Doupo: Marry a Young Doctor and Be Rewarded with Douhuang Cultivation

240: The path to becoming a Dou Di belongs to Xiao Ze!Xiao Ze took a deep breath, mobilized the only remaining Fighting Qi in his body, condensed the Chaos Heaven Burning Flame onto his right palm, and slammed it toward the soul Qi spear.

”Bang!”

The moment the two collided, a massive energy shockwave simultaneously sent both men flying. Xiao Ze crashed heavily onto the edge of the floating land, spitting out a large mouthful of fresh blood. He struggled to stand up but found that all his Meridians were in agonizing pain, and his Fighting Qi was almost completely depleted.

Hun Tiandi was knocked back tens of thousands of feet, his body tumbling in the Void Realm. The flames of his Origin combustion began to weaken, and he could no longer maintain his Peak state.

Hun Tiandi hovered in the Void Realm, staring fixedly at Xiao Ze. The madness in his eyes gradually faded, replaced by deep unwillingness.

He knew very well that his Origin consumption was too great. Continuing the fight would only result in mutual destruction, or he might even perish here. Furthermore, Gu Yuan and Zhu Kun were beside Xiao Ze; if they intervened, he would surely die.

”The grudge of today, I, Hun Tiandi, have noted it!”

Hun Tiandi roared through clenched teeth, his voice echoing throughout the entire space.

”Xiao Ze, just you wait! Once I recover my Origin, I will surely return, flatten everything you care about, and make you suffer the most excruciating torment in the world!”

As his voice fell, he no longer lingered. The soul Qi around him barely condensed into a streak of escaping light, and he turned and sped toward the direction of the spatial passage.

He dared not delay even slightly, fearing pursuit from Xiao Ze or Gu Yuan. His figure instantly vanished deep into the mist, leaving behind only an aura filled with venomous resentment.

Xiao Ze watched the direction Hun Tiandi retreated, but did not pursue him.

He was currently unable to fight again. His Fighting Qi, Divine Soul, and Physical Body were all near their limits. If he forcibly pursued, he might be caught by Hun Tiandi’s desperate counterattack.

He slowly retracted the strange fire, slumped onto the floating land, breathing heavily. Blood continuously trickled down the corner of his mouth, yet his eyes held a hint of relief.

Gu Yuan and Zhu Kun immediately stepped forward. Looking at the numerous injuries covering Xiao Ze, their eyes were filled with admiration and worry.

”Young Friend Xiao Ze, are you alright?” Zhu Kun handed over a healing Medicinal Pill and said in a deep voice, ”Although Hun Tiandi has retreated, his Foundation is not destroyed. He will certainly return in the future, and we must prepare early.”

Xiao Ze took the Medicinal Pill and swallowed it. Feeling the warmth spreading through his body, he shook his head: ”I am fine, just overly exhausted. He burned his Origin to retreat; he cannot recover in a short time. We still have time to buffer.”

He raised his head and looked toward the direction where Hun Tiandi disappeared, a trace of solemnity flashing in his eyes. ”This feud is not over. But at least today, we defended the Fighting Qi Continent and cut off his possibility of becoming Emperor.”

The mist slowly dispersed. The floating land was a mess; ancient stone halls and statues had turned into ruins. Only the lingering scent of blood and energy fluctuations in the air told the tale of this earth-shattering battle to the death.

The members of the allied army gathered around, looking at Xiao Ze, who was covered in injuries yet still stood tall, their eyes filled with awe and gratitude.

It was the persistence of this Half-step Dou Di that stopped Hun Tiandi’s ambition and saved the fate of the entire Continent.

”Wait... hold on.”

Just as everyone was discussing withdrawal and preparing to return to the camp to rest, Xiao Ze suddenly raised his hand to signal. His gaze swept over the fragmented plaza and the completely intact Ancient Emperor stone statue, and a flash of realization crossed his eyes.

”Since we have stepped into the Ancient Emperor Cave, we should not return empty-handed.”

He slowly stood up, ignoring the injuries in his body that had not yet healed, and walked slowly toward the stone statue, his fingertip gently tracing the cold stone surface, sensing the faint energy flowing within it.

”Uncle Zhu Kun, Clan Chief Gu Yuan, do you know the true Origin of Tuoshe Ancient Emperor?”

Everyone was stunned. Zhu Kun subconsciously said: ”Young Friend Xiao Ze, do you know? I have been trapped here for thousands of years, and I only managed to glimpse a fraction of the truth.”

Xiao Ze nodded, his gaze sweeping over the faint residual strange fire souls on the plaza. His voice was steady and clear: ”Tuoshe Ancient Emperor was neither from the Human Race nor the Ancient Eight Clans, but a Dou Di evolved from a strange fire!”

”A strange fire becoming Emperor?” This statement was like a thunderclap, causing an instant uproar among everyone present. Gu Yuan frowned tightly: ”Young Friend Xiao Ze, is this true? There has never been such a record in ancient texts.”

”Absolutely true.” Xiao Ze’s tone was certain.

”Although the strange fire ranking list lists twenty-three types of strange fires, the rank one position has always been empty. This is because the so-called first strange fire is not a fixed existence, but the supreme flame forged by twenty-two strange fires through consumption, Fusion, and ten thousand years of refinement—the Emperor Flame!”

He paused, then continued: ”When the world first opened, a strange fire was born. It took a thousand years to form and ten thousand years to gather spirit. After gaining sentience, it wandered the underground magma, feeding on other strange fires. It understood how to seek fortune and avoid disaster, consuming the weak first, then challenging the strong. Over thousands of years, it consumed twenty-one strange fires on the strange fire ranking list, excluding the Void Swallowing Flame and the Purification Lotus Demon Flame. Finally, fusing those two, it condensed the Emperor Flame, broke free into the world, achieved the Dou Di position, and was known to the world as Tuoshe Ancient Emperor.”

This speech contained an immense amount of information, leaving everyone dumbfounded. Yan Jin swallowed hard: ”Young Friend Xiao Ze, how... how do you know such a profound secret?”

Xiao Ze smiled slightly, the silver-purple Chaos Heaven Burning Flame quietly surging around him: ”I Cultivate the Flame Mantra, taking the consumption of strange fires as my Dao. I have now undergone the Fusion of twenty-two strange fires, following a similar Cultivation path to Tuoshe Ancient Emperor back then. During the process of refining the strange fires, I sensed ancient residual wills several times, and from them, I glimpsed this forgotten secret.”

He raised his hand and pointed at the Ancient Emperor stone statue, a sharp light flashing in his eyes: ”In this Immortal Cave, the emperor pill embryo is merely bait to assist in Breakthrough. The true treasure is the Origin of the Emperor hidden within this stone statue—the Dou Di Origin power left behind by Tuoshe Ancient Emperor!”

”Origin of the Emperor?!”

Gu Yuan and Zhu Kun exclaimed simultaneously. The two exchanged glances, seeing shock and ecstasy in each other’s eyes.

If they could obtain the Dou Di Origin, it meant having a chance to Break through that illusory and ethereal constraint!

”That’s right.” Xiao Ze nodded, condensing a thread of Fighting Qi on his fingertip and gently tapping the stone statue. ”This stone statue is blessed by the power of the Imperial Dao. Ordinary attacks cannot shake it, but if a strange fire of the same Origin is used as a guide, it can activate the Origin power within.”

As soon as he finished speaking, a circle of golden ripples suddenly appeared on the surface of the stone statue, creating a strong resonance with the Chaos Heaven Burning Flame surrounding Xiao Ze.

Lei Ying, Yan Jin, and others instantly turned pale, their legs uncontrollably kneeling on the ground. The pressure originating from a Dou Di made even breathing difficult for them.

Gu Yuan and Zhu Kun gritted their teeth and maintained their stance. Their whole bodies creaked as their Fighting Qi circulated frantically, barely allowing them to remain standing.

Only Xiao Ze remained unharmed under the shroud of golden ripples; he even felt comfortable, and the Chaos Heaven Burning Flame within his body became increasingly active.

”Although Hun Tiandi has retreated, as long as he is not eliminated, the Continent will never know peace.” Xiao Ze turned around, his gaze sweeping over the crowd, his tone resolute and unwavering. ”Today, I shall use this Origin of the Emperor as a guide, undergo the Fusion of my twenty-two strange fires, create my own Dou Di path, and prove the Dao to become Emperor!”