Chapter 864: Aiming for the Top 3

Chapter 864 -862: Aiming for the Top 3

It had been less than half a day since Xu Yang began his breakthrough. The energy within the purple treasure pool had been almost completely devoured, leaving next to nothing.

During this short period, nearly ten people had astonishingly broken through from the Middle Stage of Golden Immortal to the Late Stage of Golden Immortal. Breaking through from the Middle to the Late Stage was no easy feat. Having sufficient accumulated energy alone was far from enough, yet so many had succeeded regardless. It was entirely predictable that by the end of the fifteen days, at least four or five more people would achieve their breakthroughs.

A dozen or so individuals might not seem like much across the thirty-six Heaven’s Edge Towers, but among those specifically at the Middle Stage of Golden Immortal, this represented a terrifyingly high success rate.

The same volume of energy capable of supporting the breakthroughs of such experts had been entirely exhausted by Xu Yang on the thirteenth day. Furthermore, it was still far from enough for his own breakthrough. He was merely advancing from the Peak of Celestial Immortal to the Golden Immortal Realm.

If the others had been awake to witness this scene, their jaws would have dropped to the floor. It was common knowledge that Di Qinghe possessed a Ninth Grade Immortal Foundation. Yet, even Di Qinghe hadn’t displayed such terrifying consumption back in his day.

BOOM!

Xu Yang’s body shuddered as a ripple stirred within his serene consciousness. He knew it was time to use the Ten Thousand Medicines Cyan Lotus Milk.

“I owe Jiang Yue Long my thanks,” Xu Yang murmured softly.

The value of this single stalk of Ten Thousand Medicines Cyan Lotus Milk was immeasurable; even ten billion Immortal Crystals might not be enough to buy one. Without Jiang Yue Long, it would have been incredibly difficult to track down and purchase, even through Heaven’s Edge Tower. With this precious medicine in hand, his breakthrough was guaranteed.

SWISH!

Xu Yang bit into the Ten Thousand Medicines Cyan Lotus Milk, swallowing it mouthful by mouthful.

BOOM!

His body and immortal meridians—already pushed to the absolute limits of a Celestial Immortal—were instantly struck by a violent, thunderous impact. His bones groaned, and his immortal meridians felt as if they were tearing apart. Hundreds of them twisted violently under the onslaught. His Immortal Foundation trembled explosively, nearly collapsing under the overwhelming force.

A High-Grade Tier-Three precious medicine—a natural treasure capable of greatly enhancing the strength of even a Late Stage of Golden Immortal expert—was truly beyond imagination.

Xu Yang let out a muffled groan and channeled the Celestial Refining Divine Scripture with all his might.

RUMBLE!

The Twelfth-Grade Immortal Foundation erupted with unprecedented turbulence, churning up a violently expanding nebula. Like the raging waves of a mighty river, a torrent swept out from the void of his Dantian, crashing brutally into the transformed energy of the Ten Thousand Medicines Cyan Lotus Milk.

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

The repeated collisions were frenzied and intense, wreaking havoc like a flurry of slashing blades and Divine Weapons. Xu Yang clenched his jaw tightly, not uttering a single sound as he desperately guarded his mind, maintaining the final line of defense within his body.

An hour later, relying on his Twelfth-Grade Immortal Foundation, he finally tore the power of the Ten Thousand Medicines Cyan Lotus Milk completely apart. Under the astonishing might of the Celestial Refining Divine Scripture, he devoured and refined the energy inch by inch, feeding it back into his Immortal Foundation and meridians. The violently churning treasure pool slowly began to calm down.

The fourteenth day.

A terrifying shockwave surged outward, shaking the purple treasure pool so violently that it churned anew. In a split second, Xu Yang unhesitatingly summoned the Celestial Refining Divine Tripod. He enveloped himself and the pool within it, directly retreating inside to conceal all the upcoming phenomena of his breakthrough.

He had no other choice. The anomalies triggered by a Twelfth-Grade Immortal Foundation’s breakthrough were simply too astounding; one glance was enough to tell it was no mere Ninth Grade Immortal Foundation. Anyone who had witnessed Di Qinghe’s breakthrough would be able to spot the difference immediately. Although he could brush it off as a difference in Cultivation Techniques, since the Celestial Refining Divine Tripod could hide it, it was best to avoid any unnecessary trouble.

The boundless void within the divine tripod was completely illuminated by various phenomena. Twelve-colored immortal light surged and galloped in all directions with the momentum of massive river waves—vast, mighty, and magnificently spectacular.

At a certain moment, a twelve-colored immortal lotus manifested in the tripod’s void. It guarded a figure that slowly rose into the air, looking like an immortal sage transcending the starry skies. With this, Xu Yang finally crossed from the Celestial Immortal Realm into the Golden Immortal Realm, reaching the Early Stage of Golden Immortal.

The rolling winds and clouds gradually dispersed, and the terrifying aura surging from Xu Yang’s body slowly converged.

His immortal meridians multiplied drastically once again, reaching a horrifying total of over eighteen hundred. It was an appalling sum. It had to be known that with every major realm breakthrough, one’s immortal meridians increased exponentially. From True Immortal to Celestial Immortal, it was a threefold increase, corresponding to three times nine. From Celestial Immortal to Golden Immortal, it was a sixfold increase, corresponding to six times nine. At the Sage Immortal realm, it would be nine times nine. The stronger the Immortal Foundation, the more immortal meridians one possessed—a head start yielded an eternal advantage.

The number of immortal meridians granted by a Twelfth-Grade Immortal Foundation was utterly unimaginable. With an incalculable, terrifying amount of immortal essence flowing through nearly two thousand meridians spread across his entire body, he possessed a massive advantage in every aspect—whether it was cultivation, spellcasting, or combat.

“Early Stage of Golden Immortal,” Xu Yang muttered. “On the Dragon and Tiger List, my only remaining opponents are the top three.” He slowly opened his eyes and licked his lips, a streak of seething battle intent flashing through his gaze.

At this moment, feeling the majestic power circulating within him, he felt a sudden urge to immediately seek out Yv Feng, Ji Wushuang, and even Di Qinghe for a grand battle. Prior to this, all three of them had been at the Middle Stage of Golden Immortal, though their true combat prowess was in a league of its own. Regardless, if he were to clash with the geniuses on the Dragon and Tiger List again, he was bound to point his blade at the top three. The rest posed absolutely no threat.

“So comfortable,” Xu Yang said, withdrawing the Celestial Refining Divine Tripod and sitting cross-legged in the treasure pool.

As his thoughts turned to this serendipitous encounter, he couldn’t help but sigh inwardly. This was a top-tier opportunity provided by Heaven’s Edge Pavilion. Although the status of a Dragon and Tiger Venerable was highly esteemed, accepting this still meant he owed the Pavilion a massive favor. Paying it back wouldn’t be easy.

However, there was no need to pressure himself. Since Heaven’s Edge Pavilion had established such rules, everything he gained was rightfully earned. If the opportunity arose in the future, he would simply secure some benefits for the Pavilion in return.

Brushing the thought aside, Xu Yang cleared his mind of distractions and quietly comprehended all the gains brought about by his breakthrough.

Some time later, a massive commotion suddenly erupted outside. A magnificent, heaven-shaking roar tore through the area, sounding as if a vast ocean had been overturned and tipped into the space.

Xu Yang opened his eyes and leaped out of his treasure pool. Looking closely, he saw a burst of cyan qi shooting into the sky, gathering at a visible speed above a nearby purple treasure pool. The cyan qi grew increasingly dense, intermingled with specks of dazzling white light. Below it, phantom mountains and rivers converged, gradually emitting a pressure that weighed on the mind.

At this moment, many cultivators who had completed their breakthroughs early and were stabilizing their cultivation sensed the violent disturbance. One after another, they opened their eyes to look.

“It’s Qin Ye from Luoshui City! He’s finally breaking through.”

“His strength might not be the absolute peak in Luoshui City, but he definitely ranks in the top three.”

“It’s the final day, and he’s finally breaking through to the Late Stage of Golden Immortal. Truly a cause for celebration!”

Many cultivators who recognized him discussed the event animatedly, genuinely happy for his success. Even if there were conflicts and rivalries among the various Heaven’s Edge Towers, they all belonged to Heaven’s Edge Pavilion and were incredibly united against outsiders. Every single breakthrough was an amplification of Heaven’s Edge Pavilion’s overall strength.

Before long, the cyan qi reached its absolute peak, transforming into a towering green mountain standing amidst the void.

BOOM!

A torrent of Late Stage of Golden Immortal power surged into the sky, shattering the green mountain. Immediately after, a figure appeared above the treasure pool, recklessly exuding the powerful aura of the Late Stage of Golden Immortal. His face was flushed red with excitement. Unable to contain himself, Qin Ye threw his head back and let out a long, resounding howl into the sky.

His strength wasn’t considered top-tier among his peers. Had he been in the outside world, even with precious natural treasures, it would have taken him at least half a year, if not longer, alongside a suitable opportunity to achieve this. But here, with a single purple treasure pool, it only took a mere fifteen days.

“Hahaha, Mr. Qin, you finally broke through!”

“You made it right at the very end.”

“If you hadn’t broken through soon, I wouldn’t have deigned to associate with you anymore.”

“Congratulations, Mr. Qin! Hahaha!”

Amidst the chorus of laughter, Xu Yang also smiled and clasped his hands in congratulation. It was only right to offer well wishes when fellow cultivators achieved a breakthrough. As he swept his gaze around, he noted that the vast majority of cultivators who had stepped into this place had experienced breakthroughs. Even those whose cultivation realms hadn’t advanced had still seen a tremendous enhancement in their auras.

Another half day passed.

The time limit was up. Every treasure pool lost its radiant luster. One after another, the cultivators departed from the Two-Color Grotto Heaven and returned to the Wind and Cloud Platform.