Divine Transcendence

Half a month later, Yuan Ming returned to Wangyue City. After surveying the area and learning that Changchun Temple's team had captured Pu Zhengqing and returned to the Great Jin, and that the Sha Hao incident had settled down, he reopened the spiritual incense shop with Hu Tu and Muyang within the city. Once he had taken care of the shop's affairs, he retreated to his cave dwelling alone.

The new shop's business was quieter than before, but Yuan Ming, now not lacking in spirit stones or elixirs, ran the shop merely for a steady income. Thus, he allowed Hu Tu to manage the business and promotion as they saw fit, without putting in as much effort as before.

Sha Hao's inheritance should sustain his cultivation to the later stages of Foundation Establishment. Unless something significant occurred, Yuan Ming planned to remain in seclusion and cultivate.

Past experiences had intensified his desire for greater strength. Whether in the Southern Border or the Great Jin, only absolute power could ensure absolute authority. The so-called fairness only applied when powers were equal.

Had he remained at the early stages of Foundation Establishment, he might have been considered strong among ordinary cultivators, but against true powerhouses, he would be insignificant. He had no desire to repeat the reluctant exile he faced after killing Elder Yuhu.

The incense needed for the shop would be delivered by Lei Yu after being made, as Yuan Ming had no intention of leaving his cave dwelling lightly.

While contemplating his future plans, Yuan Ming took out a stick of Black Incense.

Days before, he had used the Black Incense to ensure his parents were safe. Now, he wanted to check on Xiying.

Despite the news of Sha Hao's death and his acceptance of the Grand Elder's entire inheritance, Yuan Ming had many thoughts he wished to share with Xiying. Unfortunately, distance made it impossible for his words to reach her.

As the Black Incense burned atop the Stealing Heaven Cauldron, Yuan Ming's vision gradually shifted, transferring to Guoguo.

Plop! As the possession completed, Yuan Ming was greeted by a splash of water. Salty seawater drenched Guoguo from head to tail, leaving not a single dry spot on its fur.

Guoguo meowed loudly, seemingly in complaint, but the relentless waves continued to wash over its body, forcing its eyes shut. It could only pitifully cling to the scales of the giant beast below with its paws, pressing its shrunken, soaked body against it.

Though its eyes were closed, Yuan Ming calmed his mind and began to observe the surroundings using his spiritual consciousness.

Not far in front of Guoguo, Xiying stood on the back of the giant beast, enveloped in a faint white glow that repelled the incoming seawater. Each wave that hit her elicited an excited shout, her eyes brimming with joy and anticipation.

Beneath her and Guoguo's feet was a giant fish, several zhang long, covered in sturdy blue scales, its back as flat as a table and shaped like a thin fan.

The monstrous fish leaped and darted across the sea surface, powerfully churning up waves. Its massive body occasionally dived underwater and then breached again, providing its passengers with a thrilling experience.

Yuan Ming, seeing nothing but blue sea and sky around, surmised that Xiying had left the Southern Border and was somewhere in the Eastern Sea. Unfortunately, the distance from the Wangyue Mountain Range to the Eastern Sea was still vast, making communication talismans useless.

After some time, the frolicking fish attracted attention from above. A green streak of light flashed across the sky, halting above the fish's head.

However, Xiying seemed unconcerned, simply striking a spell to halt the fish.

"Senior Xiao, my master is growing impatient. Please, you should head over quickly," a female cultivator in light green robes, standing on a flying artifact, said to Xiying with a cupped fist salute.

"There's plenty of time; she can wait a bit longer," Xiying replied nonchalantly, waving her hand dismissively.

"Senior Xiao…" The woman in green smiled wryly, opening her mouth as if to persuade further.

"Meow," Guoguo suddenly let out a weak cry.

Xiying frowned and, turning her head, picked up Guoguo, saying irritably, "You usually can't move when you see fish, and now you can't handle riding one? Once we're back, you're banned from eating fish for a month!"

At her words, Guoguo meowed again but showed no intention of leaving Xiying's embrace. Yuan Ming, possessing Guoguo, could sense its vague thoughts; clearly, it disliked getting wet more than it craved fish.

Xiying tucked Guoguo into her arms, dismissed the fish, and then stepped into the air, flying straight up into the sky.

"Alright, I'm off. You should hurry up too," she said, and with a flash, she stepped onto a gourd-shaped artifact and flew eastward, not waiting for the woman in green.

Seeing this, the woman in green had no choice but to quickly propel her artifact to follow.

Xiying's destination was not close, and by the time Yuan Ming's Black Incense burned out and the possession ended, she had not yet arrived.

Yuan Ming's main concern had been to check on her well-being, and seeing her safe and sound, he had nothing to worry about. He collected his thoughts and, clearing his mind of distractions, immersed himself in cultivation.

Five years passed in the blink of an eye.

Inside the cave dwelling, Yuan Ming's spiritual power fluctuations had reached the mid-stage of Foundation Establishment, still some distance from the peak.

Thanks to the elixirs left by Sha Hao, the Zixuan Incense he crafted, and the spirit stone-bought spirit gathering array, Yuan Ming cultivated day and night. He had broken through to the mid-stage over four years ago, and with the continuous support of elixirs, his magical power surged forward, steadily advancing towards the peak of the mid-stage.

Additionally, with the daily nourishment of his soul by the Stealing Heaven Cauldron and the nightly practice of the Death Moon method, Yuan Ming's soul had significantly improved. Today, he was on the verge of breaking through to the fourth layer of the Death Moon method.

He dared not be negligent, taking out a stick of spiritual incense from his storage ring.

Over the years, he had often reviewed the Grand Elder's cultivation insights, gaining much understanding.

The insights mentioned a type of elixir that could help soul cultivators break through bottlenecks. Although Yuan Ming was not skilled in alchemy, his research led him to create a spiritual incense with similar effects.

This incense could stabilize a cultivator's state of mind, dispel distractions, and slightly enhance soul strength. It was not only helpful for soul cultivators' breakthroughs but also beneficial for general cultivators' practice. Yuan Ming named this incense "Nourishing Soul Incense," which he planned to sell in the spiritual incense shop later, but there was no rush for now.

Lighting the Nourishing Soul Incense, he immediately felt a cool sensation in his mind, pushing aside all trivial matters and calming the tension of an impending breakthrough.

Then, Yuan Ming silently circulated the Death Moon method, his soul power in the sea of consciousness churning and crashing like towering waves, rushing towards the soul phantom at the center. As the soul power entered, his soul phantom gradually filled up, quickly reaching its limit, but the surging soul power continued unabated.

Soon, Yuan Ming's soul phantom swelled and distorted unnaturally.

He sensed an indescribable constraint around his soul, hindering its further growth.

This was not an external affliction but a natural restriction for all cultivators.

The Grand Elder's insights referred to this as the "Soul Willow Lock," the key distinction between soul cultivators and ordinary cultivators. Breaking through this lock marked the divergence of a soul cultivator's path from that of regular cultivators, eventually widening the gap.

In the sea of consciousness, Yuan Ming's soul had lost its original shape, but the lock remained, resisting his efforts to break free with the Death Moon method.

Gradually, the soul power in the sea of consciousness was exhausted, the tumultuous waves subsided, and a flicker of anxiety crossed Yuan Ming's mind. It was quickly soothed by the Nourishing Soul Incense, but the breakthrough seemed destined to fail.

At that moment, the Stealing Heaven Cauldron mark on Yuan Ming's arm suddenly lit up, and a familiar warmth flowed into his sea of consciousness.

This time, as the warm current reached the sea of consciousness, a phantom of the Stealing Heaven Cauldron appeared before Yuan Ming's soul phantom.

Before he could understand what was happening, the Stealing Heaven Cauldron phantom violently collided with his soul phantom. A sharp pain shot through Yuan Ming's brow, his consciousness blurred, and then a loud noise echoed as the Stealing Heaven Cauldron phantom struck his soul phantom again.

The violent impact left fine cracks on both the cauldron and soul phantoms.

With his soul damaged, Yuan Ming felt dizzy, and the Death Moon method he was channeling paused momentarily. In that instant, the Stealing Heaven Cauldron phantom struck a third time, shattering both phantoms into pieces.

Yuan Ming's vision darkened, and he fainted, unconscious but having completed the final step of breaking the Soul Willow Lock.

The soul power that had flowed into his soul, now unrestrained, began to move autonomously, absorbing the fragments of the Stealing Heaven Cauldron and the soul, then rapidly coalescing and reshaping into a humanoid form.

The process was like breaking a clay figurine and remolding it with mud. The newly formed soul phantom was more solid than before, still far from fully materialized but showing signs of becoming tangible.

In the cave dwelling, after an unknown period, Yuan Ming groggily sat up, recalling his recent experience. He anxiously looked inward at his sea of consciousness to assess his current state.

Seeing the somewhat solid pale yellow phantom at the center of his sea of consciousness, he was initially stunned, then overjoyed.

He released his soul crows and, as expected, he could now control two more, extending his range to forty li.

Moreover, his soul crows had awakened a new ability called "Crow Cry," capable of emitting soul sound waves to attack enemies.