Chapter 3: Soul Aura

The Soul Union is a free realm on the Immortal Welcome Island of Soul Star. Cultivators from various parts of the cultivation world can gather here to communicate freely.
There are a total of a hundred mountain peaks, which form the territory of the Soul Union. On each peak, the summit has been leveled using powerful spells, and massive pavilions have been built there.
These hundred pavilions serve as gathering points. Cultivators who wish to form a group to head to the Soul Star region can gather freely in these pavilions before setting off together.
At this moment, varying numbers of cultivators had gathered in each of the hundred pavilions.
In each pavilion, there was a leader who would emit fluctuations of their vital energy to signal to the cultivators arriving at the “Soul Union” that those whose strength was not at that cultivation level need not enter the pavilion.
At that time, Qu Yi flew into the air above the Soul Union, sensing the vital energy fluctuations of the leaders in each pavilion.
Qu Yi’s purpose for entering the Soul Star region was to find a treasure that could enhance the soul. Naturally, such a treasure would be located in the core area of the region. Therefore, to enter the core area, Qu Yi needed to find groups composed of cultivators at the Consolidation stage.
Those at the Tribulation stage were all from the ten major sects and had already entered the Soul Star region in groups. Within the “Soul Union,” the strongest groups were those composed of cultivators at the Consolidation stage.
There were three pavilions where the leaders’ vital energy fluctuations indicated they were at the Consolidation stage—one at the later stage, one at the middle stage, and one at the early stage.
Without hesitation, Qu Yi headed straight to the pavilion of the leader at the later Consolidation stage.
Inside that pavilion, aside from the leader, there were four others, also at the later Consolidation stage.
The five of them looked at Qu Yi with some confusion, as his vital energy fluctuations indicated he was only at the Middle Divination stage.
Qu Yi landed and looked directly at the tall and burly leader, smiling and saying, “Fellow cultivator, I wish to join your group and enter the Soul Star region together.”
As soon as he spoke, the five people in the pavilion smiled amiably.
After smiling, the leader said, “Fellow cultivator, all of us are at the later Consolidation stage, while you are only at the Middle Divination stage. You don’t meet our requirements.”
The other four smiled again. One middle-aged man dressed neatly even showed a look of disdain, along with a hint of disgust.
Qu Yi smiled slightly and immediately revealed his true cultivation level, emitting the golden vital energy fluctuations of the later Consolidation stage.

“You! You actually reach the late stage of the Convergence Realm!”
The five people in the pavilion suddenly looked at Qu Yi in astonishment. They never expected that someone who appeared so young could already have attained the late stage of the Convergence Realm.
In the cultivation world, once one reaches the Convergence Realm, it’s rare for them to be able to conceal their aura. The strength Qu Yi demonstrated earlier already made the five realize that he must be extremely powerful, with part of his strength still hidden.
The organizer stared at Qu Yi for a while before saying, “Fellow cultivator, welcome to join us. But first, I must tell you that the five of us plan to enter the core area of the Soul Star Region. That’s where the powerful soul beasts are active, and it’s the best place to obtain soul cores.”
Qu Yi nodded and smiled, saying, “I also want to enter the core area. I’m glad to join you five in entering the Soul Star Region. My name is Qu Tian.”
In the cultivation world, the names Qu Yi and Li Mu were too well-known. Qu Yi didn’t want to reveal his identity, so he had to change his name.
In fact, among the other five people in the pavilion, who would use their real names? They had all met for the first time and were just trying to work together to enter the Soul Star Region. Once they got what they wanted, they would likely leave right away.
Soon, Qu Yi learned the names of the other five. The organizer was named Chu Gao, while the other four were Zu Xiao, Zhuang Xiao, Zong Chun, and Yue Zheng. The cultivator who had shown some disdain for Qu Yi earlier was Yue Zheng, who practiced earth-based cultivation techniques.
After that, Qu Yi and the five waited in the pavilion. After three days, no cultivators at the Convergence Realm showed up, so the six of them decided not to wait any longer and set off immediately for the Soul Star Region.
…
From Broken Soul Star, they flew through space to reach the Soul Star Region. The first planet they encountered was Outer First Star.
On this planet, there were hardly any soul beasts left. After all, all cultivators coming from the cultivation world stopped here first. Whether strong or weak, in order to adapt to the environment of the Soul Star Region, they all had to fight against soul beasts here, which led to the near-extinction of these beasts.
Qu Yi, Chu Gao, Zu Xiao, Zhuang Xiao, Zong Chun, and Yue Zheng quickly arrived at Outer First Star.
On Outer First Star, the cultivators had built many houses, essentially turning it into a cultivation planet.
However, there was still a faint, eerie aura that affected people’s souls on this planet. In such an environment, it was easy for one’s spirit to become scattered. Countless soul worms were already gnawing at the souls of the cultivators, probing, hollowing them out, and dispersing them.

As soon as Qu Yi and the five others flew to an outer planet, they sensed a strange soul energy in the air. It seemed that a layer of “soul insects” had covered their original souls, constantly gnawing at them before attempting to devour them.

Hmph!

The six powerhouses at the Fusion Stage immediately activated their internal vital energy, circulating it throughout their bodies to kill those eerie “soul insects,” restoring their original souls to a clear state.

Yet, even on an outer planet without any soul beasts, encountering such strange soul energies made all six wary. In this Soul Star Region, they had to be constantly cautious and ensure their vital energy remained intact—otherwise, they wouldn’t be able to expel those “soul insects,” and their original souls and spirits might be devoured.

“Five of you, we’ve entered the Soul Star Region. Be careful. There’s no need to stay on this outer planet; there are no powerful soul beasts here, and killing them won’t be of much use. So, let’s head straight to the inner area first to acclimate to the environment before heading to the core area,” said Captain Chu Gao calmly.

Qu Yi and the other five understood and nodded in agreement.

Without lingering on the outer planet, the six immediately took off and flew toward the inner area of the Soul Star Region.

The skies of the Soul Star Region were also filled with various strange soul energies, offering temptations that could induce illusions. If one wasn’t careful enough and fell prey to these illusions, they would be trapped, unable to return to their true selves until they died from exhaustion.

With their current cultivation levels, Qu Yi and the others kept circulating their vital energy as they flew through these confusing soul energies, destroying any that seeped into their bodies.

Souls represented spirituality. These strange soul energies were not only nourishment for soul beasts but also possessed their own consciousness, targeting the souls of human cultivators with the intent to devour them.

Chu Gao, Zu Xiao, Zhuang Xiao, Zong Chun, and Yue Zheng flew through the skies, taking pills or absorbing spirit stones from time to time to restore their vital energy.

But Qu Yi, on the other hand, felt as comfortable as a fish in the sea or an eagle in the sky. Those soul energies that terrified other cultivators were simply swallowed by his six-headed original soul the moment they entered his body.

Yes, the situation had completely reversed.

It was supposed to be the “Soul Insects” in the Heart Soul Star Region that would bite at Qu Yi’s original spirit, but instead, Qu Yi’s original spirit, like drinking water, swallowed up all the soul energies that seeped into his body, continuously growing and strengthening. This was all thanks to the Artifact God—unknown to them what methods he used—but as soon as those soul energies approached Qu Yi’s original spirit, they transformed from a flood into a spring of vitality, all used to nourish it. Upon discovering this, Qu Yi was naturally overjoyed. He was now in the later stage of body fusion and would soon face the heavenly calamity; only by overcoming it could he advance to the early stage of calamity transcendence. The third-nine heavenly calamity pertained to the physical body, the sixth-nine to the original spirit, and the ninth-nine to the soul. Qu Yi had never worried about the third-nine calamity, as his physical body had already become extremely strong after being infused with chaotic energy. Now that he found that these soul energies in the Heart Soul Star Region could be used to strengthen his original spirit, overcoming the sixth-nine calamity would surely be much easier. This was the reason for his joy. Chu Gao, Zu Xiao, Zhuang Xiao, Zong Chun, and Yue Zheng quickly realized the huge difference between Qu Yi and them—Qu Yi didn’t need to take pills or absorb spirit stones, yet his mental state remained excellent, completely unaffected by the soul energies, which left the five of them deeply puzzled. “Qu Tian, aren’t you affected by the soul energies here?” Chu Gao asked intently. The other four, from different planets and each being outstanding in their own worlds, had never encountered someone as strange as Qu Yi. Hearing Chu Gao’s question, they immediately pricked up their ears. How could Qu Yi tell them the truth? So he smiled and said, “I have a precious treasure inside me that can swallow these soul energies, so I’m not disturbed by them.” Since the five of them didn’t know the real reason anyway, Qu Yi made up a casual excuse. Upon hearing this, Chu Gao, Zu Xiao, Zhuang Xiao, Zong Chun, and Yue Zheng’s eyes sparkled with envy at Qu Yi possessing such a treasure. Yue Zheng’s envious gaze even carried a cold undertone. Though the change in his expression was fleeting, it didn’t escape Qu Yi’s notice. “Heh, better not harbor evil intentions, or don’t blame me if you bring ruin upon yourself,” Qu Yi thought to himself.

The six continued to fly through the starry sky. Except for Qu Yi, the other five kept taking pills and absorbing spirit stones, rushing swiftly toward the inner area of the Soul Star Region. A year later, the six finally reached the inner area. The planet ahead, seen from the starry sky, seemed covered in a layer of pale silver, making it extremely bright. The six landed on this planet. As soon as they touched down, a silver-glowing soul beast suddenly jumped out of a hole in the ground in front of them—it was actually four soul snakes at the early stage of fusion. “Haha, what good luck! Let me take care of this soul beast,” Yue Zheng exclaimed immediately, drawing a yellow sword and flying forward.