Our expedition group continued moving steadily, making our way out of Glory City and onto the rugged path leading into the St. Ancestral Mountains.
The looming journey to the Ancient Orchid City Ruins stretched ahead, expected to take five to six days. Along the way, the danger of Demon Beast attacks remained ever-present, particularly when we made camp in the wilderness.
Despite these risks, Nie Li moved with a certain ease. His instincts were unnervingly sharp, honed from experiences he alone remembered from his previous life. Even though he hadn't yet reached Bronze rank, his innate sense for danger combined with his past knowledge made him far more formidable than he appeared.
While the path we followed was relatively safe, there was no telling what we might encounter.
As for myself, I occasionally activated my Byakugan to scan the surrounding terrain for threats, but so far, there was nothing out of the ordinary. My enhanced vision allowed me to spot potential dangers long before the others could, a constant reassurance as we ventured deeper into unfamiliar territory.
Our group of forty-eight was no weak party. Among us, six were Silver rank, and the majority hovered around 2-star Bronze rank or higher. Even Ye Ziyun had quietly reached 1-star Bronze rank, though this wasn’t widely known. She kept it hidden, perhaps to avoid unwanted attention. Meanwhile, the weaker members like Nie Li and Shen Yue would serve as scouts or take turns standing watch during the night.
After nearly ten hours of trekking through rugged mountain roads, we reached a wide, flat area as the evening began to set in.
The tall trees surrounding us provided decent cover, making it an ideal spot for camping. Chen Linjian, as the leader, surveyed the surroundings and nodded in approval. "We’ll camp here for the night," he announced, his voice carrying authority.
As we all began setting up, Shen Yue quickly approached Ye Ziyun. His intentions were painfully transparent. "Ziyun, why don’t we set up camp together? I can protect you," he offered, a thin veneer of concern masking his real motives.
Ye Ziyun’s response was immediate and cold. "No need," she said flatly, a hint of irritation flickering across her face. Her opinion of Shen Yue had soured since their last encounter, and it showed. His previous actions had left her unimpressed, and the more he tried to force his presence on her, the more she distanced herself. She wasn’t interested in camping with Nie Li either, finding him strange and unpredictable. Instead, she chose to camp with several of the other girls, creating her own space away from the ongoing tension.
Nie Li, watching from a distance, seemed unfazed by the rejection. Though he clearly desired to be closer to Ye Ziyun, he wasn’t about to make the same mistake as Shen Yue. Instead, Nie Li found a quiet, remote spot beneath the shade of a large tree and began setting up his own camp.
The night deepened, the soft hum of insects filling the air from the surrounding forest. Darkness settled over the camp, with only the occasional flicker of light from moths dancing in the gloom.
Tents dotted the area under the vast sky. I sat cross-legged on the cool grass, my mind focused as I channeled my soul cultivation technique, activating my soul realm.
When I first began cultivating, my soul realm was like an endless fog, formless and indistinct. But with every cycle of strengthening my soul force, that fog had gradually condensed.
Now, as I concentrated, a faint cyan light flickered in the depths of my consciousness. Slowly but surely, the soul realm took on shape—a spherical form emerging from the mist, glowing softly in the silence. The more I cultivated, the clearer and more defined it became. My cultivation technique had already begun altering the soul realm’s form, molding it as my strength continued to rise.
The camp was eerily quiet, the stillness broken only by the occasional rustle of leaves or chirp of a night creature. Despite the silence, the area was full of life, with the dense spiritual energy of the wilderness swirling invisibly around us. It felt different here—richer, more potent—than within the walls of Glory City.
The energy soaked into my skin, seeped deeper into my meridians, and drawn to the center of my being where my soul realm resided. The spherical form pulsed, rotating as the energy cycled through me, gathering strength with each passing moment.
The wilds were dangerous, but they were also abundant in resources for those who knew how to harness them. I continued my cultivation, quietly absorbing the essence of the night.
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Currently, my soul force stood at 166, steadily increasing with each cycle of cultivation. I reached into my interspatial ring, pulling out a spiritual-enhancing elixir.
Unlike the pill I'd consumed earlier, this one was milder, crafted from a blend of herbs that worked gradually but consistently. The advantage was that it could be used daily without causing strain to my body or soul.
With a soft pop, I uncorked the bottle and drank the elixir in one fluid motion. Immediately, I felt a rush of spiritual energy spreading warmth throughout my body, flowing through my meridians like a gentle river, nourishing every corner of my being.
Closing my eyes, I directed this energy inward, guiding it towards my soul realm. The elixir’s power, though less intense than the pill’s, was easier to absorb, making it ideal for cultivation through the night.
Inside my soul realm, the cyan sphere that represented my soul force spun steadily, its glow intensifying as it absorbed the influx of energy. Slowly but surely, my soul realm expanded, its boundaries pushed outward by the new power coursing through me.
Each pulse of energy brought refinement, a subtle sharpening of my senses and a deeper awareness of the energy around me.
In the wilderness, far from the distractions of Glory City, the spiritual energy in the air was richer, denser. It seeped into me as I cultivated, merging with the elixir’s effects and heightening the overall potency of my cultivation session.
For an hour, I sat in deep meditation, harmonizing my breath with the rhythm of the energy flowing into my soul realm.
The elixir’s energy was now fully digested, its effects completely integrated into my soul force. My cultivation continued without pause, drawing in the ambient energy of the wild, reinforcing my growing strength.
By the second hour, my soul force had settled at 170 points. Progress. Small but significant, building on the foundation I was laying.
The deepened night was still; the forest sounds calming. I opened my eyes, exhaling slowly as the energy within me steadied, and felt the firm, responsive strength of my soul realm. The light of the cyan sphere within it was steadier and brighter than before.
I had taken another step forward on this endless path of cultivation, but for today, this progress was enough.
My soul force was already strong enough, not far from reaching the peak of Bronze Rank 1. Though still lagging behind someone like Chen Linjian, I knew it wouldn't take long for me to catch up.
Moreover, my physique was far superior to others of the same rank. Since childhood, I'd been consuming body-tempering elixirs provided by the Sacred Family, strengthening me from the inside out. But now, with the Heavenly Demon Art I had begun practicing, the gap between us widened even further.
This technique was not just powerful—it was awakening something within me, the dormant demonic bloodline I inherited. As it gradually stirred to life, it brought my strength to an entirely new level.
The subtle but undeniable changes coursing through my body were proof that the art was working. My bones, muscles, and meridians all seemed more refined, tougher, as though they were being reforged by some dark energy.
In addition, my soul realm had become more solid, gradually taking form. When I concentrated on my soul power, I could feel the energy swirling within me, streams of light radiating from me as the center.
As my soul force condensed, it gathered behind me, and faintly, a pair of transparent wings began to materialize—dark, like butterfly wings, their outline subtle and without a glow in the night.
Among the dim lights of lanterns and the quiet concentration of demon spiritists cultivating in the camp, this manifestation went unnoticed.
This stage was known as soul-forming, a phenomenon rarely achieved even by powerful cultivators.
It was the result of reaching an ultimate purity of soul force, a level so refined that it could condense into a tangible form. Among demon spiritists, even those of Black Gold rank seldom reached this stage.
The significance of soul-forming couldn't be overstated. A demon spiritist who achieved this state would find their soul force exponentially more potent, their cultivation speed and power surging. Those who managed this rare feat were assured to reach at least Black Gold rank, with the possibility of advancing to Legend rank.
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In the silent night, Nie Li sat cross-legged, gradually entering a deep meditative state. His soul realm remained calm and steady as he cultivated.
Operating the [Heavenly God Technique], he drew in the surrounding heaven and earth energy, guiding it into his body. His soul force grew steadily, a gentle pulse of power that radiated through him.
A slight breeze whistled past, carrying the quiet of the night with it.
Under Nie Li's precise control, the soul force flowed smoothly around his body, his muscles trembling in rhythm, as if vibrating like the strings of a zither.
This was the unique effect of the Heavenly God Technique—cultivating both the soul force and the physical body simultaneously, a rare and powerful combination that strengthened him on all fronts.
Nie Li paused his practice after midnight, knowing that overexerting his body could lead to harmful side effects. His soul force wasn’t yet strong enough to sustain continuous cultivation of both his soul and body.
Finishing his cultivation, Nie Li consumed a medicinal herb to restore balance, and retrieved his soul crystal to gauge his progress. As the crystal glowed faintly, it revealed that his soul force had made a substantial leap, reaching 75 points. The progress of the past few days had been excellent.
His attention shifted to the watchmen scattered at the edge of the camp, their shadows visible as they talked quietly among themselves. Everything seemed normal, but Nie Li’s senses suddenly sharpened as a faint, unfamiliar odor drifted through the air. It was the scent of a demon beast—ominous and unmistakable.
Nie Li's expression hardened in an instant. If the camp were attacked now, the situation could turn dire.
Without wasting a moment, he stood up and quietly made his way toward the depths of the forest, his senses on high alert.