Chapter 680: Rift Refines the Demonic Body

Li Fan looked in the direction of the sound. Near the very center of the great vortex, where winds howled and thunder boomed, stood a cultivator with a bare torso. He was slender yet covered in well-developed muscles, and he was roaring up at the sky.

Around him, countless tiny tornadoes could be vaguely seen swirling. The center of the whirlwind was pitch black, looking as if space itself had been torn apart.

The muscular man swayed with the wind, and the miniature tornadoes around him appeared and vanished with his movements.

Even at a distance from the great vortex's center, Li Fan was already being scraped raw by the surrounding fierce winds. Yet, the muscular man at the very core wore no protection at all. He simply let the violent gales buffet his body, producing crisp sounds like metal clashing.

"He is..."

Li Fan's eyes narrowed slightly.

Although this was his first encounter with the man in this life, Li Fan had met him once in his previous life.

It was Dongfang Yao, who had overseen the construction of the Heaven-Mystic Spirit Locking Array at Wanli Yanfentan and Hualing Stream. This man was a close confidant of Huangfu Song and had already reached the Spirit Transformation cultivation level at that time.

However, now, he seemed not yet to have crossed that threshold, still being within the Nascent Soul realm.

"Interesting," Li Fan mused, "there are no spiritual energy fluctuations; he's repelling the fierce winds entirely with his formidable physical body. I recall that body cultivation methods in the Xuanhuang Realm are typically constrained by heaven and earth, progressing extremely slowly once a certain level is reached. I wonder how he cultivated to this extent..."

Li Fan did not rush forward but observed Dongfang Yao's enlightenment from a distance.

The gale raged, and the currents of the great vortex grew increasingly turbulent. Dongfang Yao tried to stabilize himself in the storm, advancing towards the center of the vortex. With every step forward, a faint creaking sound seemed to emanate from his body, as if it were being squeezed by immense pressure.

"Hmph!" Dongfang Yao roared, veins bulging in his neck, and a faint golden glow seemed to shimmer on his muscles.

Resolutely, he continued to approach the center of the vortex.

Suddenly, a black rift, like a flash of lightning, appeared out of nowhere before Dongfang Yao. It struck his body like a sword.

"Boom!" A deafening thud, so loud it seemed to pierce through the wind and rain, reverberated. A bloody gash appeared on Dongfang Yao's body, and he was forced to retreat several steps.

Instead of alarm, he showed delight.

"I've finally waited for you!"

He let out a strange cry from his throat, and then the seemingly severe injury on Dongfang Yao's body instantly healed. He stomped fiercely on the void, and his figure suddenly burst forward, leaping dozens of zhang in an instant.

A massive black rift appeared, seemingly abrupt, yet also as if it had existed since ancient times, merely hidden and imperceptible to outsiders.

Black light, like a sword, savagely cleaved along the midline of Dongfang Yao's body.

"Pfft!"

Dongfang Yao's skin immediately split open, and he was nearly disemboweled on the spot. His body swiftly retreated, fleeing thousands of zhang away in an instant, returning to a safe location on the outer edge of the vortex.

"Are you alright, fellow Daoist?" Li Fan asked, seeing the situation and offering a timely greeting.

He did not approach but merely flicked over a healing pill. It was a Hundred Healings Pill, specially prepared for him by Liu San for this journey. While not a miraculous elixir that could revive the dead or regrow flesh and bone, it was still a top-grade healing medicine. Common injuries would heal within a few breaths after taking it.

Dongfang Yao reached out and caught the Hundred Healings Pill, glanced at it, and swallowed it whole.

"A minor matter! Thank you for your concern, fellow Daoist!" Even as he spoke, the seemingly severe wounds on his body had already completely healed.

Not even a scar remained.

While the Hundred Healings Pill certainly contributed, it was primarily due to Dongfang Yao's exceptionally powerful physique.

Li Fan couldn't help but look at him with admiration.

"How should I address you, fellow Daoist?" Dongfang Yao temporarily paused his cultivation amidst the wind and rain, flying over to Li Fan's side.

"My name is Li Fan. I heard about the wondrous sight of the Great Vortex in Ningxu State, so I came to observe it on my journey. I didn't expect to encounter such an extraordinary person as you, fellow Daoist!" Li Fan's gaze swept over Dongfang Yao's muscular, well-defined physique, a hint of admiration in his eyes.

"I'm Dongfang Yao!" He waved his hand. "Extraordinary person? Not at all! I just have a stronger physique!"

"Fellow Daoist Dongfang, you are being too modest. With such a formidable physical body, even the legendary body cultivators of ancient times probably couldn't compare to you, could they?" Li Fan exclaimed in wonder.

Dongfang Yao laughed heartily, "I like hearing that..."

Just as he was about to say more, he suddenly turned his head and looked towards the center of the great vortex.

Amidst the sound of wind and thunder, another faint black shadow seemed to emerge.

"Fellow Daoist, please wait a moment, I'll be right back!"

His voice still echoed in the air, but he had already shot like lightning towards the center of the vortex.

The enormous roars and crashing sounds erupted once more.

A few breaths later, Dongfang Yao returned to Li Fan's side, once again covered in blood and looking quite battered.

This time, however, Li Fan did not pull out another Hundred Healings Pill but quietly watched Dongfang Yao heal himself.

His injuries were worse than before, but he still recovered completely with only a little more effort.

"It seems I worried for nothing and even wasted a good pill," Li Fan said, feigning astonishment when he saw this.

"Haha, no waste at all! It's still safely tucked away in my belly," Dongfang Yao said, patting his stomach with a hint of pride and a laugh.

Li Fan was momentarily stunned, then shook his head and gave a wry smile. "Fellow Daoist, you truly are a remarkable person!"

Dongfang Yao smiled but said nothing.

"To be able to stay here in the Ancient Realm-Rending Vortex for so long without changing your expression, Fellow Daoist Li, you truly are a master who keeps your skills hidden!" After a while, he cast a profound glance at Li Fan, his words implying something.

Li Fan showed a hint of helplessness on his face. "The Xuanhuang Realm is full of dangers; without some abilities, who would dare to roam around carelessly? However, these are merely methods for rapidly recovering spiritual energy; compared to your techniques, fellow Daoist, they are utterly incomparable."

"I've heard that body cultivation is extremely difficult. For you to cultivate to this level, fellow Daoist, you can truly be called an unparalleled prodigy!" Li Fan said with a hint of admiration.

Although Dongfang Yao verbally dismissed the praise, his inner delight was impossible to conceal.

"It's just that my physique is naturally a bit special."

As he spoke, the black rift reappeared in the center of the vortex. Dongfang Yao paused their conversation and charged into it once more.

He would return heavily wounded, then resume talking with Li Fan.

This happened repeatedly, and Li Fan gradually learned some insider information from Dongfang Yao.

It turned out that Dongfang Yao, like Ye Feipeng, possessed a trace of ancient demonic beast bloodline within him.

Although thousands of years had passed, making the bloodline extremely diluted, Dongfang Yao was fortunate enough to acquire a wondrous treasure during a certain adventure that fully unlocked the potential of his demonic beast bloodline.

"Initially, I was worried I might turn into some kind of non-human, non-demonic hybrid," Dongfang Yao sighed, "but that item was truly miraculous."