Chapter 421 – Soul Transformation
w.a.n.g Lin sat in the lotus position inside the cave and took out the bag Du Tian had given him. After scanning it with his divine sense, his expression became strange.
He knew that Du Tian had taken a lot of celestial jades, but he didn’t know the exact number. Whenever those sects handed over the celestial jades, Du Tian would instantly put them inside this bag.
Now that he saw them, he couldn’t help but feel shocked.
“This tiny bag contains more than 100 times the celestial jades I got from the Celestial Realm… No wonder this Soul Refining Sect has had so many Soul Transformation cultivators.”
w.a.n.g Lin’s eyes lit up. He shook the bag and then a large number of celestial jades surrounded him. In an instant, the cave was filled with rich celestial spiritual energy.
This was only a portion of what was in the bag. w.a.n.g Lin carefully put the bag away and began to cultivate to absorb the celestial spiritual energy.
The celestial spiritual energy flooded into his body and began to refine the spiritual energy inside him. w.a.n.g Lin had already experienced this before, so he easily started it again to begin his breakthrough to the Soul Transformation stage.
As a large amount of celestial spiritual energy entered his body, all of the spiritual energy inside him condensed into a ball. This ball was like a cultivator’s golden core, but the difference was like heaven and earth.
Three days later, the celestial jades around w.a.n.g Lin turned grey and cracks appeared on them, then they finally turned to dust. w.a.n.g Lin didn’t hesitate to slap the bag once more. He took out a large number of celestial jades again.
The absorption of celestial spiritual energy never stopped. It quickly entered w.a.n.g Lin’s body to refine the spiritual energy inside him as well as his flesh and bones.
The first step to the Soul Transformation stage is to completely refine the body so that it can withstand the power of celestial spiritual energy.
Before the Celestial Realm collapsed, there was no need to do all of this. All they had to do was go into the spirit cleansing pool for a few months to rid themselves of their mortal bodies and obtain one that could withstand celestial spiritual energy.
However, now that the Celestial Realm is destroyed and the spirit cleansing pools are gone, cultivators need a large number of celestial jades to remove their mortal roots.
When one’s mortal roots are completely removed, the first step is complete. The second step is for one’s origin soul to go from non corporeal to corporeal.
Although it can’t replace the physical body, a corporeal origin soul is several times more powerful and has the ability to protect itself.
A way to look at it is like this: the Nascent Soul is like a baby and the origin soul is the baby growing up to become a youth. Next, the Soul Transformation stage brings about a mysterious change. The youth grows up into a powerful young adult with weapons in his hands. At this stage, the origin soul is far more powerful than an origin soul at the Soul Formation stage.
Situ Nan’s soul being so large is a sign that he has broken past the Soul Transformation stage. Even an Ascendant cultivator’s soul is the same size as a Soul Transformation cultivator’s. Only when one breaks past the Ascendant stage to the next step will there be other changes.
However, that level was too far for w.a.n.g Lin to consider.
Time slowly pa.s.sed. A large number of the celestial jades in his bag had already been absorbed, and surrounding him were marks of celestial jades that had turned to dust.
The ball of spiritual energy in his dantain cracked on this day and a powerful suction force came from the crack. All of the celestial spiritual energy w.a.n.g Lin had absorbed was sucked in.
Even the celestial jades he had just taken out turned to dust as the celestial spiritual energy from them was sucked into that crack.
The ball of spiritual energy gradually changed colors. It had started out green and was now glowing gold.
w.a.n.g Lin’s mind was still clear, so he calmly watched the change in his body as if he was watching someone else.
Shortly after, when all of the celestial spiritual energy was absorbed by the ball of spiritual energy, the ball became completely golden. If one were to pull it out of his body, it would look exactly like a golden core.
Just at this moment, the golden core trembled and then more and more cracks appeared on it. Then, with a bang, all of the celestial spiritual energy in w.a.n.g Lin’s body rushed outwards and pushed his origin soul out until it was three inches away from him. He tried to return it, but there was a powerful force preventing him.
w.a.n.g Lin’s origin soul floated above his body. When he looked down, he could see all the changes happening to his origin soul.
When the golden core shattered, the force of the celestial spiritual energy shattered all of the meridians in his body. Right now his body was like an empty sh.e.l.l filled with celestial spiritual energy.
All of the pores on his body opened and released strands of celestial spiritual energy.
Shortly after, all of the celestial spiritual energy that came out of his pores went back into his body through his orifices. This process turned into a cycle.
w.a.n.g Lin’s body gradually became transparent and then his clothes slowly disappeared. His two bags of holding fell to the ground.
The celestial spiritual energy slowly formed meridians inside his body. These meridians were made of celestial spiritual energy, so they would naturally be able to withstand the power of celestial spiritual energy.
The flesh on his body started to change too as celestial spiritual energy began to ingrain into this body. Right now he looked like a celestial being.
This process of changing his entire body lasted an unknown amount of time. For this whole period of time, w.a.n.g Lin’s origin soul was floating above his body. He tried countless times to re-enter his body but was stopped outside. It was as if the body no longer belonged to him and he could not fuse with it anymore.
On this day, his body began to release a fragrance. This fragrance was very alluring; it was as if some spirit herb had just been unearthed
The fragrance floated out of the cave, causing Du Tian’s eyes to light up. His eyes revealed a glint of admiration and he sighed. “The first step to the Soul Transformation stage, body refinement, is complete. Now it’s time for the second step, origin soul refining.”
His hand formed a seal, then a black light immediately surrounded the cave and prevented the fragrance from spreading.
“The fragrance that results from completing the first step of the Soul Transformation stage attracts powerful beasts and devils that want to possess the body. However, my Soul Refining Sect specializes in souls, so it’s fine if those devils don’t come, but if they do, then they can become food for the one-billion-soul soul flag.
“I’m not afraid of those beasts either. The Soul Refining Sect’s protection formation can keep them all outside. There hasn’t been a beast that could make me scared yet.”
This one dangerous trial of reaching the Soul Transformation stage was nothing to w.a.n.g Lin with Du Tian protecting him, but for those rogue cultivators or weak sects, it was life-threatening.
During the transformation, the origin soul is forced out of the body and the body is left defenseless. If there are some powerful devils or souls around, they can easily possess or devour the body.
Even beasts are very interested in a body that has just reached the Soul Transformation stage. To them, the body is like a natural treasure, and devouring it would increase their strength.
Once the origin soul returns to the body and claims the energy inside, then the body becomes useless to the beasts.
Inside the cave, w.a.n.g Lin reached out with his origin soul and took out a large number of celestial jades. This time the celestial spiritual energy wasn’t absorbed by the body but by his origin soul.
A very comfortable feeling filled w.a.n.g Lin’s soul. He could feel the celestial spiritual energy enter his origin soul, causing it to become larger and more corporeal.
At this moment, w.a.n.g Lin understood that once his origin soul becomes corporeal, he will be able to re-enter his body and he will have successfully reached the Soul Transformation stage.
It takes a very long time for the origin soul to become corporeal.
Outside the cave, Du Tian’s eyes lit up and he waved his left hand. A golden-purple primary soul flew out, grabbed a black, rogue soul, and dragged it into the soul flag.
Du Tian muttered, “This is already the 19th one already. Unfortunately, they are all Soul Formation soul fragments. If there was a Soul Transformation one, then the soul flag would have another primary soul.”
Just at this moment, a golden-purple light flew in from the distance. The protection formation didn’t stop it, so it charged directly to the cave.
Du Tian’s eyes lit up and he let out a laugh. He had made it so that the formation wouldn’t stop souls. That was why they had been getting in.
“Good, come!” Du Tian’s eyes lit up and he moved. He jumped into the air and reached toward the golden-purple soul.
The golden-purple light disappeared and dodged Du Tian’s hand, then it charged toward the cave.
Seeing that the soul fragment was about to enter the cave, Du Tian quickly moved and in an instant appeared before the soul fragment. He laughed. “Unfortunately, you haven’t reached the Soul Transformation stage; you are only at the border. You won’t be able to escape!” His hand form a seal and a giant vortex appeared.
Du Tian shouted, “Soul vortex!” The soul fragment let out a scream and quickly backed up, but Du Tian was one step ahead. He said, “Capture!”
A powerful suction force came from the vortex and the golden-purple soul fragment was dragged toward the vortex.
Du Tian let out a smile, but just at this moment, a loud bang came from the Soul Refining Sect’s protection formation. The formation trembled and then completely collapsed.
This loud bang immediately echoed throughout the Soul Refining Sect. Even the three main mountains trembled as a large number of rocks fell off and cracks appeared on them, terrifying the disciples inside.
In the sky, a red figure wearing a red robe appeared. This figure gave off an unimaginably powerful aura.
At this moment, the sky lost its color and only this figure existed.
“Zhuque Zi!” Du Tian’s expression was very ugly. He didn’t have time to play with this soul fragment, so he waved the one-billion-soul soul flag and captured it.