Chapter 846
Half-Step Divine Palace Realm
After stepping into the primordial light cluster of the Heavenly Tomb Soul, Xiao Ling's vision flickered slightly, and when he opened his eyes again, he was greeted by a boundless and vast ocean.
The sea was turbulent, and amidst the surging waves, roars originating from the depths of the soul echoed faintly, resounding throughout this strange space.
Xiao Ling's figure hovered in mid-air above the vast ocean. He looked down at the sea below, his eyes filled with deep shock.
This primordial halo may seem small, but it holds a hidden secret within.
He probed it slightly with his soul power, and the result shocked even himself: this vast ocean was completely formed by the purest soul power!
Such a vast, boundless, and terrifying power of the soul was a sight Xiao Ling had never seen before in his cultivation.
Compared to this vast ocean of souls, even with his perfected Heavenly Realm soul cultivation, he still felt insignificant, like a small fry compared to a great fry.
Even though he had expected it, Xiao Ling was still deeply shocked when he saw it with his own eyes.
"Xiao Ling, it seems that your ancestor has indeed prepared an extraordinary fortune for you."
"Such a vast and boundless soul origin contains spiritual power that is immeasurable. In my deduction, you can use this power to break through the barrier of the Talisman Sect in one fell swoop and allow your spiritual power to directly step into the realm of the half-step Divine Palace."
The ethereal, emotionless voice of the Ancestral Stone Spirit suddenly echoed in Xiao Ling's heart.
Before he finished speaking, countless shimmering white light points slowly gathered around him, and as the light flowed, the figure of the Ancestral Stone Spirit slowly solidified and appeared in the world from within the light.
"Only half a step into the Divine Palace Realm?"
Xiao Ling raised an eyebrow, looked at the spirit of the ancestral stone, and spoke in a deep voice:
"Judging from the corresponding realms, the Emperor Realm soul of the Dou Qi Continent should be equivalent to the Divine Palace Realm of the Tianxuan Continent. If I were to refine and absorb all of this vast soul origin, breaking through to the Emperor Realm in soul cultivation should not be a problem. With such a foundation, how could it still be insufficient to step into the Divine Palace Realm?"
"It's not that your power is insufficient after breaking through to the Emperor Realm, nor that your soul strength is insufficient to enter the Divine Palace Realm."
The spirit of the ancestral stone gazed at Xiao Ling, its voice still indifferent and calm, and slowly explained:
"The key to the Divine Palace Realm is not the amount of soul power, but the need to use the power of the Supreme to reshape and perfectly condense the Divine Palace within the Niwan Palace. However, you have not cultivated any secret methods to sense and invoke the power of the Supreme, so you have no way of touching this core level."
He paused, his gaze seemingly piercing through endless time and space, looking at the laws of heaven and earth of this Dou Qi Continent.
"Moreover, I have no way of knowing whether the so-called Supreme Power actually exists in this Dou Qi Continent."
"Therefore, based on my deduction, even if you absorb all of this vast soul origin and push your soul cultivation to the Emperor Realm, you can only reach the Half-Step Divine Palace Realm at most. It is almost hopeless to truly and perfectly step into the Divine Palace Realm."
After hearing the explanation from the Ancestral Stone Spirit, Xiao Ling suddenly understood and nodded gently.
"That's true. I really have no way to sense or activate this so-called Supreme Power."
Even so, a hint of disappointment still crept into his heart.
If his spiritual power could truly break through to the Divine Palace Realm, based on the power at that level, his combat strength would definitely not be weaker than that of Gu Yuan and Hun Tiandi, who were at the peak of the Nine-Star Dou Sheng realm. He could also leap into the ranks of the top combat power in the Dou Qi Continent.
Unfortunately, to forge the divine palace, the power of the Supreme Being must be used as a catalyst. Xiao Ling was well aware of this demanding condition.
The Dou Qi Continent also lacks a plane embryo like the Tian Xuan Continent, so Xiao Ling naturally cannot obtain the help of plane power to condense a complete divine palace.
Faced with this, Xiao Ling had no choice but to give up.
Seeing the slight disappointment in Xiao Ling's brows, the spirit of the ancestral stone spoke again in a soft, soothing voice:
"There's no need to worry too much about this. Once you break through your limits and reach the Dou Di realm of this Dou Qi Continent, you'll likely have the ability to leave this plane. At that time, when you go to the Tianxuan Continent, you'll be able to find the method to break through to the Divine Palace realm."
He paused, his tone slightly unsteady, before continuing:
"Moreover, in my opinion, you now have the strong support of your father-in-law from the ancient clan behind you. In addition, once your ancestor is successfully resurrected, there will be two top experts from the Dou Qi Continent backing you up. We also have to count the Dragon Emperor Zhu Kun, who is still sitting outside the Dou Di Cave. With such a lineup, your chances of competing for the opportunities left by the ancient emperor Tuoshe and breaking through to Dou Di are already extremely high."
Having resided within Xiao Ling's body for a long time, the spirit of the Ancestral Stone has also learned a great deal about the Dou Qi Continent. It is fully aware of the current situation of the continent, Xiao Ling's future path, and various plans.
Having been by his side for so many years, the spirit of the ancestral stone also knows that Xiao Ling is meticulous and thoughtful, and never does anything without certainty.
He now holds an excellent hand, and as long as he doesn't underestimate his opponents or act recklessly, breaking through to the Dou Di realm is almost a foreseeable future.
Moreover, once the soul essence is refined, even if Xiao Ling's spiritual power cannot reach the Divine Palace Realm, it will be no difficult task for him to step into the Half-Step Divine Palace Realm.
At that time, with just this level of spiritual power, his combat strength would be enough to rival that of a nine-star Dou Sheng on the Dou Qi Continent, only slightly inferior to peak nine-star Dou Sheng like Gu Yuan and Hun Tiandi.
All that remains is to steadily accumulate battle qi cultivation, wait for the right opportunity, and then seek the inheritance left by the ancient emperor Tuoshe.
It must be said that even the spirit of the ancestral stone sometimes finds it hard to believe.
He had never seen a junior as talented and fortunate as Xiao Ling. This person repeatedly refreshed his understanding of genius with his amazing performance.
Moreover, Xiao Ling not only possesses extraordinary talent in cultivation, but his luck is also like that of a favored child of heaven and earth. He has a smooth journey, turning misfortune into good fortune. No matter what kind of danger or opportunity he encounters, he can turn it into his own and rise step by step.
It is precisely for this reason that the spirit of the ancestral stone has full confidence in assisting Xiao Ling to return to the Tianxuan Continent and completely quell the demonic calamity that has not yet been eradicated in that world.
"Don't worry, Yan."
Xiao Ling nodded gently, his tone calm and steady, "I understand what you've said, and I won't be disappointed because of it. In any case, my gains this time have been extremely substantial, and I will have more confidence in my future actions."
Without further ado, Xiao Ling slowly lowered his body and sat cross-legged on this vast and boundless ocean of spiritual souls.
His soul essence, refined to the extreme, flowed around him like a warm, luminous sea, gently supporting his body. Countless tiny rays of spiritual light swirled and lingered on his clothes and the tips of his hair, creating an illusion. He closed his eyes lightly, his chest and abdomen rising and falling slowly as he took several long breaths, adjusting his mind and breath to their optimal peak state.
Once his fighting spirit and soul rhythm were perfectly in sync, Xiao Ling's ten fingers moved nimbly, rapidly forming profound and complex hand seals in front of him. As his finger shadows danced, they caused ripples to spread across the surrounding sea of soul light.
"Om-"
A clear, resonant, soul-stirring melody suddenly echoed throughout this soul space. A dazzling talisman light burst forth from between Xiao Ling's brows, and a natal talisman leaped out from his sea of consciousness, slowly hovering about ten feet above his head.
The moment the natal talisman appeared in the world, it radiated a dazzling light, with a faint flow of the Daoist rhythm of heaven and earth.
The next moment, a violent and pure devouring power surged from the core of the natal talisman!
The Heavenly Talisman spun rapidly, its devouring power sweeping out like a tsunami, transforming into a gigantic, pitch-black, deep devouring vortex several meters in diameter above Xiao Ling's head.
The vortex was surrounded by a shimmering white soul light, while at its center was a bottomless black hole. As it spun, it emitted a low hum and a terrifying suction force capable of devouring everything.
With a thought, Xiao Ling materialized his intention, drawing upon the vast and boundless origins of unclaimed souls in all directions.
The vast ocean of soul power first transformed into wisps of slender, silky white light, which drifted slowly along the gravity of the vortex and gently fell into it.
As the devouring power continued to operate, the light bands grew thicker and denser, transforming from threads into streams, then from streams into rivers, and finally, like a hundred rivers flowing into the sea, they surged endlessly into the giant devouring vortex.
The devouring power released by the natal talisman refines, purifies, and cleanses the surging, boundless soul power layer by layer, removing all impurities and mixed auras, leaving only the purest and gentlest soul essence. This essence transforms into streams of gentle, sweet dew-like light rain, pouring down from the Baihui acupoint on Xiao Ling's head and flowing directly into his Niwan Palace, nourishing and strengthening his spiritual essence, constantly solidifying and expanding the foundation of his soul.
This power of the soul, though vast and boundless, is not pure and flawless; rather, it carries a few imperceptible imperfections.
After all, this was formed by the soul of the Heavenly Tomb devouring the remnants of countless powerful souls. It contained the remaining thoughts and mixed auras of many deceased individuals. If an ordinary cultivator were to absorb it rashly, at best their sea of consciousness would be disordered, and at worst their consciousness would be directly overwhelmed by the strange thoughts.
However, all these problems were not obstacles at all for Xiao Ling, who possessed the power of devouring.
His innate celestial talisman's devouring ability was already adept at refining all things and eliminating impurities to preserve the essence. In addition, the ancestral stone spirit beside him timely emitted a gentle and clear purifying power. The two complemented each other perfectly.
Any mottled soul essence that surges into the devouring vortex will be torn apart and dismantled by the devouring power in an instant, and then thoroughly cleansed by the purifying power of the Ancestral Stone Spirit. All the hidden impurities, chaotic remnants, and violent residual power will be completely purified, leaving only the purest and gentlest soul essence, which will flow into Xiao Ling's Niwan Palace without any hidden dangers.
Such refining efficiency is extremely domineering and terrifying beyond imagination.
Above the ocean of souls, gigantic waves surged and crashed against the sky, accompanied by a continuous, deafening roar that echoed throughout the entire world. Xiao Ling sat within it, frantically absorbing and refining a massive amount of soul power with the ferocity of a whale.
The spiritual pressure emanating from his body rose steadily, as heavy as a mountain and as vast as the sea. That surging spiritual power was steadily and firmly climbing and condensing, slowly approaching that legendary realm.
The entire ocean of souls surged ceaselessly due to this terrifying cultivation process, with spiritual light soaring into the sky and soul power surging like a tide, enveloping Xiao Ling in an extremely dazzling cocoon of light, slowly completing this transformative soul metamorphosis...
……
In the blink of an eye, a month has passed like a fleeting moment.
Outside the ball of soul light, Xiao Xuan still stood proudly in the void with his hands behind his back, quietly guarding this place.
Compared to a month ago, his soul body has become visibly dimmer, his soul light is thin and flickering, and even his once upright figure, like an ancient pine tree, now shows signs of aging and fatigue that are hard to conceal. His aura is weak and his condition is far worse than before.
Clearly, the price paid for burning one's soul essence to suppress the disturbances in the Heavenly Tomb has already been fully realized.
Despite his terrible condition, Xiao Xuan showed no concern whatsoever, with no trace of anxiety or regret on his face.
In any case, Xiao Ling had already given him the Soul-Returning Pill. He only needed to wait until he realized that he was about to give up, take the pill, and he could completely rebuild his physical body and be resurrected.
If it weren't for the worry that unpredictable changes might occur during the resurrection process if he took the Soul-Returning Pill, making it impossible for him to wholeheartedly protect Xiao Ling's cultivation, Xiao Xuan would probably have swallowed the Soul-Returning Pill without hesitation and been reborn on the spot.
However, although he could not see what was inside the ball of light, Xiao Xuan could still clearly sense that the vast soul power within was being refined and devoured at an astonishing speed.
He gazed at the dazzling ball of light, a satisfied smile unconsciously curving his lips, and murmured softly:
"This kid's absorption speed is much faster than I expected. I'm afraid this training session will be over in just a few days."
"It seems my choice was indeed correct... You do indeed possess the potential to break through to the Emperor Realm."
Three more days passed in the blink of an eye. The tranquil Heavenly Tomb space suddenly trembled violently, as if the heavens and earth were collapsing, and the spatial barriers were humming.
A terrifying soul wave, as if the ruler of heaven and earth had descended, swept wildly out from the center of the soul light cluster with overwhelming force.
This wave of energy surpassed all souls, majestic and vast, like a divine mountain pressing down. Wherever it passed, all the remaining energy bodies in the Heavenly Tomb trembled involuntarily, prostrating themselves on the ground, without even the slightest courage to raise their heads.
That was an absolute suppression originating from the soul level, irresistible and impossible to break free from.
Sensing this familiar yet terrifying aura, Xiao Xuan, who had been guarding the outside of the soul light cluster, finally had a brilliant light burst forth in his turbid eyes, and a look of relief and comfort slowly appeared on his face.
He knew that Xiao Ling had already succeeded in his cultivation.
"Thank you for this great gift, Ancestor. Now that I have broken through to the Emperor Realm, I will protect you from now on. You can rest assured and take the Soul-Returning Pill to be completely resurrected."
The voice was gentle and steady. As the words fell, a tall and slender figure slowly walked out from the light and came into Xiao Xuan's sight. It was Xiao Ling, who had finished his seclusion.
His face still wore that calm and easygoing smile, his eyes were clear and firm, and his aura was restrained, yet it already faintly revealed a powerful soul pressure, as if he had undergone a complete transformation, though he deliberately concealed it, not revealing it at all. (End of this chapter)