Chapter 407: Awakening the Taiyi Soul Body, Celestial Spirit Plants!

In a cave within the Myriad Beasts Mountain Range.

“Huff!”

Lu Changsheng slowly opened his eyes, exhaling as his face became full of vigor, with eyes that sparkled, revealing the rotation of yin and yang within.

He raised his hand, and a small yin-yang orb appeared, transforming into a mutilated, massive corpse with a terrifying aura.

It was the corpse of the Golden-Eyed Fire Ape.

“Taiyi Soul Body, Fiery-Eyes!”

Staring at the corpse in front of him, Lu Changsheng prepared to awaken his Taiyi Soul Body using the Golden-Eyed Fire Ape.

The creature’s innate ability was extraordinary.

It had once instantly discerned the state of the Thousand-Faced Fox Puppet.

If Lu could obtain this ability, not only would it help in battles, but it would also greatly assist in detecting spiritual veins and perceiving dangers.

“Thunder-Reinforced Dragon Flame!”

Lu Changsheng opened his mouth, spewing out a fierce, purple-red flame that transformed into a serpentine dragon, crackling with lightning.

“Refine!”

The Thunder-Reinforced Dragon Flame enveloped the Golden-Eyed Fire Ape’s body, refining it into vital Spirit Blood Light.

“Boom, boom, boom——”

As the Thunder-Reinforced Dragon Flame burned the Golden-Eyed Fire Ape’s body, a faint shadow of a roaring ape appeared within.

This was the Fire Ape’s demonic soul!

The Spirit Blood Light was formed by refining the entire essence and soul of a third-rank demonic king.

If the beast’s soul had scattered, the Spirit Blood Light would be incomplete.

So to preserve the soul, Lu Changsheng captured it at the moment of death using the Yin-Yang Essence Seizing Hand.

“Boom, boom, boom!”

The Thunder-Reinforced Dragon Flame acted like a divine furnace, melting the Golden-Eyed Fire Ape’s essence and soul into one.

As the process continued, the ape’s flesh withered away.

Its entire essence and soul slowly coalesced into a reddish aura engulfed in golden light, resembling blood in which the ape’s silhouette appeared.

Lu Changsheng maintained a solemn expression, his hands continuously performing seals, condensing the Spirit Blood Light.

Time passed, and the refined blood gradually formed into an egg-sized gem, as radiant as red agate.

This gem was bright and radiant, filled with intense life force, illuminating the cave with its brilliant red hue.

“The Spirit Blood Light is ready!”

Seeing the gem before him, Lu Changsheng’s eyes sparkled with joy.

He was already well-versed in the method to awaken the Taiyi Soul Body.

Considering his surroundings, Lu Changsheng patted the Yin Corpse Bag, releasing the Ghostly Head from the Netherworld for added security.

After making preparations, Lu Changsheng directed the Spirit Blood Light into his sea of consciousness through his brow.

“Buzz, buzz, buzz!”

As the Spirit Blood Light entered his consciousness, it started boiling, filling his mind with endless crimson light and the faint silhouette of the Fire Ape.

Lu Changsheng’s soul, sharp like a sword, crashed into the Spirit Blood Light.

“Boom!”

In an instant, the Spirit Blood Light erupted, spreading its red glow throughout his mind.

“Hiss, hiss, hiss——”

The Peach Blossom Gu in his consciousness seemed provoked, awakening and eyeing the Fire Ape’s shadow.

Lu Changsheng quickly suppressed the Peach Blossom Gu, preventing it from interfering with the awakening of his Taiyi Soul Body.

“Boom, boom, boom——”

The Spirit Blood Light blazed like a crimson sun in his mind, causing his soul to feel searing pain.

From previous experiences with the Blood Talisman Spirit Body, Lu Changsheng knew this kind of pain was inevitable. He began to circulate the Sun and Moon Reincarnation Sutra to fend off the agony.

“Buzz, buzz, buzz——”

After an unknown amount of time, Lu Changsheng’s soul gradually formed a small figure, with golden talismans etched upon it, glowing with mysterious brilliance.

At this moment, the Spirit Blood Light seemed to find an outlet, rushing toward the small figure of his soul.

The scorching pain in Lu Changsheng’s soul intensified as he absorbed the power within the Spirit Blood Light.

Gradually, his soul was enshrouded by crimson light, forming a splendid, radiant cocoon.

As the blood light continued to flow, the cocoon grew larger, nourishing and stimulating Lu Changsheng’s soul, bringing a mix of pain and pleasure.

Not only his soul, but even his flesh, meridians, and dantian were also bathed in the crimson light, imbued with a mystical aura.

Although the Taiyi Soul Body is primarily a soul-spirit, the awakening process also enhances the physical body.

“Boom, boom, boom——”

Though his soul was wrapped in blood light, Lu Changsheng could still observe his surroundings and monitor his body.

He sat quietly, unmoving, his body glowing with a solemn aura as his blood surged like rushing rivers.

His meridians, bones, and organs all resonated, like divine weapons being forged, creating a resounding, mystical melody.

During this cleansing, Lu Changsheng sensed that his Hundred Refined Body Technique was about to break through.

But, with the Taiyi Soul Body awakening, he suppressed this urge and focused on the current transformation.

Time slowly passed.

The Spirit Blood Light in Lu Changsheng’s consciousness gradually faded, leaving only the crimson cocoon.

The cocoon floated in his sea of consciousness, surrounded by crimson mist with intricate patterns on its surface, embodying the essence of Dao.

“Crack!”

After an unknown period, a clear crack echoed from the crimson cocoon.

A thin layer of its shell broke, dissolving into pure soul energy that nourished his consciousness.

Soon after, another crack sounded, and another layer of the cocoon shattered.

“Crack! Crack! Crack…”

Over time, the cracking became more frequent.

Suddenly, the entire cocoon was covered in cracks, and dazzling golden light burst from within.

“Boom!”

The crimson cocoon broke apart entirely, revealing a small figure, identical to Lu Changsheng, but exuding a divine radiance.

This figure, pure and flawless, with flowing golden light, resembled a deity.

The shattered cocoon dissolved into the most refined spirit energy, nourishing Lu Changsheng’s consciousness, making the small golden figure even more sacred and solid.

Four thousand meters!

Five thousand meters!

Six thousand meters!

Seven thousand meters!

Eight thousand meters!

Nine thousand meters!

As Lu Changsheng’s soul solidified, his Divine Sense rapidly expanded.

From its previous state of three thousand six hundred meters, it surged to nine thousand meters!

Normally, a Late-Stage Golden Core Formation cultivator’s Divine Sense spans seven thousand meters.

Nine thousand meters already reaches the peak of Golden Core Formation!

“So this is the Taiyi Soul Body!”

Lu Changsheng was ecstatic, quietly feeling the state of his soul.

Besides his Divine Sense, his soul was now several times more refined and pure compared to before.

This means it would be extremely resistant to illusions, enchantments, or any soul-based attacks.

Unless faced with a Nascent Soul True Lord, most Golden Core cultivators would struggle to harm him with soul attacks.

Moreover, any soul-based techniques or Divine Sense arts Lu Changsheng used would see a significant boost in power and effectiveness.

“Now if I deploy a Talisman Formation, I should be able to unleash a swarm of talismans at once.”

Lu Changsheng felt his soul-state and mental clarity were unprecedentedly excellent.

Even with his eyes closed, he could see the world with crystal-clear sharpness.

With just a thought, he could clearly sense the Ghostly Head from the Netherworld, Thousand-Faced Fox Puppet, Small Five Elements Reversal Formation, and even the minute traces of life in the plants outside the mountain.

Even the spiritual light of the Small Five Elements Reversal Formation was laid bare before him.

With time and focus, mastering it wouldn’t take long.

“The purity of the soul… This is the benefit of a pure soul.”

Lu Changsheng had always understood the benefits of a strong Divine Sense.

But he never had a clear understanding of the soul itself.

Now, after awakening the Taiyi Soul Body, he realized that a pure soul not only amplifies strength but also drastically heightens perception.

Whether in battle or cultivation, a pure soul allows one to notice and perceive things that the naked eye might miss.

“Hmm, my eyes…”

Suddenly, Lu Changsheng paused, his eyes snapping open.

His intense gaze, shining with golden light, projected brilliant rays outward.

His vision pierced through the cave walls, revealing the situation outside, even faintly detecting the formidable presence of a demon nearby.

“So this is the Fiery-Eyes ability of the Golden-Eyed Fire Ape!”

Amazed, Lu Changsheng turned his gaze toward the Thousand-Faced Fox Puppet guarding the cave entrance.

With his golden eyes, he discerned the puppet’s disguised figure, noticing that the demonic energy was not pure, neither was it pure Spiritual Energy.

Looking at the Small Five Elements Reversal Formation, he could vaguely see the circulation of its energy, identifying potential weak points.

“What an incredible innate ability. If others had this ability, they could see through my disguises as well.”

Lu Changsheng realized that while most Late-Stage Golden Core cultivators wouldn’t see through his disguises, those who had highly developed ocular techniques could.

So he would need to be cautious.

But he suspected that his eyes’ effectiveness wasn’t solely due to the Golden-Eyed Fire Ape’s ability.

It was also due to the long years of Dual Cultivation with Lu Miaoyun, during which his ees had been repeatedly nourished by Lingming Essence Fluid, making them far superior.

“If I continue to use Lingming Essence Fluid on my eyes, would it further enhance this ability?”

Lu Changsheng mused, filled with anticipation.

“With this innate ability, surveying spiritual veins and extracting their essence will be much easier.”

Lu Changsheng’s eyes gleamed as he activated the Fiery-Eyes, then ran the Source Spirit Ocular Technique.

Immediately, he saw threads of spiritual energy, allowing him to roughly discern the layout of the land and locate spiritual veins or mines.

“This innate ability is perfectly suited for me.”

With a slight smile, Lu Changsheng stood up, noticing that his physical body had also become more resilient and formidable, enough to push the Hundred Refined Body Technique to its tenth level.

However, he wasn’t planning on breaking through just yet.

His journey to the Myriad Beasts Mountain Range was supposed to last a year.

But hunting down two demonic kings had already consumed half the time.

If he were to break through the Hundred Refined Body Technique and stabilize his condition, it would take another year.

“Let’s get to work!”

Lu Changsheng felt invigorated, brimming with energy, which seemed inexhaustible.

He planned to hunt a few early-stage third-rank demonic kings, gather spiritual veins, make a trip to Qingluan Immortal City, and then return home.

As for his son Lu Qingxian’s Taiyi Soul Body, he wasn’t worried now. Earlier, he had been thinking of dealing with the Sun and Moon Twin Butterflies, but now he felt no rush.

This was because, during his own awakening, Lu realized that awakening the Taiyi Soul Body through Spirit Blood Light also came with immense pressure.

If one couldn’t endure it, they would fail to obtain the innate ability and might even face danger.

Hong Lian had said that only after generating Divine Sense could one awaken the Taiyi Soul Body.

But Lu Changsheng’s recent experiences made it clear that this was just a basic requirement.

Or rather, awakening the Taiyi Soul Body through a third-rank Thunder Wood was enough.

However, if one wants to obtain the innate ability through Spirit Blood Light, it would require a strong soul.

Moreover, the stronger the soul, the greater the benefits when awakening the Taiyi Soul Body.

So Lu Changsheng planned to prepare more Natural Treasures to nourish his son’s soul and have him spend more time cultivating Divine Sense daily.

This way, when Lu Qingxian reaches the Foundation Establishment stage and awakens the Taiyi Soul Body, he could withstand the pressure of Spirit Blood Light and have a high chance of acquiring its innate ability.

“This is the advantage of a strong family.”

“Even though Hong Lian is a Nascent Soul True Lord and knows about the Taiyi Soul Body, she lacks details on many nuances.”

Lu Changsheng sighed with emotion.

If it weren’t for him as the father, personally experimenting with the Soul Body’s awakening, how would the family be aware of these key aspects?

In that moment, Lu Changsheng felt truly great.

Without overthinking it, he looked at the spiritual veins underground, his eyes shining golden as he began extracting the essence.

A day later, Lu Changsheng had finished extracting the small spiritual vein beneath the cave and put away the Ghostly Head from the Netherworld, the Thousand-Faced Fox Puppet, then with the Void Robes concealing him, he stealthily headed toward Divine Ape Ridge.

He planned to extract the spiritual veins from Divine Ape Ridge.

“Hmm?”

Arriving just outside Divine Ape Ridge, Lu Changsheng’s Divine Sense noticed the presence of a third-rank demonic king inside.

“What happened? How’s there another demonic king here?”

Curious, Lu Changsheng sent out the Thousand-Faced Fox Puppet to probe the situation.

Shortly after, a roar echoed as the earth and mountains trembled, and a massive, terrifying bear emerged, roaring at the Thousand-Faced Fox Puppet: “This is my territory now, you’ve crossed the boundary!”

“Earth Demon Bear? It must have occupied the Golden-Eyed Fire Ape’s territory after its death.”

Seeing this, Lu Changsheng immediately understood.

While demonic beasts don’t have the same need for spiritual veins as cultivators, they do prefer to reside in areas with rich spiritual energy.

Additionally, the higher the quality of the spiritual vein, the faster the maturation of their cultivated Natural Treasures.

“Since you’ve come to me, I won’t be polite.”

Noticing that this Earth Demon Bear was only at the early stage of the third rank and not as formidable as the previous Wind and Thunder Howler,

Lu Changsheng seized the opportunity while its attention was on the Thousand-Faced Fox Puppet and struck first.

Since he had a general understanding of their strength difference, Lu Changsheng only slightly activated the Nine-Treasure Jade Ruyi, raising his cultivation to the third layer of Golden Core Formation.

“Yin-Yang Essence Seizing Hand!”

“Six Desires Demon Heart Manual——Soul Binding Technique!”

Lu Changsheng used the Essence Seizing Hand while activating the Six Desires Demon Heart Manual, attempting to seal the Earth Demon Bear’s senses.

“Enchantment!”

At the same time, the Thousand-Faced Fox Puppet, under Lu Changsheng’s commands, used illusion arts to disrupt the Earth Demon Bear’s mind.

Though demonic beasts aren’t as fragile as human cultivators in terms of soul, they were still affected under such circumstances.

“Boom!”

As the Earth Demon Bear was captured and suppressed by the yin-yang hand, Lu Changsheng’s entire body surged with blood energy. His third-rank physique awakened to its full potential as the Thunder-Reinforced Dragon Flame erupted, and he punched through the bear’s stomach, extracting its massive demon core.

“Roar!”

The Earth Demon Bear howled miserably as it was forcefully captured by the Yin-Yang Essence Seizing Hand, forming into a small yin-yang orb.

Seeing this, Lu Changsheng grabbed the orb and immediately entered the cave where he set up the Small Five Elements Reversal Formation, beginning the extraction of the spiritual vein essence.

Half a month later.

“Caw!”

A mournful cry resonated through the skies as Lu Changsheng slaughtered a Red Fire Phoenix-Tailed Bird.

This harvest delighted Lu Changsheng.

Because the tree the Phoenix-Tailed Bird resided in turned out to be a third-rank spirit plant.

It was Lu Changsheng’s first time harvesting a Celestial Spirit Plant through his own efforts, filling him with immense joy.

He immediately sealed the Fire Mulberry Tree with yin-yang power, preserving its life energy, and stored it in the Spirit Plant Bag.

Then, he began excavating the spiritual vein essence beneath it.

Half a day later.

“Boom, boom, boom——”

The ground shook violently, accompanied by the roars and cries of countless beasts.

“Hmm? What’s happening?”

Although fully focused on extracting the spiritual vein essence, Lu Changsheng’s now-powerful soul allowed him to manage more than one task at once.

He immediately activated the Fiery-Eyes. His golden gaze pierced through the mountains, peering outside.

Lu saw countless beasts stampeding toward him.

And in the distant sky, a Golden Eagle and a Black Condor, both emitting a terrifying aura, hovered and circled.

It also seemed as if a mountain was moving toward him.

“Hmm? What’s going on? Are they heading toward me?”

An ominous feeling crept into Lu Changsheng’s mind.

This location was deep within the Myriad Beasts Mountain Range, where other cultivators were scarce.

Under these circumstances, how could so many beasts be rushing toward him?

Moreover, most demonic kings didn’t get along well. Normally, they wouldn’t travel together.

Yet both the Golden Eagle and the Black Condor appeared to be third-rank demonic kings.

While Lu Changsheng pondered, he noticed the moving mountain suddenly soared into the sky. It turned out to be a colossal golden ape lifting the mountain and hurling it in his direction.

“Damn, they really are coming for me!”

Lu Changsheng’s expression changed as he decisively took action, deploying Mountain River Cauldron, Unsealing Nail, Thousand-Faced Fox Puppet, and the Small Five Elements Reversal Formation.

With the void light of the Void Robes flowing around him, he transformed into a beam of rainbow light and shot away.

Though he could easily obliterate early and mid-stage third-rank demonic kings,

And even if he was confident in fighting Late-Stage demonic kings,

His strongest techniques were his ultimate moves, and he couldn’t handle too many enemies at once.

Since the current situation clearly indicated that his actions had attracted the attention of the Myriad Beasts Mountain Range’s demonic kings, who had joined forces to attack him,

If his condition deteriorated, it would spell trouble.

Having experienced being hunted in the Soul Dao Dream, Lu Changsheng didn’t want to relive that feeling.

Though it was just a dream, the Ten Thousand Mountains there likely came from Yun Wanshang’s memories of this very mountain range. Therefore, there was no choice but to flee.

“Boom!”

The mountain crashed into Lu Changsheng’s previous location with a thunderous sound, causing the peak to collapse and unleashing a terrifying shockwave.

“Screech!!!”

In the sky, the Golden Eagle and the Black Condor screeched and locked onto Lu Changsheng, emitting sharp, ear-piercing cries that rippled through the air, attempting to shake his soul.

Fortunately, Lu Changsheng’s Divine Sense was strong with the Taiyi Soul Body awakened, rendering him immune to the soundwave attacks.

But both the Golden Eagle and the Black Condor were exceptionally fast, reaching Lu Changsheng’s location in an instant.

“Teleportation Talisman!”

Without hesitation, Lu Changsheng shattered a purple-glowing Jade Talisman in his hand.

In an instant, his entire presence vanished from the area.

A hundred miles away, ripples appeared in space.

A middle-aged man dressed in a black robe, with a stern and imposing demeanor, suddenly appeared.

Lu Changsheng stabilized himself, with the Void Robes once again cloaking him in void light, hiding his presence within the void.

“I’ve only slain four demonic kings, and yet I’ve drawn this much attention?”

Reflecting on the situation, Lu Changsheng frowned slightly.

If that were the case, he would need to relocate to a farther area.

Otherwise, whenever he killed a demonic king, another would arrive before he could even extract the spiritual vein essence, wasting his efforts.

With that thought, Lu Changsheng pulled out a map of the Myriad Beasts Mountain Range given to him by Tiger Roar True Lord and began studying his approximate location, preparing to move to a more distant region.

“Hmm?”

At this moment, Lu Changsheng looked at the surroundings and frowned.

Within a hundred miles, towering mountains reached the skies.

As a Dragon-Seeker, he immediately noticed something unusual about this area’s terrain.

Lu Changsheng activated his Fiery-Eyes and Source Spirit Ocular Technique to investigate.

After a while, he discerned that the terrain and flow of energy here were extraordinary.

There was a good chance that a large spiritual vein or a rare natural treasure lay hidden beneath.

“Should I check it out?”

“If there is indeed a large spiritual vein, extracting it could make this journey a complete success.”

Lu Changsheng felt tempted and, seeing that the demonic kings weren’t pursuing him, decided to investigate further.