Chapter Sixty-Six: Breaking Through to Foundation Establishment

Moving through the mountain forests, Ye Yun’s heart was as cold as winter.

Reflecting on the past, it was as though a sword manifested within his mind, severing every memory connected to Ye Qian. With the wisdom blade cutting through his own attachments, his spiritual mind grew lucid, and his state of mind rose to new heights. After this experience, Ye Yun was indeed filled with deep feelings. Suddenly, he seemed to understand why his master had chosen to leave—perhaps the legendary founder himself had simply grown weary of this place.

Cloudwater City was too small. Even the entire northwestern frontier was but the tip of the iceberg compared to the vast Holy Dragon Dynasty. A desire to leave this place began to stir in Ye Yun’s heart, yet what weighed on him most were his parents. Apart from them, there was nothing left in the Ye Clan to keep him.

He did not return to Cloudwater City. The purpose of this journey was to break through to the Foundation Establishment stage; Ye Qian’s affair was but a minor episode and could not delay what truly mattered.

In the outer regions of Sunset Mountain, members of the Ye Clan would sometimes appear to search for spiritual herbs or hunt demonic beasts. Thus, Ye Yun ventured deep into the heart of Sunset Mountain—a place where great demons lurked, claws bared and fangs glistening. Even Foundation Establishment cultivators would not dare enter lightly.

Though Sunset Mountain was perilous for most cultivators of the Ye and Wu Clans, Ye Yun moved here as if it were his own backyard. A year prior, when he was only at the peak of Qi Refining, he could already best those at the early Foundation Establishment stage. Now, the early Foundation demons who had once fought him sensed his presence and dared not show themselves.

“The mad cultivator from the Ye Clan is here again!”

“Damn it, that human brat is absurdly young but terrifyingly strong. Last time, he shattered all my bones.”

“Quiet! We early Foundation demons are no match for him, but there are plenty of mid-stage Foundation demons in these mountains.”

The great demons who roamed this region exchanged thoughts through divine sense. At the mere mention of the Ye Clan’s madman, their faces darkened, haunted by memories best forgotten.

All the great demons hid themselves away. Yet Ye Yun’s spiritual sense was all-pervasive; though these wild demons believed their concealment flawless, their techniques were crude and unrefined, easily detected by him.

Once, he had not been a match for the Foundation demons, but soon he could leave them groaning in defeat—especially the Azure-Feathered Firebird, which he forced to abandon three nests, fleeing deeper into the mountains.

But this time, Ye Yun was not here to temper himself by battling demons.

Soon, he discovered a secluded valley, lush with blooming flowers—a paradise, where birdsong and the hum of insects blended into a heavenly melody, soothing the soul.

The Scarlet Flame Tome recorded that the denser the world’s spiritual energy at the site of a breakthrough, the better. Here, the energy was abundant, with faint traces of spiritual essence swirling in the air.

“What a pity,” Ye Yun murmured to himself, “such a beautiful place will soon be destroyed.” Yet he did not seek another spot; such richness of spiritual energy was hard to find.

At the heart of the valley, Ye Yun sat cross-legged amid the wildflowers. He did not immediately begin to break through, but first closed his eyes, quieting his mind into a state as still as an ancient well.

A moment later, he opened his eyes, calm as a placid lake.

He activated the Scarlet Flame Tome’s cultivation method. His skin flushed crimson, and a demonic flame sigil appeared between his brows, mysterious and profound, as if containing endless truths.

His organs quaked violently; torrents of internal energy surged through him like mighty rivers. Ancient, weathered power emanated from the demonic patterns now etched upon his bones.

The scarlet flame sigil was branded into his skeleton, and a wisp of pure flame sprouted in his dantian. This was the mark of mastery over the Scarlet Flame Qi Refining method.

Breaking through from peak Qi Refining to Foundation Establishment was crucial—Ye Yun did not dare be careless. He turned his right hand and grasped a lower-grade spirit marrow stone, channeling his cultivation method to absorb its spiritual energy and accelerate the Scarlet Flame technique.

Meanwhile, with his left hand he retrieved the relic, holding it ready—everything was in place.

As for Foundation Establishment pills, with the Scarlet Flame method, he had no need for such external aids.

Pure, flawless spiritual energy surged into him; Ye Yun felt waves of heat rushing through his body, transforming into scarlet internal energy, which surged like a flood from his four limbs and bones toward the sea of qi at his dantian.

To lay the foundation is to compress and refine one’s inner energy at the center of the dantian to the utmost limit, such that it transforms in quality and becomes a higher order of true qi.

This is why Foundation Establishment cultivators can so easily overpower those at the Qi Refining stage—a single strand of true qi equals the combined inner energy of a Qi Refining practitioner.

Within his dantian, all the scarlet inner energy gathered together. Guided by his spiritual sense and the cultivation method, Ye Yun compressed and spun the energy faster and faster, until finally it formed a stable vortex at the core of his dantian—signaling the successful establishment of his foundation.

At the same time, the pure flame danced atop the sea of qi, radiating intense heat and forging his flesh anew, tempering every fiber of his being, laying the most solid groundwork for his advancement.

“It’s done…”

After a long while, relief washed over Ye Yun’s face. The scarlet inner energy was of such high order that compressing it into true qi had nearly exhausted his spirit.

At the heart of his dantian, a palm-sized vortex formed, drawing true qi through his limbs and meridians. A blossom of pure flame hovered above the vortex, leaping and flickering like a sprite of the mortal realm.

Suddenly, a thunderous boom resounded in the sky above. Alarmed, Ye Yun immediately looked up to see a scarlet dragon-shaped bolt of lightning crash down from the heavens, striking straight for his crown.

The might of heaven descended. All the wild demons of Sunset Mountain trembled and cowered in their lairs, stricken by instinctive terror.

“Ah!”

So swift was the lightning that Ye Yun had no time to react. It struck him in an instant, and a blood-curdling scream tore from his lips as it felt his body would be torn apart by the raging light.

At the same moment, a boundless wave of scarlet flames erupted from the valley, sweeping out for miles in all directions. The land became a crimson wasteland—nothing left but ashes.

(Thanks to Yan Nai Feise for the stamp of approval. Waiting for your photo, my lady~)