Chapter 259: A Major Enhancement of the Soul
Since the Bodhi Ancient Tree had not yet appeared, Xiao Tian decided to focus on cultivating. After destroying the three main halls of the Hall of Souls, he had acquired many soul essences.
"First, I should refine the sub-flame of the Nihility Devouring Flame," Xiao Tian thought. He commanded the little fire spirit he had created. "Go into the Devouring Ancestral Symbol and devour the sub-flame of the Nihility Devouring Flame."
"Yes, master!"
The fire spirit replied happily, knowing that devouring the sub-flame would greatly enhance its own power.
"Swish!"
A black hole appeared, and the fire spirit entered it, disappearing. Moments later, Xiao Tian felt the feedback of energy.
"Boom!"
As the sub-flame of the Nihility Devouring Flame was refined, Xiao Tian's strength broke through to the late stage of Six-Star Dou Saint. Additionally, his "Burning Formula" advanced to the late stage of the heavenly tier. The fire spirit also gained the devouring power unique to the Nihility Devouring Flame, enabling it to independently refine the energy of heaven and earth for cultivation.
"Now, let's refine these soul essences,"
Xiao Tian continued. He used the heavenly flames to purify them and then the Devouring Ancestral Symbol to refine them.
"Swish, swish!"
As pure soul energy continuously poured into Xiao Tian's Niwan Palace, his soul realm began to rise again. Initially, he was already at the peak of Little Symbol Master. After successive breakthroughs in cultivation, his soul also reached the pinnacle of Little Symbol Master. With the vast energy influx, his soul directly broke through to Great Symbol Master and continued to climb rapidly.
A soul at the level of Great Symbol Master could contend with the Reincarnation Realm, equivalent to Dou Saints on the Dou Qi Continent. Now, Xiao Tian could unleash Dou Saint-level power with his soul alone. But this was not his limit. In the original story, Xiao Yan had only devoured the soul orb from the Human Hall to elevate his soul realm from the late Heavenly Realm to the Heavenly Perfection Realm. Comparatively, a soul at the Heavenly Perfection Realm corresponded to the peak of Great Symbol Master, which matched the level of a Seven-Star to Nine-Star Dou Saint on the Dou Qi Continent.
Since the soul cultivation methods of the Dou Qi Continent were inferior to those of the Tianxuan Continent, even Xiao Yan, with a Heavenly Perfection Realm soul, could only contend with an ordinary One-Star Dou Saint. On the other hand, Xiao Tian, having cultivated the soul system of the Tianxuan Continent, could indeed match a Seven-Star Dou Saint if his soul reached the Heavenly Perfection Realm. It truly felt like cheating to traverse between two dimensions.
Outside, as Xiao Tian continued to refine the soul essences, invisible waves began to radiate from the Stone Tower, slowly spreading throughout the Starfall Space. These waves covered the entire space, making everyone feel a deep pressure on their souls. Many felt dizzy, and only those with strong souls, like Yao Lao, could resist. As time passed, the soul energy in the sky became increasingly dense, occasionally accompanied by low thunder, which contained terrifying destructive power, making one's scalp tingle.
Wind Venerate looked astonished and said, "This guy's soul power is terrifying!"
"Indeed!"
Yao Lao nodded. "It's likely surpassed mine. Achieving the Heavenly Soul Perfection Realm... only a few in this world have reached that level."
...
While Xiao Tian cultivated, several major events occurred in the Central Plains. The first was the complete disappearance of the Spirit Clan. Previously, the Spirit Clan had just closed off the Spirit Realm, not communicating with the outside world. But now, the Spirit Realm had reopened, and all the Spirit Clan's strong members and millions of citizens had mysteriously vanished.
As one of the Eight Ancient Clans, the Spirit Clan might not have been as strong as the Gu Clan or the Soul Clan, but they weren't a force that could be easily wiped out. Even though their Dou Emperor had long disappeared, the Spirit Clan had many legacies and means left behind. Yet, this powerful ancient clan disappeared without a trace.
When various powerful entities entered the Spirit Clan's small world and saw the dead silence, a chill ran up their spines. People naturally speculated, and in today's world, only the Soul Clan and the Gu Clan could so easily annihilate an ancient imperial clan.
At the same time, another shocking piece of news emerged. The three main halls of the Hall of Souls had been destroyed, with no survivors among their powerful members, including the head and deputy heads. Because the Spirit Clan was very low-key, many were unaware of their existence, whereas the Hall of Souls was considered the top power in the Central Plains. The destruction of the Hall of Souls caused an even bigger stir than the Spirit Clan's disappearance.
Guided by the Soul Clan's covert manipulation, many turned their suspicions towards the Gu Clan, believing they were behind these events. However, some thought this was the Soul Clan's ploy to mislead everyone. Nonetheless, the other ancient clans, including the Fire Clan, the Thunder Clan, the Medicine Clan, and the Stone Clan, grew suspicious and vigilant of both the Gu and Soul Clans. The Gu Clan found themselves in a challenging situation, forced to be on high alert and send many people to secretly monitor the Soul Clan.
The third major event was the emergence of the Bodhi Ancient Tree. Although significant, this event didn't cause as much of a stir as the others. Competing for the Bodhi Ancient Tree's opportunity mainly involved Dou Zun-level experts, not Dou Saints. Once the news spread, strong individuals from various factions began moving towards the Bodhi Ancient Tree's location, even though it was in the Wild Ancient Region, known as a forbidden zone for humans. To become saints, they ventured there anyway.
...
After Xiao Tian completely refined the soul essences and Hun Miesheng's soul, his soul had reached a terrifying level.
"Collect!"
Above Xiao Tian's head, his primordial spirit sat cross-legged. With a big gulp, it absorbed all the surrounding soul waves. As it did, his primordial spirit trembled and emitted dazzling golden light. Simultaneously, an invisible wave of energy, like a hurricane, swept in all directions. At that moment, the sky filled with dark clouds and wild thunder.
"Disperse!"
Xiao Tian shouted, and the gathered clouds and thunder vanished instantly. He sensed his current state and realized his soul realm had reached the half-step Divine Palace Realm. In terms of the Dou Qi Continent's soul realms, this was beyond the Heavenly Soul Perfection Realm but still short of the Emperor Realm. With his current soul power, Xiao Tian could attempt to condense a Divine Palace, but this required breaking and remaking, as well as comprehending the power of the Taishang. Without the Taishang power, it was impossible to form a Divine Palace.
"Although I haven't broken through to the Divine Palace Realm, my current power can crush a Seven-Star Dou Saint!" Xiao Tian thought. "Now, it's time to head to the Wild Ancient Region to find the Bodhi Ancient Tree!"
(End of the chapter)