Oh! A piercing, bone-deep agony! This was the only sensation Xiang Yan experienced after plunging into that Dayan Blood Pool. Within the pool, an intensely turbulent energy surged forth, as if stirred by his entry—like countless venomous serpents, it crashed upon him from every direction. This energy, infused with some mysterious substance from the ancient Dayan Python, possessed a powerful corrosive nature. As soon as it touched Xiang Yan’s skin, it erupted in plumes of white vapor, intensifying the searing pain. "Ah!" gasping sharply under this agony, Xiang Yan drew a deep breath and changed his hand seal, causing the Strange Fire to surge forth from within, forming a blazing shield that enveloped him. "I won’t believe it—your very essence can be subdued, and yet you can’t even overcome this Dayan Blood Pool!" Shhh—shhh— As the Strange Fire manifested, the surging, turbulent energies immediately emitted hissing sounds, and the corrosive energy was instantly vaporized by the fire. The remaining energies, after being refined by the Strange Fire, gradually became calm and pure, flowing into Xiao Yan's body. "Ah!" Feeling the energies, now slightly cooler, Xiao Yan exhaled in relief. The Strange Fire had only eliminated the harmful corrosive energies; the beneficial energies, after refinement, were fully infused into his body. As these cool, refined energies continuously flowed into his body, Xiao Yan could clearly sense them circulating within his skin, muscles, and bones. Each time these energies dissipated, he became increasingly aware of his body's resilience growing stronger, slowly and steadily. "Indeed, this is a perfect place for cultivation!" Noticing the subtle changes within his body, Xiao Yan couldn't help but feel a surge of delight. With this pace, he truly believed he could harness the energy here to refine his Jin Gang Li Lu body to its peak and directly transcend from eight-star to nine-star Du Zun rank! The energy within the Heavens Demon Blood Pool, accumulated over hundreds of years by the Heavens Demon Python's gathering of rare earth and celestial treasures, is naturally formidable. Yet, even this is only truly impressive to Xiao Yan. While the energy in the pool is indeed powerful, it is also extremely fragmented and uneven. The Heavens Demon Python itself is fierce and intelligent yet not particularly wise, and with its robust physical strength, even its young offspring absorb this energy and merely accelerate their evolution. However, for ordinary humans, absorbing such fragmented energy would be overwhelming—within an instant, the energy would disrupt their internal balance, potentially destroying years of dedicated cultivation efforts, without any improvement in their strength. Fortunately, for Xiao Yan, who possesses the unique Heterogeneous Fire, this fragmented energy poses little challenge. Under the intense heat of the Heterogeneous Fire, any impurities are instantly vaporized and rendered insignificant. Within the blood pool, as an increasing amount of energy flowed into Xiao Yan's body, he also curled his legs and floated silently within the pool, his eyes tightly closed, patiently awaiting the moment of breakthrough! ... During Xiao Yan's calm meditation, two days passed in the blink of an eye. Over these two days, Cai Lin, Xiao Yi Xian, Yun Yun, and the others have remained stationed on the mountain where the Tianmo Python resides. With no other formidable beasts nearby, they've been relatively safe. The ancient Tianmo Python, previously controlled by Qing Lin, has now been released and lies proudly coiled atop the mountain peak, continuously exhaling thick plumes of black mist. Numerous strong cultivators have arrived at this location, yet upon seeing this massive creature, they all pale slightly and choose to take alternative routes. Everyone knows how fiercely these beasts fight when provoked—especially one possessing the peak strength of a Battle Sovereign. Should a confrontation arise, casualties would inevitably occur. Most of those coming here are specifically seeking the Bodhi Ancient Tree; who would willingly risk their lives fighting a creature that merely glares at them with fierce eyes? Thanks to the imposing presence of the Tianmo Python, peace has been maintained among the visitors, all patiently awaiting for Xiao Yan's successful emergence from his cultivation state. ... Deep within the mountain cave, the blood pool now holds only about half its original volume of water, and the once intense crimson hue has noticeably faded—clearly, much of its energy has been consumed over the past two days through Xiao Yan's continuous absorption. At the center of the blood pool, a figure revealed only his upper body sat in stillness. Now, Xiao Yan's skin appeared noticeably rosier than it did two days prior, as though an endless flow of blood pulsed beneath its surface. Though Xiao Yan's eyes remained tightly shut and his body motionless—like a statue—everyone could sense a powerful energy building within him, much like a volcano poised to erupt, searching for its moment of breakthrough. This moment would have to be waited for. Meanwhile, the water within the celestial demon blood pool steadily diminished. By the third day, the pool had completely dried up. As the water vanished, countless pale, bone-white skeletons emerged from the depths, some interwoven with strange, indistinct formations. A rich, thick scent of blood radiated from these remains, and Xiao Yan remained motionless, seated among them, his skin glowing with subtle crimson radiance. This stillness lasted for approximately two hours. Then, suddenly, a powerful, invisible surge erupted violently from within Xiao Yan's body! "Boom!" This intangible surge erupted violently, instantly shattering the bones within the blood pool into fine powder. As the wave expanded, it eventually struck the mountain wall, causing the entire cavern to tremble softly. At the same time, Xiao Yan's aura surged dramatically—so sudden and powerful it was as if a volcano erupted, swift as lightning and fierce as thunder. "Bang!" With this surge of energy, a deep, resonant sound echoed within the depths of Xiao Yan's soul. His internal qi erupted violently, surging rapidly. His long hair whipped wildly, his robes fluttered in the wind, and cracks swiftly spread from where he sat, rapidly covering the entire blood pool. "Crash!" As the sound from his soul resonated, the eyes that had been tightly closed suddenly opened, now glowing with swirling crimson hues. "Vajra and crystal body!" As a roar escaped Xiao Yan's throat, golden light surged dramatically within his body. Under this brilliant radiance, Xiao Yan's form expanded almost instantaneously—first to one zhang, then three, five, seven, eight zhang... His growth was remarkably swift, and within a blink, he surpassed eight zhang. Yet the momentum had not yet ceased! "Hoo!" When Xiao Yan's body reached eight zhang nine chi, it seemed to encounter a bottleneck, slowing down rapidly. Yet Xiao Yan was not content to stop here; his face flushed with determination, and he roared fiercely. "Boom!" With the roar, Xiao Yan's body, which had previously halted its expansion, surged upward once more, reaching nine zhang! Inside the mountain cave, a giant forged entirely of golden substance stood with his feet planted firmly. A powerful, unyielding aura surged forth from within him. Then, his feet slightly curved and suddenly struck the ground with a resounding thud. "Thud. Thud. Thud." "With that powerful kick, the ground sank deeply, forming a depression over ten meters wide. The golden giant formed by Xiao Yan surged forward like a projectile, whistling through the air, and crashed directly into the ceiling of the cave. Instantly, the immense force tore through the rock, carving out a massive passageway. Xiao Yan, like a pangolin, surged through the mountain's body with lightning speed! 'Boom!' His speed was astonishing—within less than half a minute, he had shattered the mountain's body, creating a colossal channel. Then, his figure suddenly rose, breaking through the mountain's peak with a thunderous roar, and materialized in the sky above! 'Roar!' A magnificent, radiant form hovered in the sky, its breath momentarily trapped in his throat. Finally, it erupted into a profound, earth-shaking roar that spread outwards, resonating across the heavens. Already, when Xiao Yan had forcibly broken through the mountain's body, Cai Lin and the others had sensed the change and ascended into the upper air, witnessing the colossal golden figure surging forth from within the mountain. "His aura has grown significantly—has he truly reached Nine-Star Battle Sovereign status?" Cai Lin murmured softly, sensing the ever-strengthening presence of Xiao Yan. "Heh, Xiao Yan's progress is truly astonishing," the Qingcheng elder sighed. "Reaching this stage has nearly consumed all of my time and energy. Yet Xiao Yan has achieved it at such a young age. And frankly, if we were to engage in a direct battle, I'm not certain I'd even be able to match him." The senior elders of the Huazong also nodded in admiration. When they first encountered Xiao Yan, he had only achieved the rank of Two-Star Domain Sovereign. Yet within less than two years, he had now reached the peak of Nine-Star Domain Sovereign status—such a pace truly left them humbled.