Chapter 635: Hong Shen and Li Xueru Advance, Startled by His Gaze

Within the Hong Shen Courtyard, vast auras surged and spread.

The Shenlong Tower spun endlessly in the air, continuously scattering radiance.

Li Xueru sat cross-legged in midair, enveloped by his own soul power, which churned like boiling water without cease.

Refining impurities, discarding the dross and retaining the essence.

His soul was ascending, and Li Xueru's aura grew increasingly powerful.

The formidable soul power filled the entire Hong Shen Courtyard.

On the ground, Hong Jishi was undergoing a similar process to Li Xueru.

His soul power was also rising continuously.

The two were advancing from Level 95 toward Level 96.

Both had already reached the peak of Level 95 and touched upon the power of laws.

Yet it was merely a touch; they could not yet command it, always half a step short of Level 96.

After the battle at the Soul Fusion Array, their soul power had increased substantially, elevating their soul level.

At last, they formally incorporated the laws into their souls, thereby taking that final half-step.

Outside the Hong Shen Courtyard, Ao Hongchen, who had already reached Level 96, sat cross-legged in midair, a large blade in hand.

He was guarding the two of them.

Although the Hong Shen Courtyard posed no danger, he remained cautious.

Hong Jishi and Li Xueru's soul power grew stronger and stronger, eventually merging together and bursting outward.

In an instant, it covered a thousand li in every direction, almost immediately enveloping the entire thousand-li radius around the Hong Shen Courtyard.

Within this range, all beings whose soul strength had reached the Divine Level raised their heads in unison, looking toward the location of the Hong Shen Courtyard.

The soul breath of Level 96 exuded a powerful majesty that made them tremble.

They knew what was happening.

Hong Jishi and Li Xueru had already announced that they were about to break through to Level 96.

Ao Hongchen had also declared that no one was to approach during the breakthrough, and any who did would be killed without mercy.

None of the Divine-level Strongmen who sensed the aura dared to draw near.

Level 96 was High-level Divine.

Level 95 was Mid-level Divine.

It seemed like only a single level's difference, but it was as vast as the distance between heaven and earth.

Level 96 was the true beginning of engaging with the laws; once the breakthrough succeeded, combat power would skyrocket.

Skills infused with laws would reach a terrifying level of power.

Among the Human Race, aside from one Half-step Super God-level powerhouse, there were no High-level Divine beings.

This constituted a gap.

Only recently had that gap been filled.

Following Ao Hongchen, Hong Jishi, and Li Xueru, veteran powerhouses like Yi Qianjue and Lin Zhenzi would break through before long.

When that happened, the Human Race's strength would increase dramatically.

With them holding the fort, the Shenlong Empire would be at its zenith, unmatched.

Among them, only a few knew that all of this was brought about by Jiang Chen.

Otherwise, the Soul Devouring Beast would not have been an opportunity but a disaster.

While Hong Jishi and Li Xueru were breaking through, Jiang Chen had already returned to the Human World.

He had bickered with Antares for half a day, parting on 'unfriendly terms.'

Antares realized he was too slow-witted and couldn't outtalk Jiang Chen.

All these years, he had truly wasted them.

Antares angrily drove Jiang Chen back to the Human World, telling him not to come back.

Of course, that was just said in anger.

Still, their bout of bickering had pushed other matters aside.

Jiang Chen no longer dwelled on what had happened in the Yuan Shi Mi Jing, burying that memory deep and refusing to touch it.

He was not qualified to touch it now.

Jiang Chen arrived once again at Tianshan City, standing within it to gaze at the distant Tianshan Mountains.

The Tianshan Divine Palace, a High-level Instance.

A Level 75 Instance, allowing entry for those between Level 70 and Level 80.

This was an Instance for Top-tier Professionals.

After the screening of the Initial Stage and Middle Stage Instances, very few were qualified to enter the High-level Instance.

Even those who were qualified belonged mostly to major powers.

Almost all independent cultivators stopped at the Middle Stage Instance.

Jiang Chen set foot on the snowy mountain and began to climb upward.

The wind was fierce and the snow heavy, howling in from the north.

On the road to the Initial Stage Instance, the wind and snow were already a considerable trial.

At least a third of professionals would be deterred by it.

This stretch was also where the wind and snow were fiercest.

After a long absence, Jiang Chen returned to the Tianshan Mountains.

When he left last time, he was below Level 70 and had not yet undergone the Third Transcendence.

Although his soul was strong, it had not reached the Divine Level.

Now that he had returned, he had already completed the Third Transcendence and embarked on a path uniquely his own.

His soul level had even reached 92.

Looking at Tianshan again, his perception was different.

His soul was now incredibly sharp; under Jiang Chen's perception, Tianshan was lifeless and devoid of vitality.

Back when he was in the Tianshan God Palace Dungeon, Jiang Chen had sensed that the Tianshan within the Instance seemed to carry a kind of vitality.

But the Tianshan outside the Instance was a dead silence.

Standing at the Mountain Foot, Jiang Chen folded his hands and closed his eyes, his soul power flowing out like a River.

With the main peak of Tianshan as the center, everything within ten thousand meters was dead ground.

Beneath the snow was black rock, utterly lifeless, not a blade of grass growing.

His soul power began to spread into the Mountain's interior.

In the upper part of the Mountain, Jiang Chen finally noticed something unusual.

He sensed a tiny bit of life force, wisp by wisp, strand by strand, flowing along specific channels toward the Mountain's interior.

And this life force actually came from the professionals outside the Mountain.

Jiang Chen was slightly startled—Tianshan Mountain was actually absorbing the life force of professionals.

However, it absorbed very slowly and in extremely small amounts, causing no harm to the professionals.

Professionals themselves had strong life force; the higher their level, the stronger their soul, and the stronger their life force.

A wisp being absorbed was something they couldn't even detect.

His soul power continued deeper; this life force followed specific channels along the Mountain's interior, flying toward the summit.

When he neared the summit, Jiang Chen sensed an array.

An extremely complex and profound array.

The array was not large in scale, not as massive as the Soul Fusion Array.

But this array, arranged inside the Tianshan peak, was extremely profound, far more complex than the Soul Fusion Array.

Moreover, as the array operated, the aura of laws leaked out.

"A Divine Level array!"

"And it's a Divine Level array infused with laws."

The array blocked Jiang Chen's soul perception, preventing him from going deeper.

If he wanted to know what was behind the array, he would have to go there himself and see with his own eyes.

The array contained laws, meaning it was at least level 96.

And the being capable of setting up such an array would also have to be above level 96.

The Human Race currently had no level 96 array masters.

This array was left over from the past.

And in Jiang Chen's knowledge base, even throughout the history of the past millennium, the Human Race had never produced a level 96 array master.

If Li Xueru could reach level 96, that would be breaking new ground for this era.

"This array either doesn't belong to this era, or it doesn't belong to the Human Race."

"Demons don't know arrays; if the Dragon Race set up an array, it definitely wouldn't escape the eyes of a Divine-level Strongman."

Jiang Chen pondered in his mind and quickly arrived at an answer.

"This array either belongs to the previous era, or it was laid down by a deity."

At that moment, he felt someone approaching, so he stopped his thoughts, opened his eyes, and turned to look.

His soul power had not yet fully withdrawn, and a sharp light flickered in Jiang Chen's eyes, shooting out like a sharp sword.

The person approaching immediately let out a Scream, staggering backward several steps as if struck hard, and plopped down onto the snow.

If Jiang Chen hadn't withdrawn his soul power at the last moment, the other's soul might have been shattered by him.

Being merely startled now was a stroke of luck.

Jiang Chen asked, "Is there something?"

At that moment, the man's companions ran over and helped him up.

He looked to be in his thirties, wearing a mage robe, clearly a mage.

Jiang Chen could see his level—61, neither strong nor weak.

He looked at Jiang Chen with a strange expression, "I saw you standing there motionless, thought you were frozen stiff, so I came over to check."

Jiang Chen looked at himself—not a single snowflake on him; how could he look frozen stiff?

Still, he had indeed stood there for quite a while, exploring the peak with his soul power for half an hour.

Standing still for half an hour, drawing attention was normal.

Jiang Chen shook his head, "I'm fine."

With that, he walked up the Mountain.

Watching Jiang Chen leave, the man found it bizarre, "What a weirdo. Strange, how did I get scared by his gaze?"

His companions also expressed confusion.

Being scared by someone's gaze had never happened before.

"Brother, you're too timid."

"Yeah, how can that work? If you run into a vicious boss, won't you be too scared to even use your Skills?"

"You need to train your courage. Let me think what to eat to embolden you, I'll get some for you."

The man, teased by his companions, waved his hand in frustration, "Get lost, stop messing with me!"

Everyone burst into laughter; we're all on the same team and have been friends for years—who doesn't know each other?

It was just a joke.

The person stared at Jiang Chen, who was already nearly vanishing in the wind and snow, and murmured, "But his gaze is really a bit frightening."