The power surging from the soul ring weakened slightly, as if the end was finally in sight.
Lin Xiao no longer felt the intense pain from the beginning. The soul power from the soul ring merely passed through his meridians and dantian before quickly transforming into the energy needed to condense his soul core.
For ordinary soul masters, condensing a soul core required nearly depleting all the soul power within their bodies. As the soul core neared completion, the process became increasingly dangerous for the soul master.
But for the current Lin Xiao, the Great Elder's 400,000-year soul ring was like an inexhaustible source of soul power. Every cycle it made through his body converged into the soul core.
Even though the glowing mass before him had already taken the initial form of a soul core, the soul power within Lin Xiao's body remained abundant.
Although simultaneously absorbing a soul ring and condensing a soul core demanded extremely powerful spiritual strength to control two streams of soul power at once, spiritual strength was the one thing Lin Xiao never lacked. This made his soul core condensation process exceptionally smooth.
After a long while, the soul power within Lin Xiao's body suddenly stagnated. The surging soul power clogged his meridians, causing his face to flush red in an instant. However, a trace of joy soon appeared on his face.
The blood-red glowing mass in front of him had stabilized. Within it, a Manzhu Shahua seemed to be blooming, emitting a faint aura of death. Yet, upon closer inspection, it made one forget their fear of death, leaving only a longing for that place of eternal slumber.
Several tiny black spatial rifts appeared and vanished around him, continuously devouring the surrounding seawater while carrying a complex and divine power.
This was the soul core.
Lin Xiao gently raised both hands. The blood-red glowing mass in his palms constantly attracted everything around it, even distorting space itself.
It contained not only highly compressed soul power, but also the ultimate death attribute he possessed, along with traces of spatial power.
Merely looking at it gave him a faint feeling of connection, as if the aura it emitted was impatiently waiting to merge with him.
He withdrew his hands. The completed soul core touched his body and silently fused into his dantian.
In that vague moment, Lin Xiao seemed to sense a joy akin to a young swallow returning to its nest.
The next instant, the soul power within his body paused briefly before surging violently once more.
The soul power in his meridians no longer required conscious control from Lin Xiao. As the soul core rotated, the soul power in his meridians gradually transformed into a more stable state.
Without the need for deliberate meditation, the surrounding heaven-and-earth origin energy naturally converted into his cultivation.
As the fully formed soul core merged into Lin Xiao's body and his soul power transformed into a new state, the soul power from the 400,000-year soul ring no longer caused the swelling sensation it once did.
The seawater gradually calmed, and Lin Xiao's breathing slowly steadied.
Within his spiritual sea, Lin Xiao's consciousness condensed into his likeness and slowly emerged. Then he looked toward an uninvited guest who had appeared there.
The Great Elder stood, or rather, floated amid the sea of flowers, motionless as she gazed at the gray mist shrouding the opposite shore.
Only when Lin Xiao appeared did she seem to snap out of her trance and turn to look at him.
"You don't seem surprised?"
"No," Lin Xiao nodded. "You've already seen the souls I control. You should know I have a considerable understanding of souls."
"One of the dangers when a soul master absorbs a soul ring is confronting the residual consciousness—or rather, the remnant soul—of the soul beast within the ring."
"The fact that my absorption process went so smoothly… I could somewhat guess where your remnant soul would end up."
"But it seems you came to the wrong place." Lin Xiao paused here and slightly raised his arm. "Don't worry. With your soul following me, you might yet see sights you've never witnessed before."
"No." The Great Elder shook her head, looking at Lin Xiao with utmost calm. Suddenly, a smile appeared on her face.
The mermaid race was naturally beautiful. Even Lin Xiao, who had personally killed the Great Elder, had to admit that her smile was comparable to the most stunning beauty in the mortal world.
"Only after entering here did I realize I didn't lose unjustly. Perhaps it won't be long before you can defeat me at my peak. Heh, that idiot Eighth Elder actually thought he could seize your body."
Lin Xiao slightly frowned.
Having one's soul about to be controlled by another was not something anyone could easily accept, yet he saw not the slightest resistance on the Great Elder's face—only serenity.
Soon enough, he understood why.
"As the one who killed me, I curse you. From this day forward, luck will never stand on your side. You will never escape the pain you least wish to face."
"One day, you will live in endless, unspoken loneliness in a place without light, until eternity."
The Great Elder's voice echoed through Lin Xiao's spiritual sea. Her remnant soul gradually dissipated as if burned by invisible flames.
"I may have chosen the wrong opponent, but unlike those soul beasts, I will never acknowledge a human as my master even if only this broken remnant soul remains."
Lin Xiao raised his hand slightly, sighed softly, and ultimately did not stop her. He allowed the final trace of the Great Elder in this world to vanish completely.
As for the curse she spoke of, he paid it no mind. If a mere sentence could truly curse someone, the Spirit Devouring Douluo would not have spent his entire life studying the path of curses.
Beneath the sea, radiant light shone around Lin Xiao. Seven soul rings black, black, black, black, black, black, red pulsed slowly. Soon, a brand-new blood-red soul ring bearing four golden patterns condensed and took shape.
Yet he did not open his eyes. While condensing the soul core, he had sensed a completely new and mysterious power emerge. Now, that profound power was guiding his consciousness into an even deeper state of meditation.
Evil Spirit Forest, Holy Spirit Cult headquarters. Nothing much had changed. Inside the main hall, Zhongli Wu sat upon the Cult Leader's seat with a dark expression. The occasional passing disciple did not dare linger and hurriedly left.
No one wished to provoke Zhongli Wu at a time like this.
"Cult Leader."
Hearing the voice, Zhongli Wu slightly raised his eyes and glanced at the Abomination Douluo before him. "Sixth Elder, what exactly happened to you all in the icy sea?"
Abomination Douluo was taken aback, then answered honestly, "The Great Elder gave Fifth Brother and me the corpses and souls of sea soul beasts so we could help her set up a grand formation. It was probably to face her heavenly tribulation."
"And… that disciple of Eighth Elder?"
"I don't know." Abomination Douluo shook his head. "But Fifth Brother said the Great Elder sent him on a mission, and he probably won't be coming back."
"Did you see his corpse?"
"No, we didn't."
Zhongli Wu looked at Abomination Douluo once more, a flicker passing through his eyes. "Very well, you may go."
"Yes."
Abomination Douluo completely failed to notice Zhongli Wu's reaction. He turned with heavy steps and departed, leaving behind only Zhongli Wu in the hall, his face growing even uglier.
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