Within the cave, as Gu He's words fell, the energy light sphere suspended in the void immediately transformed into a beam of light, shooting directly into Gu He's body.

Before Gu He could react, he felt a massive surge of energy pouring into his body. This power was immensely violent, like a rushing river, surging and turbulent.

"Boom!"

A faint muffled sound echoed within Gu He's body, and a flush of crimson spread across his face.

The energy contained within the light sphere exploded within Gu He, causing his entire body to tremble slightly.

Sensing the changes within him, Gu He quickly realized the situation. Without hesitation, he immediately began to control the overwhelming energy.

However, as Gu He began to engage with this energy, he realized that it was even more immense than he had imagined.

This energy was like an unbridled wild horse, galloping through Gu He's body with unparalleled ferocity, charging through his meridians.

An excruciating pain engulfed Gu He's senses. "I Underestimated this energy once again."

At this moment, beads of cold sweat formed on Gu He's forehead, and his face twisted in agony.

With the previous experience of assimilating energy, Gu He thought he was prepared and capable of withstanding this power.

However, this energy far exceeded the energy he had previously returned – it corresponded to five years of cultivation at the Ninth Grade Dou King realm, all entering his body at once.

This energy held a destructive force, and as it surged through, every muscle in Gu He's body twitched slightly.

"To assimilate this energy, I must suppress it first."

Gu He's mind concentrated as he circulated the Dou Qi within his body, forming protective barriers within his meridians, blocking the onslaught of energy.

"If this body hadn't been tempered by the Nine Abyssal Flames, it probably wouldn't endure this turmoil. However, continually blocking this energy won't be a solution."

The unending flow of energy surged into his body. As this energy accumulated, the protective barriers formed by his condensed Dou Qi were shattered.

Once again, the energy surged and impacted his meridians. Gu He's meridians were struggling to bear the torment and began to distort.

Sensing this, Gu He's brow furrowed. "I must quickly assimilate this energy. Otherwise, if all this energy pours into my body, my body won't withstand the impact. Even if I manage to assimilate it in the end, it will likely leave behind hidden injuries."

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Gu He's handsome face turned stern, his waist-length hair billowing, and an overpowering aura spread from him.

Subsequently, the melodious chirping of birds unexpectedly resonated within Gu He's body. Following that, a substantial purple flame manifested within Gu He's body.

In an instant, Gu He controlled the flame to rush towards the surging energy. "Disperse this energy, scatter it throughout my body, then I will gradually assimilate it."

Roar!

The purple flame grew more intense. Stream after stream of purple flames condensed within Gu He's body, crashing forcefully into the torrential energy and breaking it apart.

Seeing this scene, Gu He exhaled a sigh of relief, watching as the energy resembling a floodwater was disintegrated. "Next, I'll need to assimilate this energy, though thoroughly integrating it might take some time."

Afterwards, Gu He closed his eyes, focusing his mind and Qi, and began to completely assimilate the energy within his body.

Inside the dim cave, silence gradually enveloped the surroundings.

As time passed, in the blink of an eye, ten days had gone by.

Inside the valley, within the cave buried beneath the pile of rubble, a pair of eyes that had been shut for nearly ten days finally trembled slightly and slowly opened.

As the eyes opened, bolts of lightning seemed to streak through the pitch-black irises like thunderstorms.

In that instant, within the stifling cave, even the air emitted a faint crackling sound.

With the opening of those eyes, the formidable aura that had remained dormant for nearly ten days surged like an awakened army. Raising his head slowly toward the sky, a roaring sound that could shake the heavens and earth resonated from him.

Under this aura, which was several times more powerful than before, the cave trembled faintly. Cracks as thick as arms spread from where the white-clad man sat cross-legged, resembling a spider's web as they extended to every corner of the cave.

"Crack!"

A faint sound came from the seated stone, and then tiny cracks suddenly appeared. At an astonishing speed, these cracks spread throughout the entire stone. Finally, with a deep rumbling sound, the stone shattered into countless fragments.

Although the stone shattered, the white-clad man who sat on it remained motionless. His legs were crossed in mid-air without the slightest external force supporting him.

"So, this is the sensation of a Dou Emperor." Gu He's hands slowly spread out, and as he felt the surging formidable Dou Qi within his body, a faint arc appeared at the corner of his mouth.

At this moment, a sense of dominance over the world emerged within him. The powerful soul force emanated from his body's core, expanding like a storm in all directions, sweeping through like lightning.

The vigorous soul force swiftly spread from the cave, enveloping the entire valley. As it scanned, Gu He learned about the situation within the entire valley.

However, the expansion of his soul force didn't halt within the valley. It continued to expand towards the immense Demon Beast Mountain Range. As his soul force expanded, numerous scenes were reflected in Gu He's mind.

Of course, within the formidable Demon Beast Mountain Range, a few powerful beasts couldn't escape Gu He's soul scan. Although many of the lower-tiered beasts were aware of his scan, apart from some special creatures, most couldn't inflict any harm on Gu He's soul.

Consequently, within the vast mountain range, earth-shattering roars resounded, and numerous lower-tiered demonic beasts shivered as they sensed Gu He's soul scan.

Despite these beasts sensing Gu He's presence, apart from a few possessing special abilities, most couldn't affect his formidable soul force. Thus, under his overwhelming scan, his soul remained unscathed.

The powerful soul force spanned a radius of hundreds of miles. However, there seemed to be a certain limit to this expansion.

Thus, when Gu He's soul force reached a certain mountain stream, it was unable to proceed further.

Witnessing this, Gu He's mind stirred. The soul force that had expanded like a tide instantly retracted like lightning. In just a few breaths, it was entirely retracted into his body.

As his soul force was fully contained, Gu He tilted his head back slightly and exhaled a long breath. "It's time to end my seclusion."