Chapter 427: Soul Emperor, Soul-Suppressing Seal

“The soul is said to be formless, born of an emperor...”

An ancient voice resounded in Chen Chu's mind like a mighty bell, and the characters that floated in the sky began to spin before they suddenly rushed into his sea of consciousness with a loud boom.

Instantly, a surge of information exploded within his mind. This was a soul art inheritance, one that visualized the soul as an emperor.

Under normal circumstances, a cultivator would only be able to touch upon the soul after reaching the Ninth Heavenly Realm. The stronger the soul, the better the comprehension and power of the laws.

However, even among strong souls, there were differences. A soul that was equally powerful but untrained was like a three-hundred-pound man with loose fat all over his body. In contrast, someone who had cultivated a soul art was like a warrior, lean and strong.

Moreover, this level of art was passed down through the will of the soul, not merely through words. Thus, even if civilizations were different, it could be understood and mastered.

However, attempting to touch upon the soul before the Ninth Heavenly Realm was extremely difficult. Even an ancient soul art like this one required a soul-suppressing item to cultivate, such as the black seal in Chen Chu’s hand.

During ancient times, every disciple of the Taixu Sect would receive a soul artifact made from special materials when cultivating. This artifact served as a bridge between the physical body and the soul.

Initially, this soul treasure lacked significant power. However, as one cultivated to the end, bearing the weight of the laws and tempering the soul, it would become overwhelmingly powerful.

As firelight illuminated his face under the night sky, Chen Chu slowly opened his eyes to reveal a look of amazement.

He hadn’t expected that the inheritance he received would be something like this, an art somewhat similar to the Ninth-Grade Divine Lotus Meditation Art of Heavenly King Jiuyou.

Chen Chu focused his mind, and a transparent page appeared before his eyes.

Art: Taixu Nether Light Scripture [First stage, not yet started.

Note: This is a soul art. Attribute points converted from life energy cannot be used on this art. Soul points from soul energy are required for enhancement.]

So, attribute points can't enhance it.

Chen Chu’s gaze fell on the note, and his eyes narrowed slightly.

Attribute points were derived from life energy and, once converted, could enhance abilities and arts, all of which pertained to the physical body.

Although attribute points couldn’t directly enhance this art, with the inheritance, Chen Chu could still begin cultivating. However, his progress would certainly be slower compared to using enhancement.

Moreover, he had few attribute points left, and with his final push toward the path to divinity, he couldn’t afford to use them now even if he could enhance it.

Lost in thought, Chen Chu focused his mind and activated the inheritance imprint formed by the characters in his sea of consciousness.

Boom!

The imprint exploded into countless characters once again, and in an instant, a formless soul power was drawn out, enveloping the Soul-Suppressing Seal in Chen Chu’s hand.

Under the endless wash of soul power, the solid black seal slowly began to become ethereal, then gradually merged into Chen Chu’s chest, sinking deeper and deeper.

In the pitch-black, void-like, and imperceptible soul "world," the Soul-Suppressing Seal emerged, and a massive hand stretched out from the darkness to gently grasp it.

𝓯𝓻𝒆𝙚𝒘𝓮𝙗𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝒍.𝙘𝓸𝙢

Using the Seal as a bridge, Chen Chu was able to clearly sense the existence of his soul for the first time.

As the Thunder Fiery Dragon Emperor repeatedly evolved, the four major attributes that represented Chen Chu’s body had grown in strength from the feedback, becoming increasingly formidable.

This included his soul, which also grew stronger under the powerful nourishment of his essence and spirit.

Only a continuously strengthening soul could maintain Chen Chu's connection with the Thunder Emperor, which had already reached level 9, and keep them in sync at all times.

However, due to the colossal beast avatar, Chen Chu’s soul had always been suppressing the soul passage in some unknown depth. It wasn’t until today that he touched upon his own soul for the first time. The only way to describe it was vast, boundless, and illusory, not dense enough to be fully solid.

Boom!

As the Taixu Nether Light Scripture began to circulate, a wave of soul energy erupted from the depths of the darkness.

Instantly, Chen Chu felt his connection with the Thunder Emperor become even tighter, allowing their shared consciousness to operate with greater flexibility and independence.

Just as Chen Chu started cultivating the scripture, the battle phantom with three faces and six arms in his sea of consciousness began to tremble from the soul fluctuations.

Back when he was at the Third Heavenly Realm, an incomplete rune called the Blade of Void had condensed from the combined forces of his mind and technique under maximum enhancement. Now, it quivered slightly in response to the soul power.

Hum!

The Blade of Void emitted a suction force, absorbing wisps of the soul energy being released during cultivation.

This change caught Chen Chu by surprise, and it also sparked his curiosity. He wondered what transformations might occur after this special rune absorbed the soul energy.

Would it evolve into a complete rune, or perhaps develop a new ability?

Chen Chu spent the entire night cultivating the scripture and finally managed to reach the beginning stage by dawn. Sitting cross-legged, he slowly opened his eyes. His gaze was deep, carrying an invisible, oppressive force—an aura of power stemming from his soul.

After cultivating, Chen Chu's vast soul power had become much more condensed and focused.

The next step was to continue cultivating until the advanced stage. When that time came, his soul would transform into an "emperor," and merging the Soul Emperor's body with the true form of laws would result in an unimaginable power.

This path was exceptionally rare even in ancient times, as cultivating the Taixu Nether Light Scripture was incredibly difficult. It required an innate soul strength at least five times greater than that of others in the same realm.

Given the strength of his soul, once Chen Chu fully mastered this art, he would become even stronger than the kings recorded in the history of the Taixu Sect.

Sensing the invisible pressure emanating from Chen Chu, An Fuqing, who sat opposite him, said in surprise, "You've changed so much in just one night. Did you receive a complete art inheritance?"

Chen Chu smiled slightly. "That's right. It's an art called the Taixu Nether Light Scripture, focused on soul cultivation."

There wasn’t really any need to conceal anything regarding the scripture. The arts, texts, and rune inheritances they obtained in the ruins would all need to be translated and copied for the Federation anyway, just like the powerful figures of the past.

If those figures hadn't continually organized, revised, and perfected the inheritances they acquired, the true martial art cultivation system wouldn't have developed so rapidly, nor would so many strong cultivators have emerged.

However, even though a copy would be made, without the inheritance imprint and the corresponding soul artifact, it would be extremely difficult for others to learn the scripture.

Moreover, given the requirement of such a strong soul, there would likely be very few people in the entire Federation below the Ninth Heavenly Realm who could cultivate this art. It was even more uncertain how long it would take them to reach the beginning stage.

"A soul art, huh?" Even An Fuqing couldn't hide her surprise, as such arts were exceedingly rare.

Sensing the sharp aura emanating from An Fuqing, Chen Chu asked with interest, "An Fuqing, what's inside that small sword you obtained?"

An Fuqing replied softly, "It's an inheritance for a sword array.

"It gathers the power of heaven and earth through sword will to create an array that seals off all directions. The more sword wills you comprehend, and the stronger they are, the greater the power of the array."

"...A sword array, huh? And it seems to suit you quite well," Chen Chu commented.

An Fuqing, however, wasn’t surprised. "This is a place of inheritance from an ancient civilization. Since it’s an inheritance, it’s only natural that the right person receives the right art. In other words, it's fate."

Chen Chu nodded. "True."

His soul was innately powerful, and he just so happened to receive a scripture that required such innate soul strength. Looking back, it did seem like quite the coincidence.

At this point, Chen Chu couldn't help but curiously ask, "An Fuqing, may I ask about the special characteristics of the four sword wills you condensed?"

An Fuqing thought for a moment before replying. "I named the four sword wills I condensed as: Disillusionment of Life and Death, Spatial Tear, Wind Spirit Instant Slash, and Soul Annihilation.

"They correspond to the concepts of disillusionment, space, wind speed, and spiritual will."

"Very comprehensive. It seems that you had a clear goal when condensing your sword wills. With the array you obtained this time, once your sword wills reach the advanced stage..."

Chen Chu paused mid-sentence.

The sword will, once advanced, would not only amplify the transcendent energy gathered by fivefold, but also transform illusion into reality, allowing the will’s attributes to be fully maximized.

Although the four sword wills belonged to the category of will power, the amplification of the gathered power of heaven and earth wouldn’t overlap. When combined, it would reach at least a tenfold increase.

Moreover, with the special attributes contained within them, paired with the array she recently acquired, her strength would become terrifyingly powerful.

Thinking of this, even Chen Chu couldn't help but be amazed.

No wonder she was the top genius of Nantian—her talent only became greater as time went on.

Furthermore, the attributes of the sword wills she condensed clearly indicated that, even without this inheritance, An Fuqing's future cultivation direction would have been related to sword arrays.

Facing Chen Chu’s amazement, An Fuqing shook her head. "Advancing sword will is not that simple. With so many sword wills to comprehend, it’s extremely difficult for me to break through."

"Will breakthroughs to the advanced stage are indeed very difficult," Chen Chu agreed with a nod.

It had taken him nearly three months to condense the Hellblood Battle Will, and it wasn't until recently, after slaughtering millions of the demons within Akunus' Blood River, that he managed to reach the intermediate stage.

Who knows how long it will take to reach the advanced stage?

The girl across from him also nodded in agreement. "Yes, it’s really difficult. I estimate it will take me at least another month to get my four sword wills to the advanced stage."

Chen Chu was momentarily stunned; suddenly, he didn’t feel like talking to her anymore.

However, the girl didn’t notice Chen Chu’s expression and continued. "After advancing my sword wills, I'll have to create my own secret scripture. I wonder how long it will take to break through to the Seventh Heavenly Realm."

With An Fuqing’s talent, it was only natural that she wouldn’t follow the path of others. Like Chen Chu, she would choose to create her own secret scripture in the late stage of the Sixth Heavenly Realm.

Chen Chu smiled and said, "With your talent for comprehension, I’m sure creating your own secret scripture won’t be a problem. You might even complete it in a month or two.

"Moreover, with so many inheritances in this continent, who knows? If you're lucky, you might directly obtain a sword scripture that helps you reach king level."

"Let’s hope so."

With that, the two of them laughed.

After the mutual exchange of compliments, it was time to get down to business.

After annihilating the Dark Angel with a single strike yesterday, the Double Pupil’s power had left Chen Chu very satisfied. As a result, he needed to slay more void monsters to continue stacking the passive amplification.

In addition, he planned to pay closer attention to the ruins' buildings. The strength of the Taixu Nether Light Scripture had surprised him, suggesting that there were many valuable inheritances here.

No wonder Luo Wuyue had advised him to pay more attention to these ancient items, as they could contain an inheritance or the insights of a powerful figure.

Whoosh! Whoosh!

Chen Chu and An Fuqing's figures leapt down.

In mid-air, Chen Chu directly shattered the air, transforming into a streak of golden light that shot forward as the resulting shockwave crushed everything in its path.

Compared to Chen Chu, An Fuqing moved silently, with sword will circulating around her as she traveled at subsonic speeds, like a cyan shadow.

Chen Chu could also move silently at supersonic speeds, but that kind of movement wasn’t imposing enough. When there was no need for stealth or concealment, it wasn’t necessary to waste true power. Besides, his strength was virtually limitless, so he could afford to use it freely.

Moreover, he enjoyed the exhilarating feeling of crashing through everything with thunderous speed.

As Chen Chu and An Fuqing set off, many other geniuses entered the ruins from all directions around the Oasis.

However, everyone was much more cautious today, including Bardas and the others.

After discovering that there were level 8 monsters within a mere four-hundred-kilometer radius, even Ji Wuji didn't dare to be careless, proceeding with extreme caution as he entered the ruins.

The leaderboard? What even was that?

Below the turbulent sea surface, more than twenty mutated orcas, ranging from ten to thirty meters in length, gathered and floated in the water, motionless.

In front of these orcas was a colossal beast, black and red in color, with a length of 160 meters. Its menacing presence radiated a pressure that left the orcas paralyzed with fear.

Before an emperor-level colossal beast, they felt an instinctive terror.

However, the three little orcas had long been accustomed to the Thunder Emperor’s terrifying might. They excitedly swam toward it the moment they saw it.

Hu Yi let out a joyful squeal.

Squeak! Uncle, I’ve recruited many of our kin. They’re all thrilled to join the Dragon Palace.

Hu Er squeaked too. S

queak! And me too, Uncle, I’m working hard as well.

Hu San chimed in.

Squeak! Uncle, we’re awesome.

Like children seeking praise, the little orcas leaped around the Thunder Emperor, occasionally bursting out of the water and creating splashing waves. The scene left the others orcas with their eyes wide open.

The Thunder Emperor glanced at the twenty or so orcas with satisfaction and let out a deep, rumbling roar.

Roar! Good. Strive to gather hundreds more and form a mutated beast army.

Roar! Alright, keep up the effort. I need to find some more food.

After speaking, the Thunder Emperor cast a cold glance at the few peak level 6 orcas, its golden vertical pupils emanating a chilling gaze that made the orcas shiver.

Boom!

The scales and horns on its shoulders erupted with intense heat, and the Thunder Emperor disappeared into the darkness like a massive torpedo. Only then did the orcas finally relax.

At that moment, one of the level 6 orcas hesitated and asked,

Squeak! Three leaders, who was that just now?

Hu Yi proudly responded.

Squeak! That was one of the five dragon kings of our Dragon Palace, the Thunder Fiery Dragon King. The great Uncle Ao Batian.

Hu Er added,

Squeak! Uncle Thunder Fiery is amazing. He led us to annihilate a colossal beast empire and killed many level 9 colossal beasts. He’s also defeated quasi-mythical beasts.

Hu San joined in.

Squeak! There were even mythical colossal beasts that descended at the time, but they were defeated by our Dragon Palace’s Storm and Frost King, the great Dragon King Saixitia. It’s also incredible.

Gasp!

The orcas’ eyes widened, and they gasped in awe, creating a powerful suction force in the water that formed swirling vortices.

Over the past few days, the three little orcas had informed them about the levels of transcendent beings.

They knew that they were level 4 to 6[1], while their three leaders were level 7.

Above them were the more powerful level 8 and 9 beasts, and beyond that, the world-destroying quasi-mythical and mythical-level beings.

Realizing that the fearsome black-red colossal beast had killed level 9 beasts and defeated quasi-mythical beasts, the sheer intimidation emanating from it made sense.

Moreover, their other dragon king, the Storm and Frost Dragon King, could even defeat mythical-level beasts. It was truly formidable.

Thinking of this, the orcas were all stirred with excitement. Joining such a terrifying colossal beast force made their future seem full of hope.

Especially since one of the five dragon kings of the Dragon Palace, the King of Black and White, was of their kind.

As one of the dragon kings, it must be incredibly powerful.

Hu Yi called out.

Squeak! Let’s go, everyone, continue finding companions to join the Dragon Palace.

Hu Er agreed.

Squeak! Yes, gather more. If they don’t listen, we’ll beat them to death

.

Hu San chimed in.

Squeak! Assemble the army, and we’ll return to defeat Dad. I want to become a dragon king, too!

1. The original novel says “level 4 and 5,” which ignores the level 6 orcas that were mentioned just before. This was changed to correct the statement. ☜