Chapter 3314: Chapter 3314: Strong Soul

“The last time I was here, I saw the ingenuity of the Primitive Illusion, and praised it. But alas, I didn't expect it to be destroyed in just a few short years...” the Snake Goddess trailed off, a trace of sadness appearing on her beautiful face.

“It's just an illusion array. I can set it up at any time. Since Zen hasn't retreated from the Other Shore yet, I can set it up now,” Fuxi said reassuringly, to comfort the Snake Goddess.

Pearce's eyes lit up at Fuxi's words. He said gratefully, “Human Sovereign, if you are willing to set up an array for us, it will be a great honor for the Oneness Sky Palace.”

However, the Snake Goddess did not look impressed. She gave Fuxi a cool look and said, “The Oneness Sky Palace does not lack a powerful array. What it needs is warriors that can confront those in the Eternal Realm, and an array will be of no use for that.”

Fuxi saw the way the Snake Goddess was staring at him and felt embarrassed.

The Snake Goddess was right. No matter how powerful the array was, it would be meaningless for the Oneness Sky Palace without protection of Eternal Warriors. At most, such arrays could only slow down the enemy's attack.

As they were speaking, a guard's voice suddenly came from the front door of the Supreme Dragon Hall. “Here comes Zen Luo from the Oneness Mountain!”

Zen swept into the hall, and the conversation stopped as everyone turned towards him.

Strong masters like Athemar and Master Hai raised their eyebrows when they caught sight of Zen. It was immediately apparent that he had undergone some great trials, for there were fundamental changes in his aura.

His eyes were bright with an incomparably strong aura. Indeed, just gazing into those brilliant eyes made everyone feel surprised. Only after his soul had made great progress could Zen produce that awe-inspiring effect on others.

“Zen, have you passed the trial in the Soul City?” Athemar asked, already knowing the answer.

He was familiar with Zen's abilities, and had always predicted that Zen would be capable of stepping into the Land of Sword Grief in a few years.

But now, Zen had exceeded even his high expectations. In an impossibly short period of time, he had faced and overcome the trial of the Soul City.

It gave Athemar a jolt to realize that Zen's cultivation level was now almost equal to his own.

“Yes,” Zen said simply.

People burst into chatter, reacting to his astonishing announcement. “You managed that so fast!”

“I'm sure that only a few days ago, you had only reached the eighteenth stage of the Other Shore Realm. And now you have reached the Holy Soul Realm?”

“It all sounds unbelievable!”

Pearce stared at Zen, unable to hide his shock. Mere days ago, he and Zen had discussed Stage Thirty-three. To have passed the trail of the Soul City since then was nothing short of astounding.

Flamine, who was sitting on the leftmost, smiled faintly. “Elvinia didn't tell me!”

The news that Zen had reached the Holy Soul Realm made the people of the Oneness Sky Palace feel proud and overjoyed, but there was also a sense of frustration.

After all, they were not the Eternal Warriors. They were only at the Holy Soul Realm. They couldn't help but feel slightly envious that a young man like Zen managed to catch up with them in only a few years, making them pale in comparison to him.

Zen turned to the guests in the room. He cupped his hands towards them and said formally, “My greetings, Snake Goddess and Human Sovereign.”

Fuxi snorted arrogantly, while the Snake Goddess curled her lips in a smile. She said, “How many times did you try to reach the Holy Soul Realm?”

The others looked at Zen expectantly, for they had forgotten to ask him about this. No one in the Source World had ever reached the Holy Soul Realm in fewer than ten tries. If Zen had done it on fewer attempts, he would set a new record.

Zen's expression didn't change. “One,” he replied calmly.

His answer stunned everyone who heard it. Flamine's eyes widened. She knew that even Eastern Emperor Taiyi had attempted to reach the Holy Soul Realm ten times before succeeding. РåꞐŏΒЕ𝐒

The powerful warriors in the Supreme Dragon Hall gazed at Zen with increased respect, feeling honored to be in the presence of such a great talent.

A single attempt?

No one could think of anybody who had ever passed the trial of the Soul City on their first attempt.

They thought back on what they knew of history and tried to remember other great warriors, but it seemed that such a record had never been seen before in this round of chaos.

Even Fuxi had dropped his arrogant expression. He stared at Zen with amazement, as though he was looking at a monster. “Is this true? You reached the Holy Soul Realm on your first try?”

The Snake Goddess maintained her composure. She said calmly to Zen, “And how many Holy Soul Imprints did you get?”

The Souls of Light present in the Soul City had all witnessed Zen obtaining the Holy Soul Imprints, and surely many of them had reported it to their own races by now. There was no way for him to hide the truth.

“Nine,” Zen replied honestly.

For a moment, silence fell upon the Supreme Dragon Hall. Then it was broken by a burst of noise as everyone began talking all at once.

“Zen, did you really get nine Holy Soul Imprints?” someone asked incredulously.

“I...I got only one...”

“Most of us got none!”

Among all the senior officials of Eastern Emperor Taiyi, only Auden had been able to obtain a Holy Soul Imprint. But even that single imprint had made Auden's soul far stronger than other Colorless Souls.

They were dumbstruck at the thought of how powerful Zen's soul had become, with nine Holy Soul Imprints. He had become incomparably strong.

“No one has ever obtained nine Holy Soul Imprints. Are you exaggerating?” Fuxi couldn't resist asking. His brows were drawn together in a frown. He couldn't believe that Zen had managed to gain such an impossible feat.

Even the Snake Goddess had narrowed her eyes, astonished at Zen's claims. But unlike Fuxi, she didn't ask any accusing questions. She met Zen's eyes and said, “Please release the soul pressure and show us what you've accomplished.”

She was inclined to believe Zen, but she still wanted to see proof. She also wanted to see exactly how strong a soul reinforced by nine Holy Soul Imprints could be.

Zen had just withdrawn from the Other Shore, and had yet to test the limits of his newfound power. He felt an unprecedented sense of overwhelming strength, but he didn't know precisely how powerful his Soul of Light had become.

“All right,” he agreed, wanting to see for himself.

He closed his eyes slightly and took a deep breath.

The room had fallen quiet as everyone watched Zen. The only sound was Zen's soft exhalation as he breathed out.

In that moment, his eyes opened, and a formidable soul aura burst out.

Gasps could be heard around the hall at the sight. The nine Holy Soul Imprints combined to form a whole, constantly circulating within his soul.

The soul aura expanded rapidly, permeating the entire Supreme Dragon Hall and exerting pressure on everyone within it.

All the warriors present, except for Fuxi and the Snake Goddess, felt the suppression of a more powerful aura than their own.

“Incredible!”

Athemar couldn't hold back a slight, bitter smile.

He had initially thought that Zen's cultivation level was now on par with his own, but it seemed now that he had underestimated Zen.

Outside the Supreme Dragon Hall, new guards stood on duty, unaware of what was happening inside. They all possessed great cultivation strength.

But when Zen's invisible soul pressure burst outside the bounds of the hall, it soared past them into the sky, enveloping them. The guards stiffened and looked around, feeling as though there was some ancient, powerful beast in the hall. A sensation of iciness washed over them and many of the guards fell to their knees as their legs trembled, unable to stand.

The soul pressure lasted for a few seconds. Zen closed his eyes again, and retracted his aura. After a moment, he blinked, and his eyes returned to normal. But they still emitted a sense of contained power.

“I've never seen anyone who has nine Holy Soul Imprints. Zen, you have not yet entered the Eternal Scroll Painting, but your soul is already so powerful. Once you have done so, your strength will only grow. I look forward to what you can accomplish,” the Snake Goddess said, nodding to him to show her appreciation.

Even Fuxi had no mocking words for Zen. A hint of gloominess was evident in his expression.

Fuxi had never been convinced of Zen's abilities the way so many others were.

After all, there had once been a huge gap between Zen and himself. He had not expected nor imagined that it was possible for Zen to catch up with him so quickly.

Would Zen really surpass him in a few days?

Fuxi scowled. He would never accept that!

“I hope to step onto Stage Thirty-two as soon as possible, and become an Eternal Warrior,” Zen said.

Murmurs rose from the crowd of people, and the Snake Goddess lifted an eyebrow. She said, “I heard that you had summoned Eastern Emperor Taiyi. Did you really find the human race on the Other Shore? Could I meet them?”

Pearce had told her the truth about Eastern Emperor Taiyi defending against the enemy, so the Snake Goddess was extremely concerned about it.