Chapter 462 - 327: Refining the Soul Ascension Fruit, Golden Core Peak Soul Power!

After all, beyond this lake lies the Spirit Treasure Cliff!

The true core of the Secret Realm!

Those entering the Secret Realm this time are all ambitious individuals, and they won’t tear faces until reaching the Spirit Treasure Cliff.

Just as Gu Yuan was pondering, a proud voice suddenly echoed in his ear.

"Master! Master!"

"I killed the Mountain Guardian Spirit Beast of the Soul-shaking Peak, this mountain is now unobstructed, and you can take treasures at will."

"Hahaha, this little insect is actually a Soul Dao Demon Insect, it can ignore magic and directly enter a cultivator’s Sea of Consciousness to devour their soul."

"Unfortunately, it encountered me, playing the Soul Devouring Technique before me, it’s truly showing off in front of an expert!"

Within the Soul Mist, the Heart-devouring Insect approached with laughter, holding a blood-colored light cluster in its hand.

Within the light cluster, a blurred insect silhouette could faintly be seen, but it was already motionless, devoid of life.

"Master!"

The Heart-devouring Insect was joyful after defeating the "great enemy," but halfway through, it noticed that the crystalline small tree upon the stone pool was empty.

Faint remnants of Sword Qi still lingered in the air.

"Stand guard in front of the cave, and don’t make a noise!"

Gu Yuan waved his hand and gave an instruction to the Heart-devouring Insect, then strode into the cave.

He had anticipated that the Heart-devouring Insect would surely defeat the Demon Beast on the Soul-shaking Peak, which is why he left with peace of mind.

This insect has the power to seize souls, being an Exotic Species, but it was unfortunate to encounter the Heart-devouring Insect.

...

...

This cave should be the lair of that Alien Insect. Although it’s dark inside, it is not eroded by the soul-shaking wind. Instead, a powerful soul force emanates from the cave mansion, jolting one’s heart and spirit.

Moreover, this cave seems to possess a peculiar concealing power, along with the soul mist lingering on the peak, it can shield against the probing of divine sense, making it extremely hidden.

"It’s indeed a good place to refine the Soul Ascension Fruit!"

Gu Yuan scanned the surroundings, then with a surge of mana, cleared away all the scattered bones and stones within the cave, revealing a flat stone on which he sat cross-legged.

Obtaining the Soul Ascension Fruit is just the first step of this journey.

There will be more battles on the Spirit Treasure Cliff, he should strive to improve his strength.

This fruit has great efficacy, without delay, it should be refined as soon as possible.

However, that recent sword strike consumed much of Gu Yuan’s strength, so he was not in a hurry, instead sitting cross-legged with closed eyes to restore his mana.

...

...

While Gu Yuan was in the Soul-shaking Peak, restoring his mana in preparation to consume the Soul Ascension Fruit, outside the peak, on a nameless mountain.

Gua Daoist, with a straw hat on his head and several peculiar talisman papers on his body, was cautiously watching the Golden Turtle in his hand from within the ancient forest.

Inside the Golden Turtle, there were six Copper Coin Seals, shining brightly.

Suddenly, the Golden Turtle trembled as if a golden light was about to burst forth, Gua Daoist rejoiced at the sight, immediately shaking the Golden Turtle, then casting out the six Copper Coin Seals which landed on the ground, revealing a profound mysterious trajectory.

"The ominous sign is gradually fading, and the opportunity has vanished, it seems someone has already acquired it."

"Southeast, southwest, someone is coming out!"

Gua Daoist mumbled to himself as he looked at the divination on the ground, then abruptly lifted his head to look towards the southwest.

In that instant, a green divine light flashed in his eyes.

The entire world suddenly expanded rapidly, rushing towards him, a distance of dozens of miles was but a trifle, he saw everything clearly.

This was not the method of divine sense probing, it was purely eye power, extremely secretive, yet it surpassed the reach of divine sense.

"It’s him!"

"The white-haired kid from the Seven Treasures Dharma Body Sect!"

"The opportunity just disappeared, the ominous sign just lifted, did this kid seize the opportunity?"

"Is the ominous sign about this person?"

"Does he possess such methods?!"

Afraid of being discovered, Gua Daoist only glanced from dozens of miles away before quickly retracting his gaze, not daring to look further.

Still, for some unknown reason, he felt a bit uneasy and suspicious.

This feeling came inexplicably, yet it made him somewhat agitated.

"Forget it, let me perform another divination to see if it’s really him!"

The Path of Divination is not omnipotent, most of the time, it can only predict good or bad luck and direction. To clearly deduce the specific reason for good or bad luck, or the name and identity of the person involved, is impossible.

At least he does not have that capability.

Most of the time, he can only extrapolate and speculate from vague information.

Furthermore, the Path of Divination has significant backlash, overindulgence in divination truly shortens one’s lifespan.

However, given the gravity of the situation, Gua Daoist decided to test again.

"Clatter!"

Raising the Golden Turtle, Gua Daoist shook it once more, preparing to throw out the Copper Coins.

"Hmm?!"

But at that moment, he suddenly realized the Golden Turtle in his hand had become incredibly heavy, and the six Copper Coins were like mountains, refusing to be thrown.

"How could this be?"

Gua Daoist’s expression changed drastically!

The Copper Coins unmoving, like mountains hard to throw, is a sign that the cultivation surpasses one’s own far too much, making divination difficult.

Could there be someone with such power in Zuiyun Mountain?

Is it that white-haired boy who obtained some fortune?

Gua Daoist’s face immediately turned solemn.

"It seems I need to be cautious of this person. If possible, I should eliminate him from the game first..."

Gua Daoist had not expected that repeated divinations would reveal worsening situations each time, causing a shadow to rise in his heart.

Yet the treasure is to emerge, here and now.

After pondering for a while, he still decided to see if he could employ a scheme of tigers devouring wolves.

...

...

"Boom!"

Soul Ascension Fruit consumed, Gu Yuan felt his soul soar abruptly, as though ascending to the Celestial Vault, drifting without knowing why.

But it wasn’t cold; on the contrary, it felt like returning to the womb, warm and comforting, reassuring.

No refining needed, waves of powerful force rushed from all directions toward his soul.

For the first time, Gu Yuan felt a sense of "growing up" again.

This was no illusion; his soul kept solidifying, thriving like a sapling.

"Boom!"

Not knowing how long it took, perhaps a moment, perhaps days, this nurturing reached its limit, then exploded suddenly.

Gu Yuan felt the skies brighten, the entire world became clear, as if a thin membrane had been peeled away, revealing every detail.

Late Stage Golden Core!

After the nurturing of Soul Power, it finally broke through to the Late Stage Golden Core.

Though still at the Golden Core Realm, the Late Stage Golden Core is not comparable to the earlier stages; it’s the standings of a true Great Cultivator, a spokesperson for the Sect.

Soul Thought like a mountain, Divine Sense vast as an ocean, immensely powerful.

And the warm flow within the soul hadn’t ceased, surging rapidly, allowing Gu Yuan’s Power of the Soul to continue expanding warmly, rushing like a torrential river, seemingly endless.

All the world’s information poured in like tide, entering Gu Yuan’s heart. Though he remained seated cross-legged, all sounds seemed to converge towards him automatically.

Suddenly, an invisible shackle appeared out of nowhere.

Gu Yuan felt like he had been a bird soaring across the vault, when suddenly, a barrier appeared above, obstructing his flight.

With Soul Power surging, Gu Yuan felt himself growing stronger, yet the barrier was too dense, regardless of how he spread his wings or clashed, it was futile.

And just then, the warm flow within the soul vanished.

The feeling of ascension ended; Gu Yuan abruptly opened his eyes.

"Golden Core Peak..."

What an extraordinary Taiyin Soul Ascending Fruit it was!

He couldn’t help but feel delighted.

Its effect was immense, propelling him upwards within days, advancing a realm, a breakthrough in the most challenging stage of the Golden Core Realm.

But then, he sighed:

"Pity, the Daoist Embryo Realm is like an insurmountable ravine; else I might have pressed on!"

The barrier must have been the bottleneck of the Daoist Embryo Realm, heavy as a mountain, difficult to fly over.

Nonetheless, Gu Yuan came to a realization: "The Spirit Treasure Cliff Secret Realm should have existed for over four thousand years. If no one has reached the Soul-shaking Mountain by now, the Soul Ascension Fruit should have had four thousand years of growth. Why is it only two thousand years?"

"Could it have been eaten by the Blood Soul Beast? Is this the second one?"

"Considering its cultivation, it shouldn’t be so, should it?"

"If there was a four-thousand-year Soul Ascension Fruit, perhaps it could impact the soul power of the Daoist Embryo Realm!"

Confused, Gu Yuan sought answers but found none, so he could only regretfully sigh.

Counting on his fingers, four and a half days had passed, leaving only half a day until the meeting at Treasure Burial Lake.

Calming his soul power, Gu Yuan stepped out of the cave, accompanied by the Heart-devouring Insect, heading towards Treasure Burial Lake.