Thunder Divine Essence, Another Path

The news that Yu Yuanchen's Spiritual Power had successfully broken through to the Spirit Origin Realm was like a pebble thrown into a calm lake, stirring up ripples in the highest levels of the Federation and among a limited circle of informed individuals.

This is not only a leap in personal strength, but also signifies that the grand "Saint Demon Continent Exploration Plan" has finally taken its most decisive step.

Of the three elements—essence, energy, and spirit— Yu Yuanchen's physical body Blood Essence had already reached a strength comparable to Divine Body after the laws of Martial Way were incorporated into his Law Integration into Body (here, Divine Body refers to the physical body of True God- level cultivator focused on direct combat).

Driven by the sublimation of his True Essence Core when he broke through level 99, the quality and quantity of his Soul Power were in no way inferior to those of a newly ascended God Level being;

Now, his Spiritual Power has successfully entered the Spirit Origin Realm, completing the final piece of the puzzle.

It can be said that, apart from not having undergone the baptism of God Tribulation and not yet obtaining the authority bestowed by God Position, in terms of Life level and basic strength alone, Yu Yuanchen is already no less than any True God, and even surpasses him in many aspects.

This state could perhaps be described as -- Alternative Apotheosis!

The surge in strength brought unprecedented confidence. Without delay, Yu Yuanchen immediately relayed the message to the Evil Emperor and Di Tian through secret channels.

Several days later, deep within the Evil Spirit Forest, in the Core Zone shrouded by numerous restrictions.

Yu Yuanchen, Qian Daoliu, and Tang Chen stood side by side. Opposite them were the Beast God Di Tian, who had transformed into human form, dressed in black robes, and whose aura was as deep as the sea, and the Evil Eye Tyrant Lord, who floated in mid-air and appeared in the form of huge vertical pupils.

The atmosphere was solemn and heavy. Today, we will attempt to recover that crucial "Saint Demon Mark" from the Life Origin of the Evil Emperor!

"Yu Yuanchen, are you truly confident?" The Evil Emperor's enormous vertical pupils stared intently at Yu Yuanchen, his mental fluctuations carrying an uncontrollable tension and anticipation.

To reveal its Soul Core and Life Origin to others without reservation, especially to three powerful humans, required immense courage and trust. If the temptations of "going home" and "becoming a god" hadn't been so great, it would never have taken such a risk.

Yu Yuanchen remained calm, his eyes clear. "Your Excellency, the Evil Emperor, rest assured. Having made a vow, I will surely keep it. Moreover, this matter concerns our shared future; I would never do anything unjust."

Prior to this, the three of them had sworn an oath to the God Realm Laws with their own martial Martial Soul, promising that during their cooperation they would never take advantage of this opportunity to harm the Evil Emperor, otherwise their Martial Soul would be shattered and their Cultivation Level completely destroyed. This oath also had a very strong binding force on powerhouses of their level.

Di Tian nodded slightly, his golden pupils sweeping over Yu Yuanchen, and said in a deep voice, "Let it begin. I will witness this."

Without further hesitation, the Evil Emperor slowly closed his enormous vertical pupils, and the vast, ocean-like Spiritual Power around him began to rapidly recede and shrink.

A moment later, a strange crystal, perfectly round, deep dark silver in color, and seemingly containing countless tiny starlight and swirling vortexes of spacetime, slowly emerged from the center of its vertical pupil!

This is the core of the Evil Eye Tyrant Lord's Power Core —its Soul Core! The moment the Soul Core appeared, the surrounding space distorted slightly, and the flow of time seemed to change subtly, revealing the Evil Emperor's extraordinary mastery of the Spacetime Law.

The manifestation of the Soul Core signifies that the Evil Emperor has completely abandoned all defenses, exposing its most vulnerable core. At this moment, if Yu Yuanchen harbors malicious intent, a full-force attack would be enough to severely injure or even Destruction its soul essence!

Yu Yuanchen took a deep breath, his eyes instantly becoming incredibly focused. He didn't act immediately, but with a thought, his Blood Essence, Soul Power, and Spirit Origin Realm Spiritual Power began to merge in unprecedented harmony!

Yu Yuanchen used his Thunder True Essence, something he hadn't done in a long time—one of the reasons he was able to fight beyond his level while he was still growing.

Since his physical Divine Body and Soul Power reached a level comparable to that of Divine Power, he rarely used Thunder True Essence anymore. This was because his Spiritual Power had fallen behind his Soul Power and Bloodline Power, and the three elements of essence, energy, and spirit were not in balance. Even if he fused Thunder True Essence, its power increase would not be much greater than using Soul Power and Blood Essence alone.

But now his Spiritual Power has broken through to the Spirit Origin Realm, his essence, energy and spirit have been balanced again, and all have reached the God Level level. Therefore, this time his Thunder True Essence is different from the past. It is now God Level Thunder True Essence, or it can be called -- Thunder Divine Essence.

Buzz--!

An indescribable Purple-Gold energy, imbued with the majestic Heavenly Might, a fusion of Destruction and creation, slowly rose from his body! And this energy was naturally— the Thunder Divine Essence.

The moment the Purple-Gold Thunder Divine Essence appeared, the air in the entire Core Zone seemed to freeze! A terrifying pressure, transcending the mortal realm and seemingly capable of judging all things, quietly spread out.

A sharp light flashed in Qian Daoliu's and Tang Chen's eyes simultaneously. They could clearly sense that the quality of this Thunder Divine Essence had undergone a qualitative leap.

Its purity, the Law Power it contains, and its restrained yet terrifying destructive force have definitely reached the level of Third-level Divine Power, which is even higher than that of True God! It is even more domineering and more active than the Divine Power of an ordinary Third-Class Deity!

Even in Di Tian's usually calm and collected dragon eyes, a trace of barely concealed horror finally flashed across his face! He had lived for nearly a million years, witnessed God Level power (the Silver Dragon King), and also felt the aura of the Celestial God Hunter of the Divine Realm.

However, the Thunder Divine Essence that Yu Yuanchen cultivated and fused on his own was of a higher quality than that of the Silver Dragon King, but it was far superior to that of the Celestial God Hunter.

He secretly estimated that if he were to fight Yu Yuanchen to the death at this moment, he would probably only be able to barely hold on by relying on the Dragon Clan's powerful physique and eight hundred thousand years of profound accumulation, but defeat would only be a matter of time!

"Is this... his current strength...?" Di Tian's heart was filled with turmoil, and his evaluation of Yu Yuanchen rose once again.

The Evil Emperor, whose Soul Core was manifested, felt it even more directly. The aura emanating from the Thunder Divine Essence made its soul tremble; it was an absolute suppression on Life level.

The last trace of doubt in its heart vanished completely, replaced by a complex emotion—gratitude, awe, and an even more fervent anticipation!

Yu Yuanchen had no time to spare; his entire mind was focused on controlling the Thunder Divine Essence. To his delight, he discovered that once his essence, qi, and spirit were balanced and integrated, not only did the power of the Thunder Divine Essence increase dramatically, but the "True Essence Core" within his dantian, formed by the fusion of Soul Power, Bloodline Power, and Spiritual Power, also developed a strong desire for this New Life Thunder Divine Essence.

Like rain after a long drought, it spontaneously began to absorb and refine itself. Under the nourishment of this Divine Essence, its own structure underwent subtle and profound transformations, showing a faint tendency to evolve towards a higher level—the "Spirit Origin Core"!

"It seems that with long-term nurturing with Thunder Divine Essence, the sublimation of the True Essence Core is just around the corner." Yu Yuanchen realized this, but immediately suppressed his joy and focused his attention on the matter at hand.

He pointed his fingers like a sword, guiding a wisp of condensed, ultra- Purple-Gold Thunder Divine Essence, slowly pointing it towards the Evil Emperor's unsuspecting Soul Core. At the same time, he fully activated the Spiritual Power of the Spirit Origin Realm in his Sea of Consciousness, unleashing his Spirit Domain— "Return to Origin"!

"Tracing back to the source, reflecting on the past!"

Yu Yuanchen let out a low shout, and Purple Gold Lightning burst forth from his eyes, as if transforming into two thunder mirrors that could see into the origin of all things! The Thunder Divine Essence, like the most precise carving knife, carried his vast Divine Essence Spiritual Power and carefully probed into the depths of the Evil Emperor's Soul Core.

This is not destruction, but guidance, and tracing back! He wants to find the most original, profound, and unique imprint of his birthplace— the Saint Demon Continent —within the core of this origin, which contains the Life imprint of the Evil Emperor for hundreds of thousands of years!

The process was extremely dangerous and mentally taxing. The information contained in the Evil Emperor's Soul Core was far too complex, like a vast starry sea.

Yu Yuanchen must be like the most skilled archaeologist, precisely outlining the oldest layer in the "strata" covered by countless years of dust, without damaging the Soul Core itself in the slightest.

Time passed slowly. Beads of sweat gradually appeared on Yu Yuanchen's forehead, and his face turned slightly pale, clearly indicating that he had exhausted himself. However, his eyes remained sharp, and his fingers were as steady as Rock Academy.

Under his exquisite control, the Thunder Divine Essence transformed into countless fine, purplish -Purple-Gold, which traversed and sensed within the Soul Core.

The Evil Emperor's tightly closed vertical pupils trembled slightly, clearly indicating that the process was extremely unpleasant for it as well, but it endured the discomfort and cooperated with all its might.

Di Tian, Qian Daoliu, and Tang Chen all held their breath, watching intently.

Suddenly, a glint flashed in Yu Yuanchen's eyes!

"Found it!" he shouted, and the Thunder Divine Essence at his fingertips shone brightly! Deep within the Evil Emperor's Soul Core, a faint silver-gray light spot, carrying a strange fluctuation of order, was forcibly "imprinted" by him with the Thunder Divine Essence, creating an identical light spot.

The moment this point of light appeared, a strange aura, entirely different from that of the Douluo Plane, faintly emanated from it. It was none other than the Planar Imprint of the Saint Demon Continent!

"Brother Tang!" Yu Yuanchen called out urgently.

Tang Chen, who had been preparing for a long time, responded to the call! With a wave of his hand, a replica portal made entirely of his newly forged "Soul Forge Grade" Void Iron suddenly appeared. Its shape was seven parts similar to the Hell Gate, but it was many times smaller.

Above the portal, intricate Space Rune engraved, emanating stable spatial fluctuations.

"Receive!"

Tang Chen roared, and the replica portal unleashed a suction force, precisely drawing in the silver-gray light spot— the Saint Demon Mark —that Yu Yuanchen had imprinted with his Thunder Divine Essence!

Buzz!

The replica portal trembled violently, and the Space Rune on its surface lit up, firmly sealing and nurturing the Saint Demon Mark.

Upon seeing this, Yu Yuanchen immediately withdrew his Thunder Divine Essence and Spiritual Power, let out a long sigh of relief, his face slightly tired, but his eyes were full of joy.

The Evil Emperor also breathed a sigh of relief, his Soul Core quickly retracting into his body. His enormous vertical pupils slowly opened, and although his aura was somewhat weak, his mental fluctuations were filled with unprecedented excitement and ecstasy!

"It's a success! It's really a success!" The Evil Emperor's voice trembled. After hundreds of thousands of years of homesickness, he finally saw hope of returning home!

Di Tian gazed at the Saint Demon Mark sealed within the replica portal, a complex emotion flashing in his golden dragon eyes. His gaze towards Yu Yuanchen held even greater importance. This boy's methods were truly extraordinary.

"I have fulfilled my mission." Yu Yuanchen nodded slightly to the Evil Emperor Di Tian. "The Saint Demon Mark has been obtained, and the matter of the Planar Coordinates is temporarily concluded."

Thus, one of the biggest obstacles to the Saint Demon Continent —the location problem—has finally been solved. The remaining task is to "pave the way"—strengthening the Hell Gate and constructing a stable Planar Passage.

However, as everyone turned their attention back to the reinforcement project of the Hell Gate, a crucial issue that had been overlooked due to optimistic estimates surfaced like an iceberg—energy! Massive amounts of extremely high-quality energy!

The Research Institute's underground core chamber features an upgraded version of the Hell Gate, suspended in the center of a massive Soul Guiding Array. Its entire body radiates a dark gold and silver-white luster, with more complex and profound runes on its surface, and the spatial fluctuations it emits are stable and deep.

After five years of unremitting efforts, it has integrated the essence of Soul Tool Technology, inlaid Soul Forge Grade spatial attribute metals, and optimized its internal Space Law structure under the subtle guidance of Di Tian, Evil Emperor, and even Gu Yuena. Its "hardware" foundation has been laid solidly, and theoretically it does have the potential to be promoted to Peak Level 2 Divine Artifact.

However, "software" upgrades require energy! Forcibly upgrading a Level 3 Divine Artifact to the Peak Level 2 requires an astronomical amount of energy! Moreover, this energy must be pure and high-level enough, at least reaching the level of Divine Power, in order to drive the essential transformation of the artifact.

Yu Yuanchen's Thunder Divine Essence is of sufficient quality, but... the quantity is too small!

He's like a race car with a top-tier engine (Spirit Origin Realm Spiritual Power, Blood Essence, and Soul Power) and high-grade fuel (Thunder Divine Essence), but his fuel tank (total energy) is far from enough to support a cross-continental rally.

"According to our calculations," the chief Soul Engineer of the Research Institute, a sprightly old man with white hair, pointed to the complex data on the light screen and reported solemnly to Yu Yuanchen and the others, "To strengthen the Hell Gate to the predetermined Peak Level 2, the total energy required, if provided by the Speaker, would roughly require the Speaker to pour in energy tirelessly for more than ten years."

He paused, then said helplessly, "Currently, the only source of this quality of energy is the Governor's Thunder Divine Essence. If we rely solely on the artifact to slowly absorb the Heaven and Earth Origin Qi to replenish it, it will take more than forty years. Of course, if the Speaker comes to infuse some energy from time to time, it might only take thirty years."

Thirty years, forty years!

This moment instantly made the atmosphere in the secret room heavy.

For Di Tian and Evil Emperor, who often measured time in tens of thousands of years, thirty or forty years might be just a blink of an eye, something they could afford to wait for. Evil Emperor even felt that compared to waiting for hundreds of thousands of years, a few decades were simply insignificant.

But Yu Yuanchen, Qian Daoliu, and Tang Chen frowned deeply. Thirty years? They were all in their prime, full of ambition and drive. To ask them to stop and wait for a divine artifact to slowly recharge for thirty or forty years? That was simply torture.

Moreover, by then they might have accumulated enough Power of Faith to begin their path to godhood, so why would they need to go to the Saint Demon Continent?

"Isn't there any other way to speed it up?" Tang Chen couldn't help but ask. "Could we get more people to contribute energy together? Or could we find something like an energy core?"

The chief Soul Engineer shook his head. "Difficult. The quality of the energy is the key. Ordinary Soul Power, even the Soul Power of us Titled Douluo, is far from reaching the level of Divine Power. Pouring it into a divine artifact will not only be useless, but may also cause energy conflicts and damage the internal structure."

As for high-purity energy cores... as far as we know, on the Douluo Continent, perhaps only a few Secret Realm, such as the bottom of the Lake of Life in the Star Dou Great Forest or the Ten Thousand Year Profound Ice Marrow in the Extreme North, might possess them. However, whether the reserves are sufficient and whether they can be extracted are unknown, and such resources are far from sufficient to meet immediate needs.

Upon hearing this, Di Tian calmly replied, "The energy of the Lake of Life is crucial to the very foundation of the Star Dou, and should not be touched lightly." He had directly blocked this path, so why would he use the precious resources of the Star Dou Great Forest just to save a mere few decades?

For a moment, the hall fell silent. Having finally solved the location problem, they were stuck on the most basic issue of "energy"—this frustration was disheartening.

Just when everyone was at a loss, another person in charge of the Soul Tool replication project, a middle-aged Soul Engineer with glasses and a refined demeanor, hesitated for a moment and then said, "Your Excellency, Your Excellencies, perhaps... we can change our approach and find another way."

All eyes immediately focused on him.

"Since we can't improve the quality to its fullest potential in a short time, can we try to compensate with the quantity?" He pushed up his glasses, his eyes gleaming with the light of academic inquiry. "Over the years, we have conducted in-depth analysis of the core principles of the Hell Gate and the Space Rune array."

While we cannot completely replicate the secrets of the divine artifact, we have successfully produced several prototype Soul Tool with partial spatial positioning and stable channel functions. Although their effects are far inferior to the original, the underlying principles are the same.

He walked to another light screen and pulled up several complex design diagrams. "I'm thinking, what if we temporarily abandon the 'one-step' approach of strengthening the Hell Gate to its Peak Level 2, and instead use the technology we already possess to mass-produce these simplified but relatively inexpensive ' Planar Passage Stabilizer '?"

"Then, combining these stabilizers in a specific array and activating them simultaneously might... produce a similar effect? Just like a single chopstick is easy to break, but a bundle of chopsticks is hard to break."

While the effect of a single stabilizer is weak, the combined force field of hundreds or thousands of stabilizers might help the artifact achieve the same effect and reduce its stress. Of course, this requires extremely precise coordinated control and a huge investment of resources, but at least in theory, it avoids the long energy accumulation process.

"Quantitative Change Causes Qualitative Change?" A glint flashed in Yu Yuanchen's eyes as he instantly grasped the key point. "You mean, instead of forcibly pushing the 'engine' (the Hell Gate) to its limits, we should equip it with a massive 'escort fleet' (a replica of the Soul Tool array), relying on the combined power to jointly complete the construction and stabilization of the Planar Passage?"

"That's exactly what I meant!" The Soul Engineer nodded excitedly. "Although the technical difficulty and resource consumption will increase exponentially, at least... we might see hope of realization within ten years, or even less! Instead of waiting for thirty years!"

This bold idea, like a flash of lightning in the darkness, instantly illuminated the fog in everyone's hearts!

Yes! Why insist on strengthening a single divine artifact? They possess the resources and Soul Tool Technology of the entire Federation! Why not leverage the advantage of "strength in numbers"?

Qian Daoliu pondered for a moment and said, "Although this plan is risky, it is not impossible. Soul Tool Array technology is the forte of Soul Engineer. However, ensuring that thousands or even tens of thousands of Soul Tool operate synchronously, and whether the composite spatial force field they generate is stable, requires a lot of calculation and experimental verification."

Tang Chen rubbed his hands together, eager to get started. "How many Rare Metal do we need? I'll lead a team to find and mine them! How many Soul Engineer do we need? Bring over every high-ranking Soul Engineer in the Federation! As long as we can get to the Saint Demon Continent quickly, this investment is nothing!"

Di Tian and Evil Emperor exchanged a glance, both seeing interest in each other's eyes. For them, time was something they could wait for, but if they could expedite it, why not?

Yu Yuanchen's gaze swept over everyone, finally settling on the Soul Engineer who had proposed the idea. He said in a deep voice, "Conduct the feasibility analysis immediately! Concentrate all resources and establish a special task force for the ' Planar Passage Array Array'! I want to see a preliminary feasibility report and a list of resource requirements within three months!"

"Yes!" The Soul Engineer of the Research Institute responded in unison, their eyes filled with the excitement of taking on a challenging task.

Although the road ahead remains difficult, a new and hopeful direction has emerged. Shifting from pursuing the ultimate in a single divine artifact to relying on the collective power of a massive array of Soul Tool is undoubtedly a major change in thinking, and it can better leverage the advantages of the Federation system and Soul Tool Technology.