I've become the emperor of humanity, and only now is spiritual energy reviving?

What are the characteristics of the other fragments?

[Unknown.]

Where might the fragments appear?

[Unknown.]

"How many fragments are there in total?"

[Unknown.]

"……hehe."

Perhaps because only a fragment remains, I can no longer remember whether my original form was a knife, a sword, or a spear, what my origins were, or why I ended up in this coffin with this demonic cultivator's corpse.

All I retain are fragmented memories, and my name should include the character "霄" (Xiao).

An Sheng, amused and exasperated, communicated with Xiao in her mind: "You know nothing about this, how am I supposed to help you collect hero fragments and summon him again?"

No need to look for it.

Xiao reappeared, the fingertip-sized fragment hovering directly above the crystal coffin: [As long as An Sheng, you come within a certain range of my fragment, I will sense it.]

We will inform you when the time comes.

Furthermore, the stronger your divine soul, the wider the range of my perception will be, as it is bound to your divine soul.

Xiao said, "Therefore, the stronger you become, the easier it will be for me to retrieve the fragments."

This is what mutual benefit and shared interests truly mean.

An Sheng didn't ask any more questions.

He followed Xiao's instructions, enduring the chilling sensation spreading to every inch of his body, and used his true qi to cover his hands and lift the skeleton inside the coffin, allowing the skull to protrude slightly from the coffin.

The skeleton was entirely black like jade, brand new and clean, showing no signs of age.

The restoration of heaven and earth is imminent; the shackles will be broken, and the pace of recovery will be faster than ever before.

The light descended upon the skull of the corpse, and crimson spiritual light gradually spread, enveloping the remains.

[An Sheng, even I have to admit that your ability to achieve this before your recovery is truly remarkable, putting you far ahead of others.]

But that's not enough.

An Sheng: "Xiao, what are your thoughts?"

Xiao then answered, his tone unconsciously carrying a hint of arrogance.

It felt quite proud that it could get a once-powerful being, whose words could be followed by law, to seek its guidance.

[I observe that you possess abundant qi and blood, and your strength is inexhaustible, yet your spiritual energy is almost nonexistent, and you don't even show any spiritual roots. I presume you cultivate martial arts and have never been exposed to the path of immortality.]

The path to immortality is desirable, but the resources required for cultivation are numerous, and one cannot lack Dharma partners, wealth, or suitable land; moreover, it takes a long time.

Therefore, choosing the path of martial arts in the Land of Desolation is not entirely incomprehensible.

Xiao sighed, "An Sheng, you must have spent a lot of time and effort to get to where you are today in this environment."

An Sheng nodded in agreement: "That's right. I spent three or four days working almost non-stop and went through several life-and-death battles to achieve my current strength."

Xiao: [...]

real or fake?

The path of spiritual cultivation cannot be measured or calculated using the concept of "heaven".

This child's talent is beyond description; even "extraordinarily brilliant" wouldn't be enough.

—Perhaps An Sheng was lying to me, or perhaps she was just stating the facts.

Both are possible; that's the answer.

"It's alright... let me try and see if what you're saying is true or false."

【quiet!】

Xiao's voice reverberated, and its crimson aura finally enveloped the black corpse completely.

[0 days, 0 hours, 0 minutes, 0 seconds remaining until the first surge of spiritual energy!]

At the same time, thunder rumbled outside the bunker, echoing between heaven and earth.

Above the dark sky and clouds, winding galaxies still shine brightly, radiating a brilliance that has remained unchanged for tens of millions of years.

A thin yet boundless surge of spiritual energy has silently emerged throughout the entire Aotai Line, the entire Terra, and even the entire boundless Milky Way.

It raised its voice.

Now, let me take advantage of the power of the stars' rotation during the time of the world's revival to refine the pure spiritual energy that has accumulated within these bones for millions of years, helping you to awaken your spiritual energy and become a true "Qi Refiner" in one fell swoop!

If you can truly achieve simultaneous cultivation of immortality and martial arts tonight, then for a short time, there will be no one in this world who can rival you!

"If that's the case, then what are we waiting for?"

An Sheng crossed his legs, assumed a lotus position, and laughed loudly, "Xiao, let me see if you're as useful as you claim!"

Xiao did not reply.

An Sheng was met with a surge of crimson spiritual light behind him, earth-shattering thunder on the ground, and a massive vortex of spiritual energy that appeared out of nowhere above the bunker.

Far more exaggerated celestial phenomena than those in other places are raging across the skies above the Aotai Line.

Rumble!

The next moment, An Sheng could feel a surge of energy, completely different from true qi and blood, yet as hot as molten lava, flowing into his body from behind and then rapidly spreading through his meridians to his limbs and bones.

Immediately afterwards, they all flowed into his dantian—directly below the location where the primordial qi was born.

Strands of spiritual energy surged in, circulating in circles within An Sheng's meridians, bringing pain far greater than being engulfed in flames.

Despite the immense pain, An Sheng could feel his body desperately consuming and craving far more spiritual energy.

Not enough, far from enough!

More, give me more!

As time passed, the entire dark skeleton disappeared.

All that remained was that pure crimson spiritual energy that had split in two and was devoured by An Sheng and Xiao respectively.

A violent surge of spiritual energy raged through the sacrificial hall, further devastating the already chaotic altar.

In countless swirling cycles, An Sheng's body finally adapted to the arrival of spiritual energy. The crimson spiritual energy merged with the true qi and circulated through his blood.

Finally, the lower dantian suddenly "exploded," as if a place of light had been created in the darkness.

A moment later, three slender roots of different colors—red, purple, and gold—appeared and grew in the lower dantian, absorbing all the excess spiritual energy and strengthening itself in a balanced way.

In this way, the spiritual awakening is considered successful.

In the blink of an eye, these three spiritual roots grew from being almost invisible to the naked eye to being about the thickness of a little finger.

Then they released their surging spiritual power, allowing it to flow through their hands, feet, and four corners of the body, forming a complete cycle and completing the endless circulation of spiritual power within An Sheng's body.

In just a few breaths, An Sheng easily crossed the hurdle from Spirit Opening to Qi Refining, a hurdle that had hindered countless mediocre individuals, with his eyes closed.

[So that's how it is...]

Xiao watched the scene silently, the fragments trembling slightly.

You could see that An Sheng took a deep breath.

Just like the siphon effect of a whale swallowing its prey, it not only completely drained the remaining spiritual energy from the entire bunker, but also completely eliminated the spiritual energy within a radius of several hundred meters.

Then, he suddenly opened his eyes.

In the void, it seemed as if a tangible crimson lightning bolt silently exploded.