before, this time it was an active, greedy, and almost predatory devouring!

"Buzz—!"

The stone bead trembled, emitting a buzzing sound that only Yao Mengkang could perceive.

An invisible, immense suction force spread out from him, heading straight for the golden skeleton!

On the skeleton, the warm golden light visibly fluctuated. Strands of pure golden energy, containing vast vitality and profound Dao principles, seemed to be summoned by the supreme authority. They peeled off from the skeleton and transformed into golden streams that rushed madly toward Yao Mengkang and entered his body, where they were completely swallowed by the wildly spinning stone beads!

"this!"

Yao Mengkang was taken aback! He hadn't expected the stone bead to react so violently to the power of the saint's remains!

The speed and momentum of this absorption far exceeded that of the previous absorption of the Soul Breath!

He could even sense that the stone bead was conveying an unprecedented feeling of "pleasure" and "desire" as it absorbed this golden energy!

At the same time, a vast, pure, gentle yet incredibly advanced energy feedback began to flow back from the stone bead, surging into his limbs and bones, cleansing his meridians, and nourishing his body and soul!

This energy is far purer and more vast than the soul source of a soul beast, carrying a boundless life essence!

An opportunity! A tremendous opportunity!

Yao Mengkang instantly understood and no longer hesitated.

He immediately sat down cross-legged in front of the golden holy remains, with his five hearts facing the sky, and fully activated the "Chaos Star God Technique"!

He actively guided the pure energy that had been initially transformed by the stone beads, circulating it wildly throughout his body according to the cultivation method.

His meridians, under the impact of this advanced energy, emitted a clanging sound as if they were being forcibly widened and reinforced.

His spiritual sea was surging, the vast expanse of which seemed to be boiling, and the seabed seemed to be settling with an even deeper essence.

Every inch of his flesh and blood, every bone in his body, was greedily absorbing this energy, undergoing a deeper level of tempering and transformation!

Within the entire Pure Land area, an invisible energy vortex has formed with Yao Mengkang at its center.

Golden energy was continuously drawn from the sacred remains and poured into his body, while his aura steadily and firmly rose at a visible speed!

The stone bead spun endlessly, like a tireless transformation core, devouring the power of the sacred remains and nourishing its host.

This was a silent plunder, but also an astonishing creation!