Chapter 281

Chapter 281: Found Li!

This time, Li Shuang was the only person in the Golden Soul Altar.

She chose to resume tempering at the third layer, the Thousand Mechanisms Hammer Array.

Last time she could not carry the test from start to finish, so it was not a perfect clear.

Li Shuang had a feeling.

If she wanted the Advanced Five Elements Crystal on the sixth layer, then every earlier layer where she had not achieved perfection had to be made perfect.

She would have to clear each earlier layer flawlessly.

Only then could she obtain the Advanced Five Elements Crystal.

Li Shuang set a timetable for herself.

The sect grand competition was coming soon.

She would keep training inside the Golden Soul Altar until there was only one month left.

That month, she would go to the Soul Prison to test her progress.

Then she would return seven days early in her true body to prepare for the sect competition.

Li Shuang packed her schedule full.

She quickly threw off all stray thoughts and began the trials of the third layer again.

A month passed.

Inside the Golden Soul Altar, Li Shuang trained with total focus.

Clearing all seven layers would grant a Single-User Five Elements Crystal. That was one of the Human Race’s highest secrets. Ember knew Li Shuang was inside the Golden Soul Altar, but no one else did.

For a while,

both the Human Race and the Devil Seeds were searching everywhere for Li.

But no matter what they tried, they could not find her trail.

The new Human Race genius seemed to have vanished without a trace.

Two months passed.

In the Heaven Severing Lands, the True Devils could not help speaking again.

A voice demanded: “Where is Li? Do any of you have news?”

Another answered: “No. Every Devil Seed under my control is already out, but there is still no sign of Li.”

A third voice frowned: “Something is wrong. Li has a Supreme Ice Spiritual Root. And Xuan Wei said her root has not fully merged with her soul. I command a Devil Seed with a very sharp sense of smell. If she truly bore the Supreme Ice Spiritual Root, my subordinate should have sensed it, unless she is not on the Central Continent.”

A skeptic shot back: “If not on the Central Continent, then where? What other continent could raise such a genius? Did Xuan Wei lie?”

Another voice answered flatly: “Impossible. Unless she wishes to die.”

A different guess came: “There is another chance. She may be inside a secret land. Its level could be so high that it blocks all sensing. We cannot leave in our true bodies. If we rely only on our Devil Seeds, we may find nothing.”

A cold snort followed: “Hmph. Can she hide in a secret land forever? Just wait. She will come out.”

A final voice hissed: “When she does, she will be on the road to death.”

Suddenly, at the center of the seven, a True Devil who had been silent finally spoke in a low, commanding tone: “Leave Li aside for now. How goes the Encircling Continents Plan?”

The other six straightened at once. They saluted the central True Devil, then gave their reports one after another.

One voice said with grim pride: “The cultivators of the Central Continent still do not know that ten years ago, Mother evolved. She can now plant Devil Seeds directly into the continents outside the Central Continent.”

Another called it what it was: “A brilliant step. The Central Continent’s cultivators have long known about Devil Seeds, so they carry some guard in their hearts. High-level cultivators even have Secret Arts that can detect Devil Seeds. Growing on the Central Continent is still more dangerous for us.”

A third explained: “It is different on the other continents.”

A fourth added: “The other four continents are not sensitive to Devil Seeds. Many people there do not even know we exist.”

A fifth concluded with satisfaction: “Once our Devil Seeds go there, it is like fish in water. Growth is very fast.”

A sixth ended the summary: “After these years of expansion, the plan is now about ready for the net to close.”

The central True Devil nodded, pleased: “Good. Then execute as soon as possible. I want those four continents to belong to the Devil Seeds.”

All six answered together: “Yes.”

Inside the Golden Soul Altar, Li Shuang kept honing her Spirit Refinement soul.

With each round of hammer blows, her soul became more and more condensed.

She even felt that although her Soul Realm still looked like the Divine Transformation Realm, even the soul pressure of a Void Refinement Realm might not shake her at all.

That was the benefit of a refined soul.

After eight months in the altar, Li Shuang finally achieved a perfect clear of the third layer.

Her soul could now withstand three days and three nights of heavy hammering without breaking.

This trial

was now perfect.

By now,

only one month remained before the sect grand competition.

Li Shuang glanced with reluctance at the fourth layer, then chose to leave the Golden Soul Altar.

She would have loved to train here until she reached perfection in all layers.

But the competition was close, and she had to return to take part.

With her current strength, at least among the younger generation,

she could take on everyone alone.

After she chose to leave the Golden Soul Altar,

the Wanfa Eye presented two options:

“1. Teleport directly back to Myriad Arts City.”

“2. Teleport to a place within the Soul Prison suited for a trialist to train.”

Li Shuang’s eyes brightened.

[Perfect.]

She had just been thinking about finding a place to test her current strength.

Now there was an option to go straight to a training ground made for her.

Wasn’t that a trial delivered to her door?

She did not plan to delay. She would verify her strength, then return to Myriad Arts City as soon as she could, and after that go back to the real world to prepare for the sect competition.

After the competition, she would return to the Golden Soul Altar to keep sharpening herself.

With that decided,

Li Shuang chose the second option.

A beam of light flashed, and her figure vanished from the Golden Soul Altar.

In the next instant,

she appeared in a region of the Soul Prison.

A fierce wind slashed at her like knives.

Her face stung.

Facing into the gale, she looked up and saw a huge canyon. Astral winds howled everywhere, and Soul Beasts roamed back and forth without rest.

After she paused in place for only a moment, the astral winds rushed in from all sides, as if to tear her apart.

The Soul Beasts also caught the scent of a human and surged toward her.

Li Shuang jumped in alarm: [So intense already? At least let me get ready.]

She scanned around quickly, then her eyes lit up.

There were many caves in the cliffs.

If she hid inside one, the astral winds could not get in.

Li Shuang picked a cave and was about to slip inside when surprise flashed in her eyes.

There was someone else here.

You Lan stepped out of a cave. She had a Wind Spiritual Root, so she moved in the astral winds like a fish in water. The Revolving Wheel in her hand spun without stopping, cutting down Soul Beasts one after another.

You Lan also saw Li Shuang, and she only nodded without speaking.

Since You Lan did not start a talk, Li Shuang also stayed quiet. She chose a nearby cave and carefully studied the surroundings.

In the Heaven Severing Lands, a voice suddenly split the air with a savage roar: “Found her. Found Li!”