Chapter 8: The Body Tempered by the Vast Wind, Thunder, and Fire (Part 3)

Over the past century, Luo Fan's body had undergone tremendous tempering. The strength of his body had already doubled compared to a century ago, which was four times stronger than before he entered the Vast Wind, Thunder, and Fire Layer.

With his body's strength reaching this level, the Vast Wind, Thunder, and Fire at this thousand-mile-deep position in the layer no longer posed any threat to him.

He hovered deep within the Vast Wind, Thunder, and Fire Layer, where the endless Vast Wind, Thunder, and Fire bombarded his body like river water hitting the shore. No matter how much, it would only be shattered and swept back, rejoining the surroundings, leaving no damage on his body.

This situation had persisted for several months.

On this day, Luo Fan, feeling no pain or discomfort from his body, finally realized that he had completely adapted to this level of Vast Wind, Thunder, and Fire. Staying here any longer would no longer provide any further tempering for his body.

In other words, he could move on to the next level!

Understanding this, Luo Fan looked up, his eyes filled with anticipation. What kind of world lay beyond this line? Would it be even more powerful Vast Wind, Thunder, and Fire?

Thinking about it, he filled all his meridians with the mysterious energy within his body, providing the best possible protection. Then, he moved his limbs, as if stepping on invisible stairs in the void, slowly ascending.

He thought that whatever lay beyond this line would certainly be more violent than the thousand-mile-deep position below. Therefore, he was well-prepared.

But unexpectedly, when he steeled himself to withstand the violent energy, he only felt a sudden emptiness!

The endless Vast Wind, Thunder, and Fire that had been bombarding his body for the past century instantly disappeared, making him feel as if he had left the Vast Wind, Thunder, and Fire Layer and returned to the lower primordial world, feeling light and free.

"This is... incredible..." Luo Fan looked around, his eyes filled with a sense of disbelief.

Because, he saw that the Vast Wind, Thunder, and Fire Layer above the thousand-mile mark was surprisingly spacious! The space that should have been filled with endless Vast Wind, Thunder, and Fire was instead sparsely populated with cloud-like formations, colorful and dazzling. Apart from these colorful clouds, other areas were like a vacuum, looking nothing like the dangerous and unpredictable Vast Wind, Thunder, and Fire Layer, but rather like the fairyland of legends.

"Danger!" Just as Luo Fan was marveling, a sense of foreboding arose in his heart.

Following the foreboding, he saw a cloud of fiery red with hints of purple less than a kilometer away. This cloud, after Luo Fan's appearance, seemed to be drawn by some force, quickly rushing towards him.

In the short time it took for Luo Fan to marvel, the cloud had already reached him.

Woo... A strange sound reached Luo Fan's ears, like countless evil spirits howling in his ear.

Luo Fan wanted to test what this red cloud with hints of purple would do, so he did not dodge, and his entire body collided with it.

"It feels like jelly..." This was Luo Fan's first impression.

"Too hot! Too numb!" This was his second impression.

When his body rushed into the cloud, it did not feel like a regular cloud, or even like a cloud at all, but rather like a jelly-like organism, with a somewhat resilient surface that provided some resistance.

Once inside, he realized that this was no cloud! It was a highly condensed form of various fires and thunder!

After Luo Fan entered, the originally calm and condensed cloud erupted with unimaginable destructive power. His body, which could withstand endless attacks in the thousand-mile-deep Vast Wind, Thunder, and Fire Layer without any damage, instantly turned black and charred, and in another instant, a small portion of his flesh was torn from his body!

Luo Fan was greatly alarmed, realizing he had been rash.

He quickly accelerated the mysterious energy within his body, completing eighty-one major cycles in a blink of an eye!

As the mysterious energy rapidly circulated, the damage to his body quickly began to heal.

However, the speed of the attack's destruction was several times faster than the healing speed, and with his current healing ability, he could not keep up with the destruction!

If he stayed here any longer, death would be his only outcome!

Luo Fan's heart trembled, finally understanding what the sense of danger in his heart meant. Although he felt some regret, he was more determined. In this critical situation, he had no intention of giving up. His body shook, and his limbs forcefully pushed off, and the four auspicious clouds beneath his feet generated a powerful force, propelling his body backward, out of the strange cloud.

After escaping the cloud, the terrifying divine fires and heavenly thunder no longer bombarded him, and his body rapidly healed. In just a few breaths, he was completely restored.

Woo... The cloud did not let up, continuing to rush towards Luo Fan after he escaped.

Luo Fan knew the energy within the cloud was terrifying and that he could not withstand it at his current level. He did not intend to be swallowed by the cloud, so he took a step, transforming into a grayish-white light to dodge the cloud's attack.

Although the cloud was fast, it did not give up on pursuing Luo Fan. However, its agility seemed to be a significant issue. Luo Fan easily turned and avoided the cloud, moving above it.

After easily dodging the cloud, Luo Fan almost couldn't believe how easily he had avoided it. He turned his body again, teasing the cloud a bit before using his agile form to easily escape.

The cloud emitted a strange wailing sound, tightly pursuing Luo Fan, refusing to give up no matter how much he teased it.

Thus, a chase began in this vast and seemingly empty space.

After a long time, Luo Fan finally realized that the cloud was actually a simple, instinctual life form. Or rather, every cloud within his line of sight was a simple, instinctual life form!

"Incredible!" Luo Fan could only think this. With his keen eyesight, he could clearly see that these clouds were formed by the simple aggregation of various Vast Wind, Thunder, and Fire. Yet, these simple aggregations of energy had somehow developed various instinctual consciousness, which was more than just incredible.

He tested this by luring the cloud towards a larger, more condensed cloud. In an instant, the smaller cloud was swallowed by the larger one without any resistance.

Luo Fan's heart stirred, and he lured the cloud that had swallowed the smaller one towards an even larger, more condensed cloud. The same situation occurred, and the cloud was swallowed without any resistance...

After several tests, he found that this always worked, and Luo Fan completely relaxed.

His body darted through the space, occasionally stomping or spitting to disperse the clouds, turning them back into Vast Wind, Thunder, and Fire, which were then swallowed by other clouds.

After a few more tests, he chose a smaller, less condensed cloud and entered it.

This cloud was formed by a dozen types of Vast Wind and thirty types of fire, with a power level that was average among the clouds he had encountered. It was perfect for tempering his body.

Indeed, after entering, the destruction and healing speeds of the Vast Wind and fire on his body were roughly equal.

The effect of tempering his body was also the best.

Thus, after more than half a year, the cloud no longer had any use for him. His body was no longer damaged within it. He leaped out of the cloud, opened his mouth, and spat, causing the cloud to emit a wailing sound and instantly shatter into countless pieces, dispersing as Vast Wind and divine fire, which were then swallowed by the surrounding clouds.

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(End of Chapter 8)