Chapter 609 - 605: Divine Soul Returns to Nothingness

Chapter 609: Chapter 605: Divine Soul Returns to Nothingness

"It’s already the seventeenth day. I wonder how he is doing?" On the Heaven-Stepping Sect’s God-Proving Platform, Sect Leader Wu Taichu wore an anxious expression.

After returning to the Heaven-Stepping Sect, Lin Hao had entered the Saha World from this very platform.

Based on past experience, if Lin Hao were to be teleported out of the Saha World, he would certainly appear here.

News of Lin Hao’s great battle in the Divinity Realm had spread far beyond the Heaven-Stepping Sect; the entire Celestial Yang Continent knew of it.

Never mind the miracles Lin Hao had created in the Divinity Realm. Wu Taichu was far more concerned about what had become of Lin Hao himself after his spiritual self had perished there.

"’Martial Uncle Ancestor is already at the Soul Gathering Realm Peak. Why hasn’t he appeared yet?’" Wu Taichu paced back and forth anxiously on the God-Proving Platform.

By now, Lin Hao’s true identity was no longer a secret within the Heaven-Stepping Sect.

Thus, even with everyone from the Heaven-Stepping Sect gathered on the God-Proving Platform, Wu Taichu made no attempt at concealment.

"That damn kid is never satisfied, just like a snake trying to swallow an elephant. He must be trying to reach the Soul Gathering Extreme Realm. The Blood Coagulation Realm has an Extreme Realm, and the Elemental Realm has an Extreme Realm, but there’s no such thing as an Extreme Realm for the Soul Gathering Realm," Turtle Egg grumbled.

But as it glanced at Lord Lingdi, its tone instantly changed. It said fawningly, "Xiaoling, you’re stronger than me when it comes to the Martial Dao. Don’t you think I’m right?"

Turtle Egg’s background was immense; in the past, even Lord Lingdi had been somewhat wary of it. But now, Lord Lingdi’s fur radiated light, and she was countless times more terrifying than before. She had long since ceased to fear it.

At these words, Lord Lingdi shot Turtle Egg a look, but she answered anyway. "You’re right. The Soul Gathering Extreme Realm simply doesn’t exist."

She had seen more than one Great Emperor, yet she had never met anyone who had managed to reach the Soul Gathering Extreme Realm.

"You two, is there any way for us to find out what’s happening with our Martial Uncle Ancestor?" Hearing them both say this, Wu Taichu could no longer hold back and pleaded with them.

Behind Wu Taichu, the crowd stared at them with hopeful eyes.

Though it relished being the center of attention, Turtle Egg shrank back and looked toward Lord Lingdi.

It had been born on Forbidden God Mountain and still had seals within its body; it didn’t know as much as Lord Lingdi.

Lord Lingdi shook her head. "That place has already accepted Lin Hao as its master. No one can enter besides him. At his current Soul Gathering Realm cultivation, he can stay inside for up to a month at a time. If he doesn’t want to come out, there’s no way for anyone to get in."

Wu Taichu and the others were stunned to hear her say this.

But just then, a figure abruptly appeared on the God-Proving Platform.

Everyone looked. Who else could it be but Lin Hao?

Wu Taichu and the others immediately rushed over to him.

Turtle Egg stood beside Lord Lingdi, its eyes wide as saucers.

"Did you notice? That kid seems... different," Turtle Egg said to Lord Lingdi, staring intently at Lin Hao.

As it spoke, Turtle Egg leaned so close it was practically plastered to Lord Lingdi’s side.

Normally, Lord Lingdi would have dodged away, but this time she seemed completely oblivious, murmuring, "How is this possible?! His aura is nothing like that of someone at the Soul Gathering Realm Peak. It transcends the peak, yet it hasn’t reached the Spirit Transformation Realm. This is..."

"The Soul Gathering Extreme Realm!" The next moment, Lord Lingdi and Turtle Egg locked eyes, the four words escaping their lips in unison.

They stared at each other, wide-eyed, their mouths a mere millimeter apart.

But the shock of those four words was so immense that they remained frozen in that position for several breaths.

When Lord Lingdi finally snapped out of it and pulled back, she turned to see that everyone was staring at them.

"Die!" Lord Lingdi roared in fury, lashing out with a paw and striking Turtle Egg squarely.

Turtle Egg’s body went flying. Lord Lingdi immediately gave chase, and the two of them vanished in a flash.

The vast God-Proving Platform fell silent. The crowd turned to look at Lin Hao once more.

They knew a little about Lord Lingdi’s origins; she had just said that no one could reach the Soul Gathering Extreme Realm. But now, Lin Hao had done it.

How could they not understand what those words represented?

"M-Martial Uncle Ancestor, did you... did you really reach the Soul Gathering Extreme Realm?" Wu Taichu’s voice trembled as he stared intently at Lin Hao.

Lin Hao scratched his head and replied uncertainly, "I suppose so."

As he spoke, Lin Hao recalled the situation from just moments before.

Moments ago, as he had fused the final character into the Dao Sound, right when he thought he had achieved completion, the unexpected happened.

Once that character was infused, the True Self Divine Soul hovering above his head had abruptly vanished.

The True Self Divine Soul hadn’t entered his Upper Dantian; it had simply disappeared.

This had greatly alarmed Lin Hao.

If the connection to his Divine Soul hadn’t remained, Lin Hao would have nearly coughed up blood from the shock.

’The Soul Gathering Realm is all about nurturing the soul. If the Divine Soul is gone, doesn’t that mean I failed?’

Sensing that his Divine Soul still existed, Lin Hao reached out to it, only to discover it hadn’t vanished but had instead merged with the void.

He had experimented for a long time within that space until he could fully control his Divine Soul, but he still didn’t quite understand what had happened.

So when Wu Taichu asked, that was the only way Lin Hao could answer.

After he spoke, a happy thought struck Lin Hao.

After he had left, the Heaven-Stepping Sect had discovered a new mystic realm. Now, everyone’s cultivation was progressing rapidly. Wu Taichu and the several Grand Elders had already reached the Soul Gathering Realm Peak and were just one step away from the Spirit Transformation Realm.

’Their cultivation level is perfect for testing my Divine Soul.’

"Master, I’d like to ask you to test my Divine Soul." At this thought, Lin Hao spoke to Wu Taichu.

Despite his exceptionally high seniority in the Heaven-Stepping Sect, he was still accustomed to calling Wu Taichu "Master."

Wu Taichu respectfully bowed and clasped his fists.

With a thought, Lin Hao released his Divine Soul.

But Wu Taichu simply looked back at him, bewildered.

"Master, can’t you see my Divine Soul?" Lin Hao could feel his True Self Divine Soul hovering over his head, but judging by Wu Taichu’s expression, he clearly couldn’t see a thing.

Wu Taichu shook his head.

He could sense that Lin Hao’s aura had changed, but he couldn’t see his Divine Soul. He couldn’t even sense it.

Hearing this, Lin Hao smiled.

’After integrating the Divine Illumination Scripture into the Dao Sound, my Divine Soul has returned to the void. No one can detect it but me. This is truly a heaven-defying ability.’

Wu Taichu’s breathing suddenly quickened.

A Divine Soul that could return to the void... such a technique was terrifying to even contemplate.

With this ability, Lin Hao was absolutely invincible within the Soul Gathering Realm!

"The Extreme Realm... so this is the Soul Gathering Extreme Realm!" Wu Taichu seemed to have a sudden realization. He looked at Lin Hao, wanting to say something but holding back.

He wanted to ask Lin Hao to share his insights.

But when he remembered there were only three days left before the twenty-day deadline, he kept the words to himself.

Lin Hao noticed Wu Taichu’s reaction and naturally knew what he was thinking. He then said, "Since everyone is here, if you don’t mind me being presumptuous, I’d like to share some of my insights."

Although there were some things he couldn’t share, Lin Hao had gained much from this experience and decided to pass on what he could.

The crowd thanked him profusely.

Six hours later, Lin Hao rose and departed. The crowd was so deeply immersed in contemplation that no one noticed he was gone.

Over the next few days, Lin Hao spent his evenings explaining the Martial Dao to the crowd, giving pointers to Wu Kui on his Alchemy Skill, and instructing Lian Lanxin in the art of Artifact Refining.

During the day, Lin Hao would walk the grounds, measuring every inch of the Heaven-Stepping Sect’s land with his own two feet, showing no signs of tension before the imminent battle.

It wasn’t that he was underestimating Lin Wu; he was tempering his state of mind.

Three days passed in the blink of an eye. The twenty-day deadline had arrived.