But moments after swallowing it, the stone was spat back out, only to have even more True Dragon Qi condense and manifest. Three fresh strands of True Dragon Qi emerged—each derived from the innate origin power hidden within the stone. With just a bit of refinement, the energy transformed effortlessly into True Dragon Qi. It was remarkably easy. The invisible innate origin energy silently merged into his flesh and blood.
It became part of his foundation, reinforcing his body and making his cultivation base even more solid and powerful.
"As expected, it's made of innate origin power. If ordinary true qi tried to break it down, it would be extremely difficult. This kind of stone formed from pure origin energy is incredibly tough. To crack it open from the outside, you'd need a massive surge of true qi to smash it like a flood—it might even damage the meridians. But True Dragon Qi can bite through it piece by piece. It's more overbearing, direct, and safe."
Yi Tianxing gained an even deeper appreciation for the mystical nature of the Heavenly Dragon Imperial Sutra. It truly deserved the title of a "Heaven Sutra"—a supreme scripture that far surpassed the boundaries of ordinary cultivation techniques in many ways.
His confidence only grew.
One strand after another of True Dragon Qi surged forth, latching onto the stone and tearing off chunks with each bite before returning to the Divine Sea to refine it, producing even more True Dragon Qi in the process. In fact, most of the previously depleted True Dragon Qi had already been replenished.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Before he knew it, the entire stone had been devoured by the relentless waves of True Dragon Qi. The blocked meridian river instantly opened up. Yet what appeared ahead was still a channel choked with mud, impurities, and toxins—perhaps even worse than before. Still, he had plenty of remaining True Dragon Qi.
The replenishment from the innate origin energy had made the losses negligible, and he still had more than enough force to continue.
Once again, the True Dragon Qi surged forth, devouring and cleansing the toxins clogging the meridians.
Time slipped by unnoticed during this meridian-cleansing process.
Meanwhile, Zhao Ziyan and the other two had finished their meditation and now sat on the balcony, studying martial technique manuals. As they read, it was as if a master had personally appeared to instruct them—each page pulling their minds into a massive training arena where they could observe sword and blade techniques performed firsthand. This immersive experience helped them understand every move and strike more clearly and deeply.
After studying, they practiced on the balcony, swords and blades in hand. Each move was executed with precision and focus, and they constantly reflected on the purpose behind each technique.
Bit by bit, their comprehension of martial forms deepened.
Zhao Ziyan and Tang Zitong already had some martial foundations, so picking up sword and blade techniques was fairly easy for them. Chen Xuerou, who had never touched a weapon before, was at a disadvantage—but with the other two guiding her, offering occasional advice, even she quickly grasped the basics. In no time, her swordplay began to look halfway decent. After all, the sword manuals themselves were like having a true sword master personally coaching you.
Moreover, becoming a cultivator meant their physiques had transformed. Though they still looked soft and delicate, the strength in their limbs was no less than that of a fully grown adult. Opening their Divine Seas had made them completely different from who they were before.
Outside, mutated plants dominated the land, making it extremely difficult to go out.
Many people died even inside their homes—killed by mutated flora. Some perished silently. Others, unable to cope with the overnight transformation of the world, broke down mentally and chose to end it themselves.
Jumping off buildings.Hanging themselves.Self-inflicted death in every imaginable form.
There were many who awakened abilities, however—triggered by the surging spiritual energy saturating the world.
These abilities came in all shapes and forms, strange and unpredictable, upending everything people once understood.
Some who would never have awakened anything in their lifetime suddenly activated life apertures and developed powers under the stimulation of spiritual energy.
For many survivors, this was their only chance to cling to life.
BOOM! BOOM!
Yi Tianxing didn't know how much time had passed when a thunderous sound outside shook him from his cultivation. Looking out at the night sky, he saw lightning flashing without warning—arcs of thunderbolts crisscrossing the heavens.
"A new change… It's already the fourth day? Could something else be happening?"
He looked down at his watch—yes, the time had already passed into the early hours of the fourth day. The ominous lightning confirmed it—something massive was about to occur again.
But no matter how much he pondered, he could do nothing to interfere.
He was still too weak—no more than an ant. Right now, he didn't even have the ability to step outside safely, let alone participate in whatever cosmic event was unfolding.
"Brother! Look! Something's happening again! There's an eye in the sky! A terrifying eye! I feel like I want to kneel just looking at it!" Zhao Ziyan cried out from the balcony.
Yi Tianxing stood up immediately. The meridian-cleansing had gone incredibly smoothly. He'd already cleared thirteen of the twenty acupoints on the Hand Yangming Large Intestine Meridian. With most of the channels now open, and the innate origin energy still infusing his body, his cultivation was poised to take a massive leap forward.
He rushed to the balcony.
Lifting his gaze to the void, he saw it—deep in the distance, a colossal golden eye had appeared in the sky. It radiated an overwhelming majesty. Anyone who looked into it felt as though it stared directly into their soul. The very air seemed to freeze.
And this was only from a residual aftershock.
"What a terrifying eye. That's definitely no ordinary gaze," Yi Tianxing muttered, breathing deeply. An instinctive thought surfaced in his mind—
Could this be… the Eye of Heaven? The Celestial Eye?
"What's going to happen this time? That eye... it's too powerful. Thunder swirls around it. Lightning forms its lashes. It's divine beyond comprehension."
Tang Zitong clutched the wall behind her, unable to hide the terror in her eyes.
This was something no one in modern times could've ever imagined.
"Take a good look. This is a sight few people will ever witness in their lifetime. Just this moment alone will stay in your memory forever. What's coming… none of us can stop," Yi Tianxing whispered, staring at the sky.
In the sky, thunder raged and lightning danced. Deep within the golden eye's gaze, a terrifying world slowly emerged—a world filled with oppressive darkness, thick with shadowy, otherworldly matter.
It looked as if this realm was trying to tear its way out of the golden eye itself—like it was the eye's black pupil.
In that world, eighteen massive demonic pillars pierced through heaven and earth, each inscribed with cryptic runes and paintings of fearsome demonic gods. The images shifted and twisted, evoking primal terror.
At the center stood a vast obsidian throne.
A dreadful being cloaked in darkness sat silently upon it—apparently in deep slumber.
Swoosh!
Suddenly, a pair of pitch-black eyes opened in the darkness, emitting waves of brutal, icy killing intent. Two beams of black light shot straight toward the golden eye. The dark world seemed determined to break free.
The golden eye responded. Countless golden chains materialized, forming a massive net that began to seal the black world shut.
But the beams of dark light were too powerful. They tore open rifts in the golden net.
From those tears, dozens of black streaks escaped into the world below—some were struck down by golden lightning, disintegrated into nothingness.
But several escaped, vanishing without a trace.
The golden lightning raged on in fury, but it was too late. The black world was slowly pressed back under the seal, golden chains multiplying to suppress it fully.
"Hmph!!"
Just as the seal tightened, a cold snort echoed from the darkness. In the next instant, a massive, pitch-black finger burst forth from the shadow world, tearing through the heavens.
Golden lightning slammed into it from every direction—shattering it completely.
But as it broke, something far worse happened.
Rain began to fall.
Black rain.
It spilled across the entire world.
"Ahh!! What is this rain?! My body—no—"
Some people had been forced to leave their homes—by hunger, cold, or desperation. When the sky began to change, they froze in awe, unable to run. The black rain fell upon them.
Wherever it touched bare skin, flesh began to melt like it had been doused in acid.
Thick black smoke rose.
Flesh liquefied in moments—reduced to bare bones, then the bones dissolved into black sludge, seeping into the earth.
Only empty clothes remained where once a human stood.