Chapter 203: The Choices of Nangong Wan and Shangguan Ning

"Who truly is Jiang Chen?"

"Why does he not only carry the mysterious True Dragon bloodline, but also conceal such unimaginable formidable power within himself?"

"..."

Illuminated by the System's luminescent white light, a profound sense of astonishment began to well up within Nangong Wan and Shangguan Ning.

In their view, Jiang Chen's identity was cloaked in a layer of intriguing mystery.

Nevertheless, this enigma did not invoke any unease in them.

Had the sway of Fang Yuan's Heavenly Fate Value still lingered, Nangong Wan and Shangguan Ning might have grown suspicious, conjecturing that Jiang Chen had been pulling the strings right from the start, which could result in a sense of unease.

However, at this juncture, despite the fact that Jiang Chen had displayed an almost unimaginable power, he had not compelled anyone into any actions.

The decisions they both faced were theirs to make, they held the 'liberty' to choose their own paths.

This alone was sufficient to underscore Jiang Chen's benevolence and sincerity.

'Exceptionally talented! Extraordinary combat prowess!'

'Harboring the mysterious True Dragon bloodline and an even more formidable power!'

'The crux is, he is stable, sincere, respects others' choices, truly an ideal partner!'

'...'

Such thoughts spontaneously arose in the minds of Nangong Wan and Shangguan Ning, their hearts progressively leaning towards acceptance.

At this moment.

"Both of you."

Jiang Chen inquired gently, "Are you willing to join me on this journey?"

"I am willing!"

Shangguan Ning responded.

Nangong Wan also concurred, "I am willing!"

They had lost any rationale to decline, accepting was their optimal choice.

As the pair made their decisions, the Soul Embodying Ring was instantly consumed by the white light emanating from between Jiang Chen's eyebrows, appearing within the system interface in a mere moment.

[Ding! You have acquired the Heaven-Defying Fate Changer 'Void Tribulation Soul'; the choice to utilize it is entirely up to you.]

The system's notification rang out.

Without a moment's hesitation, Jiang Chen chose to activate it.

With a mere thought, the Soul Embodying Ring within the system interface dissolved into countless points of light and vanished.

The next moment, a faint, ring-shaped tattoo materialized on the space between Jiang Chen's eyebrows, so subtle that it could be missed without keen scrutiny.

After undergoing the system's modification, the Soul Embodying Ring was no longer a mundane treasure for the Void Tribulation realm, but had ascended to an even more exalted status.

Not only could the fragments of Nangong Wan and Shangguan Ning's souls obtain enhanced nurture and protection.

Jiang Chen's own soul could also benefit from such preservation and nurturing, growing stronger without any additional effort.

Moreover, Jiang Chen felt an astonishingly deep bond between his own soul and those of Nangong Wan and Shangguan Ning.

The three of them could communicate via a single thought, eschewing the need for spoken words or drawing any undue attention.

Most vitally, this form of communication enabled the flawless exchange of the profound and arcane cultivation methods they had gleaned.

Naturally, the more information they shared, the more it would deplete their soul energy.

However, this method far outshone the use of divine sense for long-distance communication, exceeding it manifold.

Ultimately, under the influence of Nangong Wan and Shangguan Ning's souls, Jiang Chen's soul underwent an unexpected refinement.

Though the transformation was relatively nuanced, it directly lifted Jiang Chen's soul into the Dao comprehension realm.

Moreover, his divine sense detection capacity expanded drastically to cover a radius of one hundred thousand kilometers!

For now, these were the benefits granted by the Heaven-Defying Fate Changer, the Void Tribulation Soul.

Yet, Jiang Chen was cognizant that as Nangong Wan and Shangguan Ning progressively regained their strength and recovered, it would undoubtedly yield even more benefits in the future.

For instance, they could provide him with assistance in battles!

In that case, in his confrontations against opponents, while it might appear as a one-on-one duel on the surface, in reality, it would be a group conflict!

'The Void Tribulation Soul, akin to the Burning World Red Lotus, is a growth-oriented Heaven-Defying Fate Changer!'

'It even supersedes the Burning World Red Lotus in terms of level, given that the latter merely transforms from the shed body of a Great Demon in the Void Tribulation realm.'

'Whereas Nangong Wan and Shangguan Ning are living, sentient Void Tribulation realm souls!'

'...'

Thoughts whirled within Jiang Chen's mind, a gleaming smile gradually spreading across his face.

Without any delay, he then accessed his personal panel.

[Host: Jiang Chen

Aptitude: Perfect Grade

Innate Talent: Eternal Boundless Body (Death Calamity True Dragon)

Realm: Middle-stage Inquiring Journey

Great Dao: Sword Dao (Incomplete), Wood Dao (Incomplete), Wind Dao (Incomplete)

True Combat Power: Early-stage Dao Comprehension+

Cultivation Method: Purple Heaven Dark Star Heavenly Scripture (Dao Palace, main cultivation), Heaven Sundering Rainbow Sword Technique, Blood Sword Heaven Encompassing Secrets, Evergreen Mystic Vein True Technique, Overwhelming Wind Riding Steps (Dao Comprehension, Perfect-Level), Moonstride Starshift Steps, Great Martial Eight Ghostly Steps (Inquiring Journey, Perfect-Level)... Partially Omitted

Main Equipment: Peerless Sky Piercing Sword (Inquiring Journey, Top-Grade), Purple Orchid Meteor Leaf (Inquiring Journey, Top-Grade), Unbroken Thousand Strings Rainbow Boat (Heavenly Origin, Top-Grade)... Partially Omitted

Villain Value: 111,000 points

Black Heavenly Fate Value: 34,534 points

Heaven-Defying Fate Changer: Villain's Eye, Burning World Red Lotus, Eternal Vows Binding Ring, Wordless Heavenly Jade, Void Tribulation Soul

System Mall: Level 2]

'Combat power at Early-stage Dao Comprehension+?'

'I have not ascended to the Middle-stage yet, but this is still commendable.'

'Now that Nangong Wan and Shangguan Ning are with me, I'm hardly deficient in martial techniques and secret arts. The Wordless Heavenly Jade still possesses a great deal of mysterious energy. As long as I desire, I can drastically augment my combat power in a short span of time!'

Jiang Chen thought to himself, ready to amplify his strength immediately.

But just at this moment.

"Jiang Chen, are you alright!"

A beam of light zipped over from afar, morphing into two figures. One was Ji Mingxiu, and the other was Ji Ruxue.

Both wore expressions of distress.

The eyes of Ji Ruxue were clouded with worry, which swiftly transformed into an endless surge of heartache upon beholding Jiang Chen.

The current Jiang Chen was clad in shredded garments, soaked in blood; it was a truly lamentable sight!

"Master, Ruxue, I'm alright!"

Jiang Chen shook his head, followed by a wry smile, "Regrettably, Junior Brother Fang Yuan has fallen..."

"Fang Yuan has fallen!"

Ji Mingxiu's expression wavered, he glanced at the Dao Comprehension realm demonic python and quickly identified the remnants of Fang Yuan's body.

After all, he was a prodigy second only to Jiang Chen within the Purple Heaven Holy Land; with proper nurturing, he could have been a crucial pillar of support.

His premature departure was indeed a disheartening loss.

Conversely, Ji Ruxue remained unaffected; all her attention was riveted on Jiang Chen.

"Jiang Chen, are you in pain? Quickly, attend to your wounds!"

Her radiant eyes slightly reddened, and with tears brimming, she incessantly fed various healing pills into Jiang Chen's mouth.

"I'm truly fine, don't worry!"

Jiang Chen extended his hand to gently pat Ji Ruxue's back, soothing her with a tender voice.

Then he carried on, "It's all my fault. I couldn't resist Fang Yuan's pleas and due to my soft-heartedness, I brought him along to battle the demonic beasts."

Turning towards Ji Mingxiu, his expression reflected self-reproach: "I presumed that the strongest demonic beast in the Black Heavenly Plain would only be of the Inquiring Journey realm, I didn't anticipate this Dao Comprehension realm demonic python's appearance..."

As he conversed, another large squadron of light streaks soared over from the distance.

It was the cultivators from the Holy Land who had previously withdrawn from the Black Heavenly Plain.

"Honorable Holy Son!"

"Wonderful, Honorable Holy Son is safe!"

"Sob, I feared I wouldn't see Holy Son Jiang Chen again! He is our Purple Heaven Holy Land's future beacon!"

"..."

Seeing Jiang Chen alive and in good health, the crowd of cultivators from the Holy Land heaved a sigh of relief, followed by an animated chatter.

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