275: Absorb this old guy's soul power

In the time that followed, Jiang Donghua seemed to have found a peculiar method of cultivation.

Time and again, he cautiously manipulated that wisp of Soul Power to probe, approach, and even, one could say, provoke the dormant remnant soul of the old monster.

Each approach would awaken the remnant soul from its slumber, triggering its furious Soul Power impact.

And each impact, upon contact with Jiang Donghua's Soul Power, would mysteriously transform into the purest, most nourishing soul sustenance, which he greedily absorbed.

This cycle repeated over a dozen times!

As this process continued, Jiang Donghua's wisp of Soul Power, which had initially been as fine as a strand of hair and cautiously separated, grew and strengthened at a visible rate after absorbing so much pure soul energy!

In just a short time, it had expanded from its initial delicate state to be as thick as Jiang Donghua's pinky finger!

Its solidity and the energy it contained far surpassed its original state when first separated, even purer and more potent than most of the power within Jiang Donghua's main soul!

This was simply an incredible feast, a grand tonic for the very essence of the soul!

Meanwhile, in the outside world,

Mu Chen's feelings were even more direct and ecstatic!

He had been waiting for the results with extreme tension, even preparing for the worst.

However, as time passed, the painful backlash or the sight of Jiang Donghua being injured that he had anticipated did not occur.

On the contrary, he clearly felt that the black curse mark on his chest, which had tormented him for five years,

Like a bottomless pit constantly devouring his Dou Qi and life force, seemed to be undergoing some kind of intense, incomprehensible energy conflict and consumption within it!

More importantly, the speed and intensity with which the mark devoured his own Dou Qi had noticeably weakened!

Occasionally, even faint traces of pure energy, as if squeezed out from the depths of the mark, would slowly flow back into his meridians!

This change was very subtle at first, but as time went on, it became more and more obvious!

“This, this is!”

Mu Chen's eyes widened as he felt the long-lost signs of his Dou Qi slowly recovering within his body, and his whole being trembled with excitement!

Five years!

A full five years!

Every bit of Dou Qi he cultivated was mercilessly devoured by that cursed mark, causing his cultivation to plummet!

He had long grown accustomed to the loss of power, almost forgetting what it felt like for Dou Qi to increase!

And now, in just these short ten-odd minutes!

His cultivation, which had been stagnant at the Peak of Six-Star Dou Ling and even showed signs of falling due to the curse's consumption, suddenly broke through its barrier, effortlessly stepping into the realm of Seven-Star Dou Ling!

Although it was only a preliminary entry and his realm was not yet fully stable, the genuine feeling of power returning almost made him cry tears of joy!

“Seven-Star, I'm back to Seven-Star!”

He incredulously observed the surging Dou Qi within his body, his voice tinged with a sob.

He abruptly looked up at Jiang Donghua, who still had his eyes closed and an expression of focused solemnity, his gaze filled with endless gratitude, awe, and fervent adoration!

Although he didn't know what earth-shattering thing Jiang Donghua had done within his body, this result was simply amazing!

It was beyond words!

This feeling was more direct than any spiritual elixir.

Five years of despair and pain were released and compensated for at this moment!

His gaze towards Jiang Donghua was like looking at a benefactor who had given him a new life, a savior!

Inside the secret chamber, time quietly flowed by.

As Jiang Donghua's wisp of Soul Power, now as thick as a pinky finger and incredibly condensed, provoked and challenged the old monster's remnant soul again and again, the remnant soul's reactions also began to show visible changes.

In the first few instances, the remnant soul could still erupt with earth-shattering roars of anger and violent impacts, creating a terrifying momentum.

But gradually, Jiang Donghua keenly noticed that the soul body's appearance became thinner and more transparent, its fundamental power being rapidly consumed.

The roars it emitted also changed from the initial venomous and loud to increasingly faint and sluggish, even becoming intermittent and broken, like an old fellow on the verge of death groaning weakly.

“Get…out!”

“Ant…!”

“Die, die!”

Although these broken syllables were still filled with malice, they could no longer bring the initial sense of oppression; instead, they appeared somewhat outwardly strong but inwardly weak, lacking sustained power.

Clearly, these bursts, which were transformed and absorbed by Jiang Donghua's Soul Power, were also a huge, even fundamental, consumption for the remnant soul itself!

Meanwhile, outside, Mu Chen's feelings were even more intuitive and shocking!

The devouring power of the black mark on his chest had weakened to a negligible degree!

Not only that, but the depths of the mark continuously and passively fed back a large amount of extremely pure energy, surging into his limbs and bones!

This energy seemed to be the essence of the Dou Qi he had lost over the past five years, refined in some mysterious way, making it even purer and easier to absorb!

His cultivation was soaring at a terrifying speed, like a rocket!

Early Seven-Star Dou Ling, Mid Seven-Star Dou Ling, Peak of Seven-Star Dou Ling... in just one hour!

His aura had already broken through the barrier, stepping resolutely into the realm of Eight-Star Dou Ling!

And the momentum did not diminish, continuing to surge towards higher levels!

Mid Eight-Star Dou Ling, Late Eight-Star Dou Ling... Feeling the long-lost, even more surging and powerful sensation than before his injury, Mu Chen trembled with excitement, tears welling up in his eyes!

He was almost touching the threshold of the Peak of Nine-Star Dou Ling, which was only half a step away from Dou Wang, his peak state back then!

This ecstasy of regaining what was lost, and even becoming stronger after breaking, almost drowned him!

His gaze towards Jiang Donghua was no longer just gratitude, but also a reverence and awe that bordered on piety!

This junior's methods were simply miraculous!

And within that cursed space, Jiang Donghua, who was having a blast, now experienced a subtle shift in his mindset.

After the initial novelty and caution, he now looked at the increasingly thin and sluggish remnant soul of the old monster, feeling a sense of not being fully satisfied and even a little anxious!

“Tsk, why is this old fellow becoming less and less responsive to teasing?”

He muttered to himself.

“The energy released is also getting less and less, not enough to eat!”

He now wished that this old fellow would quickly release more of those greatly nourishing Soul Power impacts, so that his Soul Power could grow a bit more!

He even started to actively increase the stakes!

His thick Soul Power was no longer content with simple proximity and provocation.

Instead, it began to act like a flexible tentacle, actively and somewhat maliciously, squeezing and poking at the already thin soul body!

“Hey! old fellow! Don't play dead! Give me more!”

Jiang Donghua was practically shouting with his soul intent.

Sure enough, provoked by his actions, the remnant soul was angered again, letting out a faint but still venomous hiss, and another Soul Power impact erupted.

Although the intensity of this impact was no longer as great as before,

This impact, upon contact with Jiang Donghua's Soul Power, still transformed into pure nourishment.

Looking at the remnant soul, which became even more transparent and almost dissipated after the eruption, Jiang Donghua felt no guilt at all; instead, he smacked his lips and commented in his mind,

“Hmm, although the quantity is a bit less, the taste is still as pure.”