Upon hearing Old Goldwing's reminder, Evan Chu immediately focused his divine sense to probe the surrounding region.
Yet after probing in all directions, the Soul Crystal only gave off a faint fluctuation and still couldn't open the entrance to the Soul‑Spirit Realm.
"Looks like the entrance to the Soul‑Spirit Realm is buried deep underground!"
Elemental power rippled inside Evan Chu, and the eighth layer of Earthshift instantly unfolded, letting him dive thousands of zhang below the surface.
As he descended, the Soul Crystal's fluctuations grew stronger and stronger, but he still couldn't find the entrance to the Soul‑Spirit Realm.
Everyone in the God Realm knows the Soul‑Spirit Realm is said to be filled with artifact spirits and weapon spirits—top treasures for repairing damaged artifact spirits, even if the artifact itself isn't a supreme-grade divine weapon.
But in reality, that's just the most superficial understanding of the Soul‑Spirit Realm! Forget entering it—even those who've merely discovered its location are so rare in the entire God Realm you could count them on one hand!
And the idea that a Soul Crystal can serve as the entrance to the Soul‑Spirit Realm has always been just a legend—no one has ever proven its function, or even the existence of the Soul‑Spirit Realm itself.
Stormtower—now the Darknight Sandstream Group under Frostbane Divine Palace—had its foundation and strength multiply after merging in, but even a group of that level has almost no reliable intel on the Soul‑Spirit Realm.
So when Evan Chu kept diving past ten thousand zhang, the Soul Crystal in his hand burst into dazzling radiance—but he still hadn't found the Soul‑Spirit Realm!
"Could it be that this so-called Soul-Spirit Realm doesn't even exist?"
A shadow fell over Evan Chu's heart. If the Soul-Spirit Realm doesn't exist, then repairing the Frostbane Divine Sword and Ethereal Divine Shuttle will be delayed.
And without a fully restored Ethereal Divine Shuttle, many of his upcoming plans would be severely hindered.
"One last try!"
Enduring the pain that felt like his insides were about to explode, Evan Chu kept descending. Finally, when he reached thirteen thousand five or six zhang, he had to stop.
The eighth layer of Earthshift could only get him this far, and the geocentric pressure here was immense. Every moment, Evan Chu felt as if he was enduring the fierce assault of a late-stage God-Venerable.
Golden blood inside his body was about to burst out under the pressure, and if this kept up, Evan Chu would probably be crushed to death right here!
Given where he had descended to, it was as if a tenth of the God Realm's landmass was pressing down on him! Only because his cultivation had reached the God-Emperor Realm and his body was that of a peak nine-clawed Primordial Dragon could he withstand it!
Otherwise, in the past, he would have exploded and died in the earth's core at just five thousand zhang.
Just give up like this? No way! The soil here has clearly changed, and this Soul Crystal...
Riiip... Just as Evan Chu hesitated, the skin on his chest was torn open by the crushing pressure.
Bang bang bang! As one wound split open, more appeared all over his body. Golden blood began to flow from his skin, Evan Chu struggled to breathe, and the eighth layer of Earthshift was about to collapse completely.
You want me to leave empty-handed? Dream on! I am the supreme Golden Dragon, the nine-clawed Primordial Dragon! The unrivaled king—there's nothing I can't do!
The kingly aura of the nine-clawed Primordial Dragon erupted, and the arrogance and madness carved into his bones from his past life surged up in Evan Chu at this moment.
At the same time, Evan Chu's inner God Infant burst forth with immense power. Two bloodline forces fused and exploded together.
Boom!
Evan Chu's body instantly transformed into his true form. Though not as gigantic as the thousand-zhang Golden Dragon he showed outside, it was still dozens of meters long. His golden dragon claws tore fiercely through the underground soil...
Whoosh... A pitch-black, deep hole appeared before him. As soon as it did, the Soul Crystal's radiance surged to its peak, and—pop!—with a soft sound, it shattered instantly.
The shattered fragments of the Soul Crystal seemed to be drawn by some force, rushing toward the black hole. Evan Chu's face lit up with joy and excitement.
The entrance to the Soul-Spirit Realm!
His Golden Dragon true body leapt forward and charged straight in. Instantly, the underground soil returned to its original state, leaving no sign that anyone had entered. The black hole vanished as soon as Evan Chu entered, as if it had never existed at all.
Upon entering the Soul-Spirit Realm, Evan Chu felt strange energies washing over his body—and even his soul.
So this is the Soul-Spirit Realm? It's truly bizarre!
A faint blue glow suffused the surroundings, and countless invisible, formless phantoms drifted through the space. Evan Chu could faintly hear voices calling out nearby.
Let me out...
I don't want to stay here!
It's so cold, so dark... Let me out!
Not every phantom can speak; they, too, are divided by age and rank.
Those under a thousand years old are soul wisps. They don't drift about, nor do they communicate consciously.
Those between a thousand and ten thousand years old are Soul Springs. They can drift freely and are considered newly formed juvenile entities.
Souls between ten thousand and fifty thousand years old are called Soul Ambers. They can communicate with consciousness and possess considerable cultivation and special attack techniques.
Evan Chu's arrival immediately alarmed many Soul Ambers.
Ah! An outsider has invaded!
A corporeal outsider—if he can enter, maybe he can take us out? Big sister?
A few Soul Ambers that had just formed after ten thousand years were clearly inexperienced, and stared at Evan Chu with curiosity.
But a fifty-thousand-year-old Soul Amber suddenly cried out in alarm, 'Quick! Get out of here, that's a human! They'll slaughter us—they're cunning, greedy, and despicable!'
With a sudden shout, the fully formed Soul Ambers began communicating and quickly fled, while the Soul Springs who had no idea what was happening continued to wander outside.
As for the soul wisps scattered throughout the space, they remained unmoved, quietly growing in place.
This space clearly favors soul growth, and it seems only souls can thrive here. Indeed... in a place like this, any physical body that enters would be crushed to pieces.
If I didn't possess the nine-clawed Primordial Dragon's invincible golden body, I wouldn't have been able to come here at all.
Watching the fleeing Soul Ambers and wandering Soul Springs, Evan Chu pondered: Should I give the Frostbane Divine Sword and Ethereal Divine Shuttle a spirit just like this?
Thinking this, he subconsciously reached out and touched a wandering Soul Spring. As soon as he made contact—snap!—the Soul Spring shattered, marking the death of a life in the Soul-Spirit Realm.
That damned guy—he really is here to slaughter us!
A corporeal being is the natural enemy of Soul Springs and soul wisps. Let's use soul secret arts to attack him—make him die!
Several Soul Ambers with tens of thousands of years of existence stood up, seemingly ready to unleash powerful techniques against Evan Chu.
At this moment, Evan Chu suddenly realized he was in big trouble.