After more than an hour, Yuan Ming looked up at the firmament and stood up again.

"Master, are you going to try again?" Vajra asked with furrowed brows.

Yuan Ming didn't speak, merely nodding silently; he never considered giving up.

Having said that, his figure once more soared into the sky, plunged into the clouds, and disappeared from Vajra and Hua Zhi's view.

An hour later, a figure engulfed in flames plummeted through the clouds and fell down.

This time, it was Vajra who caught him.

Compared to the last time, Yuan Ming's burns were more severe, but he didn't lose consciousness.

So the moment he touched down, he immediately activated the Origin Power of the Undying Tree to heal his bodily injuries and then swallowed an elixir, continuing to recover through Breathing Control.

This time, he sat in meditation for an entire day and night; when his physical condition was at its best, he commenced his third attempt.

Above the Nine Heavens, searing Power of the Sun poured into his body; Yuan Ming furiously operated the Demon Image Prison Suppression Skill to refine it, while simultaneously mobilizing the Half-demon Power within him to counterbalance it, forcibly achieving a state of equilibrium.

Thus, after a full two hours, apart from severe burns, Yuan Ming's flesh and blood did not burst into flames, which gave him a glimpse of success.

Yuan Ming firmly believed that as long as he could withstand this phase and accumulate enough Power of the Sun within him, breaking through to the Body of Wanxiang would come naturally.

However, after another hour had passed, Yuan Ming sensed that he had enough Power of the Sun inside him, to the point of almost overflowing, yet the shackles blocking his path to the Body of Wanxiang showed no sign of loosening.

Finally, the Power of the Sun inside Yuan Ming backlashed once more.

The inferno that ensued this time completely charred his flesh and bones to a crisp, and his consciousness inevitably slipped into unconsciousness.

It took three days for his body to fully recover and for him to awaken anew.

After meditating and regulating his breathing, Yuan Ming planned to try once again.

"Master, your injuries were extremely severe this time; you cannot force another attempt. I fear the next time you might not recover so easily," Vajra said with a frown.

"I can feel it, I'm just a bit away from the breakthrough," Yuan Ming said, shaking his head, his voice slightly hoarse.

"Fellow Daoist Yuan, perhaps you should heed a piece of advice. Although Body Cultivation is based on toughening the corporeal body, that is not all there is to it," Qi Ye's voice also sounded from within his Sea of Consciousness at this time.

"Fellow Daoist Qi Ye, what do you mean by that?" Yuan Ming sensed there was more to his words and asked with knitted brows.

"I am not purely a Body Cultivator, but during my time in the Demon World, I have heard rumours about the titans of the Demon Clan who exclusively followed the path of Body Cultivation. It is said that upon reaching a certain stage in their Cultivation, they no longer simply pursue the growth of physical strength. Some great demons even halt their killing spree to focus on tranquil Cultivation instead," Qi Ye responded.

"Are you talking about 'intent'?" Yuan Ming asked with mild surprise and confusion.

"Indeed, it seems you are aware," Qi Ye remarked.

"When I was breaking through the Tongqiao Body, I had already realized the Conception," Yuan Ming stated, frowning.

"Fellow Daoist Yuan, there's a considerable distance between realizing the Conception and truly integrating it," Qi Ye said with a laugh.

"Are you saying that my insufficient understanding of the Conception is leading to my inability to break the bottleneck?" Yuan Ming inquired.

"Well, I can't say for certain that it is the case. However, every overwhelmingly powerful Body Cultivator I know of in the Demon World has a profound realization of the Conception. They can integrate their understanding of the Conception with their Cultivation, nurturing the intent with their body, strengthening the body with intent. I believe that the key to your breakthrough to the Body of Wanxiang may lie therein," Qi Ye explained.

Hearing this, Yuan Ming fell into a prolonged silence.

Although Qi Ye's words were laced with many uncertainties, they undoubtedly pointed out a direction to him.

Previously, when he was absorbing the Power of the Sun, he actually felt a reaction; his absorption of the Power of the Sun was adequate, so the problem preventing the breakthrough to the Body of Wanxiang might lie elsewhere.

Perhaps, just as Qi Ye mentioned, what he lacked was the integration with "intent".

"Thank you, Fellow Daoist Qi Ye, for unraveling this puzzle," Yuan Ming expressed his sincere thanks.

"We share both glory and loss; there's no need for such formality," Qi Ye remarked.

With this enlightenment, Yuan Ming put aside his intention to soar into the sky.

"Master, you're not going to try anymore?" Vajra asked.

"Come, join me in entering the Black Wind Desert," Yuan Ming declared.

"To the desert, for what?" Vajra inquired, puzzled.

"Help me to further comprehend the 'intent' of Body Cultivation," Yuan Ming said, and without further explanation, he grabbed Vajra's arm and whisked him away in flight.

Seeing this, Hua Zhi also hurriedly followed suit.

...

Several days later, in the Black Wind Desert.

The wind swept up the remnants of the sandstorm under the scorching sun; two figures stood about a mile apart, their slanted shadows merging with the vast black sands.

The two figures were none other than Yuan Ming and Vajra. Yuan Ming stood with his eyes closed and hands drooping, his expression tranquil, while Vajra watched intently ahead, as if he were looking at Yuan Ming, yet also as if gazing into the distant expanse.

After a while, Yuan Ming suddenly opened his eyes, looked at Vajra, and spoke:

"Vajra, we both practice the Demon Image Prison Suppression Skill. Let's fight it out today using our Body Cultivation divine skills, how about that?"

"Is Master trying to comprehend that 'intent' through this?" Vajra inquired.

"Indeed." Yuan Ming nodded in affirmation.

"Alright." Vajra agreed without hesitation, nodding his head.

"You must give it your all, no holding back." Yuan Ming cautioned.

Vajra didn't speak again. In response to Yuan Ming, his body swiftly expanded, and in the blink of an eye, he transformed into the form of a giant ape.

Dark Demonic Qi revolved around his body, and his presence felt even more powerful than it had been back in Snake King Valley.

With a thunderous roar from Vajra, his burly body charged toward Yuan Ming.

Seeing this, Yuan Ming grinned and allowed the Demon Image Prison Suppression Skill to operate, propelling his body forward to meet the charge.

...

An hour later, a huge crater several miles in diameter appeared in the desert, and Vajra, somewhat drained, lay at the bottom of the sand pit, letting the surrounding flowing sands converge toward him.

Outside the sand pit, Yuan Ming sat cross-legged, his eyes tranquil and deep, seeming to pierce through the void as he contemplated the battle process with Vajra.

Vajra's "intent" is known as "Violent Blood," a mindset that involves burning one's Essence Blood as a sacrifice to greatly enhance fighting power, focusing on decisive, unyielding combat determination.

The stronger the War Intent, the stronger the power unleashed, and the demands for comprehending the "intent" are not too excessive.

Yuan Ming's "intent" is known as "Shared Fate," a mindset that binds one's own destiny to the opponent's. There haven't been many opponents worthy enough for him to use this tactic against, so his use and insight into it have hardly improved.

In the previous fierce battle with Vajra, although they both went all out, they were ultimately not fighting with their lives on the line. Therefore, Yuan Ming didn't apply Shared Life Fist Intent to lock himself with Vajra.

Consequently, his comprehension was still lacking by a lot.

At that moment, Hua Zhi came to the bottom of the pit, squatting beside Vajra, and asked, "Stinky monkey, what is Master doing?"

"How would I know? Go ask Master yourself," Vajra replied irritably.

He was, of course, aware that Yuan Ming intended to comprehend "intent," but the address "stinky monkey" made him lose interest in sharing the matter with Hua Zhi. Right now, he just wanted to recover his strength as quickly as possible. My V^irtual Lib&ra!ry@ E+m-p%i-re ($*$) tha*nk.s% you for re*adin+g! at the so^urce#.

If Master needed him, he was prepared to fight Yuan Ming again.

However, just then, a rumbling sound suddenly came from afar.

Vajra suddenly noticed that the sand pit beneath him started to vibrate. He focused and saw the grains of sand beside him bouncing slightly.

"This is... Black Wind is coming!" Hua Zhi realized.

They both hastily got to their feet and leaped out of the pit, only to see Yuan Ming had already stood up, gazing into the distance.

Following his gaze, they saw the previously clear sky was now enshrouded by a vast swath of dark clouds, which were moving toward them at a visible pace.

Below the clouds, violent black tornadoes whipped up countless grains of sand, swirling into the high clouds like black demon dragons.

Hundreds of massive sand dust dragons moved side by side, forming a towering sandstorm wall hundreds of feet high, rapidly advancing toward them.

Farther away, the sand dunes on the desert floor seemed to come alive as well.

Grains of sand were whipped up and raced wildly across the ground. From a distance, they appeared like true, terrifying waves, cresting and rolling toward them wave after wave.

"Master..." Hua Zhi spoke upon seeing Yuan Ming unmoving from his spot.

Yuan Ming came to his senses at the sound, glanced at them, and his eyes returned to the pitch-black sandstorm engulfing the sky.

Then, he slapped the Spiritual Beast Bag at his waist, calling out Lei Yu.

"I'm going to cultivate within this Black Wind sandstorm. You two follow Lei Yu to find shelter elsewhere for now, and come to look for me later," Yuan Ming instructed.

Without waiting for their response, Yuan Ming's figure soared, darting into the Black Wind sandstorm.

Just as he entered the sandstorm, he felt the temperature around him drop sharply, and a sandstorm tornado was already howling towards him.

The "whoosh" of the wind, carrying sand particles, scraped across his cheek.

Yuan Ming's eyes narrowed. He immediately took up a stance and activated the Demon Image Prison Suppression Skill, harnessing the Demon Image Battle Intent to lock onto the approaching sandstorm tornado.

In that instant, the sandstorm tornado appeared not as a force of nature, but as if it possessed life, binding and locking its fate with his.

"Life-lock."

Yuan Ming uttered in a low voice and stepped toward the roaring Black Wind sandstorm tornado, his fist, long charged with power, clenched tightly as he threw a punch.

In a flash, the void vibrated as if a Demon Image had reared its head and roared. A punch from Fist Power collided with the sand particles in the empty air, solidifying into the head of a massive Demon Image that smashed toward the sandstorm tornado.

With a thunderous boom!

The sandstorm tornado, hundreds of feet high, shattered mightily, unable to withstand even a single punch from Yuan Ming.