Half a Month Later
Qing Yao returned, her delicate, alabaster face tinged with exhaustion. Her pristine white dress was speckled with bloodstains, giving her an air of weariness.
It was clear that her journey to explore the Phoenix Nest in the Uninhabited Zone had been perilous. She had faced dangers and endured a fierce battle.
How else could a Sect Master-level existence show such fatigue?
"Pretty Sister, what happened? Are you okay?" Lin Fan stepped forward, his voice laced with concern.
"I'm fine. This time, I obtained a few drops of Divine Phoenix True Blood. Prepare yourself—in a few days, I'll perform a baptism to help you open ten Heavenly Passages," Qing Yao said, her ethereal voice soft yet resolute. Standing aloof and otherworldly, she seemed different today. Perhaps the ordeal of battle had left a trace of vulnerability on her breathtakingly beautiful face, stirring a sense of pity in those who saw her.
Lin Fan was momentarily entranced, but his heart held no impure thoughts—only gratitude. She had gone to such lengths to seize this opportunity, not for herself, but for him.
"Pretty Sister, I've already opened ten Heavenly Passages. Why don't you keep the blood for yourself?" he said. Behind him, ten radiant Heavenly Passages materialized, glowing like ten suns in the sky, their brilliance dazzling.
Qing Yao's eyes widened in surprise, then softened with genuine praise. "You're remarkable. To reach the extreme of the Heavenly Passage Realm on your own, without a baptism—that's extraordinary."
Lin Fan's talent was unparalleled, even among the prodigies she had encountered. His rapid progress without relying on external treasures was nothing short of astonishing.
Ordinarily, even Primordial Beings struggled to open ten Heavenly Passages. Most required the aid of rare heavenly materials or treasures to achieve it in a short time.
"Still, you should prepare," Qing Yao continued. "For most, ten Heavenly Passages is indeed the limit. But some have broken that boundary, pushing further in this realm. For example…"
Her voice trailed off, and a complex emotion flickered in her eyes—part longing, part sorrow.
"For example, what?" Lin Fan asked, puzzled by her sudden pause.
Qing Yao snapped back to the present, her watery eyes meeting his. "For example, I once knew someone who had only a single Heavenly Passage. Yet it was stronger than anyone else's, with the power to devour. It was extraordinarily formidable."
"Really?" Lin Fan's eyes widened. Someone had already achieved the unity of ten Heavenly Passages?
But on second thought, it made sense. From the Immortal Ancient Era to now, millions of years had passed. Surely others had explored this path. The Milk Baby wasn't the only one to reach that step.
"Pretty sister, do you know how that person did it?" Lin Fan pressed, eager for guidance to prepare for his own journey.
After all, he only knew from the novel that Heavenly Passages could be united. The specifics of how to achieve it were never detailed.
Qing Yao shook her head, her lips parting slightly. "I don't know how he did it. You'll have to comprehend it yourself. But I believe you can do it."
"Huh?" Lin Fan blinked, scratching his head.
He was completely clueless, unsure if he could even succeed. How was she more confident in him than he was?
Qing Yao smiled faintly, saying nothing more. She handed him a stack of bone books to study and retreated to her bamboo hut to recuperate in seclusion.
"How do I do this?" Lin Fan mused, sitting on a large rock. He pored over the bone books, which recorded the paths of predecessors.
He didn't want to follow in others' footsteps. In the realm of Heavenly Passages, he wanted to carve his own unique path.
But if he followed the Milk Baby's route—starting by opening a bodily Heavenly Passage—he could do that too. He also had a Supreme Bone in his chest. But what came after? Wouldn't he just be copying the Milk Baby's path without distinction? And there was no guarantee he could succeed.
"No, if the unity of Heavenly Passages is the destination, the process can be different," Lin Fan realized, his mind sparking with insight.
He recalled what Qing Yao had said about that person's example. After uniting their Heavenly Passages, their single passage had the power to devour, like a black hole swallowing all matter and even laws.
But from what he knew, the Milk Baby's sole Heavenly Passage was different—sacred and radiant, like a celestial domain. Its power lay in offering living sacrifices, creating a special field with a binding effect.
In that moment, Lin Fan's thoughts opened up. He began studying earnestly, flipping through the bone books and focusing on the Original True Solution.
To deepen his understanding, he even ventured into the Spirit Realm, playing the part of a bandit. He captured a few ferocious beasts, destroying their Heavenly Passages to observe the effects.
_
One Month Later
Lin Fan finally resolved to break through the extreme boundary and undergo the baptism.
"Are you ready?" Qing Yao asked calmly. She stood in the purple bamboo grove, her form wreathed in a faint mist, like an immortal from the Ninth Heaven, transcendent and refined.
Lin Fan nodded, his expression solemn. He adjusted his spirit and energy to their peak and leaped into a large cauldron swirling with misty vapors.
The cauldron contained sacred herbs, and the golden liquid within shimmered with vibrant colors, radiating dazzling treasure light. The essence was so dense it seemed tangible—a single breath felt like it could propel one to ascension.
Qing Yao added more precious herbs—over a hundred kinds—blending them into the cauldron. The vessel glowed even brighter, its fragrance intoxicating.
This baptism was extravagantly lavish, its potency staggering.
The cauldron held not just one sacred herb but over ten, including drops of the sect's most precious divine herb essence, reserved only for the sect's heirs.
But the true crowning touch was the Divine Phoenix True Blood.
The moment it appeared, radiant beams erupted, as if a universe were blooming. Its divine might was overwhelming, its aura soul-shaking.
Yet Qing Yao suppressed all its ferocious fluctuations, refining it to a gentle state to prevent the area from being obliterated.
Hum!
A drop of blood, vivid as a ruby, was added to the cauldron. The golden vessel rumbled, resonating as if gods were chanting. The scene was awe-inspiring.
Clang! Clang!
Suddenly, a fiery red Divine Phoenix soared from the cauldron, letting out a piercing cry that painted the sky and earth crimson. It elevated the medicinal effects to their zenith.
This was a miraculous vision—a phenomenon. The Divine Phoenix danced, as if the gates of an immortal realm had opened. Strands of radiant light cascaded down, bathing Lin Fan's body and nourishing his flesh.
Yet all this was merely supportive. The true breakthrough depended on him.
Boom!
Lin Fan erupted with power. Runes enveloped his body, golden light blazing, illuminating the void. His ten sun-like Heavenly Passages appeared.
His eyes gleamed with intensity, his body shimmering with treasure light and swirling clouds. His skin was flawless, like polished, immortal gold.
The ten Heavenly Passages orbited behind him, absorbing the divine essence from the cauldron, resembling ten cascading galaxies sparkling with starlight.
The passage above his head was the grandest, absorbing essence the fastest, exuding an unparalleled sense of pressure.
Eventually, the ten passages roared, growing even more radiant. They merged into a single expanse, swelling dramatically until they could no longer contain the divine essence.
Each passage now resembled a vast ocean, surging with boundless divine energy.
"Open for me!" Lin Fan roared, pushing the ten passages to their limits. They spun and collided.
Instantly, essence surged like a divine waterfall, drenching his body and converging toward the Supreme Bone in his chest.
At that moment, Lin Fan sensed a resonance between his chest and the passages, sparking a mysterious transformation.
Simultaneously, his Supreme Bone glowed, emitting radiant runes like chains of divine order. They wove around the passages, concentrating the auspicious energy at a single point.
"Using the passages to nourish the body in return… Is this the beginning of opening a bodily Heavenly Passage?"
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