Yuan Ming's Cave Mansion.

Xi Ying looked at Yuan Ming who was fully immersed in cultivating to heal his injuries, worry written all over her face. She opened her mouth several times, wanting to ask about his condition, but feared disturbing him; so she could only swallow her words silently.

Not far away, Xi Qian's gaze shifted between her sister and Yuan Ming a few times before she gently shook her head.

Sometime later, Yuan Ming ended his cultivation, his face showing evident fatigue.

"It's no use, there's hardly any effect." Facing Xi Ying, who hesitated to speak, Yuan Ming shook his head.

During this time, Xi Ying had negotiated with Tian Jizi under the pretext of preparing for battle, forcefully gathering a plethora of potentially effective healing techniques from various sects that had joined the Cloud Desolation Alliance. She handed them all to Yuan Ming to try, but the results were obvious; they had not helped with Yuan Ming's condition at all.

"Your 'illness'... the problem isn't the Nascent Soul, but the part of the Divine Soul compatible with the Nascent Soul. To truly heal, we might have to start with your main soul." After several attempts at treatment, Xi Qian had roughly figured out the root of Yuan Ming's ailment.

"Currently, I still have many forbiddances unresolved, and releasing the main soul would require more time than I have," Yuan Ming sighed.

Upon hearing this, Xi Ying hesitated for a while, then suddenly made up her mind and said,

"I remember you telling me that comprehending formations could help you unlock the forbiddances. Why don't you possess my body so that I can carry you to comprehend arrays, enhance my Array Formation Cultivation, speed up refining the forbiddances, and release the main soul early, which might treat your 'illness'?"

"This... isn't that a bad idea? Haven't you always disliked when I possess your body?" Yuan Ming was slightly taken aback and shook his head.

"What time is it now to still care about these? Besides, I... I don't mind anymore, what are you still worried about!" Xi Ying flushed with embarrassment and annoyance.

Seeing this, Xi Qian smiled understandingly, sparing her sister some embarrassment, and found an excuse to leave the room immediately.

But after her departure, the atmosphere in the room grew even more awkward.

"Come on, come." Somehow, Xi Ying's voice trembled, her demeanor one of brave sacrifice.

Yuan Ming also couldn't help but laugh, then took out an ordinary piece of Black Incense and lit it.

This was the same Black Incense he initially used when he possessed Immortal Xuanhua. Later, he optimized the duration of the possession, which allowed for comprehension but not control over the possessed person, rendering it not very useful.

Using it this time was also a sign of respect towards Xi Ying.

Amidst the swirling incense smoke, Yuan Ming's consciousness quickly possessed Xi Ying, and she immediately took out the Array Formation Manual and began her comprehension.

...

As Yuan Ming prepared to possess Xi Ying to comprehend formations, a command from Yuan Ming also reached Xu Che and the sisters of the Yan Family, instructing them and other Nether Moon Sect believers to cease all other affairs and stay at their residence to pray intensely during this period.

With urgency pressing, relying solely on one method to release the main soul was not safe.

Yuan Ming had speculated before that filling the Stealing Heaven Tripod might cause some changes. Now, in a last-ditch effort, he decided to also try this path and see if it could benefit the current situation.

Yuan Ming's command quickly spread out, from the Central Plains to the Northern Desert, the Southern Border, and even reaching as far as the East Sea.

In passing towns and villages, not only cultivators but mortal believers also received this decree through their respective channels.

However, the higher the cultivation of the cultivator, the smaller the proportion of those who accepted and followed the command; on the other hand, many mortal believers who had received aid and responses from the Nether Moon God remained devout, responding en masse and beginning to pray.

Meanwhile, believers and cultivators on Red Ganoderma Island, Thousand Dragon Island, Red Leaf Island, Wanhua Island, and Yuzhu Island also responded actively, joining the ranks of those praying.

As for other islands in the East Sea, although they had heard of this, apart from a small group of cultivators who still deeply believed in the Nether Moon God, most cultivators ignored it.

Even so, after many years of accumulation and management, the concentrated prayers of the fairly significant Nether Moon Sect believers formed a sizeable amount of Desire Power, which was now continuously converging on Yuan Ming's location.

Time flew, and half a month passed quickly.

At Yuan Ming's residence, after this period of possession and comprehension, his mastery in formation techniques surged dramatically. He had refined over twenty forbiddances of the Stealing Heaven Tripod, his sensitivity of the Divine Soul sharpened, and the connection with the Stealing Heaven Tripod gradually deepened.

Meanwhile, under countless believers' prayers, the Desire Power within the White Jade Lotus Platform accumulated continuously and was finally filled.

But at that moment, an abrupt change occurred.

The entire space within the Stealing Heaven Tripod suddenly trembled violently, and the Desire Power within the White Jade Lotus Platform, as if propelled by some force, started to churn vigorously.

A vortex of condensed Desire Power began to operate on its own, drawing all the Desire Power towards the center.

At that instant, the white flames that had been burning fiercely in the void above the space also seemed to be drawn by this power, slowly descending towards the vortex and merging with it.

In the blink of an eye, a white flame vortex formed, continuously burning and refining the incoming Desire Power, seemingly purging all impurities and stray thoughts, turning them into ash.

Sensing the changes inside, Yuan Ming's heart swelled with joy.

He seized the opportunity when the white flames above descended completely unimpeded. His main soul and the first split soul immediately flew upwards toward the upper region, leaving only the second split soul staying behind in the space of the White Jade Lotus Platform.

As his main soul ascended continuously, it felt as if it passed through an invisible barrier. His vision suddenly blurred, and he entered the space within the Stealing Heaven Tripod.

After many days, Yuan Ming finally returned to the Stealing Heaven Tripod Space, barely able to contain his excitement.

He hurriedly controlled his Divine Soul to inspect the space and found that the situation inside had not changed much from before, except for a problem with the gold Array Map on the altar.

Compared to before, the light from the gold Array Map was now dim, seemingly lacking the power to continue operating.

As Yuan Ming's Divine Soul approached the altar, he peered inside and discovered that several Crystal Stones embedded in the center of the Array Map had depleted their Spiritual Power and turned grayish white.

The remaining Crystal Stones were also dim, clearly also significantly worn out.

Now that the Stealing Heaven Tripod Space was sealed, even if Yuan Ming wanted to replace the Crystal Stones and repair the Array Map, it was utterly impossible.

With a thought, he attempted to summon his Divine Soul to leave the Stealing Heaven Tripod Space, but after trying, his Divine Soul was still firmly bound and unable to leave this not yet fully unsealed space.

"As expected, it's still not working," Yuan Ming sighed inwardly.

At that moment, he suddenly remembered what Qi Ye had previously mentioned to him, that the Sky-reaching Demon Pillar was a treasure of the Demon World with the ability to open up spaces, and immediately a thought of trying this surfaced in his mind.

Yuan Ming immediately raised his hand and summoned it, and a thick, mysterious black Stone Pillar encompassed with Demon Patterns appeared beside him.

He placed one hand on the Stone Pillar and simultaneously cultivated his Half-demon Body, channeling the Demonic Qi inside his body into the Stone Pillar.

In just an instant, the runes on the Sky-reaching Demon Pillar lit up one after another, and then the light spread, causing all the Demon Patterns to light up as well.

A unique force extended out from it, following Yuan Ming's body into the Stealing Heaven Tripod.

Yuan Ming immediately closed his eyes, his Divine Thought sinking into the Stealing Heaven Tripod Space.

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At that moment, he instantly felt a force not his own, attempting to open the spatial barriers within the Stealing Heaven Tripod.

Yuan Ming focused his mind and fully stimulated his Mana, guiding that Space Power into the spatial barriers.

The spatial barriers around the Stealing Heaven Tripod were like thick ice, and the Mana mingled with that Space Power was like coarse salt scattered on the ice, slowly melting it away, but at a very slow pace.

However, Yuan Ming was patient enough, fully focused on pushing this force, gradually wearing down the layer of spatial barriers.

Time slowly passed, and a continuously deepening crack gradually appeared in that layer of spatial barrier.

Two hours later, a trace of Space Power finally penetrated the spatial barrier, creating a tiny slit in it.

Without any hesitation, Yuan Ming's main soul and first split soul immediately passed through that slit, flying out of the Stealing Heaven Tripod Space, like children returning home after many days.

The two soul shadows successively entered Yuan Ming's forehead, the main soul promptly flying into the Nascent Soul to integrate with it.

The first split soul then sat cross-legged in the Sea of Consciousness, continuously absorbing Divine Soul Power to solidify itself.

The moment the Divine Soul returned to its place, Yuan Ming's eyes abruptly opened, a tangible divine light flashing through them, and his spirit dramatically revitalized.

After many days, his Divine Soul had finally recovered.

With a slight sensing, Yuan Ming immediately realized his Soul Power had become incredibly pure, the previously sloppy condition due to absorbing too much Desire Power no longer existing, and the hidden dangers in his Divine Soul were completely eliminated.

However, the weakened state of the Divine Soul within the Nascent Soul was not resolved.

After hesitating briefly, Yuan Ming had an idea, and with a thought, the first split soul sitting in the Space of Sea of Consciousness immediately stood up, leapt, and rushed into the Nascent Soul.

With the integration of the first split soul, the Divine Soul Power inside the Nascent Soul surged tremendously.

When Yuan Ming tried again, the Divine Soul Power operated smoothly, and he could channel Mana without any obstruction, instantly dispelling the last bit of his worries.

In the evening, he left the secret chamber and met Xi Ying.

"Congratulations, it looks like this retreat has brought you considerable gains," Xi Ying immediately noticed his changes and cheerfully said.

"Xi Ying, I've found a way to purify the Divine Soul, perhaps this time I can also help you," Yuan Ming said excitedly, ignoring these compliments.

Xi Ying's Soul Power was much purer compared to Yuan Ming's former condition, but she had previously become very difficult to advance further on the path of a Soul Cultivator due to her reckless attempt at breaking through.

Refining the impurities within the Divine Soul to achieve utmost purity might just be one of the methods.

"What method? Please, tell me in detail," Xi Ying also became interested upon hearing this.

Yuan Ming immediately shared the conditions of his recent retreat with Xi Ying.

After listening, a look of surprise flashed across Xi Ying's eyes. After pondering for a long time, she also felt that this method was feasible.

"We should not delay; let us try it right away," she said resolutely.

The two immediately returned to the secret chamber to prepare for a joint retreat.