Chapter 276: Advanced Half-Saint
The transformation of the physical body was a long and gradual process. The first to undergo change was the internal bones. From their previously subdued jade hue, they gradually transformed into complete jade bones. A vast amount of golden medicinal energy surged in, making the jade bones increasingly translucent, radiating an aura of immortality.
As the bones inside the body turned into jade bones, the blood flowing from them began to carry a faint golden hue, spreading through the limbs and nourishing every cell within. This caused Yao Yan's physique to enhance at a visibly rapid rate, and his Dou Qi surged in tandem.
The Dou Qi, which had previously reached its limit due to bodily constraints, now seemed to have its shackles broken. Like a great river, it surged turbulently through the widened meridians, rapidly absorbing the medicinal power of the Holy Spirit Pill, as if there was no longer any ceiling to its growth—capable of increasing infinitely.
If Yao Yan's body had any limits before, it now seemed as if a bridge to the heavens had been built, connecting him to a vast ocean, allowing him to enhance his power at will.
His physical strength and Dou Qi were undergoing transformation with every passing moment, climbing at a terrifying speed.
Even his Hun was being nourished by the essence, gradually strengthening and advancing to a higher level. The vastness of heaven and earth opened up to him once more, and the laws of the world, which he previously couldn't perceive, now became vivid and distinct—everything seemed to follow a traceable pattern.
It was truly extraordinary.
Only now did Yao Yan genuinely feel the overwhelming power of a Dou Sheng. There was an unbridgeable gap between a Dou Zun and this realm, as distant as heaven and earth. Even the thin spiritual energy dispersed across the world could now be sensed and controlled!
Time seemed to lose meaning for Yao Yan as he immersed himself in the transformation. Yet he still remembered Hun Xu Zi's words and maintained absolute clarity, never losing himself or being intoxicated by the rapidly expanding power. Calmly, he controlled his body's absorption of medicinal energy, transforming at a steady pace.
Outside.
Hun Xu Zi had already left. Over half a year had passed since Yao Yan consumed the Holy Spirit Pill. Hun Xu Zi had monitored him for three months. Once he confirmed Yao Yan's condition had stabilized, he left. As the chief alchemist of the Hun Clan, he clearly had no time to play the role of a guardian.
Besides, Yao Yan had already crossed the most difficult threshold. The rest was merely a matter of time.
Transitioning from a Nine-Turn Dou Zun to a true Dou Sheng required going through a Half-Saint phase. The speed of transformation varied from person to person. Most Half-Saints could only rely on their own Dou Qi to slowly transform. Very few pills or heavenly treasures were effective at this level.
After consuming the Holy Spirit Pill, all Yao Yan needed was to absorb its medicinal power, saving himself centuries of effort.
If Yao Yan had to cultivate in seclusion on his own, even with all his prior accumulation, it would have likely taken him nearly a century to complete the transformation. But now, with just one grade-nine treasure pill, all of that was bypassed.
Yao Yan's current rate of transformation was enough to make countless Half-Saints green with envy.
However, even one grade-nine treasure pill was beyond the reach of most. Not to mention Half-Saints—even an average five- or six-star Dou Sheng might not qualify to access such a high-level pill. Grade-nine golden pills had long disappeared from the world. Profound pills were rare, and treasure pills were the peak of alchemy.
Another three months passed.
Yao Yan sat cross-legged in the void. There was no longer a strong fluctuation of aura around him. Instead, he exuded a serene calm, like an unborn child about to emerge, radiating indescribable vitality, harmonizing with heaven and earth. With every breath, the surrounding energy flowed and responded to him naturally.
"His body and Dou Qi have nearly transformed to their peak. Only the Hun remains… then he'll ascend to Dou Sheng," Hun Yi muttered with awe in his eyes. Inwardly, he thought—being a peak one-star Dou Sheng himself, he fully understood the arduous process between Half-Saint and Dou Sheng.
It had taken him five hundred years to take that step.
But Yao Yan had reached the advanced Half-Saint level in less than a year. The final leap was within reach.
Compared to Hun Yi's emotional response, the Heavenly Flame on the side wore a bored expression as it stared at Yao Yan. It wanted to go out and have some fun, but due to Hun Xu Zi's orders, it had to stay and guard Yao Yan against any mishaps.
However, seeing Yao Yan's rapid improvement in strength made the Heavenly Flame slightly envious. If it could one day replace him… it was a tempting thought.
"Hurry and break through to Dou Sheng, Little Master~" the Heavenly Flame thought with mischievous anticipation.
But on this particular day—
Yao Yan suddenly opened his eyes. A faint golden light flashed deep within them before slowly fading. He looked down at his palm, clenched his fist, then turned his gaze toward Hun Yi. The power level he once couldn't perceive now lay completely visible before him.
Peak One-Star Dou Sheng!
With his current advanced Half-Saint strength, his body didn't feel any sense of danger. On the contrary, he felt eager to test himself in a frontal battle!
"Little Master, why are you awake?" the Heavenly Flame floated over, clearly surprised. In its perception, the Holy Spirit Pill in Yao Yan's body had not yet been fully absorbed—more than half remained!
Hun Yi also looked on in confusion, wondering why Yao Yan had suddenly stopped. Why not proceed directly to Dou Sheng?
"The transformation process has stabilized. What remains is just a matter of time. There's no need to remain in seclusion… and I have other ideas I'd like to try," Yao Yan explained softly. Then, he rose from the void and gently landed on the ground.
His body had perfectly adapted to the Holy Spirit Pill. This grade-nine treasure pill would continuously release medicinal energy inside him, aiding his transformation. With five heavenly flames protecting his body, there was no need for cautious seclusion—he could now move freely. He intended to use this period to collect the blood essence of various races and fuse them within himself to test a new path he had envisioned.
With the help of the Holy Spirit Pill, perhaps he could begin forming a Chaotic Body.
Especially during this transformative stage, Yao Yan had many insights into his physical state and didn't want to miss the opportunity. After all, his path wouldn't end at Dou Di. He had to aim for even greater heights!
"Little Master, what do you plan to do?" the Heavenly Flame asked curiously.
"I want to gather the blood essence of all the races and see if I can evolve something interesting," Yao Yan answered honestly. For this endeavor, he'd need the power of the Hun Clan. If he had to collect everything on his own, who knew how many years it would take?
The Heavenly Flame and Hun Yi were both stunned. Then they remembered Yao Yan's unique physique. It was possible he could truly evolve something bizarre from merging so much blood essence.
"Interesting~" The Heavenly Flame let out a strange chuckle, circling around Yao Yan. Clearly, his idea had piqued its interest. After all, when it controlled the Blood Sacrifice World, it had mastered the essence of every Hun clansman's life force.
It was deeply familiar with the inner workings of such things. But what Yao Yan proposed was a route it had never considered.
Hun Yi, however, didn't pay much attention to this plan. He looked at Yao Yan and said respectfully, "Young Clan Leader, the Clan Leader previously sent a message—if you emerged from seclusion, you should go see him at once. It's about the marriage alliance."
Marriage alliance…
Yao Yan's scalp tingled. He nodded to Hun Yi, waved at the Heavenly Flame, which obediently entered his spatial ring, then took a step forward. His body seemingly merged into space, vanishing without a ripple.
This move left Hun Yi slightly stunned. He shook his head. No wonder the Clan Leader valued Yao Yan so much. He hadn't even broken through to Dou Sheng, yet his mastery over spatial power had reached such a level—his talent was terrifying.
This young man's path had only just begun—completely different from people like them, who had already reached their limit.
Only those who became true Dou Shengs would understand how arduous the road beyond that realm was, especially in a world where cultivation resources were scarce. Every small step required countless years of grinding effort—not just between stars, but between each minor stage.
Only a few could still advance swiftly at this level.
And Yao Yan was clearly one of them.
...
With a single step, he stood above the Imperial City. As his figure appeared, a dozen powerful Hun forces surged from within the city, scanning the area. Once Yao Yan's identity was confirmed, they were gradually withdrawn. He then oriented himself and flew toward the mountain peak where Hun Tian Di resided.
"Was that the Young Clan Leader? Did he break through to Dou Sheng?!"
"So fast?!"
…
A stir quickly swept through the Imperial City.
But Yao Yan paid it no mind. Within a few breaths, he arrived at the peak where Hun Tian Di sat. It was the same large tree, the same stone table, and the same game of chess that seemed to never end. Dressed in black, Hun Tian Di sat at the table, holding an Gu book of chess strategies, studying the board.
"You broke through? No… not quite," Hun Tian Di glanced at Yao Yan and furrowed his brows slightly, surprised. Yao Yan had resisted the temptation of Dou Sheng and stopped right at the threshold—something most couldn't do. Hun Tian Di himself had charged through in one breath back then.
"I plan to fuse the blood essence of all races within myself and see if I can evolve a unique physique," Yao Yan stated simply.
"An interesting idea. It's worth a try," Hun Tian Di replied after a brief pause, nodding in agreement. With Yao Yan's unique constitution, this path was plausible. What the end result would be, however, remained to be seen.
The only question was whether the boy had enough time left.
With Hun Tian Di's approval, Yao Yan felt a wave of relief. With the support of the Hun Clan, this path could begin. Next, he needed to fuse the blood of all races into himself and use countless techniques as a blueprint to develop a suitable cultivation method!
Hun Tian Di continued, "Try it—but don't become obsessed. If there's no result, break through to Dou Sheng as soon as possible."
"Yes," Yao Yan replied with a nod.
"The Gu Clan has agreed to the marriage alliance… but Gu Yuan's daughter wants to meet you. Go see her. You don't need to concern yourself with anything else. Don't get involved. She is currently staying with the Xiao Clan. That piece of Emperor Jade is likely there as well," Hun Tian Di said slowly. "Gu Yuan is using the Xiao Clan to test our response. Hmph, a mere shard of Gu jade isn't worth any action on our part."
If they were to act, they'd take everything at once. To provoke attention from other clans over one piece of jade wasn't worth it.
Besides, the locations of eight jade pieces had already been confirmed.
To Hun Tian Di, that was more than enough. What he wanted wasn't just the Gu jade—it was merely the key to the Gu Emperor's cave… and refining the Emperor Pill still required blood sacrifice!
Xiao Clan… Yao Yan froze. Warm memories suddenly rose in his heart. It had been seven or eight years since he left the Jia Ma Empire. He wondered how Cai Lin and the others were doing. He hadn't contacted them earlier for fear of dragging them into his troubles. Now, that concern no longer existed.
With his current status and strength, many things were no longer a problem.
As for the future—
He didn't believe he would lose to Hun Tian Di!
"The Xiao Clan? Weren't they annihilated a thousand years ago?" Yao Yan feigned ignorance.
"The Gu Clan saved a portion of them back then… They were moved from Central Plains to a remote region. Only recently has there been confirmed news. The Gu Clan is indeed good at hiding," Hun Tian Di sneered with some disdain, as if mocking their methods.
They wanted the Xiao Clan's Gu jade but were too bound by old promises to act directly—so they sent the Clan Leader's daughter. Ridiculous.
Clearly, Hun Tian Di was well-informed about the Gu Clan.
After all, a thousand-year plan wasn't just for show. All the major clans had long been infiltrated—the Gu Clan was no exception.
After a pause—
He looked at Yao Yan and continued, "Find a way to win Gu Yuan's daughter's heart and make her willingly marry you. Otherwise, with Gu Yuan's personality, this matter will be endlessly delayed, which will hinder our clan's plans."
What exactly are you trying to do?!
Yao Yan was confused inside, but could only say aloud, "Understood."
"Don't feel wronged. Gu Yuan's daughter is quite beautiful—born a natural beauty. And with Gu Yuan's bloodline, her bloodline rank is definitely high. If you really don't like her, you can seize her bloodline later. But before that, you must endure," Hun Tian Di said seriously.
The coldness and indifference in his tone made Yao Yan shudder inwardly. Perhaps in his eyes, both he and Gu Xun'er were nothing more than pawns.
"Remember, everything we're doing now is to open the Dou Di's cave and uncover the mystery of becoming an Emperor!" Hun Tian Di said firmly.
Everyone is just fodder for your path to Emperor!
What Emperor mystery?! Bullshit!
Yao Yan's heart turned cold. Knowing the truth, he remained unmoved, but on his face he showed a look of reverence and determination. Following Hun Tian Di's words, he declared: "I will remember the Clan Leader's words!"
(END CHAPTER)
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