Chapter 609: Spiritual Attack, Defeating the Flower King

Just as he entered the True Dao Fifth Layer, the Medicinal Power of the Soul Tempering True Pill suddenly changed, rushing toward the spot between his eyebrows. Struck by this force, Zhaang Ye’s entire body shuddered, and a loud BOOM echoed from the depths of his mind.

Excruciating pain!

A terrible, agonizing pain erupted from the depths of Zhaang Ye’s soul. It felt as if his head was about to explode.

Zhaang Ye understood. ‘The Soul Tempering True Pill has begun to temper my soul. I have to endure this agonizing pain for it to successfully cleanse my soul.’

HUUUUH…

Zhaang Ye exhaled a long breath. With it, he cast out all distracting thoughts, his entire being becoming like that of a newborn as he swiftly entered the state of Specializing in Qi to Achieve Softness.

The agonizing pain surged in like a tidal wave, viciously battering Zhaang Ye’s soul. But his will was incredibly tenacious. After entering the state of Specializing in Qi to Achieve Softness, nothing could affect him.

No matter how excruciating the pain grew in the depths of his soul, Zhaang Ye held fast to his Heart Spirit. His soul was like a reef in the ocean; no matter how the tides crashed against it, it remained unshaken.

Through wave after wave of agony, Zhaang Ye’s soul was cleansed time and again, growing ever more resilient. His Spiritual Sense also became increasingly powerful and focused.

BOOM! Accompanied by a final, searing wave of pain, a faint soul imprint suddenly appeared in the depths of Zhaang Ye’s soul. Its aura was incredibly faint; if Zhaang Ye hadn’t been in the state of Specializing in Qi to Achieve Softness, he would have never been able to sense it at all.

Zhaang Ye had now regained his consciousness. He felt the soul imprint and was inwardly shaken. ‘This soul imprint… it must be the Sword Monarch’s!’ he thought. ‘An imprint like this is like a marker, or even a spy. With this, he can attempt to possess my body without me even realizing it!’

Just as Zhaang Ye was pondering this, a faint red light appeared within his soul. It flickered for a moment and transformed into a tiny cage, tightly trapping the soul imprint the Sword Monarch had left behind.

The Fire Spirit!

At the final moment, the Fire Spirit had made its move. Using an incredibly profound technique, it entered the depths of Zhaang Ye’s soul and effortlessly trapped the Sword Monarch’s lingering soul imprint.

The Fire Spirit’s voice rang out in his soul. “This Sword Monarch imprint is connected to his avatar. If I were to devour it now, his avatar would sense it, so I’ve simply trapped it instead. I’ll devour this soul imprint when the time is right.”

Zhaang Ye then thought of an extremely important question and hurriedly asked, “Fire Spirit, it seems the Sword Monarch’s avatar truly intends to possess me. If he tries, will we be able to resist him?”

The Fire Spirit considered this for a moment. “Well, that will depend on just how strong the Sword Monarch’s Soul Power is. I estimate that after his original body fell, the soul he left behind is merely a remnant. It shouldn’t be too powerful.”

Zhaang Ye gave a wry smile. “Let’s hope so. We’ve come this far—there’s no turning back now. I just hope we can get through this.”

The Fire Spirit spoke with confidence. “Don’t worry, it’ll be fine. Don’t forget, besides me, you have the Gold Spirit, Wood Spirit, and Water Spirit. With all of us working together, who could possibly take your body from you? Alright, your soul tempering is complete. You can come out of your state now!”

BOOM!

Another roar echoed from the depths of his soul. Zhaang Ye’s body trembled slightly as he withdrew from the state of Specializing in Qi to Achieve Softness.

Zhaang Ye’s eyes snapped open, a strange light flashing within them. He slowly rose to his feet, a domineering aura radiating from his every move.

With his soul tempered, Zhaang Ye’s soul had become more powerful and his will more resolute. A strong soul and a strong will are what constitute true power. Now that both had been fortified, an unconscious air of condescension toward the world began to emanate from him.

Zhaang Ye stood silently, feeling the Celestial River Righteous Qi surging boundlessly within him; he was filled to the brim with power. Not only had the Soul Tempering True Pill allowed him to break through to the True Dao Fifth Layer, but it had also completely stabilized his Realm. Zhaang Ye had a feeling that as long as his Cultivation Technique was sound, with a bit more Cultivation, he could soon attempt to break through to the True Dao Fifth Layer Middle Stage!

“Excellent, excellent! The effects of this Soul Tempering True Pill are simply heaven-defying! A single Elixir pushed me into the True Dao Fifth Layer. It’s truly worthy of being called a rare Ancient Elixir!” Zhaang Ye couldn’t contain his excitement after inspecting his condition.

HUMMMMM—

Just as Zhaang Ye was reveling in his excitement, Shui Daimai’s aura suddenly intensified. Two ethereal, phantom-like flowers slowly materialized above her head.

The Realm Shui Daimai had comprehended was the Sound Realm. Her Three Flowers were different from ordinary ones; they appeared semi-corporeal, accompanied by a symphony of sounds. There was birdsong, the whisper of mountain wind, the crash of ocean waves, and even the whistle of Sword Qi—it was all fantastically wondrous.

HUMMMMMMM—

Along with the humming, the two Hua’Er above Shui Daimai’s head deepened in color. The sounds they emitted grew richer, more varied, and stranger still.

Zhaang Ye glanced at Shui Daimai and thought, ‘Her original Realm was the True Dao Sixth Layer Early Stage. Now, her Cultivation has clearly risen by a Small Tier, so she should be at the Middle Stage of the True Dao Sixth Layer. Since her Realm has improved, I wonder if the Flower King’s has as well?’

Zhaang Ye’s gaze fell upon the Flower King.

CRACKLE! CRACKLE!

An immense aura suddenly erupted from the Flower King. Following its explosive release, two glittering golden flowers shot out from above his head!

BOOM!

The two glittering golden flowers’ six petals bloomed completely. Their color deepened, and the aura they radiated grew even more immense.

“HAHAHAHAHA! What an incredible Soul Tempering True Pill! I’ve finally reached the Peak of True Dao Sixth Layer! The True Dao Seventh Layer isn’t far behind!” The Flower King roared with laughter. The aura emanating from him was so substantial it was like a physical wave, spreading out in successive crests that made the entire hall tremble.

The Flower King got to his feet, and his eyes snapped open.

HSSSSS!

Seven threads, each as fine as a hair, appeared in the empty air. They were colorless, yet tangibly real—a truly profound sight.

His Spiritual Sense was Transforming Illusion into Reality!

The Flower King was a True Dao Sixth-Layer Expert, and his Spiritual Sense had always been extremely powerful. But now, after consuming the Soul Tempering True Pill and having his soul cleansed, his Spiritual Sense had grown even stronger—so much so that he had managed to condense the formless, colorless energy into seven threads visible to the naked eye!

Once one’s Spiritual Sense reached the state of Transforming Illusion into Reality, one could cultivate Spirit Secret Techniques and launch Spiritual Attacks against opponents. This would result in a dramatic increase in combat power!

“HAHAHAHAHA!” The Flower King couldn’t help but laugh again upon seeing that his Spiritual Sense had reached the state of Transforming Illusion into Reality.

Although the Flower King was a peerless talent, it still would have taken him a considerable amount of time to reach this stage through his own Cultivation. Now, having consumed the Soul Tempering True Pill, his Spiritual Sense had instantly achieved the power of Transforming Illusion into Reality. He was immensely pleased with himself.

After he finished laughing, the Flower King’s gaze fell upon Zhaang Ye. He sensed Zhaang Ye’s world-defying aura, and a flicker of surprise crossed his face, quickly replaced by a savage grin. “Zhaang Ye, it seems your Cultivation has improved a fair bit as well. So, what do you say? Do you dare to have a little fight with me?”

Zhaang Ye raised an eyebrow but didn’t respond.

Ever since he had learned of the Sword Monarch avatar’s plot, Zhaang Ye’s mind was wholly preoccupied with how to deal with the coming possession attempt. He had absolutely no interest in a fight right now.

Seeing Zhaang Ye’s silence, the Flower King let out another laugh and taunted, “Zhaang Ye, looks like I overestimated you. What, you don’t even have the courage to step forward and fight?”

Zhaang Ye’s brow furrowed, and his ice-cold gaze fell upon the Flower King.

The Flower King sneered. With a strange glint in his eyes, the seven incredibly profound threads instantly crossed the thousand-foot void, boring straight toward Zhaang Ye’s eyes and the space between his brows.

A Spiritual Attack!

From a thousand feet away, the Flower King had launched a Spiritual Attack on Zhaang Ye. These seven profoundly mysterious threads were none other than the Spiritual Sense he had so painstakingly condensed!

Spiritual Attacks were incredibly profound, capable of crossing vast distances in an instant to strike an opponent directly. In the face of a Spiritual Attack, all other powerful techniques were utterly useless!

The Flower King’s Spiritual Sense had only just reached the state of Transforming Illusion into Reality, so he couldn’t actually kill Zhaang Ye with a Spiritual Attack alone. He launched it hoping to disrupt Zhaang Ye’s Heart Spirit.

Among experts, victory is decided by the slimmest of margins. If Zhaang Ye’s Heart Spirit was thrown into chaos, the Flower King could exploit the opening, unleash a devastating technique, and kill him in a single stroke!

The threads of condensed Spiritual Sense reached Zhaang Ye in a flash. Just as they were about to bore into the space between his eyebrows and attack his soul, Zhaang Ye’s gaze hardened!

HSSSSS!

As Zhaang Ye’s gaze focused, nine strange threads suddenly shot out from between his brows, slamming squarely into the Flower King’s seven threads!

CRACK!

The threads of condensed Spiritual Sense collided in the void. As they did, the Flower King’s face turned deathly pale. He stumbled back several dozen feet, pointed a horrified finger at Zhaang Ye, and shouted, “Transforming Illusion into Reality! How is that possible? Zhaang Ye, your Spiritual Sense has reached that stage too?!”

As it turned out, Zhaang Ye’s soul had always been quite strong, and his Spiritual Sense had been just a hair’s breadth away from Transforming Illusion into Reality. After consuming the Soul Tempering True Pill, his Spiritual Sense had grown progressively stronger until it finally reached that state. He had successfully condensed nine threads of Spiritual Sense—a full two more than the Flower King!

The Flower King’s Spiritual Sense was inferior to Zhaang Ye’s, and he had also been careless. The collision of their spiritual threads was tantamount to a mental battle. In the exchange, the Flower King came out on the losing end, his head splitting with pain!

WHOOSH!

The figure of the purple-bearded, middle-aged man suddenly appeared in the hall. He stated emotionlessly, “Your injuries have recovered. Very good. Now, the third trial begins. The third trial is a test of fortune. In other words, luck.”

“A test of luck? What kind of trial is that?” Zhaang Ye, the Flower King, and Shui Daimai could scarcely believe their ears.