Chapter 503: Void Thunder Pool Cultivation, Cultivation Realm Ascension

"This is a dangerous place—if you're not careful, you'll at best be severely injured by lightning, at worst—" Hei Qing stared at the endless thunder sea before him and swallowed hard.

He could still withstand the weaker outer layers, but if a lightning storm erupted and he was submerged by the thunder sea, he couldn't say what would happen.

Near East Dragon Island, such a perilous place still existed in the Void Space.

Xiao Yan patted Hei Qing on the shoulder, signaling him to relax, and said, "Brother Hei Qing, rest assured—with the Dragon Phoenix Ancient Armor, I believe these lightning strikes won't kill me."

Only then did Hei Qing remember that Xiao Yan possessed the strongest defensive beast technique of the Tai Xu Ancient Dragon Clan! He couldn't help but chuckle bitterly: "I nearly forgot—Master Xiao Yan has the Dragon Phoenix Ancient Armor. Then I won't disturb your cultivation. If you need anything, use the Dragon Seal to contact me."

Hei Qing bowed, then left.

Seeing Hei Qing depart, Xiao Yan stepped forward with thunder beneath his feet, darting into the Thunder Pool. The moment he entered the outermost edge, as if sensing an intruder, countless silver lightning bolts surged toward him like serpents.

Facing the outermost lightning, Xiao Yan merely smiled faintly, letting the tiny lightning arcs strike his body—he had already refined the Nine Dragon Lightning Fire, granting his body resistance to lightning.

When these lightning arcs struck Xiao Yan's formidable flesh, they only produced a tingling numbness—nowhere near painful.

"This lightning's power is decent—it can upgrade these ten Earth Demon Puppets into Tian Yao Kui." Xiao Yan hadn't forgotten—he had received ten Earth Demon Puppets from the Zao Hua Saint. Though he lacked Three Thousand Yan Flame, he could still evolve them into Star One Dou Zun Tian Yao Kui; combined with Xing Tian in an array, they might rival a high-level Dou Zun.

Xiao Yan walked deeper into the thunder sea, feeling the lightning grow stronger. When its intensity reached a certain point, he halted and released all eleven puppets—including Xing Tian.

"Leave the Earth Demon Puppets here for refining." Xiao Yan formed a hand seal, and his identical Three Thousand Thunder Illusion Body appeared.

Since his Soul Force had reached the Heavenly Realm, his Soul Avatar now possessed the same consciousness as himself—he entrusted the Three Thousand Thunder Illusion Body with refining the puppets while also tempering the avatar.

The remaining half-year was Xiao Yan's final chance to strengthen his power. Facing the Gu Clan, he felt not only reverence but also burning fighting spirit. For Xun Er, Xiao Yan had no retreat.

Xiao Yan unleashed his Soul Force, drawing the lightning toward him.

Within the Thunder Pool, wild lightning danced—dozens of thunderbolts, each nearly ten to dozens of zhang long, erupted violently, roaring with thunder as they rained down upon the Tian Yao Kui. Under this furious onslaught, the dull dark-gold bodies of the Tian Yao Kui slowly began to gleam brighter.

The other Earth Demon Puppets gradually evolved from silver-white to golden.

After observing for a while, Xiao Yan nodded silently and continued deeper—the lightning here wasn't strong enough. To temper his essence blood, he needed far more violent thunder; otherwise, his Dou Qi wouldn't solidify.

After walking a long while, Xiao Yan stopped—here, the lightning striking his body caused intense pain. Though he could still advance further using the Dragon Phoenix Ancient Armor and Strange Fire for protection, he wasn't here to challenge the lightning—he was here to cultivate.

"This intensity is sufficient. Going further would be too dangerous." Xiao Yan frowned, staring inward. Though the vision ahead remained a sea of silver lightning, his Heavenly Realm Soul Force clearly sensed faint black lightning arcs flickering deep within.

Those were Black Demon Thunder—only Nine-Treasure Pills could summon them!

Xiao Yan had no intention of being struck by Black Demon Thunder.

With a wave of his hand, several items appeared before him: besides the Zao Hua Saint's bones and the remaining three drops of Ancient Dragon Essence Blood, there were also precious medicinal materials gathered from Zao Hua Gu, and Black Demon.

Xiao Yan needed to use Alchemist techniques to purify the Ancient Dragon Essence Blood and Zi Yan's Dragon Phoenix Essence Blood.

"First, refine the essence blood."

No sooner had he spoken than Xiao Yan tossed the Zao Hua Saint's bones into the Alchemy Furnace, flicked his finger, and sent a strand of Fused Strange Fire that enveloped the entire skeleton. The furnace's infernal heat instantly spread.

This terrifying power caused the surrounding lightning to instinctively recoil.

Dou Saint bones were extremely hard—crushing them was no easy task—but compared to the Crystal Layer of the Dragon Phoenix Origin Fruit, they were incomparable.

In just half a day, the Zao Hua Saint's bones were completely incinerated by the Fused Strange Fire, turning into gray ash that drifted slowly downward. Xiao Yan collected the ash into a box, then turned his gaze to the furnace.

A fist-sized lump of milky white, gelatinous substance appeared before Xiao Yan's eyes.

He then tossed in the three drops of Ancient Dragon Essence Blood and a large quantity of precious medicinal materials into the Black Demon, beginning the refining process.

Xiao Yan wasn't refining a Pill—he was using medicinal arts to neutralize and purify the essence blood, removing its violent, useless components, leaving only the purest energy.

Soon, another half-day passed—the original fist-sized essence blood block had shrunk to just one-tenth its original size.

Gazing at the small cluster of pure energy, Xiao Yan's eyes glowed red—this energy contained far more power than even an Eight Grade Peak Pill!

Though Dou Saint Essence Blood was only an extremely minute fraction of a Dou Saint's total power, the Zao Hua Saint's remains were complete—this energy was enough to drive every Dou Zun mad!

"I'm currently a Five-Star Dou Zun—the energy required for Dou Zun advancement is immense." Xiao Yan's eyes flickered with red veins.

The energy needed after Dou Zun was terrifying—and Xiao Yan was still only Five-Star; his need was even greater.

With a grit of his teeth, Xiao Yan pulled out the Chengzun Spirit Pill he had refined from his storage ring. The moment he opened the Jade Box, a medicinal fragrance that instantly sharpened the spirit filled the air.

The Chengzun Spirit Pill could push a Dou Zun up one star—and this was the perfect quality he had refined, one that had summoned Nine Color Pill Thunder. Even an Eight-Star Dou Zun could ascend to Nine-Star.

He planned to go all out!

Once Xiao Yan made his decision, he hesitated no longer—he grabbed the Chengzun Spirit Pill and swallowed it. Instantly, it melted into a warm stream flooding his body. Without pausing, he opened his mouth slightly and sucked in the milky white, jelly-like essence blood he had refined.

In an instant, a terrifying surge of energy exploded through his meridians. Xiao Yan's eyes widened, teeth clenched—his body swelled like an overinflated balloon, the energy threatening to burst free.

With a wave of his hand, he recalled the Strange Fire. Instantly, the lightning above the Thunder Pool went berserk, raining down upon Xiao Yan.

Boom! A lightning bolt of Dou Zun-level power struck him—only then did his swelling body stop expanding.

To refine such immense energy, Xiao Yan needed external force—just as he had once used Strange Fire to suppress the energy surge during Pill breakthroughs.

Though he couldn't absorb lightning's power like a puppet, he could use its strikes to temper his flesh and energy, refining his Dou Qi into pure cultivation.

One after another, lightning bolts struck—here, the lightning had reached Dou Zun-level intensity. Even Xiao Yan, sitting still and taking direct Dou Zun attacks, would be in danger!

Crack! Crack! Crack! The sound of lightning exploded wildly—here, Xiao Yan was a living lightning rod, drawing even more furious silver thunder toward him.

Xiao Yan's robes had long been reduced to ash; now he resembled a being of lightning—his human form was barely visible, only a swirling mass of electricity remained.

The silver lightning multiplied, grew fiercer—by the end, even a storm couldn't describe it. Countless bolts rained down on Xiao Yan as if the entire Thunder Pool held a grudge against him, determined to obliterate him unless heaven itself was blind.

Yet no matter how many bolts struck him, even when they tore his skin open and laid his flesh bare, Xiao Yan endured it all—his immense physical strength and iron will held firm.

From afar, Xiao Yan was now entirely shrouded in dense lightning, as if every inch of his body streamed with countless bolts.

If anyone witnessed this scene, they'd be stunned—how could anyone torment themselves like this? Why not take time to slowly refine? There was no need to swallow the Pill all at once.

Time passed second by second. In this brilliant silver world, lightning rained like apocalypse—thunder roared endlessly through this Void Thunder Pool, a phenomenon that could exist nowhere but in the Void Space.

Within this silver thunder sea, a naked figure sat cross-legged. Violent lightning roared outside the circle, thick thunder serpents continuously striking Xiao Yan's body. What had once torn his skin open now left only faint red marks, which vanished quickly.

In this monotonous thunder world, the lightning seemed endless. Beneath the ceaseless roar, time flowed like water—before long, nearly half a year had slipped away.

During these six months, Xiao Yan awoke twice. The first time, he recalled the Three Thousand Thunder Illusion Body and all the puppets—without exception, all had evolved into Tian Yao Kui. Xing Tian, tempered by Three Thousand Yan Flame, had reached its limit—stuck at Three-Star Peak.

The second time, Zhu Li came to check—Zi Yan hadn't sent word; Zhu Li was worried Xiao Yan had perished from staying too long in the Thunder Pool.

Seeing Xiao Yan cultivating peacefully, Zhu Li was stunned—Xiao Yan had cultivated here for nearly half a year!

As a high-level Half-Saint, Zhu Li could certainly cultivate here—but he knew that even as a Nine-Star Dou Zun, he could never have endured this place for half a year.

Xiao Yan wasn't just physically formidable—he possessed Three Thousand Yan Flame and Yin-Yang Dual Flame, and his recovery ability was equally terrifying.

!!!

Suddenly, Xiao Yan, who had been meditating cross-legged, snapped his eyes open, lifted his head, and stared straight into the depths of the Thunder Pool; his powerful Soul Force Perception sensed an extremely violent energy surge emerging from there.

"What is that?"

Yet, the moment Xiao Yan murmured those words, an invisible gale shot forth from the depths of the Thunder Pool; wherever this gale passed, terrifying Lei Dian instantly vanished into nothingness.

"Such terrifying gale!"

Feeling this invisible gale, Xiao Yan's body hair stood on end.

"Chii!"

As Xiao Yan's scalp prickled, he saw a figure stagger out from the zone torn apart by the gale; behind it, over a dozen massive, pitch-black thunderbolts, like black dragons, chased after it.

The instant Xiao Yan saw those pitch-black thunderbolts, his scalp exploded in shock—he cried out: "Black Demon Thunder!"

Xiao Yan clicked his tongue, instantly donned his Soul Robe, and turned to flee. Even though his Cultivation Realm had just broken through to Eight-Star Dou Zun, boosted three levels in one go by Elixir and essence blood, this Black Demon Thunder was the Heavenly Thunder summoned by a Ji Pin Dan Yao—he wouldn't dare face it even if he were the strongest.

Moreover, with his Heavenly Realm Soul Force, Xiao Yan knew perfectly well: the old man being chased by the Black Demon Thunder was a Half-Sage, his strength comparable to Zhu Li. If even such a person was running, how much more so Xiao Yan!

"Friend ahead—"

"Get lost!" Xiao Yan unfurled his Ancient Phoenix Wings and shot instantly toward the outer edge of the Void Thunder Pool.

You die on your own, you old bastard—don't drag me down with you!

"So fast! Those wings are…?" The old man was stunned by Xiao Yan's terrifying speed—this Eight-Star Dou Zun moved nearly as fast as he did!

Xiao Yan glanced back at the old man; he looked very aged, strands of white hair scattered across his head, his robe torn to shreds—clearly destroyed by the thunderbolts.

Puff! Puff! Two figures shot out of the Void Thunder Pool, one behind the other; only then did the Black Demon Thunder halt.

"Indeed Black Demon Thunder—it seems the depths of this Thunder Pool aren't ordinary." Xiao Yan exhaled in relief, grateful he hadn't ventured too deep; otherwise, this Black Demon Thunder wouldn't have helped his Cultivation—it would've sent him straight to heaven.

"Hehe, kid, your Heavenly Phoenix Wings aren't simple—your speed's impressive." After escaping danger, the old man rubbed his hands together, approaching with a lewd, smug grin.

Xiao Yan silently used the Dragon Seal to call Hei Qing, yet smiled warmly in reply: "Not nearly as swift as Master."

If Xiao Yan could've beaten him, he'd have already cursed him to his face!

Fortunately, Xiao Yan had fully refined the essence blood and Elixir—it was time to leave.

The old man studied Xiao Yan with mild interest and smiled sweetly: "Kid, your strength is decent. Deep in this Thunder Pool, there are some nascent Black Demon Thunder beings with rudimentary consciousness—they're incredibly peculiar, able to directly absorb the thunderbolts for cultivation; they're a supreme tonic. I see your speed and strength are both strong—why don't we team up and venture deeper?"

Hearing this, Xiao Yan offered a polite smile that barely concealed his urge to curse.

Venture deeper? Are you joking? I might withstand nascent Black Demon Thunder, but that monstrous, dragon-like Black Demon Thunder just now? One strike would've reduced me to a crippled mess!

Besides, this old man looks utterly untrustworthy—team up with him and it's no different than teaming up with the Soul Sect's Heavenly Lords.

"Fine, fine—I was going to offer you a chance."

Seeing Xiao Yan's murderous smile, the old man sneered dismissively: "But since we've met, it's fate. I'm Mang—though I doubt you've ever heard of me."

"Mang?" Xiao Yan thought hard—he truly didn't recognize any such supreme expert. Clearly, the true elites of Zhong Zhou were extremely low-key.

"Sigh… ignorant young generation…"

Seeing Xiao Yan genuinely didn't know him, Master Mang sighed even more bitterly.

"Chii!"

As Xiao Yan stood speechless, a sharp wind rushed from afar, and a loud voice called out from a distance: "Master Xiao Yan, are you alright?"

"Huh? It's someone from the Void Ancient Dragon Clan?" Seeing the approaching figure, Master Mang froze, then glanced sharply at Xiao Yan—strangely puzzled how an ordinary human could be connected to the Void Ancient Dragon Clan.

"Forget it. Since it's like this, I'll take my leave. You've shown decent ability—I hope we meet again someday."

Clearly, he didn't want to be tied to the Void Ancient Dragon Clan. It was obvious: this Void Thunder Pool had once been the Void Ancient Dragon Clan's body-refining treasure ground, but due to their fragmentation and neglect, this old man was essentially an illegal intruder.

Instantly, Master Mang vanished—his speed so swift it even startled Xiao Yan.

"Brother Hei Qing, I'm fine." Xiao Yan bowed respectfully.

"Good. Huh? Your Cultivation Realm… Eight-Star Dou Zun?!" Hei Qing's eyes widened in shock!

You've been inside for barely half a year—and now you're Eight-Star Dou Zun?! You're on the same level as me now!

Xiao Yan smiled lightly: "Just took some Elixir."

"Cultivation's nearly complete. Let's head back." For the remaining months, Xiao Yan planned to spend his time refining Pills, to avoid any mishaps that might cause him to miss the deadline.

This appointment, Xiao Yan absolutely could not be late.

As for which Pill to refine, naturally it was the Nine Revolution Heaven Changing Pill—he'd owed the Three Heavenly Lords this Pill for some time. More importantly, now that he was Eight-Star Dou Zun, he'd eventually need the Nine Revolution Heaven Changing Pill himself.

The Nine Revolution Heaven Changing Pill was an Eight Grade Peak Pill guaranteed to summon Nine Color Pill Thunder—its difficulty was unimaginable. But now that Xiao Yan's Cultivation Realm had reached Eight-Star Dou Zun, and with abundant Medicinal Materials to support him, he had no fear of failure.

Xiao Yan finally understood how fortunate Alchemists in major Factions were—Medicinal Materials? Unlimited. Just keep refining until you die!

"Xiao Yan? That name sounds familiar." After Xiao Yan left, Master Mang slowly reappeared from Space, wondering why he felt he'd heard that name before.

(End of Chapter)