Chương 142: The Strength of the Nascent Soul Stage!

On the deserted island, dark golden light, chaotic spiritual energy, the wailing of wind and thunder, and the heart-shaking roar of beasts intertwine to create a breathtaking picture that changes the very fabric of the world.

The advancement of a level six demon beast far surpasses that of a Core Formation cultivator. If Zhou Ding hadn't set up a complex array beforehand to operate at full power, locking this terrifying phenomenon and aura within the scope of this deserted island, it would have already alarmed cultivators a hundred miles away and attracted countless prying eyes.

Xiao Jin's enormous body was completely submerged in the almost tangible dark golden flames and surging blood and qi smoke.

Only a vague outline can be seen, constantly twisting, expanding, and contracting, as if a more powerful and ancient being is struggling and tearing inside it, trying to break free of its cocoon!

Its bones crackled like thunder, its scales rubbed together with a clanging sound, accompanied by a roar that was a mixture of pain and violence, every moment of which tugged at Zhou Ding's heartstrings.

Zhou Ding hovered in the air at the edge of the deserted island, like a guardian deity, his gaze as sharp as a hawk's, fixed on the center of the flames.

He constantly cast spells with both hands to stabilize the outer array, while simultaneously using the soul connection to calm the nearly berserk divine soul and guide the immense demonic power and blood energy of Xiao Jin that was about to burst it.

Time seemed exceptionally long during this breathtaking transformation.

A day and a night pass in the blink of an eye, yet it feels as if a thousand years have passed.

As the eastern sea surface once again turned a pale white, dispelling some of the darkness and clouds, the dark golden flames and blood-red smoke that had been raging in the center of the deserted island for an entire day finally began to shrink and collapse rapidly inward at a speed visible to the naked eye!

It resembles a giant whale sucking in water, or a black hole returning to its origin.

All the light, all the energy, all the phenomena were rushing back towards the blurry figure at the center!

The enormous vortex of spiritual energy high in the sky quickly dissipated, the wind stopped and the thunder ceased, leaving only the towering waves remaining on the sea surface, still telling the story of the earth-shattering transformation that had just taken place.

As the last bit of energy entered Xiao Jin's body, an eerie, breathtaking silence descended upon the deserted island.

The next moment—

"roar--!!!"

A terrifying roar, completely different from the previous one, filled with supreme majesty, boundless power, and a desolate, primordial aura, erupted from the center of the deserted island, like a ferocious beast that had been sleeping for countless ages being fully awakened, shooting straight into the heavens!

The sound waves were so solid that they created white ripples in the air wherever they passed, and even caused spiderweb-like cracks to appear on the hard black reef below!

If it weren't for the array blocking the way, the power of this roar could probably have spread for hundreds of miles!

Amidst the roar, a colossal, ferocious figure, yet exuding an indescribable holiness and majesty, slowly emerged from the dissipating smoke and lingering spiritual light.

It's Xiao Jin!

But at this moment, Xiao Jin has undergone a complete transformation compared to before his advancement!

Its size did not increase much, remaining at around twenty feet, but the color of the scales covering its entire body had changed from dark gold to a deeper, more restrained "dark gold" color that seemed to absorb all light!

On the surface of the scales, the naturally formed mysterious patterns are even more intricate and clear, faintly forming ancient and mysterious totems, exuding a heart-stirring and solid Taoist charm.

Its limbs were thicker and stronger, and its sharp claws gleamed with a cold light, as if they could easily tear apart magical artifacts.

The head was even more ferocious, with two tiny bumps protruding from the forehead, as if horns were about to grow.

What is most striking are its eyes, which have transformed from scarlet to a deep dark gold. The pupils stand upright, radiating a brilliant light as they open and close, filled with indescribable wisdom and primordial ferocity. The air seems to freeze wherever the light reaches.

A vast, majestic, and terrifying demonic pressure, far exceeding the scope of a level six demonic beast, slowly spread out from Xiao Jin, like an invisible mountain!

This demonic pressure not only contained a suffocating ferocity and power, but also faintly carried a trace of something originating from the depths of one's bloodline...

Its indescribable nobility and antiquity made it seem as if it were not an ordinary monster, but some kind of remnant species with primordial blood flowing through its veins!

A level six demonic beast! And it's no ordinary level six demonic beast!

Judging from the aura emanating from him at this moment, his strength is probably comparable to or even suppresses most late-stage Core Formation cultivators!

Its physical strength has reached an unbelievable level!

"It's a success!" Zhou Ding's eyes burst with uncontrollable elation! His heart, which had been hanging in suspense, was finally completely at ease.

Xiao Jin not only successfully advanced to level six, but his foundation and the purity of his bloodline were far beyond expectations!

That top-grade demon blood stone played an indispensable role!

However, his joy lasted for less than a moment.

Just as Xiao Jin completed his advancement and his aura became completely stable, a strange power originating from the depths of his soul, vast and boundless, indescribable, surged into Zhou Ding's body without warning and with unparalleled ferocity, like a flood bursting its banks, following that mysterious and close soul connection!

"Ugh—!"

Caught off guard, Zhou Ding let out a painful groan, his body swaying violently in the air, almost falling to the ground!

He felt as if his physical body, meridians, sea of consciousness, and even soul were being thrown into a blazing furnace, or as if he were being forged by thousands of giant hammers at the same time!

A stream of pure, scorching, yet vibrant energy surged through his body, relentlessly cleansing, transforming, and strengthening every corner of his being!

This is feedback!

After Xiao Jin advanced, it fed back its life essence and primal power to its master through a soul contract!

Moreover, because Xiao Jin advanced to level six, his life level underwent a huge leap, and the intensity and quality of this feedback far exceeded any previous one!

Zhou Ding dared not delay and immediately steadied himself. Right there in the air at the edge of the deserted island, he sat cross-legged and began to fully circulate the Azure Origin Sword Technique and the Hundred Beasts Body Forging Technique, guiding and refining the surging feedback power.

pain!

Indescribable pain!

It was as if every inch of flesh, every bone, and every meridian was being torn apart, reassembled, and tempered!

But amidst this extreme pain, Zhou Ding could clearly feel that his physical body was undergoing earth-shattering changes.

He had already cultivated the "Hundred Beasts Body Forging Technique" to the ninth level of perfection, and his physical strength was comparable to that of the late stage of Core Formation.

But at this moment, under the impact of this feedback force that far exceeds the Core Formation level, his physical body, which had already reached its bottleneck, actually began to slowly and steadily improve once again!

Muscle fibers become stronger and denser, bones gleam with a faint jade-like luster, internal organs are shrouded in a layer of precious light, and the flow of qi and blood is accompanied by the faint sounds of wind and thunder.

He felt as if his body had been tempered into steel and infused with new vitality, with its strength, power, and resilience all moving towards a completely new realm!

"This physical strength—if I were to withstand it with my bare body, even a full-force attack from an ordinary Nascent Soul cultivator would hardly be able to harm my core!" Zhou Ding was shocked.

A pseudo-Nascent Soul cultivator is someone who has reached the Great Perfection of Core Formation and is half a step into the Nascent Soul stage. Their magical power and supernatural abilities already possess a trace of Nascent Soul characteristics, and their power far exceeds that of ordinary late-stage Core Formation cultivators.

And now, he is confident that he can fight them head-on with just his physical body! What an astonishing improvement this is.

At the same time, his sea of consciousness was also churning and expanding violently!

The terrifying divine sense, which had already reached a range of 250 miles, began to spread wildly in all directions under the nourishment and impact of this feedback force, like an inflated balloon!

Two hundred and sixty li, two hundred and eighty li, three hundred li — finally, it stopped steadily at the astonishing range of "three hundred li"!

Three hundred li!

What does this mean?

The range of a typical late-stage Core Formation cultivator's divine sense is only about a hundred miles.

A cultivator in the early Nascent Soul stage has a spiritual sense range of between 150 and 200 miles.

Mid-stage Nascent Soul, approximately 150 li away.

The range of divine sense of a great cultivator in the late Nascent Soul stage is usually between two hundred and three hundred and fifty miles!

This means that Zhou Ding's current spiritual strength has firmly entered the threshold of the late Nascent Soul stage!

Furthermore, because its spiritual consciousness was already extremely refined, its "quality" might even surpass that of some cultivators who had just entered the late Nascent Soul stage, based on the quantitative change!

"Divine sense spanning three hundred miles—Late Nascent Soul stage!"

Zhou Ding's heart was filled with turmoil. This meant that the power of one of his greatest trump cards, the "Soul-Destroying Thorn," would increase dramatically!

With his current spiritual strength at the late Nascent Soul stage, if he were to unleash this technique at full power, its terrifying power would likely require even mid-Nascent Soul cultivators to be on high alert, as a slight misstep could result in damage to their soul!

Even when facing a late-stage Nascent Soul cultivator, the opponent would never dare to underestimate this divine sense killing move, which could become a decisive means for him to turn the tide of battle or even create an escape opportunity at a critical moment!

In addition to his physical body and consciousness, Zhou Ding also clearly felt that the vitality within his body was becoming more abundant and enduring at an incredible speed.

That's an increase in lifespan!

The feedback power contains the immense vitality brought about by Xiao Jin's leap in the origin of life after advancing to the next level.

He roughly estimated that his lifespan had probably increased by several hundred years, with his total lifespan reaching more than 1, 500 years!

A lifespan of 1, 500 years!

His current cultivation level is only at the mid-stage of Core Formation!

It should be noted that the lifespan of an ordinary Core Formation cultivator is usually around five or six hundred years.

Even a cultivator in the early Nascent Soul stage has a lifespan of only 1, 200 to 1, 300 years.

Despite being only at the mid-stage of Core Formation, his lifespan has already surpassed that of the vast majority of early-stage Nascent Soul cultivators!

How incredibly powerful is this? It means he has an absurdly long period of time, far exceeding that of other cultivators of the same level, to accumulate...

Go forth and break through, go forth and explore the path to immortality!

This confidence is enough to drive any cultivator crazy.

It took Zhou Ding more than half an hour to initially refine and absorb this powerful feedback force.

He slowly opened his eyes, his gaze restrained yet profound and vast, as if it could encompass the stars.

He gently clenched his fist, feeling the terrifying power surging within him like a dragon, yet moving with effortless ease, and the vast, boundless power within him...

A divine consciousness as sharp as steel, and an unprecedentedly powerful confidence filled his heart.

"Is this... strength comparable to the Nascent Soul stage?" Zhou Ding murmured to himself, his voice echoing between the vast sea and sky.

Although his magical cultivation level is still at the mid-stage of Core Formation, with his powerful physical body that can withstand a false infant, his terrifying divine sense that covers three hundred miles and is comparable to the late stage of Nascent Soul, and his lifespan that has increased dramatically, his overall combat strength and survival ability have undergone a qualitative leap!

Even without using powerful treasures like the "Eight Gates Golden Light Mirror," he was confident that he could contend with and fight against a true early-stage Nascent Soul cultivator!

If all cards are played, the outcome is still uncertain!

Suppressing the excitement in his heart, Zhou Ding turned his gaze to the center of the deserted island, where Little Gold, which had already completed its advancement, was quietly lying down, adapting to its new power.

He moved swiftly and appeared in front of Xiao Jin's enormous head.

"Goodness, this harvest is quite substantial." Zhou Ding chuckled as he patted Little Gold's cool, hard scales and began to carefully examine the specific changes after its advancement.

First, there is the physical body.

Zhou Ding touched it with his hand, infusing it with magical power to perceive it, and was once again shocked.

Xiao Jin's original physical body was already ridiculously strong, and after advancing to level five, it had the strength of a level seven demon beast.

At this moment, after advancing to the sixth level and having his bloodline fully activated by the top-grade demon blood stone, his physical strength has reached an unbelievable level!

Zhou Ding estimated that if it were attacked by ordinary magic weapons, they probably wouldn't even be able to break through its scales.

If he were to unleash his innate defensive divine ability, "Golden Armor Technique," his defensive power would likely be sufficient to withstand the ordinary attacks of a Nascent Soul stage cultivator without sustaining any damage!

What a terrifying meat shield this is!

Secondly, there is demonic power.

The total amount and purity of the demonic power within Xiao Jin's body increased several times over, and the primordial energy within its demonic power attributes...

Its heavy and sturdy characteristics become increasingly apparent, and its operation subtly carries the force of wind and thunder, inevitably increasing its power.

His natural abilities also improved across the board.

The "Golden Armor Technique" offers greater defensive strength and longer duration; the "Earth Escape Technique" is more sophisticated and swift.

And its iconic ability to change size at will will likely be even more effortless.

What Zhou Ding was most concerned about was Xiao Jin's unique probing ability, "Heavenly Hearing Technique".

He shared his vision with Xiao Jin through a soul connection and attempted to activate the "Heavenly Hearing Technique".

In an instant, a clear, dynamic, colorful "treasure light map" covering a radius of three hundred miles appeared in Zhou Ding's "perception"!

Mountains and islands, sea depths, distribution of monsters, flow of spiritual energy—even the objects hidden inside various things, emitting various kinds of precious light, are all clearly visible!

The exploration range has indeed increased to 300 li! This means that his and Xiao Jin's "treasure hunting" efficiency will be greatly improved once again!

In this vast, chaotic sea of stars, a 300-mile exploration range is enough to uncover many more hidden opportunities.

"Great! That's wonderful!" Zhou Ding was overjoyed.

With Xiao Jin advancing to level six, not only did his personal strength increase dramatically, becoming an absolute trump card in his hands capable of confronting Nascent Soul cultivators, but the expansion of the range of his "Heavenly Hearing Technique" was also an immeasurable hidden wealth.

Based on a comprehensive assessment, Xiao Jin's current strength has reached an absolutely terrifying level.

With its unparalleled physical defense, immense demonic power, and various innate supernatural abilities, its strength is comparable to most early-stage Nascent Soul cultivators when compared to human cultivators!

Zhou Ding stroked the dark gold-plated scales, his eyes filled with satisfaction.

This adventure outside the city to advance in rank was thrilling, but the rewards far exceeded expectations.

Not only did Xiao Jin successfully advance to level six and his strength increase dramatically, but he also received unimaginable benefits, with his strength improving in all aspects. He truly gained the capital to initially establish himself on the high-end stage of the Chaotic Star Sea.

"We shouldn't stay here any longer. We should head back. Ruyin and the girl must be getting impatient," Zhou Ding said, glancing at the sky.

He waved his hand to remove the complex array on the deserted island, cleaned up the remaining traces, and then leaped onto Xiao Jin's broad back.

"roar!"

Xiao Jin understood, let out a deep roar, and with all four legs exerting force, its massive body soared into the air. Dark golden light flowed around it, and its speed was even three points faster than when it rode the "Star Chaser" on the way here. Moreover, it was more stable, like a dark golden meteor streaking across the sky, heading back towards Tianxing City at lightning speed.

>