Battle Through the Heaven: Purple Heaven

Half a month had passed in a flash.

At night, the Tagore Desert's starry sky shimmered brilliantly, stars twinkling like a dreamscape, exuding a unique charm. Xiao Bai stood atop a dune, hands clasped behind him, gazing at the celestial beauty.

For the past three days, he'd paused his search for the Heavenly Flame and cultivation, focusing on adjusting his state. He was ready to break through. Since recovering from his injuries days ago, he'd been preparing. Today, he'd come alone to this flame-hunting ground, a secluded spot he'd scouted—rarely visited, perfect for his breakthrough.

He left Yao Lao's ring behind. Some things Yao Lao could witness, but during a breakthrough, when the talisman might stir, Xiao Bai didn't want a powerful soul nearby. First, though, he had to deal with a lingering tail.

"Friend, you've followed me from Wu Tan City to here. Care to reveal your purpose and show yourself?" Xiao Bai called, shifting his gaze from the stars.

In a small dune's shadow, Ling Ying's heart jolted, his brow furrowing. Wu Tan City? He's known since then? My stealth was for nothing! Lifting his head, his dark, aged face met Xiao Bai's gaze, confirming his exposure. He sighed inwardly. This kid's patient, calling me out only now.

What now? Ling Ying rubbed his chin. No matter. He doesn't know Miss sent me. I'll play the mysterious expert, brush it off. The shadow writhed, coalescing into a humanoid form cloaked in black. Transforming into a smoky wisp, he landed near Xiao Bai, back turned.

"A dream spans eons; what evening is this? Young man, what year is it now? Is Tuoshe still around?" Ling Ying intoned, hands behind him, staring skyward, his voice low and weathered with nostalgia.

Xiao Bai watched, torn between amusement and irritation at Ling Ying's grandiose act. Didn't expect this from you, Ling Ying. A mischievous idea sparked. I'll play along—let him build his stage. The bigger the act, the harder the fall. Grinning slyly, he thought, Will he flee to the Ancient Clan after this?

"Who's Tuoshe?" Xiao Bai asked, feigning ignorance.

"Youngster, you don't know Tuoshe the Dou Emperor?" Ling Ying replied, turning slightly.

"Dou Emperor?" Xiao Bai gasped, eyes wide. "The Dou Qi Continent hasn't seen a Dou Emperor in ten thousand years! Are you from that era, Senior?"

"Alas, time flows, ten millennia gone. I emerge to find old friends lost, all changed," Ling Ying sighed, pausing dramatically. "No need to fear, young friend. I bear no ill will. Passing by after seclusion, I saw your extraordinary potential and couldn't resist a closer look."

"Senior wishes to take me as a disciple?" Xiao Bai asked, eyes gleaming with fake excitement.

"I'm a wandering crane, not one for taking pupils. I came on a whim and leave when it fades. Farewell!" Ling Ying declared, preparing to bolt. He's got skill, but he'll never wed Miss. No need for future meetings—no embarrassment. He'd trail from afar, betting Xiao Bai couldn't sense his dark attribute.

Seeing Ling Ying try to flee post-performance, Xiao Bai dropped the act, speaking leisurely, "Does Xun'er know about your recent emergence, Senior?"

Ling Ying froze as if struck by lightning, rooted like a statue, hands clenching behind him, body trembling. "Does Xun'er know about your Dou Emperor friend?" Xiao Bai continued, as if oblivious.

With each question, Ling Ying felt he could carve an ancient city from the desert sand in sheer mortification. How does he know who I am? He'd thought anonymity meant no consequences for his act—now what? Back to Wu Tan City, beg Miss to send someone else? Qing Shuang, his nominal disciple near Xun'er, could replace him, but explaining to Xun'er? Impossible. Gotta get out first.

"I don't know what you're talking about!" Ling Ying barked, dissolving into a black shadow and vanishing.

Xiao Bai chuckled, shaking his head at the empty dune. Was I too mean? Tch, social death. Ling Ying might avoid him forever now. Setting aside the prank, Xiao Bai sat cross-legged on the dune, finally free of watchers.

His soul force spread, scattering small desert beasts within kilometers. Sensing no threats, he closed his eyes, focusing inward. Soon, a peak nine-star Dou Shi aura erupted. In his dantian, unshackled from soul suppression, the thick liquid qi vortex spun, generating suction.

The quiet air rippled like a disturbed lake, visible energy streams seeping from the void. Guided by Xiao Bai's potent soul force, they followed his technique's path, refining impurities. The heavenly thunder's lightning energy, sealed in his body since his injury, remained—mostly intact despite flight depletion. Pure and primal, it needed no refining, unlike void energies. He'd preserved it to let his meridians heal fully, avoiding future risks, or he'd have broken through sooner.

As the dantian's suction surged, Xiao Bai released the sealed lightning energy. A flood of pure lightning qi rushed to the vortex, swelling it. Feeling the dantian's fullness, he knew it was time. His soul force steered the energy, compressing the liquid qi—a critical step for breaking into Da Dou Shi.

Da Dou Shi required condensing the liquid qi vortex into a solid crystal at its core, the "Dou Crystal," a hallmark of true cultivation mastery. This tiny crystal held all one's Dou Qi, brimming with immense power.

Time ticked by. As the vortex absorbed and the technique compressed, the spinning liquid qi transformed. Xiao Bai sensed a silver-white solid forming at the core. Almost there. Once the crystal began, the breakthrough was assured—only time remained.

Soon, a thumb-sized, silver-white rhomboid crystal emerged, floating in his dantian, pulsing with faint light. The vortex shrank by half, then rapidly vanished, consumed by the crystal. It didn't stop, drawing the body's remaining lightning energy faster than before. When the energy was fully absorbed, Xiao Bai felt a release, a new aura bursting forth.

Checking his realm, his lips split into a grin. Three-star Da Dou Shi, achieved! He didn't rise, tempering his joy to restore calm. Breaking through was easy; what followed was the challenge.

The next lightning seed was coming.

Uncertain of its attribute or if it'd be as grueling as last time, Xiao Bai felt a mix of nerves and anticipation. The talisman, ever reliable, acted on cue. As his breakthrough stabilized, it quivered in his sea of consciousness, a corner glowing deep yellow—darker, more muted than desert sand.

Earth? Why's the color off? Before he could ponder, a yellow-gray thunderbolt shot from the talisman toward his spleen. Wu Earth Nether Thunder! Its name and details flooded his mind.

Wu Earth Nether Thunder: Infused with Wu Earth qi and nether qi, balancing yin (nether) and yang (thunder) through earth's mediation, harmonizing yin-yang and bridging water-fire.

A muffled grunt escaped as familiar pain flared in his spleen. Inspecting his organs, he saw yellow lightning flickering there. The pain, less intense than Bing Fire Yang Thunder's, matched Yi Wood True Lightning's level. Like Little Yi, it's more functional than domineering, he concluded, relieved.

Though its info was cryptic—harmonizing yin-yang, bridging water-fire sounded lofty—he didn't dwell on it. Running his technique to refine it, a practiced routine, he noticed a difference. The Wu Earth Nether Thunder emitted electric arcs, surging through his body into the earth, growing stronger.

What the—? Grow after I refine you! Don't root in the desert, or I'll be refining forever! The desert's earth-rich environment fueled the thunder. If it grew as he refined, how long would this take? I'll fly—no ground, no growth. His Purple Cloud Wings sprouted, but mid-ascent, the thunder tugged like it was anchored in the sand, threatening to rip free.

Speechless, Xiao Bai landed, retracting his wings. Fine, that's a bust. Sitting cross-legged, he sensed the thunder's arcs stretching hundreds of meters, like tendrils. His soul perception revealed yellow lightning flickering across the sand within that radius, visually striking but deadly. The range kept expanding, its limit unknown.

This is a scam! Xiao Bai groaned skyward. Shouldn't have broken through here. The desert's potent, active earth energy was perfect for the thunder, unlike less vibrant regions. But he couldn't delay his breakthrough forever, and the desert was unavoidable. At least no one's here. In Stone Desert City, I'd have killed a crowd by now. He felt a twinge of relief, imagining wiping out Xiao Ding and Xiao Li's hard-earned corps.

Resigned, he tried refining. Drawing a wisp of the thunder's essence, he found it immovable, fused with the desert's earth qi. His Da Dou Shi strength couldn't budge it—nor could a Dou Huang, he suspected. Now what? Enduring the growing pain, he stared at the dancing lightning on the sand, glowing in the night. Rubbing his chin, he pondered.

Flying didn't work, refining stalled—he was stuck. I'm not trapped here forever, am I? Pacing, he noticed the lightning moved with him. "My own domain, huh?" he muttered, half-joking, half-dismayed.