The Dragon Elephant was entirely golden, not covered in fur but in fine golden dragon scales. Its massive body and four pillar-like legs exuded an awe-inspiring aura capable of suppressing the heavens and stabilizing the four directions. Its eyes radiated boundless majesty, resembling a god-demon of myth. Its presence alone was enough to instill deep shock—an unmatched existence.
This body refinement technique was among the very finest.
However, cultivating it came with a massive threshold. Without talent in body refinement, practicing it would be akin to blades cutting into flesh and bones, unbearably painful, nearly impossible to endure. Even those gifted in the art still had to bear intense suffering during cultivation. Without unshakable willpower, true achievement in this path was out of reach. Most would give up eventually.
Yang Yanding had cultivated this very technique—and possessed extraordinary talent in body cultivation.
Yi Tianxing had obtained this technique earlier, but due to its immense consumption of true qi and the need for a stable foundation, he had not begun practicing it. The technique required a vast amount of Heaven and Earth spiritual energy to temper the flesh and bones. Cultivating it too early would hinder the growth of one's internal cultivation. Yi Tianxing had instead engraved it into his memory, waiting until his foundation was solid, his Divine Spring perfected and producing abundant true qi. Only then would he begin cultivating, using qi to nourish the body and enhance his refinement path.
Now, he had finally begun.
Body refinement also relied heavily on visualization, supported by external techniques to temper the flesh and enhance bodily strength. At its peak, it could even give rise to physical divine abilities—each one a terrifying technique of immense offensive power, intrinsically tied to the cultivation method itself.
The corresponding external technique was called Dragon Elephant Heavenly Pillar Force ("龙象天柱劲"). Paired with visualization, it tempered the flesh and boosted blood essence.
Though all this takes long to describe, it happened in the blink of an eye. With a mere thought, Yi Tianxing began visualizing the Diamond Dragon Elephant Diagram ("金刚龙象图") within his mind, and his body responded immediately—lowering itself to the ground, both hands and feet planted firmly, with his head held high.
The posture wasn't elegant.
But as he visualized the Diamond Dragon Elephant, he felt himself transformed—an invincible dragon elephant, its four limbs connected to the earth, radiating an overwhelming pressure like tidal waves.
Even to other cultivators watching, Yi Tianxing now seemed like a true diamond dragon elephant—the pressure he exuded was astonishing.
"Visualize the Diamond Dragon Elephant."
With a thought, a black cauldron appeared within his blood and flesh. Within it, blood essence surged, and the Diamond Dragon Elephant manifested within. Upon appearing, it immediately suppressed all blood energy. Its four pillar-like legs stabilized the heavens and earth, quelling all turbulence.
Then, its trunk extended from the cauldron—mysteriously reaching into the Divine Sea, hovering in the air. With a sudden inhalation—
—massive quantities of Heaven and Earth energy surged into the trunk like a flood.
Golden light began to radiate from the Dragon Elephant. It started faint, but rapidly intensified. As the light illuminated the flesh, the body absorbed it naturally. Bones, sinews, skin—all were bathed in this divine radiance.
This light was imbued with the power of the Diamond Dragon Elephant, refined and condensed.
Yi Tianxing's body, still prone, began to vibrate with a mystical rhythm. The muscles on his limbs pulsated like coiled dragons, and even his breathing matched the flow. Every inch of his body trembled, as if the dragon elephant was walking, running, breathing.
The golden light fused with his flesh completely, becoming one with his body.
Thanks to the Yin Winds previously tearing open his flesh and bone, the fusion of the Dragon Elephant's power proceeded extremely smoothly. Even the lingering Yin energy was being absorbed and refined into his flesh.
His blood essence surged wildly, flooding into the black cauldron and making it even more potent.
Life force—vast and surging—poured into his body.
His body's strength evolved with every moment. Power increased rapidly.
DING! DING! DING! DING!
Within seconds, the blood energy filled the cauldron entirely. It trembled and let out four crisp chimes—a sign that his body had been thoroughly tempered once more.
Black Cauldron Four Rings!
His skin shimmered with a precious glow, adorned with intricate, mysterious patterns.
His body strength had reached an astonishing 40,000 jin.
His bones and flesh sparkled like jade.
The Yin Winds, rich in life force, were a blessing in disguise—greatly accelerating his physical evolution.
"Again!!"
Sensing the immense benefits, Yi Tianxing didn't hesitate. He released his armor again, letting the Yin Wind rush into his body, then quickly re-equipped the armor to halt further invasion.
The Diamond Dragon Elephant Technique circulated once more, suppressing and refining the Yin Wind's life force.
His body continued to evolve rapidly. Strength soared at inhuman speed. This transformation—even though painful—was a metamorphosis of his life level.
The Dragon Elephant Force pulverized his flesh and bone, then reformed it anew.
Usually, this kind of intense self-destruction would require vast energy—but now, the Yin Winds were aiding the process, minimizing his own consumption.
43,000 jin... 45,000 jin...
Before long, the black cauldron trembled again, becoming more condensed. It emitted five consecutive chimes.
Black Cauldron Five Rings!
His body strength had now reached 50,000 jin.
This was equivalent to the fifth stage of the Divine Sea Realm—a massive leap in his body refinement.
"That lecher's actually cultivating… inside the Yin Wind? How dare he?! What kind of cultivation method is this? That aura… it's terrifying. And… he's breaking through?! His blood essence is like drums. This is some kind of external technique."
Yueyue, watching him, was dumbfounded.
In the Yin Winds—where even survival was difficult—Yi Tianxing was not only cultivating, he was making breakthroughs!
She had tried before. The Yin Wind had wreaked havoc in her body; her constitution couldn't withstand it. Yet, she too noticed something:
The Protective True Qi (护体真罡)—the manifestation of one's true qi—could be tempered by the Yin Wind. The pressure it placed on the qi helped refine it, removing impurities.
A massive crisis… but also a massive opportunity.
As long as one survived, the rewards were immense.
"This is a once-in-a-lifetime chance. It may never come again."
Yi Tianxing felt the explosive growth of his power—bones glowing, impurities expelled by the wind. What remained was the essence.
The life force in the Yin Wind was a banquet for the body.
Without noticing, his strength surged again.
Six chimes from the black cauldron—Black Cauldron Six Rings!
His body now held 60,000 jin of force.
His skin radiated a brilliant glow. In the distance, the sound of a dragon-elephant echoed faintly. His skin was now as resilient as precious armor. One blow could shatter a mountain.
"I've reached Black Cauldron Six Rings. Time to stop. My strength has nearly doubled. Any further and it'll be too hard to control. It's time to raise my cultivation realm."
"I'd planned to take time to refine my spring, but with the Yin Wind, I can open the gate to the sixth stage of the Divine Sea Realm right now. This is a gift from the heavens."
With that, Yi Tianxing stood up.
All around, the Yin Wind continued to howl.
Some cultivators were still vanishing, consumed by the deadly storm.
He drew in another breath of Yin Wind—but now it could no longer shake his physique. The black cauldron held everything steady. The wind traveled down into his Divine Sea, heading straight for his true qi.
The impurities were quickly purged.
When it touched the Divine Spring, they saw it had already condensed into a tangible spring eye, now riddled with tiny pores from the Yin Wind.
"Four Seas Ancestral Dragon Diagram—Ancestral Dragon enters the Divine Spring!"
With a thought, the Four Seas Ancestral Dragon Diagram appeared in his Divine Sea.
The Ancestral Dragon, eyes filled with majesty, instantly quelled the rampaging wind. Then, with a mighty roar—
ROAR!!
—it dove straight into the spring eye.