Chapter 278: Yang Soul, 300 Strands Of Consciousness

In the Huang Continent, within the depths of the devil's lair, lay a shattered, colossal black sphere.

Within the sphere was an ever-vigilant black flying snake. Months had passed, but it never left the sphere.

The stone pillar atop the black pagoda in Wu Yuan's upper dantian lobe continued to emit a majestic crimson radiance.

The thick blood-red mist that once shrouded the black pagoda had mostly dissipated, corresponding to the diminishing of the strange lights that seemed to have frozen in time.

Underneath the black pagoda, Wu Yuan’s soul phantom sat in the lotus position. It looked much more realistic, larger, and more solid than before.

Assimilate! Visualize!

Wu Yuan's eyes glimmered with determination as he focused on absorbing the threads of strange light, strengthening his soul.

After a short while, Wu Yuan felt that his soul had reached a bottleneck, making it more difficult to continue merging with these strange lights.

However, Wu Yuan refused to give up. Considering the current state of his soul, he could eliminate the leftover strange lights if he wanted to return to the physical world.

However, Wu Yuan understood that this was a huge opportunity. If he missed out on it, who knew when he would have such an encounter again?

Push through! I never want to experience that feeling of powerlessness I faced when confronting the worm devil again. I must protect everything that is dear to me.

With a stronger soul, I can cultivate at a faster rate. Only with a stronger soul can I have hope of unlocking the qi sea and embarking on the path of eldritch universal cultivation.

Little by little, Wu Yuan gradually assimilated the soul power contained within these unusual light strands. At the same time, he Visualized the black pagoda.

Boom!

Finally, Wu Yuan’s soul avatar exploded, breaking through the bottleneck. In an instant, his consciousness spread fully throughout every corner of his upper dantian lobe.

Then, it burst out of the confines of the upper dantian lobe, rushing through the middle dantian lobe, soul chamber, and the meridians and acupoints, allowing him to perceive every detail of his body vividly.

Wu Yuan's consciousness then proceeded to leave his physical body, coming to the surrounding broken black sphere. Looking down, he saw his own body and the resting black snake.

This went beyond Soul Force perception; it was a true observation from a different perspective.

In the past, my Soul Force perception could be equated to my eyes, only able to see things that were distant but within range. However, it has now become something more.

When his consciousness spread beyond his body, it was as if he was standing outside his body, observing himself.

When his consciousness dove deep into his meridians and blood vessels, as if he was possessing them, sensing the circulation of spiritual qi in an incredibly realistic way.

His perception had risen to a new level!

These are all strands of consciousness! In the past, my soul could handle only six to eight strands of consciousness at most. In other words, I could sustain seven or eight thought processes simultaneously. But now, I have a total of 300 strands.

All these 300 consciousness strands belong to me. Among them, one is the principal consciousness and the rest are secondary consciousnesses. This is the Yang Soul level!

The soul strength of most martial artists usually hovered between Yin Soul and Settled Soul. At the Yin Soul level, their souls would not scatter after death, lingering in the world of the living, while at the Settled Soul level, they were able to perform Internal Vision.

During the Qi Sea phase or Communion phase, cultivators typically reached the Conscious Soul level, with a limited Soul Force range, but enough power to manipulate objects. In rare cases, exceptionally strong individuals could even reach the Soul Perception level.

At the Golden Core phase or Spiritual Body phase, the soul usually remained at the Soul Perception level. At this level, the soul would grow stronger, the range of Soul Force perception would grow, and the number of strands of consciousness would increase.

However, the ability to manipulate a large number of objects from a distance was still unattainable. One still had to rely on aura imprints on their artifacts as well as mana. Furthermore, consciousness strands were unable to leave the body.

This was why cultivators in the Spiritual Body phase often engaged in close-quarters combat.

It was only at the Amethyst Cradle or Shambhala phases that most cultivators reached the Yang Soul level. At this level, while one’s Soul Force perception range might not surpass that of the Golden Core phase, the sheer quantity of consciousness strands increased significantly.

This represented a true evolution, a genuine qualitative shift, where a single thought had the power to move mountains and rivers, where thoughts transcended the limitations of the body and basked in the sunlight, where thoughts could possess weaker beings and invade their souls.

Techniques like Soul Search and Memory Erasure could only be executed by an individual at the Yang Soul level.

Similarly, even without using essentia or mana, those in the Shambhala phase could manipulate artifacts with their formidable souls and were capable of obliterating groups of Qi Sea cultivators from a distance.

Meanwhile, those at the Amethyst Cradle phase could unleash arcane arts capable of shattering worlds with their powerful souls.

I never expected my soul to reach such a level.

Wu Yuan marveled.

For ordinary cultivators, advancements of the soul were slow and difficult. Meanwhile, Wu Yuan’s progress was like a comet.

The first factor is my powerful immortal root. Though I’m only at the fifth-stage Communion phase, my power rivals those at the ninth-stage Communion phase.

When his comprehension of the profundity of the Land reached the Domain stage, it also had an effect on his soul.

But most importantly, it was due to him Visualizing the Black Pagoda day after day.

On top of that, the worm devil’s soul naturally reaches the Yang Soul level at birth, allowing it to possess numerous consciousness threads.

With this fortuitous encounter, along with the assistance of the black pagoda, and the culmination of other factors, I reached the Yang Soul level in one go.

His thoughts converged and flowed back into his upper dantian lobe.

What are these strange streams of light?

With a single thought, invisible ripples radiated from his soul, dispelling each stream of light upon contact.

Ordinary people ate meat to strengthen their bodies. Meanwhile, Grandmasters consumed qi.

After reaching the Yang Soul level, the remnant soul power of the worm devil could no longer enhance Wu Yuan’s soul power even if he refined it.

The crimson light from the stone pillar atop the black pagoda faded, and Wu Yuan's upper dantian lobe returned to its previous state.

Boom!

Wu Yuan's soul consciousness threads infiltrated every corner of his body, ultimately coming to a stop in his soul chamber.

Once again, he was fully in control of his physical body.

Wu Yuan, who had been sleeping deeply for almost three months, opened his eyes. The first thing he saw was a huge serpentine face staring at him.

“It must’ve been hard on you, Little Black,” Wu Yuan smiled at Little Black.

"Master, you're awake!" Little Black exclaimed, shrinking down and wrapping itself around Wu Yuan's arm.

Wu Yuan gently stroked its tiny head affectionately. Looking around, he didn't see anyone else.

There isn’t a single living being within a 50-li radius.

The range of his Soul Force perception had experienced an upgrade, encompassing a wider area.

Additionally, his soul consciousness strands could be mobilized within the boundaries of his Soul Force, but as the distance from his physical form increased, the power he could harness decreased.

Put simply, Wu Yuan could telekinetically wield a weapon from a distance of 50 li away, and strike any opponent at that distance.

No wonder it is said that powerful sword cultivators can slay enemies from a thousand li away with their flying swords.

Those mythical tales were getting closer to reality for Wu Yuan.

The profundity of heaven and earth.

Wu Yuan's Soul Force gathered. The countless mysteries of the world now seemed to vividly reveal themselves before him.

Specifically, he could perceive the profundity of the Land more than ten times clearer than before.

It's no surprise that when the Yang Soul level is reached, comprehending a Domain becomes much easier. With such clarity of perception, reaching the Domain stage is practically effortless.

Having strong fundamentals was absolutely crucial.

With a thought, a pebble on the ground shot upward and sped into the distance. Not long after, a loud explosion echoed.

As anticipated! Let's put the throwing knives to the test.

Wu Yuan’s expression was exultant.

A black throwing knife materialized and swiftly sliced through the air, leaving a mesmerizing trail of light.

The originally fractured black sphere now shattered noisily, causing numerous fragments to scatter and hang in mid-air.

The throwing knife floated in front of Wu Yuan.

Just by using my Soul Force alone to manipulate artifacts, the power I can exert is this strong? It might even rival Old Fang's Golden Sword Art.

Wu Yuan was honestly shocked.

He hadn’t even complemented the attack with his Domain. Once he activated his Domain, the power of each attack would increase exponentially. He might even be able to defeat a regular ninth-stage Qi Sea cultivator in just one strike.

This was the power of a mighty soul.

Soul, essentia, physical body. Any of these three facets, when cultivated to the fullest extent, allowed one to exhibit immense power.

If a ninth-stage Qi Sea cultivator possesses a soul at this level and has enough mana, they could easily defeat a first-stage Golden Core cultivator. Right now, I may be able to wield greater power using my Soul Force to manipulate artifacts from a distance than in close-quarters combat.

Close-quarters combat was far more dangerous compared to long-range assaults.

With my current soul level, unlocking my Qi Sea shouldn’t be an issue.

His previous plan had involved reaching the ninth-stage Communion phase before unlocking his Qi Sea.

But now, was that still necessary?

Even if his vital ether cultivation reached the ninth-stage Communion phase, it wouldn't have a significant impact on the growth of his soul.

I will consult with the realm master later.

Wu Yuan decided.

Unlocking the Qi Sea was a significant matter that could not be taken lightly.

“Master, this is for you.” Little Black suddenly lifted its head and spat out a handful of sparkling crystal fragments resembling jade.

"What is this?" Wu Yuan asked.

Little Black's voice echoed in Wu Yuan's mind as it explained, “These fragments are the remains of the worm devil's main body after it perished. I felt that they were unique, so I collected them.”

"Oh? The main body of the worm devil?” Wu Yuan's interest grew as he reached out to retrieve the crystal fragments.

After probing them using his Soul Force, he sensed their exceptional nature. These crystals emitted an unknown power that differed from the usual mana or ether. It appeared to be a combination of soul power and spiritual qi.

“You did well, Little Black,” Wu Yuan praised the Teng Snake and kept the crystal fragments. Since he didn’t understand what they were, he stored them safely for now.

It's time to return. I've been asleep for several months. I wonder if Fang Xia has managed to defeat Jin Quan successfully.

Wu Yuan observed his surroundings. His Soul Force extended, searching every corner, making sure nothing valuable was left behind.

As for the remains of the ordinary devil soldiers? After months, their bodies had rotted, making them useless. The Spiritual Body devil soldiers still had intact corpses, but their devil crystals were already harvested, making those bodies worthless too.

Time to go!

Wu Yuan took a step forward.

Instantly, he surrounded himself with Soul Force. The rocks and soil above him parted, creating a pathway leading back to the surface.

At the same time, he sent a spiritual transmission to Qiong Sea King. "Qiong Sea, I have returned."