Moments later, Chu Xuan pondered thoughtfully. He had unraveled the entirety of the situation.
Not long ago, Hun Shang had met with the Greedy King, who had embedded half of his soul into Hun Shang to control him. Tracing his path from Moonlight City through Yellow Stone to Torrential Flow City, Hun Tan eventually stumbled upon this formation site.
"So this is the true strength of the Greedy King," Chu Xuan mused. The power of half of Hun Tan's soul was roughly equivalent to a first-level Nascent Soul cultivator. Fully intact, Hun Tan could match a third-level Nascent Soul cultivator at most. With his current power, Chu Xuan could easily overpower Hun Tan, sweeping through the opposition with ease.
However, what truly delighted him were the super soul techniques in Hun Tan's memory:
-Exploring Mystic Waves: This technique could detect all living beings and terrain over a wide area.
-Great Inner Furnace Refining Method: An advanced version of the Inner Furnace Refining Method, with faster devouring speeds.
-Great Devouring Palm: An enhanced version of the devouring palm, capable of absorbing the soul bodies of opponents during battle.
-Triple True Shield: Instantly conjures three layers of soul shields, offering a formidable defense.
Chu Xuan marveled at the ingenuity. Even though Hun Tan was merely a native of Soul Star, his intelligence and strength were noteworthy. He had managed to create soul techniques comparable to the spiritual sense secrets of the Nascent Soul period.
"All of these are worth cultivating," Chu Xuan smiled to himself. He had not only acquired half of Hun Tan's soul but also four Nascent Soul period spiritual sense secrets for free—a significant gain.
"Hun Tan has lost half of his soul and his power has greatly diminished; this is the perfect time to strike at his weakest," Chu Xuan thought. "Additionally, I must be wary of his last resort..."
Having reviewed Hun Tan's memories, Chu Xuan knew both the extent of his abilities and his ultimate tricks. After a moment's consideration, he sent a message to Yun Qi and Ma Nanshan, instructing them to abandon their cautious approach and advance directly on the Husbandry Faction's palace.
Yun Qi and Ma Nanshan, upon receiving the order, did not even pause to rest but immediately led their ghost commanders and ghost generals to press forward.
"Two Arms, send another batch of specters to the Ascendant Faction. We need more numbers, stronger ones," Chu Xuan commanded.
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"Yes! I'll see to it immediately!" Two Arms responded respectfully.
Chu Xuan then settled down to refine the black soul mass within him. Though the soul was tough, with time, it would inevitably be refined. Meanwhile, he also multitasked, starting to adapt these four super soul techniques into spiritual sense secrets. While soul techniques and spiritual sense secrets might share similar goals, there were differences that required his personal touch to perfect.
...
In the dimly lit hall of the Greedy King's Palace, the corpulent figure on the throne abruptly stood, his eyes blazing with a sharp intensity.
"Such a pure soul!" he exclaimed. "Though his soul is not as strong as my main body, its purity far surpasses mine! This soul must have a special talent to refine to such purity. I must find him and devour him!"
Hun Tan laughed sinisterly. Stationed in the palace for so long, his aim had always been to ascend to higher realms. Now, a breakthrough opportunity had presented itself, and he could not let it pass.
As for the avatar that had lost contact with his main body, he was unconcerned. Though the avatar possessed only half of his soul power, it retained all the soul techniques he had cultivated, especially the Triple True Shield which had made his soul body exceptionally tough. He was confident that not even the most determined efforts could consume even a part of his avatar, not to mention that he held a deadly trump card—unforeseen by anyone.
Once he entered the misty area, the avatar would naturally reintegrate with the main body.
He mused coldly, "This farce should end now." With that, the Greedy King's Palace sank back into darkness.
...
Several days later, the Ascendant Faction's army, led by Yun Qi and Ma Nanshan, relentlessly marched forward, storming directly towards the Greedy King's Palace.
With Two Arms anchoring the force, their advance was unstoppable, sweeping through defenses as if they were mere brushwood. Yun Qi and Ma Nanshan were so elated that they laughed in their sleep, having never fought such a profitable battle in their lives. The troops were plentiful, exceeding all expectations.
Surprisingly, upon breaching the Greedy King's Palace, they found no trace of the infamous Greedy King himself. It was as if he had evaporated, completely disappearing from sight. Rumors swirled—some said he had fled; others claimed he had taken his own life.
Regardless, with the Greedy King gone, the Husbandry Faction was left headless, reduced to fighting amongst themselves. The Ascendant Faction naturally took over the Greedy King's Palace. However, the Husbandry Faction's territories were vast, and it would take considerable time to extinguish all remaining resistance.
Additionally, the Slaughter Faction's souls seized the opportunity to cross the border and snatch benefits, compelling Yun Qi and Ma Nanshan to spread their forces thin to quell these threats.
Just when the soul clans thought the conflict was drawing to a close, and Soul Star was on the brink of a new balance of power between the Slaughter Faction and the Ascendant Faction, the Slaughter King personally led a formidable force of one hundred specter kings southward, cutting through Ascendant Faction cities directly towards the Ice Soul Array near Torrential Flow City.
This elite force was unstoppable. The Ascendant defenders could only watch helplessly as the Slaughter King's forces tore through their defenses, advancing furiously toward their strategic heartland...