Chapter 1971: Earth Sword Soul
After learning some information about the Eastern Domain from Mo Yin, Zhang Ruochen connected her into the Qiankun Realm.
From the battles at the Sword Grave and the Immortal Mechanism Mountain, he had collected hundreds of thousands of Hell Realm cultivators' corpses, most of which belonged to Saints or even Saint Kings. If Mo Yin could devour and absorb them all, her cultivation and strength would surely skyrocket.
Unlike ordinary cultivators, the Devouring Saint Flower could continuously improve her cultivation and strength as long as she had sufficient nourishment, with almost no bottlenecks.
Zhang Ruochen was very eager to see what level Mo Yin's strength could reach after refining those Hell Realm cultivators' corpses.
Mo Yin was his source plant, a part of his own strength, so naturally, he hoped she would become as strong as possible.
Now that Mo Yin had left the Xuan Gu Mine Vein, Xie Chengzi had taken over there, continuing to mine various ores, and might even unearth a few more Divine Stones.
After arranging everything, Zhang Ruochen followed Ling Feiyu back into the hidden cave dwelling.
"Activating the Life-Death Bronze Furnace requires a considerable cost, so you only have ten days. Make good use of them."
Before entering the Life-Death Bronze Furnace, Ling Feiyu instructed him seriously.
Zhang Ruochen nodded lightly, then leaped into the Life-Death Bronze Furnace, showing no concern that Ling Feiyu might harm him.
The Life-Death Bronze Furnace was quite large, and its interior space was by no means cramped. Even if dozens of people entered to cultivate at the same time, it would be perfectly fine.
However, doing so would greatly diminish the cultivation effect.
Zhang Ruochen descended to the bottom of the Life-Death Bronze Furnace and sat down cross-legged.
At last, he saw the Moon Soul Pearl, the supreme treasure of the Moon Worship Demon Sect. It was a strange divine pearl the size of a fist, emitting a soft radiance like a small moon.
"The treasure left by the Moon God is indeed extraordinary. No wonder the Azure Dragon wanted to seize it." Zhang Ruochen couldn't help but admire.
The fact that the Moon Worship Demon Sect possessed the Moon Soul Pearl was known to very few, even within the Kunlun Realm. It was unclear how the Azure Dragon had learned of it.
Outside the Life-Death Bronze Furnace, Ling Feiyu formed a strange hand seal, and the furnace immediately began to operate.
Lines of Supreme Inscription Runes emerged, generating a cyan radiance that completely enveloped the Life-Death Bronze Furnace. No one could forcibly open it until the ten days were up.
After gazing at the furnace for a moment, Ling Feiyu turned and withdrew from the hidden cave dwelling.
Although the Azure Dragon had been driven back by Zhang Ruochen, it didn't mean the Moon Worship Demon Sect was out of danger. On the contrary, this was a critical period, and she needed to personally oversee things to guard against any further problems.
From start to finish, she had never considered placing all her hopes on the father of the Divine Demon Rat.
Undeniably, the father of the Divine Demon Rat was very strong, but why disturb him if she could handle matters herself? There was no need to expose the Moon Worship Demon Sect's trump card so early.
Inside the Life-Death Bronze Furnace, streaks of flames appeared, coiling toward Zhang Ruochen.
"Let me see what's so special about the flames released by the Life-Death Bronze Furnace."
Zhang Ruochen murmured, then began to circulate the *Nine Heavens Bright Emperor Scripture*, actively drawing the flames into his body.
According to Ling Feiyu, when cultivating inside the Life-Death Bronze Furnace, one should first absorb the flames to temper the physical body and Saint Soul, then draw in the cool energy emitted by the Moon Soul Pearl to nourish them. The combination of hardness and softness yielded the best results.
If one only absorbed the flames, not only would the cultivation effect be greatly reduced, but the body would also be unable to withstand it, and there was a risk of being burned to ashes.
As the flames entered his body, they were initially gentle, making his whole body feel warm.
But as time passed, Zhang Ruochen felt a burning sensation. His body seemed to turn into a great furnace, and the skin all over his body became fiery red.
However, he didn't rush to absorb the cool energy from the Moon Soul Pearl. Instead, he drew even more flames into his body.
Zhang Ruochen possessed the Purifying Divine Flame at the level of a Divine Fire within him and had also fused with the Blazing God Leg, giving him an extremely high immunity to flames.
Since he was cultivating, he naturally had to push himself to the limit of what his body could endure to achieve the best results.
Only when his entire body was ablaze with raging flames and his form was on the verge of melting did Zhang Ruochen stop absorbing the flames. He maintained this state for several hours until he felt he had reached his absolute limit, then he released the flames from his body.
Next, Zhang Ruochen continued to circulate the *Nine Heavens Bright Emperor Scripture*, turning to absorb the power of the Moon Soul Pearl.
The combination of hardness and softness was the way to forge the strongest physique.
"Whoosh."
Zhang Ruochen exhaled a deep breath of turbid air, a sharp glint flashing in his eyes.
"The Life-Death Bronze Furnace combined with the Moon Soul Pearl is truly remarkable. My physical body has already reached the peak below the Great Saint realm, yet it can still be strengthened and improved. My Saint Soul and Spiritual Power are also slowly growing. I really must cherish this cultivation opportunity." Zhang Ruochen thought to himself.
Immediately, he manifested all six of his Saint Souls, preparing to make the most of the Life-Death Bronze Furnace and the Moon Soul Pearl for cultivation.
He took out both the *Space-Time Secret Scripture* and the beast hide given to him by Ling Feiyu, two things he intended to focus on comprehending.
The *Space-Time Secret Scripture* had absorbed a surge of divine power left by Xumi Saint Monk in the void space of the Immortal Mechanism Mountain, containing a vast amount of Time Rules and Space Rules. If he could fully comprehend it, it would greatly enhance his mastery of the Way of Time and the Way of Space.
The beast hide given by Ling Feiyu recorded the insights and experiences of the first four layers of Sword Ten, which was also of great significance to him.
He couldn't take this beast hide with him, so he had to seize the time to comprehend it and return it to Ling Feiyu when he left seclusion.
Immersed in a state of cultivation, time flew by without him noticing.
At a certain moment, the Life-Death Bronze Furnace stopped operating. No more flames were released, and everything returned to calm.
Zhang Ruochen opened his eyes and withdrew all six Saint Souls into his body.
After a hundred days of seclusion, his cultivation hadn't improved much, but his gains in other areas were enormous.
"Bang."
The Life-Death Bronze Furnace opened.
Without hesitation, Zhang Ruochen stood up and flashed out.
As soon as he emerged, Ling Feiyu came into view.
Smiling slightly, Zhang Ruochen walked up to Ling Feiyu, holding the beast hide that recorded the insights of the first two layers of Sword Ten, and said, "Returning it to its rightful owner."
Ling Feiyu took the beast hide and asked, "How was your comprehension?"
"Sword Ten is profound and unfathomable. In such a short time, I naturally couldn't fully comprehend it, but I've at least gained some clues." Zhang Ruochen said with a smile.
Ling Feiyu said, "Your Sword Soul is strong enough. Comprehending Sword Ten should yield twice the results with half the effort."
"Perhaps we could spar. The Sword Dao needs to be verified through battle." Zhang Ruochen said with great interest.
Now, he had finally caught up with Ling Feiyu in the Sword Dao and was qualified to truly spar and discuss it with her.
Immediately, the two left the hidden cave dwelling.
On Saint Water Peak, by a snow-covered lake.
Zhang Ruochen and Ling Feiyu stood side by side. On the lake surface, two figures were practicing sword techniques. The moves they used were very ordinary, yet incredibly profound, incomprehensible to ordinary people.
The mountains, water, and people were perfectly integrated, forming a seamless whole, like a beautiful landscape painting—ethereal and transcendent.
Those two figures were identical to Zhang Ruochen and Ling Feiyu, vividly displaying their respective understandings of Sword One through Sword Nine.
The Sword Dao was vast and profound. Even when cultivating the same texts, the insights gained would still differ.
It was precisely this difference that led different people to achieve varying levels of success in the Sword Dao.
Zhang Ruochen and Ling Feiyu were arguably the highest achievers in the Sword Dao within the Kunlun Realm at this stage. If anyone could witness them practicing the Sword Dao, they would surely benefit greatly.
After a long time, the two figures practicing on the lake vanished without a trace, leaving only the Abyssal Ancient Sword and the Sky-Burying Sword floating on the water, emitting sword light.
Zhang Ruochen and Ling Feiyu simultaneously reached out a hand and recalled the Abyssal Ancient Sword and the Sky-Burying Sword.
"I didn't expect your Sword Soul to have undergone a qualitative transformation, reaching the level of an Earth Sword Soul. This is a realm that many Sword Dao Great Saints have never achieved." Ling Feiyu said in great surprise.
Legend had it that the Sword Soul was divided into three levels: Human Sword Soul, Earth Sword Soul, and Heaven Sword Soul.
Generally, those who cultivated Sword Nine to a certain level could condense a Sword Intent Soul, which was the Human Sword Soul.
One needed to temper the Sword Soul through various means, continuously strengthening it until quantitative change led to qualitative change, thus cultivating the Earth Sword Soul.
Comparatively, the difficulty of cultivating an Earth Sword Soul was even greater than cultivating a High-rank Sacred Art at the Saint King realm or becoming a Formation Earth Master.
"It should be because I used seventy bottles of Merit Cleansing Sword Marrow." Zhang Ruochen said with a smile.
Ling Feiyu shook her head, however, and said, "No, it's not just because of the Merit Cleansing Sword Marrow. If relying on Merit Cleansing Sword Marrow alone could transform a Human Sword Soul into an Earth Sword Soul, many people would have succeeded long ago. There must be a deeper reason."
Hearing this, Zhang Ruochen began to ponder.
If the key factor wasn't the Merit Cleansing Sword Marrow, then the most likely possibility was related to the Sword Grave.
Previously, while in seclusion inside the Sword Grave, he had vaguely absorbed some special power from within it. Perhaps that was why his Sword Soul had undergone some peculiar changes without him realizing it.
But regardless, this was a good thing for him.
With the Sword Intent Soul transformed into an Earth Sword Soul, the power of his sword techniques would undoubtedly double.
Coupled with his significant improvement in the Way of Time, if he were to fight the Azure Dragon again and use the Time Sword Art, he should be able to pose a greater threat to him.
Just as he was thinking, a Message Light Talisman flew in from beyond the heavens.
Zhang Ruochen reached out and caught the talisman. Upon looking, it was sent by the Azure Dragon.
"The Azure Dragon is really eager. The half-month deadline hasn't even arrived yet, and he's already anxious to exchange the Five Elements Divine Objects for Ruan Ling." Zhang Ruochen said with a light laugh.
Since the Azure Dragon wanted to make the exchange early, he naturally had no objections. The sooner the treasures were in hand, the better.
"Do you need me to accompany you?" Ling Feiyu asked.
Zhang Ruochen said, "No need. Just wait at Wuding Mountain for my good news."
With that, Zhang Ruochen performed a Space Displacement and vanished from the spot.
At the foot of Wuding Mountain, ripples spread through the space, and Zhang Ruochen's figure appeared out of thin air.
A moment later, a black shadow emerged from the ground, appearing beside Zhang Ruochen. Who else could it be but the Divine Demon Rat?
"Master Chen, what do you need me to do?" the rat asked with a lecherous grin.
Zhang Ruochen said in a low voice, "I'm going to the Merit Branch Station now to trade with the Azure Dragon. After the transaction is complete, you will do this..."
Hearing this, the Divine Demon Rat's mung-bean-sized eyes immediately lit up. A look of excitement spread across his face, and he chuckled, "Understood. This is my specialty. Master Chen, just leave it to me!"