Divine Soul Contemplation

Chen Ming had gained a benefit, but he was also shaken by the domineering nature of this Secret Method.

Such a bizarre technique could only belong to the Demonic Path!

If word of it got out, disaster might follow.

It seemed that from now on, he had to be as careful as possible and never let anyone learn his origins.

As Chen Ming's thoughts turned, the Origin Energy the Spirit Worm had transmitted into his body continued to temper his soul. He could faintly feel that a breakthrough was near.

"This place isn't safe to linger. I need to find somewhere secluded to break through, so I don't invite more trouble!"

With a plan in mind, Chen Ming recited an incantation and drew the Spirit Worm into his body.

He shifted the Magic Art in his hands, and a pair of Illusory Flesh Wings sprouted from his back. With a light flap, he vanished from sight.

Several months later, in a secluded valley where few people ever set foot.

A full moon hung high in the sky, bathing the ground in moonlight as a gentle breeze swept through.

Chen Ming sat cross-legged on a boulder, his body wreathed in wisps of smoke that appeared and disappeared. At first glance, he looked like an immortal who had transcended the mortal world.

But on closer inspection, the area around the boulder he sat on was crawling with densely packed, vicious-looking poisonous insects.

The smoke swirling around him was made from the breath those insects exhaled.

After searching for a long time, Chen Ming had finally found this secluded valley. He had also conjured Myriad Poisonous Insects to guard him as he prepared to break through to the Contemplation Realm.

The Qi Gathering Realm was only the first step onto the Dao Path. One drew in Heaven and Earth Origin Energy, mostly to temper the body and soul. At this stage, one could only look inward and sense the Sea of Consciousness, and the resulting magic power was meager.

Casting spells often required numerous tedious rituals, or drawing talismans and praying. It was a great hassle.

But upon reaching the Contemplation Realm, the soul was refined and transformed into a Divine Soul. Seated in the Sea of Consciousness, it gave rise to Spiritual Sense, making everything entirely different.

Guided by the Divine Soul's thoughts and using the body as a medium, one could contemplate heaven and nature, grasping their wondrous mysteries. Without relying on external forces, one could wield lightning, flashes of light, true fire, and other Supernatural Abilities.

Ling Yangzi's "Azure Wood Poisonous Gas" had been formed through Divine Soul Contemplation.

Furthermore, should one encounter disaster and lose the physical body, the Divine Soul could leave it and flee, preserving a slender thread of life.

Ling Yangzi had simply been unlucky. He had encountered Chen Ming's bizarre techniques, and his Divine Soul had failed to escape, reduced to ashes.

By now, the Origin Energy produced when the Spirit Worm devoured Ling Yangzi's Divine Soul and physical body had brought Chen Ming's body and soul to the bottleneck.

He was just one step away. Once his soul condensed into a Divine Soul and settled in his Sea of Consciousness, he would attain the Contemplation Realm.

According to the ancient records, this step was a major hurdle.

If the soul failed to condense, the consequences could range from damage to the soul to its complete destruction.

Chen Ming carefully circulated the Magic Art, guiding his Three Souls and Seven Spirits into the Sea of Consciousness with his thoughts.

He had expected the process to be immensely difficult, but as soon as he urged them onward—

The Three Souls and Seven Spirits in his Sea of Consciousness instantly condensed, becoming a Divine Soul that looked seven-tenths like Chen Ming's physical body.

The moment his Divine Soul formed, it felt as though a layer of shackles had fallen away from Chen Ming's heart. Sensing something, it settled onto the Lotus Platform in his Sea of Consciousness.

As the Divine Soul sat upon the Lotus Platform, Spiritual Sense arose of its own accord, and the platform blazed with light.

Information about the Lotus Platform flowed into Chen Ming's Divine Soul.

It turned out the platform was called the "Creation Lotus Platform." Nurtured over time, it would grow patterns that eventually fell away and became incantations, evolving into all sorts of Magic Arts and Secret Methods.

The Creation Lotus Platform could also protect the Divine Soul and help its master break through to new realms.

Chen Ming had entered the Contemplation Realm so easily largely because he had cultivated the Secret Method "Hundred Thousand Eight Thousand Insects."

The Creation Lotus Platform's effects had also allowed him to break through without encountering a bottleneck.

"So this is the Contemplation Realm?"

With a thought, Chen Ming's Divine Soul left the Lotus Platform and emerged from his body.

Looking at his physical form, Chen Ming felt a sudden understanding.

If the Divine Soul left the body without being nourished by it, it would likely dissipate before long.

If the physical body were destroyed, he would have to become a Ghost Cultivator as quickly as possible or find himself another body.

"The Divine Soul still can't leave the Sea of Consciousness lightly. The body and Divine Soul depend on each other. Unless it's absolutely necessary, I can't abandon either one!"

Chen Ming's Divine Soul returned to its place and sat on the Lotus Platform in the Sea of Consciousness. Only then did he feel secure.

With his Divine Soul back in place, Chen Ming opened his eyes and rose from the boulder.

With a thought, the smoke around him shrank. The Myriad Poisonous Insects gathered together, transforming into a Red Spirit Worm that landed in his palm.

"Now that I've reached the Contemplation Realm and my Divine Soul has returned to its place, I can't keep you in my Sea of Consciousness anymore!"

The Spirit Worm seemed to understand Chen Ming's words and let out a series of squeaks.

"Don't worry. I'll find you somewhere to stay!"

With that, Chen Ming took out a blackened Earthen Jar.

This Earthen Jar had fallen from Ling Yangzi after his death. It was a Magic Tool.

Chen Ming had no idea what materials Ling Yangzi had fused into it, but it could contain and store poisonous gas. When activated with a Secret Method, it could release the gas as a protective barrier.

"I don't have anything else at the moment, so I'll refine this jar and make it your home!"

Chen Ming circulated his magic power, enveloping the jar.

Before long, its blackened color faded, and it turned a rustic blue-gray.

Chen Ming didn't know any good Magic Tool-refining Magic Arts, so he could only change the jar's appearance for now. Its other abilities remained unchanged. He would have to wait until he came across an opportunity and refine it properly bit by bit.

With a beckoning gesture, the jar rose into the air and settled on Chen Ming's left hand.

"Come on!"

At Chen Ming's summons, the Red Spirit Worm flew into the jar.

"Hide inside this Magic Tool. I'll refine some of Ling Yangzi's 'Azure Wood Poisonous Gas' to disguise you, so no one can easily see through your true nature!"

Chen Ming shifted the Magic Art. The jar in his hand trembled, gleaming with a clear, lustrous light as it gave off a powerful suction.

The suction came from the Spirit Worm inside the jar and specifically targeted Divine Souls. Once sucked inside, they would be devoured by the Spirit Worm and converted into Origin Energy, which would then flow back to Chen Ming.

Hidden inside the jar and concealed by its spiritual aura, the Spirit Worm would not easily be detected.

"From now on, I'll call this Magic Tool the 'Spirit Devouring Jar'!"

"And you'll be called 'Hong Ling'!"

The Red Spirit Worm inside the Spirit Devouring Jar sensed Chen Ming's thoughts and learned its name. It bobbed its head inside the jar, seeming quite pleased.

It swallowed several wisps of the "Azure Wood Poisonous Gas" Ling Yangzi had stored in the jar, then curled up contentedly and lay motionless.

After refining the "Spirit Devouring Jar" and settling the Red Spirit Worm inside, Chen Ming finally had a moment to study Ling Yangzi's cultivation Magic Art, "Azure Wood Poisonous Gas."

Though Ling Yangzi's "Azure Wood Poisonous Gas" was a poison-based Heretical Path, it could still cultivate a Divine Soul and break through to the Contemplation Realm.

It was far better than the method Chen Ming had previously used, which could only take him to the Qi Gathering Realm.

Without his "Hundred Thousand Eight Thousand Insects" Secret Method to refine a Spirit Worm for protection, Chen Ming would never have been a match for Ling Yangzi.

The foundation of "Azure Wood Poisonous Gas" lay in contemplating the "Eastern Yi Wood Qi," but it had strayed from the orthodox path and fallen into heresy.

Still, this was the only Magic Art Chen Ming had at the moment, so he would have to cultivate it for now.

He sat cross-legged, facing east, clicked his teeth nine times, and contemplated the Divine Soul while reciting an incantation.

In an instant, it was as though he had entered a sea of clouds. Eastern Yi Wood Qi descended from the void, drawn by the Magic Art and transforming into Azure Wood Qi, from which poison then arose.

He only needed to gather this energy and use his Divine Soul's thoughts to restrain and refine it, and it would become a wisp of "Azure Wood Poisonous Gas."

Just as Chen Ming's Spiritual Sense moved to gather and refine it, the Lotus Platform beneath him suddenly shone with light. A sudden change struck.