128: The Soul Condensing Technique is completed, and Su Meir disappears.

When Su Meier slowly regained consciousness, the first thing she felt was not the cold ground, but a warm and stable Qi.

She opened her eyes.

What met her gaze was a "light blanket" made of soft Soul light, separating her from the coldness of this desolate world.

And that man was sitting cross-legged beside her.

He had his eyes closed, his Divine Soul Qi stable, like the most loyal knight, acting as her Protector.

Not far away, the Soul-Devouring Beast that had once made her despair was still rolling in pain, its massive, mountain-like body emitting intermittent roars.

Its aura was ten times weaker than before, if not more.

Clearly, Lin Gou's earth-shattering "Soul Body explosion" had inflicted an indelible heavy blow upon it.

Su Meier slowly sat up.

She looked at Lin Gou's profile; a hint of post-resurrection weakness still lingered on his well-defined face.

Her gaze was incredibly complex.

There was lingering fear, helplessness, an uncontrollable heartache.

And a trace of strange, absurd… pride, that she herself was unwilling to admit.

This man.

He was her man.

A peerless madman who could treat the ultimate predator of the Secret Realm of Souls as a grand "firework" display.

"Awake?"

Lin Gou noticed her movement and opened his eyes, his gaze filled with undisguised concern.

"How do you feel? Is there anywhere you're uncomfortable?"

Su Meier did not answer.

She simply reached out, silently, and helped him straighten the slightly ethereal corner of his clothes, which had become so after his recent "self-detonation."

Her movements were light, gentle, and carried a hint of reverence.

Lin Gou's heart felt as if it had been gently kneaded by this silent gesture.

He sighed, taking her cool, small hand. The touch was delicate, yet carried a subtle tremor.

"Meier."

"I know this is hard for you to understand."

"But this is how I become stronger." He looked at her deeply, his gaze more serious than ever. "Every death, for me, is not an end."

"But a new beginning."

Su Meier's eyes instantly reddened.

She bit her lip tightly and asked in a voice heavy with a sob, almost inaudible:

"Does it hurt?"

Lin Gou was stunned.

He had expected her to question, to be afraid, to be angry, but he had never expected her to ask that.

Does it hurt?

The pain of a Divine Soul being torn, compressed, and then detonated was billions of times more intense than any torture in the world.

That kind of pain was enough to move even immortals and Buddhas.

But he couldn't say that.

He looked at her misty eyes, filled with heartache, and suddenly smiled, his smile as gentle as ever.

"It doesn't hurt."

"It's like having a very exciting dream."

Su Meier knew he was lying.

Every time he "died," the concentric soul jade in her chest would transmit a heart-wrenching throb that she felt as if it were her own.

She knew how much that hurt.

But she didn't press further; she didn't expose his gentle lie.

She simply, in turn, used all her strength to grip his hand even tighter.

"I'll accompany you."

She looked up, her swollen eyes stating clearly, word by word:

"You have your dreams."

"I'll... watch over you."

Lin Gou's heart trembled violently.

He looked at the woman before him, who, despite being terrified, still chose to stand by his side. An indescribable warmth flowed through his limbs and bones.

He nodded heavily, saying nothing more.

Some words don't need to be spoken.

Some feelings are already etched into the bones.

In the time that followed.

The Secret Realm of Souls welcomed its most unwelcome and perplexing guest.

Lin Gou began his insane "experience grinding" mode.

And Su Meier became his most loyal "audience" and "guardian."

Their rhythm became incredibly synchronized, even with a strange, dark humor.

"Meier, do you see that flower ahead? It's blooming so vibrantly."

"Yes, I see it. It's a Soul-Bewitching Flower; it can drag one's consciousness into an illusion and wear it away."

"I want to smell it."

"Alright, I'll wait for you here. Do you need me to write down your last words?"

Then, Lin Gou walked straight into that beautiful yet deadly sea of flowers.

A moment later, he revived beside Su Meier, his eyes still a bit dazed, as if he had just experienced a bittersweet journey spanning ten thousand years.

Su Meier would silently hand him a Soul Condensation Divine Pill she had refined herself.

"Meier, that river ahead looks nice, shimmering."

"Yes, that's the River of Grudges; it can completely dissolve one's Divine Soul."

"I want to take a bath."

"Alright, I'll hold your clothes. Try to last a bit longer this time."

Then, Lin Gou dove headfirst into that river of death.

A moment later, he revived on the bank, feeling utterly "refreshed."

Su Meier would hand him the clean clothes she had already prepared.

"Meier..."

"Go on."

"Come back soon."

Su Meier had already learned to anticipate his words.

She just sat quietly in an absolutely safe spot, tightly clutching the concentric soul jade that was sometimes piercingly cold, sometimes scorching hot.

She watched him, again and again, walk towards those places of certain death that would make even Nascent Soul Old Monsters tremble with fear.

She watched him "die" in all sorts of bizarre and unimaginable ways.

And then she watched him, again and again, return to her side, completely unharmed.

Her emotions, from initial terror, worry, and heartache...

Gradually became numb.

And then, later, she even developed a sense of pride that she herself found absurd.

Look.

That's my man.

A peerless Genius who turned death into an art.

And each death brought Lin Gou a tangible, leaps-and-bounds improvement.

His Divine Soul, through these repeated deaths and rebirths, was tempered to become increasingly resilient and brilliant.

The Soul Condensation Art also advanced rapidly from "Minor Achievement" to directly breaking through to the "Major Achievement" Realm!

At this moment, in terms of the strength and solidity of his Divine Soul alone, he was no less than any top Cultivator in the Late Golden Core Stage!

Finally.

After another "successful" death and revival from a trap-filled jungle named "Phantom Thorns."

Lin Gou's target was set on the final "BOSS" of this area.

It was a humanoid Soul Body perched atop a massive Soul Crystal mountain peak.

It wore a crown, was clad in heavy black armor condensed from Soul energy, and wielded a gigantic Soul energy battle-axe. The pressure it exuded was several times more terrifying than that of the previous Soul-Devouring Beast!

The Lord of Souls!

A formidable existence comparable to a Middle Stage Nascent Soul!

"Meier, this is the last one."

Lin Gou turned and said to Su Meier, his eyes filled with unprecedented anticipation and fervor.

Su Meier nodded and silently retreated to a greater distance.

She was already used to it.

This time, Lin Gou did not charge in recklessly as before.

He took a deep breath, and the Soul Condensation Art of Major Achievement Realm circulated at full power. His Divine Soul almost materialized, and profound Soul energy runes appeared out of thin air around his body, swirling indefinite.

He engaged in a brief but incredibly fierce Divine Soul confrontation with the Lord of Souls.

Ultimately, after enduring a world-splitting axe chop from the Lord of Souls.

Lin Gou's Divine Soul, along with the satisfied smile on his face, was completely shattered into primordial fragments of consciousness.

[Detecting host is challenging an 'extremely dangerous' target...]

[Death method determined: Frontally defeated by 'Lord of Souls' with 'Annihilating Soul Slash'.]

[Death process complete, Divine Soul dissipation 100%, caused slight counter-shock damage to target before death.]

[Judgment successful! Death quality rating: Perfect!]

[Calculating revival reward...]

[Reward calculation complete! Congratulations, Host, you have received the top-tier Divine Soul Secret Art — "Dividing Soul and Transforming Thoughts"!]

When Lin Gou revived again.

An incredibly profound, top-tier Secret Art appeared in his mind.

"Dividing Soul and Transforming Thoughts."

It allowed him to split a portion of his Divine Soul to form Clones with independent consciousness and action capabilities.

The strength of the Clone depended on the intensity of the Divine Soul that was split off.

Most importantly, if the Clone died, the main body remained completely unharmed!

This was simply... a Divine Skill for grinding rewards, tailor-made for him!

He could split off ten, a hundred of himself, to simultaneously experience a hundred different ways of dying!

How much more efficient was that? It wasn't just taking off; it was like riding a jet rocket to the Divine Throne!

Lin Gou's eyes burst forth with an unprecedented brilliant light.

The excitement and ecstasy in his heart almost overflowed. He impatiently turned around, wanting to share this tremendous good news with his only audience and supporter.

"Meier! I..."

His voice abruptly stopped.

His smile froze on his face.

Behind him.

It was empty.

The figure who always sat quietly in the distance, waiting for his return with gentle eyes...

Was gone.

Su Meier had disappeared.

Lin Gou's heart sank sharply, as if falling into a bottomless abyss.

He instinctively reached out and tightly gripped the Dragon-patterned concentric soul jade on his chest.

The sensation in his hand was no longer the familiar, continuous warmth.

Instead, it was a faint, chaotic, intermittent cold throb!

As if at the other end of a distant sky, the small lamp connected to his life was violently swaying in a fierce storm, threatening to be extinguished at any moment!

A silent distress signal, filled with extreme pain and fear, brutally pierced into his mind through that faint Soul connection.

Boom!

All expression instantly drained from Lin Gou's face.

It was replaced by a coldness... and an eerie chill, capable of completely freezing this gray-white world.