Chapter 127: An Unusual Aura!

Within the geothermal fire, Yang Fan writhed and wailed. He felt as though his skin, flesh, and bones were melting away bit by bit, while his vital energy seemed on the verge of evaporating.

Soon, his skin began to take on a golden hue. Deploying the "Heavenly Defense" technique brought him a sliver of relief, but it was only a sliver. If the pain before had been agony, this was now a heart-rending, soul-shattering torment. His vital energy, which he had not long ago mastered, was being constantly burned away, circulating through his body at an erratic pace. Subconsciously, he triggered the "Kunlun Undying Art."

As the aura enveloping his body depleted, the system interface before his eyes worked to replenish it:

"Host: Yang Fan"
"Level: Rank 4"
"Title: Huaxia Warrior"
"Wealth: 6,200,230"
"Qi Sea: 12.8"
"Spirit: 31.3"
"Available Points: 3112"
"Addable Points: Qi Sea replenishment+"
"Shop: Not yet opened"
"Lottery Chances: 1"

Dazed, Yang Fan watched the available points on his display slowly dwindle, his heart filled with desperation. But there was no alternative. Escape? He clearly sensed an oppressive presence above him, an insurmountable force pinning him down. There was no way he could force his way to the surface.

Amidst the magma, Yang Fan continued to cycle the Kunlun Undying Art and the Heavenly Defense. Desperate, he began to execute the "Nine Heavens of Berserk War," attempting to shatter the nine layers. Each strike pushed the magma aside, but almost instantly, it would surge back, engulfing him once more.

On the platform, Kunlun watched with growing astonishment. The boy had been down there for forty minutes, yet the aura outside his body showed no signs of waning. It seemed to maintain the same output as when he had first entered the magma, a fact that deeply puzzled Kunlun.

Every path of cultivation is unique. Some focus on the physical body, some on attack, some on the abundance of aura, and others on the power of combat techniques. Yet, within a given stage, most people’s capacities are relatively similar—it is merely a matter of whether your offense is stronger or my defense is tougher. Generally, everyone remains on a parallel line, and no one can push too far beyond it.

The Twelve Ranks of cultivation have been passed down since ancient times; each stage is a different heaven. Few prodigies have ever truly defied the natural order to triumph over the strong while being weak. Furthermore, the gap in total aura between each rank is immense. Kunlun knew well that a Rank 4 Martial Master, submerged in geothermal magma and maintaining full-body protection at maximum output, could last, at most, half an hour. Yet, Yang Fan had already endured for over forty minutes. This meant the boy’s total aura had already exceeded Rank 4 and reached Rank 5. And yet, his displayed cultivation was merely at the early stage of Rank 4—he hadn't even finished nourishing a single internal organ!

Watching Yang Fan roll in the magma, Kunlun decided to see just where the boy's limits truly lay. He felt confident in his ability to save Yang Fan; although he was shackled and his strength was a shadow of its former self—with the spiritual energy he could draw upon under the Endless Cliff being pitifully scarce—rescuing a Rank 4 martial artist in a dire moment was still well within his capabilities.

...

Inside Yang Fan, his vital energy surged. His heart pounded with powerful, rhythmic beats, constantly generating more. A small wisp of his overflowing aura now diverted toward his internal organs, beginning to nourish his lungs. It was not a massive amount, but upon contact, it began to coil around the lungs, which started to undergo a rapid transformation. As the vital energy coursed through his veins, it continuously infused his physical body. Beneath his golden, "Heavenly Defense" skin, every inch of Yang Fan’s flesh began to shift toward a crimson red.

Yang Fan had no time to spare for anything else. He instinctively maintained the Kunlun Undying Art, his aura continuously pouring out of his body, his eyes fixed unblinkingly on the system interface to replenish his reserves.

Another twenty minutes passed. Yang Fan had spent an entire hour in the geothermal fire. He was now on the brink of fainting; the physical pain and the exhaustion from intense mental focus were eroding his consciousness. The data before him continued to shift:

"Host: Yang Fan"
"Level: Rank 4"
"Title: Huaxia Warrior"
"Wealth: 6,200,230"
"Qi Sea: 12.9"
"Spirit: 31.3"
"Available Points: 2458"
"Addable Points: Qi Sea replenishment+"
"Shop: Not yet opened"
"Lottery Chances: 1"

Taking one last look at his data, Yang Fan closed his eyes.

The moment Yang Fan lost consciousness and his aura dissipated, Kunlun tossed him onto the shore. Kunlun’s own aura began to blanket Yang Fan’s body, and his spiritual sense reached out to probe him. He wanted to see exactly what Yang Fan’s condition was and just how vast his Qi Sea truly was to have allowed him to survive in the magma for so long.

Moreover, Yang Fan hadn't emerged because his aura was exhausted; he had simply fainted from the sheer intensity of the pain. Even in his unconscious state, his aura had not weakened in the slightest. Kunlun could sense that the moment Yang Fan closed his eyes, his aura output was the same as when he had first entered. To maintain full-power output for an entire hour—Kunlun felt that even a practitioner who had just broken into Rank 5 would not possess such a total volume of aura.

...

As Kunlun’s spiritual sense reached Yang Fan, a violent flash of lightning erupted from the unconscious boy’s body, shattering Kunlun’s probing sense before it could fully descend. The lightning danced and flickered in the air.

Kunlun’s face went slightly pale as his spiritual sense was destroyed, and he shook his head. He had not expected that even while unconscious, the Dao power within Yang Fan could still protect its host. Watching the lightning flicker in the sky, Kunlun’s eyes burned with envy. This was the benefit of the great world outside—a complete Dao could endow people with immense power. It was a power that did not exist in the Kunlun Secret Realm, something he had only ever read about in ancient historical records.

After his spiritual sense was repelled, Kunlun withdrew his aura. He remained deep in thought, staring at the unconscious Yang Fan on the shore. The lightning filling the sky gradually retreated back into Yang Fan’s body, and everything returned to silence.

...

At the ruins, Dongfang Kui stood at the entrance, his expression grim.

His recent exchange with Li Tian and the others had initially gone well; everything was moving in a positive direction. His proposal had received the support of Xia Qiuming, Li Tian, and Han Daohong. But just as they were preparing to implement the plan, three powerful spiritual senses had swept in from afar, working together to intercept a portion of their conversation.

Li Tian had exploded with rage, soaring into the sky and striking at the void with his blade. The blade aura had traversed a spatial rift, causing a blonde, blue-eyed foreigner an unknown distance away to cough up blood. But it was all for naught. The information had been leaked. Those three had already transmitted it to every corner of the world at top speed.