Without the slightest hesitation, Lin Ran tossed the Violet Amethyst Essence into his mouth and swallowed it whole.
As soon as it entered his stomach, a faint purple glow emerged on the surface of his body.
The purple light flickered faintly like candlelight across Lin Ran's skin, and the surrounding space began to heat up noticeably.
"In the original story, Xiao Yan refined a purple flame seed and created a small space within his Qi cyclone to hold the Purple Flame. That's how he was able to control it."
"But that method essentially treated the Purple Flame as a tool. It was only after he used Flame Mantra to devour it that he truly mastered it."
"I don't need the Purple Flame itself—what I need is the energy within it. Since that's the case..."
Feeling the changes inside his body, Lin Ran slowly closed his eyes, crossed his legs, and adopted a meditative posture. His hands formed a training seal as he calmed his breath, slowly sinking his consciousness into his body.
As the Violet Amethyst Essence dissolved within him, Lin Ran's body began to emit a layer of purple light.
But within a few breaths, a golden, domineering Dou Qi surged from his body. Wherever it passed, the purple light retreated, forcibly suppressed into Lin Ran's body and forcefully fused with his flesh and blood.
The Dou Qi of a Dou Ancestor was powerful beyond compare—especially for Lin Ran, whose body carried the legendary Pure Yang Constitution.
With the Violet Amethyst Essence crushed into raw energy, it was completely unable to resist and had no choice but to merge into Lin Ran's flesh and blood.
Moments later, Lin Ran opened his eyes and flexed his palm, Dou Qi wrapping around it.
His Dou Qi was a brilliant crimson-gold, radiant and dazzling—but now, a faint violet hue shimmered within it, adding a regal luster.
"Even though my realm didn't advance, I can clearly feel my blood vitality surging."
"Looks like devouring these aggressive natural treasures really can enhance my blood essence."
The Violet Amethyst Essence was a companion to the Amethyst Winged Lion King, containing its race's powerful innate energy. In a way, it was like having a 'dead' infant lion king compressed into a gem.
Now that it had been merged into Lin Ran's bloodline, his vitality naturally rose with it.
"Seems I'll need to keep an eye out for similar treasures in the future… But what I need most is still the ingredients for the Heavenly Spirit Blood Dragon Pill."
"Around here, tier-6 beasts aren't too many. Queen Medusa counts as one, the imperial family's Nether Sea Flood Dragon counts as another, and the Eight-Winged Black Serpent Emperor from the Mo Clan is a third..."
"Oh right—there's also the Little Fairy Doctor with her Constituted Body of Calamity!"
Suddenly reminded, Lin Ran's eyes lit up and he rose to his feet.
He glanced around at the rocky cave walls, then waved his hand. With a rumble, the stone walls collapsed. In a blink, the entire cave turned into rubble.
The next moment, his figure turned into a shadow and disappeared.
...
Meanwhile, in the Tagger Desert.
A black silhouette streaked across the sky at incredible speed. It wasn't until a city came into view that the figure began to slow down.
Wings behind him shimmered with a faint purple light before dissipating. With a flip in midair, the figure landed steadily on the ground.
He patted the dust off his clothes and looked up at the large yellow city in the distance, finally letting out a sigh of relief.
"Teacher, did we really have to run that fast? That guy didn't look that much older than me."
"Not much older? Heh. If my perception wasn't wrong, that brat is at least a Dou Ancestor!"
"D-Dou Ancestor?!"
Xiao Yan was stunned, his face full of disbelief.
"Quit joking, Teacher. At his age, even if he started cultivating from the womb, there's no way he could reach the Dou Ancestor realm. You must be mistaken!"
"Mistaken? Hmph."
A soul projection floated beside him—an elderly man with a serious expression.
"The aura of his Dou Qi—I couldn't be mistaken. That kid is definitely from the Cloud Rain Sect!"
"Cloud Rain Sect?"
"Yes, Cloud Rain Sect."
Yao Chen's voice deepened.
"That sect is twisted and sinister. They grow stronger by cultivating with flesh cauldrons—selecting talented young girls, giving them specialized techniques, and making them train for over a decade. Then, using their unique dual-cultivation method, they drain the Dou Qi from those girls."
"Of course, that method is too domineering. The girls usually wither away within ten days after being drained."
"The entire sect is composed of female disciples—more than a thousand of them. And they're all flesh cauldrons, meant to be absorbed by the three sect masters of the Cloud Rain Sect."
"There's a sect like that?!"
Xiao Yan was shocked. This was too insane.
"Wait, Teacher. You said the Cloud Rain Sect is all women except for the three sect masters. Could that guy be one of them?"
Xiao Yan frowned.
"No. It's been years, but I could never forget the aura and faces of those three bastards."
Yao Chen shook his head.
"Those three are infamous in the Central Plains for their lust and depravity. They're known as the Scorpion Demon Three Ghosts. The eldest, Heavenly Scorpion, is a peak nine-turn Dou Venerable. The second, Earth Scorpion, is around eight-turn. The third, Human Scorpion, is about six-turn Dou Venerable."
"That kid… is likely their successor!"
The cultivation ranks of the Dou Qi Continent go as follows: Dou Practitioner, Dou Disciple, Da Dou Shi, Dou Spirit, Dou King, Dou Emperor, Dou Ancestor, Dou Venerable, and Dou Saint.
It was said that above the Dou Saint, there existed an even more supreme realm—Dou God!
Gulp…
Xiao Yan swallowed hard. He felt like his brain had been smashed with a hammer. At this moment, he wasn't even a Dou Disciple yet.
And that guy—who looked just a bit older than him—was already a Dou Ancestor!
And his teacher? A Dou Venerable. A peak-level one!
"Teacher… we don't have any grudges with that guy, do we?"
Xiao Yan forced out a nervous laugh. But Yao Chen's next words shattered what little hope he had.
"Even if it's a bit early to tell you this… I have to warn you. Back then, I had a serious conflict with the Scorpion Demon Three Ghosts."
"Serious? As in..."
"Not quite a 'life and death feud'... but let's just say, if we meet, we'd both draw blades immediately."
"..."
Xiao Yan wanted to cry.
'What kind of mess have I gotten myself into…?'
'A peak Dou Venerable… that's a Dou Venerable!'
'The strongest person in the Xiao family is only a Da Dou Shi. Even the strongest in all of Jia Ma Empire is just a Dou Emperor.'
'And now three Dou Venerables pop out of nowhere… and one of their successors might be my enemy?!'
'This is hell!'
(End of Chapter)