Chapter 61: The Power of the Soul Formation Stage
This world had two types of advanced weaponry—one was the Sun-Mimic Bomb, and the other was the Annihilation Cannon.
The Sun-Mimic Bomb could generate temperatures exceeding hundreds of millions of degrees upon detonation, comparable to the core of a nuclear explosion. Its advantage was that the entire blast radius maintained this extreme heat. Humanity had discovered that, compared to nuclear radiation, high temperatures were far more effective in dealing with the ferocious beasts.
The Annihilation Cannon fired an invisible attack that disassembled any matter it touched into atomic form. However, its drawbacks were the difficulty of production and its extreme energy consumption.
If fired from a distance, the ferocious beasts would instinctively evade it, so both weapons were only effective at close range.
Mechas were equipped with one of these weapons, using sonic resonance blades against weaker ferocious beasts. Against stronger ones, they would directly detonate the Sun-Mimic Bomb or fire the Annihilation Cannon.
Jiang Li saw a mecha in the distance deploying a Sun-Mimic Bomb. The explosion lit up like a miniature sun, its brilliant light engulfing everything. Within moments, the surrounding ferocious beasts and even the mechas themselves melted away without leaving a trace.
Relying on these tactics, humanity barely held back the relentless onslaught of the ferocious beasts.
However, they couldn’t use such weapons too frequently—the beasts outnumbered the mechas, and even under such attacks, some still managed to survive.
“Soul Formation Stage and Nascent Soul Stage demon beasts,” Jiang Li observed. He saw a colossal beast still moving around energetically after a Sun-Mimic Bomb explosion, while several others, though gravely wounded, remained alive—though they no longer posed an immediate threat.
One Soul Formation Stage beast rampaged across the battlefield, rendering all mechas useless with a single swipe of its claw. A mecha carrying an Annihilation Cannon took aim at the beast and fired.
The invisible attack spread outward, reducing atmospheric gases like oxygen and carbon dioxide into atomic form. Soil that came into contact with the attack vanished into molecules too small to see.
The mecha itself also shut down, its energy reserves depleted.
Yet, when the Annihilation Cannon struck the Soul Formation Stage beast—
Not a scratch.
“Impossible!” Ming Zhong was in utter disbelief. No ferocious beast had ever survived direct hits from both the Sun-Mimic Bomb and the Annihilation Cannon!
That had never happened before!
The quantum brain quickly analyzed the data and presented an answer.
Ming Zhong’s face turned grim.
“The ferocious beasts have evolved again!”
“It’s obvious—you were only facing Nascent Soul Stage beasts before. This one is Soul Formation Stage.” After witnessing the weapons in action, Jiang Li quickly understood why the beast was unharmed.
“The Soul Formation Stage is about three forms of unity: unity of mind and will, unity of human and Dao, and unity of body and form. When all three become inseparable, one reaches the Soul Formation Stage.”
“The Annihilation Cannon reduces everything into atomic form. However, a Soul Formation Stage being’s body and form are one—if they do not will to be separated, they cannot be. That’s why they can withstand the Annihilation Cannon.”
“Furthermore, Soul Formation Stage cultivators have incredibly strong bodies. They can roam the universe, rest on the moon, and bask in the sun without harm. Naturally, the Sun-Mimic Bomb is ineffective against them.”
“This…”
Ming Zhong was completely stunned. Previously, Jiang Li had only given a brief introduction to the different cultivation realms, and Ming Zhong had assumed the Soul Formation Stage just meant greater strength and speed.
Who could have imagined it was actually this terrifying?!
And above the Soul Formation Stage were the Tribulation Stage and Great Ascension Stage.
How strong was Jiang Li really?
Ming Zhong had no concept of it anymore. Every time he thought he understood Jiang Li’s power, he realized he had only scratched the surface.
Soul Formation Stage beings were incredibly powerful and extremely difficult to cultivate. That was why places like the Pure Land of the Mortal World, Penglai Immortal Island, and the Confucian Sect remained among the Six Great Sects despite not having a single Tribulation Stage cultivator—because even in other sects, Soul Formation Stage experts were too rare!
“Can you understand what I’m saying?”
Jiang Li called out to the Soul Formation Stage beast. Normally, demon beasts at the Golden Core Stage should already have intelligence comparable to adult humans. Yet Ming Zhong had said ferocious beasts had no intelligence and couldn’t communicate.
Did this mean ferocious beasts weren’t demon beasts?
The beast didn’t understand Jiang Li’s words, but it did notice him and Ming Zhong floating in the air.
It immediately lunged at them.
“You think I can’t beat Jiang Li, so I can’t beat you either?!”
Yin-Yang Tianyin was furious at being ignored. As the leader of the Nine Provinces’ Immortal Artifacts, it couldn’t stand the disrespect.
With a powerful strike, it slammed into the beast’s head. The creature wobbled in dizziness before crashing to the ground.
The other beasts, seeing Tianyin’s attack, recklessly charged forward, ignoring the power gap between them.
Jiang Li waved his sleeve.
All of them instantly turned to ashes.
Only the Soul Formation Stage beast remained—there was no value in keeping the others alive.
Ming Zhong had given up trying to understand. At this point, he fully accepted that Jiang Li’s methods were beyond his comprehension.
Really, the most important thing was to be kind to oneself.
He was the president, but in the Accumulation Era, he had only one duty—to determine when it was time to transition into the Breakthrough Era.
It was believed that the shift from Accumulation to Breakthrough couldn’t be calculated; it had to be decided by someone with emotions and a broad perspective. That was why they chose an emotional president.
However, the shift from Breakthrough back to Accumulation could be mathematically calculated—though emotionally, people might not accept the results. That was why the Breakthrough Era required an emotionless president.
Meanwhile, at the Military Command Post
The commanders were at a loss. Not just the commanders—the entire army had no idea what to do next.
Their job was to command and fight battles.
Yet now, the battlefield was… empty.
Not a single ferocious beast remained.
What were they supposed to command? What were they supposed to fight?
Were they supposed to fight the president?
They felt like they had just lost their jobs.
Back on the Battlefield
Jiang Li woke the beast up. It roared at him in defiance, but Jiang Li locked the space around it with brute force, preventing it from moving—leaving it only able to roar.
“How strange… This beast has reached the Soul Formation Stage, yet it has no soul.” Jiang Li swept through the creature’s body with his divine sense. It was, without a doubt, a demon beast—but with minute differences.
Yin-Yang Tianyin attempted to enlighten the beast with its karmic power. Though its power only affected the Nine Provinces, it still had the ability to awaken sentience.
Yet, the beast remained completely unchanged.
“Huh? My power didn’t work?” Yin-Yang Tianyin was confused.
It looked around—there was nothing nearby, as the Sun-Mimic Bomb explosion had erased everything. The only thing left to enlighten was Ming Zhong’s silver jumpsuit.
“W-Why am I naked?! And why is some pervert sticking to me?!”
The silver jumpsuit screamed and immediately peeled away from Ming Zhong, thinking he was a pervert for touching it while not wearing clothes.
“…My ability still works, though?” Yin-Yang Tianyin remained baffled.
Ming Zhong stood in the wind, shivering, looking at Yin-Yang Tianyin with dead eyes.
Yin-Yang Tianyin awkwardly chuckled and restored the jumpsuit.
Ming Zhong quickly put it back on, though the thought of his clothes screaming made his skin crawl.
Jiang Li stared at the beast for a long time, his frown deepening.
“…No way.”
For the first time, he was uncertain.
He took out a Remote Communication Talisman and contacted Bai Hongtu.