Chapter 516: Soul Transformation

Within the Bodhisattva Ancient Tree Space.

The Heavenly Flame emitted a terrifying heat as it surged in front of Xiao Ming. Even though the Bodhisattva Ancient Tree had strengthened the space, there were signs that it was melting.

As the primary subject of the refinement, even the evil tree spirit began to tremble and show signs of melting.

The Bodhisattva Ancient Tree emitted waves of clear air as it melted. Instead of dispersing, the clear air condensed and floated towards the evil tree spirit, speeding up its purification.

Half a month passed.

The evil tree spirit had been purified to a great extent. Its original form was brimming with clear air, and the hidden resentment, like a deep-seated infection, had already been dissolved by it.

The evil tree spirit had also transformed from its previous tree-like form, which closely resembled the Bodhisattva Ancient Tree, into a green, radiant, crystalline sphere about a dozen meters in diameter. Dazzling light poured from it.

Xiao Ming was completely enveloped in this light. A warm sensation rose from the depths of his soul. He felt as if he could hear the almost greedy cries of his soul.

"This is the soul power transformed by the tree spirit..."

Xiao Ming murmured to himself. The tree spirit of the Bodhisattva Ancient Tree was indeed similar to a human soul.

Of course, he wasn't a sheltered individual who had never experienced the outside world. During the time he had destroyed the branch halls of the Hall of Souls, he had also obtained some of the clusters of soul essence they had gathered. However, compared to the sphere of light in front of him now, it was like comparing a novice to a grandmaster. The purity of the latter far surpassed that of the soul essence from the Hall of Souls.

Moreover, this sphere of light had an indescribable and mysterious effect. It was something that a mere soul essence couldn't bring about on its own.

Qing Lin and Zi Yan were also enveloped by the sphere of light and felt the irresistible pull emanating from their souls. They were both in agreement that Xiao Ming's earlier decision had been the right one.

If the person sitting in front of them wasn't Xiao Ming, they wouldn't have been able to resist the urge to snatch it for themselves.

The Bodhisattva Ancient Tree swayed its branches at that moment, the lush canopy rustling with evident joy.

Soon after, the branches of the Bodhisattva Ancient Tree gently touched the green sphere of light in front of Xiao Ming, splitting it into two parts.

One part was absorbed by the Bodhisattva Ancient Tree itself, instantly increasing its enormous size by another nine meters and enriching the clear air it emitted.

The other part was gently flicked by the branches of the tree. The crystalline sphere slowly drifted down. Its radiant glow continued to spread, resembling a warm sun.

Xiao Ming gazed at the floating crystalline sphere in front of him. The extraordinary soul power it contained filled his eyes with fiery enthusiasm.

"Thank you, Senior!"

Taking a deep breath, Xiao Ming stood up and bowed respectfully to the Bodhisattva Ancient Tree.

This thing was also a great supplement to the ancient tree, yet it gave up half of it. This showed the generous nature of the ancient tree.

Although it was part of their prior agreement, such a rare level of integrity was remarkable in a cutthroat world like the Dou Qi Continent, where the strong preyed on the weak. Perhaps its low intelligence played a part in this.

Regardless of the reason, Xiao Ming had certainly gained a tremendous advantage.

He didn't hesitate after paying his respects. He took a step forward and walked right into the sphere of light. The shimmering light engulfed his entire body in an instant.

...

Just as he entered, and before he could react, a strange and vast soul power surged like a tidal wave, and Xiao Ming found himself in the middle of a green ocean.

This place was an endless expanse of ocean with no end in sight, with turbulent waves crashing into each other. Faint roaring sounds similar to the howling of souls seemed to echo throughout.

Although the sphere of light provided by the Bodhisattva Ancient Tree was only half, it contained a world of its own. It was no wonder that even a Dou God would try to seize the Bodhisattva Ancient Tree's tree spirit.

If even the slightest hint of this were to become known, it would most likely cause the powerful figures of the entire continent to go mad. After all, as long as they could refine this soul power, their souls would inevitably reach a truly terrifying level!

While immersed in this extraordinary environment, Xiao Ming couldn't resist reaching out and grabbing a handful of the 'seawater'. The rich soul power immediately appeared in his palm, then quickly vanished under his astonished gaze. It didn't vanish into thin air, but entered his body and became nourishment to strengthen his soul.

"Hehe, it seems that my breakthrough to the Emperor Realm has been secured this time!"

Xiao Ming chuckled and gradually steadied his mental state. He floated in the air and then slowly descended to the surface of the sea. His soul power quickly surged from his forehead. With a low growl, it transformed into a massive soul shadow hundreds of meters high, enveloping him as he sat cross-legged.

Roaring black flames began to erupt from this soul shadow. As time passed, the flames transformed it into a fiery figure, emitting an intense, searing heat that filled the surrounding space.

Rumble!

As the flames engulfed his soul shadow, the soul sea beneath Xiao Ming began to howl. A massive whirlpool formed beneath him, causing the seawater to ripple as if under a strong pull. Several hundred-meter-high massive water columns began to descend upon the soul shadow.

Hiss, hiss!

These soul water columns struck the soul shadow with great force as if they were substantial. However, when these soul water columns came into contact with the Heavenly Flame, they emitted a series of hissing sounds. Xiao Ming's enormous soul shadow was eventually covered by a thick mist that rose and eventually turned into a cloud of fog.

The soul power here could be absorbed directly into the body, but to consolidate it further, Xiao Ming decided to refine the soul power infused into him to its purest state. So he used the Heavenly Flame for a second round of tempering and refining.

This was not a difficult task for him.

Huge python-like soul water columns leaped from the surface of the vast sea below and poured down on the soul shadow sitting at the center of this world.

The massive soul shadow gradually began to emanate a glowing light as a vast, world-encompassing mist erupted. From a distance, it looked like a deity, a bridge between heaven and earth, radiating an overwhelming aura.

The efficiency of this refining process was astounding, enough to leave many in shock. As time passed, the soul sea surged with monstrous waves, causing constant rumbling in this world.

With Xiao Ming's almost whale-like refinement and absorption, the oppressive aura emanating from his soul became more and more terrifying. The surging soul power was gradually, yet steadily, approaching a legendary realm...