Atop the ruins, Yuan Ming savored the sensation he had just experienced, his eyes brimming with excitement.

With the aid of Desire Power, he had directly broken through to the Fifth Layer of the Moonlight Technique.

Upon reaching the Fifth Layer of the Moonlight Technique, Yuan Ming felt as if he had entered a brand-new realm. Not only did his Soul Power greatly improve, but more crucially, once in this realm, his Soul Power would circulate automatically in the manner of the Moonlight Technique without deliberate effort, constantly enhancing itself.

In other words, Soul Cultivators at this stage are becoming stronger almost every moment, with the only limitation being the bottlenecks encountered when attempting to break through minor realms.

For ordinary Soul Cultivators, this is definitely the strongest boost that could utterly outpace Magic Practitioners and Body Cultivators in terms of strength and Cultivation.

But for Yuan Ming, the rate of this strength growth paled in comparison to the speed at which he actively refined Desire Power. It could only be considered better than nothing.

Indeed, for ordinary Soul Cultivators, breaking through to this realm is extremely difficult. Even those with excellent talents would need to spend a great deal of time in arduous cultivation, plus some chance opportunities, to break through.

However, with the assistance of Desire Power, Yuan Ming's cultivation speed was nearly a hundred times faster, not to mention that he had just shattered the bottleneck between the Fourth and Fifth Layers with the Desire Power generated from the gratitude of the hundreds of Cultivators in the mine.

The importance of Desire Power for Yuan Ming goes without saying, and in his excitement, he quietly resolved to come up with more ways to increase his acquisition of Desire Power in the future.

After breaking through to the Fifth Layer, several of Yuan Ming's abilities had improved in ways different than before.

First, the number of soul crows increased by four, bringing the total to twelve, and their far-travel range extended to sixty li.

Correspondingly, the distance his soul splitting could operate also increased significantly. Although Yuan Ming could not test it on the spot due to special circumstances, he estimated it should be over three hundred li.

Unfortunately, the soul splitting remained relatively independent, and with the main soul's advancement, the split souls did not benefit.

Among the remaining abilities, Soul Search had the most significant improvement, the speed of memory probing increased several times. Scanning the complete memory of a Cultivator used to take at least ten days to half a month, but now only one to two days were required.

The power of "soul collision" and "Crow Cry" made striking advancement, doubling in strength.

The power of "Soul Feeding" increased as well, and it could now absorb not only the Residual Souls of the dead but also the souls of some weak living beings.

As for the "Corpse Control" ability, there was no substantial change. Each soul crow could still control only one corpse, but manipulation became much smoother than before.

In addition to these existing abilities, with this breakthrough, Yuan Ming also awakened a new ability called "Emotion Manipulation."

It could control various emotions in people's hearts, such as sadness, fear, anger, joy, and envy, amplifying or suppressing them. It could make a person extremely rational or drive them into a frenzied or even insane state.

Like Illusion Techniques, "Emotion Manipulation" could be deployed using Divine Sense, and it could also be activated by Crow Cry.

However, the effect and duration of "Emotion Manipulation" varied depending on the strength of an individual's Divine Soul and mental state.

After understanding the effects of this ability, Yuan Ming immediately thought of many ingenious uses. It was a pity that with many people around, he couldn't research and try it out in public. He had to set aside his anticipation for now, descend from the ruins, and approach Xu Che and the others.

"Thank you, Fellow Daoist Yuan, for your assistance."

Seeing Yuan Ming descend, Xu Che and the others all gave their thanks with clasped hands, all appearing somewhat restrained in their demeanor.

Yuan Ming waved his hand and smiled, "You are too kind, Fellow Daoists. May I ask what plans you have next?"

"I should return to Black Desert City. It's under the jurisdiction of the Black Desert Alliance, and the Guiyuan Sect cannot reach there. If Fellow Daoists happen to pass by in the future, you can find me at the Hidden Dragon Inn in the city," She Yu said.

"Alright, but She Daoist need not worry about the Guiyuan Sect seeking revenge. They have secretly captured so many Daoists, and now that they've escaped, once the news spreads, their days in the Black Wind Desert will be troubled," Yuan Ming said.

"That's true, I'm going to spread the news. If we can get several big powers to jointly pressure them and force the Guiyuan Sect to retract their influence, that would be for the best," She Yu said with a smile.

Yuan Ming nodded and turned to Feng Ling, "Fellow Daoist Feng, are you planning to return to Qin Country? That's the Guiyuan Sect's stronghold, so you should be careful."

"Thank you for your reminder, Fellow Daoist. But I've sworn to Juan'er that I must bring the corpse of that scoundrel Chen Shang to her grave to comfort her spirit in heaven," Feng Ling said through clenched teeth.

Yuan Ming sighed and didn't persuade further. He then turned to Xu Che. Before he could speak, Xu Che said with cupped fists, "Young Master Yuan, may I follow you, just like Fellow Daoist Zuo?"

"I remember that you have unfinished business in Zhao Country, Fellow Daoist Xu. Now that you have gained freedom, don't you want to go back for revenge? Why would you want to follow me?" Yuan Ming was somewhat surprised.

Xu Che shook his head, "To be honest, a few of my uncles have sided with a Core Formation Elder of the Five Thunder Sect to fight for the family property. With my current strength, it's really hard to fight back. I've been wasting years in this Black Wind Desert without any growth, and the chance for revenge seems ever more elusive. Following Young Master Yuan, since you have the power to overcome someone in Core Formation, perhaps I can learn more than stumbling around on my own."

"But why should I help you?" Yuan Ming asked.

Fellow Daoist Zuo once said that you're willing to give the believers the key to open their cages. I don't need you to act personally; I just need you to give me the chance for revenge," Xu Che said as he bowed his head to Yuan Ming, resembling a believer praying to his deity.

Yuan Ming looked at Xu Che as if he saw himself from earlier days, "If you obtain power and face your nemesis again, to find that everything he did was justified in everyone's eyes, what would you do?"

Xu Che had heard of Yuan Ming's exploits and naturally knew how to answer to Yuan Ming's satisfaction, but he still hesitated. After a moment, he stood up straight and said to Yuan Ming, "I might forgive him, or continue to hate him, even kill him, but no matter what, it will be my own choice. I won't give up the power and freedom that belong to me just to please anyone."

Yuan Ming smiled. He felt that when Xu Che finished speaking, a strong Desire Power slowly rose from him and kept drifting toward the Incense Burner Mark on his arm.

The belief of mortals stems from awe and admiration, while the belief of cultivators comes from recognition.

To cultivators, the only difference between them and deities is the level of their Cultivation. Therefore, it's the ideals of deities that truly attract cultivators to worship and follow.

They are not worshipers of the gods, but followers and companions. What they bow to is not the deity's power, but their thoughts and will.

And through recent pondering and answering, Xu Che, at this moment, fully understood Yuan Ming's interpretation of freedom and genuinely agreed with his thoughts from the heart.

Thus, he became Yuan Ming's first cultivator Believer, a fellow traveler on Yuan Ming's path to freedom. Perhaps one day, he might become the object of admiration for others, gaining their gratitude and belief, and the Desire Power born from this would trace back to its roots, ultimately extending to Yuan Ming.

Yuan Ming looked at Xu Che, patted him on the shoulder, and smilingly agreed to his request. Xu Che didn't show an excessively grateful demeanor; he just nodded, silently stepped away, and like Zuo Qinghui, stood behind Yuan Ming.

She Yu and Feng Ling watched this scene with different expressions. At this time, Wulu, who had almost disappeared from the battle, suddenly appeared and came to Yuan Ming with a grin.

"Brother Yuan, long time no see," he said cheerfully.

"You rascal, where have you been hiding all this time? Why haven't you been seen for so long?" Yuan Ming complained helplessly.

"Please forgive me, Brother Yuan. I really had a compelling reason," said Wulu, glancing at the others nearby.

Seeing this, She Yu seemed a bit displeased, but Feng Ling didn't care at all. After speaking to Yuan Ming, he turned around and left, and upon seeing this, She Yu also bowed to Yuan Ming and left together.

Behind Yuan Ming, Xu Che also understood Wulu's intention to have a private conversation with Yuan Ming, so he took the initiative to offer to check on the situation of the mortal mine slaves in the mines, and then left with Zuo Qinghui.

Wulu took Yuan Ming to a secluded spot and cast a soundproofing spell before he spoke.

"Brother Yuan, now that things have come to this point, I won't hide it from you anymore. The truth is, I have always been secretly serving a Cultivation Family," said Wulu.

Yuan Ming feigned surprise, "Really? But I remember Brother Wulu was a member of Dawn, which is known for its mysterious origins. Could it be your family that founded it?"

"Brother Yuan thinks too much. Although many in my family have connections with Dawn, they're definitely not founders. And as far as I know, although Dawn is a Scatter Alliance, many behind it come from Great Sects, but who the actual Alliance Hierarch is, no one has ever figured out," Wulu shook his head.

"My family is somewhat similar to Dawn; though we're a Central Plains family, we have people from the Southern Border, Western Region, Northern Desert, and even the half-demons from the East Sea. Within our family, there are twelve Core Formation Elders, each responsible for different regional mission assignments. Despite being Loose Cultivators, we have a broad network. Elder Niu Mian, who's responsible for Zhao Country, had a profound relationship with Elder Hai who held power here. You've killed him this time, Brother Yuan, so you should be careful in the future," continued Wulu.

Yuan Ming listened to Wulu's story, his brow furrowed. He couldn't help asking, "Brother Wulu speaks so openly. Have you encountered some trouble again?"

Wulu paused for a moment, sighed and said, "Alas, Brother Yuan, do you know how many undercover tasks I've taken in all my years with the family?"

Before Yuan Ming could respond, Wulu raised both hands, saying, "Thirteen times, thirteen different Sects. Each time, I started from the very bottom, with the shortest term being two years and the longest seven. Ever since I entered Foundation Establishment, it's been fifty years of living undercover, almost not a single day of freedom."

...

The author Chang Feng recommends his new work "Princess, Please Behave Yourself!"

Special agent Luo Xing accidentally transverses time and becomes a Secret Agent known as "Hu Shiqi" at the South Government Office of Peace in the Great Zhou Dynasty, while the former Secret Camp follower, Princess Ye Liuli, has become the pride of the Martial Arts Sacred Land, one of the top four beauties in Luojing.

One dwells above the temple hall; the other lies at the far end of the martial arts world.

Ten years later, fate brings them together once more. In the intricate court politics, and the age of martial conflict, who is the puppeteer behind all this, and who will stand at the pinnacle of the martial path and be the ultimate victor?

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