Invincible Soul Emperor

The reason Ye Qingchen had gone past the entrance was because he’d heard there was some commotion over at the Secret Realm and went to take a look, but in the end, there was nothing there.

He had no choice but to head back.

However, he didn’t notice Jiang Qi and Wu Chang outside the door.

Jiang Qi caught the fleeting glimpse of Ye Qingchen’s figure at a glance.

Ah San said slowly, "Saint Heir, Master probably has something urgent and can’t come right now. Otherwise, why don’t you come with me first?"

Jiang Qi had intended to refuse, but as soon as he saw Ye Qingchen, he couldn’t help flaring up with anger.

Naturally, he no longer cared about Xue Wei’s rudeness.

"Fine, I’ll go in with you first! But this isn’t over! If he doesn’t satisfy me, then just you wait!" Jiang Qi glared viciously at Ah San.

Wu Chang stood to the side; seeing Jiang Qi follow him in, he hurried to catch up with the two.

Jiang Qi walked beside Ah San, but instead of following Ah San’s lead, he moved in the direction where Ye Qingchen had just left.

The two behind him said nothing and followed along as well.

Ye Qingchen headed toward Xue Zhao’s residence; he wanted to see whether Xue Zhao had emerged from Closed-door cultivation.

Jiang Qi trailed close behind, slowly drawing up next to Ye Qingchen.

Noticing someone appear beside him, Ye Qingchen slowly turned his head, but finding the face unfamiliar, he turned back again.

"Ahem, brother, do you know where the Xue Family’s Xue Wei lives?" Jiang Qi was the first to speak.

This voice made Ye Qingchen pause for a moment, but seeing an unfamiliar face, he didn’t pay it any mind.

"No idea. You can go ask someone else." Ye Qingchen walked on coldly.

Jiang Qi, however, said with a broad smile, "Brother, your brow looks awfully dark. You’d better be careful."

These words struck Ye Qingchen as inexplicable. He frowned at Jiang Qi and said, "What era is this, and people still believe that crap?"

Jiang Qi chuckled as well. "Just wait and see. Then you’ll know whether I’m telling the truth or not!"

With that, Jiang Qi turned around and left without looking back.

Ye Qingchen watched his departing back, feeling that the man’s voice sounded strangely familiar, yet he was sure he’d never met this person before.

Just as Ye Qingchen was about to use his Double Pupils to see what the other man’s cultivation was, Jiang Qi had already vanished from sight.

"Forget it, not my problem." Ye Qingchen turned around again and continued toward Xue Zhao’s residence.

In a hidden Valley, on snow-covered ground, a simple stone cave rumbled with a low, muffled roar.

Xue Zhao sat cross-legged in the cave, nature’s spiritual energy surging around her, unwavering determination written between her brows.

Ever since going into Closed-door cultivation, Xue Zhao had remained like a statue, constantly cultivating, not daring to relax in the slightest.

She knew full well that if this breakthrough failed, even a single misstep could lead to eternal damnation.

Fortunately, after her relentless efforts over these past days, today she had finally ushered in the opportunity to break through.

At this moment, Xue Zhao had entered the critical juncture of her breakthrough. Her body was wrapped in layer upon layer of spiritual light, like a goddess of ice and snow.

Outside the cave, the heavens suddenly changed: dark clouds gathered, lightning flashed and thunder roared. Howling winds swept up a blizzard, as if heaven and earth themselves were roaring, proclaiming that an unprecedented metamorphosis was about to arrive.

Inside the stone cave, Xue Zhao sat cross-legged, her expression solemn. She took a deep breath, the Spiritual Power within her body surging in rhythm with her breathing, like an endless river in full flood.

Her hands slowly extended as she continuously formed seals, each movement containing profound Taoist Intent. As the Seal Formula changed, the surrounding Energy was constantly guided, condensing into streams of spiritual light that merged into her body.

"Boom—" A deafening crash, like a furious dragon’s roar, shook the mountains around the cave. Rocks shattered and boulders tumbled.

Nature’s spiritual energy surged toward Xue Zhao like a tide. Her aura grew ever more powerful, like a blazing star about to tear through the heavens.

Xue Zhao kept her eyes tightly shut, mind utterly focused. The Spiritual Power within her surged like a great river, the Spirit Pill in her Dantian beginning to liquefy, Spiritual Liquid churning and stirring up countless rays of spiritual light.

All the meridians in her body seemed to be reshaped, becoming tougher and more unimpeded. With Spiritual Power continuously accumulating, her cultivation shattered the bottleneck and stepped into an entirely new Realm.

However, just then, a powerful backlash force suddenly surged out of her Dantian, like a giant serpent that had lain dormant for ages, trying to tear her mind to shreds.

Xue Zhao’s expression changed abruptly. Her body trembled violently, sweat soaking through her clothes in an instant.

Xue Zhao clenched her teeth, not daring to relax even a fraction.

She knew this force was something she had to endure during the breakthrough.

If she could not overcome this backlash, all her efforts would be wasted, and she might even fall into demonic cultivation, body and soul annihilated.

Xue Zhao took a deep breath, forcing herself to remain calm.

She silently recited her mental method, mobilizing the Spiritual Power within her to resist that backlash.

In her sea of consciousness, it was as if an infinite darkness had descended, within which countless ferocious faces could be vaguely seen, roaring as they lunged at her.

In this darkness, Xue Zhao felt as though her will was torn apart countless times, only to be reborn again and again.

Her consciousness seemed to sink into chaos, unable to distinguish illusion from reality, unable to find a way out.

Yet she did not give up, holding fast to a sliver of clarity in her heart.

In the depths of her sea of consciousness, Xue Zhao seemed to see a faint glimmer of light.

That was the strongest desire in the depths of her heart: to seize the position of Saintess!

This thought supported her as she moved forward through the endless darkness. She clung tightly to that light; no matter how the darkness pressed in, this thought never wavered.

Time seemed to slow to a crawl. In the trial of Heart Demons, Xue Zhao endured countless cycles of pain and struggle.

Yet her resolve never once faltered.

At last, after an unknown span of time, under her persistence, that backlash gradually dissipated, and the darkness in her sea of consciousness was slowly driven away by light.

"Boom—" Another thunderous boom resounded, as if a bolt of lightning exploded in Xue Zhao’s sea of consciousness. Her awareness snapped back in an instant, and the Spiritual Power within her body once again settled into calm. She felt as though her body had been washed clean, becoming purer and stronger.

Xue Zhao opened her eyes, joy flashing in them.

"I’ve finally broken through!"

At this moment, her strength had reached an entirely new level; Spiritual Power brimmed within her, her whole body filled with endless might.

Xue Zhao stood up, feeling the surging Spiritual Power in her body, a boundless heroic spirit welling up in her heart.

She walked out of the cave, took a deep breath, and gazed up at the sky. "Xue Wei, you’d never imagine I’d break through at a time like this, would you? Hahaha, just you wait! Dare to use a move like that on me; I definitely won’t let you off!"

Ye Qingchen had just reached the doorway of Xue Zhao’s residence.

When he heard a massive explosion of Energy erupt from the peak of the distant back mountain.

At the sound of the blast, Qi Tian and Qi Sheng, who had still been inside the house, ran out in excitement.

"She’s broken through! She’s broken through! My lady has broken through!"

"Broken through!" Even Qi Sheng couldn’t help speaking in excitement.