Chapter 907: Chapter 907: Tremendous Growth, Peach Blossom Gu Breakthrough!

As the ‘God-Devouring Technique’ broke through to the second layer, Lu Changsheng’s spirit-soul soared to new heights.

From the previous sixth layer of Nascent Soul, it surged to the peak of the seventh layer!

Though it was just a single layer’s difference,

this marked the bottleneck between mid-stage and late-stage Nascent Soul!

Countless Nascent Soul cultivators might spend their entire lives unable to cross this threshold.

Lu Changsheng could clearly feel the immense boost brought by his spirit-soul stepping into the late stage.

It was as if everything lay within his grasp, an omnipotent sensation swelling within him, a belief of unmatched dominance.

Yet Lu Changsheng knew this was merely an illusion caused by the rapid surge in his spirit-soul’s power over such a short time.

Even so, he couldn’t help but revel in this wondrous feeling of wielding the might to govern the heavens and earth.

With a single thought, the entire expanse of the Yin Ghost Sect unfolded in his mind.

Even though each peak and vein was guarded by arrays and restrictions to block external forces,

Lu Changsheng saw through them effortlessly.

His divine sense pierced through the arrays and barriers, taking in every cultivator, spirit, and ghost king within the Yin Ghost Sect.

If he so wished, a mere thought could unleash his spirit-soul’s power to shatter these cave restrictions and erase anyone inside.

Focusing on a few cultivators, Lu Changsheng could even glimpse their fleeting thoughts and intentions.

At this moment, he felt like a god gazing down upon the Yin Ghost Sect, their fates resting in his hands.

Yet the sect’s cultivators remained oblivious to his watchful gaze, carrying on as usual.

Lu Changsheng had no penchant for prying, so he withdrew his divine sense.

Still, the rapid boost in his spirit-soul’s power was overwhelming.

From a strength comparable to mid-stage Nascent Soul, it had risen to the sixth layer, and now peaked at the seventh, leaving him struggling to adapt and control this newfound might.

His divine sense was hard to rein in, inadvertently picking up nearby happenings and disturbances.

Lu Changsheng calmed his mind, focusing to acclimate to this surge of spirit-soul power.

After a long while, he gradually gained mastery over this force of spirit and sense.

He deeply realized the tremendous growth that late-stage Nascent Soul spirit-soul brought him!

Beyond the vastly enhanced perception and heightened senses,

his control over spiritual energy, magical techniques, spirit treasures, secret artifacts, and insight into others’ abilities and methods far surpassed his previous limits.

For instance, when casting techniques, his manipulation of magical energy and ambient spiritual essence became more precise, reducing waste and amplifying power to a certain degree.

Though Lu Ancestor never delved deep into refining techniques for maximum impact or minimal cost, aiming for beyond-perfect results,

with his spirit-soul reaching the level of a grand Nascent Soul cultivator, any effort to study and refine would yield twice the results with half the work!

His mastery over spirit treasures and secret artifacts became even more direct!

During combat, the number of treasures a cultivator could wield was limited not just by magical energy, but also by divine sense.

Though Lu Changsheng relied on the spirit Ah Wu to autonomously operate the Sun-Moon Yin-Yang Mirror, he still needed to split his focus to control this celestial treasure.

Now, with this massive boost to his spirit-soul, even without an increase in cultivation realm, the upper limit of wielding the Sun-Moon Yin-Yang Mirror had risen.

If he chose to burn his Nascent Soul essence or the treasure’s essence, the effect would be even more pronounced!

As for discerning other cultivators’ techniques and methods, there was little need to elaborate.

With divine sense far surpassing his peers, he could easily see through disguises, stealth, and cultivation levels, even predicting moves by sensing flaws and fluctuations in their minds.

Back in his early days, Lu Ancestor relied on the ‘Taiyi Spirit’ and operated under the alias ‘Changsheng True Lord,’ deeply experiencing the benefits of a spirit-soul far beyond his realm.

At that time, assassins and hostile forces mistook him for a Foundation Establishment or Core Formation cultivator, only to be instantly seen through by him.

“But the greatest impact of this divine sense boost is the pressure and attacks I can exert on lower-realm cultivators.”

Lu Changsheng’s expression remained calm as he quietly assessed the myriad benefits of his spirit-soul’s growth.

Previously, to slay Nascent Soul cultivators like True Lord Mingsha, True Lord Tiancang, and True Lord Qianren, he needed tools like the Nine Calamity Sword, Danghun Bell, and Starrealm Compass.

Now, such measures were unnecessary.

The spirit-soul attacks of a late-stage Nascent Soul grand cultivator could directly replicate, or even surpass, the effects of the Danghun Bell.

A mid-stage Nascent Soul cultivator’s spirit-soul attack might only cause slight disruption or influence to an early-stage Nascent Soul cultivator, hardly inflicting real damage.

If the opponent possessed a spirit-soul treasure, they might remain entirely unaffected.

But a late-stage Nascent Soul grand cultivator’s spirit-soul attack could severely disrupt, or even wound, the spirit-soul of an early-stage Nascent Soul cultivator!

In the midst of combat, any interference or impact on a cultivator’s spirit-soul consciousness could have dire consequences.

Even a split-second hesitation could sway the outcome of a battle.

Especially for Lu Changsheng, who wielded supreme treasures like the Nine Calamity Sword and Sun-Moon Yin-Yang Mirror, alongside a mid-fourth-rank physique!

The greatest strength of body cultivators lay in close-range suppression.

Though Lu Changsheng rarely relied on his physical prowess for close combat, it didn’t mean his body was weak.

Under the amplifying effects of the Chaos Body, his physique far exceeded other dual cultivators of body and magic, rivaling pure body cultivators!

Thus, he could withstand the self-destruction of an early-stage Nascent Soul cultivator’s body and qi, and physically overpower True Lord Nine Spirits’ Nascent Soul explosion.

In such scenarios, facing early-stage Nascent Soul cultivators, he needed few tricks.

A single spirit-soul secret art followed by raw physical might would establish absolute dominance.

With his spirit-soul reaching the peak of the seventh layer, even his physical divine ability, Chaos Manifestation, gained a slight boost.

In short, early-stage Nascent Soul cultivators facing Lu Changsheng now had no chance unless they possessed a spirit-soul treasure or fled at first sight.

Even newly advanced mid-stage Nascent Soul cultivators without spirit-soul treasures faced grave danger against him.

Beyond the direct combat boosts from breaking into late-stage Nascent Soul spirit-soul, skills like alchemy, talisman making, formations, and divination also saw significant improvements.

Formations and divination, in particular, benefited greatly!

Formation masters controlling grand arrays required strong divine sense.

The stronger the divine sense, the deeper the control over the array.

In essence, a formation master’s effectiveness with an array depended primarily on their mastery and operation of it, then on divine sense, and only after that on cultivation and physique.

As for divination, it went without saying.

Divination relied heavily on sensing heavenly secrets, closely tied to a cultivator’s spirit-soul perception and extremely taxing on the mind.

Lu Changsheng paid little heed to these boosts in formations, divination, or other immortal arts.

After all, without actively investing time to study, refine, and accumulate experience, the gains from a spirit-soul breakthrough alone were quite limited.

“Beyond the direct realm enhancement, the greatest aid from breaking into late-stage Nascent Soul spirit-soul is likely in condensing my domain and cultivating divine abilities.”

Lu Changsheng murmured softly, knowing that with a late-stage Nascent Soul spirit-soul, shattering the vacuum and condensing his domain would be twice as effective with half the effort.

The same applied to cultivating divine abilities.

His techniques, inherited through the system, were already fully mastered.

With ample resources and natural treasures for refinement, aided by his late-stage Nascent Soul spirit-soul, the efficiency would be multiplied!

In Lu Changsheng’s eyes, this was a tremendous boost.

Otherwise, fully condensing his Nascent Soul Domain and refining the divine abilities of the Yin-Yang Creation Sutra and True Saint Skill of Brahma and Demons might take decades.

“And now, there’s also the God-Devouring Technique to consider.”

Though the God-Devouring Technique boasted several spirit-soul secret arts capable of directly attacking and disrupting others’ spirit-souls,

without investing significant time to condense its core divine ability, the God-Devouring Vase, and crafting a trump card, harming a mid-stage Nascent Soul cultivator’s spirit-soul would be difficult.

As for disrupting or attacking late-stage Nascent Soul grand cultivators, Lu Changsheng held no such illusions.

Not to mention that those who reached late-stage Nascent Soul would have spirit-souls no weaker than his own,

who among those breaking through to late-stage Nascent Soul could be considered simple?

These were ancient monsters who had lived for centuries, even millennia.

Which of them wasn’t once a child of fortune, a peerless prodigy?

They undoubtedly possessed extraordinary means, top-tier inheritances, and spirit-soul treasures by their side.

Moreover, when Lu Changsheng broke through to early-stage Nascent Soul, with the effects of Yin-Yang Myriad Laws Nascent Soul and Chaos Body, his spirit-soul already rivaled mid-stage Nascent Soul.

Could these ancient monsters, lingering in the Nascent Soul stage for centuries or millennia, not have sought soul-path natural treasures to enhance their spirit-soul and divine sense?

In Lu Changsheng’s view, it was quite normal for some mid-stage Nascent Soul titans to possess late-stage Nascent Soul spirit-souls.

After all, once cultivation realms hit a bottleneck with no hope of breakthrough, most cultivators would turn to body refinement, tempering their physique, or enhancing their spirit-soul to build their foundation and push past the barrier!

“It’s a pity the God-Devouring Technique’s threshold is too high to spread widely for cultivation.”

Having fully experienced his late-stage Nascent Soul spirit-soul, Lu Changsheng sighed with a hint of regret.

Though the effects of the God-Devouring Technique were incredibly powerful, with the first layer alone doubling one’s divine sense,

and the second layer doubling it yet again on that foundation,

cultivating it was far too difficult and demanding!

When he cultivated the first layer, Lu Changsheng hadn’t felt the strain.

But during the second layer, he deeply realized he had underestimated this technique.

The second layer of the God-Devouring Technique could only be cultivated by Nascent Soul cultivators.

And it placed extremely high demands on both physique and spirit-soul.

If one’s spirit-soul and physique weren’t strong enough to withstand the massive boost from the God-Devouring Technique, they risked physical collapse or chaotic spirit-soul consciousness during cultivation.

When Lu Changsheng cultivated the second layer, his cultivation was at the second layer of Nascent Soul, his spirit-soul at the sixth layer, and his physique at mid-fourth-rank.

Such conditions were more than adequate!

Yet during the process, he still felt the danger, with his physique, magical energy, and spirit-soul becoming somewhat unstable.

Fortunately, his cultivation foundation was robust, having condensed the Yin-Yang Myriad Laws Nascent Soul and possessing the Chaos Body, making his spirit-soul and physique far beyond other dual cultivators of body and magic.

Thus, Lu Changsheng reached a conclusion.

To cultivate the first layer of the God-Devouring Technique with absolute safety,

one should ideally break through to mid-stage Core Formation and condense a top-grade Golden Core.

Additionally, their physique should surpass their peers, not merely dabbling in body refinement, reaching at least mid-third-rank.

Either possess a physique-related spirit body, or have a physique at the peak of mid-third-rank.

Only then could one ensure no mishaps during cultivation!

The same held for the second layer of the God-Devouring Technique.

Ideally, one should be at mid-stage Nascent Soul with a spirit-soul at the sixth layer and a physique at the peak of mid-fourth-rank.

Otherwise, the process would be perilous, and a single misstep could lead to physical collapse or chaotic spirit-soul consciousness.

Previously, after mastering the first layer of the God-Devouring Technique, Lu Changsheng had considered letting his exceptionally talented wives and children attempt it.

But now, he dismissed the idea.

Moreover, beyond the high cultivation threshold and inherent dangers, the technique’s drawbacks and side effects had also become apparent.

Back when he cultivated the first layer, with his Nascent Soul cultivation and robust spirit-soul and physique, the side effects of needing to break through to the second layer within a set time were almost entirely suppressed.

Unless his realm stagnated indefinitely, with declining blood energy and an aging spirit-soul, the side effects wouldn’t manifest.

But now, having broken through to the second layer, Lu Changsheng vaguely sensed he must advance to the Spirit Transformation stage within five hundred years.

If he failed to reach Spirit Transformation and cultivate the third layer of the God-Devouring Technique within that time, his spirit-soul consciousness would fall into chaos.

“Five hundred years.”

Though in the Southern Desolation, Spirit Transformation was an unreachable dream for all, a realm beyond imagination,

Lu Changsheng felt that breaking through to Spirit Transformation within five hundred years wasn’t an insurmountable challenge.

Moreover, this timeframe wasn’t set in stone.

It depended on his cultivation and physical condition.

Once he broke through to mid-stage or late-stage Nascent Soul, this side effect might be suppressed to a minimum, perhaps only manifesting in his later years when his condition declined.

Of course, if he suffered a severe injury, greatly damaging his Nascent Soul Spirit Body or spirit-soul, this ominous outcome could manifest sooner.

In short, the God-Devouring Technique was a double-edged sword.

Its effects were undeniably powerful.

Lu Changsheng had already experienced this firsthand.

But its side effects were like a ticking time bomb.

Only true geniuses with absolute confidence in their future should dare to cultivate it!

Otherwise, they risked a tragic end in their later years.

Exhaling a breath of turbid air, Lu Changsheng stepped out of his secluded cave residence.

Outside, Nangong Mili and Meng Xiaochan awaited, guarding until his emergence.

Upon seeing him, their faces lit up with joy as they called out, “Lu Changsheng, Husband.”

“Squeak squeak squeak—” Nearby, the Soul-Taking Beast also congratulated him, sensing something profoundly different about its master.

“Mili, Xiaochan.”

Lu Changsheng’s mood lifted at the sight of the two women, and he asked Nangong Mili why she’d come.

“I was worried about you, wasn’t I?” Nangong Mili’s tone differed from her usual tsundere demeanor.

Beyond Lu Changsheng becoming a Nascent Soul titan, the fact that he’d even tamed True Lord Youyue of Beast God Mountain filled her with pressure.

She could still compete for affection against Yin Yuge or Yiren,

but against a Nascent Soul True Lord like the Holy Maiden of Beast God Mountain, she felt utterly outmatched.

Lu Changsheng chuckled, asking how long he’d been in seclusion.

During his cultivation of the God-Devouring Technique, his spirit-soul had been in a profound, mystical state, leaving him unaware of the passing time.

“Five and a half months,” Meng Xiaochan replied.

“That long?” Lu Changsheng was taken aback.

Though cultivating a technique like the God-Devouring Technique might take others a year or two,

for him, it felt excessively long.

The process had been so immersive, it seemed like mere days had passed.

“At the Nascent Soul stage, any divine ability or technique takes years to cultivate. If not for the system’s inheritance and my perfect conditions, it could easily have been several years.”

Lu Changsheng mused silently, wondering if anything significant had happened in Jin Kingdom, Jiang Kingdom, or Liang Kingdom during his time in seclusion.

Nangong Mili informed him that, aside from Heavenly Sword Sect beginning to relocate its entire sect, nothing major had occurred in Jin Kingdom or Jiang Kingdom recently.

As for Liang Kingdom, the distance was too great, and unless it was an urgent matter, news took time to travel.

But since no urgent reports had arrived, it meant nothing significant had happened in Jiang Kingdom.

Lu Changsheng nodded slightly, aware that with the Liang-Yue War recently settled, there shouldn’t be any issues in the short term.

Still, considering True Lord Youyue and others had likely finished handling Liang Kingdom’s war captives and assets,

he felt it was time to head over and finalize the personnel arrangements.

Soon after, Lu Changsheng spent time with the two women, helping Nangong Mili nurture her Golden Core, and shared a few days of intimate bonding with Yin Yuge before setting off for the Five Poisons Sect.

During his cultivation of the God-Devouring Technique, the Peach Blossom Gu had fully merged and digested the Dao Seed, Blushing Peach Blossom, reaching a critical point where it could advance to fourth-rank at any moment.

If not for the Heavenly Tribulation that advancing to fourth-rank would trigger, it would have broken through already.

Thus, Lu Changsheng headed to the Five Poisons Sect to facilitate the Peach Blossom Gu’s breakthrough.

He chose not to do so at the Yin Ghost Sect but at the Five Poisons Sect for two reasons: the sect’s spiritual veins and aura were more suited to the Peach Blossom Gu,

and he also wanted to check if the Five Poisons Sect had any rare natural treasures that could further enhance the Gu’s foundation.

Upon arriving at the Five Poisons Sect, Lu Changsheng explained his purpose to the Five Poisons Sect Master.

The latter promptly led him to the sect’s treasure vault and Gu Cell.

However, unlike most Gu insects, the Peach Blossom Gu fed on peach blossom fortune.

Aside from the Blushing Peach Blossom Dao Seed, it showed no interest in other Gu-refining materials or compatible Gu insects.

Seeing this, Lu Changsheng didn’t force the matter, simply asking the Peach Blossom Gu how confident it felt.

Though the Peach Blossom Gu possessed a rudimentary consciousness, not even on par with a third-rank Demon King, it conveyed a simple thought of assurance.

Ah Youduo told Lu Changsheng that Gu insects faced a simpler tribulation compared to cultivators or Demon Kings.

As long as no issues arose during merging or advancement, there was generally little danger.

For Gu insects, tribulation was mainly a baptism by the rules of heavenly power, facilitating their advancement.

“Good.” Lu Changsheng nodded, brimming with confidence in the Peach Blossom Gu.

After all, none of the spirit pets by his side had ever failed a tribulation.

If the Peach Blossom Gu, having fully merged with Blushing Peach Blossom, still failed its tribulation, then it might as well perish.

Three days later, the Five Poisons Sect’s Mountain Gate array activated at full power, sealing the gate.

A pink peach blossom mark emerged on Lu Changsheng’s forehead, radiating a brilliant glow, adding a touch of alluring charm to his already handsome, ethereal face.

As the peach blossom mark shimmered, after a long moment, this radiant glow surged skyward from his forehead, forming a dazzling expanse of light, like a shower of falling petals, breathtakingly beautiful.

Soon after, a thumb-sized Gu insect, shimmering with a vibrant pink luster and resembling a butterfly, flew out from Lu Changsheng’s forehead, surrounded by swirling pink light, akin to a crystalline rain of flowers.

The Peach Blossom Gu had begun its advancement to fourth-rank!