After an indeterminate amount of time had passed, Ye Yunfei finally succeeded in refining and integrating the first grain of Star Mother Sand into his own flesh.
"Star Mother Sand truly is incomparably heavy."
Ye Yunfei felt that after refining that single grain into his body, his flesh had actually become significantly heavier.
If a single grain could have such an effect, what would it be like if he refined all the abundant Star Mother Sand before him into his flesh?
Ye Yunfei felt a flicker of anticipation.
Next, Ye Yunfei continuously refined and integrated grain after grain of Star Mother Sand into his flesh.
He discovered that with each grain he refined, his flesh would grow a little heavier.
As more and more Star Mother Sand was refined into his flesh, Ye Yunfei felt his body begin to resemble a staggeringly heavy divine mountain. Even without any movement, simply sitting cross-legged here was causing the surrounding space to groan and crack under pressure, as if the space could no longer withstand the dreadful weight of his physical form.
And so, time flew by; it was impossible to tell how much had passed.
Finally, Ye Yunfei had refined and integrated all the Star Mother Sand he had acquired during this period into his flesh.
"Both my raw flesh strength and the quality of my physique have taken a huge leap forward."
Ye Yunfei stood up. With a light clenching of his fists, the surrounding space immediately shuddered with thunderous rumbles. Energy whirlwinds, one after another, centered on his body, furiously spun and surged out in all directions.
"With my current physical strength, facing off against Primary Void Gods should be quite effortless, right?"
Ye Yunfei sensed his own power, brimming with confidence.
"Aside from strength and quality, the sheer weight of my flesh has also become terrifying now. That's because my body contains a massive quantity of Star Mother Sand. Each grain is immensely heavy. The combined weight of this many grains concentrated within my physique means that even without exerting any force or energy, a single light step could easily shatter the earth, couldn't it?"
Ye Yunfei said with a laugh.
"Alright, I'll take advantage of this opportunity to refine a few more Deity-level treasures, further enhancing the quality of my body."
After a moment of thought, Ye Yunfei sat back down cross-legged. With a wave of his hand, he produced a large batch of Deity-level artifacts and began refining them.
Naturally, the artifacts Ye Yunfei was refining and fusing into his flesh were all at the Primary Void God level.
After refining and integrating a batch of divine artifacts, Ye Yunfei assessed the quality and strength of his body and found that it had improved once again.
"With my physical strength alone, I can already crush Primary Void Gods," Ye Yunfei stated slowly.
"My alchemy skills have been continuously improving; I should soon be able to refine Divine Pills."
Ye Yunfei took out a pill he had just refined, examined it for a moment, and spoke.
During this period, Ye Yunfei had been constantly contemplating and studying the alchemy techniques imparted by the white-haired elder of the Miraculous Hand Pavilion. Moreover, one of his avatars had been relentlessly refining pills inside the Phantom Tower. As a result, his alchemy proficiency was soaring rapidly.
Ye Yunfei realized that the quality of the pills he could currently produce was getting closer and closer to that of genuine Divine Pills.
"If I can refine Divine Pills, I'll become a Divine Pill Alchemist," Ye Yunfei said with a smile.
"My Soul Power energy intensity has also increased significantly during this time."
Ye Yunfei sensed the potency of his Soul Power energy and felt quite satisfied.
While studying alchemy, he had also been constantly refining the Soul Force Energy-type crystals given by that white-haired elder from the Miraculous Hand Pavilion. These crystals were of Deity-level quality, continuously raising Ye Yunfei's Soul Power energy level.
Assessing inwardly, Ye Yunfei felt his current Soul Power energy level was approximately on par with that of a Primary Void God.
For a mere Perfected Demigod to possess such terrifying Soul Power was exceedingly rare in the world. Of course, this was also because Ye Yunfei possessed two Soul Bodies and cultivated the forbidden secret technique of the Soul Race, the Soul Power Star Method. Furthermore, a Soul-Nourishing Tree within his soul sea constantly nurtured both his Soul Bodies. Combining all these factors, Ye Yunfei's Soul Power energy level far exceeded that of his peers.
"Although I'm still a Perfected Demigod, my actual combat power fully belongs to the Primary Void God level, even stronger than most Primary Void Gods," Ye Yunfei declared confidently.
"People always think of Deities as lofty beings who suppress all. It's believed that even a Perfected Demigod is but an ant before a true Deity. Yet you, as a Perfected Demigod, possess Deity-level strength and have even slain Deities. One could say you've shattered the image of Deities being untouchable."
Having listened to Ye Yunfei's musings, Hun Lao couldn't help but say with a chuckle.
Then, with a flash of his figure, Ye Yunfei emerged from the Phantom Tower.
"Little girl Xiao Xiao's Lightning Tribulation is nearing its end."
At this moment, Ye Yunfei noticed the tribulation clouds above Xiao Xiao's head were slowly dissipating. Xiao Xiao herself sat motionless in mid-air, seemingly contemplating something.
Soon, Xiao Xiao's Lightning Tribulation vanished completely, and the sky cleared once more. After another moment, Xiao Xiao suddenly opened her eyes and let out a long, piercing cry that shot straight into the clouds. Then she stood up and, in a single step, appeared before Ye Yunfei and Cui Hong.
"Miss Xiao, congratulations on your successful breakthrough."
Sensing Xiao Xiao's energy aura, Ye Yunfei knew she had successfully advanced to become a Mid-Level Void God.
"I must thank you for the Divine King Fruit you gave me. It truly is miraculous. After refining it, I immediately faced the Lightning Tribulation and broke through. Moreover, I find my current foundation is more solid and stable compared to when I was a Primary Void God. With my current combat power, I can fight head-on even against veteran Mid-Level Void Gods," Xiao Xiao declared, brimming with confidence.
"Haha, that's excellent. I believe Sister Afang will be delighted for you when she finds out," Cui Hong said with a smile.
"And you, Young Master Ye? In such a short time, you couldn't have refined much Star Mother Sand, could you? Star Mother Sand is a top-tier treasure for physical cultivation, but it's also quite dangerous. You shouldn't be over-eager," Cui Hong turned his gaze to Ye Yunfei, sensing his physique, and spoke.
"Senior, I have already refined and integrated all of the Star Mother Sand into my flesh," Ye Yunfei replied.
"What? You refined all of it in such a short time? That's far too dangerous!" Hearing Ye Yunfei's words, Cui Hong was taken aback.
He had thought that in such a brief period, Ye Yunfei might only have refined a small portion. He never expected Ye Yunfei to have already refined it all.
"Yes, Senior, I've refined all the Star Mother Sand into my flesh, and the benefits are immense. I wish to collect even more Star Mother Sand next, as its effect on my physique is simply too great," Ye Yunfei nodded in affirmation.
Putting aside other benefits, Ye Yunfei felt that the sheer weight of his current body alone could be used in battle against Primary Void Gods. The Star Mother Sand, like the artifacts he had refined into his body, could circulate within him according to his will. During combat, if he concentrated all the Star Mother Sand within his body into his palm, he wouldn't even need to use energy or physical force; the sheer weight of that palm would be enough to suppress a Primary Void God.
"Young Master Ye, it seems the quality of your physique surpasses even my imagination. Others refining Star Mother Sand must proceed with utmost caution, absolutely daring not to refine so much in one short stretch, as failing to withstand it would inflict severe damage. Probably only you, Young Master Ye, would dare refine so much Star Mother Sand in such a short time," Cui Hong couldn't help but exclaim in admiration.
"Alright then, let's continue."
Cui Hong nodded.
During this time, not only had Ye Yunfei's strength increased, but Cui Hong and Xiao Xiao's power had also risen. It could be said that the overall combat power of this trio was now a significant leap ahead compared to before.
In the following period, Cui Hong, Ye Yunfei, and Xiao Xiao continued to explore and search for treasures throughout the True Phoenix Tomb. Ye Yunfei successively harvested even more Star Mother Sand. Not long after, Ye Yunfei again took time to refine and integrate another batch of Star Mother Sand into his flesh.
Consequently, Ye Yunfei's body grew even heavier.
To test just how heavy his current body was, Ye Yunfei flew above a towering mountain peak. Without using any energy or exerting physical strength, relying solely on his body's weight, he leaped down from the high altitude toward the peak below.
Rumble…
As Ye Yunfei's body descended, its dreadful weight instantly caused a large swath of the space below to collapse. Infinite fragments of void madnessly swirled and danced.
Finally, with a deafening boom, before Ye Yunfei even landed on the mountain, the peak, unable to withstand his terrifying weight, was crushed and exploded outright. A deluge of earth, sand, and stones sprayed out in all directions like a rain of mud.
By the time Ye Yunfei's feet touched the ground, that once tall mountain had long since vanished. With a thunderous crash, Ye Yunfei's feet impacted the earth, instantly causing the ground to collapse and cave in.
Boom! Boom!
Ye Yunfei's body, like a celestial meteorite from outer space, smashed deep into the earth and disappeared from sight, leaving behind a massive, pitch-black chasm on the surface.
By now, Ye Yunfei's body had already burrowed deep underground.
Rumble…
In the depths of the earth, Ye Yunfei saw numerous earth dragons fleeing from the spot he had just smashed through.
"Star Mother Sand truly is a first-rate treasure for physique cultivation. Even without employing energy or physical force, I can now unleash formidable power using the sheer weight of my body alone."
Ye Yunfei shot out from the depths of the earth and stood above the ground chasm he had just created, speaking with satisfaction.
This spot had once been a towering mountain peak. Now, that mountain was gone without a trace, replaced by a bottomless, inky-black abyss in the earth.
"Excellent. With my current strength, if I encounter those Primary Void Gods from the Guardian Faction again, I can kill as many as come, and it might not even be enough to satisfy me."
Clenching his fists and feeling the surging, turbulent power within his flesh, Ye Yunfei let out a cold laugh.
"Young Master Ye, your current physique is truly awe-inspiring. It's far too formidable," Cui Hong couldn't help but exclaim in admiration.
He and Xiao Xiao had been watching from the side.
Right at this moment, Ye Yunfei's expression shifted slightly. He retrieved a jade slip from his person and sensed its contents. This was the jade slip given to him not long ago by those two Restorers.
"Senior, Miss Xiao, I've just received news. The main headquarters of the True Phoenix Clan has been discovered within the True Phoenix Tomb. It is said that the true inheritance and treasures of the True Phoenix Clan are stored within that headquarters."
After reading the message in the communication jade slip, Ye Yunfei immediately relayed it to Cui Hong and Xiao Xiao.