Leng Feng erupted in curses upon witnessing Chen Fan's slaying of Wang Tengfei through the primeval mirror, his sword qi seething.
“Damn, why did it turn out like that?”
“How is this possible? Why did the flames around him suddenly vanish?”
The elders of the Floating Cloud Sword Sect wore grim expressions, their confusion evident in their clouded eyes.
Flames had consumed Chen Fan—a sure victim of their fiery embrace. Yet, inexplicably, the flames had extinguished, leaving the onlookers bewildered.
They observed no peculiar occurrences around Chen Fan, nor did they witness him produce any artifact to douse the flames.
The flames simply snuffed out as if under Chen Fan's command.
Wang Tengfei's demise further stoked their ire.
Though only an outer sect disciple, Wang Tengfei was a prodigy of the Floating Cloud Sword Sect, destined for the Yuanfu realm and possibly even the Core Formation realm.
Now, however, they had to watch as Chen Fan killed their rare genius.
Deaths were common in the Dragon Mountain Blessed Land, and one's demise could only be attributed to their weakness. However, that didn’t stop them from resenting Chen Fan.
“Haha. Good, very good! He didn’t bring any disgrace to our Spring Autumn Sect’s honor!”
The elders of the Spring Autumn Sect were all smiles.
“This Chen Fan is quite impressive.” Even Zhuo Bufan couldn’t help but praise.
While they, too, didn’t know why the flames had abruptly died, it was of little consequence to them. What mattered was that Chen Fan had killed Wang Tengfei and brought glory to the Spring Autumn Sect.
Leng Feng and the other elders had sneered at them not long ago, making them very unhappy.
“Haha, Elder Leng, wasn’t Wang Tengfei a genius from your sect? Sigh... Killings are indeed commonplace in the blessed land. You can’t blame anyone for his death. Don’t ignore the rules and try to kill our sect’s Chen Fan in the future, Elder Leng,” Zhuo Bufan retorted evenly, echoing Leng Feng's earlier mockery.
Leng Feng snorted coldly, unable to say a word.
In an inconspicuous cave:
Chen Fan threw the storage pouches of Wang Tengfei’s gang on the ground and quickly sat down in the lotus position. His primeval qi surged, steadily expanding.
While battling Wang Tengfei, he had managed to form the Heaven Seizing Furnace’s embryo and increase his cultivation. He could no longer suppress his cultivation level after devouring so much of the Omni Fire Dragon’s energy.
Within his dantian, his primeval qi surged like the ebb and flow of the tide, tumultuous waves crashing against the shore.
Deep in his dantian, the Heaven Seizing Furnace’s embryo spun slowly, steadily expanding, progressing toward its ultimate form as the genuine Heaven Seizing Furnace.
It was merely an embryo, akin to a newly sprouted seed, yet to grow its roots, let alone mature into a towering tree that pierced the heavens.
Chen Fan took out the mountain ginseng and swallowed it in a few bites.
This mountain ginseng had already evolved into a spirit. It contained at least a millennium's worth of medical efficacy.
It became a boiling hot fluid as soon as it entered his mouth. It flowed into his stomach and exploded like a bomb, unleashing a torrent of energy that surged through his limbs and skeleton.
Given Chen Fan’s current accumulation, he could advance to the eighth level without the mountain ginseng. However, he planned to advance to the middle or the late stage in one go.
The mountain ginseng’s medical properties rushed through Chen Fan like a flood. The primeval qi seeping out from the surface of his skin grew more turbulent than usual, and the medicinal fragrance of the mountain ginseng even permeated from his pores.
Chen Fan hurriedly activated Heaven Seizing Art to guide the flood of medicinal efficacy into circulation.
The condensed primeval qi streamed and pooled in his dantian, increasing its volume. It was akin to a bucket already brimming with water now being flooded with an endless flow. The bucket could no longer contain it all.
After a while, Chen Fan shook violently. A fierce surge of qi erupted, sending nearby rocks flying and making the cave tremble momentarily.
Finally, Chen Fan’s aura was at the eighth level.
However, the mountain ginseng’s medical property wasn’t completely refined yet. Chen Fan continued to circulate his divine art, and his aura did not cease its ascent.
Eighth level, early stage...
Eighth level, middle stage...
It only came to a stop after it reached the late stage of the eighth level.
Chen Fan opened his eyes and exhaled a mouthful of turbid qi.
Boundless strength filled his limbs and skeleton. His dantian had expanded, accommodating his surging primeval qi.
“Eighth level, late stage...”
Chen Fan clenched his fist, feeling like he could shatter a mountain with a punch. He mumbled, “I wonder what the results will be like if I face a Qi Grandmaster now?”
He could exchange a few moves with Sun Wenshan at the seventh level, but he was no match for him. He had ended up injured and fleeing.
Now, his cultivation level has risen explosively. The gap between him and Qi Grandmasters had shrunk by a lot.
With a shout, he thrust out both palms, unleashing his cultivation.
Electricity crackled around him, a result of being struck by lightning and his primeval qi mutating, acquiring the power of lightning.
His cultivation buzzed, and a faint image of a smelting furnace condensed above his head.
This smelting furnace resembled cauldrons and furnaces but was neither. Lava tossed and rolled within, while magma surged and receded. The wailings of gods and devils also seeped out as if the smelting furnace was refining them.
“The Heaven Seizing Furnace’s embryo has evolved a step further.”
Chen Fan’s heart beat faster.
The Heaven Seizing Furnace was the best cultivation method.
Once formed, the furnace could refine and consume everything. It could plunder vast amounts of primeval qi, the essence of the sun and the moon, and the power of the stars. The furnace could transmute all substances into the origin of his life essence.
However, Chen Fan still didn’t possess the ability to make the Heaven Seizing Furnace take shape. It was only an embryo for now.
Nevertheless, the embryo should have only condensed after he reached the Qi Grandmaster realm, yet it had formed ahead of time.
“If I can condense the true Heaven Seizing Furnace at the Qi Grandmaster realm, I wouldn’t have to fear even Yuanfu realm martial artists. Their primeval force will only nourish me!”
A brilliant light shone in Chen Fan’s eyes.
The capabilities of the embryo were severely limited, and only after the Heaven Seizing Furnace took form could he use all its abilities.
He didn't have to worry about anything unless he fought a powerhouse far stronger than him, who could destroy the Heaven Seizing Furnace while fighting him and kill him.
Moreover, the furnace could refine even his enemies themselves, plundering whatever cultivation they practiced. It would be incredibly heaven-defying.
A trace of concern flickered in Chen Fan's eyes as he retracted his cultivation.
“I wonder how Senior Sister is faring?”
Although Qin Yao wasn’t weak, the disciples of the four great sects here were all top experts of their respective outer sects. Almost all of them were at the eighth level.
It would be fine if she came across fellow Spring Autumn Sect disciples, but if she encountered people from the other three great sects, they wouldn’t care about her gender or beauty. Everyone was everyone else’s enemy, so they would strike with the intent to kill.