Before long, Ling Feng spotted a sword lying on the ground. It shimmered with a sharp, clean light and was clearly a high-grade mystical artifact. He recognized it immediately. This was the personal sword of the Ju Feng Demon Emperor, the leader of the Purple Dragon Hall's expedition team. "Don't tell me... even Ju Feng Demon Emperor is dead?" Thɪs chapter is updated by 𝘯𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘭⚑𝓯𝓲𝓻𝓮⚑𝕟𝕖𝕥 Ling Feng shook his head. Losing someone of that level would be a serious blow to the Canglong Sanctum. As he moved forward, a familiar voice echoed in his mind. It was Despicable Donkey. "Ling Feng, this divine beast may have located the ancient soul." Ling Feng's expression brightened. According to Despicable Donkey, only by destroying that soul could he escape this place. "Too many questions. Just listen. The soul's aura is unstable." Despicable Donkey let out a strange laugh. "Now is the time to strike. Come with me!" Ling Feng nodded without hesitation. No wonder the donkey suddenly sounded so confident. The soul was weak. It made sense. If that ancient soul truly possessed strength beyond the great emperor realm, why rely on illusions? Why not reveal itself and wipe everyone out? As they pressed onward, Despicable Donkey muttered endlessly. Ling Feng didn't understand a word, but he kept following the directions. After several winding turns, they finally emerged from the cave. A barren plain stretched out before them. The air was still thick with crimson light. Silence blanketed the land. In the distance, ghostly shadows floated, their faint howls raising goosebumps. Despicable Donkey let out a chuckle. "Good thing this divine beast is sharp-witted, naturally gifted, incredibly intelligent, heaven-sent genius..." "Alright, spare me the bragging and get to the point," Ling Feng replied, clearly fed up with the donkey's ego. Grinning from ear to ear, Despicable Donkey explained, "This array is known as a Dissolution Array. It was originally designed to suppress and refine vicious spirits. But something has caused its function to reverse. Now it has become an Inverse Dissolution Array. It devours anyone who enters and uses their essence to nourish the ancient soul trapped inside." Ling Feng's expression darkened. "So that's what this is." After a brief pause, he asked, "What now?" "Step exactly where I tell you. Find the Life Gate of the array and you'll avoid triggering its backlash." As Despicable Donkey spoke, a stream of knowledge poured into Ling Feng's mind, carrying the meaning behind the donkey's earlier muttering. Ling Feng smiled. For all his arrogance, Despicable Donkey was dependable when it truly mattered. Under the donkey's rapid instructions, Ling Feng began moving with precision. His comprehension was abnormally sharp. Without it, memorizing the intricate footwork of the array might have taken days. Eventually, after nine steps following the Jinwu path, something shifted. It felt as though he had crossed an invisible threshold. The blood-soaked plain vanished. Endless darkness opened before him, swallowing the world in shadow. "You've reached the array's core," Despicable Donkey warned. "Every step from here must be exact. If you make a mistake and alert the soul, the array will activate and you'll die." Ling Feng nodded. Even without the warning, the pressure around him was already suffocating. He advanced slowly, each step measured with care. At last, his foot touched the final mark. A burst of light pierced the shadows. A towering pillar of blood-red light appeared ahead. It was not just a pillar. It was a mountain. At its peak stood a palace bathed in crimson light that stretched into the dark clouds above. Thunder rumbled across the sky, filling the air with a heavy sense of doom. Suspended in the air above the mountain were two figures, swords drawn, locked in deadly combat. One glowed red, the other blue. Their power divided the peak into two opposing realms. Ling Feng immediately recognized the figure within the red light. It was Shen Xiao, the man he had met by the riverside! If one was Shen Xiao, then the other must be Han You, the young lord of the Canglong Sanctum! Both had reached the peak of the king-tier realm. It was surprising to see them here. They should not have known about the Inverse Dissolution Array. How had they ended up in this place? Ling Feng didn't have an answer, and now was not the time to look for one. Their standoff made it clear they had fought each other many times before. Each move was familiar. The sheer force of their confrontation shook the heavens. Ling Feng was left in awe. Even if he activated his Chaotic True Form, he doubted he could last more than three moves against either of them! Only the Asura's Eye could give him a fighting chance. But if he truly wanted to win, he would need to use Chaotic Rebirth. The cost of that ability was far too great. He would only consider it as a last resort. As for merging with Despicable Donkey, that would only happen if death was moments away. The donkey would never agree otherwise. "Ignore them," Despicable Donkey's voice came again. "They have already begun touching the threshold of the Starwheel within the Sea of Stars. Focus on reaching the Life Gate of the array." "Sea of Stars? Starwheel?" Ling Feng blinked. He had never heard those terms before. "After the Spiritual Element Realm comes the Spiritual Sea Realm. As the name implies, it centers around cultivating the sea of mind. Each level adds another layer of expansion. Within that sea, spiritual consciousness shines like stars. That's the Sea of Stars." "The first level of Spiritual Sea Realm creates a single layer. Reaching the ninth builds nine layers. Only then can one begin to condense the Starwheel, which belongs to the domain of Creation Realm (emperor level) experts. You are still far from that level." "Don't be fooled by the strength of your spiritual consciousness. Even if it has reached the emperor level, it's still only a change in quantity. The Sea of Stars and the Starwheel represent true qualitative transformation." "Think of it this way. A Spiritual Element Realm cultivator has a soul manifestation and can refine their spiritual strength. But the moment they form the Sea of Stars, the capacity of the mind expands by an entirely different magnitude." Realization dawned in Ling Feng's eyes. No wonder his Soul Splitting Art had hit a wall after reaching the fourth level. His cultivation realm was simply too low. Despicable Donkey continued, his eyes gleaming. "Only those who form the Starwheel can truly step into the path of spiritual refinement. What you've seen so far is just the beginning." "Most people stop at the Soul Manifestation stage. A few choose to press on, trying to empower both their spirit and their manifestation, but it's incredibly difficult." "That's why so few follow this path to the end. Most turn back the moment they reach the bottleneck." Ling Feng gave a slight nod. But he has Tianbai Emperor's spiritual manifestation, a guiding light on this path. He believed he could reach the level of great emperor in time. For now, there was no need to worry about the future.