Chapter 307: Chapter 307: Breakthrough to Fifth Grade

Ye Xuan found himself engulfed in a sea of black flames. A blurry, dark figure flickered within the inferno, letting out a maniacal laugh.

"Who in the world are you?" Ye Xuan demanded, his eyes bloodshot with rage and shock.

"Who I am isn’t important. What’s important is that you, the great Carefree Soul Emperor, the number one genius of the Celestial Profound Continent in a thousand years, are about to die. What a pity. If you have to blame someone, blame yourself for ruining my plans."

The black figure let out a sinister laugh. The aura in its gaze gave Ye Xuan an incredibly familiar, yet distinctly strange feeling.

’Who on earth is this person? I must know him. Who could have set such a massive trap just to kill me?’

Ye Xuan frantically activated his Divine Spirit Gaze, trying to peer through to the other’s true face. But the person flickered within the flames, their body shielded by an exceptionally powerful Soul Power barrier that prevented his gaze from penetrating even an inch.

"Stop your useless struggles. Just die."

The black figure abruptly raised a hand, and the towering black flames surrounding him surged like an erupting volcano, like magma churning deep underground, completely enveloping Ye Xuan.

AHH!

Heart-rending, soul-tearing pain spread through Ye Xuan’s entire body.

"No, I can’t die! I am the Carefree Soul Emperor! Who in this world can possibly kill me?" Ye Xuan’s eyes were bloodshot as he resisted wildly. Two terrifying streams of Profound Power collided repeatedly, unleashing a cataclysmic might.

Streams of array patterns formed before Ye Xuan, and torrents of invisible Soul Power runes swirled around him, creating an unbreakable barrier.

"The Carefree Soul Emperor truly lives up to his name, to be able to resist for this long under these circumstances. A pity. After going to all this trouble, I am absolutely certain of your death. Ye Xiaoyao, now die!"

The black figure laughed maniacally, his entire body erupting in a brilliant radiance. A wave of Profound Power, potent enough to annihilate almost anything, descended upon Ye Xuan.

At this critical moment between life and death, the ferocious expression on Ye Xuan’s face as he desperately resisted suddenly froze. His eyes glazed over as if he had remembered something.

’Ye Xiaoyao, the Carefree Soul Emperor?’

’No, the Carefree Soul Emperor died long ago.’

’Now, I am Ye Xuan.’

’Ye Xuan is who I am!’

A flash of light shot through Ye Xuan’s mind like a meteor!

BOOM!

In that instant, the flames and the figure before him shattered into pieces.

Everything before him vanished in a flash, replaced by the bizarre twin pupils of a Tier Five Soul Beast.

It had all been an Illusion Realm.

What a terrifying Illusion Realm. So frighteningly real.

A wave of lingering fear washed over Ye Xuan.

Terrifying. It was simply too terrifying.

Soul Beasts specialized in the soul; their spiritual attacks were terrifying. If Ye Xuan hadn’t been reincarnated, any other Fifth Grade Soul Refiner would have been trapped in the beast’s Illusion Realm, unable to escape for all eternity, until they finally died.

At that moment, Xia Qixi and Yun Aoxue, who were hidden outside the mountain hollow, stared anxiously at the corner where Ye Xuan had disappeared, their hearts filled with tension and worry.

Previously, when killing Tier Four Soul Beasts, Ye Xuan had only needed a dozen or so breaths for each one. But this time, a full half-hour had passed since he lured the Tier Five Soul Beast away, and he still hadn’t emerged, making the two of them frantic with worry.

They exchanged a glance and gritted their teeth, a flash of determination in their eyes. Then, they rushed toward the area behind the hollow.

Although Ye Xuan had told them to wait, it was clear he was in trouble. Even if they couldn’t be of much help, they weren’t willing to just stand by and watch.

Just as Yun Aoxue and Xia Qixi suspected, after breaking out of the Illusion Realm, Ye Xuan had once again run into trouble.

Just as he was about to strike the Tier Five Soul Beast, another hazy attack descended upon him, instantly plunging him into another Illusion Realm.

A vast, boundless grassland appeared before him.

This time, Ye Xuan hadn’t lost his ability to think. He knew clearly that he was trapped in an Illusion Realm, but he didn’t know how to break it.

SWISH SWISH SWISH!

From the vast grassland, black vines suddenly shot out. They moved like lightning, frantically coiling around Ye Xuan. Their speed was so great that he had no time to react before they had wrapped him up completely.

’What kind of Illusion Realm is this?’

Ye Xuan was greatly alarmed.

The Profound Power in his body surged as Ye Xuan tried to break free from the vines’ grasp. But no matter how hard he struggled, the vines continued to grow, wrapping around him in layer after layer.

Ye Xuan’s robes were soon torn to shreds, revealing his firm chest. Countless vines coiled around his body and neck, and the pain and sensation of suffocation, even though he knew it was an Illusion Realm, still felt unbearably real and agonizing.

Just as Ye Xuan was reaching his limit, the illusion seemed to be attacked by something from the outside. The suffocating feeling suddenly lessened, and the entire plain and sky began to ripple like water, becoming very unstable.

’Break!’

Ye Xuan seized the opportunity. The peak Fourth Grade Soul Power in his mind erupted, and he pushed his three Martial Souls to their absolute limit.

BOOM!

As if a thunderclap had struck on a clear day, the surrounding grassland shattered. Ye Xuan then saw Yun Aoxue and Xia Qixi kneeling before the Tier Five Soul Beast, their faces twisted in pain. Their eyes were shut tight, and their bodies were convulsing.

Ye Xuan immediately understood. The Illusion Realm had become unstable because Yun Aoxue and Xia Qixi had attacked the Tier Five Soul Beast. But now, they themselves had clearly fallen into the Illusion Realm.

Although he had broken out of the Illusion Realm, Ye Xuan’s mind was spinning, and his body felt weak. Falling into the illusion twice had consumed a massive amount of his energy.

"Ye Xuan!"

Yun Aoxue let out a soft moan, her face flushed red. Her dazed eyes fluttered open as she approached Ye Xuan and threw her arms around him, her gaze hazy and unfocused.

Beside them, Xia Qixi’s hair was in disarray. Her breath was fragrant, her full chest heaving, and tears welled in the corners of her eyes as she pressed her body against Ye Xuan’s.

The two of them began to actively undo their clothes. Below their fair necks, their delicate collarbones were revealed, and their high, proud chests became partially visible, smooth and perfectly round.

Beneath their long skirts, their jade-like legs were exposed, flawless like the finest white jade, exuding an air of temptation.

Ye Xuan knew at once that they were both trapped in an Illusion Realm. He tried to wake them, but no matter what he did, their eyes remained glazed over. They held him tightly, their rosy lips demanding his with a desperate fervor.

Ye Xuan was already weak, and being pressed by the two of them left him utterly drained of strength. His robes were undone at the chest, and their full curves pressed tightly against him. An inexplicable heat began to rise from the pit of his stomach.

The three of them quickly became entangled. With their intimate movements, Ye Xuan’s breathing couldn’t help but grow heavier.

’No, this can’t go on.’

While Ye Xuan was no saint, he would never take advantage of someone in their moment of weakness. A sharp glint flashed in his eyes as he instantly activated his Life Martial Soul.

A cool stream of Martial Soul power flowed through him, clearing his mind and restoring some of his strength.

Die!

Ye Xuan lunged forward, instantly pushing the power of his three Martial Souls to its peak and slamming a palm viciously onto the head of the Tier Five Soul Beast.

With a loud BOOM, under the assault of Ye Xuan’s three Martial Souls, the head of the Tier Five Soul Beast, still casting its Illusion Technique, instantly exploded. A soul pearl the size of a thumb shot out and landed in Ye Xuan’s hand.

With soft moans, Yun Aoxue and Xia Qixi immediately came to their senses. When they saw the scene and recalled what had just happened, both of them blushed from their necks to the tips of their ears. Overcome with shame, they hurriedly straightened their disheveled clothes.

Thinking about what they had just done—the three of them, together, seen by each other—they both wished they could find a hole to crawl into and hide.

"I’m going to cultivate. There are a lot of Tier Four soul pearls here. You two should cultivate as well."

Ye Xuan rubbed his nose, feeling extremely awkward himself. He quickly took the soul pearls to the side to cultivate. Before starting, he also gave Yun Aoxue and Xia Qixi a number of Tier Four soul pearls.

The three of them composed themselves and, pretending nothing had happened, began to cultivate separately.

「One day later.」

An invisible whirlwind of Soul Power swept out from Ye Xuan’s body. He opened his eyes, and their profound depths seemed to contain the sun, moon, and stars.

With the Tier Five soul pearl, Ye Xuan’s Soul Power naturally broke through from peak Fourth Grade to the Fifth Grade.

Yun Aoxue and Xia Qixi’s cultivation had not fallen behind either. After absorbing several Tier Four soul pearls each, their Soul Power also broke through to the Fourth Grade.

If word of such cultivation speed were to spread to the outside world, it would undoubtedly shock everyone.

Under normal circumstances, cultivating at such a breakneck pace would certainly have a negative impact on one’s Soul Power. However, Ye Xuan had previously obtained a few Profound Nether Stones, which were specifically used to stabilize Soul Power. With the aid of the stones’ special effects, the group had no problems at all when breaking through. In fact, their Soul Power was even more stable than what could be achieved through normal cultivation.

After his Soul Power broke through to the Fifth Grade, Ye Xuan did not plan to continue cultivating. At his current level of strength, bearing Fifth Grade Soul Power was already his limit. If he were to cultivate further, there would surely be negative repercussions.

The same was true for Yun Aoxue and Xia Qixi.

Hm? Just as Ye Xuan and the others were preparing to set off again, a sudden, intense feeling of crisis welled up in his heart.

He snapped his head up, pushing his Divine Spirit Gaze to its absolute limit. He immediately saw a streak of golden light at the far end of the horizon, hurtling toward them with astonishing speed. The velocity of it left Ye Xuan stunned.

As the golden streak of light flew, it made no effort to conceal its aura. An arrogant and tyrannical presence surged forth wildly.

"It’s him!"

Ye Xuan instantly recognized the aura of the golden light. It was identical to the remnant Soul Thought left in the minds of the Armored Dragon and the flying eagle he had enslaved. He immediately realized that the golden light was the Demon King known as Jin Lin.

Ye Xuan’s heart sank.

He hadn’t expected the Demon King called Jin Lin to chase him all the way here. His target was, without a doubt, Ye Xuan himself.

Without a moment’s hesitation, he told Yun Aoxue and Xia Qixi not to follow him. Then, without another word, he frantically flew off into the distance.