Chapter 493: Half-Step to the Divine Realm!
Chapter 493: Half-Step to the Divine Realm!
Within the forbidden grounds of the Seven Mysteries Sect, after bidding farewell to Xu Hongyu and her companions, Chen Mu returned to seclude himself once more.
He sat in a meditative posture within the deepest cave of the forbidden area, with a hazy and mysterious mist of Primordial Essence floating before him. His entire being seemed connected to this mist, as if attempting to guide and manipulate it, causing the mist to condense and transform.
This hazy mist was the very Primordial Essence he had obtained years ago from the Ice State Abyss.
The Primordial Essence was an extremely rare and peculiar object in the world. When he first acquired it, it had no apparent use, but now, as if guided by fate, it proved to be just what he needed. The third layer of the Soul Refining Technique required this very essence for guidance!
At this moment, Chen Mu's system panel clearly appeared before his eyes.
【Soul Path: Soul Refining Technique (Second Layer)】
【Experience: 1117 points】
Mastering the third layer of the Soul Refining Technique required a total of 4000 experience points. Chen Mu had already accumulated a quarter of the required amount, and if nothing unexpected happened, he would be able to master the third layer within a year at most.
"Let's continue."
Chen Mu closed his eyes and once again immersed himself in his cultivation.
Time flew by swiftly.
Before long, more than half a year had passed.
During this period, the world remained peaceful, with no major events occurring.
Xu Hongyu, accompanied by Chen Yao, returned to Yu Prefecture to visit. Their journey there and back took just over a month, and they encountered no unexpected incidents during this time, which was quite normal. After all, even the Great Xuan Dynasty's court would not dare offend Xu Hongyu and Chen Yao in the slightest.
Instead, Chen Yue continued on a different path, heading towards Jade Capital to further her training.
Seasons changed, and snow blanketed the land.
Chen Mu remained in seclusion within the cave of the forbidden grounds.
He sat there, with the Primordial Essence floating before him, and after an unknown duration, he finally exhaled and slowly opened his eyes, directing his gaze towards the system panel.
【Soul Path: Soul Refining Technique (Second Layer)】
【Experience: 4000 points】
After a year, the experience for the Soul Refining Technique finally reached its peak, allowing him to break through to the third layer.
Chen Mu, with a calm mind, simply moved his thoughts and consumed the experience to choose the upgrade.
Hum!
A flash of light accompanied the upgrade.
In an instant, countless experiences and insights flooded Chen Mu.
This was similar to his past experiences of comprehending the first and second layers through the system panel, even though the Soul Refining Technique was not suitable for his Body Tempering Martial Way. However, after the upgrade through the system panel, they were forcibly transformed into a suitable method for him.
Sizzle!
In an instant, Chen Mu's body stirred with surging blood energy, and before him, a blazing flame of Blood Fire took form.
Hum! The power of heaven and earth surged, swirling around him like a vortex, forming a profound fire, which was the Heavenly Fire of the third layer of the Soul Refining Technique.
At the moment when the Blood Fire and Heavenly Fire converged, the two flames merged towards the center, slowly blending with the Primordial Essence floating before Chen Mu.
Normally, both the Blood Fire and Heavenly Fire should instantly dissolve into the Primordial Essence, becoming a chaotic mess.
However, Chen Mu's Blood Fire, forged with his surging blood energy, contained an immortal characteristic that transcended the Primordial Essence. Even the Primordial Flame, the essence of all creation, could not extinguish it.
The Heavenly Fire was similar. Although named as such, it was actually a Divine Soul, a burning 'Divine Flame', and even with the power of heaven and earth fueling it, it did not disintegrate when merging with the Primordial Essence.
Sizzle!
The two flames and the Primordial Essence intertwined and fused, ultimately merging into a pitch-black flame. Just a glance at this black flame was enough to make one's heart race.
The formation of this black flame was the sign of mastering the third layer of the Soul Refining Technique.
With the formation of this Primordial Flame, Chen Mu's system panel also quietly updated.
【Soul Path: Soul Refining Technique (Third Layer)】
【Experience: 0 points】
Finally, the Soul Refining Technique reached its third and final layer.
Chen Mu, however, did not pay attention to the system panel. Instead, he stared at the black flame, his expression thoughtful, and with a thought, he took out the Heaven and Earth Bottle, retrieving a peculiar black pearl from within.
This pearl was the Divine Pearl that he had obtained from the hands of the Great Shaman Yang Qingshan of the Shamanic Sect after defeating him in Yu Prefecture. Within it still resided the black flame that Yang Qingshan had once controlled.
"Is this the Primordial Flame?"
Chen Mu held the Divine Pearl, carefully sensing it, but discovered that the black flame within the pearl was slightly different from the one he had forged with the Soul Refining Technique.
The Primordial Flame he cultivated was far more ferocious, and if left uncontrolled, it would likely spread in an instant, transforming into a terrifying world-ending inferno that could incinerate the entire mountain cave and even the entire mountain range.
However, the black flame within the Divine Pearl was much more docile and could be controlled by the soul core.
The two had both similarities and differences.
The black flame within the Divine Pearl was like a tamed and refined version of the Primordial Flame, resulting in a more obedient force, but its power and nature were slightly weaker than the Primordial Flame.
"Judging from this, it seems that one can also utilize the black flame within the Divine Pearl to temper the soul core... But to do so, one must at least refine a bit of the Unextinguishable Divine Light as the foundation for the soul core."
This thought flashed through Chen Mu's mind.
He quickly shook his head and put away the Divine Pearl.
Now that he had the Primordial Flame cultivated according to the system and the Soul Refinement Technique, there was no need to delve into the black flame within the Divine Pearl. After calming his mind, he moved his thoughts, and his soul core instantly dispersed outside his body, merging with the Primordial Flame!
Buzz!
An intense burning sensation surged, bringing with it an indescribable pain that far surpassed physical agony a hundredfold. This pain was beyond what ordinary mortals could endure and was enough to cause excruciating death.
However, for Chen Mu at this moment, this pain merely caused him to furrow his brows slightly as he endured it.
At this very moment, nearly ninety percent of his soul core appeared crystal clear, shimmering with strands of immortal and unyielding vitality. Only a tiny portion remained, retaining a faint glow.
Previously, he had tempered it with all his might using Blood Fire and Heavenly Fire, but this was his limit. No matter what he tried, he couldn't refine that remaining bit to produce the Unextinguishable Divine Light. But now, with the Primordial Flame's burning, that faintly glowing part of his soul core immediately began to transform!
Sizzle.
Amidst the intense pain of the soul core, the dim corner was constantly scorched by the Primordial Flame, like gold ore refined through countless hammerings, gradually removing impurities and forging true gold. The dimly lit area slowly emanated a faint glow, spreading and extending.
And so, after an unknown amount of time, the faint light finally covered the entire dim corner of the soul core, connecting with the crystal-clear part, forming a complete whole!
It was almost at this moment that Chen Mu felt the pain from the Primordial Flame's burning and tempering of his soul core suddenly dissipate, replaced by an unprecedented ethereal sensation. His consciousness soared, rising higher and higher, as if reaching beyond the vastness of the heavens and earth!
Mysteriously, he seemed to glimpse a world, an immense world, enveloped in boundless white light, floating in the endless void. It was none other than the Great Xuan World!
Near the vast Great Xuan World, other faint light points could be vaguely seen, each representing a cave heaven attached to the Great Xuan World. Some were extremely close, almost adhering to the surface of the Great Xuan World, while others were farther away.
A little further, and everything became blurry and indistinct.
"This is... the appearance of the Great Xuan World..."
"The Void."
Chen Mu gazed into the vast expanse beyond the Great Xuan world, his eyes fixed on the boundless void.
"The void is like an ocean!"
This was his newfound understanding.
The endless void resembled a vast sea, and within it, the immense power of the void surged like the tides, relentlessly washing over the Great Xuan world.
However, the boundary of the Great Xuan world was formed by the convergence of the power of Heaven and Earth, making it incredibly resilient. It could withstand the void's relentless tides, and any cracks that appeared would quickly heal in the blink of an eye.
But...
From Chen Mu's current perspective, he could vaguely discern that the healing of these cracks was depleting the power of Heaven and Earth. The process was gradually slowing down, but the progress was so minuscule that it was almost imperceptible.
Yet, even the slightest change, when viewed on the scale of eternity, could lead to a cataclysmic transformation. Even this vast Heaven and Earth, after enduring an endless future, would eventually crumble and collapse one day!
Suddenly,
Chen Mu had a moment of realization.
Perhaps true immortality did not exist in this world. What he had believed to be eternal, the attainment of immortality upon reaching the Divine Realm, was merely a leap from one pond to another, even more vast.
Even the Great Xuan world, under the constant refinement and washing of the void, would eventually perish. How much more so for humans? Even those who achieve true Divinity, transcending the Great Xuan Heaven and Earth, merely break free from its constraints.
However,
For mortals, this was already enough; it was the height of their aspirations.
To break free from the constraints of Heaven and Earth, even if one's existence would eventually decay with time in the void, meant that their lifespan would no longer be bound by the Heaven and Earth. It would become incredibly long, no longer just a few hundred years, but measured in hundreds of thousands or even millions of years.
Chen Mu's thoughts wavered for a moment, but he quickly regained his focus, not allowing himself to be immersed in the boundless void. From having nothing to being invincible, from becoming a peerless Martial Saint, he had always been on a single path.
Even if true immortality remained elusive, it didn't matter. It was just a matter of continuing on this path.
The Martial Way has an end, but the Dao is boundless.
With the assistance and empowerment of the System Panel, he would eventually be able to see... the end of this path.
After gathering his thoughts, Chen Mu took a deep breath, no longer immersing himself in the contemplation of the void. His soul consciousness rapidly converged, no longer spreading beyond the Heaven and Earth, but expanding horizontally.
The Celestial-Soul Sensitivity, which had been limited to a range of 3,600 li, now began to expand outward once more with his intention, quickly extending to more distant and vast regions.
From 3,600 li,
to 4,100 li,
to 4,600 li,
and beyond...
As Chen Mu's consciousness merged with Heaven and Earth, his perception continued to expand, reaching a full 10,800 li before finally stopping! His awareness was now so vast that it was almost unimaginable, akin to possessing the might of a deity. Standing in the forbidden grounds of the Seven Mysteries Sect in the Jade Province, he could sense as far north as the Frost Province, as far west as the Sand Province, as far south as the Yu Prefecture, and as far east as the Jade Capital, covering nearly half of the Jade Province!
The Eternal Divine Soul.
This was not a simple step, but a true ascension to the threshold of the Divine Realm in terms of soul level. He had even taken a step into it, possessing a fraction of the supreme might of the Divine Realm!
At this moment, Chen Mu's perception was no longer limited to the Celestial-Soul Sensitivity that allowed him to manipulate the power of Heaven and Earth. Instead, he felt a sense of lofty control, as if his will was the will of Heaven itself! Chen Mu had no doubt that with a mere thought, he could control the vast power of Heaven and Earth, even from a distance of a thousand li, and annihilate a Blood Replacement Realm existence with a single move.
This immense power gap was even greater than that between a Marrow Washing Realm master and a Blood Replacement expert. But it was precisely because of this gap that Chen Mu could truly appreciate the might of the Divine Realm. Even with only a fraction of its power, he already possessed a might akin to the awe-inspiring force of Heaven itself. How much more so for a true Divine Realm existence?
The Lower Ninth Stage Deity, the first stage of the Blood Replacement Realm, was just the beginning. Now, with his perfected Eternal Divine Soul, his power was already sufficient to reach the limit of the Lower Fifth Stage Deity!
As Chen Mu carefully contemplated the changes brought about by his soul's transformation, his gaze suddenly sharpened, spanning a region of nearly ten thousand li. He looked towards the west of the Jade Province, deep into the Sand Province.
"Hmm?"
(End of Chapter)
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