The Secret of the Divine Realm

Gu Qingfeng only felt a plain, unadorned light invade his body without resistance, shining upon his soul—and then... nothing else happened.

Young Master Yin seemed to have illuminated nothing but emptiness.

At that moment, Young Master Yin appeared to notice something unusual and exclaimed in surprise, "Soul Unyielding to Divinity! You’re merely at the Tough Qi Realm, yet your soul has reached the level of Soul Unyielding to Divinity! No wonder my divine soul power has no effect on you."

Hearing this, Gu Qingfeng was momentarily stunned. He suddenly understood what that unadorned light had been—it was the radiance emitted by Young Master Yin’s soul.

Abruptly, Gu Qingfeng vaguely grasped the key to the Divine Realm and why gods were said to be unseeable.

If his deduction was correct, the essence of the Divine Realm likely lay in the sublimation of the soul, elevating it to a higher state of existence—what Young Master Yin referred to as a "divine soul."

Once the soul reached the level of a divine soul, it would become extraordinarily powerful, to the point where its mere radiance could shatter ordinary souls. This was the reason behind the saying that gods could not be gazed upon directly.

At this moment, Gu Qingfeng lifted the veil of mystery surrounding the Divine Realm and finally understood why Jue Mingzi had once said, "There are no true gods—what people call gods are merely powerful humans."

His understanding of cultivation suddenly became clear.

Having long tormented demonic beasts at the Dragon Transformation Realm, he was already familiar with the concept of "Dragon Transformation."

Dragon Transformation represented the metamorphosis of one’s life essence, and the manifestation of life was the physical body.

Now, looking back, the essence of martial cultivation could be summarized as the refinement of essence, energy, and spirit.

From Qi Condensation to the Innate Realm Master, it was essentially the process of refining energy.

Dragon Transformation, the evolution of life essence (the physical body), could be seen as refining essence.

And the Divine Realm was the transformation of the soul into a divine soul—the refinement of spirit.

Moreover, these three aspects were mutually reinforcing.

Refining energy involved absorbing and condensing the world’s spiritual energy to its peak. While this process primarily focused on energy, both the soul and body would be nourished by the spiritual energy, growing stronger alongside it.

Refining essence meant using the pinnacle of energy to trigger the body’s metamorphosis into Dragon Transformation. Once the body became powerful, it could naturally accommodate greater quantities and higher qualities of energy while also nourishing the soul in return.

Refining spirit occurred when the body became strong enough to bear a divine soul, allowing the soul to transform into one.

Of course, the process of converting the soul into a divine soul likely required some special method—one Gu Qingfeng had yet to uncover.

So... the so-called "gods" were not deities in the true sense but merely a misconception born from the absence of real gods in the world.

Gods were simply martial artists of the Divine Realm, and the Divine Realm referred to the soul’s evolution into a divine soul!

Though Gu Qingfeng instantly grasped the nature of the Divine Realm, it did nothing to improve his current predicament. Even if gods weren’t truly divine, he was still no match for a Divine Realm martial artist.

A Soul Unyielding to Divinity could only ensure his soul wouldn’t be instantly shattered—nothing more.

"Young Master here originally wanted to save some effort, but since that’s the case, I’ll take things a bit more seriously."

Young Master Yin’s surprise at the Soul Unyielding to Divinity lasted only a moment before he reverted to his usual playful, languid demeanor.

With a casual flick of his folding fan, the invisible gales of heaven and earth began to converge around him.

Yet before Young Master Yin could strike—

Gu Qingfeng moved.

He wasn’t foolish enough to stand still and wait for his opponent to attack.

The Cross-Shaped Netherworld Flame Sword slashed out from his hand in a sweeping arc.

A colossal wave of black-and-white flame sword energy tore through the sky, ruthlessly cleaving toward Young Master Yin.

Young Master Yin wore a look of disdain, standing motionless as if the incoming attack was utterly beneath his notice.

And indeed, it was.

The Cross-Shaped Netherworld Flame Sword was extinguished the moment it neared him, snuffed out by the swirling gale surrounding his body—effortless, like blowing out a candle.

But it wasn’t over yet.

As the flames dissipated, Gu Qingfeng’s figure abruptly materialized.

The sword strike had merely been a feint, a diversion to conceal his approach.

Now, under the cover of the Cross-Shaped Netherworld Flame Sword, Gu Qingfeng had closed the distance, thrusting the Wood King Sword forward with a glint of cold light.

"Greenwood Dragon Prison!"

The Wood King Sword transformed into a storm of vines, surging toward Young Master Yin in a frenzied attempt to bind him.

Yet even the Wood King Sword, now elevated to a low-grade Heavenly Spirit Weapon, could not breach Young Master Yin’s gale. It was instantly shredded into splinters.

Young Master Yin’s face twisted with mockery, but before he could speak—

Gu Qingfeng had already used the shadows of the vines to teleport, abruptly appearing behind him.

His aura erupted violently, muscles bulging as a layer of fine black dragon scales enveloped his body. A palpable dark energy seeped from him, coalescing into the form of a ferocious, snarling flood dragon.

This was the pinnacle of his Black Dragon Immortal Body—

Flood Dragon Coiling Form!

And this was Gu Qingfeng’s true killing move.

Ever since learning that the power of the Divine Realm stemmed from the soul, Gu Qingfeng had understood why the winds conjured by Young Master Yin carried such devastating force.

He recalled his first cultivation session after reaching the "Seeing Divinity Unbroken" stage.

His progress had been astonishingly swift because his soul, now unbreakable, acted like a tangible hand, violently dragging the world’s spiritual energy into his body.

Before, he could only guide energy through willpower. But with a trace of divine intent from his unbreakable soul, he could now directly grasp and manipulate the energy.

Now, reflecting on the nature of the divine soul, Gu Qingfeng had realized its true function—

Commanding the world’s spiritual energy!

Divine Realm experts could be likened to mages, wielding the power of their souls to manipulate energy and cast spells. This was why Young Master Yin’s winds were so formidable—they were no longer martial techniques, but sorcery.

Facing a mage, Gu Qingfeng’s strategy became clear.

His greatest advantage was his indomitable physique.

Thus, victory hinged on close-quarters combat.

He didn’t know if his body could rival a Divine Realm expert’s, but he had no choice but to gamble. Only in melee combat did he stand a sliver of a chance.

BOOM!

Gu Qingfeng unleashed a full-powered punch toward Young Master Yin’s back.

The strike carried every ounce of his inner energy—a force surpassing even the Dragon Transformation stage.

This was Gu Qingfeng’s strongest blow.

The moment it was unleashed, the space behind Young Master Yin trembled faintly.

ROAR!

The coiled flood dragon bellowed.

For the first time, Young Master Yin’s expression shifted. His attention, previously fixed ahead, now snapped to the overwhelming force surging from behind—the gale protecting him being torn apart layer by layer. The smugness vanished from his face.

His meticulously groomed brows furrowed.

Wind surged instantly.

SWISH!

Gu Qingfeng’s fist struck empty air.

Young Master Yin’s body dissolved into a gust, vanishing without a trace.

Gu Qingfeng’s heart sank. The opportunity he had painstakingly created, his strongest attack—dodged effortlessly.

"Ant, I never expected your physical body to be this formidable. Interesting, truly interesting. Initially, I planned to force your master out and then kill you. But now, it seems you hold some value—barely enough to qualify as a gift for my master, alongside your master."

Not far away, Young Master Yin's figure materialized from the wind.