Flames swirled within the cave abode as Li Guanqi steadily drew the power of the Purple Dragon Thunder Flame out of his body.
Gradually, the materials before him and the essence blood of the great demon coalesced into human shape.
Flesh and blood rapidly proliferated, shaped and bolstered by vast primal energy.
Even the essence blood of a Tier-7 great demon seemed utterly fragile beneath the searing heat of the Purple Dragon Thunder Flame.
The process of forging the physical vessel went smoothly, yet it consumed nearly an entire month of his time.
Looking at the fleshly body suspended in midair before him, Li Guanqi could not help but sigh in wonder.
Perhaps when others forged a void avatar, they merely gathered some ordinary materials and sheared off a sliver of their origin spirit.
Yet this time, he...
Gazing at his origin spirit, which had already divided into two independent entities, Li Guanqi felt momentarily dazed.
Exhaling a long breath, he began refining the Oblivion Thunder Spirit!
He intended to refine this innate thunder spirit into the avatar's spiritual root.
A spiritual root forged from such an entity would, at the very least, be a saint-grade spiritual root.
Though the refinement process was tedious, his mind remained serene. Every motion flowed with natural grace, as though guided by the heavens themselves.
During this process, Li Guanqi looked at the flame in his hand and felt a twinge of reluctance.
The Purple Dragon Thunder Flame had accompanied him for many years, yet all his energy had been devoted to the sword path.
He had not even developed the innate traits of this heavenly flame...
At that thought, a wry smile crossed Li Guanqi's face.
If Sun Miao ever learned of this, he would likely jump up in fury and curse him for squandering heaven's gifts.
As time passed, the thunder spirit's original consciousness was thoroughly erased, transformed into the purest energy that merged into the vessel.
The avatar's appearance gradually took shape: fair skin, with facial features seventy percent similar to his own.
A high nose bridge, a pair of peach blossom eyes, and slightly sunken eye sockets lent the avatar a somewhat brooding, profound air.
Overall, however, he looked like a wild, untamed wanderer of the mortal realm.
The only difference was that Li Guanqi gave him a mane of white hair to set them apart.
He had no desire to fashion an avatar identical or nearly identical to himself.
Even knowing it was an avatar, it would still make him feel uncomfortable.
He was himself; he could only ever be one of a kind!
Not even his own avatar could replicate him.
Yet this body possessed sound, intact eyes—a small indulgence born of his own private wish...
The newly formed avatar was like a blank sheet of paper, an infant arriving in this world for the very first time.
Though this avatar's cultivation realm would be virtually identical to his own—at the very least reaching the early Void Refining Realm—he still hoped that when this "self" opened his eyes, he would gaze upon a world of vibrant color rather than pitch darkness.
By the time he finished fashioning the spiritual root, another month had passed.
Only when the faint purple spiritual light on the naked avatar's glabella completely dispersed did Li Guanqi finally let out a sigh of relief.
The two most crucial initial steps were complete.
Pale-faced, Li Guanqi's body swayed slightly. His depleted sea of consciousness brought on a splitting headache.
The speed at which he absorbed and refined spiritual energy could not keep pace with his rate of consumption.
Even swallowing pills proved futile, leaving him thoroughly drained in both mind and spirit.
Looking at the avatar before him, Li Guanqi did not hesitate for a second and chose to continue refining!
He had to press on in one breath to bring the avatar to completion!
Only the final two steps remained: first, refine the monster core nurtured within his dantian into the avatar's dantian.
And finally, merge the severed origin spirit into the avatar.
***
Outside the cave abode, Lu Kangnian came by to check once more, his eyes filled with worry.
Looking up at the thunderclouds still continuously gathering overhead, he felt a measure of relief.
Had it not been for those heavenly tribulation bolts continuously converging, he would have been tempted to break open the cave abode to take a look.
For over half a month, there had not been the slightest stir within, which inevitably left him anxious.
During this time, ever since Ye Feng returned, he had been exchanging transmissions with Xiao Chen whenever he had a free moment.
Since those dissenters had departed, everything in the Xiao clan had fallen under Xiao Chen's control.
Coupled with the support of several lineage elders, the entire Xiao clan was bustling with fervent activity to rebuild their ancestral home.
During this period, Xiao Chen also laid the remains of his father, Xiao Yue, to rest. His mother demonstrated remarkable strength, helping Xiao Chen oversee the clan's affairs, both great and small.
Cao Yan remained in seclusion, though the primal energy fluctuations atop the distant mountain peak grew stronger day by day.
The reason Ye Feng had not yet chosen to attempt his Void Returning breakthrough was simple: he wanted to wait until at least Cao Yan or Li Guanqi emerged from seclusion before proceeding.
Setting down his jade slip, Ye Feng said in a deep voice, "In short, stay wary of factions harboring ulterior motives. If worse comes to worst, relocate the clan away from your ancestral grounds."
Xiao Chen's steady voice soon came through.
"Don't worry, Second Brother, I've already made arrangements for all of that."
"The Xiao clan as it stands... cannot hold onto a place so rich in spiritual energy. We plan to leave in the next couple of days."
"How are things with Eldest Brother and Third Brother?"
Ye Feng shook his head with a bitter smile. Even now, the fellow still had the mind to worry about those two.
"Don't fret about them. Just look after yourself. If anything happens, remember to call your Second Brother, understand?"
"Understood."
*Buzz!!!*
Just as Ye Feng set down the jade slip, he sprang to his feet and whipped around toward the back mountain!
*Swish!*
Teleporting outside the cave abode, his expression shifted slightly as he abruptly raised a terrifying wall of flames to veil heaven and earth!!
*Rumble!!*
The deafening crash of thunder left everyone's ears ringing and numb, prompting them to look up blankly at the sky.
Within the cave abode, the sword spirit materialized, exhaling a soft breath with a quiet smile.
"A very fine Yin Spirit."
*Boom!!!*
The mountain peak shattered.
Immediately after, two white-robed figures broke out of seclusion one after the other!
When Ye Feng sensed the two auras, he froze for an instant.
Because both figures bore an aura seemingly identical to Li Guanqi's, yet also vastly different...
Li Guanqi's face was as pale as paper, his eyes laced with fine, dense blood vessels, looking utterly exhausted.
Even his aura, which had previously bordered on the peak of the mid Void Refining Realm, had dropped somewhat. Though his realm had not regressed, his presence was considerably weaker.
Yet the other white-haired man, dressed in black robes, made him feel both familiar and strange.
The white-haired man's eyes were as deep as an abyss. With the corner of his mouth slightly curled, he glanced at Ye Feng.
In the next instant, his figure teleported to an uninhabited expanse within the Great Xia Sword Sect's territory.
*Clang!!*
Li Guanqi stood a thousand zhang away as the sword casket on his back abruptly snapped open!
Yanluo flashed through the air into the avatar's palm. In an instant, the white-haired youth executed Yanluo's Apocalypse release without hesitation!
"Apocalypse: Ten Halls of Yanluo!!"
*Boom!!!*
Lightning ravaged the void across the sky, and terrifying flames swept through heaven and earth!!
The lightning scattering in all directions was pitch-black. Ye Feng's pupils shrank.
"Oblivion Thunder!!"
*Swish!*
Flashing to Li Guanqi's side, Ye Feng looked up at the terrifying thunderclouds massing in the firmament, swallowed hard, and asked, "Boss... just what realm is this avatar of yours...?"
The corner of Li Guanqi's mouth curved upward as he replied softly, "Early Void Refining Realm."
Ye Feng froze on the spot, only then realizing how utterly absurd the situation was!
"What?! Void Refining Realm???"
"Then doesn't that mean your avatar has to endure a five-realm heavenly tribulation???"
"Isn't it going to get blasted to pieces??"
Chapter 610