Chapter 447: Major Boost in Power
After wrapping up the plans for the "Heavenly Alliance," Lin Langtian and his group rested for a day at Firecloud Sect. During this time, the bounty of Firecloud Sect's hundred-year collection was divided among the Judges, rewarding them for the successful suppression of the sect. This practice of funding the army through battle rewards was likely one of the secrets behind the Judges' strength. It made one think that if there were ever no forces left in North Mystic Domain opposing the Dark Hall, it might spell trouble for the Dark Tribunal itself.
This mission proved especially rewarding for Lin Langtian and Qingtan. Not only had Qingtan stabilized her control over the Essence Soul level, but she had also been promoted to Captain, marking her first step in establishing control over the Dark Tribunal. As for Lin Langtian, he had secured enough credit to exchange for the Life-and-Death Reincarnation Pill. He had even claimed the half-step Death Profound puppet, the Blood Puppet, as his prize.
Though the Blood Puppet had been badly damaged in battle—its body partially destroyed by the potent impact of Lin Langtian's Demon Fury Fire Lotus—it was still remarkably resilient, its physical toughness comparable to that of true Death Profound experts. Lin Langtian decided that if he could repair the puppet, it would be a powerful asset in the future. For now, he had stored it within his mirrored mini-dimension, leaving it to be repaired by the Demonic Shadow, who might one day be able to restore it to its peak form.
In the quiet of a secluded chamber, Lin Langtian suddenly had an idea. With a thought, the Spatial Ancestral Symbol appeared from within him, floating in front of him and glowing with an ancient silver light. Gazing at the symbol, Lin Langtian pressed his lips together thoughtfully.
Although he had already obtained the recognition of the Spatial Ancestral Symbol, he hadn't yet had the chance to completely refine it due to the demanding schedule of the past months. Since he already had the Devouring Ancestral Symbol within him, taking in another one would almost certainly cause a clash between their powers. And, Lin Langtian suspected, his body wasn't yet strong enough to handle the backlash of such a clash, no matter how resilient he'd become.
"So, you plan to completely refine the Spatial Ancestral Symbol now?" asked Ling Yi, understanding his intention. "Isn't that a bit ambitious for your current strength?"
"Perhaps, but I want to try," Lin Langtian replied.
"The Ancestral Symbols are highly potent forces, even tyrannical. Those who acquire even one are granted tremendous power, but it's essentially impossible to wield a second," she remarked thoughtfully. "Only at the pinnacle of strength on this continent could anyone hope to control all eight Ancestral Symbols."
Lin Langtian chuckled wryly, realizing just how far he still had to go before reaching such heights. "The first symbol I acquired was the Devouring Ancestral Symbol, and I've read that, of all the symbols, Devouring has the highest capacity for integration. While merging it with Spatial is risky, I also have the Gold Spirit Wheel Mirror on my side."
In the original story, Lin Dong was able to use the Devouring Ancestral Symbol's unique absorption powers to integrate the Lightning Ancestral Symbol, enabling him to refine both symbols with only Essence Soul-level strength. However, the help of the Ancestral Stone had been essential in balancing these forces.
Although Lin Langtian lacked the Ancestral Stone, he did have the Gold Spirit Wheel Mirror, which had copied both the Devouring and Spatial Ancestral Symbols. Since it could replicate their powers, he reasoned that the mirror should be able to balance their energies as well.
If he succeeded in fully refining the Spatial Ancestral Symbol, Lin Langtian's currently stagnant spiritual power would be able to rise significantly. His spiritual growth had been frustratingly irregular—after an explosive growth spurt, it had plateaued, as though caught in a bottleneck.
Lin Langtian suspected this was due to the Devouring Ancestral Symbol drawing on his spiritual energy for sustenance. This didn't mean it was simply draining his power; rather, it was storing it. Once he reached a critical threshold, the Ancestral Symbol would release the accumulated energy, and what he regained would be far greater than what he had put in.
Having made up his mind, Lin Langtian steadied his breathing, settled into a meditative position, and closed his eyes. A light began to emanate from his forehead, and the Spatial Ancestral Symbol hovered in front of him before dissolving into a silver glow that surged into his Mind Palace.
In his Mind Palace—a world unto itself—his immense spiritual energy ebbed like a vast sea, rippling with power. Hovering above this sea was the black vortex of the Devouring Ancestral Symbol, ceaselessly rotating and feeding on the surrounding energy.
Whoosh!
Suddenly, a silver light streaked through the quiet void like a comet, settling into the atmosphere with a steady, unyielding force. Almost immediately, space itself began to warp as the Spatial Ancestral Symbol's energy filled the Mind Palace, challenging the Devouring Ancestral Symbol's dominance.
The Devouring Symbol reacted instantly, releasing torrents of dark light, its black hole-like vortex extending its influence across the palace. Caught in this clash of powers, the entire palace began to shudder, its foundations trembling under the strain.
Watching the chaotic confrontation, Lin Langtian finally understood why so few, apart from Lin Dong, had managed to control more than one Ancestral Symbol. The sheer intensity of the clash was staggering.
"Enough! It's time for the Gold Spirit Wheel Mirror to intervene," Lin Langtian decided, realizing that the prolonged clash would soon destroy his Mind Palace.
With a thought, dark golden rays of light began to flow between the two Symbols. The mystical mirror then materialized between them, casting a dim, steady glow over the swirling chaos.
"Gold Spirit Wheel Mirror, balance their power!"
His figure positioned above the mirror, Lin Langtian formed a hand seal. The mirror responded, sending forth two black-and-gold threads, one to the Devouring Ancestral Symbol, the other to the Spatial Ancestral Symbol. Where the two threads met in the center, they began to form a complex, intricate seal that pulsed with a harmonious energy.
Slowly, under the influence of the Gold Spirit Wheel Mirror, the two Symbols began to find a tentative equilibrium, merging rather than clashing. Silver and black energy intertwined, weaving together like two streams joining as one.
The balancing seal looked like a set of scales, gently swaying but always maintaining a state of equilibrium. On each side of the scales rested the powers of the Devouring Ancestral Symbol and the Spatial Ancestral Symbol. Strange energies pulsed along the balance lines, eventually infusing into both Ancestral Symbols, causing them to resonate and begin a slow fusion, ceasing their former violent clash.
Seeing that the two powers had finally settled, Lin Langtian exhaled a sigh of relief. It turned out his hypothesis was correct: since both Ancestral Symbols had been copied from the Gold Spirit Wheel Mirror, the mirror indeed possessed the incredible ability to balance the powers between them.
Of course, he could also feel that much of the credit was due to the Devouring Ancestral Symbol's absorbent nature. If not for this, even the Gold Spirit Wheel Mirror would have struggled to keep both symbols in harmony. As the two Ancestral Symbols gradually stabilized, the Devouring Ancestral Symbol began to rotate faster, releasing waves of spiritual energy as vast as the ocean, pouring into his Mind Palace.
Boom! Boom!
Massive streams of spiritual energy flooded his mental world, causing its space to expand and even generate clouds and lightning in the sky. Lin Langtian extended his hands, feeling his spiritual energy surge at an astonishing rate. All previous barriers and constraints vanished, and under the boundless tide of spiritual power, each remaining obstacle was broken through with ease.
The entire space within his Mind Palace began to transform, and as his spiritual power swelled, a powerful surge of energy flowed within his body as well. Now, his internal energy bore a faint silver hue, occasionally flickering with the elusive essence of spatial power—a truly mysterious and transformative force.
His body, like a mighty, awakening lion, emitted an awe-inspiring energy.
In the meditation chamber, Lin Langtian sat quietly, vast amounts of energy swirling around him like a storm. Both his internal energy and his spiritual power hummed, and his aura climbed higher and higher with every passing moment. Days passed in this way, as his internal and spiritual powers continued to grow in strength.
After five days, the storm of energy finally began to subside. When the last remnants of internal energy and spiritual power flowed back into him, he opened his eyes, releasing a sharp gleam that quickly faded.
Crack.
With a stretch, Lin Langtian rose to his feet, and as he did, the sound of cracking joints echoed from his body. Along with this crackling came an intense, almost primordial power, as though an ancient beast had awakened within him.
"Now I am stronger than ever," he said, inhaling deeply as a satisfied smile spread across his lips. The sensation of strength coursing through his veins was intoxicating.
"It seems that you have reached the peak of the Essence Soul Realm," observed Ling Yi, appearing beside him with a nod of approval. "You are now but a step away from the Death Profound Realm."
Lin Langtian clenched his fists, grinning with satisfaction. He had only recently reached Essence Soul Advanced, and yet refining the Spatial Ancestral Symbol had propelled him straight to the pinnacle of the Essence Soul Realm.
"Of course, your biggest improvement was in your spiritual power," Ling Yi added.
Lin Langtian nodded slightly. Without any physical movement, his surroundings suddenly roared with energy as a storm of spiritual power erupted from within, forming a whirlwind around him. The aura of this whirlwind was so powerful that even a master at the peak of the Essence Soul Realm would be hard-pressed to withstand it.
"I've reached the peak of the Immortal Talisman Master's Minor Stage," he said with a smile. This recent surge in spiritual power had been even greater than the last, not only pushing him past the Sky Talisman Master level but straight to the peak of the Immortal Talisman Master's Minor Stage.
The Immortal Talisman Master level was divided into Minor and Major Stages, and each was a significant leap in power, comparable to the transition from Essence Soul to Life-and-Death Profound. At the Minor Stage peak, Lin Langtian's spiritual power rivaled that of an Essence Soul expert, and upon reaching the Major Stage, he would be on par with Death Profound masters.
In other words, his internal power and spiritual energy had both now reached the pinnacle of the Essence Soul Realm, achieving a rare equilibrium.
Just then, sensing something unusual, Lin Langtian left the meditation chamber. No sooner had he stepped outside than dark clouds gathered in the sky above, with thunder rumbling within them.
"How many bolts of Wind Lightning Tribulation will I face this time?" he wondered, smirking. Having jumped from an Eight-Seal Sky Talisman Master directly to the peak of the Immortal Talisman Master Minor Stage, the number of Wind Lightning Tribulation bolts he would have to endure now might be astronomical.
Boom! Boom!
Before he could contemplate further, countless bolts of lightning cascaded down from the sky, roaring as they descended.
"Shift!"
Lin Langtian narrowed his eyes, a flash of silver appearing within them. A single word escaped his lips, resonating with his newfound command of space.
Whirr!
At his command, the lightning bolts met with a peculiar distortion of space around him, warping and vanishing as if they had been swallowed by the air itself. In the face of Lin Langtian's control over the Spatial Ancestral Symbol, the thunderous strikes could not even reach him.
Meanwhile, one hundred miles away in a canyon, a thunderous boom shattered the silence as countless lightning bolts struck down in Lin Langtian's stead, sending the local beasts fleeing in panic.
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