Early Quasi-Saint Stage

Xuanyuan probed his own condition with his Spiritual Sense and suddenly furrowed his brow.

The cultivation method of Proving Dao by Severing Three Corpses was indeed marvelous and powerful.

But it was not without drawbacks.

After all, each severed corpse had to carry a sliver of the original body's Nascent Soul.

That sliver of Nascent Soul was like an infusion of one's own vitality, giving the corpses independent thoughts and consciousness.

Thus, the stronger the severed corpses, the more Nascent Soul energy they consumed.

In other words, if one wanted to Prove Dao by Severing Three Corpses, the price was an incomplete Nascent Soul.

That was no small price to pay!

Just think about it: once part of one's Nascent Soul had been separated, restoring it was no simple matter.

It could be said that once you embarked on the path of Proving Dao by Severing Three Corpses, there was no turning back.

That was because Proving Dao by Law required not only an understanding of the Law, but also a complete Nascent Soul.

If part of your Nascent Soul had been given to the three corpses, you could no longer meet the requirements for Proving Dao by Law.

So choosing to Prove Dao by Severing Three Corpses was a one-way road!

You either succeeded or failed. There was no middle path.

Now Xuanyuan finally understood why Sanqing, Jieyin, Zhunti, Nuwa, and the others had been unable to Prove Dao by Law after embarking on the path of Proving Dao by Severing Three Corpses.

It wasn't that they lacked talent. It was simply impossible for them.

At that thought, a suspicion stirred in Xuanyuan's heart: in the entire Primordial World, perhaps Hongjun alone could pursue both Proving Dao by Severing Three Corpses and Proving Dao by Law.

After all, Hongjun had created the method of Severing Three Corpses himself, so he was sure to understand its advantages and drawbacks better than anyone else.

Moreover, Hongjun's true body was a Chaos Demon God who had existed long before Great God Pangu's Heaven and Earth Splitting.

Who knew how much merit Hongjun had accumulated over the countless ages, or how many methods he had kept hidden?

No one knew!

He even suspected that the reason the Heavenly Dao had abandoned Demon Ancestor Luohu and chosen Hongjun was very likely because Hongjun had created the method of Severing Three Corpses.

The Heavenly Dao intended to use Hongjun's method of Severing Three Corpses to control the course of the entire Primordial World.

"Too bad. You planned for everything, but you forgot about an anomaly like me!"

Xuanyuan sneered as a great flood of Great Dao Merit surged forth, continuously restoring the Nascent Souls of his true body and Evil Corpse.

Merit was something of a universal cure in the Primordial World, with many uses.

One of them was restoring the Nascent Soul.

Xuanyuan had already tested this on the Witch Clan.

As the endless Great Dao Merit poured into him, Xuanyuan could clearly feel his formerly damaged Nascent Soul being restored at a visible pace.

The sensation was wondrous, like parched earth soaking up rain or a decaying tree springing back to life.

Every trace of Great Dao Merit was like the most precious nourishment, nurturing his damaged Nascent Soul and gradually making it whole and strong again.

It was an indescribably wonderful experience. Xuanyuan sank deep into it, savoring the gift bestowed by the Great Dao Merit.

Time slipped by unnoticed. Several days passed, and at last, what had seemed like a long dream came to an end.

The Nascent Souls of his true body and Evil Corpse had been fully restored. The parts that had once been incomplete now shone anew, radiating powerful auras.

At last, everything was back as it had been, every injury perfectly healed.

Xuanyuan slowly opened his eyes, which had been closed for days. Bright light shone within them.

He drew a deep breath, feeling the power surging through him, as if he had been reborn.

Then he stretched out his body and limbs, letting his muscles and bones relax.

The simple movement brought him immense comfort, as though all his weariness had vanished in an instant.

Xuanyuan opened the system panel and took a look.

Host: Xuanyuan

Race: Ancestor Witch of the Witch Clan

Cultivation: Early Quasi-Saint Stage (Evil Corpse: Early Quasi-Saint Stage)

Origin: Innate Demon God

Technique: Nine Revolutions Mysterious Origin Technique (Early Stage of the Fifth Revolution)

Laws: Sword Law (30|100), Time Law (20|100), Space Law (20|100), Pill Law (20|100), Lightning Law (40|100), Destruction Law (30|100)

Treasures: Chaos Spiritual Treasure—Chaos Bead, Chaos Spiritual Treasure—Chaos Cauldron, Supreme Grade Innate Supreme Treasure—Kunwu Sword (Damaged), Supreme Grade Innate Supreme Treasure—Taiji Diagram, Supreme Grade Innate Spiritual Treasure—Twelve-grade Pure World White Lotus, Supreme Grade Innate Spiritual Treasure—Dao Comprehension Chair, Supreme Grade Innate Spiritual Treasure—Central Wuji Apricot Yellow Banner, Supreme Grade Innate Spiritual Treasure—Southern Earthly Flame Light Banner, Supreme Grade Innate Spiritual Treasure—Human Book, Supreme Grade Innate Spiritual Treasure—Heavenly Book, Investiture of the Gods, God-Beating Whip...

His cultivation had finally broken through to the Early Quasi-Saint Stage.

His strength was more than ten times greater than before.

What surprised Xuanyuan even more was that the Evil Corpse he had just severed was also at the Early Quasi-Saint Stage.

That was puzzling.

After all, Hongjun had made it clear during his lecture that a newly severed Evil Corpse, Good Corpse, or Self Corpse would be considerably weaker than the original body.

That depended on the Daoist's talent, origin, and strength.

It also depended on the Spiritual Treasure used to sever the corpse.

The minimum requirement for a Spiritual Treasure used to sever a corpse was that it be an Innate Spiritual Treasure.

Only an Innate Spiritual Treasure could withstand the immense energy involved in severing a corpse.

Xuanyuan pondered for a moment, then decided to examine his Evil Corpse first.

He used his Spiritual Sense to check the Evil Corpse's condition and found that its aura was steady, its soul intact, and its memories and way of thinking identical to his own.

"Could it be because I used the Chaos Bead to sever the corpse?" Xuanyuan wondered. "The Chaos Bead was born in the Chaos. Perhaps its unique nature lets the Evil Corpse retain such powerful strength."

"There's something else. After Severing Corpse to Prove Dao, neither the original body nor the Evil Corpse had a complete Nascent Soul. Now that I've used a vast amount of Great Dao Merit to restore them, neither has any defects left. It makes sense that their strength would increase."

Xuanyuan had spent nearly five billion Great Dao Merit restoring the Nascent Souls of his true body and Evil Corpse.

He now had only 3.7 billion Great Dao Merit remaining.

That was no longer enough to restore his Nascent Soul again after severing another corpse.

"It's time to head to Buzhou Mountain, obtain the Innate Gourd Vine, and complete the system task!"

After exchanging a few words with his Evil Corpse, Xuanyuan sensed the auras of Dijiang, Zhujiuyin, and the others. A faint smile touched his lips.

He then drew the Evil Corpse into his sea of consciousness and took a single step, vanishing in an instant.

In the next moment, he appeared before the others.

Dijiang, Zhujiuyin, and the other Ancestor Witches all raised their heads, their eyes fixed on Xuanyuan.

A flicker of surprise and curiosity crossed their faces.

More than anything, though, they were thrilled and excited.

They were happy that their brother had broken through and grown so much stronger.

Xuanyuan stood calmly before them, meeting their gazes. The unique aura he gave off inspired awe.

"Xuanyuan, is this what the Quasi-Saint Realm feels like?"

Houtu asked curiously.

The other members of the Twelve Ancestor Witches didn't need to pursue Severing Corpse to Prove Dao. They only had to diligently comprehend and strengthen their Law Power.

Only she had to sever a corpse to replace her true body, because she would transform into the cycle of reincarnation.

That was why she paid more attention to Severing Corpse to Prove Dao than the other Ancestor Witches.