Chapter 096: The Transformation of the Ancestral Dragon Ring

  The forty-eight acupoints were operating at full capacity, emitting strands of radiant crimson light. The river of blood and qi surged violently, the energy contained within multiplying several times over.

  "He's finally stopped..." Many wiped the sweat from their brows as they noticed Yang Tian's external blood and qi retracting. His earlier display had been nothing short of astonishing.

  Xing Hao and Qing Yuan exchanged glances, their joy unmistakable. They couldn't help but marvel at how fortune and misfortune often went hand in hand.

  "I must obtain that technique!" Gu Mo took a deep breath, suppressing the greed in his eyes. Now was not the time to reveal his intentions. He needed to strike with absolute precision.

  At this moment, Yang Tian's consciousness was immersed in his dantian. The overall energy of the river of blood and qi was ten times stronger than when he was at the half-step martial artist level! And this didn't even account for his current physical body.

  Yang Tian had previously reconstructed his dantian, so his blood and qi had always been more abundant than the average person's. Moreover, his Battle Heaven Technique was exceptionally powerful. In terms of the density of his blood and qi, he could undoubtedly surpass many.

  Yang Tian's consciousness shifted, focusing on the seed of fire above the river of blood and qi. The purple flame flickered continuously.

  "How should I nurture this seed of fire?" After observing for a while, Yang Tian scratched his head. He only had a basic understanding of the seed of fire and had no idea how to nurture it properly. Without the correct method, the seed's growth would be painfully slow.

  Compared to this seed of fire, his soul power had increased significantly. Constantly immersed in the medicinal effects of the Soul Nurturing Lotus Seed and the residual soul energy from the Soul Crystal, Yang Tian's soul had reached the advanced stage of Soul Gathering.

  With a slight movement of his consciousness, the thumb-sized purple flame appeared in his hand. Thunderfire flickered within it, and although the power it contained was still weak, the seed's potential for growth was immense. It could devour lightning.

  Within his sea of consciousness, the space opened by the Soul Crystal had expanded considerably. This space was akin to a treasure that guarded the soul, and it could grow infinitely.

  A strange energy circulated around Yang Tian, allowing him to perceive everything within a ten-zhang radius. Every rustle of grass and whisper of wind was clear to him.

  "This is control," Yang Tian mused after experiencing it for a while. He retracted his soul power and clenched his fist, a slight smile forming on his face. Only by stepping into the martial artist realm could one truly enter the gates of cultivation.

  It was said that those who achieved the Yuan Shen realm could decapitate enemies from thousands of miles away with ease. Such grand abilities had not been seen in recent times.

  In Yang Tian's palm, a small furnace about an inch in size suddenly appeared. At the same time, his soul body within the sea of consciousness stirred, and a faint thread of soul power flowed into the Golden Crow Divine Furnace.

  Soul power could control artifacts. Not only did a martial artist's strength increase dramatically, but their combat power also became formidable. There were some rare soul techniques on the continent, but they were exceedingly scarce and difficult to master.

  As the thread of soul power entered the Golden Crow Divine Furnace, Yang Tian remained still for a few moments. Suddenly, the furnace began to rotate above his head.

  After a short while, Yang Tian's soul body dimmed significantly. The consumption was rapid. Although Yang Tian had just begun to condense his soul body and had reached the advanced stage of Soul Gathering, his control was still clumsy.

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  "All of this should be mine!" Li Hongtao's heart burned with rage. The Soul Crystal originally belonged to him. His soul body was the size of a sesame seed, incomparable to Yang Tian's, which was like the heavens compared to the earth.

  At this moment, Yang Tian opened his mouth, and the Golden Crow Divine Furnace, guided by his soul power, floated into his mouth, slowly descending onto the river of blood and qi.

  Suddenly, the river of blood and qi churned violently, its rich energy washing over the Golden Crow Divine Furnace. This was the process of nurturing an artifact. The longer it was nurtured, the greater the degree of control one would have over it.

  As the Golden Crow Divine Furnace soaked in the river of blood and qi, a faint sense of joy entered Yang Tian's heart. A smile appeared on his face. Divine artifacts could give birth to artifact spirits. If nurtured properly, these spirits could fight autonomously.

  However, the chances of this happening were extremely low. The growth of an artifact spirit was exceptionally difficult. It was unknown how long it would take for the Golden Crow Divine Furnace to nurture even a trace of an artifact spirit. This was a rare opportunity for Yang Tian.

  "I wonder if this will work?" Yang Tian glanced at the seed of fire beside him. An idea struck him, and he moved the seed into the Golden Crow Divine Furnace.

  As soon as it entered the blazing flames, the seed of fire seemed delighted by the temperature, swimming freely within the inferno. A faint thread of fire also emerged from the seed.

  "It actually works!" Yang Tian's face lit up with joy. The flames absorbed by the seed had been formed over countless years, so their power was naturally not weak.

  After observing his physical body for a while, Yang Tian seemed to remember something and shifted his consciousness into the Ancestral Dragon Ring.

  "Thousand... thousand zhang..." As soon as he appeared inside the Ancestral Dragon Ring, Yang Tian was utterly stunned. The internal space of the ring had expanded to a thousand zhang, ten times its original size.

  Yang Tian's breathing became急促. A thousand zhang of space was comparable to a high-grade void ring. And Yang Tian was only at the martial artist realm. He couldn't imagine how much larger this space would become in the future.

  "I was worried about where to store all these precious spirit herbs, but now I can plant most of them here." Yang Tian licked his lips, his gaze falling on a pile of spirit herbs nearby. Most of them had been obtained from the Dan Xuan Sect.

  After planting a dozen Dragon Whisker Grasses next to the Fire Dragon Divine Fruit Tree, Yang Tian began tending to his herb garden. He had harvested over thirty spirit herbs that were a thousand years old or more, including three that were over five thousand years old. The rest were only a few decades old and wouldn't be of much use outside.

  Beside the herb garden, there was a pile of nearly 150,000 mid-grade blood stones—this didn't include the 30,000 Yang Tian had given to Lin Yuan. To the right were nearly 150,000 Star Pills and three large bottles of Spring of Life water. The entire Ancestral Dragon Ring was filled with treasures that would make anyone envious.

  Yang Tian was like a small, mobile treasure vault. He was no longer the destitute youth he once was. His current wealth far surpassed that of most saint-level figures at his level.

  After about three hours of work, Yang Tian clapped his hands and disappeared from the Ancestral Dragon Ring.

  Looking up at the still-dark sky, Yang Tian's head lowered slowly, and his expression froze. A look of shock flashed across his face.

  Swish! Without hesitation, Yang Tian's body reappeared inside the Ancestral Dragon Ring. He stayed there for an hour, calming his mind, before disappearing again.

  "So that's how it is!" Yang Tian's face was filled with astonishment as he looked at the sky. The time ratio inside the Ancestral Dragon Ring had changed. Previously, one day outside equaled two days inside. Now, one day outside equaled three days inside!

  "A threefold ratio. If I cultivate for three years, others will only have cultivated for one. I wonder if this ratio will adjust further when I break through to higher realms." After pondering for a while, Yang Tian calmed his excited mind and headed toward Yun'er.

  Yun'er had condensed the phenomenon of "Azure Waves Illuminating the Heavens," and her overall aura had changed dramatically. She now resembled an ethereal fairy, her jade-like features exuding a fresh, watery glow.

  Once fully grown, this phenomenon could envelop the heavens and earth, transforming the world into a vast ocean that illuminated the sky. It was a terrifyingly powerful ability.

  "Brother Yang." Seeing Yang Tian approach, Yun'er brushed a few strands of hair from her shoulder and smiled warmly.

  "Yun'er, congratulations on condensing your phenomenon," Yang Tian said with a nod and a smile.

  "It's all thanks to Master's guidance. I wouldn't have been able to do it on my own," Yun'er replied, her eyes sparkling like autumn water as she looked at Yang Tian playfully.

  "By the way, Brother Yang, where are you planning to go after this? Are you heading home?" Yun'er asked with a hint of concern. Many people were now eyeing Yang Tian's techniques, and some had even noticed the Spring of Life water he used during the tribulation. These treasures were enough to attract the attention of old monsters.

  "Not home, not yet. I plan to go out and train for a while," Yang Tian replied, glancing at the spatial jade slip inside the Ancestral Dragon Ring. This was his lifeline. Without it, he wouldn't know how to deal with the assassinations that were sure to come.

  They chatted for a while longer until the martial platform suddenly began to tremble.