Translator: CinderTL
"How can I help you hatch? Do you want me to let you devour my divine soul?" Song Wen asked.
"That won't be necessary," the shadow void replied. "Simply release some of your divine sense power for me to absorb, and that will aid my hatching."
"How long will it take you to complete the hatching?" Song Wen pressed.
"Approximately a century," the shadow void answered.
"A century?" Song Wen frowned slightly. He had no intention of waiting that long for the shadow void to hatch.
"If you're willing to split off some soul fragments from your divine soul," the shadow void suggested, "my hatching speed would greatly increase."
Song Wen immediately understood. It was likely because the shadow void had been secretly devouring portions of Jiang Yushan's soul that his soul remained perpetually wounded, forcing Jiang Lanruo to constantly seek Spirit Herbs to repair it.
The stronger Jiang Yushan's cultivation, the more powerful his soul became, and the greater the soul power available, the faster the shadow void's hatching would progress.
Song Wen raised his hand and pointed toward the sky.
Instantly, silver-white specks of light surged forth from the Black Hole above. These were soul fragments—the remnants of souls devoured by the Black Hole, fragmented by its power.
"Can you devour these?" Song Wen asked.
"Yes! Of course I can!" Shadow Void's voice suddenly rose, his gaze fixed greedily on the specks of light raining down from above. "This... this is the purest Soul Source Essence! With these, I won't even need to absorb your divine sense power to complete my incubation."
"Soul Source Essence?"
Another term Song Wen had never heard before emerged from Shadow Void's mouth.
However, he didn't press for clarification.
With a wave of his hand, Song Wen halted the descent of the light specks. Instead, they slowly ascended, returning to the Black Hole above.
"Master... what is this?" Shadow Void asked, his gaze shifting to Song Wen in confusion.
"What about that Primordial Blood Contract you mentioned earlier?" Song Wen countered. "Don't expect any favors from me until that contract is signed."
"That's easily done," Shadow Void replied. "Master, please reveal your true divine soul form, retract the Black Hole, and allow me to perform the ritual."
Song Wen didn't respond, merely scrutinizing Shadow Void with a cold gaze.
After a moment, as if reaching a decision, Song Wen's figure slowly dissipated.
In its place, a handsome young man emerged from the depths of the Sea of Consciousness.
This was Song Wen's true divine soul form, reflecting his true appearance.
At that moment, Shadow Void suddenly realized that while the Black Hole above hadn't vanished, the overwhelming pressure that had once felt as vast as the night sky had diminished to less than a tenth of its original intensity. He could now mobilize a portion of his own power.
Shadow Void's eight tentacles suddenly bloomed like a lotus flower, each tip splitting open to reveal a fissure.
Strands of black mist poured from these fissures, twisting and intertwining in the air to form a massive, bizarre rune.
This rune was unlike any Song Wen had ever seen, radiating a power he couldn't comprehend.
Song Wen vigilantly watched Shadow Void's every move, ready to activate the Black Hole and suppress it at the slightest sign of danger.
"Master, focus your mind!" Shadow Void shrieked, and the strange rune shot forth, hurtling directly toward Song Wen.
Song Wen's divine soul pupils constricted, his gaze burning like torches as he locked onto the approaching rune.
Just as the rune was about to strike him, a figure materialized before him in a blur of afterimages.
It was a divine soul in the early stage of Divine Transformation, but its expression was blank, its eyes hollow, like a wooden puppet.
Clearly, its divine soul had been damaged, leaving it devoid of consciousness.
Song Wen had purchased this divine soul in Phoenix Feather City.
Perhaps fearing the exposure of certain secrets, the seller had deliberately stripped away part of its divine soul, leaving it without memories or intelligence.
The rune conjured by Shadow Void imprinted itself perfectly onto the Remnant Soul's chest.
The Remnant Soul's body suddenly trembled, then stilled.
"Master, why have you done this?" Shadow Void's eyes were filled with disbelief.
Song Wen examined the Remnant Soul, finding no apparent abnormalities. He replied casually, "Just curious. I wanted to try something."
Although the Sea of Consciousness Black Hole should have suppressed any treacherous intentions Shadow Void might harbor, Song Wen remained wary. The Primordial Blood Contract was completely unknown to him; he wasn't even certain if the rune was truly such a contract. He dared not risk his divine soul lightly, hence using the Remnant Soul as a shield.
"But Master," Shadow Void protested, "each Void Clan member can only forge one Primordial Blood Contract in their lifetime. I've already bound this Remnant Soul. I can't form another contract with you."
"It doesn't matter," Song Wen said. "Your contract with the Remnant Soul will suffice. Rest assured, as long as you serve me faithfully, I will one day grant you your freedom and allow you to dispose of this Remnant Soul as you see fit."
Shadow Void paused for several breaths, then took a deep breath. "Master, your subordinate will remain eternally loyal, willing to brave fire and water for your sake!"
Song Wen smiled faintly. His form gradually faded, vanishing without a trace.
Along with him vanished the Remnant Soul.
Song Wen's attention returned. He retrieved a Soul Bottle and collected the Remnant Soul.
While conversing with the shadow void, Song Wen had been multitasking, following closely behind the Nether Fox.
Their journey had been remarkably smooth. Though the Nether Fox detected several low-level Resentful Spirits and void fiends, Song Wen instructed them to bypass these threats from a distance.
After more than four hours, estimating they were nearing the entrance to the underwater tunnel, Song Wen spoke to the Nether Fox ahead.
"Keep an eye out. There should be a massive underground entrance nearby."
"An underground entrance?" The Nether Fox suddenly slowed its pace, raised a front paw, and pointed northwest. "In that direction, about fifteen hundred li away, there's a deep underground abyss. Could that be the entrance you're looking for?"
"Let's check it out," Song Wen replied.
The Nether Fox immediately changed course, heading northwest.
Before long, the man and fox arrived at the 'underground abyss.'
The abyss lay at the foot of a barren mountain, resembling a deep fissure that plunged straight down into unfathomable darkness.
Song Wen stood at the cliff's edge, peering into the pitch-black chasm.
His divine sense power, now limited to less than fifty zhang, couldn't penetrate the abyss's depths.
However, the fluctuations in Primordial Qi concentration had little impact on the Nether Fox's sensory range.
From the Nether Fox, Song Wen learned that the abyss stretched several miles long and about a hundred zhang wide—nearly identical to the information Hong Zhe had provided about the entrance to the underwater tunnel.
A flicker of joy flashed across Song Wen's face.
Finding the entrance so smoothly was both unexpected and exhilarating.
Without the Nether Fox's assistance, not only would locating the entrance have been impossible, even reaching this vicinity would have been exceedingly difficult.
With both divine sense and vision suppressed, even cultivators could easily lose their way.
"Nether Fox, what's at the bottom of the abyss?" Song Wen asked.
The Nether Fox stared into the dark depths and shook its head.
"I can't sense the bottom."
A hint of surprise appeared in Song Wen's eyes.
The Nether Fox's Spirit Sense could typically perceive distances of nearly two thousand miles, yet it couldn't reach the bottom of this abyss.
How deep could this abyss be?
The Nether Fox continued, "The abyss plunges straight down for about a hundred miles. Then there's an opening, several zhang high, sloping downward and extending northward. I can't sense where it leads."
Song Wen felt even more certain that this was indeed the entrance to the tunnel.
(End of the Chapter)