Yuantian Pidao

Chapter 407 Devouring Soul
Jiang Chen continued his journey along the underground river, unaffected by the changes in the outside world.

"I never expected that our final destination would be Mirror Lake."

Looking at the scene hidden behind the pure white light ahead, Jiang Chen stopped in his tracks.

His journey was both difficult and easy. It was difficult because there were countless hidden river forks, and one wrong step could lead to danger. It was easy because he always managed to find the right path among the many forks by following a vague intuition.

"It seems that the legacy of the Illusionary True Hermit is truly destined for me."

Mingwu kept calling out to something, and Jiang Chen stepped through that pure white light curtain.

It was at this moment that the world changed, and when he reappeared, he was already deep inside a palace.

"Is this the place where the Illusionary True Hermit left behind his legacy?"

With his mind still, Jiang Chen carefully observed his surroundings.

This is the interior of a palace. The floor is like an ice mirror, reflecting all sorts of colorful reflections, while a huge sphere of light floats in the center of the hall, illuminating the entire space.

The instant Jiang Chen's gaze met that ball of light, a divine thought that had been deliberately left behind was activated, containing a portion of Huanzhen Sanren's past.

In that instant, Jiang Chen witnessed a wisp of soul from another world fall into the Spirit Void Realm, transform into a mortal body, and, without possessing spiritual apertures, overcome countless obstacles, go against the current, explore the path of immortality, and seek its way home.

“Illusory True Man, Mo Yuan, is a transmigrator who, like me, came from another world. However, unlike me, he was reborn, while I was possessed. He has no spiritual aperture, but I do.”

After clearing his mind and recalling the life of Huanzhen Sanren, Jiang Chen's heart could no longer remain calm.

This is not only because he and Mo Yuan were both time travelers, but also because they had many similarities.

"The world Mo Yuan remembers is very similar to the world I live in. However, it seems that he lived in a civilized world before the apocalypse, while the world I live in has already entered the apocalypse. Civilization has been destroyed, and only a group of people are left to survive."

"Of course, these may just be two similar worlds, not the same one, but another coincidence is even more noteworthy."

"When Huanzhen Sanren was reincarnated, he was born with a real mortal body, which made him unable to cultivate normally. The reason he was able to achieve something in the path of immortality was entirely because he was born with a different soul."

"If the special feature of my soul is that it can awaken the spirit and heal itself, then the special feature of the soul of the Illusionary True Man is that it can devour others' souls to strengthen itself and seize others' paths for its own use. This is the real secret behind the rise of the Illusionary True Man."

Having uncovered the secrets of the Illusionary True Man, Jiang Chen felt increasingly that he and the Illusionary True Man shared many similarities.

"Perhaps Illusory True Man and I are from the same hometown."

Having guessed a certain possibility, and upon seeing the legacy left behind by the Illusionary True Hermit, Jiang Chen's expression changed slightly.

The core inheritance left behind by Huanzhen Sanren consists of two techniques: the "Soul-Devouring True Demon Art" and the "Illusory True Concentration Technique." The latter is Huanzhen Sanren's renowned technique in the cultivation world, a unique method he developed by comprehending numerous inheritances and ultimately innovating upon them. It seeks truth through illusion, pursuing a glimmer of true nature, and possesses the wonder of tempering the soul and strengthening the mind. As for the former, although unknown to outsiders, it is the foundation of Huanzhen Sanren's cultivation. Based on his own soul characteristics, he created the most suitable cultivation method through continuous exploration.

It was precisely by relying on this technique that he was able to make great strides on the path of immortality with a mortal body, becoming an all-around cultivator in the eyes of outsiders, proficient in alchemy, weapon crafting, talismans, and formations. However, this technique was both his strength and his weakness.

Although the Soul Devouring True Demon Art is profound, it also has great limitations and drawbacks. To truly master this art, one must possess the same soul-devouring ability as the Illusionary True Hermit; otherwise, this art is of little use.

Besides, while devouring the souls of others to strengthen oneself may seem convenient, it ultimately has significant drawbacks. If it goes too far, it can lead to demonic possession and mental breakdown.

"Judging from the current situation, the reason why Mo Yuan traveled the cultivation world, seized various inheritances, and created the Illusionary True Spirit Condensation Technique was to suppress the drawbacks of the Soul Devouring True Demon Technique. It's just a pity that he ultimately failed."

"Although the Illusionary Concentration Technique is quite profound, the Soul Devouring True Demon Art truly lives up to its name as a true demon. When combined with the Soul Devouring Technique, it becomes extremely domineering."

As his gaze fell upon the sphere of light, various thoughts flashed through Jiang Chen's mind.

The inheritance of the Illusionary True Hermit is right before his eyes. If he is willing, he can try to obtain the inheritance. However, once he succeeds, he must bear the consequences along with the benefits.

When he was about to completely lose himself, the reason why Huanzhen Sanren built such a palace was twofold: first, to leave behind his legacy, and second, to deal with some potential troubles he might have left behind, namely the demonic thoughts that had sprung up from within himself.

"In his later years, in order not to completely lose himself and become a true demon, Huanzhen Sanren chose self-annihilation and used a secret technique to strip away his own divine soul essence. As long as the successor can successfully integrate with this essence, he can inherit the divine ability to devour souls and continue his legacy."

"Of course, this process is very dangerous. The Soul Devouring Technique is domineering, and unless one has a naturally unique soul, one cannot withstand it, let alone refine it successfully."

With his mind focused, Jiang Chen considered all the possibilities.

"With my spiritual foundation, the possibility of refining this Devouring Soul Essence is extremely high. Most importantly, even in the most dangerous situation, I can directly tear apart my own spiritual soul."

With that thought in mind, Jiang Chen no longer hesitated and began to refine the devouring soul essence.

At this moment, a powerful divine soul force burst forth from Jiang Chen's body, evolving into the two energies of water and fire, transforming into a furnace that enveloped the sphere of light, melting and refining the infinite.

Just as Jiang Chen began to refine and devour the soul essence, outside the palace, the phantom who called himself Huanzhen Sanren and activated the inheritance reappeared. At this moment, he turned back to look at the palace, his eyes filled with anger.

"Damn it, damn it..."

His face was ever-changing, and his illusory figure shifted repeatedly. One after another, black wisps emerged from his body, resembling demons, emitting eerie roars filled with anger and resentment. They wanted to overturn the palace and interrupt Jiang Chen's refining process, but the palace blocked them all.

Seeing this scene, the demonic thoughts grew even more furious. This Soul Suppression Palace was specially crafted by Mo Yuan to suppress these demonic thoughts, and it had a significant restraining effect on them.

Roars and howls echoed as many demonic thoughts turned their gazes outside the palace after they were powerless to overturn it. Although the Soul Suppressing Palace could restrain these demonic thoughts that had no physical body, it was not without its flaws. At the very least, it would be difficult to stop flesh and blood beings.

(End of this chapter)