The moment his eyes snapped open, he saw that golden bead hurtling directly toward him. Before he could even process what was happening, the golden bead shot straight into Xuanyuan Ruoxing's body.

A searing, cinnabar-gold flame immediately erupted, and a look of agony flashed across Xuanyuan Ruoxing’s face. A tremendous scream tore from his throat. This flame was something even Ye Jingyu's Chaos Body could not resist, let alone Xuanyuan Ruoxing’s physical flesh. However, just as his body seemed on the verge of collapse, the white pagoda shot out beams of white light, ceaselessly mending his form.

With every repair, his physique became more refined, more powerful. But just as quickly, he was scorched anew by the golden flames. This cycle repeated endlessly, his screams never ceasing. Though his nerves had long grown numb, the pain intensified with each subsequent repair; thus, he endured the torment of being burned by the crimson-gold flames almost every second.

The Soul Immortals and True Immortals gathered below simply stared blankly at the spectacle. None dared approach the scorching golden fire.

Yet, as long as Xuanyuan Ruoxing did not perish, the others dared not leave the vicinity. They merely watched him, their secret intentions unknown to anyone.

This condition persisted for seven days and seven nights. Xuanyuan Ruoxing's voice must have grown hoarse countless times before the golden flames finally receded. Having been burned for seven days and nights, every impurity within his flesh was purged. Whether in terms of tenacity, sheer power, or innate agility, his improvements were not merely a hundredfold compared to before.

If his previous body was a rough, stubborn stone, his current form was a piece of flawless, exquisite jade; the difference was far from slight.

As for Xuanyuan Ruoxing’s soul, after seven days and nights of agonizing torment, it too had been tempered to an incredibly formidable state. Now, facing a Heavenly Tribulation seemed like an effortless task for him.

But perhaps because Ye Jingyu had already shattered the array meant to summon the heavenly ordeal, no ominous tribulation clouds gathered in the sky. Instead, the Haotian Bead itself spewed forth torrents of lightning, washing over Xuanyuan Ruoxing’s body and soul one more time.

This was the Lightning Tribulation of the Heavenly Tribulation. After this final cleansing, Xuanyuan Ruoxing truly ascended into the realm of the Immortals. Unlike other True Immortals, his physical body was now genuinely that of a Venerable-tier master. In other words, both his physical shell and his soul had reached the absolute zenith attainable in the mortal world.

A mysterious cultivation technique flooded directly into Xuanyuan Ruoxing’s mind from the Haotian Bead. Upon receiving this set of mental precepts, Xuanyuan Ruoxing’s expression became one of pure ecstasy.

This technique surpassed every other cultivation method he had ever practiced by orders of magnitude. If his previous strongest scripture was mere scrap iron, this new one was a diamond—a diamond utterly without flaw.

For this was the very method utilized by the Great Emperor Haotian in his own cultivation.

In the Primordial Era, the first Celestial Emperor of the Heavenly Court was naturally the Demon Emperor Di Jun. Later, after the Demon Race was defeated by the Witch Race and driven from the Celestial Court, the demons declined while the witches flourished. However, facing an invasion from the Abyss Demons, the Witch Race suffered devastating losses, allowing the Daoist Immortals to begin guiding the world. The Great Emperor Haotian, a descendant of the Celestial Witches, chose to cultivate Daoist Immortal arts, combining them with his formidable physical body and unparalleled magical prowess to unite the Three Realms, becoming the second master of the Heavenly Court, until his sudden disappearance during the Investiture of the Gods conflict.

The disappearance of the Great Emperor Haotian has always been shrouded in mystery. Some say he departed to another plane of existence; others suggest he was deposed by the Three Pure Ones; still others propose he merely adopted a new identity as the Jade Emperor. Regardless, he remains undeniably the only Witch in the Three Realms who mastered Immortal arts to such an incredibly high degree.

Witches emphasized their physical bodies and inherent strength, while Immortals focused on the Primordial Spirit, relying on its might to command the forces of heaven and earth. When an individual managed to perfectly integrate these two schools of thought, they became an unstoppable entity.

The mental art of the Great Emperor Haotian was precisely this exquisite method of dual cultivation for both the soul and the body. How could Xuanyuan Ruoxing not be overjoyed upon learning it?

Purified by the Haotian Bead and strengthened by the potent blood and flesh of the Heavenly Dragon, he was now barely capable of practicing this profound scripture.

He also understood that this white pagoda was the Haotian Pagoda, an artifact that once shook the Three Realms. Just as Donghuang Taiyi used the Donghuang Bell to suppress the Three Realms, the Great Emperor Haotian relied on the Haotian Pagoda to command them—these were absolutely two supreme artifacts of equivalent status.

The realization that he had inherited the legacy of the Great Emperor Haotian filled Xuanyuan Ruoxing with surging delight.

He bit the tip of his tongue and spat a mouthful of blood onto both the Haotian Bead and the Haotian Pagoda. The Haotian Bead flew upward, landing atop the pagoda’s spire, before finally merging entirely into Xuanyuan Ruoxing’s body. A wave of immense pressure emanated from within him. The twenty-odd Soul Immortals and True Immortals below felt this aura, and their bodies involuntarily dropped to their knees—a deference arising purely from instinct, as if Xuanyuan Ruoxing were a born Emperor.

Observing all the kneeling Soul Immortals and True Immortals below, Xuanyuan Ruoxing nodded with satisfaction. Only now, he mused, would they truly submit to him, wouldn't they? He held no intention of telling them to rise just yet. With a casual gesture, an ancient longsword materialized in his hand. Examining the peculiar engravings on this ancient blade, Xuanyuan Ruoxing shook his head lightly. He had gained the Great Emperor Haotian’s cultivation lineage, but not his memories; his own perspective remained intact. He had no idea what sort of sword this was. Nevertheless, as his cultivation advanced, he could sense the latent, fierce killing intent locked within the blade, confirming it was no ordinary weapon—its quality likely rivaled that of the Haotian Pagoda and the Haotian Bead.

With the Haotian Pagoda guarding him, the Haotian Bead providing an endless supply of energy, and this menacing sword in hand, who in this world did he have cause to fear? The thought struck him, and Xuanyuan Ruoxing burst into roaring laughter—a laugh so triumphant, so arrogant, so utterly unrestrained.

Seeing Xuanyuan Ruoxing laugh with such reckless abandon, not a single one of the twenty-plus figures below dared utter a sound. They remained pressed flat against the ground, too terrified to even twitch.