After a sweep of the Central Siberian Plateau, Zhang Fan unexpectedly found several Earth-grade spirit herbs, enough to refine three Earth-grade pills.
"As expected of a treasure land containing the Zhi Wu Yuan Guo, its mere leaked aura can give rise to Earth-grade spirit herbs around it," remarked Xue Jing with a sigh. He had lived on Earth for over a thousand years without ever encountering an Earth-grade spirit herb.
"What's so strange about that? Remember, Austen obtained a companion flower of the Zhi Wu Yuan Guo here!" Zhang Fan said with a smile.
Upon hearing about the companion flower of the Zhi Wu Yuan Guo, Xue Jing immediately became excited. His eyes fixed intently on Zhang Fan, and just as he was about to speak, Zhang Fan stopped him.
Zhang Fan waved his hand and casually said, "Don't worry, the Zhi Wu Yuan Guo is within this immortal mansion. Once I obtain it, I won't treat you unfairly."
"Thank you, Master!" Xue Jing exclaimed gratefully.
After surveying the surroundings, Zhang Fan stepped into the void. Looking down at the vast expanse of snow-covered plains, the lake that had formed under the influence of the 'Black Dragon Cloud Flame Dew' had now frozen over and completely disappeared.
"Go!"
Zhang Fan retrieved thirty-six curved instruments from his Star Realm. He casually tossed them out, and under his divine sense, they landed in an orderly fashion around the snowy plains, forming a massive circle that enveloped the slowly emerging immortal mansion. These instruments were formation disks crafted by the Master of the Wen Xin Sect, which Zhang Fan had slightly modified for his own use.
"Tiangang Snow Ape Formation!"
As Zhang Fan unleashed a peculiar palm print onto the formation disks, they embedded themselves into the snow. Instantly, they began absorbing the power of the surrounding ice and snow, gradually condensing into a giant snow ape more than five Zhangs tall.
It took Zhang Fan nearly three days to complete the setup of the 'Tiangang Snow Ape Formation' using the thirty-six formation disks.
"Formation rise!"
Zhang Fan channeled the power of the formation. Thirty-six colossal snow apes stood firm in all directions, roaring towards the sky with terrifying might.
"So powerful!" Xue Jing's eyes widened. Even though he had witnessed Zhang Fan's prowess in formations before, he found this spectacle incredibly astonishing. Each of these snow apes, formed by the condensation of ice and snow power, possessed a strength at the threshold of a Second-grade Golden Core. Connected by the formation, the thirty-six snow apes acted as one. If trapped within the formation and attacked by all thirty-six, even he would be in grave danger. As for Lin Yun, he felt his own weakness keenly. A snow ape casually formed from ice and snow possessed combat power comparable to his own.
"With this formation, even if Dao Zun brought ten Second-grade Golden Core cultivators, they wouldn't be able to break through anytime soon," Xue Jing said with admiration, his usually white face filled with reverence.
"It's still not enough!" Zhang Fan shook his head and retrieved seventy-two transparent beads from his Star Realm. He waved his hand, scattering the finger-nail-sized beads everywhere.
"Dishuo Phantom Fox Formation!"
Zhang Fan again manipulated the formation disks, distributing the seventy-two Dishuo Beads around the outer perimeter of the 'Tiangang Snow Ape Formation.' It took him nearly a week to establish this illusion formation.
"The Tiangang Snow Ape Formation and the Dishuo Phantom Fox Formation. With this combination of illusory and real, offense and defense, I should be able to cultivate in peace." Zhang Fan had a premonition that when Dao Zun appeared again, it would be another earth-shattering battle. Moreover, after the previous encounters, Dao Zun would have a rough understanding of Zhang Fan's strength. Having suffered losses twice at Zhang Fan's hands, Dao Zun would likely bring overwhelming force. If Zhang Fan's strength did not increase, he would have little chance to benefit from this opportunity. Therefore, Zhang Fan planned to use the 'Black Dragon Cloud Flame Dew' to temper his body, hoping to elevate his divine body to true minor accomplishment. At that point, below the Nascent Soul stage, no one would be able to match him except peak cultivators of First-grade Golden Core.
Lin Yun, having received numerous spirit pills from Zhang Fan to aid his Qi cultivation, including the Golden Scale Breaking Origin Pill, also began his closed-door cultivation upon seeing Zhang Fan's preparations, hoping to break through to the Nascent Soul stage. As for Xue Jing, although he had cultivated to the peak of the Golden Core realm, he dared not attempt a breakthrough, much like Zhang Fan, who was at the peak of the Condensing Core stage and dared not form his Golden Core. He wished to use the companion flower of the Zhi Wu Yuan Guo to elevate his Golden Core to First-grade, and thus could only improve his strength through other means. And so, under the shroud of these two formations, the three of them began their cultivation.
Zhang Fan sat cross-legged in the whistling snow, retrieving the Black Jade Treasure Bottle from his Star Realm. He gently removed the stopper and carefully took out a drop of 'Black Dragon Cloud Flame Dew,' letting it fall onto his palm.
"Hiss!"
Like being scorched by intense heat, Zhang Fan's palm rapidly turned red, especially the center, which glowed a deep crimson as if about to melt. The Black Dragon was a pure-blooded true dragon, akin to the Blood Dragon, and the Black Dragon's flame was considered the most potent among all true dragons. The breath of a pure-blooded Black Dragon could even refine true immortals, illustrating its ferocity. The sliver of dragon flame from the 'Black Dragon Cloud Flame Dew,' though extremely faint, was still beyond the tolerance of ordinary Golden Core cultivators. Otherwise, Li Yangzi, who was skilled in alchemy, would not have been helpless against this 'Black Dragon Cloud Flame Dew.'
Zhang Fan's expression remained calm as he gazed at the drop of cloud dew emitting a faint Black Dragon flame in his palm. His resolve hardened, and he abruptly swallowed it.
The moment it entered his mouth, Zhang Fan's fair skin turned fiery red. His entire body seemed to be steamed, emitting wisps of smoke even in the sub-zero temperatures of the plateau. The surrounding glaciers and snow melted, and his body gradually sank, becoming covered by the meltwater. The faint Black Dragon flame rampaged within Zhang Fan's body, constantly damaging his physical form. Fortunately, he practiced the Myriad Domain Suppressing Divine Body, which had already reached the quasi-minor accomplishment stage, making it not only formidable but also possessing extremely strong recovery capabilities. As the Black Dragon flame wreaked havoc within him, the Black Dragon Cloud Flame Dew continuously nourished and repaired Zhang Fan's physique, making it stronger with each repair. Even so, it took Zhang Fan several days to completely refine this single drop of 'Black Dragon Cloud Flame Dew.'
"One drop is still far from enough!" Zhang Fan felt the strength of his physique. Although it had improved considerably, it was still a significant distance from a qualitative leap. Thus, he took out three more drops of Black Dragon Cloud Flame Dew from the jade bottle and swallowed them without hesitation. His first consumption had been a trial, testing his limits. Zhang Fan had assumed that consuming three drops at once would be within his tolerance, but the moment the three drops of Black Dragon Cloud Flame Dew were swallowed, he felt his judgment might have been flawed. The Black Dragon flame produced by three drops was far more than a simple sum of three. The pain increased geometrically, and even with Zhang Fan's resilience, he could not help but roar.
"Holy crap!"
The immense roar echoed across the vast plateau, causing even the fierce beasts on the plateau to prostrate themselves in fear.