167: Re-melt the soul and eliminate hidden dangers

Ye Kongwu remained composed, as if the one making the move wasn't him. He first stood up and bowed to Xue Qin, then turned to Xiao Zhuo: "Junior Brother Xue Hai, Elder Heaven Slaughter is a Consecrated Elder of my Blood Palace and also the Vice Palace Master of the Slaughter Demon Palace. He has already lost this battle, so why pursue him to the death?"

His tone was filled with compassion, sounding more like a Righteous Path Sect than a Demonic Sect. The gazes directed at him were mostly complex, even mixed with a hint of mockery.

Ye Kongwu's face twitched slightly, but he had no choice but to protect Heaven Slaughter. The Slaughter Demon Palace had long secretly shown him favor, supporting his bid for the next Palace Master. Heaven Slaughter was his arm, and he absolutely could not watch him perish.

Otherwise, who would dare to serve him in the future?

Xiao Zhuo's gaze swept over Ye Kongwu's face, staring for a moment, then his lips suddenly curved into a slight smile: "Since Senior Brother insists on protecting him, this Junior Brother naturally must give Senior Brother face. Let's drop this matter."

He then waved his hand, retrieving a Storage Pouch from Heaven Slaughter's shattered Physical Body. He effortlessly erased the Restriction on the pouch and placed the space treasure pearl and the black spear into his possession.

"As for this Junior Brother's spoils of war, Senior Brother wouldn't ask me to return them, would he?" Xiao Zhuo finished everything, then looked at Ye Kongwu with a sarcastic tone.

Ye Kongwu's expression stiffened slightly, then he recovered his warm, spring-breeze-like smile: "Since Elder Heaven Slaughter initiated the challenge, after his defeat, the treasures naturally belong to Junior Brother!"

Xiao Zhuo nodded, looked around, and without waiting for the Ritual Officer to speak, he declared loudly: "Is there anyone else who wishes to spar? This Venerable One will accept all comers!"

His voice enveloped the entire venue, but for a long time, no one responded.

The Ritual Officer, who had already retreated to the side, saw this and announced loudly: "Following ancient tradition, the Saint's challenge, with no one responding, concludes now. Play the music, begin the banquet!"

The last phrase, "begin the banquet," was drawn out. As the Ritual Officer's voice fell, ancient and melodious music sounded from all around, and graceful, lightly clad women flew onto the blood jade platform.

Before they landed, Blood Palace Elders had already cast spells to repair the blood jade platform and swiftly collected and packaged Heaven Slaughter's body parts.

On the blood jade platform, the beauties danced gracefully. On each of the viewing platforms, Blood Palace servants began to successively remove fruit plates and serve exquisite delicacies and spirit wine.

Xiao Zhuo also began to calmly raise his wine cup and toast at each of the viewing platforms.

Networking.

Except for Heaven Slaughter, all the other envoys were extremely cordial to Xiao Zhuo, leaving their communication imprints one after another.

The grand banquet continued until midnight.

Meanwhile, Heaven Slaughter had already been arranged by Ye Kongwu to recuperate in his Saint's Radiance Hall, to reshape his Physical Body.

The packaged remains were for him to reconstruct his body. The original Physical Body's vital blood would greatly aid in reshaping his Dao Body.

Inside the Cultivation secret chamber, Heaven Slaughter's demon infant sat cross-legged in the air. The entire secret chamber was filled with a pungent, bloody smell. A large amount of Devilish Qi was drawn from the demonic veins by a spirit-gathering array, filling the small space.

The demon infant formed hand seals, and a large amount of Devilish Qi mixed with Heaven Slaughter's already extracted vital blood began to churn in mid-air. After a while, a dark red demonic heart was condensed.

Subsequently, blood vessels, meridians, and bones were successively condensed. Before long, a Physical Body for Heaven Slaughter was completely reformed.

The demon infant merged into the Physical Body, and Heaven Slaughter's eyes opened, flashing with intense resentment: "Xue Hai! If I don't avenge this, my name Heaven Slaughter will be written backward! We'll see!"

However, Xiao Zhuo was completely unaware of all this. Even if he knew, he would surely just smile it off.

Old Demon Heaven Slaughter was no match for him now, and in the future, he would be even more insignificant.

Upon returning to Mingchang Hall, Xiao Zhuo immediately entered seclusion in his secret chamber. The most urgent task was to thoroughly refine the power of the conferment within his Sea of Consciousness.

This conferment power was condensed from Xue Tian's Divine Thought combined with demonic immortal power.

It contained three parts True Immortal Concept, but its main purpose was to help the Blood Palace Saint improve his Cultivation and temper his Foundation, so it wasn't difficult to refine.

But Xiao Zhuo had already received a reminder from Number One that Xue Tian's Divine Thought contained a power similar to the Soul Locking Seal. Once the conferment power was fully assimilated, Xiao Zhuo would subtly and wholeheartedly serve the Blood Palace's interests.

Of course, this power was not as overbearing as the Soul Locking Seal, but it was more covert and difficult to detect. If Xiao Zhuo didn't possess the All Heavens panel System, he probably wouldn't have been able to discern it.

Furthermore, the conferment power could also provide real-time feedback on Xiao Zhuo's Cultivation Realm and internal changes, which put Xiao Zhuo on alert. He didn't believe that Old Ancestor Xue Tian set up such a method out of concern for his juniors' Cultivation progress.

It was more likely that Xue Tian had other plans for these Saints.

However, for now, he could only take it one step at a time. After becoming a Blood Palace Saint, the vast resources of the Blood Palace could be used by him. The Blood Palace had unified the Blood Demon Realm for 100,000 years, and its underlying strength was terrifying. As a Saint, acquiring superior Cultivation Technique Legacies was effortless.

Even numerous rare elixirs and exotic treasures were not difficult to obtain.

Xiao Zhuo's mind sank into his Sea of Consciousness. The soul infant main body opened its eyes, looking at the Split Soul that was sitting cross-legged in the center of the Sea of Consciousness, continuously refining the conferment power.

The conferment power had already gathered into a golden blood drop on the Split Soul's glabella.

Within it, a vast and mighty power faintly resided.

Immortal power, or more precisely, demonic immortal power.

Xiao Zhuo had consulted the Blood Palace's ancient texts and knew that above Mahayana was the True Immortal Realm.

Normally, a Middle Thousand Worlds could at most sustain a half-step True Immortal Realm existence. Once such a powerful being Broke Through, they would be rejected by the world and forced to Ascend, just like Xiao Zhuo in the past.

Although a half-step True Immortal could condense immortal power, it was extremely difficult for them to bestow it upon others as easily as Xue Tian did.

Therefore, Xiao Zhuo was certain that Xue Tian had entered the legendary True Immortal Realm.

However, Xue Tian must have used some secret method to forcibly lock his own aura, or even reached an agreement with the Blood Demon Realm's Heavenly Dao, allowing him to hide in the Blood Demon Realm without being expelled by the world.

But Xiao Zhuo didn't need to worry about this for now. His speed of rise was something even Xue Tian couldn't predict. As long as Xue Tian didn't act in the short term, Xiao Zhuo was confident he would give the other party a small shock when the time came.

Seven days later, the Split Soul had completely refined all the conferment power. The golden blood drop-shaped mark on its glabella emitted terrifying fluctuations, and the soul infant's Realm also rose to the Integration Stage Mid-Phase.

Both his Physical Body and magical power had also advanced to the Integration Stage Mid-Phase.

But Xiao Zhuo did not emerge from seclusion.

Within the Sea of Consciousness, golden light, like a cocoon, enveloped the two soul infants layer by layer.

Xiao Zhuo's main body soul infant had a solemn expression. His tender hands formed seals as fast as lightning. Countless golden runes containing the Free and Easy True Intent flowed from his fingertips, imprinting themselves upon the Split Soul, and also merging into that golden blood mark.

The Split Soul, like an old monk in meditation, fully cooperated with the operation of the Soul Fusing Sacred Method.

Soul Fusion!

It was not a simple devouring, but rather, using the Soul Origin as a guide and the Soul Fusing Sacred Method as a bridge, to completely merge the Split Soul, along with the conferment power and demonic immortal power it had refined, back into the main body, returning to a single entity!

"Om—!"

The Sea of Consciousness vibrated violently, and an unimaginable Soul Power fluctuation erupted within the golden light cocoon.

The Split Soul's form began to blur and melt, transforming into the purest Soul Power Origin, carrying the Demonic Path insights contained within the conferment power, as well as those three parts of True Immortal Concept!

Like a surging river, it furiously poured into the main body soul infant.

At the same time, the golden blood mark residing on the Split Soul's glabella trembled violently. The trace of demonic immortal power belonging to Old Ancestor Xue Tian contained within it seemed to be provoked and suddenly erupted with terrifying pressure!

A cold, domineering Divine Thought, filled with endless bloody malevolence and the will of a superior, attempted to backlash, impacting Xiao Zhuo's Origin will, trying to completely assimilate him and brand him with the mark of a loyal Blood Palace dog.

"Hmph! Xue Tian! A mere wisp of Divine Thought and immortal power, and you dare to assert dominance in my Sea of Consciousness? Free and Easy True Intent, suppress it for me!"

Xiao Zhuo's soul infant's eyes shot forth divine light, and his hand seals changed.

The countless flowing golden runes instantly condensed, forming an ancient, profound, and seemingly containing the true essence of unconstrained freedom between heaven and earth—the "Free and Easy Seal"—which fiercely suppressed the golden blood mark!

"The Way of Freedom, wan fa (myriad laws) return to Origin! Your power shall be used by me!"

The "Free and Easy Seal" shone with golden light. The Concept it contained far surpassed Xiao Zhuo's current Realm. It was his Soul Origin's ultimate understanding of "freedom," now forcibly activated.

The golden light was like a furnace, enveloping the rampaging demonic immortal power and Xue Tian's Divine Thought.

The domineering Divine Thought, before the "Free and Easy" will, was like melting snow falling into a raging furnace, emitting a silent wail. Its corrosive and assimilating properties were forcibly stripped away and purified!

In its place was the incomparably pure demonic immortal power Origin, forcibly refined and extracted by the "Free and Easy Seal," thread by thread merging into Xiao Zhuo's main body soul infant.

The soul infant grew and solidified at a visible rate, its Soul Power Realm climbing from Integration Stage Mid-Phase, directly approaching the Integration Stage Late Stage Peak!

The golden blood mark's light dimmed. Its core monitoring and corrosive power were enveloped by Xiao Zhuo's activation of the Thousand Illusions Demonic Art, weaving an illusion of normal Cultivation.

Sorting out!

The moment the Soul Fusion succeeded, Xiao Zhuo's mind became as clear as the creation of heaven and earth.

He was no longer limited to a single perspective, but rather, with an overlooking posture, he examined everything he had learned. Xiao Zhuo had learned a variety of things along the way, but they were roughly divided into the Dao of Thunder, Blood Dao, Space Dao, Dao of the Physical Body, Dao of Fire, and the Primordial Chaos Golden Scripture as the source of his magical power.

All sorts of Cultivation Technique, insights, and power imprints, like brilliant stars in the starry sky of the Sea of Consciousness, now began to rearrange and combine under the dominion of the "The Way of Freedom."

Fusion!

"wan fa (myriad laws) return to Origin, with freedom as the guiding principle!" Xiao Zhuo's thoughts stirred, and his Sea of Consciousness churned.