"This person is so strong, and still very young. I wonder which powerful force produced such a prodigy!"
"Judging by his appearance, he must be at the late stages of the Dou Venerate class!"
"What kind of Heavenly Flame is he releasing? I've never heard of it before!"
As Gu Fei unleashed his Heavenly Flame to refine the remaining trace of the ancient Dou Saint's consciousness from the skeleton, some of the treasure hunters noticed and were deeply shocked. Despite the chaos around them, no one dared to approach Gu Fei. After all, they weren't fools- seeking treasure didn't mean they were willing to throw away their lives.
"Collect!"
After a few moments, Gu Fei finally destroyed the trace of consciousness within the Dou Saint's skeleton. With no resistance, he stored the remains in his storage ring.
Having secured the skeleton, Gu Fei no longer paid attention to the others in the grand hall, walking out calmly to rejoin Xiao Yi Xian and the others.
"Gu Fei, why didn't you take any of the treasures and instead grabbed a corpse?" Zi Yan, who had been observing the situation in the hall, asked in surprise.
"This skeleton is the true treasure. Once I finish refining it, I'll let you have more to eat!"
"Ugh, no way! I don't want to eat a corpse!"
"Xiao Yi Xian, look! Gu Fei actually wants me to eat that thing!" Zi Yan, misunderstanding, thought Gu Fei intended for her to chew on the old bones, making her shudder and hide.
"Hehe… Let's go. There's nothing worth taking here anymore."
Seeing Zi Yan's fear, Gu Fei chuckled and then led the group out of the ancient ruins.
...
At the edge of the Beast Region.
Inside a cave.
Gu Fei took out the skeleton he had obtained earlier. It had no rough texture typical of bones; instead, it felt like the most perfect jade, smooth and cool, giving an extraordinarily pleasant sensation.
"Ah, Gu Fei, you're not really going to…" Seeing this, Zi Yan once again hid behind Xiao Yi Xian.
"Zi Yan, Gu Fei wouldn't make you eat bones... This is the skeleton of a Dou Saint. Even though it's just remains, it still contains considerable energy. Gu Fei probably intends to refine the essence within…" Elder Zhu Li, standing beside Zi Yan, explained with a smile.
"Elder Zhu Li is right!"
"Xiao Yi Xian, take Xian Yue further away."
Gu Fei gave instructions before starting to release his Heavenly Flame to cover the skeleton.
As the Heavenly Flame engulfed the skeleton, the temperature inside the cave rose sharply, and the air quickly became dry. The Heavenly Flame continued to burn the skeleton, which gradually turned jade white, resembling a piece of exquisite jade.
Eventually, the jade white color began to fade, replaced by a deep, dark golden hue.
Gu Fei understood that this was the crucial step for cultivating the "Great Heaven Creation Palm."
"Sizzle!"
Without hesitation, Gu Fei extended his finger into the liquid.
A sudden change occurred.
The liquid began to writhe violently, then coiled tightly around Gu Fei's finger, quickly enveloping his entire hand.
"Hiss!"
The dark golden liquid wrapped around his right hand, and a wave of pain surged through him. Under the liquid's influence, his hand began to squirm bizarrely, accompanied by faint sounds of bones grinding.
"Dear!"
"Gu Fei!"
Seeing this, Cai Lin and Qing Lin panicked, fearing something had gone wrong.
"I'm fine."
Gu Fei forced a smile. His physical strength was comparable to that of a late stage Magical Beast with the Royal Bloodline, not inferior to Elder Zhu Li, who had a Half-Saint cultivation. He could endure this level of tempering.
(TL/n: It was included in the attributes panel before but never explained. The Magical Beast Royal bloodline is formed with the help of the Dragon Phoenix Origin fruit, so IT IS strong. We can now confirm he used points to upgrade his physique when he was still training in the Gu clan.)
Before long, the intense pain suddenly stopped, and the dark golden liquid was absorbed into his hand, quickly disappearing.
Immediately after, Gu Fei's consciousness entered a strange space.
In a certain spot within this void, a figure stood with hands behind its back.
Gu Fei realized this was a fragment of the consciousness left behind in the Dou Technique by the Dou Saint Zhao Hua.
"The Great Heaven Creation Palm, a low-level Heaven-rank Dou Technique, was created by me through the fusion of hundreds of Dou Techniques. This technique emphasizes the concept of creation, using the palm to shatter the heavens and crush everything with sheer force."
The figure spoke in a calm, narrative tone.
"If you have discovered the secret hidden in my bones, it means we are fated. Remember, to successfully execute the Great Heaven Creation Palm, you must use a hand that has been tempered, or else it will backfire on you!"
As the calm voice echoed, the figure began to emit a faint glow, its body gradually becoming transparent, revealing clear meridian pathways within. In these meridians, a dark golden energy flowed rapidly.
"So this is the meridian pathway for cultivating the Great Heaven Creation Palm!"
Seeing this, Gu Fei focused intently, memorizing the energy flow within the figure.
As the meridian pathways faded, the figure's glow also dissipated. Suddenly, the dark golden light on its hand intensified, and it struck out with a powerful palm towards the void.
"Boom!"
With one palm strike, a terrifying energy storm erupted, and a massive black halo formed under the figure's palm.
The halo expanded rapidly, shattering the surrounding space like broken glass.
"No wonder it's said to be created by merging hundreds of Dou Techniques. Such a palm strike is truly top-tier among low-level Heaven-rank techniques!" Mastering the Great Heaven Creation Palm, Gu Fei couldn't help but feel some admiration for the ancient Dou Saint who created this technique.
His consciousness then returned to reality. After that scene, it seemed that some hidden meridians had opened up within his hand, forming a unique and mysterious circulation system.
"It seems Gu Fei has obtained some inheritance from this skeleton! Congratulations!" Elder Zhu Li, noticing the changes, congratulated Gu Fei, impressed by his keen insight.
"It's just a low-level Heaven-rank Dou Technique, nothing extraordinary."
Gu Fei wasn't overly excited. Given his Ancient Clan background, Heaven-rank Dou Techniques weren't particularly rare for him- he had simply gained another way to fight.
Afterward, Gu Fei led the group out of the Beast Region and began their journey back to the Gu Realm.
...
A month later, they returned to the Gu Realm, but this time they had an additional member- Elder Zhu Li of East Dragon Island.
"The Gu Realm truly lives up to its reputation!"
On a black warship, Elder Zhu Li couldn't help but marvel. Even with his vast experience, the sight of the Gu Realm left him in awe.
"Gu Fei, you're finally back!"
A clear, ethereal voice suddenly echoed from the mountains outside the warship.
Soon, a graceful figure appeared, stepping on clouds, her dress fluttering like an immortal descending from the heavens. She floated gently to the side of the warship where Gu Fei and the others stood.
At this moment, Xun'er seemed to have undergone a significant transformation. Every smile and gesture exuded a newfound confidence, with no trace of the previous humility.