Chen Mo's gaze locked onto the maelstrom of destruction at the heart of the ruined Mei Clan sanctuary, his heightened senses analyzing every minute detail. "Is that...Mei Ling?" he murmured in disbelief, crimson eyes widening.
The innocent and timid little girl he knew had been twisted beyond recognition, consumed by an aura of primal fury. Mei Ling's delicate features were contorted into a rictus of unbridled rage, her movements a blur of savage power that left only scorched earth and splintered debris in its wake.
As Chen Mo watched her decimate their surroundings with each unchecked strike, realization dawned upon him like a lead weight in his gut. "It seems that girl lost control, and Yin Mei was able to awaken fully."
Chen Mo thought to himself that even though Mei Ling went berserk and used the ghost possession techniques, with her current cultivation, she wouldn't be able to summon this kind of power.
[Report] - [Dangerous entity detected]
[
Name: Yin Mei
Cultivation: ???
Information: Yin Mei's reincarnation avatar, ???, Fox Demon, ???
]
'Oh… so that's how it is'
"But seriously, Yin Mei's reincarnation avatar?" Chen Mo's brow furrowed as he reassessed the catastrophic scene. "Looks like it's not that simple."
Rumbling explosions punctuated the air, each detonation a harsh reminder that there was no time for idle contemplation. Chen Mo's crimson gaze snapped toward the wizened elder desperately trying to restrain the unstoppable Yin Mei.
His grinned craftily. Now that the elder was wholly occupied, he had a fleeting window to focus inward and break through to greater realms of power. Only then would he stand a chance, even after improving his combat power by fully integrating with his body, he was still not confident that he could take on the elder in his current form.
But luckily for him…
[Report] – [Early Nascent Soul simulation complete]
[Report] – [Peak Nascent Soul simulation complete]
'Integrate'
Without hesitation, Chen Mo crossed his legs and settled into a lotus position amidst the chaos, his aura flaring with intensity. In that moment, the raging winds and thunderous detonations seemed to fade into eerie silence as he centered his consciousness.
A low thrum reverberated through his being as Chen Mo channeled the full depths of his spiritual reserves. Massive torrents of energy roared to life, swirling around him in an ethereal vortex of crimson and azure light.
The air thrummed with barely-contained power as those kaleidoscopic streams converged upon Chen Mo's motionless form, drawn inexorably inward. His spiritual pathways, strengthened through arduous cultivation, pulsed in tandem with the rhythmic flow of energy.
With each inhalation, Chen Mo's physical vessel absorbed more and more of that raw, elemental force. His flesh, bones, and meridians creaked with the strain of containing such immense spiritual pressure, but he showed no outward signs of faltering.
As the maelstrom of power intensified, Chen Mo's body slowly began to levitate, suspended within the eye of the mystical tempest he had summoned. Rivulets of crimson and azure radiance sheathed his form in an aura of transcendent light, fracturing into resplendent motes that danced across his skin like cosmic fireflies.
The onslaught of energy showed no signs of relenting, the vortex around him swirling with ever-increasing ferocity. Yet Chen Mo remained a bastion of unyielding focus, allowing the torrent to pour into every fiber of his being without resistance.
Seconds bled into minutes, the world around him lost in a kaleidoscope of whirling light and sound. Only when the last vestiges of spiritual energy had been fully absorbed did Chen Mo finally open his eyes, irises blazing like twin suns.
"I'm now at the peak of Nascent Soul," he stated, his voice resonating with power yet somehow remaining serene amidst the cyclone surrounding him. "And it seems the simulation of the Soul Formation is almost over."
[Simulating] – [Early Soul Formation - Time left: 30 secs]
[Simulating] – [Peak Soul Formation - Time left: 1 min]
Even as the words left his lips, Chen Mo's consciousness analyzed the revelations unlocked through his rapid ascension. A flicker of doubt creased his features as he considered the stakes of their current crisis.
"Since there's still time, I might as well break through to the Soul Formation realm," he decided, jaw set in grim determination.
He thought that since Yin Mei and the elder were still occupied, he might as well just break through to the Soul Formation ream. The main reason was because he had no real defense against soul attacks and was therefore vulnerable to any soul attack that the elder would use.
Even if he was physically stronger, he couldn't fully kill the elder since he wouldn't be able to attack the elder's soul.
Of course, the most important reason was that soul formation needs extreme concentration and he wouldn't be able to form his soul while fighting the elder.
[Report] – [Early Soul Formation simulation complete]
[Report] – [Peak Soul Formation simulation complete]
Now that he had recovered his spiritual energy and stamina by achieving the peak of the Nascent Soul realm, Chen Mo would seize this opportunity to form his soul. With a steadying exhalation, he reassumed a meditative lotus posture.
'Integrate'
Blue and crimson flames, shaped like the eternal dance of Yin and Yang, flickered to life upon his brow. Spiritual energy, distilled from the residual vortex surrounding him, streamed inward through those mystical runes of power.
The ground trembled as that deluge of energy saturated the air, drawn toward Chen Mo's unmoving form like a black hole consuming all matter and light in its vicinity. Shockwaves of invisible force radiated outward with each metaphysical inhalation, refracting the whirling energies into resplendent fractals.
Chen Mo showed no reaction, his consciousness withdrawn into a meditative trance as he focused every iota of his being upon this pivotal breakthrough. The Soul Formation realm hovered just beyond the precipice, both salvation and damnation awaiting him in its enigmatic depths.
All around, the world had descended into pandemonium - thunderous rumbles shook the very foundation of reality as clashing titans of power collided. Yet at the heart of this earthly armageddon sat the unwavering eye of perfect tranquility, where a single man gambled everything to attain a higher plane of existence.
As the unstoppable maelstrom converged upon Chen Mo's unmoving vessel, there was but a breath of silence before—
"Initiate manual override" a female voice spoke from the depths of Chen Mo's soul.
[Manual override accepted]