Chapter 717: Section 504: Cang Xu: Watch me fleece the god Mei Lan
Under the bond of the soul chain, they forged a mysterious connection.
However, the good times did not last long. As the Fishman struggled desperately and roared in fury, the pale blue chain violently shook and tiny cracks kept appearing on its surface.
Within seconds, more and more cracks emerged until it reached its limit.
Pop.
With a soft sound, the chain disintegrated, turning into a pale blue mist that quickly dissipated into thin air.
Cang Xu’s body swayed slightly, while the Fishman’s eyes rolled back, and he passed out cold.
The Divine Arts of Soul Link had failed!
Cang Xu steadied his emotions and calmly assessed his condition, “The backlash of a failed Divine Art is much weaker compared to a Spell.”
“If the subject of the spell resists too fiercely, it will cause the Soul Link to fail, which I had anticipated.”
Unlike other Divine Arts, the information bestowed by Divine Grace regarding the Soul Link and related series of Divine Arts was concise and not detailed.
But Cang Xu had mastered many Undead Inheritances, which contained profound insights into the soul.
Knowledge is the source of a Mage’s power.
Although Cang Xu had dual-practiced and become a Divine Officer, his essence had never changed—he was a Mage!
Just as the ship ghost had said, Cang Xu was an exceptional Mage, possessing the exemplary qualities of one.
Through this knowledge, even though it wasn’t mentioned in the Divine Blessing, Cang Xu deduced other critical points of the Soul Link.
Thus, Cang Xu deliberately exposed his enemy’s appearance to infuriate the Fishman, aiming to test the limits of the Soul Link Divine Art.
It was his first time casting Soul Link, and it had failed; the link had broken. However, in reality, his experiment had succeeded!
“Not only does the Soul Link Divine Art consume the Divine Power within me, but also my spiritual capacity.”
“If the link breaks midway, both linked souls will experience turbulence, causing damage to both spirits.”
“In practical terms, my Soul Essence is much stronger than the Fishman’s, so I can withstand the fall from the peak, but only slightly. But for the Fishman, his soul took a heavy blow, his spirit wilted, triggering the life’s self-protection mechanism, passing out on the spot.”
“I am now a Bronze Level missionary, and the total amount of Divine Power in my body can support nearly 20 consumptions of the Soul Link Divine Art.”
“But my spiritual capacity can only allow for 10 consecutive castings of the Soul Link Divine Art.”
“I am a Black Iron Level Undead Mage, and thanks to my cultivation, my spiritual value exceeds that of a normal mage of the same level. So the Soul Link Divine Art is rather special; it consumes more spiritual energy than Divine Power.”
With just one experiment, Cang Xu obtained a wealth of information.
After resting for a minute, he proceeded with the subsequent experiments. The levels of the subjects increased gradually, from Bronze to Black Iron, and then to Silver Level.
After several rounds of experiments.
The Fishman from the Da Ji Tribe fell onto the metal floor, flailing and screaming wildly.
In its perception: it was entwined by the tentacles of the Snow Pear Octopus that wrapped around its entire body. The octopus tentacles were slowly tightening, as if it aimed to strangle him.
At the critical moment, Cang Xu arrived and gently stroked the octopus tentacles.
The next moment, miraculously, the tentacles loosed their grip.
The Fishman youth from the Da Ji Tribe stared at Cang Xu and exclaimed with surprise, “Lord Qiao Miao!”
Qiao Miao was indeed the Priest of the Da Ji Tribe, only at Black Iron Level. Cang Xu had employed the Deception and Disguise Skill to play her part.
Cang Xu said to the Fishman, “I have converted successfully and received the Divine Blessing. Next, I’m going to evangelize you, and you need to cooperate with me fully. If it fails, I won’t be able to save you a second time.”
The tribal Fishman nodded hurriedly.
Having gained the other’s full cooperation, the first Divine Art that Cang Xu cast was the Missionary Mark.
This Divine Art was the least consuming, and the casting time was very short, almost instant.
With just a flash of light, the mark was implanted upon the Fishman’s soul.
Then Cang Xu also cast the Divine Art of Soul Link.
The Fishman cooperated actively, and the link was very stable.
Divine Art—Spiritual Homily.
The Divine Power within Cang Xu decreased slightly, while his spiritual energy diminished faster. The Charming Blue Sect doctrines stored in his memory, along with his understanding of them, flowed through the Soul Link into the depths of the Fishman’s soul.
Within seconds, the Fishman came to understand a variety of Charming Blue doctrines and grasped them deeply enough to match Cang Xu.
“Next, I will guide you in prayer,” Cang Xu said.
The Fishman nodded repeatedly.
Divine Art—Spiritual Navigation.
As Cang Xu cast the Divine Art, a divine image of the deity Mei Lan spontaneously emerged at the bottom of the Fishman’s heart. The Fishman’s spiritual energy flowed towards it as water flows downhill, naturally investing into the image, transforming into faith and offering it up.
“Keep your prayers going!” Cang Xu reminded.
The Fishman knelt on the ground, praying incessantly, looking very devout and anxious. However, true faith cannot be feigned; his was merely that of a general believer.
Conversion is difficult; no matter how well one pretends on the surface, it’s impossible to deceive one’s own heart.
Divine Art—Synchronized Conversion!
Cang Xu released the most critical Divine Art.
The blue glow that emanated from the soul chain linking the two individuals suddenly became dazzling.
Divine Power flowed continuously from Cang Xu, along the chain into the depths of the Fishman’s spirit, violently transforming the Fishman’s soul.
The Fishman felt intense pain but endured it, persisting in prayer.
His faith began to deepen rapidly but stopped after a few seconds.
Cang Xu immediately ceased releasing the Divine Art, gasping for breath.
The soul link between the two was also actively terminated by Cang Xu.
Freed of the burden, the Fishman’s trembling body stabilized. Just as he was about to lift his head, he caught Cang Xu’s stern gaze, shuddered, and continued praying without interruption.
Cang Xu sighed and silently concluded, “Of all the Divine Arts, the consumption of Synchronized Conversion is the greatest. Its effect is also the most miraculous, as it can synchronize the faith of both parties.”
“The reason the effect is not significant is that my faith in the Charming Blue God is merely that of general believers.”
Because his and the Fishman’s capabilities were on par, Cang Xu’s ability to elevate the latter was minimal.
Even so, small clues could reveal great truths; judging by the depth of the Fishman’s increased faith, this Divine Art was extraordinary!
“To test the true power of the Divine Art, I must first create false memories to deepen my own faith before casting the Divine Art on the Fishman.”
“However, this kind of Divine Art cannot be used frequently.”
“It consumes not just Divine Power and spiritual power but also my Soul Essence!”
Cang Xu acutely sensed that his Soul Essence had decreased somewhat. He surmised that the principle behind Synchronized Conversion was to rapidly transform the other’s soul through a soul link.
The continual cultivation of a Divine Officer is the process of the body and mind being nourished and transformed by Divine Power, gradually becoming the shape of the deities, to better carry Divine Power and fulfill the will of the gods.
Synchronized Conversion essentially accelerated the process of Divine Power transforming the body and mind, condensing what would have been a comparatively lengthy process into the one minute of casting the Divine Art. Due to the concentration, the transformation was intense, and the subject undergoing the Art would thus experience severe pain.
The template for the soul transformation was the soul of the person casting the Art.
When Cang Xu’s soul was heavily referenced, it too suffered damage, causing Essence to slip away, turning into some kind of nourishment for the Fishman’s soul.
Cang Xu suddenly had a realization: “Isn’t this just using my soul as casting material to transform and elevate the Fishman’s soul?”
“How is this method of cultivation different from using Soul Crystals to deal with ghosts’ hunger and to nourish my own soul, increasing my Essence?”
“Essentially, both are the same.”
“Only, one uses Soul Crystals, and the other directly consumes my soul.”
“What if I use Soul Crystals to replace the soul, wouldn’t the effect be better?”
Cang Xu’s thoughts branched out, leading to a key question.
Soul Crystals are a kind of refined material, only producible by Undead Mages who have mastered the technique.
This method is recorded within the Middle-level Undead Inheritance.
Cang Xu had paid a high price to luckily obtain it from the ship ghost.
A Soul Crystal is the pure quintessence of the soul, devoid of any memory impurities. Every ghost has a desire to feed, and consuming other souls leads to memory confusion; in severe cases, they become monsters saturated with negative energy and devoid of reason.
But consuming Soul Crystals doesn’t have this downside. There is no conflict or change in self-perception due to the absence of foreign memories.
“No, maybe it’s not like that!”
“Soul Crystals lack memory, and memory is key to faith.”
“I can deepen my faith to some extent by creating false memories.”
“In using Synchronized Conversion to transform the target’s soul, my own memories of believing in the Charming Blue God should be an important factor!”
“My memories were not consumed, but it is precisely this memory that can lead others to deepen their faith in the Charming Blue God.”
Cang Xu’s eyes sparked with threads of thoughtfulness: “In that case, my need for Soul Crystals just increased.”
The Synchronized Conversion Divine Art is the most crucial method for proselytization and would inevitably be used frequently.
The more Cang Xu used it, the more his soul would be consumed. Fortunately, with Soul Crystals, he can replenish his soul. Naturally, the demand for Soul Crystals also grows.
“Good thing I’ve already mastered the technique for making Soul Crystals…”
Having finished his considerations, Cang Xu outlined a process: create Soul Crystals, employ Deception and Disguise Skill, a series of Divine Arts, succeed in proselytization to obtain Divine Grace, exchange Divine Grace for targeted Divine Blessing… this sequence would result in a positive cycle. Taking advantage of the sleeping Charming Blue God, he would continually shear the sheep and strengthen himself!
Filled with joyous feelings, Cang Xu shared the results of his pondering with the Fishman youth.
The Fishman youth immediately understood: “It seems, the Undead Mage skill I need to practice next is the Soul Crystal Manufacturing Technique.”
At the moment, Cang Xu was still sealed and unable to cast spells, but the Divine Arts of the Charming Blue Sect were possible.
The reason was obvious; Zhou Zhang, the Sealer, was a bishop of the Charming Blue Sect.
Thus, only the Fishman youth could perform the Soul Crystal Manufacturing Technique.
“We have limited time; I need to evangelize as many Fishmen as possible to gain more Divine Grace.”
“I have a better idea…”
“After successfully proselytizing these captives from the Da Ji Tribe, we could try releasing them. They will provide the perfect reason for me to participate in the next Transmission Blood Sacrifice!”
Cang Xu’s tone was excited, his eyes aglow.