Devouring the Stars: Soul Master

Chapter 183 The World of Will and Illusion

The eighth floor of Tongtian Bridge.

"boom!--"

The two colossal worlds collided violently in the void, producing a series of explosions.

The world forces emanating from the two worlds collided with sharp energy, annihilating each other.

The next instant, a blade formed from the power of the world suddenly appeared at the point where the two worlds overlapped in front of Qin Ming, and it stabbed fiercely towards Qin Ming.

"boom--"

Qin Ming brandished his battle halberd, and the power of the laws surrounding it annihilated this wisp of world power.

At the same time, he manipulated a power of the world to condense in front of the man in blue, instantly piercing his throat.

"Fortunately, I gained some insights on the seventh floor, otherwise it would have been really difficult to defeat him on this floor."

Looking at the vanished corpse of the man in blue, Qin Ming sighed softly.

If we were to further subdivide the sixth level of the Zhen Shen Bing Huan Yu Shi Jie (镇神兵寰宇世界), it could actually be divided into three levels, corresponding to the 7th, 8th, and 9th levels of the Tong Tian Qiao (通天桥).

Generally, one needs to reach the level of understanding of the laws at the ninth level of the Bridge to Heaven in order to bring the universe to its most stable state.

The first level involves initially gathering a wisp of the world's power, which then gradually increases.

The second level is the ability to quickly gather the power of the world anywhere in the universe, as seen in the case of the blue-clad man and Qin Ming.

Qin Ming's strongest technique in the Divine Weapon is currently only at this level.

And this was only possible after comprehending the increased power of the Dark Universe Monument.

As for the third level, it integrates the entire 'Universe World' into one, transforming it into a long halberd that strikes outwards, containing the power of the entire universe, and is naturally extremely strong.

"Next level, choose Illusionist!"

On the eighth floor, Qin Ming had used all his power except for his soul attack. It was far less easy than the seventh floor, where he could learn while fighting.

The only way is to unleash your full power to kill the enemy.

He wasn't sure if he could get past the ninth floor.

Soul power is indeed his strongest ability, but the power increase with each level of the Sky Bridge is extremely exaggerated.

brush!
He was still dressed in blue.

Rumbling--

Almost the instant the men in blue gathered, Qin Ming felt as if the entire world was pressing down on him.

"Hmm? What a powerful illusion!"

Qin Ming was startled. He had been careful enough to activate the Illusionary Spirit Eye in his eyes immediately, but he was still trapped in it.

He was aware that he had been drawn into an illusion, but he was unable to break free.

This is the domineering nature of the Dark Chaos Monument. Unlike other illusions that invade silently, you know it's an illusion, but you just can't dodge or avoid it!

"Nine Hells! Open!"

With a low roar, a ninefold purgatory rose up in the vast illusionary world.

Illusion against illusion!
Qin Ming has already condensed nine layers of the Eighteen Hells from the "Mystic Codex of the Wilderness" in his soul sea. The nine layers of hell can both pull enemies into them and serve as a defensive measure.

Whether it's a mountain of knives and a sea of ​​fire, a raging sea of ​​blood, or a hell of ice and needles piercing the bone...

Within the Ninefold Purgatory, various chilling scenes unfold.

It was as if two real worlds were colliding, producing a deafening roar.

"Hehe, young man, it's already quite impressive that you've made it this far with your first-tier cosmic-level strength, but it's not enough! Go train for a few more years."

In the world, the face of the man in blue was fixed in the sky.

Like a god.

"Hmph! The outcome is still uncertain!"

Qin Ming snorted coldly.

"The cycle of nine hells! I condemn you to be guilty! You shall enter the Hell of Knives and suffer the agony of being pierced through the heart by ten thousand fathoms!"

Rumbling--

The nine layers of hell spun violently, and an extremely strong suction force seemed to pull the figure in the sky down, but under that vast power of the world, the blue-clad man's face remained unmoved.

Phew! Phew!
In the next instant, tens of thousands of soul blades shot into the sky from the void, aiming straight for the face of the man in blue.

"Jud me? You're not qualified!"

The man in blue sneered, and energy waves, like sonic waves, spread out.

Shatter one soul blade after another.

The remaining force bombarded the defenses formed by the Nine Hells, causing the Nine Hells to tremble slightly and develop tiny cracks.

"Fire Hell - Burning Body!"

Ice Prison - Bone-chilling!

Blood Pool Prison - Tear!

Stone Press Prison Collapse!
Iron City Prison - Strangulation!

Maggot Hell - Corrosion!

Tongue-Pulling Hell: The Power of Words!
Steamer Prison: Steaming and Boiling!
"All nine hells open!"

Qin Ming's soul power surged wildly in his eyes. Suddenly, disaster struck from the void: a sea of ​​fire engulfed the sky, ice spikes attacked from the other side, meteorites fell from the sky, and strange beasts tore and gnawed...

The power of the nine hells surged forth, and the combined force made the whole world seem to be plunged into the apocalypse.

"Huh? How could a cosmic-level being possess such powerful soul energy?"

The man in blue's expression suddenly changed.

This is not the kind of soul power that a cosmic-level being should have, nor is it the kind of soul power that a domain lord-level being should have!
Too strong!

For a cosmic-level being to unleash a technique like the Nine Hells is already incredibly astonishing.

As for the nine prisons all being released at once.

This is no longer a battle of illusions, but a direct battle of souls.

"Eternal night is coming!"

The man in blue's gaze turned icy. In an instant, the sky turned completely dark, and an immense pressure surged forth from within, as if concealing endless killing intent.

boom! boom! boom!
The power of the Nine Hells contended with the darkness, and the fiery inferno burned fiercely, illuminating the surroundings and tearing the entire world apart.

tear-

The eternal night was torn apart and transformed back into light.

At the very moment the eternal night tore apart, the figure of the man in blue was forcibly taken into the Mountain of Knives Prison.

One after another, blades of souls pierced his body.

However, he merely sneered, his body radiating boundless power, transforming into a colossal giant that shattered the Soul Blade.

"An attack of this magnitude can't hurt me!"

"Is that so? Now that you've entered my world, you have no choice in what you do."

Qin Ming responded with a smile. If he hadn't pulled the other into his illusionary world, he could only keep testing. But when he broke through the other's illusion, he was already trapped in it.

This is our home turf!
While one could never create something like the collapse of the heavens or the falling of meteorites in the outside world, it was effortless in the world of illusion.

"Iron City Prison - Cage Strangulation! Stone Press Prison - Collapse!"

With a low shout, an ancient steel city descended from the void. The city was enormous, with countless spikes inside, and its walls were covered with secret patterns. The city gates slowly closed.

boom! boom! boom!
The blue-clad giant pounded the heavens and earth with his fists, causing the ancient steel city to shatter continuously, yet it still suppressed and shrank the city.

You lost!

Looking at the blue-clad giant who had been crushed into pieces, Qin Ming smiled.

The moment the blue-clad giant shattered, the surrounding illusion vanished abruptly.

In the ninth level of the Heavenly Bridge, the soul aura of the man in blue suddenly dissipated.

There are no steel cities, no blue-clad giants.

To the other spectators, when Qin Ming entered the ninth level of the Heavenly Bridge, he suddenly froze and didn't move, and the man in blue also stood there blankly.

Moments later, the man in blue dissipated and perished.

"If it weren't for the forced suppression using the power of soul amplitude, I really wouldn't be a match for them. I definitely can't get past the tenth floor, but I still want to go and experience it."

Qin Ming thought to himself.

After resting for a while and recovering, Qin Ming rushed straight to the tenth floor and chose the Martial Artist class.

Whoosh!
Just as Qin Ming condensed his universe, a figure forcibly rushed in and pierced his body with a halberd.

"So fast?"

Before Qin Ming could even react, his body appeared in the square in the center of the island.

He was instantly defeated.

"Qin Ming! Come to Thunder Island."

A massive consciousness appeared in Qin Ming's mind.

Lord of Darkness!

"is teacher!"

Qin Ming had just opened his mouth, and before he could finish speaking, the surrounding scenery changed rapidly. When he came to his senses, he found himself in a magnificent temple.

Above the temple, the figure of the Lord of Darkness sat on the throne.

"teacher!"

Qin Ming quickly replied respectfully.

“I saw you trespassing on the Tongtian Bridge.”

The Lord of Darkness wore a smile.

"You comprehended 42 spatial essences before coming to Chaos City, which is quite impressive. In particular, the strength of your soul surprised even me."

"The teacher knows you have opportunities, but to reach this level is truly astonishing."

"However, compared to your soul power, your illusion techniques are still a bit crude. The 'Eternal Reincarnation' technique itself is quite powerful."

But when you put it into practice, it seems too fake.

If you want to achieve something in this secret technique, it would be best to personally visit the Upper Nine Prisons and the Lower Nine Prisons to see the real prisons of the Eighteen Star Domains.

"In that case, the eighteen hells you construct through illusion will appear much more realistic."

"Thank you for your guidance, teacher!"

Illusion!

It must be authentic enough; if it's obviously fake, how can it deceive the enemy?
"Hehe, I'll let you experience what the real eighteen hells are like, and maybe you'll gain some insight."

The Lord of Darkness chuckled softly.

wow——

A gentle breeze blew, and Qin Ming felt his surroundings suddenly change.

He found himself chained up, standing naked in the middle of a mountain of knives, while a jailer coldly watched from behind, his long knife piercing his heart.

"what--"

Qin Ming let out a piercing wail.

pain!
It hurts so much, it's like my soul is being torn apart.

However, the jailer showed no intention of letting Qin Ming go, stabbing him repeatedly.

I don’t know how long it took.

Just when Qin Ming felt he couldn't take it anymore, the excruciating pain that felt like a thousand cuts piercing his heart finally subsided.

But the next moment, flames roared into the sky.

Inferno Hell...

One torture after another was inflicted on Qin Ming, causing him to roar and wail in madness.

He would only be allowed to rest briefly when he was about to give up, and then continue...

Until all eighteen types of punishments were ended.

"call--"

Qin Ming was panting heavily, his eyes bloodshot.

"Illusion! Only by trying it yourself can you understand all the problems and know how to improve it! This is also a test of your will."

"How can an illusionist draw others into an illusion if their own will is not strong enough?"

The Lord of Darkness spoke softly.

Illusionists require the highest level of willpower!

Those with strong willpower will achieve greater success in the illusionary arts lineage!

Just like Hong in the original timeline, he eventually embarked on the path of a Phantom Warrior.

In actual combat, all you need is a momentary lapse in concentration from your opponent.

That is death.

"Thank you for your guidance, teacher!"

Qin Ming finally breathed a sigh of relief.

"Go to the Arcane Arts section of the Virtual Universe Network Treasury, select a secret art called 'Dark Codex' and buy it to study."

This was created when I created the Dark Chaos Monument.

I think this will be of some help to you.

The Lord of Darkness smiled.

"Yes, thank you, Teacher Xie!"

A hint of surprise flashed in Qin Ming's eyes: The Dark Codex!
If there were a targeted secret technique, that would be ideal, but the Dark Teacher's sudden attack was truly excruciating.

(End of this chapter)