As recorded in the original work, Zhou Ming, riding the Flying Flower Gu, descended into the stone forest. He walked through the stone forest, beckoning as he went, and soon stopped at the base of a purple stone pillar.
At the bottom of that purple stone pillar was a smooth stone, looking like an artificial stone stool, which made one want to sit down and rest for a while.
Zhou Ming knew that this was the key mentioned in the original work that opened the passage to Lang Ya Blessed Land.
This was Thieving Heaven Demon Venerable's arrangement. One only needed to smear his own fresh blood on the stone pillar and then say the two words "I want" to open the passage and teleport himself into Lang Ya Blessed Land.
It was a very simple design, but if one didn't know the inside story, who would run to such a place to do the two things mentioned above?
No, there was still one.
Zhou Ming chuckled inwardly, temporarily suppressing that name in his heart.
He surveyed the stone pillar, but didn't rush to follow the steps. Instead, he quietly chanted in his mind: "Main God, return to the Main God Space!"
The scenery before him changed in an instant, from the desolate stone forest to the familiar Main God Plaza, with a large glowing sphere above his head eternally emitting a soft, temperatureless light.
"I'm back!" Zhou Ming let out a long laugh. Compared to the Gu World, he felt more comfortable and at ease here.
He checked the time in the Main God Space and found that only five days had passed here; today was only the sixth day.
"I spent about fifty days in the Gu World, and it's the sixth day in the Main God Space. Calculating the time ratio, it's roughly one to nine, correct."
Zhou Ming nodded secretly in his heart and returned to his villa.
Qin Wumeng's villa was next to his. The two buildings were identical; anyone else wouldn't be able to tell any difference.
Fortunately, Zhou Ming didn't go to the wrong one.
Hurrying back to his villa's living room, Zhou Ming took out the Doushuai Grass Gu. A large number of Gu worms flew out from it, and he began to continuously exchange them with the Main God.
The continuous Main God prompts kept ringing in his mind, making Zhou Ming's head spin. After finally exchanging all the Gu worms, he glanced at the significantly increased reward points, and a simple, honest smile, like that of an old farmer at harvest time, appeared on Zhou Ming's face.
These were all the fruits of his diligent labor!
Next, Zhou Ming began to exchange. He continuously exchanged several items: magic scrolls, runestones, jade talismans, precious pills, alchemy tools... After exchanging more than a dozen items in total, Zhou Ming continued to browse the Main God's exchange list, finally stopping at one exchange item.
Soul Splitting Art: Splits the Soul, severs the Soul, creating a sub-Soul. Both the main body and the sub-Soul, due to the incompleteness of their Souls, instinctively desire to eradicate and devour each other.
Through the struggle and battle of Souls, after defeating the sub-Soul, all its spiritual will will be completely eradicated, and the two halves of the Soul power will reunite, thereby achieving the transformation and sublimation of the Soul.
If, during this process, the main body is eradicated by the sub-Soul, it will be replaced by the sub-Soul, completely becoming another person.
Prerequisite: Hell Soul Cleansing Scripture Major Achievement. Exchange requires 12,000 reward points.
Zhou Ming read it carefully several times, then flipped to the exchange introduction for the Hell Soul Cleansing Scripture.
Hell Soul Cleansing Scripture: The ultimate secret art of the Hell Gate. Using oneself as Hell, it cleanses the Souls of all beings, distorts their minds, manipulates their hearts, grinds down their will, modifies memories, and controls people's hearts. It is a completely pure mental Martial Dao.
Prerequisite: Possess a cultivatable Soul. Exchange requires 6,000 reward points.
Zhou Ming continued to check the upgrade exchange for the Hell Soul Cleansing Scripture.
Hell Soul Cleansing Scripture Minor Achievement: Requires a mental power rating of 300 or more. Exchange requires 8,000 reward points.
Hell Soul Cleansing Scripture Major Achievement: Requires a mental power rating of 1000 or more. Exchange requires 10,000 reward points.
"Main God, what is my mental power rating?" Zhou Ming asked.
[Current mental power rating: 2200.]
"Oh?" Zhou Ming was a little curious. "What standard is the mental power rating based on?"
[Reincarnator authority is insufficient. Please increase authority before inquiring again.]
Zhou Ming asked again: "How do I increase authority?"
[Reincarnator authority is insufficient. Please increase authority before inquiring again.]
Zhou Ming: "???"
Unable to get an answer from the Main God, Zhou Ming could only temporarily put the matter aside and began to exchange for the Hell Soul Cleansing Scripture.
A pillar of light descended, and countless light particles surged into Zhou Ming's body. A large amount of information simultaneously entered Zhou Ming's mind.
Soon, the exchange ended, and Zhou Ming's mind fluctuated as he quickly digested the information.
The Main God's exchange was not simply about directly giving the Cultivation Technique to the Reincarnator and being done with it. Instead, these contents were firmly imprinted in the Reincarnator's memory, allowing the Reincarnator to learn them directly and use them immediately.
Of course, this 'one-click teaching' method of cramming was certainly not as proficient as gradually comprehending and Cultivating it oneself. However, as long as the Reincarnator practiced diligently, this gap could be bridged.
"What a Hell Soul Cleansing Scripture! Its lower limit is so low that even ordinary people can learn it, influencing others through hypnosis. Its upper limit is so high that it can distort consciousness, modify memories, and even manipulate Souls."
"But this is still a Demonic Technique! While the Cultivation Technique acts on others, it also affects oneself, causing mental damage and confused thinking."
"Perhaps the creator of the Soul Splitting Art created this even more sinister and dangerous Cultivation Technique precisely to solve this drawback of the Hell Soul Cleansing Scripture?"
"However, this is also precisely why I want to exchange for the Soul Splitting Art!"
After a while, Zhou Ming withdrew his consciousness from the Hell Soul Cleansing Scripture and, without hesitation, continued with the subsequent strengthening of the Hell Soul Cleansing Scripture.
"Hiss!" The first Minor Achievement strengthening caused Zhou Ming's Soul to feel a slight stinging pain, like tiny silver needles constantly pricking his Soul, deepening Zhou Ming's comprehension of the Hell Soul Cleansing Scripture.
When the strengthening was complete, Zhou Ming felt his Soul had solidified slightly.
"Continue!"
The pillar of light descended again, and countless light particles surged wildly into Zhou Ming's body, vying for entry.
This time, the pain from Zhou Ming's Soul was extremely strong. If before it was like pricking with silver needles, now it was like chiseling with an iron hammer to carve words on his Soul, like inscribing a monument. The pain, like a tidal wave, washed over his will, and a vast amount of insights and Cultivation experience regarding the Hell Soul Cleansing Scripture furiously echoed in his mind.
In a blur, Zhou Ming saw Ha Tu Gu's indistinct figure constantly twisting and fading in this surging tide, as if he would be obliterated in the next moment.
However, his figure never completely disappeared; instead, he, like Zhou Ming, accepted the massive information of the Hell Soul Cleansing Scripture, becoming increasingly resilient.
"Die!" Zhou Ming was furious, instinctively activating the Hell Soul Cleansing Scripture, manipulating his mental power to attack Ha Tu Gu.
"Hahahahaha, Zhou Ming, thank you for completing me!"
Ha Tu Gu laughed wildly, his mental will clashing with Zhou Ming's in the same manner.
The real Ha Tu Gu had already died the moment Zhou Ming used Soul Devour on him.
The current Ha Tu Gu was merely another personality created by Zhou Ming's Soul due to Ha Tu Gu's memories.
He was not an independent existence, not another Soul; he was always one with Zhou Ming.
So, in reality, he was not Ha Tu Gu; he was still Zhou Ming, just one Soul with two thoughts.
And the battle between thoughts, compared to actual combat, was even more elusive and difficult to deal with.
And now, the Hell Soul Cleansing Scripture gave them a better means to attack each other.
"Boom!" The world of consciousness surged, and Zhou Ming blasted Ha Tu Gu's image apart, making him temporarily disappear from his sight.
But Ha Tu Gu's consciousness was not completely annihilated; he merely temporarily lay dormant, continuing to await an opportunity to counterattack.
Zhou Ming also had no mind to pursue him relentlessly now. In the world of consciousness, he fully received the massive amount of information.
Ha Tu Gu's consciousness was getting weaker and weaker; he couldn't resist many more times.
Moreover, to deal with him, he would soon have more powerful means, and then he would use him for experiments.
The Main God's exchange gradually ended, and Zhou Ming gradually recovered from his enlightenment.
Including the initial exchange, a total of 24,000 reward points were consumed, and Zhou Ming instantly elevated this Cultivation Technique to Major Achievement!
After the strengthening was complete, Zhou Ming felt his Soul was heavy.
His Soul, originally transformed by the Wood Soul Gu into a treant-shaped wood Soul, now had its treant image faded considerably, recovering much towards a human form. But his Soul was indeed more solid, and the Soul foundation it could bear was also higher.
He checked his mental power rating again and found that it had risen to 2600, an increase of exactly 400.
"Not bad. Next, I'll exchange for the Soul Splitting Art!"
Another pillar of light descended, and the Cultivation method of the Soul Splitting Art was quickly learned by Zhou Ming.
"No!"
Ha Tu Gu's will, which had just lain dormant, rushed out again, charging towards Zhou Ming with a face full of madness.
Perhaps he also realized that this was his last chance, unable to conceal himself any longer, and could only make one last desperate struggle.
"Get lost!" Zhou Ming's will transformed into an invisible barrier, blocking Ha Tu Gu from rushing over to absorb the information of the Soul Splitting Art.
Ha Tu Gu lunged left and right, but was always unable to break through Zhou Ming's blockade. Knowing that the gap between them was too great and that he probably had no more chances, the madness on Ha Tu Gu's face gradually gave way to despair.
Finally, the exchange ended.
"Soul Splitting!" Zhou Ming's will was incomparably cold, and he immediately used this newly learned Demonic Technique on Ha Tu Gu's will.
At this moment, Ha Tu Gu's expression instead returned to calm, allowing a strange, profound power to envelop him. Then, he was cut out from Zhou Ming's complete Soul and cast away.
Zhou Ming suddenly clutched his chest, frowning deeply, feeling only emptiness in his heart and a void in his Soul.
The Soul Splitting Art was a Demonic Technique that split the Soul, cutting a complete Soul into two parts.
Just like now, Zhou Ming's originally complete Soul was split into two incomplete entities: Zhou Ming and Ha Tu Gu.
"I'm alive?" Feeling his independent Soul, Ha Tu Gu was incredibly shocked.
"Indeed, congratulations on transforming from a void consciousness into a physical Soul," Zhou Ming said coldly. "But you are still not an independent entity; you cannot escape my body."
There were still intricate connections between the two of them. One had to emerge victorious, one had to die, for the other to be complete.
"So..." Zhou Ming's Soul emitted cold fluctuations, "Die."