Chapter 144: Yuanchen Divine Refining

"How on earth can I enhance my Nether Soul Force?" Confronted with such a temptation, Jiang Feng seemed like an entirely different person. He grinned broadly, widened his eyes as much as possible, made them watery, and filled them with a pleading look.

Guiyue crossed her arms, shrugged indifferently, and said, "Take out your Eight Evils Pale Flame."

Jiang Feng composed his expression and instinctively asked, "What are you going to do? That demonic blade possesses an excessively fierce nature and is very difficult to master!"

"Just do as Guiyue says. Do you or do you not want a significant improvement in both your spirit and your Nether Soul Force?" Jue seemed a bit impatient, yet as if he had long anticipated Jiang Feng's caution, he fell silent for a moment before speaking slowly, "If this demonic blade runs amok, Guiyue and I will naturally be here to withstand it for you!"

"Alright then." With a solemn expression and a moment of hesitation, Jiang Feng finally made up his mind. He flicked his hand, and a streak of blood-red light shot out, stopping abruptly right in front of Jue. However, Jue could clearly see that Jiang Feng had already expended a vast amount of mental energy merely to keep the Eight Evils Pale Flame under stable control. The demonic blade began to tremble incessantly in mid-air, appearing as though it wanted to break free from Jiang Feng's control, but Jue snatched it into his grip the very next instant, revealing the true form of the demonic blade.

Jue was already an expert of the third stage of the True Nether Realm, and capable of steering Jiang Feng's Nether Soul Force through his own Nether Power. Naturally, he had no fear that the Eight Evils Pale Flame's demonic blade would cut his palm. Holding it in his hand, he observed it for a long while: "There are still many lingering traces of Li Xiayuan left within this demonic blade, and you haven't completely refined it yet, which is why it has been so strenuous for you. You must first completely refine all of Li Xiayuan's remaining aura!"

"Good!"

Only then did Jiang Feng recall that after defeating Li Xiayuan that day, he had sealed his corpse within the White Emperor Glazed Tripod. He hurriedly projected his spiritual sense once more into the White Emperor Glazed Tripod, and with a wave of his hand, a human figure slowly rose—clad in fiery red robes and extremely youthful, it was none other than Li Xiayuan, the chief disciple of the Adoring Moon Sword Sect.

He was thoroughly dead; to say nothing else, having endured the torment of so many grand formations within the White Emperor Glazed Tripod without any replenishment, he had perished utterly and completely. Yet, his lifelong cultivation remained intact, condensed into spheres of vital essence that had not yet dissipated.

At present, he was merely the corpse of a master who had attained the first stage of the True Nether Realm, yet its value was still quite immense.

"Among the Nether Arts I have mastered, there is a technique called the Soul-Shifting and Spirit-Transmuting Art. Now, I will lend you a hand to first refine this Li Xiayuan into your avatar." Jue pointed with a finger, and Jiang Feng immediately felt his entire body's Nether Power surge forth, the greater part of it pouring into Li Xiayuan. Shortly after, the corpse gradually opened its eyes, and instantly, Jiang Feng was overwhelmed by the sensation that it had become a part of his own body.

What astonished him, however, was Jue's Nether Power. With a single point of his finger, he had been rendered utterly powerless to resist. It seemed that even within the same True Nether Realm, Jue's experience was as vast and boundless as the sea; even facing someone who had just broken through to the fourth stage of the True Nether Realm would be child's play for him now.

"Quickly summon the artifact spirit of the Eight Evils Pale Flame, and merge this avatar of yours with the artifact spirit. From this moment on, you will completely master this demonic blade, which will be equivalent to your second body." Upon seeing this, Jue shouted urgently.

Although Jiang Feng harbored some inner doubts, his trust in Jue came from the bottom of his heart. Without the slightest hesitation, he let out a fierce roar, and a streak of blood-red shadow instantly darted out from the Eight Evils Pale Flame. This blood-red shadow was about the size of a man, resembling a bat, and radiated wave after wave of ferocious and malignant aura. Its appearance instantly enshrouded the entire Adoring Moon Hall in a layer of blood-colored mist, completely blotting out all other light—truly worthy of being the artifact spirit of the Eight Evils Pale Flame.

As soon as this blood-red shadow emerged, Jiang Feng directed Li Xiayuan's physical body to approach it. The two merged as one in an instant, and immediately, the body of the blood-red shadow began to swell violently. The blood mist inside the entire grand hall grew even denser, and the quality and power of the demonic blade, the Eight Evils Pale Flame, elevated once more.

Yet even with this enhancement, it remained merely a supreme dark-grade Nether artifact, still falling short of becoming a white Nether Saint Artifact.

Nevertheless, through this dual fusion, Jiang Feng felt his own body completely merge with the demonic blade, the Eight Evils Pale Flame. The sensation of you in me and me in you made him feel as though he possessed two hearts, yet they were perfectly balanced with his true body.

The corners of his mouth twitched upward in a soundless arc—a smile inadvertently revealed by Jiang Feng, indicating that at this moment, he was actually relishing the fierce nature of the demonic blade, the Eight Evils Pale Flame!

"Alright, don't rush to be happy just yet, let's continue!" Jue waved his hand and said impatiently.

Before his voice faded, a blood-red blade shadow viciously swept across Jiang Feng's sea of consciousness, cleanly slicing his spiritual sense into two halves. Jiang Feng, who was still secretly rejoicing, abruptly felt as though his spirit had been ripped apart right down the middle, and his just-recovering wits instantly plunged back into delirium.

"What are you doing!" Overwhelmed by agonizing pain, Jiang Feng's excitement was instantly wiped clean, and he cursed bitterly, "This Eight Evils Pale Flame is clearly my Nether artifact, why is it obeying your commands?"

Jue's smile was profoundly insidious, carrying a hint of schadenfreude. Looking at Jiang Feng's pain-distorted face, he chuckled, "Who told your spirit to be so fragile right now? Besides, the Eight Evils Pale Flame also possesses a sliver of sentience; naturally, it wishes to see your spirit improve, so the two of us reached a consensus to train you together!"

"Train me?"

Jiang Feng was stunned, but right in the middle of this stunned moment, the blood-red shadow slashed once more, causing his sea of consciousness to spin wildly as heaven and earth turned upside down, as if his spiritual world had been completely inverted in that single split second!

So painful! He could not help but wail miserably, rolling back and forth on the ground like a child.

This kind of pain was a hundred times more terrifying than Guiyue's Ice-Soul Sting, and right now, he practically had the urge to kill both Jue and Guiyue.

The agonizing sensation of being torn apart tortured his fragile nerves, yet he was utterly helpless against it. He attempted to control the Eight Evils Pale Flame, only to discover with despair that although he could sense the Eight Evils Pale Flame, he had completely lost the ability to command it—much like having one's own arm move entirely of its own accord.

Such a sensation was far more revolting than swallowing a fly.

"I will impart to you the Primordial Dawn Spirit-Refining Art. Using this mental training method can slightly alleviate your pain." Jue's voice seemed to drift from an extremely distant place, and Jiang Feng could barely catch fragments of it.

Yet next, he dared not slacken in the slightest. If he failed to hear this so-called Primordial Dawn Spirit-Refining Art clearly, it was entirely possible his spirit would be completely shredded right here.

Streak after streak of blood-red shadows, like lingering nightmares, showed no mercy as they continuously slashed, wandered, and prowled within his sea of consciousness. That already modest sea of consciousness was already riddled with holes, and after being battered thus by the Eight Evils Pale Flame, it was covered everywhere in bloody lacerations, a shocking and harrowing sight. As Jiang Feng absorbed the Primordial Dawn Spirit-Refining Art, whenever his gaze brushed against those lacerations, a wave of splitting headache would assail him!

Finally, he committed all the incantation formulas to memory, though the process had been extremely rugged and torturous. Every single time he tried to memorize these incantations, his spirit would be mercilessly cleaved apart, resulting in the loss of a portion of his memory, forcing him to listen to Jue's recitation all over again.

A ball of vital energy circulated incessantly within his body, sending wisps of coolness that seemed to be drawn in through all the pores of his body before dispersing throughout his entire frame.

In his sea of consciousness, blood-red shadows hunted relentlessly; the indifferent faces of Jue and Guiyue grew increasingly blurred. Drenched in sweat, Jiang Feng even generated the impulse to commit suicide. Fortunately, this cooling sensation allowed him to retain his very last shred of sobriety.

"Pain is the most delicious thing in this world. Only after truly experiencing pain can you grow." Through his blurred vision, Jue seemed to stick out his tongue, licking his lips as he leisurely said, "This pain will seep into your bone marrow, making even your soul tremble along with it. And death is just like fireworks—yet you get to continuously enjoy the process of them blooming. How fortunate you are!"

Old fogey!

This was the first time Jiang Feng had ever spoken disrespectfully to Jue—though he only dared to think it in his mind, it still gave him a small thrill of satisfaction. Following that, however, his eyes went wide as saucers, staring fixedly at that lightning-fast blood-red shadow.

He knew all too well what kind of agony was about to arrive. Truly, just as Jue had said, it felt as though his very soul was trembling. No matter how many times he had been slashed already, every single time he had to face that blood-red figure, terror would still grip him. When he was fully lucid, he did not even dare to recall it, terrified that even the tiniest fraction of a memory would cause his fragile psychological defenses to collapse completely.

His trembling, delicate frame resembled a blade of grass in a midnight storm, liable to snap at any second; perhaps the next moment, he would fall.

Yet his gaze remained firmly fixed ahead.

Fixed on the direction from which that blood-red figure would appear!

Blood-red as a skein of silk, dazzlingly brilliant, cascading straight down from the skies like a rain of blood!

Jiang Feng abruptly widened his eyes. At this moment, his body ceased its trembling, his murmurs gradually died away, and the entire world began to transform into a sea of crimson. Within this vast expanse of red, he needed to search bitterly—to search for the corner where his Nether Soul Force resided.

He understood profoundly that only his Nether Soul Force could rescue him from this bloody storm.

The time allotted to him was exceedingly brief—so brief it might not even span a single blink of an eye.

Right now, he was like a desperate gambler at his wit's end, staking everything on odds where not even a one-in-ten-thousand chance existed.

Yet he had no choice, and no way out.

His pupils dilated abruptly. Before they had a chance to recover, a sharp *swish* echoed, and needlessly to say, his sea of consciousness was once more viciously cleaved into two halves.

He passed out.

How much time had passed, he knew not. Once again, it was excruciating pain that yanked Jiang Feng from unconsciousness. Opening his eyes, Jiang Feng wanted to let out a long howl to the heavens, but upon reaching his lips, it dissolved into muffled whimpers and groans.

"Hiss, it hurts so damn much!" Struggling to his feet and enduring the agonizing pain, he began to circulate the Primordial Dawn Spirit-Refining Art. Wisps of coolness entered his sea of consciousness, and his torment instantly lessened considerably. When he opened his eyes once more, his pupils were filled with an expression of wild ecstasy!

Jiang Feng had finally found his Nether Soul Force!

Previously, he had always assumed his Nether Soul Force was a stagnant pool of still water resting quietly in the deepest recesses of his sea of consciousness, which was why it had been so strenuous whenever he tried to locate it.

In that very fraction of a second between life and death just now, he had abruptly perceived that within his sea of consciousness, there faintly existed countless minute particles of power. These crystal-like, tiny shards of power were unimaginably numerous and densely packed together, surging in rolling layers. Each minuscule streak of power was like a single drop of water, yet these countless millions upon billions of droplets gathered together to form an ocean, surging and churning into a tide!

Only now did he realize that his Nether Soul Force was actually composed of these countless minute, fragmented powers converging as one!

For the very first time, he forgot the pain of having his spirit cleaved apart.

The scene from just moments ago had been extremely short, but what he had witnessed left him savoring the aftertaste for a long time. The dazzling, crystal-like fragmented Nether Soul Force surged like a tide; amidst its stern and majestic severity, there was a peculiar beauty to it. Even someone like him, who was not particularly sensitive to power, could not help but marvel in wonder!

He suddenly had an epiphany: even Nether Power itself was composed of countless such minute and fragmented forces!

A wave of profound shock welled up from the bottom of his heart. He recalled the countless Blood Fiend Fruits he had seen within the Blood Fiend Tree, wherein a portion of sealed Nether Soul Force alone possessed the might to rival the strength of the True Nether Realm. If it were three thousand years ago, when all those Nether Soul practitioners still lived in peace and their power surged like the sea, what kind of magnificent spectacle would that have been!

He stood in a daze within the Adoring Moon Hall, completely lost in thought until late into the night.

Though he had spent the entire night spacing out without doing anything else, to his utter astonishment, his sea of consciousness had already fully recovered. Not only that, but he discovered to his shock that his sea of consciousness seemed to have expanded quite a bit more!

At this moment, Duan Xingyun hurried over. Seeing Jiang Feng's excited expression, he knew his cultivation must have improved considerably once more, and a trace of joy sparked in his heart. However, his expression darkened immediately afterward, and he said hurriedly, "Jiang Feng, we must flee this place at once! The Adoring Moon Sword Sect has not yet been completely wiped out. Their patriarch, the Adoring Moon Ancestor—who was away traveling—seems to have learned of what we've done here and is currently rushing back!"

"What!" Jiang Feng flew into a rage, springing up from the ground and walking rapidly with Duan Xingyun toward the shadow-communication formation. Staring unblinkingly at the projection, his expression grew progressively darker.

"Word has it that after Jiang Feng and Duan Xingyun—two individuals on the Short-Lived Roll—subverted the Adoring Moon Sword Sect, the Adoring Moon Ancestor flew into a towering rage and recalled his troops to retake the sect. It is rumored that he intends to beat Jiang Feng and Duan Xingyun down into the Nine Hells to console the souls of his many disciples!"

"Whether the fate of the Adoring Moon Sword Sect was built up by the Adoring Moon Ancestor's own hands, or if it will be completely erased from existence at the hands of Jiang Feng and Duan Xingyun, let us wait and see!"

"It is reported that the president of the Langya Chamber of Commerce in Lingbo Town has already issued a kill order, swearing to eliminate and slay the two demon lords Jiang Feng and Duan Xingyun, offering a reward of one white Nether Saint Artifact!"

These messages continuously poured out from the shadow-communication formation. For a moment, Jiang Feng and Duan Xingyun were left dumbfounded, staring blankly at each other.

A white Nether Saint Artifact!

His own life really was quite valuable, after all!

Jokes aside, having survived these days of grueling battles, Jiang Feng thoroughly understood the supreme preciousness of life. If he truly ran into the Adoring Moon Ancestor and unfortunately perished at his hands, it would simply not be worth it!

Without a second word, the two decided to flee the place. Jiang Feng thought very meticulously: since the Adoring Moon Ancestor had been away traveling, it meant he was extremely familiar with the geography of the Reincarnation Sea. Continuing to travel by sea route would carry far too high a risk.

After a brief consultation, the two of them decided to fly!