The pain was endless and ceaseless, coming in wave after wave—it was truly terrifying to the extreme. If the agony he endured when opening the Dragon Bone Life Orifice was already immense, then what he was facing now was no less—perhaps even more intense.
The excruciating pain caused sweat to pour from his entire body like rain.
One could even see that the sweat he exuded carried a dark red hue—a mixture of blood and impurities being expelled from his body.
The pain was indescribable.
It was as if his entire heart was being crushed—not just once, but repeatedly, crushed and then reborn over and over. From this cycle of destruction and regeneration, a transformation of unimaginable intensity occurred. The agony from his heart being shattered was nearly akin to the terror of death itself.
Yet, Yi Tianxing did not utter a single scream of pain. Even as sweat drenched him, he clenched his teeth and bore it silently. He held on like this for a full hour. By the end of it, a thick, dark red layer of filth had formed on his skin like stone, looking utterly horrifying.
Crack!
With a thought, an invisible force shattered the hardened impurities clinging to his body, disintegrating them into dust and swiftly dispersing them.
Roar! Roar! Roar!
Faintly, the sound of majestic dragon roars echoed from within his body. Traces of true dragon pressure emanated from him like tidal waves. At that moment, even standing alone in the wilderness, few fierce beasts would dare approach him—instead, they would flee at first sight. This was the pressure of a true dragon—one of the supreme beings of the heavens and earth.
The pressure lasted only for a few breaths before it was swiftly restrained and hidden.
But in Yi Tianxing's eyes, a strange glint appeared—they became brighter and more luminous.
His heart was now pounding violently, each beat like a war drum—deep and powerful. With each throb, it seemed to draw in the surrounding heaven and earth energy.
"The Dragon Heart Life Orifice has finally been successfully opened. I didn't expect it to be this painful—like being plunged into an endless hell. Still, it was all worth it. The Dragon Heart purifies the blood, filling it with endless vitality. The Dragon Veins channel energy. With the transformation of the heart and meridians, my physique has reached the level of a true prodigy."
Yi Tianxing felt secretly overjoyed.
He could clearly see that his internal meridians had doubled in size compared to before. Not only had they grown thicker, but they now glowed with a translucent, jade-like radiance, patterned with layers of fine dragon scale textures. Interwoven together, they looked mystical—like mighty rivers flowing with enhanced efficiency and power. His ability to absorb energy from heaven and earth was now vastly superior.
In terms of meridians, he now stood among the top-tier talents of the world. They had reached a point of maximal size; any further improvement could only come from enhancing their toughness. And in this regard, Yi Tianxing sensed that not even divine weapons could sever his meridians. They had transformed into Dragon Veins—tough as divine steel. It was no exaggeration.
The moment the Dragon Vein Life Orifice opened, it merged seamlessly with the body's meridians. Constantly shifting and flickering within them, its presence was elusive, yet it continually absorbed and refined energy, strengthening the meridians.
Looking at his heart again—
It was now completely covered in layers of blood-red dragon scales. With each powerful beat, it absorbed energy and circulated blood throughout his body. In the moment it had first formed, nearly all of his blood had been drawn into it—his vessels emptied of even a single drop.
Then, as his heart pulsed, drops of blood more refined and viscous than before surged forth. Each drop seemed to hold a miniature dragon within, brimming with life force and power. Wherever this new blood passed, it nourished his flesh to an inconceivable level.
His heart had fully transformed into a True Dragon Heart. So long as the Dragon Heart Life Orifice remained intact, even a pierced heart could regenerate swiftly.
Most astonishing of all—his heart was not ordinary; it now had seven apertures.
This wasn't just a dragon's heart—it was a Seven-Apertured Exquisite Heart. Though it wasn't congenital, it was still miraculously formed.
Whether it was Dragon Heart, Dragon Veins, Dragon Bone, Dragon Nest, or Dragon Scales—these five Core Life Orifices weren't primarily designed for combat. Even if they gave rise to divine abilities, those wouldn't necessarily be offensive in nature. But for the physical body, their effects were nothing short of extraordinary.
Yi Tianxing could feel how important these core orifices were to his body. Each time one was formed, it was as if his entire physique underwent a transformation. The effect was subtle, yet profound.
Moreover, since all five core orifices shared the same origin, opening one would cause them to resonate with each other. This mutual resonance accelerated the absorption of energy and the nurturing of their inner essence. With each additional orifice opened, this rate doubled.
Now, all five core orifices had been opened and were in complete resonance. He could instantly sense how each of them was drawing in energy five times faster than before. This was almost unbelievable. Together, they created a kind of formation, channeling energy into his body and continuously enhancing his physique.
Though the growth was gradual, it was constant—happening every moment, whether he was asleep or walking.
"Dragon Heart, Dragon Nest, Dragon Bone, Dragon Veins, Dragon Scales—five core life orifices interconnected across every part of the body. Together, they form a circulatory system that allows my essence to grow rapidly. It even seems that blood energy is the main nourishment for these five orifices."
"With them fully formed, my body is now constantly being refined by heaven and earth energy—as if I'm cultivating a physical training technique at all times. Even while doing nothing, I'm growing stronger. This is practically a heaven-defying ability."
A flicker of light crossed Yi Tianxing's eyes as he murmured to himself.
The transformation was simply too miraculous. The feeling of getting stronger by the second made every pore of his body seem to open in delight.
The five core orifices were a single system. Once complete, they would bring about a staggering metamorphosis. Their connected essence would encompass the entire body—meridians, bones, heart, skin, and flesh. His entire physique would constantly grow stronger. It was as if he had transformed from stone to steel, to diamond. Though his strength hadn't visibly increased, the fundamental nature of his body had changed.
"Furthermore, when opening the Dragon Scale Life Orifice, I used the legendary Undying Bark during its forging. According to records, this bark comes from the Undying Tree and contains the profound Dao of immortality. Once refined, it grants an undying body. Without this bark, there would be flaws in such a transformation. But now, everything is perfect and seamless."
Thanks to the interconnected nature of the core orifices, this undying trait had spread—not just to his skin, but also to his meridians, bones, and even his organs. Any damage would be swiftly repaired—creating an immortal body. In battle, this would raise his survivability to an unimaginable level.
Now that all five core orifices were fully formed, the undying power had permeated his flesh, bones, meridians, and internal organs. No weaknesses remained.
"The Dragon Heart Life Orifice is now reflected within the Divine Sea Void, forming a projection. Heaven and earth energy can now directly enter my divine sea."
The Life Orifice Pill forged from a true dragon's heart was incredibly powerful. Upon formation, its immense origin force instantly completed the process of reflecting into the Divine Sea Void.
One could imagine how rare such a pill—crafted from the body of a true dragon—must be.
Previously, Yi Tianxing hadn't even considered using a true dragon's body. It seemed far too unlikely. To merely find remnants of a flood dragon or dragon-blooded beast had been a great fortune.
But such substitutions lacked the sheer depth of foundation and potential of the real thing.
Taking a deep breath, he felt the strange changes brought about by this newly formed Life Orifice.
The goal of this seclusion had been to form the core orifices. And now, that objective had been fully achieved.
"Right… back in the Dark City, I obtained a certain pill furnace. If I remember correctly, it was in the middle of refining something when I took it. I wonder if seizing it mid-process caused any damage to the pill inside."
Yi Tianxing recalled the pill furnace he had obtained from a secret chamber in the City Lord's Mansion of the Dark City.
He hadn't taken much else from that venture—but that furnace had stood out as unusual.
With a thought, he summoned a bronze tripod furnace from the Hongmeng Heavenly Emperor Pagoda. Even now, faint embers glimmered across its surface. Even when stored within the pagoda, it had remained enshrouded in flame, its inner fire continuously refining whatever was inside.
At this moment, flickers of light still danced within the furnace.
This mysterious artifact could devour flame and convert it into internal fire. Even if the outer flame were extinguished, the inner fire would continue for a time, maintaining the refinement process without interruption.