Xiao Yan retracted his Nine Nether Wings and gently landed on the ground. As he clenched his palm, the surrounding space visibly dented under his grip. This was the physical strength granted by the successful cultivation of the Infinite Void Demon Body. If he were to face Hun Mo Li again now, Xiao Yan estimated that even without using any Dou Technique, he could defeat him within three moves.
Although his Dou Qi cultivation was still only at the one-star Dou Zun level, his combat power had undergone a qualitative leap. Xiao Yan glanced at the dark red demon pattern on his body and exhaled lightly. He had finally succeeded in cultivating the Infinite Void Demon Body. Though it was only the entry stage, it was more than enough for his current strength.
He hadn't refined all the vicious aura. Or more accurately, he didn't have the ability to refine all of it. The blood fiend energy that had nearly torn him apart earlier was just the residual energy leaked from the demonic sword. The true source of that fiendish power—the demonic sword itself—was still lodged inside his body. With his current strength, it was impossible to completely digest it. As a result, Xiao Yan had no choice but to set up a formation inside his body, temporarily sealing it using the power of his Heavenly Flames.
Right now, within Xiao Yan's body, a sea of soul fire surged endlessly. At the heart of that sea stood the dark red demonic sword, locked in place by countless glowing chains that suppressed the fierce fiendish aura radiating from it.
The formation was a simplified version of the legendary Heaven Refining Ancient Array. With Xiao Yan's current power, he couldn't establish the true version. The only reason the sword's aura was restrained was because the demonic sword itself remained dormant—for now. The array merely played a role in containment.
Hovering at the four corners around the sword were four ethereal figures—the soul remnants of the four great beast corpses. These shadows still contained the residual energy of their magical cores, but Xiao Yan wasn't strong enough to refine them yet. If he could, their immense power could potentially allow him to ascend in one leap to unimaginable heights.
Now that those soul remnants had merged with his body, Xiao Yan's mind was flooded with corresponding memories. He learned the names of the four beast spirits: Calamity Black Dragon, Abyss Evil Tiger, Netherworld Vermilion Bird, and Ghostshell Tortoise.
They were indeed linked to the Four Celestial Beasts—perhaps they once were those beings. But after being corrupted by the demonic sword's aura, their bloodlines mutated, transforming them from divine guardians into monstrous beasts of calamity.
Like the Nine Nether Flame within Xiao Yan's body, these beasts were not native to the Dou Qi continent. They came from other worlds—further confirming Xiao Yan's theory that in ancient times, the Dou Qi continent was interconnected with other realms. Now, however, that connection was severed, likely related to the disappearance of the path to Dou Di.
Pushing aside these thoughts, Xiao Yan turned toward the heavy black ruler planted into the ground beside him. He reached for the handle to store it back in his spatial ring, but the moment his fingers touched it, a mountain-like pressure surged down through the ruler. If not for his now physically enhanced body, he might've been crushed then and there.
Xiao Yan was shocked. He could feel not only the extreme heaviness of the ruler but also a slowing of the Dou Qi flow in his body. This effect had long been negligible since reaching Dou Wang, yet now—even as a Dou Zun—it returned in full force.
"Could this be due to the blood fiend energy I channeled into it earlier?" He stared at the demonic runes now etched into the black ruler. During his earlier desperate moment, he'd directed a portion of the blood aura into the ruler. Now it appeared the ruler had undergone a terrifying transformation. Its weight and hardness had both skyrocketed, and it now radiated the same vicious energy as the demonic sword itself. It reminded him of fragments of ancient cursed weapons he'd once seen in his past life.
Although the transformation made the ruler extremely powerful, it also created a major drawback—he could no longer wield it freely. Based on his calculations, he'd need to reach the Dou Sheng realm—possibly even high-tier Dou Sheng—to use it effectively again.
"Forget it." With a sigh, Xiao Yan attempted to store the heavy ruler inside his spatial ring. Yet the moment it entered the ring, the fiendish aura inside the ruler instantly shattered the lower-tier ring he'd selected as a precaution.
Xiao Yan let out a dry laugh. "Thank goodness I didn't put it in the Youhai Ring, or I'd have lost everything…"
Left with no other choice, he slung the ruler over his back. Just doing that caused his body to stagger, nearly dropping to his knees. Without the Infinite Void Demon Body tempering his frame, he might've been flattened outright.
As for others—Xiao Yan was certain that aside from ancient dragon species famed for their physique, even most Dou Zun experts would be instantly crippled if struck by the enhanced ruler. Even an eighth-rank Void Ancient Dragon could suffer broken bones if hit.
Still, Xiao Yan didn't dare to use it in combat yet. Merely carrying it was exhausting enough. At most, he could use it as a makeshift shield in desperate moments.
"This thing is truly terrifying…" he muttered, wiping sweat from his brow. That a mere sliver of the blood fiend's energy could strengthen the ruler this much made him shudder at what the demonic sword in his body might be capable of. He suspected its true power might even rival that of a Dou Di-level artifact.
Suddenly, Xiao Yan remembered something—the Blood Fiend Flame he had forged from the blood of thousands of fire-type magical beasts. He'd also injected a sliver of the fiendish energy into it earlier. Curious, he summoned it again.
A ball of blood-red flame rose from his palm. But this time, unlike before, the indistinct humanoid silhouette within it was gone—replaced by flickering projections of various magical beasts, shifting rapidly in form.
"This is… the Ten Thousand Beast Flame?"
(End of Chapter)
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