However, as Yu Ming continued to shake the bronze bell in his hand, Gu Yu's gaze beside Han Yi gradually dimmed, his life force flickering like a dying ember.
In this critical moment, a silent sword light flashed out, aiming to pierce Yu Ming's heart. But when the light faded, only an afterimage remained where Yu Ming had stood, and the bronze bell in his hand ceased its ringing.
"Hmm?" Yu Ming murmured. "You can actually withstand my Soul-Annihilating Bell?"
Han Yi had launched the sword strike, of course. Seeing Gu Yu's Divine Soul aura continuing to weaken beside him, he had no choice but to interrupt Yu Ming's Divine Soul attack, despite the unfavorable timing.
However, the vast gap in their cultivation realms couldn't be bridged by such a simple ambush.
A chill ran down Han Yi's spine, and Gu Yu beside him finally grasped the situation, his eyes filled with despair.
"Yu Ming of the Heavenly Soul Sect," Gu Yu said, "Early Foundation Establishment Stage, wielding the Soul-Annihilating Bell, a top-grade magic artifact, and exceptionally skilled in Divine Soul combat. Elder Tian Yi of our sect fell victim to his Divine Soul Secret Technique."
Elder Tian Yi was a newly promoted Mid-Foundation Establishment Elder from Zhurong Peak, ranked thirty-sixth on the Heavenly Ranking.
Gu Yu's meaning was clear: although Yu Ming was only at the Early Foundation Establishment Stage—the same level as Mo Wen and themselves—he had already reached the peak of this stage, just a step away from the Mid-Foundation Establishment Stage. Even an elder from the Profound Pill Sect who had recently broken through to the Mid-Foundation Establishment Stage had fallen at his hands.
Yu Ming's methods were even more bizarre and impossible to defend against. While Han Yi and Gu Yu could still put up a fight against Mo Wen, facing this opponent's unpredictable Divine Soul attacks offered them little chance of victory.
"Han Yi," Gu Yu said, his eyes hardening with resolve, "I'll release my Divine Soul to distract him for a moment. You must flee immediately. With your innate talent, you have a promising future—reaching the Golden Core stage, or even the Nascent Soul stage, isn't impossible. It would be a tragic waste if you were to perish here."
Gu Yu knew he had been incredibly fortunate when Han Yi killed Mo Wen, saving his life. In cultivator battles, fortune rarely strikes twice. Though he held some hope for Han Yi, reason told him that relying on luck was foolish. Their only option now was a desperate gamble: trading their lives for a chance at survival.
"Foolish," Yu Ming muttered beneath his black magic robe, his eyes gleaming with icy malice.
He had no desire to waste time on two mere Early Foundation Establishment cultivators. His true target was to hunt down a second Mid Foundation Establishment expert, solidifying his fearsome reputation.
He tossed the Soul-Annihilating Bell into the air and formed a hand seal. Instantly, a phantom figure materialized above his head, no taller than a foot. In a Kshana, it solidified into a perfect miniature replica of Yu Ming himself—his Divided Soul.
The Divided Soul flickered, split into two identical figures, and lunged at Han Yi and Gu Yu.
Prolonged battles of techniques were too slow. A clash of Divine Souls was the swiftest method, especially with the Profound Pill Sect's relentless assault, where every second counted. A swift resolution was imperative, and Yu Ming naturally sought to end the battle quickly with his most potent techniques.
"Damn it!"
The moment Gu Yu's Divine Soul emerged from his body, Yu Ming's Divided Soul slammed it back into his Sea of Consciousness. Yu Ming's Divided Soul followed closely behind, plunging into the depths of Gu Yu's Sea of Consciousness through the point between his eyebrows.
Meanwhile,
Han Yi retreated frantically, but time moved too quickly. From the moment he and Gu Yu prepared to assist their comrades, to hearing a cold voice behind them, turning around, the chime of the Soul-Annihilating Bell, Han Yi drawing his sword, and Yu Ming's Divided Soul erupting from its body and lunging forward—all these actions unfolded in a mere three breaths.
In those three breaths, Han Yi only managed to unleash a single sword strike. Driven by primal instinct, he retreated desperately. Yet, as the saying goes, "A thought can travel a thousand miles in an instant." Thoughts are mere extensions of the Divine Soul, and the Divine Soul itself moved even faster.
Before Han Yi could retreat three steps, his expression twisted in horror as his entire body convulsed. Yu Ming's Divided Soul had already pierced through the Hall of Impression point between his eyebrows and plunged into the depths of his Sea of Consciousness.
Upon entering the Sea of Consciousness, the Divided Soul immediately surged toward its center. But the next instant, it abruptly halted its advance, its gaze sweeping frantically across the surrounding expanse.
"Something's wrong. Your Sea of Consciousness is... abnormal."
"You've only just reached the Foundation Establishment Stage, yet your Sea of Consciousness is so vast. Do you possess a First-Class Divine Soul Immortal Foundation?"
Yu Ming's knowledge, especially concerning the Divine Soul, far surpassed Mo Wen's. He immediately sensed the anomaly.
Normally, when a cultivator reaches Foundation Establishment, their Divine Sense strengthens, but their Sea of Consciousness expands only marginally, at most doubling in size. Only the Spirit Sea undergoes significant growth. Even a First-Class Spirit Sea Immortal Foundation has little impact on the Sea of Consciousness's dimensions.
However, there exists an even more extraordinary First-Class Immortal Foundation: the First-Class Divine Soul Immortal Foundation. Within the Heavenly Soul Sect, this type of foundation is legendary. It's said that the sect's founding Ancestral Master possessed a First-Class Divine Soul Immortal Foundation.
Achieving a First-Class Divine Soul Immortal Foundation during Foundation Establishment not only enhances Divine Soul cohesion and Divine Sense but also causes the Sea of Consciousness to expand by over forty-nine times its original size. This expansion, in turn, triggers a corresponding expansion of the Spirit Sea.
In other words, a First-Class Spirit Sea Immortal Foundation has no effect on the Sea of Consciousness, while a First-Class Divine Soul Immortal Foundation directly influences the Spirit Sea. The superiority of the latter is undeniable.
Having grasped this truth, Yu Ming split his soul and erupted into frenzied laughter.
Meanwhile, in the outside world...
The Divided Soul that had infiltrated Gu Yu's Sea of Consciousness shattered Gu Yu's Divine Soul. Before it could obliterate the fragments, the Divided Soul shuddered violently, its face contorting with overwhelming ecstasy. Without hesitation, it abandoned Gu Yu's Divine Soul, fleeing through the space between his eyebrows and hurtling toward Han Yi.
But that wasn't all. A hundred meters away, Yu Ming's physical body collapsed instantly. As he fell, a Main Soul several times more robust than the Divided Souls materialized in its place.
Though farther from Han Yi, the Main Soul moved even faster, outpacing the Divided Soul that had escaped Gu Yu's body. It plunged into Han Yi's Sea of Consciousness first.
Now, one Main Soul and two Divided Souls converged within Han Yi's Sea of Consciousness Space.
Remarkably, the entire sequence—from the Divided Soul's escape from Gu Yu to the reunion of all three souls within Han Yi's Sea of Consciousness—had transpired in less than a single breath.
Yu Ming's decisive, unwavering action stemmed from his profound understanding of the rarity of a First-Class Divine Soul Immortal Foundation.
To put it bluntly, while a First-Class Spirit Sea Immortal Foundation could still be obtained through cultivation or inheritance, a First-Class Divine Soul Immortal Foundation lay beyond human reach, governed solely by heavenly fate.
Even among a hundred First-Class Spirit Sea Immortal Foundations, not a single First-Class Divine Soul Immortal Foundation is guaranteed to emerge.
More crucially, a First-Class Divine Soul Immortal Foundation is directly linked to the Soul Hall, the sacred ground of the Great Qin Immortal Kingdom.
Legend has it that obtaining such a foundation and joining the Soul Hall grants access to vast cultivation resources and training to become a future Branch Hall Master. With only thirteen branch halls in existence, surviving meant inevitably becoming one of the Soul Hall's thirteen most powerful figures.
The temptation was lethal.
This was precisely why Yu Ming, recklessly disregarding all consequences and even abandoning his physical body, had dragged both his Main Soul and Divided Souls into Han Yi's Sea of Consciousness Space. He planned to unleash a secret art, seize Han Yi's body through Body Seizure, and use it to embark on the supreme Immortal Path.
His resolve was unwavering.
In the cultivation world, a First-Class Divine Soul Immortal Foundation was akin to a walking Tang Sanzang—anyone who discovered it would inevitably attempt Body Seizure.
Yu Ming could barely contain his impatience to become the new master of this body.
Meanwhile, within Han Yi's Sea of Consciousness Space...
Han Yi's Divine Soul abruptly rose to its feet. The nine Soul Swords before him levitated into the air, and his face was etched with extreme solemnity.
This was undoubtedly the most perilous battle he had faced since transmigrating to this world—a life-or-death struggle unlike any he had experienced before.
Han Yi watched Yu Ming's Divided Soul materialize and lunge toward him, only to halt abruptly midway. Then, two more Divine Souls遁 into the Sea of Consciousness Space, merging with the first.
Outside, Han Yi saw Yu Ming collapse lifelessly to the ground. He casually sat down, realizing Yu Ming intended to seize his body.
Previously, Han Yi's focus had been on preventing Yu Ming from destroying his physical body. But now that the Body Seizure had begun, the external world no longer mattered. He withdrew all his attention into his Divine Soul, prepared to give this battle his all.
"Your Immortal Foundation is mine," Yu Ming's Divine Soul declared softly before lunging forward. The merged Main Soul and two Divided Souls coalesced into a single, robust Divine Soul, its size comparable to an ordinary person's. In its hand materialized a Soul-Annihilating Bell, forged entirely from condensed Divine Soul power.
Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang!...
The Soul-Annihilating Bell, which would be silent in the physical world, now reverberated with earth-shattering force within the Sea of Consciousness Space, causing the unabsorbed Primordial Chaos Qi at the edges of the Sea of Consciousness to churn violently.
An invisible shockwave swept toward Han Yi at the center of the Sea of Consciousness. He shuddered violently, the disorienting sensation intensified, yet the attack had no effect on him.
"As expected of a First-Grade Immortal Foundation," Yu Ming mused. "Just entering the Foundation Establishment Stage, yet his Divine Soul power is already so formidable."
"But under my Soul Technique, I'll shatter your soul into pieces."
The Soul-Annihilating Bell in Yu Ming's hand dissipated, merging back into his Divine Soul energy. He then formed a complex hand seal and lightly pointed it at Han Yi.
"Soul Art: Soul Split!"
Within the Sea of Consciousness, Han Yi suddenly felt a terrifying surge of energy wash over him. His Divine Soul tore apart into fragments, and a searing pain flooded his consciousness.
Outside, Han Yi, who was sitting on the ground, began to tremble violently, cold sweat streaming down his face. Nearby, Gu Yu had long since collapsed unconscious, his breath faint, his Divine Soul wounded, and his fate uncertain.
Back in the Sea of Consciousness, Han Yi's survival instinct drove him to reassemble his scattered soul fragments. Yet the agonizing pain lingered, filling his Divine Soul with terror. Amidst this fear, a ruthless glint flashed in his eyes.
"Huh? Such a strong Divine Soul?" Yu Ming's Divine Soul showed clear surprise, tinged with bewilderment. Logically speaking, even with a First-Grade Immortal Foundation, how could a newly ascended Foundation Establishment cultivator's Divine Soul possibly be this robust?
Absorbing Primordial Chaos Qi, the essence of Soul Energy, requires an immense amount of time. Yet, within Han Yi's Sea of Consciousness, wisps of Soul Energy drifted aimlessly amidst swirling gray-white qi, clearly indicating that he had absorbed very little.
Unlike Mo Wen, who merely suspected Han Yi was a reincarnated Golden Core or Nascent Soul cultivator, Yu Ming knew better. Even for a Great Cultivator reborn, their Divine Soul strength at the Foundation Establishment stage, while stronger than others of the same rank, would only be marginally enhanced, never exceeding double the norm. This was an immutable law of nature.
Yet, this cultivator from the Profound Pill Sect had not only withstood Yu Ming's Soul Technique but had also miraculously reassembled his Divine Soul through sheer force of will.
Something was amiss, something Yu Ming hadn't anticipated. With this realization, his Divine Soul quietly retreated several steps, cautiously.
Body Seizure was a crucial step on the path to defying fate and ascending to immortality—Yu Ming's Immortal Opportunity. But he refused to sacrifice his life for it, unwilling to grasp at shadows and abandon substance.
Across from him, Han Yi's eyes gleamed with ferocity as his Divine Soul reformed.
Suddenly, he merged the nine Soul Swords before him into his body, sat cross-legged in a meditative posture, and formed a hand seal. A phantom Soul Tower materialized above his head.
The Soul Tower was small, barely a foot tall. Its base was solid, but the rest remained ethereal, resembling a hazy, gray-white disc supporting a swirling cloud of illusory light and shadow.
Seeing the Soul Tower, Yu Ming's vigilance surged, and a tidal wave of impending doom crashed over him.
"A tower... a Soul Tower?" Yu Ming vaguely recalled hearing of such a structure before, but with the Divine Soul battle raging, he dared not let his mind wander. The moment the Soul Tower materialized, he launched his attack.
His Divine Soul flashed with ruthless determination, its energy surging wildly. With a thunderous roar, he thrust his finger forward.
"Soul Technique: Soul Annihilation!"
!
The instant Soul Annihilation erupted, Yu Ming's Divine Soul visibly shrank and weakened, a clear sign of the immense soul energy it consumed. This also demonstrated the technique's overwhelming power, far surpassing that of his previous soul arts.
Almost simultaneously with the activation of his soul technique, Han Yi, still seated in meditation, abruptly opened his his eyes and stared at Yu Ming. The Soul Tower above his head trembled violently, releasing an invisible shockwave that slammed into Yu Ming's skull.
"Soul Technique: Divine Soul Five Decays!"
The two soul techniques struck their targets almost simultaneously.
The next instant, Han Yi's Divine Soul was violently crushed, his Soul Tower shattering into nothingness as his soul fragmented into countless shards.
Yu Ming, watching from a distance, erupted in manic laughter, his face contorted with glee. "Hahaha! In the end, I've won!"
"Everything you have is mine now—your Immortal Foundation, your Physical Body, your Spirit Sea, your Innate Talent... all will become mine!"
"Hmm?"
Yu Ming's Divine Soul suddenly sensed something was amiss.
Normally pristine and immaculate, his Divine Soul now felt the robes coalescing around it growing soiled, festering with filth.
Then, his neatly coiled long hair began to unravel, turning gray, withered, and brittle.
Almost simultaneously, his Divine Soul felt discomfort. His armpits grew damp with sweat, and his body regressed to its mortal state, emitting a foul stench as if he hadn't bathed in days.
A wave of revulsion surged through his soul, loathing its current defiled state and yearning to cast it off.
In a mere kshana, his once majestic and refined Divine Soul had become utterly sullied, hideous, and overwhelmingly foul-smelling.
This was the Soul Technique: Divine Soul Five Decays—the Divine Soul's equivalent of the Five Declines of the Celestial Being.
Filthy Robes, Withered Hair, Sweaty Armpits, Stinking Body, Loathing of Self.
Just as mortals perish upon reaching the end of their lifespans, the Divine Soul Five Decays heralded the complete annihilation of a Divine Soul.
Yu Ming abruptly raised his head, his eyes blazing with unprecedented terror as he stared at the mangled remnants of his Divine Soul, struggling to coalesce after being crushed by the Soul-Annihilating Strike.
"This, this, this is..."
"The Divine Soul Five Decays."
"No, impossible, it can't be..."
His Divine Soul began to disintegrate from the crown of his head downward, melting like a candle until it transformed into a viscous black sludge.
At the center of his Sea of Consciousness, the Divine Soul that had been painstakingly reforming vanished without taking shape.
After the time it takes to brew a cup of tea, the first thing to materialize wasn't a Divine Soul, but a Soul Tower taller than a man.
Once formed, the Soul Tower shifted slightly before transforming into Han Yi's likeness, though his Divine Soul remained critically weakened.
Han Yi gazed at the bizarre black substance. With a flicker of his Divine Sense, he unleashed a surge of Primordial Chaos Qi, completely obliterating the viscous mass.
Enduring the lingering weakness, he extended his Divine Sense outward. His seated body abruptly snapped its eyes open.
There was no time to linger. His Divine Soul was injured, and his Divine Sense feeble. If another Foundation Establishment Stage cultivator appeared—even the elderly one he had initially faced—they would surely perish here today.
He didn't even have time to retrieve Yu Ming's Storage Pouch from the Heavenly Soul Sect, lying less than a hundred meters away. Compared to his life, the pouch's contents were insignificant.
Han Yi endured the excruciating pain in his Divine Soul, his Divine Sense stretched thin as strands of hair as he summoned the Green Ripple Sword from behind Yu Ming. The blade slid into its sheath on his back. He then grabbed Gu Yu, hoisted him onto his shoulder, and fled swiftly.
Recalling the Green Ripple Sword had pushed his Divine Sense to its limit. He doubted he could even project it outward now, let alone perform Sword Flight. He had no choice but to rely solely on his legs.
Fortunately, the entire confrontation with Yu Ming had been brief. The other cultivators engaged in their own battles were still too far away. Had Yu Ming's strike landed directly, Han Yi would have been forced to endure it in his weakened state.
He ran until he reached the very edge of the Foundation Establishment Stage battlefield before finally stopping.
A cultivator descended from the sky. Han Yi tensed, looking up warily, but upon recognizing the newcomer, he instantly relaxed. It was Shen Ping, the Profound Pill Sect's strongest Foundation Establishment cultivator, a late-stage expert.
Shen Ping glanced at Han Yi and Gu Yu, his brow furrowing. "Did you encounter a cultivator from the Heavenly Soul Sect?" he asked gravely.
Han Yi nodded. Gu Yu's Divine Soul had been severely damaged, and his own was heavily wounded. There was no point in hiding it.
"Here's a Soul Pill. It will replenish your Divine Soul power. Take it." Shen Ping tossed him a jade bottle containing two black Medicinal Pills. Han Yi didn't hesitate. Soul Pills were well-known: a type of pill used by cultivators at the Foundation Establishment Stage and beyond to replenish and strengthen their Divine Soul power. They were exceedingly rare, almost as valuable as Foundation Establishment Pills.
Han Yi first poured out a Soul Pill and stuffed it into Gu Yu's mouth. Then, he poured out a second one and swallowed it himself.
The Soul Pill dissolved instantly in his stomach, transforming into a grayish-white stream of energy that flowed through his meridians to his brain. From there, it seeped into his Sea of Consciousness, converging within his Divine Soul.
Replenished by the Soul Pill, Han Yi's Divine Soul trembled slightly, and his weakness diminished considerably.
Beside him, Gu Yu's previously feeble aura surged upward. Though still unconscious, he was no longer in mortal danger.
A moment later, more and more cultivators returned. Finally, Supreme Elder Huo Ming, the leader of their expedition, descended in tattered robes. His expression darkened as he surveyed the group.
Ten had set out, but only six remained. Gu Yu lay unconscious among them.
Huo Ming waved his hand, summoning the Immortal Boat. As he boarded, Shen Ping used his Divine Sense to lift Han Yi and Gu Yu onto the vessel.
The Immortal Boat transformed into a streak of light and sped away.
Outside Red Phoenix City, the hidden Cultivation Market had been completely destroyed by Abyssal Fire, reduced to ashes. The cultivators who had been there had scattered. Though they had failed to kill the Golden Core cultivator, they had severely wounded him at considerable cost, thus largely achieving their primary objective.
Meanwhile...
Beyond the Profound Pill Mountain Range, fierce battles erupted near the four other Immortal Cities closest to the Profound Pill Sect.
Cultivators were killing and being killed, and even several Golden Core cultivators had fallen. The Profound Pill Sect suffered devastating losses.
When Han Yi and his group returned to the Profound Pill Sect, the other four teams followed suit.
Han Yi's team, including Huo Ming, numbered only ten members. Since the threat to Red Phoenix City had been minimal, they had been assigned the smallest force.
In contrast, the other four Immortal Cities teemed with cultivators from the Heavenly Soul Sect and Blood God Sect. The teams dispatched to these cities each comprised around twenty members, and the battles there were far more brutal.
"Fu Xuanxu is dead. Fu Canghai is dead. Si Hongxue is critically wounded. Qin Wuxian is injured..."
Silence hung heavy in the Azure Dragon Palace as Han Yi digested the news.
Originally, the Profound Pill Sect had nine Golden Core cultivators. With Fire Phoenix Daoist's recent advancement—now known as Huo Ming—their numbers had swelled to ten:
Yuan Shun, Fu Canghai, Fu Xuanxu, Qin Wuxian, Zhuge Wuyou, Su Changkong, Jiang Zhan, Mu Jianxu, Si Hongxue, and Huo Ming.
Among them, Yuan Shun, wounded, remained at Profound Pill Peak, activating the sect's Fourth-Tier Formation Arts.
Fu Canghai, Fu Xuanxu, Su Changkong, and Jiang Zhan—four Supreme Elders at the Golden Core Stage—had all perished in battle.
Mu Jianxu, critically wounded, had retreated into closed-door seclusion to attempt a breakthrough. Si Hongxue, the sect's sole female cultivator, had also sustained severe injuries.
At best, only Qin Wuxian, Zhuge Wuyou, and Huo Ming retained the strength to fight.
This was the Profound Pill Death Tribulation.