In the blink of an eye, two days had passed, yet no sound came from within the Eight Trigrams Treasure Furnace.
For those two days, Little White Fox and Elder Chicken had remained on guard outside.
“Lord of the Nation, it has already been two days. By rights, Ye Changsheng should have emerged. Why is there not the slightest movement?” Elder Chicken asked.
“He should be out soon. Let us wait a little longer.” Little White Fox remained calm.
They waited another five days.
On the seventh day, still no trace of sound emerged from the Eight Trigrams Treasure Furnace.
“Lord of the Nation, Ye Changsheng has been inside for seven full days now, longer even than Elder Bear stayed. Could something have gone wrong?” Elder Chicken said with worry.
Concern filled Little White Fox’s face as well, for in her view, with Ye Qiu’s cultivation level, he should have lasted at most three days in the Eight Trigrams Treasure Furnace. Yet now, seven days had passed.
“Lord of the Nation, perhaps I should open the door and go in to check?” Elder Chicken suggested.
Little White Fox thought for a moment, then gritted her teeth and said, “Wait a bit longer.”
“Ye Changsheng is not a reckless person. If he could no longer endure, he would call for you to open the door.”
Thus, they waited another two days.
On the ninth day, Little White Fox could no longer sit still. She paced back and forth around the Eight Trigrams Treasure Furnace, appearing anxious and restless.
“It has been a full nine days now. Why is there still no movement?”
“Back then, I only stayed nine days inside the Eight Trigrams Treasure Furnace myself.”
“Could he really have met with misfortune?”
Little White Fox frowned, glancing repeatedly at the great door of the Eight Trigrams Treasure Furnace.
“Lord of the Nation, we cannot wait any longer.”
Elder Chicken said, “Ye Changsheng has been inside for a full nine days with not the slightest sound. This subordinate suspects something may have happened to him.”
Little White Fox finally made her decision and ordered, “Elder Chicken, open the great door. This Lord of the Nation will go in to see.”
“Yes!” Elder Chicken replied. Just as she raised her hand to strike the door, a muffled “thud” suddenly sounded from within the Eight Trigrams Treasure Furnace.
Elder Chicken immediately stopped, exclaiming with joy, “Lord of the Nation, there is movement inside.”
“I heard it.” Little White Fox’s face lit up with excitement.
“Lord of the Nation, shall we still open the great door?” Elder Chicken asked.
“For now, do not open it.” Little White Fox stared at the Eight Trigrams Treasure Furnace, a sharp glint in her eyes, and said, “I never expected Ye Changsheng could actually remain inside for so long.”
Elder Chicken said, “Ye Changsheng is truly remarkable. Lord of the Nation… actually, I feel the two of you are very well suited.”
“Hmm, I think so too…” Little White Fox suddenly realised what she had said, pretended to be angry, and shot Elder Chicken a glance. “You have grown quite bold, daring even to tease me?”
“This subordinate dares not.” Elder Chicken lowered her head and chuckled secretly.
“Elder Chicken, do not think I am unaware. All these years, Elder Monkey has been courting you. He likes you.” Little White Fox said.
Elder Chicken replied, “Speaking of that wretched monkey makes me angry. In the past, he treated me quite well. Then, for some unknown reason, he suddenly gave me several spirit pills, claiming they would greatly increase my power. After I took them, I suffered diarrhoea for half a month.”
“You cannot imagine, Lord of the Nation, how that half month nearly killed me with the constant runs.”
“I cannot understand why that wretched monkey suddenly wanted to harm me.”
Little White Fox said, “Could Elder Monkey have given you the wrong spirit pills by mistake?”
“How could that be possible? He is a heavenly-grade alchemist. How could he make such a elementary error?” Elder Chicken huffed angrily. “He caused me such misery, yet afterwards he did not even apologise.”
“When I went to confront him, he actually hid and refused to see me.”
“Truly infuriating.”
Little White Fox smiled and said, “Elder Monkey dares not see you because he is afraid of you.”
Elder Chicken replied, “I think he is simply feeling guilty.”
Little White Fox shook her head. “Elder Monkey is not feeling guilty. He likes you and could not bear to hurt you. Having done wrong, he does not know how to face you.”
“Though Elder Monkey is usually as cunning as can be, his intelligence drops to almost nothing in front of you.”
“When I have time, I shall ask Elder Monkey what exactly happened.”
As they spoke, more sounds came from within the Eight Trigrams Treasure Furnace.
Thud, thud, thud.
The noise continued without pause, deafening.
Little White Fox and Elder Chicken’s attention was drawn to the Eight Trigrams Treasure Furnace.
“Lord of the Nation, how many more days do you think Ye Changsheng can remain inside?” Elder Chicken asked.
“He will not last much longer. After all, his cultivation is low.” Little White Fox said.
Elder Chicken replied, “He has already stayed inside for nine days. Even if he emerges now, his physique must have improved to a terrifying degree.”
Little White Fox thought to herself, “Ye Changsheng, oh Ye Changsheng, I hope when you come out, you give me an enormous surprise. It would be best if you could withstand my Saintly body…”
At this thought, Little White Fox felt her cheeks grow hot and her heart race.
Thud, thud, thud.
Sounds kept coming from within the Eight Trigrams Treasure Furnace.
They did not know that at this moment, Ye Qiu inside the Eight Trigrams Treasure Furnace was undergoing torment again and again.
Those thick mists were filled with immense power, capable of easily crushing his body.
“Bang!”
Ye Qiu’s body suddenly shattered, leaving only his primordial spirit.
Then his flesh reformed, only to shatter once more.
This cycle repeated endlessly.
“Two thousand nine hundred and eighty-five…”
“Two thousand nine hundred and eighty-six…”
“Two thousand nine hundred and eighty-seven…”
“Two thousand nine hundred and ninety-nine!”
“Three thousand!”
Two beams of golden light shot from Ye Qiu’s eyes. Over the past nine days, his body had shattered a full three thousand times.
Each time his body shattered, his soul suffered excruciating pain. Many times Ye Qiu had nearly failed to endure, but remembering Little White Fox’s words that the longer one stayed in the treasure furnace, the greater the benefits, he gritted his teeth and held on.
There were even moments when Ye Qiu felt on the verge of death, yet he still refused to give up.
Of course, the rewards matched the suffering.
Ye Qiu clearly felt that his physique had undergone a qualitative leap. If previously his body had been impervious to blades and spears, comparable to iron skin and bronze bones, now it was like an iron wall forged from steel, extraordinarily tough.
Suddenly, an idea struck Ye Qiu.
“Since this place can temper the body, if I cultivate the Nine Turns Divine Dragon Art, could I make my physique even stronger?”
Ye Qiu sat cross-legged, calmed his mind, and rapidly circulated the Nine Turns Divine Dragon Art.
Soon, he immersed himself fully in cultivation.
Strangely, while cultivating the Nine Turns Divine Dragon Art, his body no longer shattered.
Ye Qiu practised the Nine Turns Divine Dragon Art once more from the beginning: starting with body refining, then bone quenching, followed by marrow cleansing, and finally enlightenment.
The first four realms of the Nine Turns Divine Dragon Art were each brought by Ye Qiu to their peak.
Then he continued from the Foundation Establishment realm, through the Venerable realm, the King realm, and the Cave Heaven realm, bringing every realm to its utmost limit.
This cultivation alone took him a full ten days.
Ye Qiu clearly sensed that his body now brimmed with boundless power, many times stronger than before.
“It is time to leave.”
Ye Qiu ceased the technique and opened his eyes. In the next instant, his pupils contracted sharply, as if he had seen something utterly terrifying.
