---
⚔️ Three Hours of Agony
Tianzun sat motionless within the core of his crafting realm. His form was rigid—flesh taut, veins bulging beneath translucent skin, and eyes rolled back in an expressionless trance.
For three hours, he had endured pain that would drive most men insane.
His body wasn't merely adapting. It was dying, regenerating, then dying again.
> "Now I understand why Ling Yuan insisted I reach Da Dou Shi first," he whispered hoarsely. "If I hadn't, my soul would've cracked. I would've scattered into flame and dust."
It wasn't cultivation. It was alchemical rebirth.
This was no ordinary Qi refinement.
This was soul and flesh melted in the crucible of the Heaven-Devouring Flame Scripture.
---
🌑 Transformation: Qi of the Cosmos
When the last ripple of the Emperor Flame Seed merged into his soul, Tianzun trembled. Not in pain—but from what he saw inside himself.
His Qi had turned.
A once golden-silver fluid now swirled with eerie elegance—a blackish, luminous green like starlight trapped in obsidian.
> "This… is beautiful," Tianzun said, breathless.
Ling Yuan appeared beside him, floating with arms folded. "You're only seeing the shell. Look deeper."
Tianzun closed his eyes. He plunged his consciousness inward—into the heart of his new dantian.
What greeted him was not a vortex.
It was a universe.
🌌 A swirling microcosm of stars and dust. 🌀 At the center: a black hole of condensed willpower 🌳 Sprouting from it: roots like a celestial tree, sprawling across the cosmos 🌠 Rivers of green flame looped around stars like guardian serpents
> "What is this…?" Tianzun asked.
> "You've birthed a cultivation world," Ling Yuan said. "Most Dou Zhe form a vortex. Yours is a cradle of origin. A domain of creation and consumption."
Tianzun exhaled deeply. His body relaxed. The pain faded. The cultivation, once grueling, now flowed.
His soul consumed ambient energy like a black hole drinks starlight.
No longer did he draw from the land. Now, he devoured the void.
---
🌱 The Revelation of Absorption
Tianzun's soul had now fused entirely with the Emperor Flame Seed. The fusion brought with it a benefit beyond his expectations:
He could now devour anything containing pure energy.
Flame, Qi, souls, elemental essence.
Ling Yuan warned:
> "But the condition is purity. If you eat something impure, your cultivation may backlash. Or worse."
Tianzun nodded. "Then I'll burn it first. Cleanse it before I consume."
He smiled as he sensed it—his cultivation was now increasing again. From 1-star Dou Zhe... 5-star... 8-star... 9-star.
A new vortex began. Or rather, the cosmic realm expanded.
> "This... is my beginning. My real beginning."
---
🧠 System Ping – Premium Store Available
Ling Yuan, chuckling, said, "Don't you want to check the Premium Store?"
Tianzun blinked.
> "Tch... I completely forgot."
He raised his hand. A golden card materialized.
🛍️ [PREMIUM STORE TOKEN ACTIVATED]
Rules:
1. You may select only 3 items
2. You have 10 minutes
3. Items require Celestial Shards
4. All anime, multiverse, and divine-tier relics are included
Tianzun stared at the display. His Celestial Shard balance:
> 💠 1,000,000,000,000+ shards
Tianzun muttered:
> "Good. They didn't scam me."
He stepped into the swirling shop interface.
Rows of glowing shelves unfurled before him. Each scroll, blade, or relic shimmered with rich lore and history.
> "The deeper I scroll... the more Qi it requires."
He fed Qi to the panel. The list scrolled faster.
On the first full scroll-down, there were 16 items per page, each more valuable than the last.
He scrolled past:
Memory fragments from ancient sect founders
Flame-eating phoenix eggs
Pill furnaces crafted by extinct races
Then something caught his eye.
---
💥 Item 1: 3-in-1 Power Burst Card Pack
📜 Description: Three single-use talisman cards. Temporarily boost the user's power up to Dou Zong level (15 minutes each).
Cost: 💠 10,000,000 shards
> "Useful for emergencies. Or assassinations." "Buy."
---
⚗️ Item 2: Celestial Cauldron of Void Flame (Legendary Tool)
📜 Description: One of the Nine Flame Cauldrons once used by a Realm Alchemist. Automatically synchronizes with the user's soul flame and enhances pill fusion rate by 23%.
Cost: 💠 24,000,000 shards
> "Perfect for creating Tier 5 or higher pills. Buy."
---
🏯 Item 3: Advanced Sect Infrastructure Pack
📜 Description: Complete schematic and material pack for building an elite sect, including:
Defensive barriers
Auto-repairing training puppets
Celestial Dou Qi Cannons
Sect Treasury Encryption Arrays
Cost: 💠 270,000,000 shards
> "Expensive. But it saves me 20 years of effort." "Buy."
---
⌛ Timer: 00:00 Remaining ✅ All items delivered to System Storage
Ling Yuan appeared behind him, smirking.
> "Well chosen." "Not bad for your first Premium Store raid."
Tianzun cracked his knuckles.
> "This is just the beginning."
Ling Yuan narrowed his eyes.
> "You've begun walking the edge of fate. Don't fall."
Tianzun turned, his Qi now calm and silent as deep water.
> "No. I'll fly."
---
🔥 End of Chapter 41: "Forged in Flame, Birthed in Stars"