Chapter 115: Dou Zun
"Senior, it's not that I don't want to help you, but I truly can't," Xiao Tian explained. "You're a Quasi-Emperor. If you couldn't kill that entity even by burning your cultivation, it could blow me away with a single breath."
"So, what do you propose?" the old man asked.
Xiao Tian replied, "Of course, let me go. Then, I'll come back when I've reached a higher cultivation level!"
"Letting you go is possible, but I can only hold on for thirty more years," the old man said. "If you don't return within thirty years, I won't be able to stop it."
"Thirty years? I can definitely do it!" Xiao Tian nodded. With the Devouring Technique and the Spatial Gate, he was confident he could reach the Dou Di realm within ten to fifteen years.
The old man continued, "Very well, I will send you away."
"Wait, Senior!" Xiao Tian quickly interjected. "Could you send me away with a strand of the Sub-Flame?"
The old man frowned, saying, "Splitting the Sub-Flame severely weakens the Heavenly Fire, and its strength will be greatly diminished. You must return within twenty-five years."
"If you give me the Sub-Flame, I will return within twenty years," Xiao Tian promised with a smile. If he could get the Sub-Flame, he might be able to break through to Dou Zun.
"So be it, I'll give you one strand," the old man said, pointing to a distant spot. Instantly, a white flame flew over. He handed the white flame to Xiao Tian and with a wave of his sleeve, Xiao Tian disappeared.
...
Xiao Tian reappeared at the Yang Fire Altar, looking at the white flame in front of him. "Wow, he actually sent me back."
He examined the Sub-Flame carefully, thinking, "Could it be... he truly doesn't mean me any harm?"
Despite his thoughts, Xiao Tian checked the flame thoroughly with his soul power multiple times.
"Nothing seems wrong, but just to be safe, I should leave here first," Xiao Tian decided, flying away. After covering a considerable distance, he summoned the Spatial Gate and stepped inside.
In the alternate space, Xiao Tian released the Heavenly Fire Sub-Flame and thought, "It's time to devour the Sub-Flame."
Although it was just a Sub-Flame, it was as powerful as the Bone Spirit Cold Fire. After all, the Sub-Flame came from the Heavenly Fire equivalent to a high-level Half-Saint. At its peak, the Heavenly Fire was as strong as a seven-star Dou Sheng.
Despite being just a Sub-Flame without consciousness, as Xiao Tian swallowed it, a terrifying heat spread throughout his body. Wisps of white flame began to seep from his pores, enveloping him completely. Sitting within, Xiao Tian seemed to be asleep, his breathing calm and steady. The heat, which could incinerate an ordinary person in a breath, continuously flowed into him.
After an indeterminate amount of time, Xiao Tian exhaled an exceptionally hot breath.
"Haha, I did it!" Xiao Tian lowered his head, clenched his fist, and a dark green flame appeared. This was the new flame, formed from merging five different flames.
"Crackling!"
Xiao Tian stood up, and a series of crackling sounds erupted from his body. Simultaneously, his aura began to rise at an alarming rate.
Eight-star Dou Zong!
Nine-star Dou Zong!
Nine-star Dou Zong peak!
Dou Zun!
Xiao Tian's cultivation stabilized at the one-star Dou Zun level before stopping. The power of the Heavenly Fire was indeed terrifying. Even just a Sub-Flame contained enough energy to elevate Xiao Tian's cultivation to one-star Dou Zun. Furthermore, Xiao Tian's Devouring Technique had finally reached the true Heavenly level. Though it was only at the low Heavenly tier, its power was not inferior to other mid-tier Heavenly techniques due to its unique strength.
"The power of a Dou Zun is truly formidable!" Xiao Tian marveled, clenching his fist, causing a vast amount of Dou Qi to gather instantly. This kind of power had an irresistible allure. If he were outside, a casual fist would distort the surrounding space.
"With my current strength, I should be able to protect myself. It's time to return to the Martial Universe world," Xiao Tian thought, opening the gate to the Martial Universe world.
...
Yan City.
Xiao Tian returned to Yan City. Upon arrival, he spread out his soul power to survey the area. Finding everything normal, he breathed a sigh of relief.
"Whoosh!"
With a step forward, Xiao Tian disappeared and reappeared in a training field. Here, Zi Yan, Xiao Yi Xian, Qing Lin, and Lin Dong were sparring. Zi Yan and Xiao Yi Xian were sparring, both now at the Dou Huang level. Qing Lin and Lin Dong were also sparring, with Qing Lin recently advancing to Dou Wang and Lin Dong at the pinnacle of the Qi Creation stage. Despite Lin Dong's higher strength, Qing Lin's control over several Qi Creation stage beasts with her Green Snake Three Flower Pupils made their strength comparable.
Xiao Tian smiled and said, "Not bad, your strength has improved quickly!"
"Xiao Tian!"
"Brother Xiao Tian!"
"Big Brother Xiao Tian!"
Hearing his voice, everyone froze, immediately stopping their sparring and rushing towards Xiao Tian. Xiao Yi Xian and Qing Lin were the fastest, leaping into Xiao Tian's arms without stopping.
Zi Yan and Lin Dong followed, standing nearby and watching the trio.
"You bad guy, you still remember to come back?" Xiao Yi Xian bit Xiao Tian's shoulder lightly.
"Ouch, it hurts!" Xiao Tian pretended to be in pain. In reality, he felt nothing. His body was now impervious even to Dou Zong-level attacks. He even restrained his physical strength to avoid hurting Xiao Yi Xian's teeth.
Qing Lin rubbed her head against Xiao Tian's chest and asked, "Brother Xiao Tian, where did you go? You disappeared for more than half a year. Xiao Yi Xian, Qing Tan, and I were all very worried about you."
Xiao Tian explained, "I encountered danger in the stone tablet space and had to flee quickly. But when I got out, I met another dangerous person who chased me, so I hid in the Dou Qi Continent for a long time before daring to come back."
"How awful!" Qing Lin clenched her small fists and said, "I will train hard so that I can protect Brother Xiao Tian from being bullied!"
Hearing Qing Lin's words, Xiao Tian smiled and patted her head, "Alright, you all train hard. I'll rely on you to protect me in the future!"
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