If a Saint-level expert who knew nothing of the details broke through, they naturally would not know the difference between the two choices and might struggle to decide.
But Luo Ao knew very well the benefits of splitting his soul in two...
Without the slightest hesitation, he controlled the Divine Spark, making it hover directly beside him.
"Aah!" Luo Ao involuntarily let out a scream of utter agony. The intense pain sent every muscle in his body into spasms. At that moment, deep within his mind, the sword-shaped soul hovering in his soul ocean split into two with a bang under the embrace of the Natural Laws.
The pain of splitting his soul in two was ten million times worse than physical torture. Even though he had expected it, Luo Ao was utterly unable to endure this horrific torment.
At that moment, Luo Ao even stopped thinking altogether. He could only scream in pain by instinct.
Once he felt a little better, the other sword-shaped soul formed by the split flew straight out of his body. Radiating three-colored light, it flew toward the Divine Spark, then actually merged into it with ease. The soul and the Divine Spark became completely one.
"Whew." Only then did Luo Ao regain his ability to think.
He also felt much weaker. Splitting his soul in two had damaged it far too severely. Even his comprehension and deduction of the Laws would probably slow severalfold. But to keep comprehending other Laws, and to gain an extra life, Luo Ao could only make this choice.
"What a peculiar feeling."
Both his original body and the Divine Spark contained Luo Ao's soul. Suddenly-
Rumble~~
The surrounding space trembled. The soul within the Divine Spark wondrously sensed a peculiar place. It lay at the very core of boundless space, a vast, limitless plane that could only be sensed upon reaching godhood-
The Elemental Sea!
Boom~~
This was a mist-shrouded space. There was no light in the sky; only the red glow emitted by the Elemental Sea itself barely illuminated this plane.
Boundless tides of elements surged, their waves rising and falling. This was the Fire Elemental Sea.
The surface of this Elemental Sea consisted of worldly elements condensed into a tangible liquid. Through the Divine Spark, Luo Ao's soul could sense a certain depth beneath the surface of the Elemental Sea.
The Elemental Sea had liquid elements on its surface, and beneath them... lay endless divine power!
Sure enough, having a powerful soul has its advantages. My soul is far stronger than those of ordinary people who reach godhood. I've only just broken through, yet I can already sense the furthest reaches of Lowgod divine power. Luo Ao felt rather pleased by this.
Rumble~~
Within the Elemental Sea, a considerable amount of divine power abruptly vanished into thin air. Following a special passage formed by the Natural Laws, it descended directly before Luo Ao, then began condensing a divine body around the fire-element Divine Spark that had merged with his sword-shaped soul.
Hiss~~ Starting from the head and moving downward, a naked body almost identical to Luo Ao's original body visibly formed. With a thought, Luo Ao immediately controlled the divine power within it, condensing a crimson robe over its surface.
At that very moment, the special power representing the Natural Laws vanished into thin air, and the mountain behind the manor returned to tranquility.
"It's over." A happy smile appeared on Luo Ao's face as he directly controlled his Divine Clone, merging it into his original body.
This Divine Clone could actually merge directly with Luo Ao's body as one. It truly was extraordinarily wondrous.
Reaching godhood this time was also a transformation for me. I should gradually be able to figure out many things now, Luo Ao thought to himself. He immediately sat cross-legged and began carefully examining his changes.
Deep within his mind, above his soul ocean, there was more than just a sword-shaped soul that had shrunk by one size. Beneath it, on the surface of the soul ocean, a figure also hovered, sitting cross-legged. It was his Divine Clone, clad in a fiery-red robe.
This soul space is quite peculiar too. Luo Ao marveled inwardly. For now, he still could not discover the principles behind this unique structure.
"Hmm? Sure enough, my Fire Divine Clone can no longer sense the Edicts of Destruction. Fortunately, it can still sense the Water Law." The "soul" of Luo Ao's Fire Divine Clone tried to sense the Edicts of Destruction, but they had now become incomparably indistinct. Luo Ao could not sense them clearly at all.
When he tried to comprehend the Water Law, however, although it was not as clear as the fire element was now, his affinity for it was on par with that of his original body.
"It looks like I can probably only be someone with a two-element soul mutation." At that thought, Luo Ao could not help inwardly sighing in regret.
In fact, before he had even reached Saint-level, he had once attempted to fuse the powers of "water" and "fire." At the time, he had only tried it casually and had not dared truly force the two powers together. Yet it had triggered a reaction from the Myriad Worlds Pearl, which had directly "remodeled" his soul.
From that point on, he had become someone with a two-element soul mutation.
The ability to fuse two completely different powers was a privilege reserved for soul mutants.
Luo Ao had only used this move once, while sparring with Gelike, who excelled in the Sword Dao of Destruction. As for the later struggle over the Sacred Spring, he could have used this move to defeat all the dragon experts, but with Betty present, he had not dared reveal it.
"Betty? Once I reach godhood in the Water Element too and deepen my comprehension of the fire-element profound mysteries, I'll be able to crush her." For the Water Law, Luo Ao planned not to pursue the fusion of profound mysteries for now. Comprehending the most basic Essence of Water to reach godhood would suffice.
At that point, even if Luo Ao was only a Lowgod, merely fusing the two different divine powers of his two Divine Clones would increase the power of his attacks tenfold, bringing them close to the God level. If his fusion of profound mysteries advanced just a little further, he would be able to crush ordinary Gods!
I just don't know whether soul mutation can only happen once, or whether even something as miraculous as the Myriad Worlds Pearl can only produce a two-element soul mutation, Luo Ao thought to himself.
Both were possible. Perhaps there truly had been only one opportunity, and Luo Ao himself had simply missed the chance to have the Edicts of Destruction mutate as well.
But there was nothing he could have done about that. There was no cultivation inheritance for the Edicts of Destruction. Before comprehending them, he had not possessed any destruction-element energy within his body at all, so naturally he could not have made the Destruction Lineage mutate along with the others.
"Of course, it's also possible that a three-element soul mutation is simply too difficult for even the Myriad Worlds Pearl to produce." This possibility existed as well. After all, soul mutation was already the most miraculous transformation in the Coiling Dragon World.
And over the endless years of the entire Infernal Realm, there had only been one three-element mutant. They were probably even rarer than Paragons...
"Forget it. I should be content." Although he felt it was a little regrettable that he had not achieved a three-element soul mutation, Luo Ao was not insatiably greedy.
"Now that I've reached godhood, this Crimson Annihilation Divine Sword can finally unleash its true power." With a flip of his hand, Luo Ao took out the Crimson Annihilation Divine Sword.
He poured the fire-element divine power within his body into the Crimson Annihilation Divine Sword. A layer of terrifying black flames actually appeared out of thin air along its blade. These black flames had an insubstantial form and gave off a heart-palpitating sensation.
"Hmm? This sword actually has such a peculiar effect too. It seems the high priest of the Church of the Fire God really could have come from a Divine Plane." Luo Ao could sense that the insubstantial flames burning on the Crimson Annihilation Divine Sword actually worked in the realm of soul attacks.
Clearly, the sword's previous owner had most likely been a fire-element expert proficient in soul attacks.
"Although splitting my soul in two has weakened it considerably, with the nourishment of the Myriad Worlds Pearl, this depletion will recover in just a few days. When the time comes, with my soul strength comparable to a God's, if I unleash this soul attack..." Imagining the wonderful prospects awaiting him before long, Luo Ao grew increasingly satisfied as he looked at the Crimson Annihilation Divine Sword.
He had not expected to reap such a pleasant surprise immediately after breaking through to godhood.
"If I keep contemplating the aura of this Crimson Annihilation Divine Sword, perhaps I can gradually comprehend this profound mystery of the Laws that specializes in soul attacks. But there's no hurry for now..." Luo Ao's eyes shone brilliantly, and incomparable confidence burst forth within his heart.
The bright road ahead lay right before his eyes!