"Enough!"
Ye Zhong's voice cut through the chaos, stern and commanding. The courtyard instantly fell silent, all eyes turning toward him.
"What the young man says holds merit," he declared. "Rules are dead—people are alive. If he is a friend of the Ye Clan, then borrowing the altar for a time is no crime!"
He was not a stubborn man. The clan's decline weighed heavily on his conscience, and he knew what it needed now was not rigid tradition, but strong allies. If lending the Sun Fire Ancient Altar could secure the favor of such a prodigious talent, then it was a price worth paying.
"First Elder, this must not be done!" one elder objected. "The clan rules forbid lending the altar to outsiders!"
"First Elder, this man's origins are unclear. If he covets the altar's power and damages it, we will have no one to blame but ourselves!"
"First Elder, they only have a Dou Zong, and two Dou Huang's. Drive them out, and be done with it!"
The voices rose in protest, one after another.
Liu Xi merely smiled faintly. "You've made the right decision, Senior. I'll remember this favor."
He raised a hand.
Boom!
A flash of silver light burst forth as the Earth Demon Puppet slammed into the ground before him, its monstrous aura sweeping across the courtyard like a storm.
The atmosphere froze. Even Ye Zhong's expression changed drastically—this puppet exuded a dangerous presence, one that sent a chill down his spine.
All those who had been shouting about rules moments ago fell silent, their faces pale as they felt the crushing weight of its power.
Liu Xi flicked his wrist, recalling the puppet back into his ring, his lips curving into a calm smile. "You can all rest easy. I'll only be borrowing the Sun Fire Ancient Altar. I won't harm it in the slightest. Senior, thank you again for this kindness—I won't forget it."
Ye Zhong exhaled slowly, his gaze complex. A puppet strong enough to threaten him... even if Liu Xi had taken the altar by force, the Ye Clan could have done nothing to stop him.
"Little friend, with such sincerity, you are forever a friend of the Ye Clan. Come with me."
He waved off the others, signaling them to disperse. The gathered elders exchanged uneasy glances before retreating. The First Elder had spoken—there was nothing more to say.
Ye Zhong led Liu Xi's group deeper into the manor. After about ten minutes, they reached a secluded stone plaza surrounded by crumbling walls.
At its center stood an ancient altar built of weathered stones, etched with faint traces of age. It had stood here for countless years.
As they approached, the air grew hotter, the light brighter. Streams of sunlight fell from the heavens, refracting off polished stone and gathering upon a pitch-black monolith in the altar's center.
"Beneath that stone tablet lies a passage leading to the earth's core," Ye Zhong explained. "When the tablet is moved, the flames below sometimes surge upward, igniting the sunlight here—and thus, the Sun Fire is born."
He sighed softly. "Though in recent years, the Earth Fire has grown scarce. Perhaps the flames beneath have begun to fade."
"Oh? So that's the case," Liu Xi said, though his heart stirred with excitement. 'The Earth Fire should still be sealed by the Earth Core Bead… it must be forming already.'
"Use it as you wish, little friend," Ye Zhong said with a nod. "I'll leave you to it."
Without hesitation, he turned and departed, vanishing into the distance.
Liu Xi turned to Xiao Yixian and Zi Yan. "This may take some time. Wait here for me."
Then he stepped into the altar, sitting cross-legged in its center. Sunlight cascaded over him like liquid gold, its warmth carrying a fierce, pure yang energy that made his palm tingle with heat as he reached out to touch it.
"Excellent. This place's power should boost my success rate by another twenty percent. Add the Zong Breaking Pill—thirty percent more. Failure is not an option."
His eyes gleamed. Satisfied, he looked toward the black stone tablet. Pressing his palm against it, he applied gentle force. With a grinding sound, the stone shifted aside, revealing a dark opening about the size of a human head.
Rumble—
As the stone moved, the surrounding walls rotated with deep, echoing creaks. Within moments, they formed a circular enclosure, sealing Liu Xi within the altar's heart.
The smooth stone walls reflected every ray of sunlight, focusing them all onto the very center where Liu Xi sat.
Blinding light filled the space. Heat surged around him like waves of molten fire, and a sigh of pleasure escaped his lips before he could stop it.
He didn't begin right away. Instead, he steadied his breath, forming the seals for meditation. Once the breakthrough began, there would be no turning back. He had to be at his absolute peak.
Under the blazing light, his jade-white skin shimmered with a faint translucence. Through it, one could almost see his veins, bones, and organs—each one pulsing with power as torrents of Dou Qi surged through his meridians, their flow audible like rushing rivers.
Then, at last, his eyes snapped open, deep and dark as the night sky itself.
"Dou Zong…" he murmured with a soft laugh. "I've finally reached this step."
Drawing out a jade bottle, he uncorked it and swallowed the Zong Breaking Pill in one motion.
Boom!
A tide of medicinal power erupted, spreading through every channel of his body. A mysterious sensation rose from deep within his cells, rippling outward through his soul, drawing him into a trance-like state.
To ascend into the Dou Zong realm was to step into the ranks of true powerhouses—to begin strengthening both body and soul, extend one's lifespan, deepen one's command of elemental energy… even touch the power of space itself.
The Nine Nether Ghost Flame Technique began to circulate on its own, spinning faster and faster as it absorbed the pill's energy, refining it into pure Dou Qi.
That Dou Qi poured through his meridians, spreading across his entire body, feeding bone, flesh, and spirit alike—transforming him from within.
His body became like a boundless vortex, devouring the endless streams of yang energy pouring from the heavens. The pure sunlight burned within him, fusing with his soul, tempering his Spiritual Power, refining him to the next level.
And as he sank deeper into that mysterious state, the world around him fell away.
Time slipped quietly by.
(End of Chapter)
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