BTTH: DISCIPLE CASHBACK SYSTEM

Chapter 524: Gu He Begins Seclusion

This time, Gu He planned to use the 123 years of cultivation returned by Zi Yan along with the combined 22+ years from Liu Ling and Qing Lin to attempt breaking through to advanced Half-Saint level and make his bid for the true Dou Saint realm.

After arriving in the valley, Gu He first located a large flat bluestone to serve as his meditation platform. Sitting cross-legged, he immediately began absorbing the modest amount of cultivation energy returned by Qing Lin. This relatively small amount only required about half a day to fully absorb and integrate.

Without wasting any time, Gu He then turned to the more substantial 22 years of cultivation returned by Liu Ling. Thanks to his current state - where his Dou Qi had already undergone nine cycles of compression and refinement - absorbing this quantity of energy posed no difficulty. The process flowed smoothly, and after approximately seven days, he had completely refined and assimilated all 22 years worth of cultivation.

Now Gu He's power had reached the absolute peak of advanced Half-Saint level. He stood at the threshold, needing just one final push to cross over into the one-star Dou Saint realm.

"System, extract the 123 years of cultivation returned by Zi Yan!"

With this mental command, a tremendous surge of purple energy erupted from his system space and flooded into his body. The impact caused a dull internal explosion as the vast power began circulating through his meridians.

This energy proved far more violent than the previous batches, raging through his body like a tempest. However, after continuous tempering by his Lifebound Divine Flame, Gu He's physical form - from bones to meridians - had reached incredible resilience. Even this torrential energy couldn't threaten him.

Gu He immediately summoned his Lifebound Divine Flame, using it to carefully parcel out and refine the wild energy into manageable portions. While his refining speed was impressive, the sheer volume - equivalent to 123 years of cultivation at his current level - meant the process would require about a month to complete.

Northwestern Border of Jia Ma Empire - Stone Desert City

After several days of steady travel, Liu Ling finally arrived at the outskirts of the vast Tagor Desert. In this remote border region, the Big Brother Mercenary Group now dominated, with influence extending across more than a dozen cities and throughout the nearby Magical Beast Mountain Range.

Despite the organization's rapid expansion and growing power, its headquarters remained in this modest desert-border town. Liu Ling didn't pause here though - he passed directly over the city, continuing his journey deeper into the desert wastes.

The desert sky stretched clear and endless, dominated by a blazing sun that scorched the golden sands below. The heat was so intense it made the very air shimmer and distort above the dunes.

 Travelers in Tagor Desert faced two primary dangers: the magical beasts lurking beneath the sands, and the native snake-people who called this harsh environment home.

Since the snake-people's large-scale invasion of human cities two years ago, the residents of the Jia Ma Empire's borderlands had witnessed their formidable power firsthand. Though the snake tribes had withdrawn for unknown reasons afterward, no one dared underestimate them.

Moreover, the Big Brother Mercenary Group—the largest mercenary organization in the border region—had established a strict rule prohibiting its members from entering the desert to hunt or traffic female snake-people. As a result, humans hadn't ventured deep into the desert for quite some time.

Yet now, under the scorching sun, a tall figure in blue robes walked calmly across the sky at an impossible altitude.

This was Liu Ling, who had entered the desert in search of Yue Mei.

With his cultivation level, Liu Ling could easily avoid detection by ordinary snake-people.

Holding a map marked with eight red dots representing the eight major snake tribes, Liu Ling's finger paused on one near the edge. "This should be Yue Mei's tribe," he murmured.

Confirming his direction, Liu Ling set off toward the marked location. Though flying high above, his powerful spiritual senses allowed him to monitor the desert below.

After half an hour of travel, his senses detected numerous lifeforms ahead. Slowing his pace, he soon spotted ancient, towering walls in the distance.

On the battlements stood over a dozen stern-faced snake-women, their sharp eyes scanning the sands. Their sun-darkened skin, striking features, and distinctive diamond-shaped pupils gave them an exotic allure. Most captivating were their sinuous waists—so mesmerizing that human men watching their dances often found themselves embarrassingly aroused.

But Liu Ling had no interest in such distractions. Concealing his presence with spiritual energy, he flew silently over the walls.

In his memories, Yue Mei had been the leader of this tribe, a high-level Dou King. Yet after searching extensively, Liu Ling couldn't detect any Dou King-level auras within the settlement.

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