Chapter 500

Xiao Yan's voice was almost squeezed through his teeth, veins bulging on his forehead—clearly, the difficulty of cultivating this Heavenly Rank Dou Technique was immense, even with his already extraordinary physical strength.

Time passed second by second; Xiao Yan didn't know how long it took before the agony abruptly ceased, and the dark golden liquid, like a receding tide, seeped into his palms and vanished swiftly.

Before Xiao Yan could even exhale, a vast torrent of Soul Information slammed into his skull, jolting him violently—his pupils faintly glowed with dark gold, and a low murmur escaped his lips.

"Is this… Great Heaven Creation Palm?"

Knowing what it meant, Xiao Yan immediately sat cross-legged and began absorbing the Soul Information—this kind of Soul Information inheritance was identical to the legacy left by Ancestor Xiao Xuan within the Yin-Yang Dual Flames at the Life and Death Gate.

As Xiao Yan slowly closed his eyes and shifted his thoughts, a wave of Soul Information surged from deep within his mind; soon, his Soul Perception grew hazy, and before long, he realized he stood within a peculiar space.

This inheritance was the highest form—those who left it could virtually teach one-on-one, imparting direct insights into the Dou Technique, accelerating its cultivation.

The space was not vast, empty and lifeless; Xiao Yan's gaze swept lightly, then suddenly froze at a point in the Void Space—there, a figure stood with hands clasped behind his back. The figure was utterly ordinary; Xiao Yan sensed not the faintest trace of aura or Dou Qi emanating from him, appearing no different from a common mortal.

"Creation Saint."

"This must be a hidden inheritance space within the Dou Technique. This figure is merely a fragment of his memory."

Gazing at the figure, Xiao Yan pondered; with his current experience, he wouldn't be easily startled. After a brief pause, he discerned the true nature of the figure.

And as Xiao Yan had suspected, the figure did not so much as glance his way. Shortly after Xiao Yan entered the space, a calm, unemotional voice slowly echoed through the space.

"Great Heaven Creation Palm, a Heaven Tier Low Grade Dou Technique, crafted by me after a lifetime of synthesizing hundreds of Dou Techniques. This palm technique embodies the essence of Creation—palm shatters heaven, force shatters all things."

Hearing the voice's matter-of-fact narration, Xiao Yan's eyes grew brighter.

"Heaven Tier Dou Techniques transcend the mundane and the holy. To have obtained the secret hidden within my bones, you are truly destined. Since you acquired the bones, your palms must have been tempered by Golden Spirit Saliva. Remember: Great Heaven Creation Palm can only be successfully performed using a tempered palm—otherwise, you will suffer backlash!"

Hearing this, Xiao Yan nodded inwardly—just like the Emperor Seal Technique, if one cannot unblock the special meridians, backlash follows.

"Great Heaven Creation Palm possesses the power of Creation."

As the calm voice continued, the figure suddenly emitted a faint glow, his body turning transparent, revealing clear pathways of meridians within—within those meridians, a strand of dark golden energy raced swiftly, tracing an unusual meridian route.

"This is the meridian route for cultivating Great Heaven Creation Palm!"

Seeing this, Xiao Yan's eyes blazed with delight; he immediately focused his mind, locking the energy's path firmly into his memory.

After several cycles, the meridian route slowly faded—but fortunately, Xiao Yan had memorized every detail.

Finally, the Creation Saint demonstrated Great Heaven Creation Palm in full, and his voice, like thunder awakening spring, erupted violently within Xiao Yan's mind: "Destined one, remember my name—Creation Saint!"

The figure grew increasingly faint within the black ring, until it vanished completely into nothingness.

The final image left by this Dou Saint upon this world thus dissolved away.

Xiao Yan nodded silently, allowing the black ring to surge forth and tear his body apart.

Back in the cave, Xiao Yan nodded inwardly, his right palm already eager to begin cultivation.

"Let's try—Great Heaven Creation Palm!"

With a hum, a black ring condensed in Xiao Yan's palm; he struck out—the ring expanded slowly, reaching a radius of one meter before vanishing.

Looking at the tiny black sphere, barely one meter in radius, Xiao Yan sighed helplessly—this Dou Technique demanded immense Dou Qi; had his Burning Art not been so powerful, he'd have drained his entire supply in one strike.

"Sigh… cultivating this Dou Technique is truly fraught with hardship."

The Soul Sovereign's Dou Di Bloodline offers little help in cultivating Dou Techniques!

Classified by attribute, Great Heaven Creation Palm belongs to Space—it is a highly advanced spatial power, capable of shredding everything within the space.

Xiao Yan knew well the hardships of cultivating Dou Techniques; he immediately calmed his mind and began training, as if transported back to his days in Wutan City, after receiving the legacy of the Pill Sovereign, when he trained his body day and night, honing Eight Extreme Shatter.

Cultivation knows no time; days passed swiftly. In just one month, disciples of the Flower Sect had grown accustomed to Xiao Yan's presence as their sole male.

"Ah! Master Xiao Yan!"

"Master Xiao Yan is so handsome!"

"I wonder what conditions are needed to ask Master Xiao Yan to refine Pills?"

"Dream on—you're the Champion of the Pill Gathering. Maybe if you offered yourself, he'd take you."

"Oh, shush, you idiot!"

Many disciples came daily to the peak where Xiao Yan trained, watching his Dou Technique cultivation with wide eyes, occasionally bursting into screams.

Xiao Yan gradually grew accustomed to the Flower Sect's atmosphere—no wonder it was a Hidden Sect; the cultivation ambiance was far more harmonious than that of the Yan Alliance.

"Hm? Out of seclusion?" Xiao Yan glanced toward the distance—he sensed Nalan Yanran had emerged.

Opening a Space Wormhole, Xiao Yan stepped forward and arrived at the small peak just as Nalan Yanran opened the door. A warm breeze blew from within, lifting her three thousand strands of hair.

With the assistance of the Strange Fire, the Restoration Pill, and Xiao Yan's Pill Alchemy, Nalan Yanran's aura had surged to Nine Star Peak Dou Zong—two stars higher!

Xiao Yan's eyes narrowed slightly; Nalan Yanran now wore the Silver Moon Robe of the Yun Lan Sect's Young Sect Master, faint battle intention radiating from her.

"Xiao Yan, fight me! This time, I won't lose to you again!"

Nalan Yanran smiled, her eyes narrowing slightly; after the Strange Fire's purification, she felt her Dou Qi flow more freely than ever—as if her odd and main meridians had all been unblocked!

Seeing Nalan Yanran deliberately wearing the Silver Moon Robe, Xiao Yan's lips curled; he suppressed his Soul Force and Dou Qi down to Nine Star Peak Dou Zong and Spiritual Force Realm: Commoner Full Completion—with a clang, the Black Heavy Ruler slammed to the ground.

"Looks like this little Bi Nu has thought ahead—she knows Young Master is cultivating a Dou Technique, and deliberately offers herself as a target." Xiao Yan couldn't help recalling his days at Jia Nan Academy, when he trained with Zi Yan—only then did cultivation accelerate.

Now, finding someone to train with was nearly impossible; he could only practice alone.

After a month of cultivation, Xiao Yan needed to test how far his Great Heaven Creation Palm had progressed.

"Let's see how much this little Bi Nu has grown."

Nalan Yanran smiled confidently. "Hehe, Young Master Xiao Yan, your luck ends today."

Xiao Yan smiled faintly—this girl remained as confident as ever.

The two slowly rose into the air; for cultivators above Dou Zong, the sky was as solid as land.

"Huh? Is that Miss Yanran and Master Xiao Yan? Why are they fighting?"

"Looks like it—probably training their Dou Techniques."

Soon, many disciples gathered to watch.

Nalan Yanran took a deep breath, drew forth the Yun Sha Black Sword, and instantly locked her gaze on Xiao Yan—her eyes blazed with piercing sword intent, as if her gaze could pierce through his body.

When Nalan Yanran unleashed her Battle Intention, that sword-like gaze swept across—many felt as if razor blades had scraped their skin, sending chills through them. Naturally, Xiao Yan paid no mind.

A surge of qi, boom—.

Xiao Yan didn't use a Flying Dou Technique; with a flash of Earth-Rank Low-Level Thundering Three Thousand, he instantly stood behind Nalan Yanran, his speed like a thunderclap—ordinary Nine-Star Dou Zong couldn't match such swiftness!

How he got behind Nalan Yanran, most people probably didn't see.

In that split second, Nalan Yanran's eyes narrowed, and she struck—sword light flashed, silent and unseen, as if she had anticipated Xiao Yan's arrival behind her all along.

"Six Directions Drifting Body Ruler, Blazing Fire!"

Xiao Yan cried inwardly; his black ruler surged with vast Dou Qi, easily piercing through Nalan Yanran's sword light. The ruler's shadow darted, and a strange flame condensed like lightning at its tip!

During this time, Xiao Yan had also taken the opportunity to cultivate the Six Directions Drifting Body Ruler; with his current Soul Force, cultivating Six Directions Fire was no longer difficult.

One swing of the ruler—no sonic boom, no other sound—only a deathly silence, like the instant before a volcano erupts!

Hum—! In that split second, Nalan Yanran shimmered like a silver moon, evading Xiao Yan's heavy strike with an ethereal, peerless Body Technique. With unbelievable speed, she stepped on wind spirals, her black sword a streak of black divine light piercing through all, stabbing straight at Xiao Yan.

Nalan Yanran hadn't been idle during her time with Yun Yun; at least, while tending to Hua Po Po, the old woman occasionally guided her. Only later, upon entering the Hua Sect, did Nalan Yanran realize this was a Earth Rank Advanced Grade Body Dou Technique: Silver Moon Drifting Petal Step.

As if immune to all arts, incredibly agile.

Seeing Nalan Yanran's sword thrust toward him, Xiao Yan remained calm—if his opponent had no real strength, why bother training Dou Techniques?

"Drifting Fire."

Xiao Yan spun his body, the ruler moving with him—dong, dong, dong, dong—in an instant, they clashed over a dozen strikes, every one of Nalan Yanran's sword techniques blocked by Xiao Yan.

"Not bad. You've improved." Xiao Yan's gaze sharpened; he gathered Dou Qi into his heavy ruler and roared inwardly: "Six Directions Fire!"

Boom! The black ruler swept horizontally, unleashing Six Directions Fire—its heavy force crashed toward Nalan Yanran like a mountain collapsing and sea overturning. When Six Directions Fire was unleashed, surrounding air currents were drawn in, as if a colossal force pulled you toward the black ruler, leaving no escape.

Facing this powerful, heavy strike, Nalan Yanran's expression grew grave. Even with her cultivation suppressed, Xiao Yan's combat power far surpassed hers.

Clang! The black sword flipped, driving straight in, meeting the attack head-on. As the sword pierced the air, petals bloomed instantly—sword blossoms like a blue lotus—but the blue lotus vanished in a flash.

Hearing the clang, the black sword sharply tapped the Xuan Heavy Ruler. In that split second, their attacks collided. Though Xiao Yan's Six Directions Fire was fierce and brutal, Nalan Yanran always struck precisely at the weak points of the Dou Qi, using softness to overcome hardness!

Xiao Yan closed in, breaking ten thousand arts with pure force. Their clashes moved too fast for the naked eye—repeatedly, heavy ruler met black sword, the wind spirals they generated tearing holes in Space.

Had they fought at ground level, the Hua Sect would have suffered catastrophic destruction.

One moved with ethereal grace, retreating to advance. The other broke ten thousand arts with unstoppable force.

"Wind's Extreme, Annihilation Slash, Continuous Stabs!" Nalan Yanran unleashed Yun Lan Sect's famed technique again—countless wind-type Dou Qi surged, all converging onto the black sword in her right hand.

But unlike at the start, this time Nalan Yanran's attack became continuous stabs—blade lights like a downpour of pear blossoms rained down upon Xiao Yan.

Seeing countless blade lights strike, Xiao Yan smiled, letting those laser-like stabs pierce through his body—zzz, zzz, zzz—the instant the blades pierced him, countless lightning bolts erupted from his body; it was merely Thunder Illusion Body.

"Mountain Splitting Seal!" Xiao Yan retracted his ruler, moving even faster—he appeared behind Nalan Yanran and slammed a palm condensed with Mountain Splitting Seal toward her.

"Flower Swap, Wood Shift." Nalan Yanran formed a hand seal—pam! —Xiao Yan's palm smashed into a Human Puppet composed of countless petals!

"Wind-Flower Flying Sword Art!" Nalan Yanran, now appearing on the other side, pressed two fingers together like a sword and flicked her jade fingers—countless petals wrapped in wind-type Dou Qi surged from all directions.

These petals were razor-sharp, slicing small tears even into Space.

Xiao Yan, suppressing his Cultivation Realm, Dou Qi, and Soul Force, without using his Strange Fire, found himself momentarily without a good countermeasure.

But this was exactly what Xiao Yan wanted—if he couldn't be pushed into a bitter battle, his Dou Techniques could never break through. He needed to force himself!

"Turn the Sea, Overturn the Earth, Annihilate the Heavens!"

Palm seals erupted wildly. Facing Xiao Yan's strange palm techniques, Nalan Yanran's expression grew grim—even though Xiao Yan had suppressed his strongest abilities, she still struggled fiercely.

After all, the gap between her and Xiao Yan was immense. Even with him suppressing himself this much, his battle experience and mastery over Space far exceeded hers.

Had Xiao Yan not been deliberately training his Dou Techniques and refrained from using his Strange Fire, Nalan Yanran would have lost long ago.

Roars and sword winds rang continuously from midair—the two Nine-Star Dou Zong fought as if unleashing a cataclysm, the forces of Heaven and Earth boiling uncontrollably!

"So powerful."

"Are there really Nine-Star Dou Zong this strong?!"

"Don't be naive—Master Xiao Yan is a Five-Star Dou Zun, and he hasn't even used his Soul Force or Strange Fire."

Everyone shuddered—even the Hua Sect Elders who came to watch couldn't help drawing a sharp breath; clearly, their battle had surpassed all imagination.

Boom! The terrifying collision flung them apart. Xiao Yan breathed heavily—even suppressing his Cultivation Method to Earth Rank Advanced Grade, he felt his Dou Qi beginning to run low!

Nalan Yanran wiped blood from her lips, removed the hairband binding her hair—her long hair flowed freely as she pointed her sword at Xiao Yan: "Xiao Yan, today I'll end this battle with the technique I couldn't use last time!"

Hum!!! All wind in the heavens trembled; clouds in the Sky churned wildly. When she challenged Xiao Yan the second time, Nalan Yanran had intended to unleash the ultimate essence of Wind's Extreme—but Xiao Yan's Five Strange Fires, Five Wheel Departure Fire Method had overwhelmed her.

Xiao Yan chuckled: "Save your daydreams for sleep. Even without Strange Fire or Soul Techniques, I remain invincible!"

Xiao Yan knew well: Yun Lan Sect's strongest Dou Technique, Wind's Extreme, had three tiers—Sunset Radiance, Annihilation Slash, and the ultimate sword technique at Earth Rank Advanced Grade: One Sword Shocks Dou Zun!

This was also Yun Potian's famed technique from days past!

Zing! Finally, Nalan Yanran's entire Dou Qi surged wildly—wind rose, clouds swirled, the forces of Heaven and Earth went mad. Even before she struck, an unforgiving, lethal aura filled the air—beneath this sword, all living things in Heaven and Earth trembled!

Sensing the terror of this technique, Xiao Yan took a deep breath—he wanted exactly this feeling. Though he didn't dislike this stubborn girl, that had nothing to do with losing to her!

He, the Great Tian Zun, could hold back—but he would not lose!

Xiao Yan frantically formed hand seals—suddenly, the forces of Heaven and Earth within a hundred li of the Hua Sect were all summoned; ripples surged across the space for a hundred li, and even the Hua Sect's protective Demonic Array trembled.

"Heavenly Rank Dou Technique!!!"

The Hua Sect's Grand Elder's eyes widened—two of you are just sparring! Do you have to go this far?!

Xiao Yan's Dou Qi poured relentlessly into his refined palm—a black sphere appeared in his palm. The Great Heaven Creation Palm required not just vast Dou Qi, but also terrifying mastery over Space.

Sensing the terrifying power in Xiao Yan's palm, Nalan Yanran did not retreat this time—even more, she felt a quiet thrill, for Xiao Yan had finally brought out a Heavenly Rank Dou Technique to face her.

Few on the Dou Qi Continent could make him take this seriously.

Nalan Yanran charged forward, thrusting her sword.

"Wind's Extreme, One Sword Shocks Dou Zun!"

One sword, invincible—even Elders who had reached Dou Zun trembled upon seeing it; they all agreed: Nalan Yanran's sword might even kill a One-Star Dou Zun!

This sword could wound lightly—or cripple severely.

Seeing Nalan Yanran charge, Xiao Yan slammed out a palm and murmured softly: "Great Heaven Creation Palm."

(End of Chapter)