Chapter 165: Spiritual Metamorphosis, The World's Reflection

The destructive torrent of collision surged like a roaring tide. High above the firmament, within a radius of ten thousand meters, everything had dissolved into utter chaos.

Everything was destroyed, completely annihilated.

Even Master was unable to peer into the unfolding events within. Yet, an unfathomable aura radiated from his body, blending into the void to forge an absolute restriction, ensuring the Grand Emperor of the Spectral Zhang could not escape.

"Brother Jiang's physical body is certainly not as formidable as mine, yet he has unleashed such terrifying power. How truly unbelievable," Chen Bei sighed as he gazed at the distorted void, before turning his gaze to Ye Bai, "If you, kid, could master Brother Jiang's methods, you would truly be invincible."

Ye Bai curled his lip. Did he not want to?

It was simply far too difficult to learn.

"I am quite strong myself, alright? After all, I have mastered the Dao of Immeasurability," Ye Bai said, raising an eyebrow. "Do you believe me if I say I can blast you to pieces with a single punch?"

"I truly do not believe you!" Chen Bei laughed. "You have comprehended Immeasurability, but I have also grasped other powers; you possess the Saintly Physique, and I the Samsara Physique; you have stepped into the eighth realm of martial arts, while I have already reached its peak. Furthermore, there is a world within my body, Brother Ye. How can you possibly compare to me? And then there is Shi Lei; that guy possesses the Supreme Bone and the Supreme Physique, with peerless comprehension and immense self-discipline. He is definitely stronger than you. As for Old Fang, that fellow gives me a sense of trepidation; surpassing you should be no problem at all. Fellow student Wang Qiutong possesses the Innate Dao Physique and is hardly weaker than you either. Moreover, her future growth will only accelerate, and her achievements will undoubtedly be terrifying."

With every single sentence Chen Bei uttered, Ye Bai's expression darkened a shade further, until he finally let out a cold snort and ignored him entirely.

Yet at that moment, a deep frown appeared on Ye Bai's face.

The surrounding crowd one after another revealed expressions of worry.

The terrifying torrent of energy gradually dissipated. Not only was there no sign of the Grand Emperor of the Spectral Zhang, but Jiang Ming had also vanished completely.

"Divine Eyes, shatter all illusions!"

Wang Qiutong grew anxious. Divine light flowed within her eyes as she swept the area before her, seeing through illusions and peering into the essence of things. Aside from discovering a vast amount of lingering, dense blood qi left behind by the Grand Emperor of the Spectral Zhang, she could find no trace of Jiang Ming whatsoever.

"Dead?" The thought arose, but she immediately shook her head.

"Supreme Eyes!" Shi Lei also unleashed his power, yet ultimately found nothing. "He vanished right under our noses? Impossible, absolutely impossible!"

"Brother Jiang will definitely be fine!" Zhou Tian shook his head.

"Heavenly secrets are in chaos, and destiny is distorted. Although I can no longer see through the future, I dare assert that Brother Jiang is fine!" Yi Tianyan had also arrived at the scene. Radiant rivers of stars seemed to flow within his eyes before finally fading into stillness.

Nevertheless, his words allowed everyone to heave a sigh of relief, though they simultaneously turned to look at Master.

"He is fine!" Master's brows furrowed slightly. Shifting his gaze toward the southeast, he perceived and sensed something, though it remained hazy and obscure: This is the peculiar ability of the Spectral Zhang alien race—the ability to enter a specialized space? I sensed it slightly while battling him, but I never allowed him to succeed. Now that he has entered, Jiang Ming has fallen in alongside him. What kind of place is that exactly? With my abilities, I can only sense it vaguely.

Ran Xin arrived in the upper air once more, her expression peculiar.

She sensed fluctuations of spiritual power—specifically, two different kinds of spiritual power.

"One belongs to the Grand Emperor of the Spectral Zhang, that is certain. The other belongs to Jiang Ming, and that is equally certain. After all, when the two of us fought previously, he entered my Sea of Mind." Ran Xin's thoughts churned, and she was utterly shocked as well. "It makes sense that the Spectral Zhang race possesses a unique alien nature and wields raw spiritual power, but how did Jiang Ming master it as well, and even enter the Spiritual Void Realm?"

Even she could not be certain about the Spiritual Void Realm!

Within the Mind Realm, or rather, the Spiritual Void Realm.

Having perceived the rhythm of the Grand Emperor of the Spectral Zhang and gained some enlightenment, Jiang Ming used his own spiritual power to barely shroud himself, following the other entity and piercing directly into this place.

It felt akin to stepping into water, without any particular difficulty.

Yet upon arriving in this domain, he sensed a genuine difference.

This was likewise an immensely vast and boundless world.

There were mountain peaks, rivers, forests, and even cities...

It was completely identical to the outside world.

No, it was equivalent to a replica of the outside world.

Only, there were no living creatures whatsoever.

Moreover, the entire world was rendered in shades of gray, imparting a sense of primordial desolation. Immediately afterward, however, Jiang Ming perceived a change within himself.

His spiritual power was merging with this world, and then—like boiling oil touched by fire, or as if his own innate talent of 'Indestructible Mind Light' had been ignited—

An intangible and formless power flowed into his body, causing his spiritual power to surge explosively and spread rapidly outward, only stopping when it reached a distance of a million meters.

With a grasp of his hand, his mind force condensed directly into substance, possessing terrifying power.

Jiang Ming was puzzled. Was this transformation caused by the Indestructible Mind Light, or was it a natural metamorphosis of his spiritual power upon entering this place?

Yet he also discovered something.

"My true qi and physical body's strength have been greatly weakened!"

His true qi was almost impossible to mobilize, and he could sense no laws or order whatsoever. His martial domain could not be activated, let alone merging his thoughts with the void.

Even his blood qi power had gone dormant, struggling to unleash even one or two percent of its might.

Furthermore, his soul power had been heavily suppressed, though nowhere near as severely as his martial cultivation and fleshly body.

"If we describe it in terms of explicit and implicit: in the outside world, physical strength and martial cultivation belong to explicit powers, with terrifying might, while spiritual power is implicit—though powerful, almost no one can master it. No, the outside world should be all-encompassing, and relatively speaking, spiritual power is simply difficult to master. Here, a complete one-hundred-and-eighty-degree reversal has occurred: spiritual power is explicit, its might magnified to the extreme, while all other powers are suppressed."

Jiang Ming silently speculated.

He withdrew his spiritual power, and in an instant, he felt an immense repulsion attempting to expel him from this domain. Moreover, the force grew increasingly stronger, making it nearly impossible for him to resist.

Hastily, he released his spiritual power once more, causing it to infiltrate his muscles and bones. The repulsion instantly diminished drastically. He then enveloped it around his exterior, causing all resistance to vanish without a trace, replaced by a sense of familiarity with this place.

Within his Sea of Mind, a cluster of light seemed to be gestating.

The peculiar power ubiquitous throughout heaven and earth slowly merged into his body.

"The Mind Realm is truly wondrous!"

Jiang Ming sighed in admiration.

On the other side, the Grand Emperor of the Spectral Zhang, who had long since landed on a mountain peak, wore an expression of extreme ugliness.

He had spotted Jiang Ming.

His expression was twisted, his pupils filled with ferocity.

"How did you get in here?" The Grand Emperor of the Spectral Zhang was consumed by towering rage. "I entered because of my innate racial divine ability, and even then, getting in was fraught with difficulty. How did you, a mere human, an ant, manage to enter our world?"

"Your world?" Jiang Ming smiled coldly. With a shift of his figure, akin to a teleportation, he suddenly appeared a hundred meters away from the Grand Emperor of the Spectral Zhang.

This speed startled even himself.

It was far too fast.

Comparable to the speed of light.

Unbelievable to the extreme.

"Is this the rule belonging to the Mind Realm?"

Jiang Ming guessed as much.

"Now that I am here, it belongs to my world!" Jiang Ming looked at his opponent, also assessing the state of the Grand Emperor of the Spectral Zhang.

This entity's spiritual power was not particularly strong.

It fell far short of his current level.

Moreover, the power within his body had been suppressed to the absolute limit, clearly having suffered heavy injuries in the outside world.

"Impossible, this shouldn't be, it defies common sense!" The Grand Emperor of the Spectral Zhang felt a sense of utter disorder. He had already reverted to his true form, though his body was vastly smaller.

It was merely three meters in size, and the eyes upon his tentacles were dim and devoid of light.

Waving his tentacles, his voice was filled with a distorted murderous intent: "You are definitely not human! Speak, what race are you? Are you beast, bird, fiend, evil spirit, demon, specter, shaman, or true ominous disaster?"

"I am the Spectral God, your ancestor!" Jiang Ming said, raising a hand to grab forward. Boundless spiritual power poured downward, enveloping the Grand Emperor of the Spectral Zhang.

The latter went mad, struggling desperately, yet unable to break free.

"This..." Jiang Ming twitched the corner of his mouth.

In the outside world, the Grand Emperor of the Spectral Zhang possessed the capability to destroy the entire world, but here...

"How did you become a little lamb?" Jiang Ming teased.

"Become your mother's..." The Grand Emperor of the Spectral Zhang went berserk. Mobilizing various powers proved entirely useless; even attempting to dissolve his divine ability to leave the Mind Realm failed completely.

Because the outside was shrouded by Jiang Ming's spiritual power.

"Sigh, how boring!" Jiang Ming shook his head. "The so-called Grand Emperor of the Spectral Zhang is nothing much after all!"

"Nothing much?" The Grand Emperor of the Spectral Zhang raged furiously. "In the outside world, if you hadn't had so many helpers, if Master hadn't sealed the void, facing your ultimate attacks, how could I not dodge? I couldn't dodge, dammit! I could only take it head-on."

"Dammit!"

"I am a specter, an ominous disaster, and I should have struck from the shadows!"

"Instead, I got entangled by an old bastard!"

"And then I got sealed!"

"When you arrived, I could only take the blows head-on. Before I could even use my various methods, my true form was blasted apart by you!"

"And yet you dare say I am nothing much!"

"Come out! Let us fight again in the outside world, one-on-one, and see if I don't torture you to death!"

The Grand Emperor of the Spectral Zhang could not suppress his fury.

He was enraged to the point of distortion.

"Say whatever you want; it cannot change your fate!" Jiang Ming said, manipulating his mind force to forcefully crush the other entity apart.

Yes, he simply crushed him apart.

The Grand Emperor of the Spectral Zhang let out a miserable scream before all breath of life vanished, his soul completely annihilated into nothingness.

Dead as dead could be.

"Who would have thought that the dignified Grand Emperor of the Spectral Zhang would be killed so easily?" Jiang Ming found it hard to believe.

He still remembered when the Grand Emperor of the Spectral Zhang had descended, his power so immense as to induce despair; merely glancing at him caused malignant power to trigger involuntary mutations within people.

And yet, here he was, easily slain.

Shaking his head, he suppressed his swirling thoughts.

Jiang Ming once again surveyed this world. It was too desolate, and too vast.

There was no air, and no primal energy.

There were no living creatures.

It resembled a reflection of the real world.

Moreover, within this place, one could sense the real world.

He tested it out: whether he mobilized the blood qi, true qi, or soul power within his body, he could effortlessly perceive the 'real' world.

He could see Master, Wang Qiutong, and the others.

Even everything in the 'real' world was visible with absolute clarity.

"In the Mind Realm, blood qi, true qi, and soul power are the keys to communicating with the outside world; in the outside world, mind force is the crucial power to enter this place!"

Jiang Ming gained this insight.

Withdrawing his mind force and feeling the repulsion emanating from the entire world, a thought arose, and he took the initiative to step out from the Mind Realm.

Master and Ran Xin looked toward this side the very first moment.

The others subsequently sensed Jiang Ming's aura.

"Haha, I knew you wouldn't die." Ran Xin could not help but laugh heartily. "As the saying goes, a scourge lives for a millennium; you still have a thousand years of lifespan left!"

Jiang Ming was speechless.

The rest smiled knowingly.

"The place you just entered..." Master arrived nearby, probing, "Was it a special world?"

The others also looked over, filled with curiosity.

Especially Ran Xin, whose expression revealed excitement.

"Mn!" Jiang Ming nodded, describing it simply. "It is the Mind Realm. I am not clear on its exact essence. However, it seems to be a reflection of our world—mountain peaks, mountain ranges, forests, rivers, and even cities are completely identical, yet there is no life whatsoever."

"It really is the Spiritual Void Realm!" Ran Xin said with elation. "According legend, when spiritual cultivation reaches a certain level, one can enter a supreme spiritual sanctuary. It is omnipresent and serves as the destination of the mind. I never expected that Brother Jiang would actually enter it."

"A world reflection? The Mind Realm?" Master fell into contemplation.

The rest wore expressions of confusion.

They truly had never heard of such a thing.

"Brother Jiang..." Ran Xin said with a hint of coyness, "Can you bring me in to take a look? My Dao of the Mind has been stuck at the seventh realm, and even my martial arts have been affected, remaining stagnant at the seventh stage for a long time. I have no idea when I will break through. I have a feeling that as long as I can enter the Spiritual Void Realm, I can break through!"

Her gaze was blazing, carrying a trace of entreaty.

"Of course!" Jiang Ming raised a hand and placed it upon her shoulder. Spiritual power poured out, and this time he perceived it with absolute clarity.

In the real world, the might of spiritual power was far inferior to that in the Mind Realm.

Although the spiritual reflection had not shrunk, extending mind force outward was far more difficult. When chasing the Grand Emperor of the Spectral Zhang, he had merely managed to shroud himself; now, shrouding Ran Xin as well was not much of a problem.

However, trying to extend it any further proved exceedingly difficult.

In a flash, the two of them vanished without a trace.

"The Mind Realm..." Gazing at the spot where the two had vanished, Master's eyes seemed to give birth to stars. Strange fluctuations of power rippled across his body, and he too vanished.

"This..."

Wang Qiutong and the others were dumbfounded.

"Brother Jiang is a freak; anything happening to him is taken for granted. How did Master also comprehend this kind of unimaginable ability?" She was startled.

"He is Master after all!" Ye Hongyu had also arrived here long ago, stating matter-of-factly, "It would only be strange if there was something Master couldn't do!"

Wang Qiutong was startled, then fell silent.

Perhaps, in this world, in the eyes of ordinary mortals, Master was omnipotent. Just like the Jiang Ming they knew, who also seemed capable of anything.

The others had already descended.

As for why Jiang Ming had comprehended such power, no one probed deeply; after all, they had yet to thoroughly comprehend the powers they themselves wielded.

Within the Mind Realm.

After appearing, Jiang Ming said to Ran Xin, "I will withdraw my spiritual power, and you must release your mind force immediately!"

"Alright!" Ran Xin nodded heavily, then said coquetically, "Brother Jiang, does this count as our minds intertwining? A collision of minds from a level deeper than the soul?"

Jiang Ming paused, speechless.

Ran Xin's face flushed red as well. Feeling Jiang Ming's mind force gradually recede, she turned solemn. As her own spiritual power was released and made contact with the outside, her expression stiffened, replaced by wild joy: "Indeed, this is the place of my Dao-sealing! Jiang Ming, you are my lucky star, an immense lucky star, haha...!"

Asking for monthly tickets once more.

(End of this chapter)