บท 230: Changes To The Spiritual Consciousness

With his spiritual senses still spread out, Sheng Feilong looked at Song Weihan. He didn't look to be hurt, physically, yet he stepped back when the black lines started criss-crossing through his body. Sheng Feilong couldn't stop cultivating here; The Artificial Soul Soul was still active and continuously improving his Spirit Power.

His vision had been changing again and again since he started cultivating like this and while he didn't immediately feel the increase in strength, it was clear to him that this was the process of his breakthrough, moreover, Song Weihan regained his calm just seconds later, so there was no reason for Sheng Feilong to interfere at all.

Another while later, Sheng Feilong felt as if he had stepped into another world; His mind became clear and he felt refreshed despite only cultivating, which should tire him out. His awareness of his surroundings didn't change again; He could see the whole headquarters of Daedalus and everyone within, as well as the density of the elements in the areas and the flow of origin energy.

The black lines that criss-crossed through all living beings with the headquarters where still there, and Sheng Feilong could clearly see them, but he wasn't sure what they were. From within his spiritual consciousness, the old lion king spoke to him, its voice surprised. "You really managed to do it."

Sheng Feilong concentrated for a moment, entering his spiritual consciousness and appearing in front of the lion king. The latter looked at him with wide eyes, while a certain pride flickered in its eyes. "Congratulations, Sheng Feilong."

The latter tilted his head; He didn't understand what the old lion king was talking about. However, he noticed that, despite his vision not having changed, the old lion king didn't have the black lines running through its body. "What are you talking about, Senior?"

"Are you not aware of what happened to yourself?" The lion king's expression didn't change, but its voice became more respectful. "Not only did you manage to break through to the Spirit Domain Realm, you also opened your third eye."

"I felt my Spirit Power getting stronger, but... Reaching the Spirit Domain Realm? Did I really do that?" Sheng Feilong questioned; He didn't feel different from before – Compared to when he broke through to the Spirit Abyss Realm, it felt as if nothing changed at all.

The old lion king laughed lightly, then turned around, looking at the vast plains around it. "Can you not see it? Not feel it? How vast this inner world of yours has become. Could someone at the Spirit Abyss Realm do something like that?"

Sheng Feilong followed its gaze, finally realizing how much the surroundings had changed; While it still looked exactly like the lush, silvery plains bathed in golden light, he himself couldn't see, nor feel its boundaries, as if it was expanding endlessly in every direction.

Even weirder was the layout of the place; While the lion king still laid some distance away from his Spirit Essence and Soul Bones, it was now much closer to them. Moreover, there was a ruined castle not far from them; The ground beneath it withered and covered in cracks.

His eyes widening, Sheng Feilong realized what this castle was; The place where the Netherworld Putrefaction Demon resided. Now that he wasn't distracted, he could even clearly feel it and the 100.000-years-old Doomstinger Dragonfly's Soul Bone near them.

The boundary between the silvery white world and the desolate wasteland had vanished; The two of them now seamlessly transitioning into one another. The were no more clashes between the two opposing energy, just two sides of the same place, in perfect balance.

Towards the horizon, this seamless border stretched out for all eternity in both directions, in the other two, the silvery white world and desolate wasteland did have their own endlessly outstretching realms. By now, even Sheng Feilong's Spirit Essence, other Soul Bones and Spirit Souls seemed perfectly fine with being near the Netherworld Putrefaction Demon, despite being so fearful and wary of it before.

After a short while, Sheng Feilong noticed that the air in his spiritual consciousness had changed as well. The former fresh aroma filling the silvery white world was gone and replaced by a natural, yet refreshing aroma, seemingly enriched with spiritual energy. It was the same for the desolate wasteland; The putrid stench was gone, and its stead, there was now the same neutral, rich spiritual air filling the area.

Sheng Feilong took a while to process all these changes, but accepted that he really seemed to have made his breakthrough. There was simply no other way to explain all the changes in his spiritual consciousness. He looked up, back at the old lion king, suddenly remembering its prior words. "Right, Senior, you said I also opened my third eye?"

The old lion king looked back at him with a confused expression; First into his eyes, than rising its gaze slightly before matching Sheng Feilong's gaze again. "Of course. Don't tell me, you are unaware of that as well? Even while it is still opened on your very own head?"

"Huh?" Sheng Feilong was taken aback. Using his Spirit Power, he created a small mirror in his hand. In it was his reflection, though a bit weirder than usual; Not only could he see his own energy flow though his head in the reflection, he could also see the weird, black lines again.

Moreover, that wasn't all; Just like the old lion king said, in the middle of his forehead, a third eye had opened up; Not a physical one, but one made of runic symbols, yet looking extremely lifelike. Sheng Feilong didn't say anything for a moment, only looking at the third eye before tilting his head from one side to the other. "...It's truly the third eye... It's gaze is even following my own. Is that was master saw before? The reason he staggered back...? It looks so lifelike, so maybe he was surprised?"

He dismissed the mirror, looking back at the old lion king and excused himself. Withdrawing from his spiritual consciousness, he stopped his spiritual senses from spreading out, then slowly opened his eyes once everything had stopped. In front of him, Song Weihan already stood with his hands behind his back and a calm smile on his lips.

His eyes where flashing with curiosity and amazement as he stared at Sheng Feilong, while the latter frowned lightly as he could see the black lines running through Song Weihan's body even without using his spiritual senses. "Incredible, Feilong... You really did break through. And that's not all..."

Song Weihan's gaze rose lightly, just like the lion king's before him and he looked at Sheng Feilong's forehead for a moment before meeting the latter's gaze again. "You actually opened the Three-Eyed Golden Lion's signature third eye in the same breath... This is too incredible."

Sheng Feilong didn't answer and instead observed the black lines for a moment longer. They didn't move and instead seemed to be fixed in position all over Song Weihan's body, only moving depending on Song Weihan's movements.

"Feilong?" Song Weihan said after Sheng Feilong didn't answer his prior words, pulling the latter out of his thoughts. "Huh? Ah, I'm sorry, Master. I was distracted by the black lines." Song Weihan frowned lightly, questioning a bit further. "What black lines?"

"Since a while ago, probably since I broke through or opened the third eye, I can see black lines running through all of your body. It's the same for myself when I see my reflection in a mirror or something. When I spread out my senses, I could see those lines on every living being." Sheng Feilong replied truthfully, hoping that Song Weihan might have an explanation.

The latter thought about it for a moment. Song Weihan's first thought was that those lines would represent evil or darkness attributed energy, but then he himself should have those black lines. A few moments later, he looked back at Sheng Feilong. "Can you show me where those black lines are running along?"

Sheng Feilong nodded. Stepping in front of Song Weihan, Sheng Feilong pointed at the lower parts of Song Weihan's sides. "It's starts here. Then, goes up to just below the ribs, all at surface level. There, it takes a sharp turn inwards and winds through all of your body before coming to a stop at your heart, Master. The heart seems to be the connecting point for all of the lines."

Song Weihan nodded, then started asking a few more questions about the black lines, mostly where else they were winding through and how the interacted and connected with each other, then he fell into silence for a moment. "I think I get it... Those lines, they're all weak spots of mine."

"Weak spots?" Sheng Feilong tilted his head, while Song Weihan nodded. "The the first one for example; The one at my sides. That's an old wound were only a scar remains by now. But it was a deep wound back then and never fully healed to perfection. By default, for a Titled Douluo, something like that is already considered a weak spot; If you were to attack it hard enough, it might have catastrophic consequences for me. All of the others are the same. And if we take the connection to the heart into consideration... then these black lines might show you... how to kill an opponent with the least amount of effort."