CHAPTER 383: CHAPTERS 160-161 GREAT HARVEST (TWO-IN-ONE CHAPTER, REQUESTING MONTHLY TICKETS)_2

But when a Demon Evil was dragged into it, the power of the thunderbolts escalated significantly. With the aid of the panel, the thunderbolts generated by enhancing his Divine Heaven Golden Body normally posed no threat to him. However, when that Demon Evil and the Eternal Alliance Master became involved, the might of the thunderbolts soared drastically, utterly shattering his own equilibrium. Consequently, Shen Changqing spent the ensuing time entirely occupied with fending off the thunderbolts, which allowed the Eternal Alliance Master to escape. Otherwise, had he been able to fully wield the thunderbolts’ power, no one could have escaped.

From this incident, Shen Changqing also realized a problem: if he wanted to use the Divine Heaven Golden Body’s thunderbolts against his enemies, the inherent risks were considerable. As the power of the thunderbolts intensified, a single misstep could lead to his demise. Of course, he had now successfully broken through, and his gamble had paid off. But Shen Changqing resolved not to recklessly employ thunderbolts against his foes again; it was a double-edged sword, beneficial when used correctly but potentially self-harming otherwise.

His mind withdrew from the panel and entered his Sea of Consciousness.

「Within the Sea of Consciousness.」

A lotus flower hovered there. Above the lotus, the Golden Core was gone, replaced by a figure sitting cross-legged. This figure on the lotus looked identical to him, but its body was only about three inches tall, with eyes tightly closed, like a miniature version of himself.

Divine Soul!

Upon seeing the tiny figure, this realization surged through Shen Changqing’s mind.

When he had killed the first Demon Evil, the Spiritual Power it provided had instantly pushed his Spiritual System to its peak. Then, the second Demon Evil had allowed him to successfully nurture his Divine Soul. The final two Demon Evils had then nourished this newly born Divine Soul to the second phase.

With the Divine Soul at the second phase, although it’s somewhat inferior to the rank of my Flesh, its birth has compensated for my only weakness. Not only that, but after the Divine Soul came into being, I feel my control over my Flesh has also strengthened significantly; the two are becoming more in sync, Shen Changqing contemplated.

When his Divine Heaven Golden Body was upgraded, before his Divine Soul had formed, his strength had improved, but he always sensed an incomplete control over his Flesh. Previously, he hadn’t understood this phenomenon. However, after the birth of his Divine Soul, everything became clear. The misalignment and lack of control were simply because his Flesh was too strong while his Divine Soul couldn’t keep pace, preventing him from fully commanding his Flesh. Now, with the Divine Soul having formed and reached the second phase all at once, his Spiritual Power had significantly increased. Therefore, his control over his Flesh also became much more harmonious.

Regarding this, Shen Changqing gained new insight into the path of a Great Grandmaster. A Martial Artist’s Flesh and Divine Soul complemented each other; if one was too strong while the other was too weak, it created an imbalance. If the Divine Soul was too powerful and the Flesh could not restrain it, the Flesh might be pushed beyond its limits, leading to the Divine Soul detaching. Conversely, if the Flesh was too strong and the Divine Soul too weak, one could not perfectly control the Flesh’s power, and strength could diminish instead of increasing. The path of a Great Grandmaster was to ensure both Divine Soul and Flesh progressed in tandem. Only when the two were complementary, with no great disparity between them, could one perfectly unleash their inherent power. If this balance was lost, their strength would decline.

For instance, his current sixth-phase Divine Heaven Golden Body was at the limit of what his second-phase Divine Soul could control. Unless his Divine Soul broke through further, if his Divine Heaven Golden Body advanced to the seventh phase, although his Flesh’s defense would strengthen greatly, the overall power he could exert might actually decline.

Next, my Divine Soul needs to break through to the third phase before the Divine Heaven Golden Body can be upgraded further, Shen Changqing thought. However, even setting that aside, advancing the Divine Heaven Golden Body to the seventh phase will also be quite costly!

He had originally thought that the cost for each phase of the Divine Heaven Golden Body was three hundred Slaughter Value. Only when upgrading it did he discover that, starting from the fourth phase, the cost increased from three hundred to five hundred. Clearly, the cost progression for this Martial Art was completely different from Martial Arts below the Great Grandmaster level. Every three phases marked a metamorphosis, so the cost would increase accordingly. Now that his Divine Heaven Golden Body was at the sixth phase, the Slaughter Value required to break through to the next would not be a mere five hundred.

Considering that a mid-level Demon Evil only provided about four hundred Slaughter Value, Shen Changqing couldn’t help but shake his head.

It’s a long and arduous journey ahead!

Although the high cost was a drawback, it was still acceptable for him at his current stage. After all, a higher cost also meant enhanced strength, which would make slaying Demon Evils easier in the future.

Low-level Demon Evils provide around one to two hundred Slaughter Value. Those four mid-level Demon Evils yielded an average of about four hundred each. So, a high-level Demon Evil should provide at least eight hundred! Eight hundred points, he roughly estimated, would probably be enough to upgrade the Divine Heaven Golden Body by one phase. The cost increase from three hundred to five hundred wasn’t even double the base. Speculating generously, if the cost to advance from the sixth to the seventh phase doubled the current five-hundred-point requirement, that would only be a thousand points.