Chapter 560

Xiao Yan waved his hand, and the Yin-Yang Dual Flames shot out, forming a Yin-Yang barrier to protect Nalan Yanran, who was still in Enlightenment; without further hesitation, he took the Bodhi Pill and walked toward the projection of the Bodhi Ancient Tree, entering its inner depths.

When Xiao Yan reentered the Tree Spirit space, he saw the entire space twisted and warped—a small black hole existed where the Black Flame resided, as if intent on devouring the entire Bodhi Ancient Tree.

Seeing Xiao Yan enter, the Tree Spirit of the Bodhi Ancient Tree rustled its branches, as if saying: "If you don't come back soon, I'll be sucked in!"

Looking at the slowly burning Black Flame, Xiao Yan's eyes held a trace of surprise: "Is this the power of the Heavenly Emperor Fire of Void Swallowing Flame?!"

Xiao Yan knew there was no time to waste; he immediately sat cross-legged, pulling out not only the newly refined Bodhi Pill but also a Nine Revolution Heaven Changing Pill, planning to attack from both fronts and elevate his Cultivation Realm by another turn.

Taking breakthrough Elixirs, then refining his Dou Qi with the Strange Fire Lotus—this old routine had been Xiao Yan's method since he was a Great Dou Shi, and he'd thought he could never use it again after losing his Strange Fire; yet now, after Mao Wu evolved into Heavenly Emperor Fire, he could refine it once more!

The instant the two Pills entered his throat, they transformed into two fierce streams of Dou Qi surging through his limbs; Xiao Yan formed a hand seal and instantly activated the Burn Scripture; as he slightly opened his mouth, the Void Swallowing Flame nearing Heavenly Emperor Fire transformed into a streak of Black Flame and plunged into his mouth.

BOOM!! Instantly, searing pain erupted within Xiao Yan's body; when he refined the Earth Sub Flame, he hadn't felt the agony because he was refining the Nether Poison Flame, but now, after Heavenly Emperor Fire's evolution, it didn't just release a surge of energy—it was like refining a brand-new Strange Fire, its Infernal Heat extreme.

Xiao Yan gritted his teeth and began activating the Burn Scripture; since Mao Wu had already been refined once, refining it again wasn't a major issue—but Strange Fire was still Strange Fire, especially a high-tier one like Heavenly Emperor Fire; even if it entered gently, it would still burn him.

WHIRRR—the Bodhi Ancient Tree released a wave of Life Force to ease Xiao Yan's pain; its Tree Spirit emitted a green glow that enveloped him, then a soul-deep exhaustion suddenly surged, causing his eyes to droop instantly, his head slowly sinking downward.

When Xiao Yan opened his eyes again, he saw an unfamiliar ceiling and bedding—everything around him was utterly alien.

Soon, a flood of Soul Information surged into Xiao Yan's heart.

"I'm the only son of the Heavenly Sword Sect's leader, Du Gu Qing?" Xiao Yan frowned; he still remembered who he was—he remembered he was undergoing Hundred Lifetimes Reincarnation.

A creaking sound came as the door opened; a middle-aged man in ancient robes stepped in. Though Xiao Yan had never seen him before, he knew this man was Du Gu Cai, the sect leader—and his father.

CLICK—the moment Xiao Yan's body moved, it rose involuntarily.

"Sigh, don't get up if you're injured. With your current Cultivation Realm, forcing yourself to practice the Heavenly Sword Third Form will only cause the sword qi to rebound and injure you."

Hearing Du Gu Cai's words, Xiao Yan's soul recalled another Soul Information—he had injured himself by forcing the practice of a certain Dou Technique.

Understanding what had happened, Xiao Yan's soul sighed helplessly, then a voice from deep within his soul rang out: "Stop!"

CLICK—the rising Du Gu Qing froze in place. Not just him—the Heavenly Sword Sect leader, Du Gu Cai, also froze. Not just these two—everything in the world seemed paused as if time itself had been halted.

Then, a wisp of Soul Body drifted out from Du Gu Qing's body—it was Xiao Yan's Soul Body!

Looking at everything before him, Xiao Yan sighed, shaking his head with a wry smile: "So this is Hundred Lifetimes Reincarnation."

Xiao Yan quickly understood what Hundred Lifetimes Reincarnation meant. He guessed that while hidden in the Earth's core, the Bodhi Ancient Tree had collected fragmented Soul Bodies, then, through its own analysis and deduction, formed a "reincarnation."

In simple terms, Xiao Yan would enter the life of someone else, experience their entire existence, and learn what they had learned in their lifetime.

That was Hundred Lifetimes Reincarnation—experiencing a hundred lives meant a hundred reincarnations.

But for Xiao Yan, this was utterly useless.

"This Hundred Lifetimes Reincarnation is so boring—what's the point of experiencing a hundred other lives? They're not me." Xiao Yan felt helpless; the experiences were fake. Even if he lived a hundred lives inside others, he'd still be Xiao Yan, not them—he could never fully replicate anyone.

Different people practicing the same Dou Technique would always produce different results—that's why Dou Techniques gradually vanished; each practitioner made subtle changes, and as the technique passed down, it grew more distorted until it became so corrupted that even reaching its peak cultivation became impossible—and then it was lost.

A thousand people see a thousand Hamlets; the same Dou Technique Scroll, practiced by different people, yields different results.

"Might as well treat it like watching a movie—maybe I'll pick up something, broaden my horizons."

Xiao Yan shook his head helplessly; he'd thought Hundred Lifetimes Reincarnation meant he'd relive a hundred lives—but he'd overestimated it.

Then Xiao Yan reentered Du Gu Qing's body; his Soul Body extended a hand, his right hand twisting like a gear, slowly rotating. As Xiao Yan turned his hand, the entire world accelerated—sunrise and sunset flashed like thunder, images streaking past his eyes at blinding speed.

With his current Soul Force strength, combined with his cultivation of the Emperor Soul Scripture, his perception had reached an terrifying level, and so had his learning ability—he could read Soul Information and remember it perfectly, otherwise how could any normal person memorize such massive Pill Formulas without missing a single detail?

Soon, Du Gu Qing's entire life had been "completed."

In short: in ancient times, there was a Sect, later destroyed by enemies; the only survivor was Du Gu Qing, who, after a series of cultivations, finally avenged his clan, then, realizing his injuries were incurable, retreated into a mountain forest and died quietly.

At one point, the Bodhi Ancient Tree appeared precisely at the place where Du Gu Qing had passed away; when it took root, it absorbed a fragment of the residual soul lingering in the earth, obtained a bit of Soul Information, and through its own Shen Mi Zhi Yi, reconstructed Du Gu Qing's entire life into one reincarnation.

But

After experiencing his first reincarnation, Xiao Yan's Soul Body returned to a vast white space, shook his head helplessly, and as a flash of Golden Light passed, he actively erased the vast majority of the Soul Information.

"No wonder you can't endure Hundred Lifetimes Reincarnation without a Bodhi Heart—such a massive influx of Soul Information, without a Bodhi Heart to keep your mind clear, would cause chaos and make you lose track of who you are."

Xiao Yan sighed inwardly; Hundred Lifetimes Reincarnation wasn't entirely useless—at least it had broadened his horizons; he now knew some ancient Medicinal Materials, Elixirs, and human history.

For his own Pill Alchemy, expanding his knowledge of Medicinal Materials was useful—even if only a little, it was still something.

But he deliberately discarded Du Gu Qing's Cultivation Method, Dou Techniques, and personal emotions—they didn't fit him.

If Xiao Yan truly practiced this man's Dou Techniques, what he ended up with would be some monstrous distortion.

"Next one."

WHIRRR—a flash of white light engulfed him, and Xiao Yan entered his second reincarnation.

He repeated this endlessly—always accelerating. After each reincarnation ended, he actively erased most of the Soul Information, retaining only a vague memory of the person.

Until the ninety-ninth reincarnation, Xiao Yan had experienced countless millions of years. Among them, some lives resembled his own—some were even Alchemists, granting him free access to numerous Pill Formulas.

Those chosen by the Bodhi Ancient Tree were at least Dou Zun Di Feng—some were even half-Sages or true Dou Sages.

The Bodhi Ancient Tree likely never expected that Xiao Yan's will was so unshakable—he didn't need a Bodhi Heart to remain clear-minded and retain his self. Even now, his eyes were as sharp as ever, his heart utterly unmoved.

Though Xiao Yan was sometimes greedy and insisted on Water Without Leak, he chose not to take everything in Hundred Lifetimes Reincarnation.

A Dou Sage's life—this was a supreme treasure to any cultivator below Dou Zun—but to Xiao Yan, it was mere dross that would corrupt him.

Xiao Yan had to extract the essence and discard the dross.

"Final lifetime—hope the Ancient Tree can give me something worthwhile, or this will be truly boring." Xiao Yan shook his head; he hadn't gained nothing from Hundred Lifetimes Reincarnation, just less than he'd hoped.

WHIRRR! A blinding white light engulfed Xiao Yan, then countless Soul Information surged into his mind like a tidal wave.

【Thirty years east of the river, thirty years west—never underestimate a young man's potential!】

【This Contract isn't to dissolve our engagement—it's me, the Young Master, expelling you from the Xiao Clan!】

【You—you dare to divorce me!?】

【Father, in three years, Yan'er will go to Yun Lan Sect and personally wash away today's humiliation for you!】

【Hehe, little kid, looks like you need help.】

!!!!!?!

【Do you want to become an Alchemist?】

Xiao Yan suddenly jolted awake, as if from a nightmare, his back drenched in cold sweat, beads of sweat covering his forehead as he gasped for breath. His eyes held a hint of shock, for the soul information that had just flooded his mind felt utterly real.

"Was that person in the soul information me?" Xiao Yan quickly calmed himself—he still remembered he was within the Bodhi Ancient Tree's Hundred Lifetimes Reincarnation, and this was the hundredth life!

"Did the Bodhi Ancient Tree read my soul information and reconstruct this life?" Xiao Yan moved his fingers—he discovered he could now control his body, yet he could not accelerate the flow of time; his soul power seemed vanished, and his body held almost no Dou Qi or soul force.

"Nalan Yanran came to break off the engagement—that's exactly what happened," Xiao Yan recalled the soul information, frowning. Though the engagement was broken in both cases, the outcome was vastly different: in this memory, he had lost his Dou Qi and endured three years of bullying by the Xiao Clan—utterly wretched.

Then came Nalan Yanran's visit to break the engagement, the spark that ignited all his humiliation.

Xiao Yan smiled faintly, shaking his head helplessly, muttering to himself: "Do I really need three years to defeat Nalan Yanran? Brother Ancient Tree, you're joking."

Just as Xiao Yan was about to stand up, a piercing pain shot through him, making him gasp. Only then did he take stock of himself.

Xiao Yan sat cross-legged, immersed in medicinal essence; he sensed numerous wounds on his body, his Dou Qi severely depleted, sustained only by this medicinal essence repairing his injuries.

Slowly lifting his head, he surveyed his surroundings—it was a Cave. Outside, the roar of a waterfall echoed. The entrance was blocked by massive stones, letting in only faint light. The Cave was dim, but three Moonlight Stones provided sufficient illumination.

Xiao Yan took a deep breath, inhaling the damp air—everything felt astonishingly real.

Using the reflection from a crystal, Xiao Yan saw his current appearance—he looked about fifteen or sixteen years old.

"Six Star Dou Zhe?" Xiao Yan probed his own cultivation realm. After much thought, he concluded his current level was roughly that of a Six Star Dou Zhe.

To be honest, he had forgotten this rank for too long.

"This cultivation level is truly low," Xiao Yan sighed inwardly. In this life, the Bodhi Ancient Tree probably intended to make him rebuild from scratch all the way to Sage Emperor, to gain insight and qualify for breaking through to Sage Emperor—then break through.

But the suppression was too severe—he was practically starting from zero in this life!

Xiao Yan looked down at the medicinal essence in the stone pit, scooped up a bit with his hand, sniffed it, and his eyes widened—he recognized at once that though the essence was low-grade and its medicinal materials not high-tier, it was perfectly suited to his current injuries and exquisitely balanced.

"This medicinal essence—"

It required more than just Pill Alchemy—it demanded acute judgment of the patient's condition. From just these subtle combinations, Xiao Yan realized the Alchemist who prepared this essence was extraordinary.

"It took me three or four days just to prepare this small pool of Spirit Liquid for you."

Xiao Yan instantly assumed a defensive stance, scanning his surroundings with sharp eyes—but saw no one. He tried to use Soul Force Perception, yet his soul force seemed gone. He channeled his faint Dou Qi and growled, "Who's there?"

A withered voice echoed from outside the Cave, and an elderly man's phantom figure drifted in like a ghost.

(End of Chapter)