A Mortal's Start in the Spirit Beast Mountain

Chapter 457 Silver Flame Soul Refining

The four-colored spiritual light shattered like broken glass, scattering in all directions before dissipating into the air. A long-awaited, slightly damp breath from the outside world instantly rushed into the cave.

The restriction has been broken!

Ling Yuling and Fairy Miaoyu both breathed a sigh of relief, their faces beaming with joy. After being trapped here for nearly twenty years, they had finally seen the light of day again!

Luo Ming slowly retracted his golden body and three blood shadow avatars, and the four flying swords transformed into streams of light and disappeared into his mouth. He was slightly out of breath, his face a little pale, clearly the burst of energy just now had taken a toll, but his eyes were bright and his spirits were high.

After a brief moment of rest, the three of them transformed into three streaks of light and quickly left the underground cave that had trapped them for nearly twenty years, following the passage they had come from.

Upon arriving in the outside world and getting their bearings, Ling Yuling and Miaoyu solemnly thanked Luo Ming and bid him farewell. Concerned about their respective factions, they were eager to return and stabilize the situation, and began to consolidate their forces to deal with the future crisis that Luo Ming had mentioned.

Both women swore by their inner demons that they would never reveal the specific information about the remains of the Nascent Soul cultivator in this place.

As he watched the two women disappear into the horizon, the gentle expression on Luo Ming's face gradually faded, becoming calm and profound.

He turned around and looked back at the deep cave entrance, a sharp glint flashing in his eyes.

"Brother Luo, although those two women have made a vow to swear an oath to the demons, the remains of a Nascent Soul cultivator are of great importance. It's hard to guarantee that they won't use some secret method or pay some price to circumvent the oath and leak this information to the forces behind them." Yin Yue's cold voice rang in his mind, carrying a hint of warning.

Luo Ming's lips curled into a half-smile as he gazed towards the cave entrance and said softly, "Yin Yue, you've considered everything thoroughly. However, those two women are both intelligent and know how to weigh the pros and cons." His tone was calm, yet full of confidence.

"In their eyes, this is nothing more than the skeleton of a Nascent Soul cultivator who has lost most of his essence, and his value has been greatly reduced. To offend a cultivator who has just shown the potential to rival a late-stage Nascent Soul cultivator for a skeleton, rather than a Nascent Soul demon core or a complete inheritance, and to risk violating the oath of one's inner demons, is not a worthwhile deal. The late-stage Nascent Soul cultivators in the Chaotic Star Sea are currently busy with internal strife and have no time to spare, let alone easily make enemies for a skeleton of uncertain value."

Without another word, he vanished back into the cave, returning to the edge of the blood pool. The pool was nearly dry, and at the bottom lay the enormous, pale golden tortoise-like demon skeleton, tightly bound by four dark red chains.

Without further delay, Luo Ming raised his hand and beckoned. A flash of silver light appeared on his shoulder, and a magnificent silver firebird, several inches in size, emerged and affectionately nuzzled his shoulder.

From the memories of the demon cultivator's divided spirit that he devoured, Luo Ming learned that the demon's true form was a "blood turtle" with the Xuanwu bloodline. During the nearly ten thousand years of sealing and nourishment in the blood pool, it unexpectedly awakened a trace of the characteristics of an "undying body". The "undying golden marrow", which was of great importance to it, condensed in its bones!

This is a treasure even more precious than the Blood of Ten Thousand Spirits. It would be of immense benefit to him, whether for further tempering his physical body or for the Xuan Turtle to devour and evolve.

But the prerequisite is that the wisp of the Golden Turtle Demon Soul that was suppressed by the Four Symbols Sealing God Restriction but still survives in the skeleton must be completely eliminated!

Otherwise, the consequences will be dire.

"Go!" Luo Ming gave the order to the silver firebird.

"Hey——!"

The silver firebird let out a clear cry, spread its wings, flew to the top of the blood pool, aimed at the pale golden skeleton below, and spat out its mouth!

A condensed, tangible, and dazzling silver-white flame cascaded down like a waterfall, instantly enveloping the massive pale golden skeleton!

The flames did not burn fiercely, but rather slowly seeped in and covered the body like flowing water, emitting a pure yet domineering refining power, beginning to burn and purify the stubborn and resentful Nascent Soul deep within the skeleton!

The silvery-white flames, like living things, flowed and seeped slowly, enveloping the pale golden skeleton, emitting a faint sizzling sound, constantly burning and purifying the stubborn demonic soul imprint deep within the bones. The cave was silent, save for the soft crackling of the burning flames.

Time passed slowly, about half an hour later.

Suddenly, the pale golden skeleton, which had been motionless under the silver flames, trembled violently! A weak yet still ancient and powerful soul fluctuation spread out like ripples, barely penetrating the silver flames' blockade.

Immediately afterwards, at the location of the skull, on the surface of the dark golden bones, wisps of blood-red mist seeped out, gathered, twisted and wriggled, and condensed into a blurry, yet vaguely discernible, blood-red human face with an air of majesty and resentment!

This blood-red face, barely formed from blood essence and remnant soul, had two flickering crimson lights in its eyes. It stared intently at Luo Ming, who sat cross-legged by the pool. The resentment on its face was gradually replaced by a complex and inscrutable emotion. After a few breaths of silence, it finally spoke hoarsely, its voice resounding directly in Luo Ming's mind, carrying an undeniable authority: "Boy, stop! Put away your Silver Flame! We—want to talk!"

Luo Ming didn't even lift his eyelids, continuing to slowly burn the Soul-Devouring Silver Flame, coldly saying, "Talk? What does Senior want to talk about? If you want to spout nonsense about asking me to set you free, save your energy. You tried to possess me back then; this is an irreconcilable feud, how could I possibly let you go?"

Upon hearing this, the crimson-faced creature did not become angry, but instead remained silent for a moment. The two points of scarlet light flickered uncertainly, as if undergoing a fierce deliberation. Finally, it spoke again, its voice low yet carrying a strange allure: "You—do you wish to ascend to the Spirit Realm?"

Luo Ming's usually calm gaze suddenly sharpened upon hearing the words "ascension to the Spirit Realm," his pupils contracting slightly. He slowly raised his head, his gaze sharp as lightning, shooting towards the blood-red face. His voice remained calm, yet carried a barely perceptible tension: "Oh? What does Senior wish to say?"

Ascending to the Spirit Realm is the ultimate dream of all cultivators in the lower realms, and Luo Ming is no exception.

Although he knew that the Linglong Demoness of Kunwu Mountain possessed information about spatial nodes, the place was fraught with danger, as evidenced by Han Li's ascension process. If he could obtain information about other, more reliable ascension methods, he would absolutely spare no expense to acquire them! This demonic soul had clearly struck at his weak point.

Seeing that Luo Ming had finally reacted, the blood-red-faced man's eyes flashed with crimson light, and he said in a deep voice, "Deep in the ocean beyond the Chaotic Stars, there is an abyss, bottomless and stretching for thousands of miles. Have you ever heard of it?"

"The Abyss?" Luo Ming frowned slightly. He did know that there was a famous "Abyss" near Qiyuan Island, and he had even explored it himself, but—

"Is the place you're referring to near Qiyuan Island? I've been there before, but as far as I know, it seems to be much less deep than you described."

"Hmph!" The blood-red face snorted coldly, with a hint of disdain.

"The place I'm talking about is right there! Your so-called 'having been there' probably only meant wandering around within a radius of tens of thousands of miles on the outermost edge!"

The true core of that abyss is a region less than ten thousand miles in circumference at its center, but its depth far exceeds your imagination! It's simply beyond the comprehension of someone at your level!

Luo Ming frowned even more: "How did you know the exact depth, senior? Furthermore, what is the connection between a sea abyss and ascension to the Spirit Realm?" He had indeed only explored the edge of the sea abyss and knew that it was fraught with danger. It was rumored that even Nascent Soul cultivators had not been able to explore the core area.

A hint of reminiscence appeared on the blood-red face: "My true form is a Blood Turtle with the Xuanwu bloodline! In terms of defense, even ordinary late-stage Nascent Soul cultivators might not be able to break through it! Back then—I was chased by an avatar of the Six Extremes Saint Ancestor and had no choice but to flee into the deepest part of the abyss. I managed to escape by relying on the terrifying water pressure at the bottom of the abyss."

Right there, I inadvertently discovered a relatively stable spatial rift passage! Although I didn't dare to delve deep, judging from the spatial law fluctuations transmitted from the other side of the rift, it was highly likely that the Spirit Realm lay on the other side!

Its crimson eyes were fixed on Luo Ming, its tone laced with seduction: "Boy, if you promise to spare me, stop refining my soul, and pledge to help me rebuild my physical body or find a suitable vessel to possess when I am strong enough, I will tell you the exact location of that spatial rift, how to enter it, and all the dangers to avoid! This is a shortcut directly to the Spirit Realm! It's a million times more reliable than your arduous cultivation in this realm, searching for that elusive ascension point!"

Luo Ming listened quietly, his face revealing little emotion. Only after the other party finished speaking did he smirk, revealing an undisguised cold smile: "Senior certainly knows how to fabricate stories. Unfortunately, I, Luo, have refined a wisp of your spirit and know some of your memories. In those memories, there seems to be no such earth-shattering discovery."

The blood-red face seemed to have expected this, and instead of panicking, it calmly said, "What you devoured was merely a wisp of my spirit that I split off to escape from my predicament back then. Its memories were incomplete, so it's perfectly normal that it didn't have this crucial information! Boy, I'm only doing this because of your remarkable potential. You've reached this level of dual cultivation of body and spirit before you're even two hundred years old. Even in the Spirit Realm, you would be considered a genius!"

That's why I'm willing to make this deal with you, and even harbor the thought of using your power to return to the Spirit Realm in the future! If you don't believe me and insist on refining me, then so be it! I've lingered on until now, and at worst my soul will be scattered, but you—you'll forever miss this potentially direct shortcut to the Spirit Realm!

Its words were half true and half false, carrying both provocation and temptation. It was certain that an ambitious and exceptionally talented cultivator like Luo Ming would never let go of any sliver of hope for ascension.

Luo Ming fell silent, his fingers unconsciously tapping lightly on his knees, his eyes deep, as if he were carefully weighing his options. The blood-red face didn't urge him either, simply waiting quietly, the two crimson lights flickering slightly, revealing a hint of tension.

However, Luo Ming's inner world was far from calm. He was having a rapid exchange with the Silver Moon in his sea of ​​consciousness.

"Silver Moon, you possess the Silver Moon Wolf Clan's innate Devouring Divine Power. Are you confident that you can devour and refine this demonic soul, and read its complete memories, without triggering a counterattack or self-destruction?" Luo Ming asked telepathically, his tone grave. Compared to the demonic soul's empty promises, he trusted the information he had complete control over more.

Yin Yue's cold voice carried a hint of helplessness and caution: "Brother Luo, you think too highly of me. Although this demon soul has been sealed for ten thousand years, it has recovered a lot in recent years, and its spiritual strength and essence are far beyond what I can compare to now."

Forcibly devouring it would most likely result in a backlash, unless—my primordial spirit's strength could be restored to a level close to yours now, then perhaps I could try. But even then, the risk would still be extremely high.

Luo Ming sighed inwardly, "As expected, it won't work."

He had absolutely no trust in this Nascent Soul, and even if the other party offered to let him place a restriction on it, he dared not agree.

The gap in their cultivation levels is too great. He knows too little about the methods of those above the Nascent Soul stage. Who knows if the other party has any secret techniques to break free from or counter the restrictions?

Just like a Core Formation stage cultivator, if a restriction is set in his soul, he has several ways to temporarily suppress it, or even break free from the restriction.

We'll subdue him when he advances to the Nascent Soul stage.

That would be hundreds of years from now. How could he dare leave such a time bomb sealed here forever? Now that the outer barrier has been broken, this place is no longer absolutely secret. What if it were discovered by other high-level cultivators or demons?

"The risk is too great and uncontrollable—" Luo Ming quickly rejected the option of trading with this demon in his mind.

Refine it, it must be completely refined!

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