Chapter 579: Effort Was Not in Vain, Fusing the Second Star Core

Jiang Chen once again began his journey of relocating skills.

This time, he proceeded with exceptional smoothness, at least no longer needing to search everywhere for suitable skill spaces like before.

The door to the skill space had already been quietly opened by him, tightly connected to his soul, like an inseparable companion.

At this moment, Jiang Chen was like a skilled craftsman, his goal being to take out the skill star cores hidden deep within the space, one by one, and embed them into his own soul.

To him, this was not merely a simple moving process, but more like a deep dialogue with his own soul.

He understood that, given his current soul strength, the limit he could withstand was two skill star cores.

This level of strength was equivalent to a Divine-level Strongman at Level 90, but it was also merely his current limit.

As his level continuously rose, his soul would also become increasingly powerful, and by then he would be able to bear more skill star cores, until he completely emptied the entire skill space.

Antares, this ancient being slumbering, quietly watched Jiang Chen's busy figure, a flicker of confusion passing through its eyes.

"Strange, why did the Divine Continent Cauldron choose this young man?" it mused inwardly.

"Could it be that this young man has some special quality that even I have not detected?"

"Is there something in this world that even I cannot understand?"

Antares had already forgotten how many years it had spent on this land; although it spent most of its time sleeping, all the changes in the world could not escape its eyes.

Its clones were scattered everywhere, so many that even it could not count them all.

However, Jiang Chen's appearance had brought it an unprecedented sense of confusion.

In all these years, the only one who could make it feel confused was Jiang Chen.

Since it could not figure it out, Antares no longer delved into it; it closed its eyes again and entered a state of dozing.

But even so, part of its attention remained firmly locked on Jiang Chen, filled with curiosity and puzzlement toward this young man.

Now the Shenlong Empire had closed its borders, and no one from outside could enter.

There was only one secret passage serving as a bridge for communication with the outside world.

Foreign nations had repeatedly sought help from the Shenlong Empire, only to be mercilessly refused.

No matter how humbly they begged, the Shenlong Empire remained unmoved.

Various factions united to apply pressure, trying to force the Shenlong Empire to comply.

However, they seemed to have forgotten that the Shenlong Empire was the true ruler of this land.

When had the Shenlong Empire ever yielded to external pressure?

Faced with ineffective pressure, the various factions had no choice but to seek their own solutions.

Yet, whether it was mysterious potions or ancient formations, they were helpless, lacking sufficient foundation and strength.

They only knew that the mysterious creature was called the Soul-Eating Beast, but compared to the Shenlong Empire, their understanding was merely superficial.

This disaster of the Soul-Eating Beast made the various factions deeply realize the immense gap between them and the Shenlong Empire.

In the end, the various factions began to bow their heads and beg the Shenlong Empire for help.

After observing for several dozen days, the Shenlong Empire finally revealed their trump card.

Soul Fusion Potion!

The Shenlong Empire was willing to sell the formula for the Soul Fusion Potion to foreign nations, but the price was steep.

They did not accept Gold Coins, only rare materials and treasures in exchange.

At the same time, the main material required for the Soul Fusion Potion—Fire Crystal—could also be provided by the Shenlong Empire, but it was equally expensive.

Moreover, the supply of Fire Crystal was limited; only factions that had purchased the Soul Fusion Potion formula were eligible to buy a certain amount of Fire Crystal.

This regulation was also to prevent the illegal resale of the formula.

The Shenlong Empire also clearly informed foreign nations that the longer the delay, the greater the threat of the Soul-Eating Beast.

Every day that passed, the number of people possessed by the Soul-Eating Beast would increase sharply.

Faced with such an urgent situation, the various factions could only helplessly accept the Shenlong Empire's conditions.

They did not hesitate to mobilize their entire nation's resources to purchase the potion formula and materials.

Some factions, lacking high-level alchemists, could only buy ready-made Soul Fusion Potions from the Shenlong Empire.

Of course, such a price was even more expensive.

This time, the Shenlong Empire had reaped a bountiful harvest, and they naturally would not miss this opportunity to extort heavily.

Who told you to come knocking on their door yourselves?

If not for curiosity and greed, many factions far across the Sea could have avoided the infestation of the Soul-Eating Beast.

Self-inflicted harm cannot be survived; curiosity truly kills.

During this period, the ruler of the Shenlong Empire, Si Tu Liang, was in an exceptionally good mood.

The national treasury, which had been nearly depleted from dealing with the Soul-Eating Beast crisis, was now gradually filling up again, even surpassing its previous reserves.

Not only that, but the overall strength of the entire Shenlong Empire was also steadily increasing.

The enhancement of soul power brought skill integration to new heights, naturally strengthening their combat power.

This was especially true for top experts in the Empire like Hong Jishi and Li Xueru.

Li Xueru had originally been only one step away from Level 96.

Level 96 was an important threshold for Divine-level Strongmen; besides needing to relocate skill star cores, one also had to comprehend the corresponding laws and integrate them into their skills.

The Array Dao laws that Li Xueru had comprehended had always been slightly lacking in refinement.

But this time, after his soul was greatly enhanced, he finally crossed this threshold.

He delved into the laws every day, drawing closer and closer to true Level 96.

The same was true for Hong Jishi; although his progress was slightly slower than Li Xueru's, stepping into Level 96 was only a matter of time.

For the Shenlong Empire, this crisis of the Soul-Eating Beast had instead become a tremendous opportunity.

As long as the Shenlong Empire could nurture a few high-level Divine-level Strongmen, its position as the world's strongest nation would be unshakable.

A small nation like Shadow Transformation Nation, even if they awaken their trump card—the Eight-Branch Great God, cannot pose a real threat to the Shenlong Empire.

The Eight-Branch Great God can, in a short time, unleash combat power equivalent to level 98, indeed stronger than level 96.

Yet a Divine-level Strongman of level 96 also masters the law and stands on the same tier as the God of Thought.

Even if they cannot win, they can endure for a while.

As long as they last through that period, Shadow Transformation Nation will face the fate of annihilation.

Moreover, the Shenlong Empire cannot have only a single high-level Divine-level of level 96.

And Jiang Yi is also about to be revived.

At that time, any force daring to challenge the Shenlong Empire's authority will receive a severe beating.

It can be foreseen that in the near future, all nations will kneel beneath the Shenlong Empire's feet.

Jiang Chen continuously challenges himself, exhausting his Soul Power, relying on Divine Power to recover swiftly, and moving the Skill Star Core again and again.

Transporting the second Skill Star Core is far more difficult than the first.

It's not because the skill itself has become stronger, but because the Skill Space's binding force on the remaining Skill Star Cores is gradually increasing.

Each time a Star Core is moved, the binding force on the remaining cores grows stronger.

Despite the many difficulties, Jiang Chen is full of confidence.

He firmly believes that sooner or later he will empty the entire Skill Space, incorporating all Skill Star Cores into his Soul.

Moreover, an even tougher talent awaits ahead for him to challenge.

If he cannot fully control the Skill Space, how can he speak of challenging that more mysterious talent.

Finally, after days of persistent effort, the second Skill Star Core successfully breaks free from the Skill Space.

The moment it is moved, Jiang Chen seems to shed a thousand‑pound burden, feeling completely relaxed.

Freed from the Skill Space's shackles, the Skill Star Core becomes more agile, as if it has broken free from its chains.

The skill moved this time is not a passive one, but an active skill Jiang Chen once took pride in—Corpse Explosion!

This skill was one of Jiang Chen's trump cards during his adventure, but over time its usage frequency has gradually declined.

Although Corpse Explosion is powerful, it requires preparation time, and its effect is not notable against certain fast‑moving enemies.

Nevertheless, Jiang Chen has always held expectations for this skill.

He wants to know what new form it will display once fully merged with his Soul.

The skill is currently only level 8, appearing somewhat inferior compared to Jiang Chen's other high‑level skills.

Yet Jiang Chen knows that a skill's strength does not solely depend on its level, but also on how it is employed and manifested.

When the second Skill Star Core firmly takes root in the Soul, the entire Soul trembles violently again.

This vibration is stronger than the previous one, lasting a full day and night, as if to fully awaken Jiang Chen's Soul.

During the vibration, the Corpse Explosion Skill Star Core greedily devours Soul Energy.

The absorption speed is even more rapid than that of the previous Skill Star Core.

Jiang Chen grits his teeth, allowing it to devour freely.

Divine Power again plays a huge role; its recovery rate of up to 6900% lets Jiang Chen's Soul recover rapidly.

Jiang Chen's aura grows increasingly imposing during the vibration, catching Antares's attention.

Antares whispers softly, "This skill seems to contain considerable power."

It senses a hint of threat in Jiang Chen's aura, as if this merging skill could truly harm it.

Although it knows this is almost impossible, that intuition makes it immensely surprised.