BTTH: From Genius to Invincible-Chapter 494: Lightning Pool Cultivation, Rising Strength

Chapter 494: Chapter 494: Lightning Pool Cultivation, Rising Strength
Word Count: 2958 Words
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"This is truly a perilous place. If one isn’t careful, the lightning could bombard you into serious injury at best, or even..." Hei Qing stared at the bottomless sea of lightning before him and swallowed hard.
He could endure the relatively weaker outer regions, but if some unexpected lightning storm or other mishap swallowed him in the lightning sea, even he couldn’t guarantee survival.
Who would have thought such a treacherous location existed in the void so near Eastern Dragon Island?
Xiao Yan patted Hei Qing’s shoulder reassuringly. "Don’t worry, Brother Hei Qing. With the Dragon Phoenix Ancient Armor, I believe this lightning won’t kill me."
Only then did Hei Qing recall that Xiao Yan possessed the Ancient Void Dragon Tribe’s strongest defensive technique! He smiled wryly. "I nearly forgot—Grandmaster Xiao Yan has the Dragon Phoenix Ancient Armor. In that case, I won’t disturb your cultivation. If you need anything, contact me using the Dragon Seal."
With a final nod, Hei Qing clasped his hands and departed.
Once Hei Qing was gone, lightning crackled beneath Xiao Yan’s feet as he flashed directly into the lightning pool. The moment he entered the outermost region, countless silver lightning bolts surged toward him like serpents detecting an intruder.
Xiao Yan merely smiled faintly at these peripheral bolts, allowing the thin arcs to strike his body unimpeded. After all, he had refined the Nine Dragon Lightning Flame; his physique already carried an inherent resistance to lightning.
When the arcs hit his robust body, they produced only a tingling numbness, far from actual pain.
’The lightning here holds decent power. It should suffice to upgrade those ten Earth Demon Puppets to Sky Demon Puppets.’ Xiao Yan hadn’t forgotten the ten puppets he acquired from Saint Zhao Hua. Though he lacked the stellar enhancement of the Three Thousand Burning Flame, this lightning ought to evolve them into 1-star Dou Venerate Sky Demon Puppets. Combined with Xing Tian in a formation, they might even rival a high-level Dou Venerate.
Xiao Yan pressed deeper into the lightning sea, sensing the bolts grow steadily fiercer. When their intensity reached a suitable threshold, he halted and released all eleven puppets, including Xing Tian.
He would leave them here to be refined. With a hand seal, his Three Thousand Lightning Illusionary Body materialized, identical to him in every way.
Now that his Spiritual Strength had reached the Heavenly State, this soul avatar possessed his full consciousness. He tasked it with overseeing the puppets’ refinement while tempering the avatar itself.
The remaining half-year was his final opportunity to strengthen himself before facing the Gu Clan. When he thought of them, he felt not only awe but also a burning determination. When it came to Xun Er, retreat was not an option!
Xiao Yan extended his Spiritual Strength, drawing the lightning toward the puppets.
Wild bolts danced chaotically within the lightning pool. Massive lightning pillars, some tens or even hundreds of feet across, erupted in a frenzy, unleashing thunderous booms as they hammered the puppets relentlessly. Under this ferocious assault, the puppets’ dim, dark-gold bodies began to gleam more brilliantly, albeit at a gradual pace, while the silver-white Earth Demon Puppets slowly evolved toward gold.
After observing for a time, Xiao Yan nodded in satisfaction and ventured deeper still. The lightning here was not strong enough; he needed more powerful bolts to refine the essence blood and truly temper his Dou Qi.
He advanced for quite a while before stopping. The strikes here inflicted genuine, sharp pain on his body. Though he could push farther with the Dragon Phoenix Ancient Armor and his Heavenly Flames as shields, he was not here to test limits; he was here to cultivate.
’This intensity feels about right. Any deeper would be too risky.’ Xiao Yan frowned as he peered into the depths. Though his eyes saw only an endless silver-white sea, his Heavenly State Spiritual Strength detected faint black arcs flickering in the far reaches.
That was Black Demon Lightning, the kind that only a Tier 9 Treasure Pill could attract!
He had no interest in tasting a strike from that.
With a wave of his hand, several items appeared before him: Saint Zhao Hua’s skeleton, the remaining three drops of Ancient Dragon Essence Blood, various precious herbs from Creation Valley, and his Black Demon Cauldron.
He would employ alchemy methods to purify the Ancient Dragon Essence Blood and the essence blood from Zi Yan’s Dragon Phoenix Ancient Armor.
’First, extract the essence blood.’
Xiao Yan tossed Saint Zhao Hua’s skeleton into the cauldron. With a flick of his finger, a strand of his merged Heavenly Flame shot forth, enveloping the bones entirely as the flame’s terrifying heat spread outward at once.
So intimidating was this power that even the surrounding lightning seemed to shy away.
A Dou Saint’s skeleton was extraordinarily durable and not easily shattered, yet compared to the Dragon Phoenix Origin Fruit’s crystal layer, it posed far less of a challenge.
In a mere half a day, the skeleton was completely incinerated, reduced to gray ash that drifted downward. Xiao Yan collected the ashes in a box for safekeeping before focusing on the cauldron.
A fist-sized mass of milky-white, jelly-like substance met his gaze.
Next, Xiao Yan added the three drops of Ancient Dragon Essence Blood along with the numerous precious medicinal materials into the Black Demon Cauldron and began the refinement process.
He was not refining a pill, but rather using alchemy principles to neutralize and purify unwanted volatile factors and impurities in the essence blood, retaining only the purest portion of its energy.
Another half a day passed. The fist-sized mass had shrunk to one-tenth of its original volume.
Xiao Yan’s eyes gleamed with excitement as he looked at the small clump of purified energy. The power it contained likely surpassed even an ordinary peak tier 8 pill!
Though a Dou Saint’s essence blood represented only the tiniest fraction of their might, the complete skeleton of Saint Zhao Hua held enough energy to drive any Dou Venerate mad with greed!
’I’m a 5-star Dou Venerate now, and the energy demands at this realm are immense...’ A red glint flashed in Xiao Yan’s eyes.
Beyond the Dou Venerate level, energy requirements grew exponentially, and his needs were even greater.
Gritting his teeth, he retrieved the Venerate Ascension Spirit Pill he had refined from his storage ring. Opening the jade box released a fragrance that instantly invigorated the spirit.
This pill could propel a Dou Venerate forward by one star, and since it was a flawless version that had drawn nine-colored Pill Lightning, it could even advance an 8-star Dou Venerate to the 9-star level.
He intended to make a bold push!
With his decision made, Xiao Yan popped the Venerate Ascension Spirit Pill into his mouth. It dissolved instantly into a warm current that surged through his body. Without pause, he inhaled the white, jelly-like refined essence blood.
In that instant, a terrifying energy erupted through his meridians. Xiao Yan’s eyes bulged as he clenched his jaw. His body swelled like an overinflated balloon, the immense power teetering on the edge of control.
With a wave of his hand, he recalled his Heavenly Flames. The pool’s lightning immediately went berserk, assaulting him like a frenzied beast.
A tremendous boom resounded as a Dou Venerate-level bolt struck him. The impact finally curbed his body’s perilous expansion!
To refine such vast energy, Xiao Yan required external aid, much as he had once used Heavenly Flames to suppress the breakthrough energies from pills. Though he was unable to absorb lightning like the puppets, he could harness the strikes to temper his flesh and energy, refining his Dou Qi into a purer, more potent cultivation.
Bolt after bolt crashed down. The lightning here matched the power of Dou Venerate attacks; even Xiao Yan risked danger if he merely sat exposed!
Crack! Crack! Crack!!!
A frenzied cacophony of thunder filled the air. Here, Xiao Yan became a lightning rod, drawing the silver bolts with escalating fury. His robes had long disintegrated into dust, and he now resembled a man made entirely of lightning; his human form was barely discernible within the electrical cocoon surrounding him.
The silver lightning grew increasingly abundant and violent. Eventually, ’torrential downpour’ became an inadequate description. Countless lightning bolts mercilessly hammered Xiao Yan, as if every spark in the lightning pool bore some ancient grudge against him, as if Heaven itself would be blind not to strike this bastard dead.
Yet no matter how many bolts savagely lashed his body, ripping his flesh and splitting his skin, Xiao Yan endured through sheer physical resilience and indomitable willpower!
From afar, he appeared wholly encased in dense lightning, his form flowing with endless electrical currents.
Any observer witnessing this scene would be astonished, wondering why he would torture himself this way. He could have refined the energy gradually; there was no need to consume the pill simultaneously.
Time passed second by second. In this dazzling silver world, lightning raged apocalyptically, and the thunderous roars reverberated ceaselessly throughout the Void Lightning Pool. It was a bizarre phenomenon that could likely only exist in such a place.
Within this silver lightning pool sat a naked figure in meditation. Savage lightning howled furiously just beyond his immediate vicinity. Massive lightning pythons continuously struck his body, yet these bolts that had initially torn his flesh open now left only faint red marks that quickly disappeared.
In the monotonous world of lightning, where the thunder seemed endless, time flowed like water. In the blink of an eye, nearly half a year had elapsed in this manner.
During this half-year, Xiao Yan awoke twice. The first time was to recall his Three Thousand Lightning Illusionary Body and all the puppets. As expected, they had all evolved into Sky Demon Puppets, and Xing Tian, having been tempered by the Three Thousand Burning Flame, had reached his limit at the peak 3-star Dou Venerate level.
The second time was when Zhu Li came looking for him. It wasn’t because anything had happened to Zi Yan, but because Xiao Yan had been in the lightning pool for too long! The elder was worried something might have happened!
Zhu Li was nothing but astonished at seeing Xiao Yan cultivating steadily. He had actually been cultivating in this place for half a year!
As a high-level Half-Saint, Zhu Li could naturally cultivate here, but he doubted he could have endured this place when he was a Dou Venerate. Even a 9-star Dou Venerate would likely find it impossible to remain for half a year.
But Xiao Yan possessed not only an incredibly robust physique but also the Three Thousand Burning Flame and the Yin-Yang Twin Flame, giving him terrifying recovery capabilities.
!!!
Suddenly, Xiao Yan’s eyes snapped open. He lifted his head, staring directly into the depths of the lightning pool where his powerful Spiritual Strength had detected extremely violent energy fluctuations.
"What is that?"
Before his murmured question could fade, an invisible gale shot out from the lightning pool’s depths. Wherever this gale passed, the terrifying lightning was instantly annihilated.
"What a terrifying gale!"
Xiao Yan felt every hair on his body stand on end.
Swish!
While Xiao Yan’s scalp tingled with alarm, a figure darted out in an extremely sorry state from the zone where the gale had torn through the lightning. Behind it, more than ten enormous black lightning bolts, cold enough to chill one’s soul, pursued like black dragons.
The moment Xiao Yan saw these massive black lightning bolts, his scalp exploded with shock. "Black Demon Lightning!"
He clicked his tongue, instantly donned his Soul Robe, and turned to flee. Even though he had broken through to 8-star Dou Venerate, leaping three stars at once thanks to the pill and essence blood, he had no desire to face the Black Demon Lightning that typically accompanied the refinement of a tier 9 pill.
Moreover, with his Heavenly State Spiritual Strength, Xiao Yan naturally recognized that the elderly man being chased was a Half-Saint, his strength comparable to Zhu Li’s. If someone of that caliber was fleeing, what chance did he have!
"Friend ahead—"
"Get lost!" Xiao Yan unfurled the Ancient Phoenix Wings on his back and instantly shot toward the lightning pool’s exit.
Your death is your business, don’t drag me down with you, old bastard!
"Such speed! Those wings are...?" The old man was startled by Xiao Yan’s terrifying velocity. This 8-star Dou Venerate was not much slower than he was!
Xiao Yan glanced back at the elderly man. He appeared quite old, with scattered strands of white hair, and his robes were in tatters, clearly destroyed by the lightning.
With two whooshing sounds, the figures burst out of the Void Lightning Pool one after another. Only after both had escaped did the Black Demon Lightning finally halt its pursuit.
’So it really was Black Demon Lightning. The depths of this lightning pool are truly extraordinary.’ Xiao Yan couldn’t help but sigh in relief, grateful he had not ventured too deep. Otherwise, the Black Demon Lightning would not have helped his cultivation; it would have sent him straight to heaven!
"Hehe, young man, those Heaven Demon Phoenix Wings of yours are quite impressive. Your speed is remarkable." Having escaped danger, the old man rubbed his hands together and approached with a sleazy grin.
Xiao Yan secretly used the Dragon Seal to summon Hei Qing but maintained a pleasant expression. He replied with a forced smile, "Not as impressive as your divine speed, senior."
If he weren’t certain he couldn’t defeat this old man, he would have cursed him outright!
Fortunately, he had already completely refined the essence blood and the pill; it was time to leave anyway.
The old man sized Xiao Yan up with mild interest. "Young man, your strength is not bad. In the depths of this lightning pool, there are some newly formed Black Demon Lightning bolts with their own intelligence. Those creatures are extraordinarily unique and can be directly absorbed, making them exceptional supplements for cultivation. I see your speed and strength are both considerable. Why don’t we join forces and venture into the depths together?"
Upon hearing this, Xiao Yan maintained a polite smile that barely concealed his desire to curse.
Enter the depths? What a joke. He might be able to withstand newly formed Black Demon Lightning, but those dragon-like Black Demon Lightning bolts from earlier? A single one could severely injure him!
Besides, this old fellow was clearly unreliable. Cooperating with him would be like working with one of the Tianzun from the Hall of Souls.
"Oh well, and here this old man was planning to bring you an opportunity."
Seeing Xiao Yan’s thinly veiled contempt, the old man pursed his lips and said lazily, "Still, our meeting is a form of fate. My surname is Mang, though I doubt a youngster like you would recognize this old man’s name."
’Surname Mang?’ Xiao Yan pondered briefly but could not recall any super-expert by that name. It seemed the truly powerful figures in the Central Plains were indeed exceptionally low-profile.
"Ah, ignorant youth..."
The Mang-surnamed elder saw that Xiao Yan genuinely did not recognize him and sighed dramatically.
Swish!
While Xiao Yan was still speechless, the sound of rushing wind suddenly tore through the air as a figure approached rapidly from the distance. A clear voice called out, "Grandmaster Xiao Yan, are you alright?"
"Eh? It’s actually someone from the Ancient Void Dragon Tribe?" Seeing the approaching figure, the Mang-surnamed elder was momentarily stunned. He then looked at Xiao Yan with surprise, seemingly curious how an ordinary human had connections with the Ancient Void Dragon Tribe.
"Never mind. Since that’s the case, this old man will take his leave. Young man, your performance was quite decent. I hope we’ll have the opportunity to meet again someday."
Clearly, the old man wanted no involvement with the Ancient Void Dragon Tribe. The Void Lightning Pool had probably once been their body-tempering ground, but due to their schism, they could not manage it. Strictly speaking, this old man was a trespasser.
In an instant, the Mang-surnamed elder vanished, his speed so great that even Xiao Yan was surprised.
"Brother Hei Qing, I’m fine," Xiao Yan said, clasping his hands in greeting.
"That’s good. Wait, your strength... 8-star Dou Venerate?!" Hei Qing’s eyes bulged in shock!
You entered for half a year and became an 8-star Dou Venerate?! The same strength as me!
Xiao Yan smiled and said casually, "Just took some pills, that’s all."
"My cultivation is mostly complete now. Let’s head back." Xiao Yan planned to spend the remaining months refining pills, avoiding any training accidents that might make him miss his appointment.
This was one meeting he absolutely could not be late for.
As for which pill to refine, it would naturally be the Nine Revolutions Heaven-Changing Pill. He had owed the Third Tianzun this pill for quite some time. More importantly, now that he was an 8-star Dou Venerate, he would need one for himself sooner or later.
The Nine Revolutions Heaven-Changing Pill was a peak tier 8 pill guaranteed to attract nine-colored Pill Lightning, so its difficulty was unimaginable. However, with his cultivation now at the 8-star Dou Venerate level and abundant medicinal materials at his disposal, he was not afraid of failure.
Xiao Yan finally understood how fortunate those alchemists who joined major factions truly were. Medicinal ingredients? Unlimited supply! All you had to do was refine until you dropped!
"Xiao Yan? Why does that name sound familiar?" After Xiao Yan departed, the Mang-surnamed elder slowly reappeared from the void, unable to shake the feeling that he had heard that name before.