"When did the projections stop being available?"
Xiao Tian asked the Great Elder.
"About two months ago," Su Qian said, recalling the time.
"I see." Xiao Tian nodded.
After chatting with Su Qian a while longer, Xiao Tian left the seal behind.
---
In the underground world at that moment, Xiao Yan sat cross-legged in a small pocket of space within the magma. Yao Lao had fallen into slumber to recover his strength. The Fallen Heart Flame had been severely damaged, true—but it was still not something a Dou Ling like Xiao Yan could handle alone. In the end, Yao Lao had sacrificed two-thirds of his soul power to help Xiao Yan claim victory.
Yao Lao's slumber was a light one, though. With time and the steady nourishment of Xiao Yan's Dou Qi, he was slowly recovering.
Xiao Yan was now refining the origin flame seed of the Fallen Heart Flame. Having already gone through this process once before, he had gained considerable experience. But the refining was still painfully slow.
---
After his talk with Su Qian, Xiao Tian returned directly to the Heaven Punishing Divine Realm. But he didn't seek out Xiao Yi Xian, Qing Lin, or the others. Instead, he came to a forest at the edge of the small world.
The Heaven Punishing Divine Realm had grown staggeringly vast—dozens of times larger than when it first began. It stretched beyond where the eye could see. It had everything. It was no different from the outside world now. The realm was gradually filling with life, the families of Heaven Punishing Divine Palace personnel mostly residing within. No one would refuse to place their loved ones in the safety of this place. And because the Heaven Punishing Divine Realm's Heavenly Dao was a manifestation of Xiao Tian's own soul, it automatically sensed if anyone harbored ill intentions toward the realm or the palace. If anyone did, the world's consciousness would inform Xiao Tian directly.
Xiao Tian sat on a massive rock, a black scroll in his hand. Three large golden characters were written across it.
*Emperor Seal Art.*
A high-level Earth-tier Dou Technique. The signature technique of the Gu Clan. When all five seals were stacked together, its power rivaled Heaven-tier Dou Techniques—specifically those specialized in attack. If Xiao Tian's Profound Sky Shattering Moon Finger were truly compared, it would fall slightly short of the five-seal stacked Emperor Seal Art. Simply because the Emperor Seal Art had been created by an ancient Dou Emperor. Its power was on a different level.
Xiao Tian gently stroked the scroll. The image of an elegant woman, like a lotus bloom, rose unbidden in his mind. A soft smile touched the corner of his mouth.
"Xun'er… I'll come find you very soon. If your clansmen don't agree… then I'll just have to stop eating beef."
He stared into the distant sky. He was determined to marry Xun'er. Not even Jesus could stop him.
He lowered his head, looked at the scroll, and channeled Dou Qi directly into it.
As the Dou Qi poured in, the scroll began to glow. The light grew stronger. A cracking sound started to spread across its surface. More and more fissures appeared, golden light seeping through from within. When the cracks covered the entire scroll, the light inside burst forth in full brilliance. Xiao Tian raised a hand to shield his eyes. When he lowered it, countless golden characters floated in the air before him.
Under his gaze, the characters shot forward and drilled directly into his Sea of Consciousness.
Inside his mind, the golden characters combined and formed a screen of light.
"Emperor Seal Art, high-level Earth-tier. Said to have been created by an ancient Dou Emperor expert. Consists of five forms: Mountain-Splitting Seal, Sea-Overturning Seal, Earth-Covering Seal, Heaven-Annihilating Seal, and Ancient Emperor Seal. Each seal is interconnected. When all five are mastered, they possess the power to overturn rivers and seas, to swallow the heavens and devour the earth."
The light screen displayed the cultivation methods for the first seal—Mountain-Splitting Seal—and the second seal—Sea-Overturning Seal.
As Xiao Tian finished absorbing the information, Xun'er's voice slowly rose.
"Brother Tian… by the time you open this scroll, I imagine I have already left. The Emperor Seal Art is a secret of my clan, not to be passed to outsiders. So you must use it with great caution. I have only been able to obtain the first two seals. I have not yet learned the latter three."
"With Brother Tian's strength, you have fully met the cultivation requirements. You can cultivate with complete peace of mind. Also… Brother Tian… Xun'er misses you. Please take care of yourself. Xun'er awaits the day you come to pick her up."
Her gentle voice slowly faded, until it became nothing more than a beautiful memory.
Xiao Tian opened his eyes. He stared into the empty space before him. His gaze hardened into resolve. "Xun'er… wait for me."
He closed his eyes again and began studying the cultivation method of the Emperor Seal Art.
He had chosen to cultivate here for a reason. The space was more open. The Emperor Seal Art was a high-level Earth-tier Dou Technique—its power was immense. If he practiced in his own palace, the unleashed energy fluctuations might disturb Yun Yun and Ya Fei. That would be troublesome. And cultivating in his own world meant no one could ambush him. The world consciousness watched over him at all times. That consciousness was formed from a wisp of his own soul, the means by which he controlled the entire realm. *I am the Heavenly Dao. The Heavenly Dao is me.*
Following the Dou Technique's instructions, Xiao Tian located the three special meridians that needed to be opened. His body had already undergone marrow cleansing and bone tempering by the Thunder God Body, the Fallen Heart Flame, and the spiritual lightning. His meridians were extremely resilient. Opening them this time was effortless.
In less than half a month, Xiao Tian had opened all three required meridians.
He immediately began cultivating the Mountain-Splitting Seal.
---
Two days later. A man in black stood in the void, his hands moving through a series of strange seals.
"Mountain-Splitting Seal!"
A jade-green palm print materialized in his hand. He thrust it forward. The palm print detached and shot out, expanding as it flew, slamming toward the mountain ahead.
*Boom!*
A violent explosion rang out. The mountain trembled. Massive boulders tumbled down, clouds of dust billowing into the air. As the smoke cleared, a gigantic handprint was carved straight through the middle of the hundred-meter-tall mountain. It pierced completely through to the other side, where the forest beyond was already visible.
"Decent power. I've only just grasped it—my control isn't refined enough yet. Once I'm proficient, this will be an excellent offensive technique."
He had barely used Earth-tier Dou Techniques anymore. A casual strike from him now was already no weaker than one. But the Emperor Seal Art was different. This Dou Technique was not weak—it far surpassed other high-level Earth-tier techniques. And more importantly… Xun'er had asked him to learn it.
Xiao Tian continued cultivating. Three days later, he had even grasped the Sea-Overturning Seal, and the Mountain-Splitting Seal was fully mastered.
Just as he prepared to return, his sound transmission stone received a message. He read the words on it. A sharp glint flashed through his eyes.