Chapter 421: Divine Soul Fire

A day passed.

Xu Sanyan opened his eyes. After this breakthrough, his understanding of the Formation Dao had deepened once more, making the contents of the ancient scroll even easier to comprehend.

He then took out the Lingzhi mushroom and examined it closely. He had never seen such a thing before and didn’t know its effects, but the inexplicable attraction it exerted was undeniable, constantly urging him to consume it.

Based on Xu Sanyan’s cultivation level and knowledge, he was reasonably certain that the mushroom was beneficial and harmless, a potent tonic for the divine soul.

His hesitation stemmed from the fear of wasting its potential. Perhaps refining it into a medicinal pill would unlock its full efficacy?

After much deliberation, he decided to eat it raw. Firstly, he lacked the skill to refine pills. Secondly, he couldn’t trust anyone else with such a precious item. Better to consume it directly, even if some of its potency might be lost.

With his decision made, he took a large bite of the Lingzhi mushroom. Instantly, a rich, aromatic fragrance filled his senses. Before he could savor the taste, the entire mushroom flowed into his body like liquid.

Yet despite swallowing such a large portion, he felt no sense of fullness. The mushroom seemed to transform into a gaseous form upon entering his body, dispersing throughout his entire being.

No!

Xu Sanyan’s expression turned serious. The Lingzhi wasn’t inside his body; it had attached itself to his divine soul!

The Lingzhi was merely an external manifestation of soul power, a form without substance. Once inside his body, it would revert to its original form.

Xu Sanyan’s eyes narrowed as he focused his mind. A searing flame seemed to ignite in his ears.

Whoosh—

The Nether Phoenix Fire blazed fiercely, its dark flames relentlessly scorching the soul power manifested as Lingzhi. The impurities clinging to his divine soul were gradually refined away, leaving behind pure essence that his soul absorbed.

Time passed slowly. Xu Sanyan lost all awareness of the outside world, his entire consciousness consumed by the changes within his body.

If someone could open their heavenly eye, they would witness Xu Sanyan surrounded by fiercely burning yin fire. This fire did not burn physical objects; the nearby tables, chairs, and silk fabrics remained untouched. It solely scorched his divine soul.

Xu Sanyan sat cross-legged, his expression slightly pained. Since obtaining the Nether Phoenix Fire, this was the first time he had burned it so intensely.

The massive Lingzhi acted like a huge bundle of kindling, greatly amplifying the fire’s intensity. The flames burned so fiercely that his physical body reacted, beads of sweat rolling down his forehead.

Shan Zhoushan, who lived in the same courtyard, seemed to sense something amiss. He frowned slightly and turned to look at Xu Sanyan’s room… What’s that kid up to? he wondered, his heart pounding with unease.

In a place unseen by others, the yin fire burned ever more fiercely, gradually spreading beyond the room to fill the entire courtyard. Yet its momentum showed no signs of waning as it continued to expand, engulfing first a street, then two city blocks, half the city, until it had completely enveloped Zhangzhi City!

At that moment, every detail within Zhangzhi City became vividly clear in Xu Sanyan’s mind. Countless scenes flashed before his eyes: merchants hawking their wares along the streets, couples bickering, a young woman using the latrine, and a young man secretly exercising his wrist strength indoors…

Hidden secrets were laid bare before him. He could see every item in the merchants’ shoulder poles with perfect clarity, even the tiny mole on the young woman’s buttock was imprinted in his mind.

This was an entirely novel experience. Xu Sanyan instinctively wanted to see more clearly. The moment the thought arose, certain areas seemed to magnify, as if projected onto his eyelids.

Simultaneously, his mental energy was being drained at an alarming rate. In mere moments, he felt utterly exhausted, even more drained than after a full day of drawing formation patterns. He immediately withdrew from this state.

At that moment, everyone in the city felt a deep unease, as if some great terror was about to descend. Panic gripped the human heart, and even the young man practicing wrist exercises paused, the crowbar he had been holding upright drooping limply.

The higher one’s cultivation level, the more acutely they sensed the impending horror. In Zhangzhi City, aside from Xu Sanyan, the most powerful cultivator was undoubtedly Shan Zhoushan. He patrolled anxiously, desperately searching for the source of the crisis.

The yin fire continued to burn, the flames that had engulfed the city gradually receding as if their fuel had been exhausted, slowly retreating inward.

As time passed, the flames returned to the room, seeping back into Xu Sanyan’s body until they vanished completely.

After a long interval, he opened his eyes. Within his cold, indifferent pupils, a fierce flame seemed to burn, turning his normally distinct black and white irises into a pitch-black abyss.

“Huff…”

Xu Sanyan exhaled a long stream of turbid energy, his expression softening slightly. The flame in his eyes gradually faded, returning to their previous state.

Yet he knew, deep within himself, that he had changed.

With a casual wave of his hand, the teacup on the table floated into his grasp. He tilted his head back and drained the cold tea in one gulp, a faint smile playing on his lips.

The technique of retrieving tea from thin air wasn’t particularly remarkable; all cultivators could perform it. But Xu Sanyan’s method was different.

He hadn’t used spiritual power, but rather the power of his divine soul!

Xu Sanyan’s soul power was now two to three times more abundant than before.

All thanks to that Lingzhi mushroom—it was undoubtedly a supreme treasure!

Originally, his soul power had been more refined and abundant than ordinary people’s due to its tempering by yin fire. Now, it was extraordinary, capable of influencing reality itself.

If he were to use the Lu Clan’s Spirit Refining Force now, its power would be terrifying beyond imagination.

Moreover, the changes didn’t stop there. The strength of his divine soul seemed to have reached its peak. Without breaking through to the void harmony realm, further progress seemed impossible.

His current soul cultivation level had reached its limit.

“Liang Gou’er…”

Now Xu Sanyan hoped Liang Gou’er would return alive. The man seemed to possess deep karmic fortune and might prove useful.

“Is Martial Nephew home?”

Shan Zhoushan’s voice echoed from outside the door. Xu Sanyan rose to open it, feigning ignorance. “Martial Uncle, is there something you need?”

Shan Zhoushan scrutinized him, sensing something different but unable to pinpoint what it was. “Did you sense a strange aura just now, Martial Nephew?”

Xu Sanyan casually brushed it off, “Hmm, it’s probably some great cultivator practicing here.”

Shan Zhoushan had initially assumed Xu Sanyan was responsible for the disturbance, but now he was less certain. “Maybe,” he replied.

Xu Sanyan cupped his hands in a respectful bow. “This disciple still has matters to attend to. Martial Uncle, please excuse me.”

“Very well, go ahead.”

Shan Zhoushan’s expression remained impassive, revealing nothing of his thoughts. Yet he suspected his martial nephew was somehow connected to this incident.

Xu Sanyan had barely reached the outskirts of the city when he noticed a large crowd gathered beneath the formation—a dense mass of forty to fifty people.

“The Immortal Master has arrived!” someone shouted.

The crowd surged forward, immediately dropping to their knees and kowtowing. “Please accept me as your disciple and teach me the Immortal Arts!”

“This disciple wishes to serve at your side, Immortal Master!”

The scene erupted into chaos. Xu Sanyan frowned deeply, his displeasure growing. Have these people gone mad? he wondered. Do they think cultivation is like buying cabbage at the roadside market—something you can just acquire on a whim?

“If the Immortal Master refuses to take me as a disciple, I will kneel here until I die!” someone declared, slamming their head against the ground to emphasize their resolve.

(End of the Chapter)