Devouring Ghost was now in Xiang Shaoyun's Nether Dragon Soul Headband, making the dried up body a true corpse that had neither vitality nor a soul. Even so, this dry corpse was still a precious treasure for many cultivators.
Unfortunately, even if someone else found this place, they wouldn't be able to retrieve the corpse. The formation sealing this place was powerful enough to kill Emperors. Xiang Shaoyun withdrew the Nether Dragon Soul Headband back into his head.
In his head, Devouring Ghost's voice rang out, "Pulling me straight into your head like this, are you not afraid that I would devour you?"
"You won't," Xiang Shaoyun replied confidently.
For some reason, he had a sense of trust toward Devouring Ghost after he talked to him. It was as if even if everyone in the world turned on him, Devouring Ghost wouldn't. Devouring Ghost sank into silence when he heard the reply.
Not intending to linger around, a pair of wings sprouted from Xiang Shaoyun's back. He then soared, trying to leave. When he neared the top of the room, Devouring Ghost released his soul power and created an opening, allowing Xiang Shaoyun to fly through it.
Once again, he found himself in the pool of soul spring water. The opening closed, not allowing even a drop of soul spring water through. The instant Xiang Shaoyun was back in the soul spring water, he found his mood calming as a comfortable sensation washed over him. The same sensation that his very soul was about to fly out returned.
"Take your time and wash your soul here. This will be very beneficial for your Nether Soul Domain," said Devouring Ghost.
Xiang Shaoyun naturally would not give up on the opportunity. He immediately activated the cultivation method of the Nether Dragon Soul Curse and started absorbing the power in the soul spring water to grow his soul power.
The Nether Dragon Soul Curse was not only a curse. It was also a secret soul cultivation method. Numerous strands of energy coursed into Xiang Shaoyun's head from the soul spring water, enriching his soul. He felt extremely comfortable, as if he was taking a bath in a river during a hot summer.
The senses of his Nether Soul Domain absorbed the power of the soul spring like a sponge, slowly growing and expanding. Xiang Shaoyun's mind went completely blank as he fully immersed himself in the blissful sensation.
After an unknown amount of time passed, his soul grew considerably stronger. All the filth had been washed off his soul, and his Nether Soul Domain had expanded by at least triple in size.
Just a single strand of soul spring was enough to help a peak Transformation Realm cultivator enter the Skysoar Realm. Therefore, it was not surprising for Xiang Shaoyun, who was practically having a bath in an entire pool of soul spring water, to grow his soul several times over.
He innately possessed the Nether Soul Domain, granting him a soul stronger than others. Absorbing the Brain Devouring Bug had further grown his soul, and after cultivating his soul with the Nether Dragon Soul Curse, he had a soul power comparable to the soul power of a third-stage or fourth-stage Skysoar Realm expert.
Now that his soul had been enriched by the power of the soul spring, his soul power was the equivalent of an eighth-stage Skysoar Realm expert. With his valiant soul power and the Nether Dragon Soul Curse, he could totally capture and put any Skysoar Realm expert below the eighth-stage under his control. Of course, that was on the premise that he could catch his target by surprise.
Xiang Shaoyun stayed in the pool and only woke up when the soul spring water could no longer help his soul grow.
He jumped out of the pool and stretched. "That was refreshing."
His strength had also grown alongside his soul power. His cultivation level had reached peak eighth-stage Transformation Realm. Although he had only advanced from the middle eighth-stage to peak eighth-stage, it had brought him to the border of the ninth-stage, cutting the time he would have taken to reach this level by two months.
His gaze then landed on the ghostbloom. Joy covered his face as he muttered, "If I swallow this ghostbloom, my soul power will probably grow even stronger!"
"Young master, don't be in too much of a rush. The ghostbloom might be a treasure, but you are too weak. Eating it now is a waste. It is better to wait until you reach late-stage Skysoar Realm," said Devouring Ghost.
Xiang Shaoyun rubbed his nose and laughed dryly before asking, "What did you just call me?"
"Young master. From now on, you shall be Devouring Ghost's young master. Although you have incredibly horrible talent, you have still obtained my master's inheritance, which can only mean that you will probably be strong in the future. Also, I will help you with all my power from now on so your growth will be even easier," said Devouring Ghost.
Xiang Shaoyun grew cheerful as he replied, "Sure, I'll be relying on you."
Inwardly, he grumbled, This young master has horrible talent? Oh, you will know my talent one day.
He made some space in his astral cosmos sea and moved the pool of soul spring water into it together with the ghostbloom. Three wondrous sights could be seen in Xiang Shaoyun's astral cosmos sea. First was the vicious tiger gold lotus growing among the gold lunar liquid. Second was the blaze flower growing amid a pool of lava, and third was the ghostbloom growing in a pool of soul spring water.
The fact that these three treasures were growing well in Xiang Shaoyun's astral cosmos sea was something many people couldn't even imagine. Xiang Shaoyun had never imagined that the treasures he kept in his astral cosmos sea would bring about an inconceivable change to his astral cosmos sea. That was something he would come to learn in the future.
"Young master, you already have an astral cosmos sea?" asked Devouring Ghost in surprise when he saw the pool vanishing.
"Yes, I got lucky and managed to cultivate one," said Xiang Shaoyun smugly.
Astral cosmos sea was something even many Skysoar Realm experts failed to cultivate. Generally, people would only have one upon reaching the Emperor Realm. Even that was on the premise that one possessed a secret astral cosmos sea cultivation method.
"How much space do you have currently?" asked Devouring Ghost with a somewhat rushed tone.
"Not much. About 500 square meters, I guess?" Xiang Shaoyun estimated. The combination of his growth in strength and the numerous fortuitous encounters he had stumbled upon had helped his astral cosmos sea grow steadily.
"What? So big already?" Devouring Ghost was shocked.
"That's nothing," Xiang Shaoyun said nonchalantly.
Devouring Ghost offered no reply. Instead, he sank into silence. Xiang Shaoyun was about to leave the Soul Stone Mountain when his Nether Soul Domain detected a large number of people rushing toward his location.
"They actually have the balls to intrude into the territory of the ghostrunes?" Xiang Shaoyun muttered doubtfully.
But then he recalled how Devouring Ghost had killed a large number of ghostrunes, causing all the ghostrunes in the vicinity to flee, stripping the defenders from this area.
"Whatever. I already have all the treasures anyway. I don't fear them," Xiang Shaoyun told himself. He then leaped down from the peak of Soul Stone Mountain without attempting to conceal himself at all.
One person who was running in front of the group noticed him and shouted, "Haha, is this what people call enemies meeting on a narrow path? Xiang Shaoyun, today you die!"