Chapter 477: Chapter 477: Breaking Through the Barrier

Yong’an City, Qingfeng Temple.

In an elegant courtyard, Mo Huai’an stood on the steps under the eaves, gazing up at the azure sky.

The mood of this young mage matched the sweltering heat.

He’s been in Yong’an for half a month already, staying at Qingfeng Temple for more than ten days, but there’s been no word from the sect, and Fang Hui hasn’t come out of seclusion yet.

During this time, Mo Huai’an had even gone out with Zhang Yuan.

The weather remained scorching and dry throughout this period, while inside Yong’an City, the festivities continued as usual.

But outside the city, the sight of starving corpses was unbearable.

Knowing the miserable situation in the state capital, one can only imagine what the villages and towns below are suffering through!

Mo Huai’an’s mood worsened by the day, to the point where he could hardly stay any longer.

Thinking of the scene where a drought fiend emerges and the land turns to waste, this young mage couldn’t help but sigh deeply.

Several lines of worry appeared on his forehead.

"Junior brother, your Dao heart is in turmoil."

Zhang Yuan appeared beside Mo Huai’an, speaking calmly, "This doesn’t solve any problem; instead, it only turns yourself into the problem."

Mo Huai’an quickly turned around, asking with a low voice, "Senior brother, do you think the three thousand-mile talismans I sent weren’t delivered to the sect?"

On this journey, he had brought along three valuable thousand-mile communication talismans.

Due to suspicions of a drought fiend emerging in Yongzhou, Mo Huai’an had sent out the three thousand-mile talismans one after another.

But they all vanished without a trace.

This made him suspect that the distance might have caused the tokens to fail, wasting these precious talismans.

Wasting them isn’t really the problem; the fear is of delaying critical matters!

Besides the communication tokens, Mo Huai’an had another means of conveying messages to Upper Scenic Celestial.

And that was Qingfeng Temple.

Qingfeng Temple is an outer sect branch of Upper Scenic Celestial, equipped with special arrays for emergency communication with the sect.

However, the control of the arrays was in the hands of the temple master.

Currently, with Fang Hui in seclusion, this channel was effectively rendered useless.

Before Zhang Yuan could reply, Mo Huai’an gritted his teeth and said, "If it comes to it, I’ll forcefully enter Senior Uncle’s abode!"

"Don’t be impulsive."

Zhang Yuan was taken aback, placing a hand on the young mage’s shoulder, "Junior brother, I suggest you wait a little longer."

He didn’t expect Mo Huai’an to be so impulsive, wanting to force Fang Hui out of seclusion by breaking into his abode.

Such acts were recklessly brash!

It’s well-known that whether a martial artist or a Daoist cultivator, they must avoid disturbance during seclusion; interference at a critical moment could lead to deviation or even death and loss of Dao.

Zhang Yuan didn’t want a moment of impulse to lead to an unmanageable situation.

"So how long do we wait?"

Mo Huai’an calmed down slightly and smiled bitterly, "If we really wait for the drought fiend to emerge, it would surely bring disaster to the world!"

"If there really is a drought fiend causing trouble..."

Zhang Yuan asked, "Do you think only we have noticed something amiss?"

Mo Huai’an was momentarily stunned.

Because what Zhang Yuan said was very reasonable.

If there were really a drought fiend, the Daqian Court and Daoist sects couldn’t possibly know nothing of it.

The drought in Yongzhou had lasted four to five months, and with countless talented individuals in the court and commoner circles, surely not all of them could be blind?

Zhang Yuan patted his shoulder, saying, "Let’s wait three more days, then."

"If there’s still no news in three days and Master Fang is still in seclusion, I’ll head back to the sect alone to report!"

There really was no better option!

Mo Huai’an nodded, "That will have to do."

The emergence of a drought fiend doesn’t happen overnight; this ancient beast hides underground, needing to devour enough earth qi and fiery power to fully transform into a true natural disaster.

According to records, the transformation of a drought fiend can take as little as half a year to as much as three to five years.

So, waiting a few additional days wouldn’t make much difference.

Zhang Yuan said, "Then I’ll enter seclusion first and we’ll discuss in three days."

Mo Huai’an was surprised, "You’re going into seclusion too?"

"Yes." 𝘧𝘳𝘦ℯ𝓌𝘦𝒷𝘯𝑜𝑣𝘦𝓁.𝒸𝘰𝓂

In fact, over the past half month, Zhang Yuan had spent most of his time refining the Fire Demon Stone.

The Fire Demon Stone proved very beneficial for cultivating the ’Six Harmonies Qilin Body,’ and he felt on the cusp of a breakthrough.

Just a final push was needed!

"Then you go into seclusion."

Mo Huai’an said decisively, "I need to meditate quietly for a few days too."

As Zhang Yuan mentioned, his Dao heart had been unstable of late; if he didn’t calm it, it might leave behind a mental barrier.

After speaking with Mo Huai’an and appeasing the young mage, Zhang Yuan returned to his residence.

Qingfeng Temple was Yong’an City’s only Daoist temple, grand in scale and magnificently designed, and thanks to Mo Huai’an, a true disciple of Upper Scenic Celestial, Zhang Yuan’s accommodation was quite excellent.

Closing the doors, Zhang Yuan sat cross-legged in the quiet chamber and retrieved the Fire Demon Stone from his storage space.

After more than half a month of refining, the stone, once brimming with powerful fiery energy, now looked dull and lackluster.

But Zhang Yuan could sense that at its core, there was still a cluster of intensely hot Qi!

He grasped the Fire Demon Stone, closed his eyes, and took a long, deep breath.

He initiated the inner cultivation method of the ’Six Harmonies Qilin Body!’

With the infusion of Primordial True Power, the Fire Demon Stone suddenly emitted a faint red glow, and the contained fiery energy was gradually drawn out, merging into Zhang Yuan’s body.

As more and more fiery energy flowed in, Zhang Yuan’s body slowly swelled, muscles bulging and meridians knotting, his skin shimmered with light, and crystalline sweat beads continuously seeped out from his pores.

Before long, beneath his skin appeared dark Qilin patterns, lines like burning flames, shifting and twisting with the movement of muscles, growing ever clearer and more vivid!

The temperature in the room climbed steadily, with misty steam rising from Zhang Yuan’s body.

Zhang Yuan’s breathing became slow and deep, each breath separated by a long pause, his low, beast-like exhalations carrying an indescribable authority.

If someone were watching at that moment, they would be astounded to see a lifelike Qilin phantom quietly emerging behind Zhang Yuan, regal and imposing with its head held high and claw lifted!

Yet, at that very moment, Zhang Yuan was utterly unaware of the peculiarities occurring within himself.

His mind had entered a state of profound mystery, driving the Primordial True Power infused with the fiery energy of the Fire Demon Stone, repeatedly refining his muscles and meridians, breaking through the final bottleneck.

Until a sudden cracking sound came from his hand, shattering the Fire Demon Stone into countless fragments.

The final, most precious trace of fiery energy was extracted, transforming inside Zhang Yuan’s body into an inferno capable of incinerating all things, subjecting him to an unprecedented trial!

Though feeling as if his internal organs were in a furnace, Zhang Yuan, undaunted, relied on his formidable willpower to resist the searing agony of the flames engulfing his body, boldly directing this nearly uncontrollable power toward the Celestial Gate acupoint.

Bang!

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Ashamed, ashamed, I’ve hit a creative block these past few days, so I reorganized the story outline. Now my state has basically recovered, so please rest assured, there’s still a long way to go with this novel. I promise it will be completed, and I kindly ask for your continued support, thank you.