Fighting: Practice makes it real, start with a poisonous body.

Chapter 324 Missing
"Is this a message from the Pure Lotus Demon Saint?"

Gu Yuan's gaze immediately sharpened.

Pure Lotus Demon Saint!
Even the patriarch of the ancient clan was no match for the Pure Lotus Demon Saint... What information could be contained in the last words left by such an unparalleled powerhouse?
Leaning on his black wooden crutch, Gu Yuan moved his body with difficulty, getting closer and fixing his gaze on the ancient and vigorous characters on the rock wall, carefully studying each word.

"I am the Pure Lotus Demon Saint, junior. By the time you see these words, I will already be dead."

If you're wondering why I left this message, please read on patiently, and I'll explain it to you slowly.

I am a commoner, without the protection of a powerful family or the membership in a top sect.

Orphaned at a young age, he struggled to survive in the wilderness, barely making ends meet by hunting and gathering herbs. If he hadn't accidentally eaten a thousand-year-old spiritual herb, which opened the path of cultivation, he would probably have turned into a handful of yellow dust in the desolate wilderness long ago.

Fortunately, I was blessed by the heavens and was born with an extremely strong affinity for battle qi, and my talent for cultivation was also quite good. I introduced qi into my body at the age of four, broke through to the level of Dou Zhe at the age of ten, advanced to Dou Wang at the age of fifteen, and became a Dou Zun at the age of twenty-five. I have made quite a name for myself among the younger generation in Zhongzhou.

Later, in order to advance towards the Holy Realm, I bid farewell to the prosperity of Zhongzhou and embarked on a journey of trials across the continent alone.

From the endless sea in the east to the desolate Gobi Desert in the west, from the miasma-filled swamps in the south to the frigid ice plains in the north, he clashed with all sorts of experts and witnessed countless extraordinary people and events.

A genius from an ancient imperial clan, possessing unparalleled bloodline power; the young master of a beast-breeding family, possessing the bloodline of an ancient ferocious beast, with overwhelming combat strength; a prodigy from a human sect, mastering ancient fighting techniques, with profound foundations…

Each of them was extremely powerful, and every battle brought me to the brink of death.

Fortunately, I was no less capable. Relying on my unwavering will and the experience I gained from countless life-or-death battles, I overcame all obstacles and steadily improved my cultivation.

When I was a hundred years old, I finally broke through the bottleneck between Dou Zun and Dou Sheng and advanced to the Dou Sheng realm!

At that moment, the Dou Qi Continent changed color, all beasts submitted, and I thought I had reached the pinnacle of the continent!
Later, I encountered the Pure Lotus Demon Flame by chance.

That battle was so fierce that the sky darkened and the sun and moon lost their light. I exhausted all my fighting spirit and almost died before I finally subdued that unruly strange fire.

It was precisely because of this Pure Lotus Demon Flame that I acquired the title of Pure Lotus Demon Saint and rose to fame on the Dou Qi Continent.

"Young man, I don't know how many years have passed since you trespassed into this tomb. Does my name still circulate in the Dou Qi Continent?"

Upon seeing this, Gu Yuan's brows furrowed tightly, and a hint of impatience flashed in his eyes.

So far, the inscriptions on the rock wall only record the life story of the Pure Lotus Demon Saint, from her birth and training to her advancement to Dou Sheng and the subjugation of the strange fire, covering every detail...

However, there was no information of any practical value.

He is currently severely injured and urgently needs treasures or secret techniques to help him regain his strength and deal with the pursuit of the Dragon-Phoenix Son, rather than listening to a saint reminisce about the past.

"If what follows is as long-winded and rambling as what was said before, then there's no point in reading this will."

Gu Yuan pondered to himself, but then he thought that the Pure Lotus Demon Saint was, after all, a half-emperor level figure, and his last words could not possibly be just a simple record of his life.

It'll only take a little time anyway...

Gu Yuan suppressed his restlessness and continued reading, silently praying that he would find some valuable information.

"So be it. Whether I'm remembered or forgotten, it doesn't matter. As people get older, they become sentimental. Without becoming a Dou Di (a powerful figure in the martial arts world), it's all in vain. Even if my name is passed down through the ages, even if I live for ten thousand years, in the end I'll just be a handful of dust. What good will that do? Heh..."

The style of the writing on the rock face suddenly changed.

His previous high spirits have turned into a hint of vicissitude and loneliness. The regret and unwillingness revealed between the lines can be clearly felt even after a thousand years.

Gu Yuan felt a slight stirring in his heart; he could understand that feeling.

As a peak nine-star Dou Sheng, standing at a height admired by the world, yet still unable to reach the ultimate Emperor Realm, this feeling of being so close yet so far must be incredibly painful.

"After becoming a saint, I became invincible among those of the same realm thanks to the powerful strength of the Pure Lotus Demon Flame, and I was in high spirits. Even those ancient imperial clans that were once arrogant had to give me some respect."

My path to enlightenment was quite smooth. I made great strides in the Dou Sheng realm and, after two hundred years of arduous cultivation, I successfully reached the peak of the Nine-Star Dou Sheng realm!
This speed, though not as fast as that of the ancient imperial clans who possess divine bloodlines, is still no match for me in terms of combat strength at the same level. Even those arrogant and conceited imperial clan powerhouses are no longer my match!
During that time, I swept across the continent without ever being defeated. I was filled with pride and felt that reaching the Emperor Realm was just a matter of time.

I began my seclusion, integrating all my life's learning, honing my skills, and waiting for the best opportunity to make a breakthrough!

However, when I finally reached my peak condition and confidently attempted to break through to the Emperor Realm, I failed...

That day, I unleashed all my fighting spirit, connected with the power of heaven and earth, and the Pure Lotus Demon Flame burned fiercely, almost exhausting all my life's accumulation.

Just as I was about to reach the threshold of the Emperor Realm, an invisible shackle suddenly appeared, binding me tightly!
I struggled with all my might, but it was like an ant trying to shake a tree—I couldn't budge it an inch. Ultimately, the attack failed, and I suffered a severe backlash; my body shattered, my soul was damaged, and I nearly perished on the spot…

More importantly, it was a psychological blow.

The feeling of falling from the clouds to the bottom of the valley completely broke me. I spent my days drinking, living in a daze, becoming utterly despondent, and even had thoughts of giving up on cultivation.

But I am not one to give up easily. Failure is not terrible; what is terrible is not being able to get back up after a failure.

After a century of depression, I finally came to my senses and began to calm down to heal my injuries, carefully reviewing every detail of my attempt to break through to the Emperor Realm.

This failure was not due to a lack of preparation.

Rather, I would say that I have never relied on any rare or precious materials or pills in my cultivation journey. I have relied entirely on my own efforts and countless life-and-death battles to accumulate my skills.

Its foundation is so solid that it is the most stable in the world today!

I would even dare to assert that, in terms of sheer power and accumulation, no one on the Dou Qi Continent at that time could rival him! If I cannot become an emperor, who can?

After countless deductions and reflections, I finally discovered the problem... What truly caused my failure to break through to the Emperor Realm was something missing! I was missing something crucial!

I don't know what that thing is, what form it takes, or how to name it...

But I can clearly feel that it is the bridge connecting the Dou Sheng and Dou Di, and the key to breaking through that invisible shackle!
Without it, no matter how much accumulated knowledge or how outstanding one's talent, one will ultimately remain at the Dou Sheng realm, forever unable to reach the threshold of the Emperor realm!

"It's Origin Qi!"

Upon seeing this, Gu Yuan clenched his fists tightly, his eyes blazing with intense light!

(End of this chapter)