Chapter 373: The Heavenly Realm
In a desolate mountain range, Xiao Yuan gazed at the serious-looking Mo Yu before him and nodded in satisfaction.
A week earlier, when he began refining the living puppet, he had split his focus—simultaneously crafting and traveling. He had left the battlefield far behind, tearing through space and shifting locations multiple times before entering a spatial wormhole and continuing to change course, eliminating every possible trace of his presence.
After all, Soul Hall's tracking methods were far too strange and unpredictable. Despite all the precautions he had taken during his battle, he still worried they could follow the trail from where the Ninth Heaven Venerate's aura disappeared.
With his current strength, Xiao Yuan could bully Mo Yu, but if someone like the Sixth or Fourth Heaven Venerate showed up... that would be a completely different story.
So, extreme caution was necessary.
Naturally, crafting the puppet while traveling consumed tremendous energy. That's why Xiao Yuan had chosen this unremarkable mountain as his resting place. He dismantled a random Tier Seven magical beast and used its body for materials, then began to recuperate.
But the effort had been worth it. Mo Yu, now fully refined, was even stronger than before his death—reaching the level of an Eight-Star Dou Zun. His physical body was terrifying, surpassing even Xiao Yuan's in resilience.
Even more impressive, the puppet retained all of Mo Yu's original Dou Techniques. If unleashed, he could fight even a Nine-Star Dou Zun without fear.
Although Xiao Yuan had erased Mo Yu's consciousness, he had also imprinted a Soul Seal deep within the puppet's soul using Heavenly Flame—just in case. If anything went wrong, he could instantly destroy Mo Yu's spirit. Worst-case scenario: he'd lose the Dou Technique capabilities, but the puppet's physical strength would remain.
With such a powerful puppet as a guard, Xiao Yuan finally relaxed.
He took out a few recovery pills from his ring and meditated to restore himself.
He wanted to return to peak condition—because he was about to ingest the Earth Core Soul Essence.
This might allow him to break through to the Late Spiritual Stage of the soul realm!
The two-day meditation paid off—his Dou Qi improved, and the battle had left him with great insights.
Exhaling slowly, Xiao Yuan waved his hand, and three jade boxes floated before him. With a flick of his finger, the lids popped open, releasing a heady fragrance that instantly refreshed his mind.
These three ingredients—Earth Core Soul Essence, Pill Spirit Syrup, and Sky Hemp Jade Essence—could be combined directly. The only trick was to extract the pure essence from the jade.
Refining it was no problem for Xiao Yuan.
He summoned the green jade and bathed it in blazing gold flames. Cracks soon spread across its surface, and a faint scent emerged—the impurities burning off.
A gust of Dou Qi shattered the remaining stone layer, revealing a milky-white core.
With precise flame control, Xiao Yuan slowly roasted it until all impurities were removed.
He then summoned a set of refined jade bowls and vials. With a flick of his mind, a thread of each liquid flowed into a transparent bowl.
Chi chi...
As soon as the three touched, they reacted violently—steaming, bubbling, and releasing pungent vapors. Xiao Yuan quickly adjusted the mixture, stabilizing it after a moment of precision control.
A rich, vibrant green liquid remained—smooth and fragrant like fine jade.
Without hesitation, Xiao Yuan raised the bowl and drank it in one gulp.
Instantly—
A loud hum echoed in his mind. His soul surged with overwhelming pressure, causing a sharp pain in his brow, as though his head might burst.
Still, he remained calm and focused.
The soul essence dissolved into his body, transforming into thick green mist that surged toward his Sea of Consciousness. As the mist fused with his soul, Xiao Yuan felt an incredible power soaking in. His soul grew rapidly—almost unnaturally fast.
His temples throbbed, his head pounding like a war drum.
Then—Boom!
A mental detonation rocked his consciousness. His awareness went blurry, his mind in chaos. Only the glowing Soul Nourishing Pearl and a floating scroll remained centered in the void.
When clarity returned, the pain was gone.
His soul had broken through to the Late Spiritual Stage.
But it didn't stop there.
Suddenly, a strange energy in the surroundings awakened—as if some invisible force had been stirred. Faint, familiar spiritual currents began flowing from space itself, gathering toward Xiao Yuan's brow.
This vast, gentle spiritual energy fused with his soul, caressing every corner of his consciousness like warm nectar. It was euphoric.
Heavenly Realm energy!
The strange force didn't just absorb ambient spirit—it even began drawing from the Soul Nourishing Pearl.
And still, it wasn't enough.
A surge of invisible power expanded outward in a massive radius, enveloping the surrounding thousand kilometers of wilderness.
BOOM!
The heavens and earth roared as if boiling.
Even nearby magical beasts—drawn by the disturbance—could only watch dumbfounded. None dared approach.
They all remembered what happened to the mountain's former overlord—the Tier Seven beast had roared once, and was promptly dismantled into parts.
None of them wanted to die like that.
Meanwhile, Xiao Yuan was immersed in the heavenly spirit tide, intoxicated by the ecstasy of having his soul bathed in divine light.
His spirit continued to grow. Before him, a faint humanoid figure began to take shape—his soul materializing.
To most, the soul is formless and mysterious. Even among top-tier alchemists, few could manifest anything more than a faint wisp.
But Xiao Yuan had now forged a humanoid Soul Clone.
That meant he had touched the threshold of the Heavenly Realm.
Normally, a soul form required the soul to exit the body, leaving the physical shell behind. But Xiao Yuan, while still within his own body, had condensed a soul form—though still hazy—demonstrating immense strength.
As more heavenly spirit flooded in, the soul clone solidified, forming its limbs, features, and fine details.
Time passed silently.
Five days.
On the fifth day, the celestial anomaly finally began to subside.
BOOM!
From the cave below, a thunderous roar erupted. A colossal mountain shattered as a pillar of invisible soul force soared skyward.
Within tens of thousands of meters, all magical beasts—save for a few apex predators—shuddered under the sheer soul pressure.
This was power beyond comprehension. Life and death could be decided in an instant.
The wave of soul force spread across the land like a tsunami, then slowly receded.
Amid the fading glow, a faint human figure floated into the sunlit sky.
It was Xiao Yuan—though his body appeared translucent and illusory.
Shua!
His real body appeared, cloaked in green lightning.
"Tsk. Doesn't seem as strong as the Three Thousand Thunder Phantom Clone," he muttered.
According to his assessment, this Soul Clone was about the strength of a Four or Five-Star Dou Zun.
Meanwhile, his Thunder Clone could fight up to Eight-Star Dou Zuns after using his secret art.
Still, he was satisfied.
The Soul Clone's power would grow with him. And with it, he could now fight like three people in one.
But then—
"Not necessarily."
The Soul Clone smiled. With a wave, five Heavenly Flames emerged, forming five flame spirits.
It could use the Fivefold Lihuo Formation!
And then—
The clone's hands shifted into an ancient soul technique seal—a Soul Print!
The moment it formed, Mo Yu, the Heavenly Demon Puppet, dropped to his knees.
Even Xiao Yuan was stunned.
"The Soul Print is even stronger in the clone's hands?"
His sharp eyes quickly recognized the truth—the clone's innate affinity made it more suited for suppressing weaker spirits.
This was a completely unexpected bonus.
(END CHAPTER)
Thank you for the support, friends. If you want to read more chapters in advance, go to my Patreon.
Read 30 Chapters In Advance: patreon.com/Albino1