Before departing for the Gu Realm, Xiao Hua first wished to examine the harvests he had accumulated over these past several months. Thus, he withdrew into one of the secluded caves hidden within the forested mountain range of the Mansion Master's Abode.
The foremost matter was to inspect the results of the merger between the Heavenly Lightnings and the Primordial Heavenly Flames.
With a sweep of his sleeve, brilliant arcs burst forth from his body. Four distinct lightnings of varying hues roared to life, condensing into four crackling orbs that floated solemnly before him.
The first was a blazing crimson bolt, its radiance carrying both scorching heat and karmic weight. This was the fusion of the Primordial Red Lotus Ye Flame and the Heavenly Judgment Lightning—a force he named Crimson Karmic Lightning.
The second shone in resplendent gold tinged with amethyst, its presence exuding an imperial majesty. Born of the union between the Primordial Gold Emperor Incinerating Heavenly Flame and the Heavenly Extermination Lightning—one of the three divine bolts that descended during his breakthrough—it had been christened Imperial Order Lightning.
The third manifested as a rose-hued pink, yet within its beauty lay a demonic ferocity. This was the blending of the Primordial Purifying Demonic Lotus Flame and the Heavenly Retribution Lightning, which he named Demonic Retribution Lightning.
The last was a lightning of deep silver, flickering with shadows that devoured even light itself. This fearsome merger of the Primordial Nihility Devouring Flame and the Heavenly Cataclysm Lightning became known as the Devouring Calamity Lightning.
However, when Xiao Hua first obtained the Crimson Karmic Lightning, born from the fusion of the Primordial Red Lotus Ye Flame and the Heavenly Judgment Lightning, he encountered an unforeseen surprise.
The merger did not merely grant him destructive might. Instead, it awakened within him a peculiar ability—allowing his gaze to pierce through falsehoods, unraveling lies hidden within words and actions, and laying bare the truth itself. Even more astonishing, upon witnessing a Dou Qi Techniques or Qi Methods, he could instantly perceive its essence and, if he wished, replicate it.
He still remembered vividly the moment this unique ability was carved into his being.
...
When the merger completed and the Crimson Karmic Lightning coalesced, the scarlet arcs suddenly stirred restlessly, circulating madly before surging straight toward his eyes.
Cultivating the eyes had always been perilous. Though his body had endured countless tempering, refinements, and purifications, his eyes remained untouched—the most fragile and forbidden place to train. Even the slightest mistake could condemn one to eternal blindness, physically or spiritually.
Yet the Crimson Karmic Lightning advanced without hesitation, defying reason and forcefully pressing forward in a violent, domineering momentum!
Agonizing pain lanced through his vision as the lightning stormed into his eyes, searing and majestic. His Dou Qi, ordinarily incomparably pure and dense, was forcefully suppressed and refined under the scarlet arcs—compressed into a razor's edge by the might of the Crimson Karmic Lightning.
In that instant, Xiao Hua felt as though his eyes had expanded without limit, vast as the heavens themselves.
His Dou Qi, entwined with the Crimson Karmic Lightning, surged like a colossal dragon plunging into that boundless sky. It roared upward, condensing into a pillar of power that seemed to uphold both heaven and earth. From that pillar, waves of energy unfurled, spreading across the firmament until they wove themselves into interlacing lines. These markings intertwined and crossed over one another, forming a colossal net that blanketed the entire sky—like the very Net of Heaven that spares none.
The searing pain he had endured moments ago abruptly melted away, replaced by an indescribable comfort, warm and encompassing, unlike anything he had ever felt before.
At once, Xiao Hua understood—he must engrave that heavenly image deep into his eyes. Without hesitation, he imprinted it within his vision. When the process concluded, he discovered that he could summon this mysterious power at will: eyes that could pierce through falsehood, unravel truth, and lay bare the hidden.
Through them, he could observe the flow of Dou Qi as it coursed through meridians and Qi paths, tracing the activation of techniques and cultivation methods. Not only could he perceive them, but he could also replicate and even refine their essence—sometimes grasping subtleties and loopholes their original owners had yet to comprehend.
He had never imagined that the Crimson Karmic Lightning would bestow such tremendous fortune upon him. Yet, as the bright crimson arcs surged within him, he felt as though they whispered a deeper truth—that another eye awaited his awakening.
After contemplation, Xiao Hua came to understand: it was not the physical eyes, but the Mind's Eye—an eye born of spirit and consciousness, far more crucial and profound than mere flesh.
However, the only way to awaken this hidden eye was through blindness. To walk this path without hesitation, Xiao Hua gouged out his own eyes. Though brutal, it was necessary—for if he merely slashed them, he might unconsciously heal his eyes and instinctually restore his vision, severing the chance to touch the true Mind's Eye.
In darkness, he began his cultivation. He strove to sense, to shape, and to awaken the hidden eye within his mind. Days and nights blurred into one another, but at last, he succeeded.
At that moment, Xiao Hua realized a profound truth—even if his physical eyes were lost forever, the Mind's Eye could still perceive the world, not merely in form but in essence. His comprehension deepened, his techniques refined, and even his martial path grew sharper.
He understood a principle long spoken of in the Dao of the Spear: to train the spear, one must first train the eyes; yet before the eyes, one must temper the heart.
Fortunately, he had already endured the baptism of the Heavenly Astral Lightning. That ordeal had tempered his spirit and steadied his heart, leaving it free of attachment—neither Buddha, God, nor Demon could bind him.
As the saying goes: It is easy to destroy the god in the temple, but difficult to destroy the god within the heart. If one clung to a Buddha in their heart, how could they ever transcend and become Buddha themselves?
Through the Astral Lightning's trial, the demons within him had been dispelled, his spirit fortified. His heart became unshakable—immune to corruption, unmoved by temptation, capable of standing tall before both the righteous and the wicked.
And thus, after arduous cultivation, the Mind's Eye finally opened. His once-mortal gaze had been reborn into something divine—an eye that no calamity could shatter, an eternal eye that gazed into truth itself.
Once the Divine Eyes had fully formed, Xiao Hua began to heal his physical eyes. As they recovered, they too transcended, transforming into divine eyes. No matter how one viewed it, this was an unfathomably profound gain.
...
A faint smile curved Xiao Hua's lips as he recalled what he had endured to awaken these eyes. With a slight shake of his head, he cast aside the memory and shifted his focus to another matter—the fourth technique of the Four Mysterious Body, known as the Four Divine Phoenixes.
Unlike Mu Chen's Three Pure, which required one to cleave their soul into three fragments before cultivation could begin, this technique drew upon the spiritual wings embedded within one's soul—wings that each bore their own shard of soul and spiritual essence.
By separating these wings, they could evolve into independent existences—souls capable of living on their own. Though they acted autonomously, they were still Xiao Hua, bound as one through origin and essence.
What made Xiao Hua unique was that his soul bore four pairs of wings. This meant he could cultivate four such existences, in addition to himself, resulting in five Xiao Huas coexisting within the universe.
The Four Divine Phoenixes shared two similarities with the Three Pure. The first was that each existence could cultivate independently, pursuing different cultivation methods, Dou Techniques, and arts. The second was a limitation—once the divided souls were merged back into one, the technique could no longer be trained again.
From the first two pairs of wings, Thunder and Flame had been born.
Thunder cultivated the Lightning Punishment Art from Ming Cheng, while Flame trained in the Nine-Heaven Phoenix Nirvana Codex of Mei Ling.
As for the other two pairs of spiritual wings, they had yet to be formed. Initially, it was due to the time constraints brought by Hun Tiandi's attack. But after much contemplation—and with some discussion from Flame and Thunder—he decided to delay their formation for now.
One of the two would eventually be used to cultivate the Celestial Ancient Frost, but that would only be possible once Xiao Hua reached the second level of the Chaos Mantra, which would grant him the information needed to perceive the Qi Paths to absorbing and cultivating the Celestial Ancient Frost.
As for the last pair of wings, he planned to let it cultivate one of the powerful Spiritual Arts found within the Great Thousand World. For these reasons, Xiao Hua decided not to split the remaining two pairs of wings just yet.
With that matter settled, he quietly departed from the Chaos Realm, leaving behind letters for Xun Er, Cai Lin, Little Fairy Doctor, and Ya Fei. In them, he explained that he would be absorbing and refining the remaining Primordial Heavenly Flames—a process that would take considerable time—and that he would be undertaking this within the Stormcoil Mountain Range.
…
Upon reaching the inner coils of the Stormcoil Mountain Range, he immediately used the remaining thirteen Ticket of Primordial Heavenly Flame, summoning the rest of the flames down from the heavens.
After discussions with Lady Azure, Xue Yue, and the Lightning Beasts, Xiao Hua began the arduous task of absorbing the other Primordial Heavenly Flames and refining them into his body.
The process was fierce, yet his prior experiences had tempered him well. What once would have taken months now passed within a few hours. At its end, his body contained the complete set of Primordial Heavenly Flames and Heavenly Lightnings.
"Ah—!"
Just as triumph surged through him, agony erupted in his soul. A searing pain pierced his mind, his vision fractured and spun into chaos, and with a strangled cry he collapsed into unconsciousness.
…
A moment later, Xiao Hua's consciousness stirred. He opened his eyes slowly, only to find himself adrift in an endless void of darkness. His body floated weightlessly in the emptiness.
Before him hovered an enormous formation, vast and incomprehensible beyond measure, as though etched into the very fabric of the void itself. It floated in absolute stillness, yet each of its countless lines shimmered faintly, as if woven from threads of starlight.
Nine colossal rings revolved around one another like heavenly wheels, each ring forged from a different, dazzling radiance—divine rainbow lightning crackled along one, resplendent flames danced upon another, while mists of pristine frost traced silent arcs across a third, accompanied by drifting lotus petals of ice.
Between these rings drifted innumerable ancient runes, each rotating at its own rhythm yet never colliding, as though governed by some unfathomable law.
Vast arrays of symbols stretched outward like constellations, linking the nine rings with delicate strands of light. These strands pulsed like veins, carrying waves of spiritual essence that ebbed and surged like a living being's heartbeat.
Faint echoes of chanting rose and fell with each pulse—soft, wordless whispers that brushed against Xiao Hua's soul, stirring it like the wind stirs a tranquil lake.
And at the very center of this unfathomable structure floated a single circular core—black as the void yet edged in resplendent silver. Upon its surface, ancient characters glimmered faintly with otherworldly light, each stroke brimming with immeasurable might.
Those characters read: Heavenly Chaos Cultivation Spiritual Art.
"Well… this didn't happened before…"
Xiao Hua murmured in shock, eyes fixed on the formation before him. When he first received the Chaos Mantra, what had poured into his mind was merely a torrent of information on how to cultivate it.
But now, standing before this vast celestial array—after merging the Primordial Heavenly Flames, Heavenly Lightnings, and even the Celestial Ancient Frost within his body—he finally beheld the sealed array that had long barred him from stepping into the second level of the Chaos Mantra.
Afterward, Xiao Hua tore his gaze away from the colossal array and began to carefully survey his surroundings in greater detail.
If he had to describe this place, it would be jade-white—pristine, immaculate, and untouched by even a speck of dust.
He stood at the entrance of a narrow jade-white square platform. It was neither wide nor spacious, just enough for a single person to walk upon, yet its path stretched far ahead, leading toward a raised staircase that ascended to the celestial array suspended in the distance.
On his left rose a small platform where a lotus rested. The lotus possessed twenty-two petals, each delicately carved from white jade. Its center remained tightly closed, as if concealing something yet to awaken. On his right stood nine towering jade-white pillars, rising as though to pierce the heavens themselves.
Meanwhile, a wall split the pathway just before the staircase. Strangely, each time he stepped closer, the wall seemed to expand, endlessly lengthening the distance and preventing him from ascending. At the heart of this wall yawned a single round hole, from which emanated an intense, bone-piercing cold.
Naturally, he understood.
The twenty-two Primordial Heavenly Flames must be offered to the lotus petals, while the nine Heavenly Lightnings must be anchored into the nine towering pillars. As for the hole—it was clearly meant for the Celestial Ancient Frost.
Without hesitation, he began.
At his thought, the twenty-two Primordial Heavenly Flames within his body surged forth, streaking toward the lotus. One by one, they merged with its petals. With each fusion, the jade-white petals erupted in dazzling brilliance, radiating waves of searing heat.
Next, nine Heavenly Lightnings roared out from within him, arcing violently through the air as they struck the pillars. Each pillar trembled as the lightning sank into it, bursting into radiant light as thunder cracked and lightning danced across its surface.
Finally, he turned to the icy hole. The bone-chilling cold made his skin prickle, yet he did not waver. Drawing out the Celestial Ancient Frost, he released it. The frost shot forward like a streak of pale light and embedded itself into the hole.
The moment it entered, the wall shimmered and turned a glacial blue, releasing a surge of frigid mists as frost, ice flakes, and drifting snow spiraled into the air.
However, aside from this change, nothing else occurred, leaving Xiao Hua momentarily perplexed.
His gaze swept across the square once more. The lotus petals gleamed with searing heat, the nine pillars crackled with thunder, and the wall shimmered with frost—yet the pathway itself remained jade-white and utterly unchanged.
This stirred him into deep contemplation. 'What am I still lacking…? What must I do to awaken this silent path…?'
Then, a thought surfaced.
He recalled the invisible barrier he had felt each time he attempted to advance toward Dou Di. Despite possessing the Origin Qi and attempting many times to absorb and refine it, there had never been any response.
Rather than merging with him, the Origin Qi had always rejected him. Each attempt left his body and soul trembling under an unseen repulsion.
Eyes narrowing in realization, Xiao Hua slowly drew out the sealed Origin Qi from within his body and released it into the air to test his theory.
Whiinngg—!
At once, the silent pathway stirred. The jade-white ground trembled faintly as it began to absorb the Origin Qi, its color shifting in waves of radiant hues. A divine brilliance swept across it, as though the path itself were transforming into a road toward godhood.
Buzzz—!
In the next moment, the entire square resounded with a deep, harmonious hum. The lotus, the nine pillars, and even the frost wall all resonated together, producing a melody both majestic and serene.
Then—with a sharp crack—the central section of the frost-covered wall shattered, revealing the staircase Xiao Hua had seen beyond.
Naturally, Xiao Hua did not hesitate. He stepped forward, passing through the fractured wall—only to halt as he found a vast chasm yawning between the jade-white pathway and the staircase leading to the celestial array.
Buuuzzz—!
In that instant, the twenty-two lotus petals, the nine towering pillars, and the hole where the Celestial Ancient Frost floated all emitted a low hum. Radiant beams burst forth from them, converging midair to form a luminous bridge spanning the chasm and linking the pathway to the staircase.
Yet, just as Xiao Hua prepared to cross, the bridge abruptly dissolved, its glow fading away like mist under the sun.
Frowning, he turned to see the lotus and the pillars dimming, their former brilliance softening to a mere glimmer.
"…What now?" Xiao Hua exhaled softly, his brow furrowed as he approached to inspect them.
After a moment of probing, realization dawned. Their strength was feeble, their energy faint and incomplete. Only now did he notice that the twenty-two petals had quietly unfurled, revealing the empty heart of the lotus.
"Come to think of it… the power of the Primordial Heavenly Flames and Heavenly Lightnings isn't at full strength," he murmured to himself. "Most of their essence still lies just outside the plane of the Dou Qi Continent…"
Xiao Hua scratched his head and gave a sheepish smile as he recalled this crucial detail. It meant that to complete the bridge and enter the celestial array, he must first retrieve the remaining essence of those flames and lightnings.
"If I remember correctly, Sister Lady Azure, Sister Xue Yue, and the Lightning Beasts have all managed to leave this plane temporarily. Perhaps they could help me break through the barrier… and allow me to leave the Dou Qi Continent to reclaim the full strength of the Primordial Heavenly Flames and Heavenly Lightnings."
He let out a quiet sigh, shaking his head. Turning back toward the entrance, he saw the door that led out of this strange, silent realm. He could sense instinctively that this place would remain accessible to him, and thus felt no worry about leaving.
Once he returned with the full essence of those powers, he would complete the formation of the pathway— and finally step into the second level of the Chaos Mantra, the Heavenly Chaos Cultivation Spiritual Art.
…
By the time Xiao Hua finished absorbing and refining the remaining Primordial Heavenly Flames, several hours had quietly passed. Moreover, he had also been dragged into that mysterious space, where he was forced to confront the conditions to step into the second level of the Chaos Mantra—only to be halted by an immense roadblock and compelled to withdraw for now.
During that same period, Lady Azure had awoken and completely merged with the consciousness of her other incarnations. This time, the process took little effort, seamlessly uniting all of her scattered selves into one.
"Sister Azure… Sister Xue Yue… you two only need two and a half years to open the barrier—without letting even a trace of the Primordial Heavenly Flames or Heavenly Lightnings seep into the Dou Qi Continent? That's far shorter than I expected…"
Xiao Hua's jaw fell slightly as he listened to Lady Azure speak so casually. To others, two and a half years might seem long—but he knew full well how incredibly difficult such a feat was, especially given that it is related with the Primordial Heavenly Flames and Heavenly Lightnings involved.
"Just a warning," Lady Azure said calmly, her eyes gleaming with solemnity. "You must leave quickly—make sure not a single spark of Heavenly Lightning nor the faintest wisp of Primordial Flame slips into this plane."
"And remember," Xue Yue added, her tone sharp and unwavering, "you must absorb them while still at the Dou Sheng realm. It will be agonizing and perilous. I will assist you to bear it, but that will not lessen the danger. Even the slightest lapse will allow them to tear you apart or burn your existence to ashes."
"Rest assured, Sister Xue Yue," Xiao Hua replied firmly, eyes gleaming with determination. "I will not lower my guard while I absorb and refine the remaining essence of the Heavenly Lightnings and Primordial Heavenly Flames."
He had endured the torment of countless Heavenly Lightning descents, suffered the nine trials of Heavenly Judgement Lightning, and withstood the agony of being burned alive while refining the Primordial Heavenly Flames. Though the ones he absorbed earlier were incomplete, their missing essence remains outside of the plane, their power was still formidable and their pain unbearable—yet he never once halted his advance.
He would not stop now.
Ever since he first walked the path of the Chaos Mantra, pain and death had walked alongside him as silent companions. It would take far more than agony or the shadow of death to make him waver.
He closed his eyes and drew in a slow, deep breath. When he opened them, his heterochromatic gaze gleamed with steely resolve. His fists tightened, knuckles pale as he whispered within his heart like a solemn oath:
"Heavenly Chaos Cultivation Spiritual Art… Wait for me. I will definitely reach the second level of the Chaos Mantra—and claim the method to cultivate you!"
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