Uncertain of how long he had been drifting in the void, Zhao Yang's cultivation gradually improved while he remained unconscious. This continuous enhancement caused his meridians to rupture repeatedly, only to be mended by the powerful Chaos True Qi. Zhao Yang endured excruciating pain, groaning as the effects of the Haotian Pill were absorbed completely by his body without him realizing it.
No one knew that beneath the stone tablet of the Rectangular Array in the Hao Tian Realm, there was actually a line of text buried deep in the soil due to the passage of time and tectonic shifts—"The Haotian Pill requires one hundred Foundation Establishment Great Perfection geniuses to absorb it simultaneously to digest its potency; otherwise, they will suffer ruptured meridians and die."
If Zhao Yang had seen this line, he would never have dared to enter the Haotian Pill, allowing its potency to overwhelm him.
However, the extraordinary existence of the Chaotic Root preserved Zhao Yang's life, enabling him to absorb any attribute of True Qi, including the immense potency of the Haotian Pill. Under the nourishment of this potency, the Perfect Foundation Cauldron became even more radiant and mysterious. The inscriptions on its surface appeared clearer and more enchanting, while countless streams of Chaos True Qi swirled around it. The eight Chaotic Binding Chains grew thicker and sturdier, continuously drawing excess potency from Zhao Yang's body, preventing him from exploding.
During this period, a golden dan that radiated light and illuminated a hundred thousand miles of starry sky was slowly forming atop the Foundation Cauldron. The surface of the dan shimmered with seven colors, dazzling and magnificent.
The golden dan, also known as Dao Dan, is the essence of all cultivation for Core Formation Stage practitioners. It is the source of a practitioner's power; if it shatters, their foundation will be damaged, and destruction of the dan means death for the practitioner.
Typically, golden dans are golden in color; however, some practitioners may experience variations resulting in red dans, white dans, or even black dans. Rarely do multi-colored dans appear, such as the Yin-Yang Taiji Pill or Ice Fire Dual Pill. If other practitioners saw Zhao Yang's seven-colored dan, they would be utterly astonished. Throughout cultivation history, only formidable figures in the cultivation world possessed such multi-colored dans.
Even more astonishing is that golden dans are usually about the size of an egg; at most, they reach the size of a goose egg. Practitioners with poor Spiritual Roots might only form a dan as small as a fingernail. In contrast, Zhao Yang's seven-colored dan floated at the mouth of the Foundation Cauldron, large enough to cover it entirely. The entire Qi Sea was enveloped in its radiant glow, making it evidently larger than any other entity besides the Perfect Foundation Cauldron itself. Compared to Zhao Yang's seven-colored dan, normal golden dans could almost be disregarded!
Fortunately, the human Qi Sea forms its own space capable of containing any treasures generated during cultivation; otherwise, Zhao Yang's internal organs would have been crushed!
In a hazy state, Zhao Yang felt drawn by a mysterious force toward an abyss. This force was enticing and compelled his body uncontrollably toward it.
Within the abyss, a pair of enormous eyes opened wide like oceans, fixating on Zhao Yang with greedy intent. At that moment, the Spirit Pearl around Zhao Yang's neck emitted a brilliant light, urging him to escape from the abyss. However, the pull from within was overwhelming. The Spirit Pearl was designed to locate treasures and had some protective capabilities but lacked power against foes. An unimaginable entity coveted Zhao Yang's fortune and sought to seize his foundation and reshape his essence.
The Spirit Pearl radiated intense light and vibrated violently; patterns resembling Jade Crawlers on its surface began to move slowly before suddenly detaching from it. They soared into the void and transformed into countless Jade Crawler dragon shadows to confuse their adversary while simultaneously wrapping around Zhao Yang in an attempt to pull him away. Yet that immense gravitational force rendered them unable to resist.
In the Nine Heavens, the Dragon's Roar echoed through the universe. In a hazy state, Zhao Yang vaguely saw a bald, barefoot child appear beside him. Behind the child, totems emerged, and with his back turned to Zhao Yang, his jaw moved slightly as if he were speaking to some unimaginable presence. Suddenly, gravity vanished, and Zhao Yang felt a gentle light enveloping him, pulling him away until he lost consciousness.
Half a month later, Zhao Yang awoke from his slumber. He lay still, his eyelids fluttering slightly. As he blinked, he realized he was in a clean and tidy room filled with the fragrance of incense. The furnishings were simple yet spotless.
Zhao Yang was puzzled. After much effort to think, he finally remembered that he had nearly drowned in the effects of the Haotian Pill after diving into it. In his dreams, he had felt so full that he kept shouting that he couldn't eat anymore or he would burst!
Yet someone continued to force things into his mouth. What infuriated him even more was that he could feel substances being poured into his nose, ears, eyes, pores, and even certain other places. This made him feel deeply ashamed, but he was unable to move and could only endure it until he woke up here.
"My memories seem a bit muddled; I feel like I've seen someone but can't quite recall," Zhao Yang muttered to himself.
Listening closely, it seemed there were voices outside the window. Extending his Divine Sense, an ancient scene unfolded in his mind. He found himself inside a not-so-large temple. He could clearly see several monks outside discussing matters while others chopped wood, fetched water, or washed clothes.
The temple was not situated on a mountain but rather on a flat plain. He even spotted two monks herding cattle!
As far as his Divine Sense could reach, Zhao Yang saw three golden characters above the temple's main entrance: Xuanfo Temple!
"How did I end up here? Did Brother Ba Liang bring me?" Zhao Yang wondered. However, he recalled that Song Baliang had suffered severe injuries and had been kicked into the Teleportation Array; he had no idea where it had sent him. Could it be that Song Baliang returned to rescue him?
Continuing to scan with his Divine Sense, Zhao Yang saw many monks meditating in a large hall while chanting Buddhist scriptures. Suddenly, he spotted a familiar large head—belonging to Song Baliang! At that moment, Song Baliang sat at the back of a group of monks with closed eyes and slightly moving lips. Zhao Yang distinctly heard him say, "What should we have for lunch—steamed buns or rice? Ever since I had some roasted meat last month in the Haotian Secret Realm, I've realized I really prefer meat... those cows from my master..."
Zhao Yang chuckled quietly as his Divine Sense swept forward again through row after row of monks. He noticed several elderly monks sitting in the main hall of Xuanfo Temple. Just as his Divine Sense reached them, they all opened their eyes simultaneously. One elder monk with kind eyes and a slight hunchback smiled and nodded at Zhao Yang. Startled, Zhao Yang thought: Can they see me?
"What are you showing off?!" shouted an angry monk below—none other than Song Baliang's master, Datong Zen Master—one of the Four Great Monks of Xuanfo Temple. Beside him sat three Divine Monks: Great Compassion, Great Kindness, and Great Suffering.
The disciples in the grand hall opened their eyes, looking towards the speaker, Master Datong, unsure of what this ill-tempered Divine Monk was about to do next.
"Song Baliang, why aren't you going to fetch that kid?" Master Datong shouted at the drowsy Song Baliang.
Hearing his name called, Song Baliang jolted awake and quickly replied, "Yes, Master! Has Brother Zhao Yang woken up? I'll go right away!" With that, Song Baliang dashed out of the grand hall, heading towards the Meditation Room in the back courtyard of Xuanfo Temple.
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