Chapter 395: Discussion, Great Heaven Creation Palm

Regarding the matter of leading the team to destroy the Hall of Souls branch hall, there were still many details that needed to be discussed. It wasn't something they could act upon so quickly. This time, they had let Xiao Ming come to inform him in advance and prepare himself. Therefore, he didn't stay for long.

Upon returning from Xuan Kong Zi, Xiao Ming had just settled in the main hall when Xiao Yi Xian hurriedly rushed over and, as soon as she entered, she threw herself into his arms with a delighted expression on her face.

Venerable Tian Huo and Qing Lin trailed close behind her, smiling.

"Meanie, you've been gone for five months, and you've finally returned..." Xiao Yi Xian softly spoke with a hint of complaint, burying her head in his embrace and surrounded by the familiar scent.

"Dealing with Zi Yan's matters was a bit troublesome, so it took me some time," Xiao Ming explained with a smile as he gently stroked her purple hair.

"But you've made quite a progress in these five months. Your aura is much stronger than before. You should have reached the Dou Venerate's first change, right?"

"Yes, a few days after you left, I finished consuming the Dou Saint Bone Marrow you gave me and broke through to the Dou Venerate's first change. However, the process of reaching the Ninth Change to become a Saint is extremely difficult. I'm still stuck in the first change," Xiao Yi Xian explained with a pout.

Xiao Ming nodded in understanding. He didn't find Xiao Yi Xian's cultivation progress slow.

The process of reaching the Ninth Change to become a Saint may not seem complicated. Simply put, they were considered nine compressions and suppressions. When a powerhouse was at the peak Dou Venerate stage and their Dou Qi showed signs of being full, with no room for further increase, that was when the Nine Changes began. At that point, they needed to condense and compress all the Dou Qi within their body, creating empty spaces capable of accommodating new Dou Qi. Once the Dou Qi became full again, they had to continue the process of condensation. This cycle took place nine times until it reached a complete state.

During this process, the Dou Qi within one's body would experience a change in quality under each compression. Only then would one cross over the unmeasurable sky-like gap and advance to the Saint realm!

Although the Nine Changes might have sounded simple, the actual cultivation process was truly life-threatening. Just thinking about the terrifying amount of Dou Qi that a powerhouse at the peak Dou Venerate realm could accommodate and the task of filling it up nine times. Such a requirement was indeed worthy of the description 'horrifying.'

Each change was equivalent to progressing from one star to nine stars, so it was normal for Xiao Yi Xian to still be in the Dou Venerate's first change after nearly six months.

In the original work, Xiao Yi Xian and Qing Lin only reached one-star Dou Saint at the end.

Even with top-tier physiques like the Woeful Poison Body and the Triple Jade-Green Snake Flower Pupils, they had to rely on Demon Saint Huang Quan's essence blood to advance.

It showed how difficult it was to break through to the Dou Saint realm.

Even if Xiao Ming had a large amount of Dou Saint Bone Marrow on hand, it wouldn't be enough. The majority of resources could only be focused on one person.

Letting out a sigh, Xiao Ming spoke to the others sitting nearby. "This time, I met Association Head Xuan Kong Zi, and he gave me a task to destroy a Hall of Souls' branch hall."

"Destroying a Hall of Souls' branch hall? That's a dangerous mission. After all, the Hall of Souls is not some ordinary force like the Ice River Valley," Venerable Tian Huo furrowed his brow.

Since his resurrection, he had heard the notorious reputation of the Hall of Souls. He had also fought against them and knew that they were not to be taken lightly.

"The Association Head told me that the target of this operation is a Disha Hall. If it were just an ordinary Disha Hall, it wouldn't be much of a concern," Xiao Ming explained.

"Disha Hall?" Xiao Yi Xian, nestled in his embrace, heard this unfamiliar term and looked puzzled.

"The Hall of Souls has several branch halls in the Central Plains. Among them, there are twenty-four that hold a relatively important position, and the Hall of Souls refers to them as Disha Halls. The Disha Halls are of moderate importance, with the more crucial Tiangang Halls above them. The Tiangang Halls are divided into Heaven, Earth, and Man. Below them are some less significant branch halls."

"The defense of a Disha Hall is usually handled by two or more Honorable Elders who are below five-star. Currently, as the Hall of Souls is at war with the Pill Tower, they might increase the number of Honorable Elders for defense."

"This operation is not assigned to me alone. I will be leading the team, accompanied by another Great Elder. In addition, there will be external reinforcements." Apart from the details that were yet to be discussed, Xuan Kong Zi had already informed Xiao Ming about the overall plan.

"I didn't know the Hall of Souls had such divisions..." Venerable Tian Huo stroked his beard, feeling relieved about the concerns of this operation.

He had noticed that Xiao Ming's aura was stronger than his own, presumably at the seven-star Dou Venerate level.

Unlike the Pill Tower, who had not seen much of Xiao Ming's abilities, he knew of Xiao Ming's combat prowess. Xiao Ming was someone who could defeat opponents of a lower level with a single blow, and even those of the same level could not resist more than a few moves.

Whether there were two or five ordinary Honorable Elders, it made no difference to Xiao Ming. It would only take a few extra punches, and he wouldn't even need to use his Dou Techniques.

However, Venerable Tian Huo still asked Xiao Ming a question.

"Should we accompany you on this operation?"

Upon hearing this, both Xiao Yi Xian and Qing Lin turned their gaze towards Xiao Ming's face. They didn't want to be separated from him. Being apart for half a year felt like an eternity, and they had just recently reunited.

Unfortunately for them, Xiao Ming shook his head and said, "I have other arrangements for you. I want you to go to other branch halls and retrieve the Soul Essences from there."

"Soul Essence?" Qing Lin heard this term for the first time.

"The Hall of Souls captures soul bodies in order to extract their Soul Essences. These Soul Essences can greatly accelerate a person's soul cultivation," Xiao Ming explained briefly.

With this explanation, Xiao Yi Xian and Qing Lin understood why Xiao Ming wanted them to do this. Xiao Ming, being an alchemist, valued soul power more than they did.

Even though Xiao Yi Xian and Qing Lin didn't want to be separated from Xiao Ming again, they had to agree. They also wanted to be of assistance to him.

Xiao Ming divided the three of them into two teams. Venerable Tian Huo and Qing Lin formed one team, while Xiao Yi Xian went alone.

To be cautious, Xiao Ming assigned the remaining Sky Demon Puppets to them. Additionally, he planned for them to attack only the branch halls below the Disha Hall level.

...

After discussing the time of the operation and other arrangements, Xiao Ming carried Xiao Yi Xian in his arms and headed to her room.

When Qing Lin noticed her big sister's watery eyes, she tactfully gave her some alone time with her Young Master. She didn't mind because she had been pampered all the way back to Holy Pill City.

Following a five-month absence, Xiao Ming spent a few hours "filling the void" with her partner before getting dressed and leaving her room with a big smile on his face, feeling invigorated. He left behind a sleeping fairy with a blissful smile on her lips.

Returning to his own room, he sat cross-legged on the bed, contemplating for a moment. With a flip of his hand, three jade-white ribs appeared in his palm.

These three ribs were naturally the things Xiao Ming had forcibly removed from the Dou Saint skeleton. They held the secret of the Tian Class Dou Technique. However, since obtaining them, he had been too busy with various matters and had forgotten about them. It was only now that he remembered.

With the imminent task of destroying the Hall of Souls' branch halls, he decided to use these few days to increase his combat strength.

The best way to enhance his combat strength was to cultivate high-class Dou Techniques, and Tian Class Dou Techniques were particularly formidable. Thinking about the power unleashed by the Tian Class Dou Technique displayed by the Dou Saint-level skeleton, Xiao Ming became even more eager to learn these techniques.

...

As Xiao Ming held the ribs, they felt cool and smooth, devoid of the rough texture usually associated with bones. Instead, they felt as smooth as the most perfect jade, providing a wonderful sensation to the touch.

The ribs were covered with intricate and mysterious characters, which emitted an obscure and enigmatic vibe.

Without dwelling on the surface-level characters, Xiao Ming closed his fist, and a pale white flame rose from his palm, engulfing the three white-as-jade ribs. The terrifying heat quickly dried the air in the room.

Sizzle!

The formidable flame relentlessly roasted the ribs, but despite their seemingly fragile appearance, they remained unaffected, without even the slightest change in color.

Xiao Ming was not surprised by this situation; if the seal set by a Dou Saint expert could be easily broken, it would be too much of a joke.

Maintaining a calm mindset, Xiao Ming remained patient. He allowed the White Glazed Heart Flame to continuously roast the three ribs while he slowly closed his eyes, directly entering a state of cultivation.

Inside the room, the pale white flame burned fiercely, and the three ribs emitted a faint glow. This refining process continued until the latter half of the night, for nearly ten hours. Under the relentless roasting of the White Glazed Heart Flame, the three ribs gradually underwent changes. Their pristine white color slowly faded, replaced by a deep and mysterious dark golden hue. Upon closer inspection, a subtle golden radiance emanated from them, accompanied by peculiar fluctuations that quietly spread.

Sss!

In the quiet room, a strange sound of liquid flowing suddenly resounded. Xiao Ming, who had tightly closed his eyes, slowly opened them at this moment, his gaze fixed on the flames before him.

Within the flames, there was no trace of the rib bones. Instead, there was a pool of strange dark golden liquid. The liquid flowed slowly within the flames as if possessing its own consciousness, occasionally coalescing into various bizarre shapes.

"So... this is what it looks like after breaking the seal," Xiao Ming murmured softly. Without hesitation, he took a gentle breath of the slightly dry air, extended his hand, and then inserted his finger into the pool of dark golden liquid after a brief pause.

Sizzle!

As Xiao Ming's finger entered the liquid, a sudden change occurred. The liquid started to writhe violently, tightly wrapping around his finger and quickly enveloping his entire palm.

Hiss!

The dark golden liquid encased his entire right palm, causing an uncontrollable and intense pain that made Xiao Ming furrow his brow. Within the grasp of the dark golden liquid, his palm began to eerily squirm, and faint sounds of bone compression could even be heard.

The pressure grew stronger and stronger, and just as Xiao Ming thought the intense pain would continue for a long time, it suddenly ceased. The dark golden liquid, like a tide, seeped into his hand and quickly vanished.

Boom!

Then, Xiao Ming's head suddenly shook, and his pupils faintly emitted a dark golden light. His soul also experienced intense vibrations at this moment. Soon, his vision began to blur, and when he regained his senses, he found himself in a peculiar space.

The space was not vast, devoid of any signs of life.

Xiao Ming's gaze swept across the space and suddenly halted at a certain point in the void.

There stood a figure with hands behind their back, extremely ordinary in appearance, emitting no trace of aura or signs of Dou Qi. This figure seemed as ordinary as an average person.

Xiao Ming knew that he was now in a memory space hidden within the Dou Technique. The figure before him was not a real Dou Saint expert but merely a fragment of memory.

The figure did not even glance at Xiao Ming. Shortly after he entered the space, a calm and gentle voice resonated within the space.

"The Great Heaven Creation Palm, a Low Tian Dou Technique. It is created by this saint by using all of my strength to merge a hundred Dou Techniques. This palm technique emphasizes the concept of creation, breaking through the heavens and shattering all things with sheer force..."

"As a Tian Class Dou Technique, transcending the ordinary and surpassing the Dou Saint level, anyone who obtains the secret hidden within my bones can be considered a person with great destiny..."

Hearing the self-narrating plain voice that seemed like a monologue, Xiao Ming's expression became somewhat strange.

Speaking of which, in order to obtain the Dou Saint Bone Marrow, he didn't even leave behind a single speck of ashes of the other party. Moreover, based on what he saw before when the remnant soul of the Dou Saint displayed the Tian Class Dou Technique, it was going all out, intending to completely obliterate them. If they were hit, they might not even leave behind ashes.

Now, this memory fragment was talking about a person with great destiny. If he hadn't already known the story, it would have appeared suspicious no matter how he looked at it!

The figure continued speaking, "Since you were able to obtain the bones, your palms should have been tempered by the Golden Spirit Saliva. Remember, the Great Heaven Creation Palm can only be successfully executed with tempered palms; otherwise, you will suffer a backlash!"

"The Great Heaven Creation Palm possesses the power of creation..."

As the plain voice slowly sounded, the figure suddenly emitted a faint glow. Its body turned transparent, revealing the clear meridian pathways within.

Within those meridians, a trace of dark golden energy shuttled rapidly, outlining a peculiar meridian pathway.

"This is the meridian pathway for cultivating the Great Heaven Creation Palm!"

Seeing this scene, Xiao Ming quickly focused his mind, firmly memorizing the movement of the energy within the pathways.

After several cycles of energy circulation along the meridian pathway, it gradually faded away. Fortunately, Xiao Ming had memorized the entire route.

As the meridian pathway faded, the glow on the figure's body also dissipated. However, a surge of dark golden radiance erupted from its palm. With a swift swing, the palm heavily landed in the empty space.

Bang!

As the palm struck, terrifying energy swept out like a storm. A massive black light ring once again formed beneath the figure's palm.

The light ring took shape and then rapidly expanded like lightning, shattering the surrounding space like broken glass, instantly collapsing it.

"Destined person, remember this saint's name, Saint Zhao Hua!"

The faint voice resounded in Xiao Ming's mind like a thunderclap, and the figure within the pitch-black light ring gradually faded away, eventually dissolving into nothingness.