Chapter 568: The Great Formation Brings Great Surprises, a Mysterious Passage Opens

Jiang Chen sat motionless, not shifting an inch for two full days. His vast Spiritual Power, like a trickling stream, slowly spread through the formation beneath him, extending in all directions and touching every key node.

This great formation was like a massive maze, intricate and complex, but Jiang Chen used his Spiritual Power as a key to open each door one by one, connecting all the formation nodes.

The scale of the great formation was beyond the imagination of ordinary people. The formation nodes alone were scattered across every corner of the Shenlong Empire, numbering over five hundred. These nodes dotted the empire's territory like stars, and once activated, the entire Shenlong Empire would be enveloped by this formation, with no escape.

After more than a month of noise and bustle, the camp suddenly fell into an unprecedented silence.

The healing formations were dismantled one by one, and the once-busy crowd began to withdraw in an orderly fashion. Over five hundred thousand people moved collectively—a massive scene, yet orderly.

Li Xueru's figure appeared in the air, standing shoulder to shoulder with the high-ranking officials of the Shenlong Empire. Each of their faces was etched with seriousness and determination, for they knew that a grand plan, prepared for over a month, was about to officially commence.

"Xiao Chen, leave the rest to us. You just need to fully control this great formation." Li Xueru's voice echoed through the air, steady and powerful.

Jiang Chen nodded slightly and responded with a simple "Good." That single word, like a war drum, stirred the hearts of everyone, announcing the official launch of the plan.

With Li Xueru's movement, the Shenlong Tower above his head instantly became towering and massive, standing like a mountain peak between heaven and earth. Li Xueru struck the Shenlong Tower with his palm, and immediately, the tower burst forth with dazzling, multicolored light, illuminating the ground as if it were daytime.

On the ground, a vast and magnificent formation gradually revealed itself, covering an area of ten li in radius with intricate array symbols densely carved. These symbols were packed tightly together, interwoven to form a massive and complex pattern.

Li Xueru personally activated the Soul Fusion Formation, while Jiang Chen stood at its center, becoming the main array master of this operation. As the formation activated, all information surged like a tidal wave into Jiang Chen's spiritual world.

"Soul Fusion Formation, activate!" At Jiang Chen's command, the entire formation instantly erupted with dazzling light. Multicolored rays shot into the sky, exploding in the air and turning into countless arrows flying in all directions.

At the same time, the formation nodes scattered across the Shenlong Empire also lit up one after another, complementing the central formation. In the blink of an eye, a massive formation was fully presented within Jiang Chen's spiritual world.

Simultaneously, the entire map of the Shenlong Empire appeared in Jiang Chen's spiritual world. He could clearly perceive changes in every corner, as if the entire empire were under his control.

The formation covered the Shenlong Empire like a canopy, and Jiang Chen, as the main array master, used the power of the formation to take in the entire empire at a glance.

At this moment, he was like a deity overlooking all living beings, his gaze piercing through the clouds to directly observe every corner of the empire. Under the formation's illumination, countless light points flickered, each representing a Soul-Eating Beast, parasitic within the bodies of the Divine Dragon People, posing a latent threat.

Jiang Chen frowned slightly, finding that the number of light points far exceeded his initial estimate. He had originally expected the Soul-Eating Beasts to number around a million, but now it seemed they had surpassed two million. This figure surprised Jiang Chen and strengthened his resolve to eliminate these beasts.

A thousand years ago, the Soul-Eating Beasts had brought profound disaster to the Shenlong Empire. Now they were returning in force, but this time, Jiang Chen and his team were fully prepared to turn this calamity into an opportunity for the Shenlong Empire.

"Soul Grinding Mill, activate! Soul-Eating Beasts, perish!" At Jiang Chen's command, the formation shifted its form, and a massive millstone appeared above the Shenlong Empire. The millstone slowly turned, emitting a deafening grinding sound that shook everyone's hearts.

At the same time, countless people infested by Soul-Eating Beasts began to feel sharp pains in their heads, followed by a series of mournful wails. These sounds were like ghostly cries—the death screams of the Soul-Eating Beasts.

The Soul Grinding Mill within the Soul Fusion Formation was a weapon specifically designed to kill Soul-Eating Beasts. Its appearance heralded the end of the Soul-Eating Beasts. A large number of Soul-Eating Beasts died under the millstone's attack, their Soul Energy turning into torrents that surged into the millstone.

As more and more Soul-Eating Beasts were annihilated, the Soul Grinding Mill became even more dazzling and powerful. From Jiang Chen's perspective, countless streams of Soul Energy, like ribbons of light, converged toward the millstone.

The Soul Grinding Mill was not only a killing tool but also a container. It carried this Soul Energy, providing the necessary energy support for the next phase of the plan. Jiang Chen skillfully manipulated the formation, launching an indiscriminate massacre of all Soul-Eating Beasts within the Shenlong Empire.

Under the formation's cover, the Soul-Eating Beasts had nowhere to flee, leaving them at Jiang Chen's mercy. Li Xueru and the others stood guard on all sides, ensuring Jiang Chen could focus on presiding over the formation without any interference.

Their opponents, Ye Chenshi and his group, were unusually quiet this time. Although they were at odds with Jiang Chen and the others, at this critical moment, they understood their responsibility as people of the Shenlong Empire. Thus, they chose to watch in silence, not disturbing Jiang Chen's actions.

From the moment the formation was activated to the continuous grinding of the Soul-Eating Beasts by the Soul Grinding Mill, the entire process went exceptionally smoothly, but this also kept everyone on high alert, not daring to relax in the slightest.

As a large number of Soul-Eating Beasts across the nation were eliminated, the Soul Grinding Mill had grown several times larger than its initial size, filled with dazzling Soul Energy like flowing, precious gemstone liquid.

"One-third remains." Jiang Chen stared intently at the Soul Grinding Mill, making a decision in his heart.

"Can't wait any longer." He decisively changed the original plan. They had intended to wait until all the Soul-Eating Beasts were eliminated before channeling the Soul Energy, but Jiang Chen felt a sense of urgency, fearing that waiting further might lead to unforeseen incidents.

While continuing to control the Soul Grinding Mill to grind down the remaining Soul-Eating Beasts, he began extracting Soul Energy from the millstone. This pure Soul Energy first surged into his body as the main array master.

As the main array master, Jiang Chen was the relay station for the Soul Energy; all Soul Energy had to pass through him before flowing out. With the continuous influx of Soul Energy, Jiang Chen's soul began to rapidly strengthen.

Jiang Chen's soul had already been growing stronger; after the Domain Godstone absorbed a large amount of Mêlée Blue Flame, it had been using the flame to temper his soul. This had made Jiang Chen's soul extremely pure, like a gemstone refined through countless hammerings.

However, Jiang Chen understood that the Mêlée Blue Flame mainly brought him purity of soul and an increase in its upper limit. If he compared his soul to a container, the Mêlée Blue Flame was constantly enlarging, widening, and deepening this container, thereby increasing its capacity. Now, the container had become very large, but there was still some empty space, not completely filled.

Now, as the Soul-Eating Beasts were ground down, vast amounts of Soul Energy surged in like a flood, filling the remaining space in the container. Jiang Chen's soul felt as if it had fallen into a pool of immortal water, becoming incredibly clear and powerful.

At the same time, information prompts began to flash in his mind: "Affected by external force, Experience +700,000,000," "Affected by external force, Experience +900,000,000"... Experience Value began to skyrocket.

Jiang Chen was slightly surprised; he hadn't expected that harvesting Soul Energy would not only strengthen his soul but also increase Experience Value. This dual benefit further solidified his decision.

With the strengthening of his soul and the clarity of his thoughts, a flash of insight struck Jiang Chen's mind, as if he had grasped something important. He knew that this experience would have a profound impact on his future path of cultivation.

"Could it be... that the essence of leveling up is truly about elevating the soul?" Jiang Chen took a deep breath, feeling the power surging from the depths of his soul, and a sense of sudden enlightenment welled up in his heart.

"Killing enemies to gain experience and level up—the foundation behind it all is the accumulation of soul power," he muttered to himself, each word like a bell tolling in his heart, clear and striking.

"The higher the level, the stronger the soul. Conversely, the stronger the soul, the higher the level will follow." Jiang Chen's thoughts were like clouds parting to reveal the sun; everything became clear and bright.

"Why was Jiang Yi able to create a Secret Realm with just his soul and survive for centuries?" He recalled Jiang Yi's legendary experience, and a sense of respect rose in his heart.

"Why, when a soul is imprinted, can it return and resurrect after death?" He continued to ponder, each question pointing to the mysteries deep within the soul.

"I think I understand a little now." Jiang Chen let out a soft sigh, as if crossing an important threshold, deepening his understanding of the path of cultivation.

Under the infusion of vast soul power, Jiang Chen's thoughts were clearer than ever.

The various problems that had troubled him in the past now all found answers one by one. This feeling of great enlightenment brought him immense comfort and satisfaction.

Soul Energy continued to pour in, and Experience Value increased like a rising tide. Within just a few minutes of absorbing Soul Energy, the light of leveling up began to emanate from Jiang Chen.

He smoothly rose from Level 66 to Level 67, and immediately after, Experience Value continued to surge. Jiang Chen knew that his soul's upper limit was already very high; as long as there was enough Soul Energy, he could keep pushing himself to level up.

And normally, leveling up by killing monsters and gaining experience was essentially obtaining Soul Energy. This energy could not only raise levels but also passively enhance the essence and upper limit of the soul.

"Truly a great opportunity." Jiang Chen sighed inwardly. He understood that the soul power of these Soul-Eating Beasts was undoubtedly a rare chance for cultivators.

"But geniuses created from just a small number of Soul-Eating Beasts would at most reach the Divine Level."

Jiang Chen analyzed calmly, "To reach the Super God realm, or even just Half-step Super God, the required Soul Energy is probably incalculable."

Yet, he was not discouraged. He knew he was standing on a massive opportunity; if he could fully utilize this Soul Energy, he might lead the Shenlong Empire to a new height.

The Soul Grinding Mill continued to grow, the speed of eliminating Soul-Eating Beasts far exceeding Jiang Chen's rate of absorbing Soul Energy. After another two minutes, the light of leveling up shone from Jiang Chen once more. He leveled up again, jumping from Level 67 to Level 68.

At that moment, the sky suddenly darkened, and a pitch-black Space-time Portal appeared with a roar, as if opening a gateway to another world.