---
The dawn came with a strange hush.
Not the kind that heralds peace.
The kind that signals transformation.
Tianzun stood atop the tallest training peak of the Xiao Clan compound, his black robes rippling in the cool wind.
His soul force and instincts remained intact, but his once-glorious Da Dou Shi aura had receded into absolute silence.
He had begun again.
Not because he was forced to—but because he had chosen to.
---
🌌 How He Reached Da Dou Shi
Six months ago, Tianzun had been sitting atop a mound of pseudo-senzu pills in the crafting realm, refining celestial shards and balancing his flame seed integration. He had layered his cultivation in such a way that each breakthrough didn't rely on system boosts or item pushes.
The Emperor Flame Seed, nestled deep within his dantian, pulsed with quiet fire. Each day, he fed it, wrapped it in soul force, and shaped his body around it like armor forged in invisible pressure.
His rise to Da Dou Shi was not sudden.
It was earned, breath by breath, pulse by pulse, over weeks of merciless control.
But he had done so without ever using a true Qi Method.
He had crafted techniques. He had wielded flame. He had traded. He had killed.
But he had never followed a path.
Now, he had one.
---
🔥 The Heaven-Devouring Flame Scripture
In the crafting realm, Tianzun sat cross-legged before Ling Yuan.
The scroll lay open before him, its pages a mesh of fiery glyphs and dimension-stamped formulas. They shifted constantly, as if refusing to be bound by a single plane of reality.
"Explain it," Tianzun said.
Ling Yuan folded his arms, floating in midair.
"You understand mortal cultivation, yes? Qi drawn from heaven and earth, cycled through meridians, stored in dantian."
Tianzun nodded.
"This technique ignores heaven and earth. It draws from the void. The chaos beyond stars. The Cosmic Field."
Tianzun narrowed his eyes. "But that's unstable. It's not meant for humans."
"Correct," Ling Yuan said with a smile. "Which is why it rebuilds you. It burns your foundation and rewrites it. Not with earth's rules. But with the rules of flame itself."
"So the cultivation method..." Tianzun whispered, "...is a devouring engine."
"Exactly. You don't harmonize with Qi. You consume it. You don't absorb flame. You eat it."
Tianzun let out a low breath.
"And the drawback?"
"Pain," Ling Yuan said simply. "A level of cultivation pain most men would abandon in fear. Your soul will fray. Your body will scream. And you must craft both together anew."
Tianzun smiled.
"Then I will scream quietly."
Ling Yuan chuckled. "You arrogant brat."
---
🌌 Crafting Realm as Cultivation Plane
The true advantage lay in the realm Tianzun had built within his soul.
Unlike the outer world, where Qi drifted with the seasons, this space had been tuned by his will. It now allowed the illusion of Cosmic Qi.
System AI, Solace, appeared beside him.
> "Host may begin integration now. Initiate at the spiritual core, not the flesh. Begin with thought, not muscle."
The scroll lifted into the air and erupted in a slow-burning blue fire. Runes circled Tianzun's chest.
The cultivation began.
His entire soul pulsed. His limbs seized. His mind fractured.
Then reformed.
---
🔍 Breakdown of Legendary Items (Remaining)
🛡 Immortal Bone Core A crystallized fragment of bone infused with eternal Qi. Once integrated into the user, it enhances mental resistance, grants spiritual fortitude, and greatly improves clarity during combat or cultivation hallucinations.
Usage: Direct soul infusion. Permanent.
Tianzun had already integrated it. And now, even pain felt distant. Like heat behind a silk veil.
🧠 Soul Memory Scroll An unknown-tier relic containing the combat memories of an ancient cultivator from a broken timeline. Absorbing it does not give power directly, but skill.
"One day," Ling Yuan said, "you'll open that when your soul is stable enough to survive someone else's war."
Tianzun nodded.
📚 Secret Technique Blueprint: Pulse Vein Array A Tier-5 defensive formation technique. Uses Dou Qi pulses and synchronized heartbeat rhythm of three or more users to create a living barrier.
"I created this," Ling Yuan admitted.Ling Yuan smiled.
🗡 Weapon Material: Black Stone Not a metal. A living mineral. Evolves with the user. Can absorb intent, bloodlust, even memory.
"What kind of blade will it become?"
"That," Ling Yuan whispered, "depends on your first kill after forging."
---
⚔ Resolution
Tianzun stood after three hours.
His body had restructured. His aura was silent.
But his eyes burned with a cold fire.
He had begun again.
And this time, he would not be remembered as someone who reached the peak by tricks and shortcuts.
He would ascend as someone who bled upward.
The road of the Heaven-Devouring Flame Scripture had opened beneath his feet.
And it would burn the stars to ashes.
---
End of Chapter 40