Chapter 408 Divine Consciousness

The Immortal Truefire quickly condensed into a radiant golden claw that lunged upward from beneath Chen Fei, viciously striking at him.

But Chen Fei didn’t dodge.

CLANG!

The claw slammed into the Void Heaven Cauldron, causing it to tremble violently.

Yet no matter how powerful the attack was, the cauldron didn’t budge an inch!

“What?!”

Jiu Yao’s expression darkened as his gaze fell on the heavy, ancient cauldron. A flicker of surprise crossed his eyes.

At their cultivation level, artifact-type martial souls were typically considered obsolete.

Even the best offensive artifact souls only provided a clear edge before reaching the Path Realm. Their special traits—such as empowering attacks, piercing through qi barriers, etc.—were only truly useful in the early stages.

But once a cultivator comprehended the Power of the Dao, those advantages faded.

Beast-type souls, by contrast, provided direct boosts to the body, making them more useful even at higher stages.

So, in the Path Realm, the difference between artifact and beast martial souls became a defining line.

Especially for a defensive artifact soul like Chen Fei’s, most would consider it practically useless at this level.

After all, in the face of Dao-infused power, the so-called defense of a martial soul was like paper—easily torn!

But the defense Chen Fei displayed completely shattered Jiu Yao’s expectations.

Even the golden claw formed by Immortal Truefire and the divine Golden Crow…

couldn’t scratch that artifact soul?

If word got out, he’d become the laughingstock of the cultivation world!

But Chen Fei knew exactly why.

This wasn’t just any artifact soul—this was the Void Heaven Cauldron, imbued with its true body’s essence. It wasn’t in the same league as ordinary martial souls.

He didn’t expect Jiu Yao to understand that.

Seeing his attacks fail to break through, Jiu Yao roared.

Golden wings unfurled behind him, and the phantom of the Golden Crow hovered over his head.

He shone like the sun itself.

“Golden Crow Wing Slash!”

With that, he unleashed a storm of golden feathers that rained down like countless sharp arrows, covering Chen Fei in an instant.

Still, Chen Fei didn’t move.

He allowed the feathers to cover him—until…

“Explode!”

Jiu Yao formed a hand seal, eyes glinting with malice.

The golden feathers lit up and exploded one by one, triggering violent surges in the surrounding Immortal Truefire.

Flames roared, engulfing Chen Fei completely.

Jiu Yao smirked.

But Chen Fei hadn’t counterattacked—because something inside him was causing a disturbance!

At that moment, the Blood Amber Pearl sealed within the Void Heaven Cauldron suddenly began acting up.

You dare?!

There was no way Chen Fei would tolerate such rebellion.

The cauldron trembled as it pressed down harder to suppress the Blood Amber Pearl.

But the pearl, though reshaped by Wang Fang, was still a spirit treasure—it resisted the pull of the cauldron!

Yet, over time, it became clear:

It couldn’t escape the suppression.

The timing was terrible. Chen Fei was still fighting Jiu Yao!

He had no choice but to endure the onslaught while wrestling control over the Blood Amber Pearl.

Inside the cauldron, the pearl—shaped like a snake—thrashed wildly, repeatedly smashing its body against the cauldron walls in a desperate bid for freedom.

But the Void Heaven Cauldron wasn’t having it.

This was Chen Fei’s first time witnessing such resistance.

He couldn’t help but sigh—

So this is what it means to be a real spirit treasure…

And deep within the Blood Amber Pearl, a powerful divine consciousness stirred.

It was this presence that allowed the pearl to resist the cauldron’s pull.

BZZT!

Suddenly, chains burst forth from within the cauldron, piercing directly into the core of the Blood Amber Pearl.

The snake instantly froze, reverting back to its original jewel-like form.

The divine consciousness inside—belonging to the Evil God—panicked.

“What is this thing? Damn it!”

The Evil God’s voice was grim, laced with dread.

He could already feel the sealing power closing in.

Escape?

Impossible.

He sighed bitterly.

“Fine! You’ve siphoned my power over and over again… I want to see what you’ll do when you become dependent on it!”

As if to comfort himself, he reached up and pressed a hand against his own forehead.

POP!

With a faint sound, the Evil God’s consciousness froze.

His eyes turned blank.

His divine will dissipated, leaving behind only a mass of pure spiritual energy inside the Blood Amber Pearl.

The pearl—once struggling violently—immediately fell still, its radiance fading like a withered flower.

Without the Evil God’s support, how could it resist the Void Heaven Cauldron?

Meanwhile, Chen Fei wasn’t in great shape.

Jiu Yao hadn’t let up.

The Immortal Truefire was unbearably hot. Even breathing felt like swallowing flames.

But the stirrings within the cauldron forced Chen Fei to endure.

So this is the power of a true spirit treasure… terrifying!

Yet, as the Void Chains locked the Blood Amber Pearl in place, the tide turned.

An enormous wave of pure divine consciousness surged out and flooded into Chen Fei’s spiritual sea.

The Immortal Truefire had been gnawing away at his spirit, burning it away bit by bit.

But now, with this massive influx, Chen Fei suddenly felt a cool breeze sweep through his mind.

“No wonder it could resist the cauldron for so long! That divine consciousness… it’s immense!”

Chen Fei beamed despite the pain.

“Totally worth it!”

The rebellion of the Blood Amber Pearl had clearly infuriated the Void Heaven Cauldron.

Its chains tightened, and the once-lustrous jewel dimmed completely.

The once-proud spirit treasure now resembled an ordinary storage item—its divine essence stripped and devoured by the cauldron…

—

Back on the battlefield…

Jiu Yao grinned triumphantly.

Chen Fei was being completely overwhelmed.

Sure, his hand-to-hand skill was decent, even a bit surprising.

But that was all.

In the face of true power, he was helpless.

The current scene was proof.

A smirk crept up Jiu Yao’s lips as he watched the roaring Immortal Truefire engulfing Chen Fei.

Let’s see how many degrees cooked he’ll be when I’m done…

How dare this nobody provoke a noble demon cultivator?

Chen Fei had clearly dug his own grave.

But…

That overflowing life force of his…

If I devour him… I might just gain a delightful surprise.