Battle Through the Heavens: Starting from the Jia Ma Empire

Inside the dimly lit room, the four-hundred-foot-tall pillar of energy light was condensed and gathered here, becoming an energy ball the size of a pill, which Lin Feng swallowed into his body in one gulp.

"boom"

Like a raging storm, the immense battle qi energy crashed against Lin Feng's body like giant waves pounding the shore.

Fortunately, Lin Feng's body had already reached the level of a peak seventh-order magical beast after being bombarded by the Dan Lei time and time again.

Otherwise, this terrifying battle energy would have blasted Lin Feng to pieces in an instant!

All the Dou Qi energy comparable to a four-star Dou Zun washed over Lin Feng's body without causing him any pain, as this was originally Lin Feng's energy.

Lin Feng clearly sensed that, amidst the back-and-forth erosion of battle qi energy, his body, which had been stagnant at the peak of a seventh-tier magical beast, was rapidly strengthening.

Battle qi is inherently a violent substance, but it is different from the body-tempering items that Lin Feng uses daily.

Compared to natural energies like Dragon Emperor's essence blood and Pill Lightning, Battle Qi is somewhat gentle, so its effect on the body is not as significant.

The situation was clearly different at this moment. Under the massive surge of battle energy, a solid barrier appeared in no time.

Immediately following, a terrifying surge of fighting spirit instantly shattered it!

"His physical body is comparable to that of an eighth-tier magical beast!"

Slowly opening his eyes, letting the battle qi continue to wash over him, and feeling his body still growing stronger, Lin Feng could no longer suppress his laughter.

"Hahaha"

After a while, he calmed down, raised his right hand and gently swiped it across the space in front of him, and a spatial wormhole appeared in the courtyard.

"This is the unique mark of a Dou Zun powerhouse!"

With a backhand motion, Lin Feng erased the spatial wormhole. Just as he was about to continue his seclusion and consolidate his strength, he realized that his cultivation level had increased too much in an instant.

A strange feeling suddenly appeared in Lin Feng's heart, and then his soul power overflowed uncontrollably. The spiritual energy hidden deep in the world surged towards Lin Feng as if there was no wind.

"This feeling, could it be?"

A flash of ecstatic joy crossed his face. Lin Feng quickly sat cross-legged and began to change the hand seals of the "Grinding Stone Soul Forging Method" with his palms, and spiritual energy surged in at an even faster speed.

Outside the courtyard, a sense of doubt gradually crept into everyone's hearts: why hadn't Lin Feng appeared yet?

"Sister Xian'er, does breaking through to the Dou Zun realm require a long period of consolidation?"

"This," Little Fairy Doctor hesitated, her situation was somewhat different after all. The enormous energy was all stored within the Netherworld Poison Fire, which was perhaps the reason why she could leave seclusion immediately.

"Old man Zhuli, do you know what's going on here?"

"Um!"

Zhu Li slowly stepped forward, looking at the small courtyard in front of him, a thoughtful look flashing in his eyes.

"Perhaps it's because the energy boost was too large at once, causing a slight decrease in control, and it's currently consolidating its strength!"

This was the first time Zhu Li had ever seen such a situation, since breaking through to the Dou Zun realm was as easy for him as eating and drinking.

His breakthrough was even more unusual; he fell asleep while traveling through space due to exhaustion.

But to his surprise, he woke up to find himself a Dou Zun powerhouse. He had no recollection of the breakthrough process whatsoever.

"Ying'er, didn't I tell you to wait inside the Little Pill Tower? How did you manage to escape, and even bring Dan Chen out with you!"

Inside Xuan Kongzi's office, he looked helplessly at his disciple, Cao Ying, who appeared to be apologizing.

However, Xuan Kongzi knew the great name of the little demoness from the Cao family and was well aware of her temperament, so naturally he could not be deceived.

"President, it was Dan Chen who was curious, which is why she asked Sister Cao Ying to bring me out!"

Dan Chen hesitated for a moment before speaking timidly. After she finished speaking, her face turned red, as if it were the first time she had ever lied.

"That's enough!"

Seeing this, Xuan Kongzi waved his hand, indicating that the matter should be left alone.

Judging from their appearances, Xuan Kongzi knew the reason for the matter, but it was not a big deal and there was no need to make a fuss about it.

"You all saw that five-colored pillar of light that pierced the clouds just now. What are your thoughts on it?"

"Master, was that really Senior Brother Lin Feng's breakthrough? Ying'er has also seen other Dou Zun in the clan break through, but their aura was much weaker than this one!"

Recalling that terrifying pillar of light, especially the dragon shadow and lightning snake wrapped around it, it actually managed to lift Lin Feng from the three-star Dou Zun realm to the four-star Dou Zun realm. It was simply terrifying!

"Lin Feng's talent is naturally beyond the reach of ordinary people!"

Even so, Xuan Kongzi was no less shocked than Cao Ying. However, as a teacher and a giant of the Pill Tower, he naturally couldn't be easily startled!

"That's not the point. Lin Feng has already broken through to the four-star Dou Zun realm, while Ying'er and Dan Chen, you're only Dou Huang and Dou Zong respectively, so your realms are rather low in comparison!"

"Furthermore, while your cultivation levels aren't simply improved through pills as the outside world believes, battle qi without combat experience is far too superficial in the eyes of true experts!"

"A true alchemist is not only skilled in alchemy, but also has considerable combat prowess, just like me."

"Master, what do you mean?"

Cao Ying was also puzzled. Did her master want the two delicate girls to learn mercenary combat?

"There is still exactly one year until the Pill Tower Alchemist Grand Gathering. I will spend the next six months focusing on improving my alchemy skills and striving to reach the eighth rank."

"For the other six months, I will arrange for Ying'er, Dan Chen, and some talented alchemists from the Pill Tower to go to some ancient ruins for training!"

"Otherwise, you might be eliminated in the second round of the competition!"

"Isn't there Senior Brother Lin Feng? With his four-star Dou Zun strength, protecting us would be a piece of cake, wouldn't it?"

Cao Ying, who was about to obediently agree, suddenly blurted out a sentence when her mischievous nature came out.

As soon as the words left his mouth, he sensed something was very wrong. Before Xuan Kongzi could get angry, he quickly gave Dan Chen a look, and the two of them took off running towards the door.

"Oh, this little brat, when will she ever stop driving this old man crazy!"

Even so, one can tell from Xuan Kongzi's smiling face how much he likes his disciple Cao Ying.

"Even if you don't say anything, I will still have Lin Feng protect you during the assessment!"

Meanwhile, in the Heavenly Mountain Blood Pool, far away in the northern region of Central China, Xiao Yan, who had already reached the three-star Dou Zong level, arrived there as in the original story, thanks to the many strange flames.

"Senior Brother Lin Feng once said that beneath the volcano here lies energy accumulated over countless years since its eruptions."

"Although this place is most suitable for peak Dou Huang level cultivators to break through to Dou Zong realm at a crucial moment!"

"However, in the absence of a different kind of fire to supply the Burning Technique for absorption in the short term, this is not a bad way to improve quickly."

"As for the poison of volcanic lava, heh, what does it amount to compared to this?"

Xiao Yan slowly raised his palm, and a ball of multicolored flames slowly rose, exceptionally beautiful and dazzling.

"It's a pity that Senior Brother Lin Feng is also an alchemist; otherwise, I really would like to exchange the Azure Lotus Earth Core Flame with him!"

"After all, if he advances to the Dou Zun level, the mere nineteenth-ranked Azure Lotus Earth Core Flame will be of little use to him except for alchemy!"

"Very well! Let's get the benefits from the Blood Pool first, and besides..."

Looking at the middle-aged man approaching from the air not far away, he thought, "If we don't remove the fire poison of this Gold-Eating Rat clan, we'll have a hard time getting our hands on the real benefits beneath the Blood Pool!"

"Tian Shuangzi, are you sure the Calamity Poison Body has appeared in the Central Plains region?"

Inside a crystal-clear, white hall, a cold voice rang out, its urgency barely concealed.

A cold wind blew by, and some frost formed again on the hall, but the middle-aged man below the hall paid no attention to it.

This is because this place is a glacier valley!

This land of perpetual cold is the territory of the Ice River Valley, which extends for thousands of miles. It is inhabited by humans and magical beasts.

You either need to be at an extremely high level of cultivation or possess ice-attribute battle qi; otherwise, this place will be an absolute ordeal.

"Reporting to the Valley Master, according to the information from the disciples within the valley, a Calamity Poison Manifestation did indeed appear in Saint Pill City that day."

Tian Shuangzi, who had already reached the Dou Zun realm, was not too afraid. He slowly walked forward and sat down in his seat.

"What's even more terrifying is that he brazenly broke through to the Dou Zun realm in Saint Pill City, and his Dou Qi pillar even exceeded three hundred feet!"

"What!?"

The Ice Valley Master instantly stood up from his seat, his face filled with disbelief.

As someone who acquired the Calamity Poison Body through acquired means, he was well aware of the terrifying nature of this physique, and also knew that it was absolutely impossible for someone with the Calamity Poison Body, acquired innately, to break through to the Dou Zun realm.

According to ancient records, most people with the Calamity Poison Body are at the Dou Zong realm when they can no longer suppress the original poisonous gas in their bodies, and it has already erupted.

Ultimately, they lost their minds, recklessly indulging in the spread of poisonous gas, and all died either from a combined attack by the powerful or from self-destruction.

"This Calamity Poison Body has actually broken through its limitations and entered the Dou Zun realm. It must possess some kind of extraordinary opportunity!"

The Ice River Venerable paced back and forth in the main hall, and even the millennia-old ice could not extinguish the fire in his heart.

"If I can capture him, not only will I be able to transform my acquired Calamity Poison Body into an innate Calamity Poison Body, but the opportunities he possesses will even allow me to roam freely at the Dou Zun realm!"

"Even in the future, it's still uncertain whether he can reach the same level as our ancestor!"

"Valley Master, not only is that person with the Calamity Poison Body a three-star Dou Zun, but it is also rumored that his partner broke through to become a four-star Dou Zun on the same day. Moreover, he is a prodigy of the Pill Tower, a high-grade seventh-rank alchemist!"

Seeing that Hyoga seemed about to make a move, Tensouko quickly relayed the remaining information.

While their Ice River Valley's patriarch was away in the far north seeking a breakthrough in his life, Ice River Valley, with its current size, could not possibly defeat even the Calamity Poison Body and its mate, let alone the Pill Tower.

Tian Shuangzi's words were like a bucket of cold water, bringing Binghe, who had been fantasizing about capturing the Calamity Poison Body and cultivating all the way to the level of a half-saint, back to reality.

Thinking about the state of Glacier Valley in recent years, his face immediately turned grim.

"Do we really have to miss this opportunity?"

Hyoga was filled with resentment. His ancestor had gone to the far north to find a magical power that could bring about a qualitative change in ice attributes, but more than a hundred years had passed.

Even for a Dou Zun expert, a hundred years is not a short time. Who knows if he has already met with misfortune?

Heaven knows how difficult it has been for him, with his strength not even reaching the high-level Dou Zun level, to support this vast Ice River Valley and maintain its status as a super power all these years.

Even the pavilion masters of the Four Directions Pavilion were somewhat impolite to him!

Thinking of this, the glacier became even more frenzied.

"No, we must find a way to capture the Calamity Poison Body. If we give it time to cultivate, once it overcomes the restrictions imposed by the poison body, it won't be long before it can reach the advanced Dou Zun realm, or even the Transcendent Realm!"

"Plus, if his partner achieves the eighth-grade alchemist realm, even if the patriarch returns, he might not necessarily offend such an alchemist for my sake!"

"After all, behind him stands the behemoth that is the Pill Tower. The Pill Tower will certainly provide great protection to such a genius alchemist. With such a protective instinct, how could his partner possibly make a move?"

Binghe paced back and forth inside the main hall, his expression becoming increasingly crazed, which made Tian Shuangzi, who was standing to the side, feel a little frightened.

"What's wrong with the Valley Master? Could it be that the transformation into an acquired Calamity Poison Body has made him prone to qi deviation?"

"Soul Palace!"

"What!?"

Binghe suddenly spoke, startling Tian Shuangzi, who subconsciously asked.

"Tian Shuangzi, if you want to obtain the Calamity Poison Body, the only way now is to join forces with the Soul Palace!"

"Moreover, perhaps because he can control the primordial poison gas, the Pill Tower actually allowed this Calamity Poison Body to stay in Holy Pill City."

"And across the Central Plains, the only entity that doesn't fear the Pill Tower and even slightly surpasses it is the Soul Palace!"

"If the Soul Palace were to intervene, a mere three-star Dou Zun would be easily captured!"

Binghe became more and more excited as he spoke, to the point that his blood rushed to his head and his face turned bright red.

"Valley Master, when our ancestors departed a hundred years ago, they explicitly forbade Ice River Valley from colluding with the Soul Palace. If our ancestors were to return, how would we explain this?"

Seeing Binghe's crazed expression, Tian Shuangzi quickly tried to dissuade him.

"Furthermore, with our patriarchs absent, we have no right to speak to the Soul Palace on equal terms!"

"You need not worry about this matter. I, the Valley Master, will personally handle it and will certainly give the Soul Palace a reward they cannot refuse!"

"Valley Master."

"Hmph! Enough! I've made my decision. You just need to do as I say!"

Seeing that Tian Shuangzi was still trying to dissuade him, Binghe's face was full of impatience. Compared with his future path, what was this mere Ice River Valley?

As long as he is still here, Ice River Valley will still exist. As for these old ancestors, ha, those old fogies can abandon their sects for their own opportunities, so why can't I?

Once I obtain the Calamity Poison Body and the opportunities it grants, I may advance to the level of a half-saint before them. Those old fogies will be my grandsons!

"Buzz"

In Zhongzhou Shengdan City, where Lin Feng was in seclusion, ten days had passed since he broke through to the Dou Zun realm.

Just when Ziyan and the others thought he would go into seclusion for a relatively long time, a strange fluctuation suddenly came from inside the room.

Just as this powerful pressure was about to spread outwards, its owner seemed to consciously pull it back.

However, apart from the Han family members, the residents of the nearby courtyards are all at least nine-star Dou Zong level experts.

Although the fluctuation was fleeting, it was still noticed by the group.

"What is this aura?"

"It's Brother Lin Feng!"

In the exchange of questions and answers, Cai Lin and Little Fairy Doctor learned the identity of the aura's owner. They looked at each other and their faces lit up with joy.

When everyone arrived outside the room where Lin Feng was in seclusion, they witnessed a rather strange scene.

A somewhat ethereal soul was seen standing in mid-air above the room. Upon closer inspection, it was none other than Lin Feng.

But why does it seem so superficial?

"That's amazing!"

A voice filled with emotion slowly rang in everyone's ears, and then the figures of Xuan Kongzi and the other two slowly emerged from the space. The one who spoke was Xuan Kongzi, one of the three.

"President Xuan Kongzi!"

Upon seeing the visitor, Lin Feng, whose figure appeared somewhat ethereal above the room, slightly bowed.

"No need for formalities, Lin Feng, you've finally reached this level!"

Lin Feng didn't say much. His illusory soul slowly returned to his physical body, and an unprecedented feeling suddenly rose from the depths of his soul.

It seemed as if the heavens and earth had lifted another veil for him, and from the perspective of his soul power, the spiritual energy that was originally difficult to absorb had become active at this moment.

"Moreover," a wisp of soul power slowly emerged from his body, "this soul is full of vibrant energy. Is this the key to advancing to the eighth-grade alchemist?"

Without further investigation, Lin Feng calmed himself down for a moment, then slowly got up and pushed open the long-sealed door.

"Snap!"

"Congratulations on reaching the eighth rank!" (End of Chapter)