Support me at patreon for 520+ advanced chapters :
patreon.com/YaoIk
**
Returning to the Mansion—
"Master."
After stabilizing the barrier, Ah Da's figure flickered and appeared beside Wei Yang, dragging along the corpse of Ninth Tian Zun.
"There were quite a few spies from various factions watching today. I'm afraid this news will spread across Central Plains soon."
Wei Yang looked toward the barrier outside and said softly, "It doesn't matter. As long as the Hall of Souls doesn't come again, it won't be a problem. We just need to endure the next few days. Keep your eyes open during this time."
"Yes." Ah Da nodded.
Earlier, Wei Yang's ruthless slaughter had been enough to shock countless onlookers. The deaths of Eighth and Ninth Tian Zuns alone would serve as a powerful deterrent to any hidden, scheming forces.
Once the Hall of Souls received this news, they would surely realize that sending ordinary experts again would be useless. Given Wei Yang's current strength, unless they sent a Ban Sheng, anyone weaker would be as good as dead.
Even for the Hall of Souls, sending out a Ban Sheng wasn't something that could be done so easily or so quickly. Therefore, Wei Yang and his group only needed to endure this most crucial time gap.
After all, Yao Lao's breakthrough wasn't as others imagined—it wasn't energy that he lacked, but the time to fully absorb it. After giving Ah Da a few more casual instructions, Wei Yang stepped toward the direction of Yao Lao's closed-door cultivation chamber.
"Master, what should I do with this Ninth Tian Zun?" Ah Da asked, lifting the corpse in his hand.
Wei Yang waved casually. "Feed the corpse to Du Jiao. As for his soul—you can devour it. Check his storage ring too. If there's anything useful, bring it to me. If not, forget it."
"Thank you, Master!" Ah Da's eyes immediately lit up with joy.
Although Ninth Tian Zun's soul was only at the half-step Spirit Realm, he was still an Eight-Star Dou Zun—his soul essence would be extremely nourishing.
In the following days, Holy Pill City gradually returned to calm once again. Though countless hidden eyes still lingered, watching the Wei Mansion from afar, none dared to approach.
Even Pill Tower displayed a remarkable calm toward the situation—regarding Yao Chen's breakthrough and his absorption of the surrounding Heaven and Earth energy, they chose to maintain silent approval.
Yet while tranquility settled over this small corner, the entire Central Plains was shaken to its core. Countless people—faces filled with fervor—rushed toward Holy Pill City, desperate to witness with their own eyes the birth of a new Dou Sheng.
Dou Sheng!
Everyone knew the weight and meaning of that word. On the surface, no new Dou Sheng had emerged in the Central Plains for many, many years. In the hearts of countless cultivators, "Dou Sheng" was a word that stood alongside "Emperor"—both were existences of legend.
It was a level far beyond what most people could ever hope to reach. Even within Pill Tower, no Dou Sheng had appeared openly in the past generations—proof enough of how mysterious and rare such beings were.
That fact alone was enough to make Yao Chen's name resound through the continent. Especially now—when people learned that the one attempting to ascend to Dou Sheng was also the number-one alchemist on the surface of the continent—the sensation multiplied a thousand fold.
Thus, after only a few short days of peace, Holy Pill City suddenly grew lively again.
Countless visitors—some merely curious, others with reverence in their hearts—poured in one after another. The leaders of various factions, along with many old-generation experts, arrived one after another.
Every single day, waves upon waves of people came flooding into Holy Pill City.
They gathered around the Wei Mansion—some full of awe and heat, some filled with envy, jealousy, and greed—as they stared fervently at the radiant, multicolored energy streams flowing ceaselessly into the mansion shrouded by the barrier.
While the outside world boiled with excitement, the interior of the Wei Mansion remained eerily calm.
Not only did the barrier shield them from all prying eyes, but two towering figures stood outside like immovable iron statues, silently guarding the entrance. Though the two were merely low-level Dou Zun—only two or three stars—none dared to approach or provoke them.
Inside the secret chamber—
Wei Yang and Xiao Yan sat quietly, guarding the elderly figure seated cross-legged on the stone platform, eyes tightly shut. At this moment, the faint aura radiating from Yao Lao's body was terrifying beyond measure—so overwhelming that even the air seemed to tremble under its weight.
A faint trace of Dou Sheng Pressure spread unconsciously from him, filling the entire chamber. Under that pressure, even the Dou Qi circulating within Wei Yang and Xiao Yan's bodies became sluggish.
It was too oppressive.
Being under constant Dou Sheng suppression was an unbearable experience. This was only the faintest leak of aura from Yao Lao, who was still in the midst of his breakthrough.
"He's close… it's almost complete," Xiao Yan whispered under his breath, eyes glimmering with anticipation.
At that moment, the jade bottle in his hand, which once contained the gelatinous Dou Sheng Bone Marrow Pellets, held fewer than twenty remaining. Xiao Yan flicked his finger once more, sending another piece of Dou Sheng Bone Marrow shooting into Yao Lao's mouth.
Lowering his head to glance at the jade jar, he said softly, "Brother Wei, there are only seventeen pieces of Dou Sheng Bone Marrow left. Fortunately, I can sense that Master seems to have reached a saturation point. His need for energy is slowing down—it should be about time."
"Five hundred pieces of Dou Sheng Bone Marrow, and now only seventeen remain… the amount of energy required to ascend to Dou Sheng is truly terrifying!" Wei Yang slowly exhaled, his tone filled with awe.
Xiao Yan also nodded in astonishment.
From this alone, one could clearly see the vast difference between Dou Sheng and Dou Zun. Take Xiao Yan himself, for example—after consuming just a single piece of bone marrow, his strength had leapt from the peak of Four-Star directly into Five-Star.
That alone showed just how pure and boundless the energy within a single piece of Dou Sheng Bone Marrow was. Yao Lao… had already consumed a staggering four hundred and eighty-three pieces!
Although there were still two stages—Nine-Change and Ban Sheng—between Dou Zun and Dou Sheng, even a glimpse was enough to reveal how terrifying a Dou Sheng's power truly was.
The difference between them could only be described as heaven and earth. That was with Yao Lao already possessing a complete Dou Sheng Skeleton to begin with.
Time quietly flowed by.
When they noticed that Yao Lao no longer absorbed energy so frantically, and his aura gradually reached its peak, Wei Yang and Xiao Yan exchanged glances. Both saw the gleam of joy in each other's eyes.
It seemed… success was near.
Xiao Yan glanced at the jade jar—only fifteen pieces of Dou Sheng Bone Marrow remained.
"Master is now in the final stabilizing phase. He's about to succeed!" Xiao Yan let out a deep breath of relief and smiled. "Thankfully, the Hall of Souls hasn't sent anyone these past few days."
Wei Yang nodded. "Yes. We've finally made it through the most dangerous period. The Hall of Souls missed their best chance to stop us. Now, it's too late for them."
"The Hall of Souls probably thinks they still have time to prepare," Xiao Yan sneered. "But they have no idea that Master's breakthrough to Dou Sheng relies on the energy within the Dou Sheng Bone Marrow, not on absorbing the energy of heaven and earth."
"Feigning the obvious while concealing the truth," Wei Yang said with a faint smile.
While everyone outside thought that Yao Lao's breakthrough would last for years—perhaps three to five—none knew that Wei Yang and the others had already prepared five hundred pieces of Dou Sheng Bone Marrow for him.
That was refined from the remains of a massive Ancient Heavenly Phoenix, condensed into pure energy. Yao Lao's breakthrough lacked nothing in terms of energy. Thus, under the watchful eyes of countless observers, he quietly and swiftly passed through the most dangerous stage.
The two looked once more at the cross-legged Yao Lao, whose aura was now gradually retracting, growing steadier and deeper.
"Looks like Master no longer needs any more energy. There are fifteen pieces left—let's split them." Xiao Yan rubbed his hands together excitedly, then took out seven pieces of Dou Sheng Bone Marrow, placing them into a jade bottle and storing it away.
He handed the remaining eight pieces, along with the jar, to Wei Yang. "Here, these are yours."
Wei Yang accepted them with a smile. "Still some left. Not bad."
Xiao Yan grinned widely, joy shining on his face. These were treasures that could rapidly enhance one's strength.
With these eight pieces, plus the fourteen he had saved earlier, Wei Yang now possessed a total of twenty-two pieces of Dou Sheng Bone Marrow.
He planned to save two for his children, leaving twenty for himself. Those twenty pieces, he believed, would be enough to complete three or four transformations.
As for Xiao Yan, he now had twenty-one pieces in total. After saving one for Xiao Xiao, he also had twenty left. With his current strength at Five-Star Dou Zun, perhaps completing One or Two-Change wouldn't be easy, but reaching the peak of Nine-Star Dou Zun should be well within reach.
--------------------------------------------------------------
Support me at patreon for 520+ advanced chapters :
patreon.com/YaoIk