In one of the side rooms within Zong Ao's palace, Yang Kai sat cross-legged.
He took out the Heaven Spirit Ghost Orchid and swallowed it without a moment's hesitation.
A cool sensation spread from his throat straight down to his abdomen. Quietly circulating his cultivation technique to dissolve the medicinal effect, he soon felt that coolness extend throughout his limbs and bones. Every pore across his body opened wide, and each piece of flesh seemed to receive tremendous nourishment, surging with vitality.
In order to refine a Separation Fire Pill that could produce a pill cloud, and to rapidly advance his cultivation realm, Yang Kai was giving it his all.
Moreover, he didn't regard this situation as some kind of calamity. On the contrary, he felt it was an opportunity.
Now he was roaming the Star Domain alone, without any friends or family, without any support. His own strength was the foundation upon which his survival depended. Xueyue lay unconscious and unresponsive, which actually gave him the chance to devote himself wholeheartedly to cultivation.
A bad thing, viewed from a different angle, could often become something good.
He could seize these months of secluded practice to elevate his strength to new heights, and also refine his alchemy skills, allowing them to complement his cultivation realm and achieve tremendous growth.
The cool sensation made his spirit feel sharp and invigorated — never before had he felt so clear-headed.
He suddenly found himself with a solid plan and clear understanding of his future, and his emotions churned for a moment.
Xueyue's steady breathing drifted in from the room next door. The method Zong Ao had used before could only sustain her vitality for a year or two at most. If no medicinal pill arrived to save her by then, she would surely die.
But Yang Kai was no longer as worried as he had been at first. On the contrary, his heart was now as still as calm water, and he faced everything with composure.
The Heaven Spirit Ghost Orchid's medicinal effect continued to work steadily. Halika hadn't explained to Yang Kai exactly how such a rare treasure of heaven and earth would enhance cultivation efficiency, and Yang Kai had been sensing the changes within his body all along, trying to figure it out.
Suddenly, the cool sensation throughout his entire body gathered toward his chest. The medicinal power of the Heaven Spirit Ghost Orchid concentrated into a single point in a very short time.
Yang Kai curiously loosened his clothes, revealing his toned physique, and looked down at his chest.
A golden dragon's shadow swept past — the Dragon Emperor Inheritance.
The golden dragon pattern was constantly shifting, as if alive. Sometimes it drifted to his front, sometimes to his back. The Ice Phoenix pattern, however, remained quietly on his back, never having moved — it was Su Yan's Phoenix Queen Inheritance. Yang Kai's body was merely its temporary dwelling place, to be handed over to her once he found Su Yan.
At this moment, a faint dark energy was gathering at his chest. That dark energy was sinister as a specter, dark and profound. Yang Kai focused his senses on it carefully but perceived nothing wrong, so he quieted his mind and waited.
Before long, the dark energy gathering at his chest grew thicker and more concentrated, gradually forming a vague pattern.
Yang Kai looked closely but couldn't make it out.
After waiting roughly half a day, the cool sensation at his chest abruptly vanished. At the same time, the blurry, writhing pattern rapidly solidified and became clear.
It was actually the image of an infant's face, its features distinct — as though a second head had sprouted from Yang Kai's chest. The sight was deeply unsettling, terrifying and horrifying.
Yang Kai was stunned. He had never imagined that swallowing the Heaven Spirit Ghost Orchid would produce such a result.
Just as he was still in shock, the mouth on the infant pattern suddenly opened wide, frantically devouring the surrounding spiritual energy of heaven and earth like a whale sucking in water.
Whoosh whoosh whoosh…
A violent gust of wind surged through the room. Unimaginable amounts of heaven and earth energy poured into Yang Kai's body through the infant pattern's ravenous maw.
In an instant, Yang Kai felt both body and mind grow refreshed and invigorated. His physical body received tremendous replenishment, his meridians began to writhe and pulse, accepting the energy and, under the effect of his cultivation technique, converting it into powerful capital for himself.
Truly remarkable!
Yang Kai was overjoyed. He closed his eyes tightly, savoring the benefits the Heaven Spirit Ghost Orchid had brought him, drinking it in like sweet nectar.
Though the pattern that had appeared on his chest after consuming the Heaven Spirit Ghost Orchid didn't look like much, its effects were undeniably real.
With this, even if Yang Kai didn't actively cultivate, the Heaven Spirit Ghost Orchid would allow him to continuously absorb the spiritual energy of heaven and earth on its own — at a speed and efficiency even exceeding his deliberate efforts.
The infant pattern inhaled and exhaled once every thirty breaths, proactively drawing heaven and earth spiritual energy into Yang Kai's body to fuel his growth. Each cycle drew in an astonishing amount.
Halika's gift had truly hit the mark.
Yang Kai spent much of his time traveling, and while on the road he rarely had the chance to cultivate. If the Heaven Spirit Ghost Orchid kept working like this, it would be impossible for his strength not to increase.
From now on, whether traveling or even in the midst of battle, he could maintain a state of continuous cultivation.
It was just a pity that, according to what Halika had said, the Heaven Spirit Ghost Orchid's effect would gradually diminish over time. At most it would last two or three years before fading away entirely.
Moreover, this kind of thing was extremely rare. On the rare occasions one or two were discovered, they would be snatched up by crowds. Halika had once fought others to the point of bloodshed just to get his hands on one.
Two or three years would be more than enough!
Having consumed the Heaven Spirit Ghost Orchid, Yang Kai took out the Snow Pool Crystal Marrow and extracted a small amount to place in his mouth.