Divine Transcendence

At the top of the ruins, Yuan Ming savored the recent sensation, his eyes filled with excitement.

With the aid of wish power, he had directly broken through to the fifth level of the Death Moon method.

Reaching the fifth level of the Death Moon method, Yuan Ming felt he had entered a whole new realm. Not only had his soul power significantly increased, but the most crucial aspect was that after stepping into this realm, his soul power would circulate according to the Death Moon method without any deliberate effort, constantly enhancing itself.

In other words, at this stage, soul cultivators were almost always getting stronger, with the only limitation being the bottleneck when breaking through minor realms.

For ordinary soul cultivators, this was undoubtedly the strongest enhancement that could completely leave other cultivators, like those who practiced magic or physical cultivation, far behind.

But for Yuan Ming, this speed of strength growth was nowhere near as fast as actively refining wish power, so it was only marginally better than nothing.

In fact, for ordinary soul cultivators, breaking through to this realm was extremely difficult. Even with excellent aptitude, it required a lot of time and effort, plus some fortuitous opportunities to break through.

However, with the assistance of wish power, Yuan Ming's cultivation speed was nearly a hundred times faster, and the bottleneck between the fourth and fifth levels was also broken through with the wish power generated by the gratitude of hundreds of cultivators in the mine.

The importance of wish power to Yuan Ming was self-evident. While excited, he also secretly decided to find more ways to increase the acquisition of wish power in the future.

After breaking through the fifth level, several of Yuan Ming's abilities had also improved in ways different from before.

First was the number of soul crows. This time, the number of soul crows increased by four, reaching a total of twelve, and their travel distance increased to sixty miles.

Correspondingly, the distance his split soul could move also greatly increased. Although Yuan Ming couldn't test it on the spot due to special circumstances, he estimated it should be over three hundred miles.

Unfortunately, the split soul was relatively independent, and the improvement of Yuan Ming's main soul did not benefit the split soul.

Among the remaining abilities, "Soul Search" had the most significant improvement, with the speed of probing memories increasing several times. Previously, it took at least ten days to half a month to search all the memories of a cultivator, but now it only took one or two days.

The power of "Soul Collision" and "Crow Cry" had also doubled.

The power of "Soul Feeding" had increased significantly, and it could now absorb the souls of some weak living beings, in addition to the remnant souls of the dead.

As for the "Corpse Control" ability, there was no significant change; each soul crow could still only control one corpse, but the control was more adept than before.

Besides these existing abilities, Yuan Ming also awakened a new ability called "Emotion Control" with this breakthrough.

It could control various emotions in people's hearts, such as sadness, fear, anger, joy, jealousy, etc., and could amplify or suppress them, making people extremely calm or frenzied, even mad.

The "Emotion Control" ability, like illusions, could be performed through spiritual consciousness, and could also be triggered by the crow's cry.

However, the effect and duration of "Emotion Control" would vary depending on the strength of the person's soul and mental state.

After understanding the effect of this ability, Yuan Ming immediately thought of many clever uses. Unfortunately, there were too many people around at the moment, so he couldn't research and try it publicly. He had to temporarily set aside his expectations, walk down the ruins, and come before Xu Che and the others.

"Thank you, Daoist Yuan, for your help."

Seeing Yuan Ming come down, Xu Che and the others all cupped their hands in thanks, looking somewhat reserved.

Yuan Ming waved his hand and smiled, "No need to be so polite, fellow Daoists. What are your plans now?"

"I should return to Black Desert City. It's the territory of the Black Desert Alliance, and the Returning to Origin Sect can't reach there. If you happen to pass by in the future, you can find me at the Qianlong Inn in the city," She Yu said.

"Alright, but Daoist She, you don't need to worry about the Returning to Origin Sect seeking revenge. They've secretly captured so many fellow Daoists, and now that the news will spread, their days in the Black Wind Desert will be tough," Yuan Ming said.

"That's true. I'm also planning to spread the news. If I can get several major forces to join forces and pressure the Returning to Origin Sect to shrink their territory, that would be the best outcome," She Yu said with a smile.

Yuan Ming nodded and turned to Feng Ling, "Daoist Feng, are you planning to return to Qin Country? That's the base of the Returning to Origin Sect, so you must be careful."

"Thank you for the reminder, Daoist. But I have sworn to Juan'er that I will bring Chen Shang's corpse to her grave to comfort her spirit," Feng Ling said through gritted teeth.

Yuan Ming sighed and didn't persuade him further. He then turned to Xu Che, but before he could speak, Xu Che cupped his hands and said, "Young Master Yuan, may I follow you like Daoist Zuo?"

"I remember you still have unresolved grudges in Zhao Country, right? Now that you're free, don't you want to go back for revenge? Why do you want to follow me?" Yuan Ming asked, surprised.

Xu Che shook his head, "To be honest, my uncles have already allied with a Golden Elixir cultivator from the Wulei Sect to seize the family property. With my strength, I can't fight them. I've been wasting my time in the Black Wind Desert for years without any growth, and the chance for revenge is becoming slimmer. Young Master Yuan, you have the power to defeat a Golden Elixir cultivator. Following you might allow me to learn more than if I were wandering alone."

"But why should I help you?" Yuan Ming asked.

"Daoist Zuo said you are willing to give your followers the key to open their cages. I don't need you to take action personally, just give me the opportunity for revenge," Xu Che said, bowing his head like a believer praying to his god.

Yuan Ming looked at Xu Che, as if seeing his former self, "If you gain power and face your enemy, and find that his actions have a universally accepted justification, what would you do?"

Xu Che had heard of Yuan Ming's deeds and knew how to answer to meet Yuan Ming's expectations, but he still hesitated. After a moment, he straightened up and said, "I might forgive him, or continue to hate him, even kill him. But no matter what, it will be my own choice. I won't give up my right and freedom to please anyone."

Yuan Ming smiled. He felt a strong wish power rising from Xu Che, continuously flowing to the incense burner mark on his arm.

The faith of mortals comes from awe and worship, while the faith of cultivators comes from recognition.

For cultivators, the difference between them and gods lies only in the level of cultivation. Therefore, what truly attracts their worship and following is the ideology proposed by the "god."

They are not followers of the god but companions and fellow travelers. They bow not to the god's power but to the god's thoughts and will.

Through his reflection and answer, Xu Che had fully understood Yuan Ming's interpretation of freedom at that moment and genuinely agreed with his ideas.

Thus, he became Yuan Ming's first cultivator follower, a fellow traveler on Yuan Ming's path to freedom. In the future, he might become an object of admiration for others, gaining their gratitude and faith. The wish power generated would trace back to Yuan Ming.

Yuan Ming looked at Xu Che, patted his shoulder, and agreed to his request with a smile. Xu Che didn't act overly grateful, just nodded and silently moved to stand behind Yuan Ming, like Zuo Qinghui.

She Yu and Feng Ling watched this scene with different expressions. At this moment, Wu Lu, who had almost disappeared during the battle, suddenly appeared and came to Yuan Ming with a grin.

"Brother Yuan, long time no see."

"You rascal, where have you been? Why did you disappear for so long?" Yuan Ming complained helplessly.

"Forgive me, Brother Yuan. I had no choice," Wu Lu said, glancing at the others.

Seeing this, She Yu seemed a bit displeased, but Feng Ling didn't care and left after saying a word to Yuan Ming. She Yu also cupped his hands to Yuan Ming and left together.

Behind Yuan Ming, Xu Che understood that Wu Lu wanted to talk to Yuan Ming alone, so he volunteered to check on the mortal mine slaves in the mine with Zuo Qinghui and left.

Wu Lu took Yuan Ming to a secluded place, cast a soundproof spell, and said, "Brother Yuan, I won't hide it from you anymore. Actually, I've been secretly serving a cultivation family."

Yuan Ming feigned surprise, "Is that so? But I remember you were once a member of Dawn. They say Dawn's origins are mysterious. Could it be your family that founded it?"

"Brother Yuan, you're overthinking. Although many in my family have connections with Dawn, they are not the founders. As far as I know, although Dawn is a rogue alliance, many of its controllers come from major sects. But no one has ever figured out who the real leader is," Wu Lu shook his head.

"My family is somewhat similar to Dawn. Although it's a Central Plains family, it includes people from the Southern Border, Western Region, Northern Wastes, and even the half-demons from the Eastern Sea. There are twelve Golden Elixir elders in the family, each responsible for different regional tasks. Although they are rogue cultivators, they have extensive connections. Elder Niu Mian, who oversees Zhao Country, has a close relationship with Elder Hai stationed here. Brother Yuan, you killed him this time, so be careful in the future."

Listening to Wu Lu's explanation, Yuan Ming frowned and asked, "Brother Wu Lu, you are so candid. Are you in trouble?"

Wu Lu was silent for a moment and sighed, "Brother Yuan, do you know how many infiltration missions I've undertaken in the family over the years?"

Before Yuan Ming could speak, Wu Lu raised his hands and said, "Thirteen times, in thirteen sects. Each time, I started as a low-level disciple. The shortest infiltration lasted two years, the longest seven years. Since I entered the Foundation Establishment stage, I've spent fifty years in infiltration, with almost no day of freedom."

...

Friendly recommendation: The new work by author Chang Feng, "Princess, Please Behave!"

Agent Luo Xing accidentally travels through time and becomes a secret agent "Fox Seventeen" in the Southern Yamen of the Great Zhou Dynasty. His former subordinate, Princess Ye Liuli, has become a martial arts prodigy and one of the four beauties of Luojing.

One is in the court, the other in the rivers and lakes.

Ten years later, fate brings them together again. In the treacherous court and the era of martial competition, who is the mastermind behind it all, and who will stand at the pinnacle of martial arts and become the ultimate winner?

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