Chapter 20: I am Myself
Its rewind time.
'Phew! That was close!'
Chen Mo thought to himself as he struggled to catch his breath.
He had managed to enter deep space just as the Elder was about to slash him in his frozen form.
Its just as he had thought, it was really hard to defend against attacks that directly attacked the body and soul. The Elder had used his divine sense to lock him in place and used a freezing attack to attack both his body and soul.
He thought to himself that it was a good thing Rasiel has immune to status effects and could swap with him even when his consciousness was affected.
'Wait, swap?'
'Rasiel, are you immune to soul attacks?'
[Report] – [No, I just don't have a soul yet]
'Then doesn't that make you immune to soul attacks?'
[Report] – [Yes, but if I'm attacked by a soul attack while I'm in control of the body, your soul will still be attacked]
Chen Mo thought that he could swap consciousness with Rasiel every time his soul was attacked but now it didn't look like it'd work out.
He had to think of a better plan.
He also had to come up with the plan quickly since the space barrier he put around Mei Ling was probably broken the moment he entered deep space.
He thought that the Elder probably wouldn't kill her immediately since they needed her alive.
But before that, he had to increase his spiritual energy reserves as it was getting hard to maintain his state in deep space.
'Rasiel, how's the simulation coming along?'
[Report] – [Early Nascent Soul simulation complete]
[Report] – [Peak Nascent Soul simulation complete]
'Nice, Integrate both'
[Integrating]
[Integration Failed]
[Report] – [Lacking required amount of spiritual energy]
'I forgot there's no spiritual energy in this place'
'Never mind, since the simulation is already complete, could you try checking why I can't enter the Soul Formation realm'
[Rebooting]
[Reboot Complete]
The crimson runes flickered and faded, leaving behind a hollow emptiness in Chen Mo's mind. A sense of failure washed over him as the robotic voice echoed in his consciousness.
[Report] – [Soul Formation failed due to external interference]
"That damn error again," he muttered through gritted teeth. How many times had he attempted this grueling meditation only to be thwarted at the last moment?
His brow furrowed as he contemplated the possibilities. Perhaps his unorthodox arrival in this realm was to blame - the essence of his very soul clashing with the lingering spirit of the original Chen Mo. He closed his eyes, recalling the murky memories of his past life slowly resurfacing after coming to this world.
What if he didn't truly transmigrate, but rather awakened a slumbering part of himself? The thought struck him like a bolt of lightning. The interference could be caused by his own subconscious rejecting his previous identity as separate from this reality.
With a steadying breath, Chen Mo centered himself and slipped into a lotus position. He would have to fully integrate, accept his past and present selves as one. Sweat beaded on his brow as he channeled his spiritual energy, struggling to overcome the metaphysical hurdle.
Fragmented visions and half-remembered sensations flooded his consciousness in an overwhelming torrent. He cried out, clutching his throbbing temples as the memories coalesced into a singular whole.
When he finally opened his eyes, they shone with a brilliant crimson light. An ethereal aura enveloped Chen Mo as his newly unified soul thrummed with incredible power - at least a hundredfold increase from before.
[Simulating] – [Early Soul Formation - Time left: 5 mins]
[Simulating] – [Peak Soul Formation - Time left: 10 mins]
Chen Mo exhaled slowly, his expression one of guarded triumph and lingering bewilderment. If he hadn't truly transmigrated but instead awakened to a previous existence...what did that mean about his previous self? What happened to everything? A myriad of other questions whirled through his mind, but he pushed them aside for now. The path of cultivation allowed no room for distraction.
Chen Mo took a deep, steadying breath, his newly unified soul pulsing with immense power. He had spent long enough formulating a plan and it was time to put it to action.
He thought that as long as he came out and broke through to the Nascent Soul realm, he would be able to fight on equal terms with the Elder as long as he didn't use any soul-based attack. He thought that even though the elder was at the Soul Formation realm, he wouldn't be able to spam soul attacks as they were a double-edged sword.
He had probably used it before to deal with him quickly as he thought Chen Mo had a heavenly grade treasure on him.
With a slight furrow of his brow, he lifted his hand, fingers curling inward as if grasping at an unseen force.
Crack!
The air around him shuddered, space itself fracturing like a fragile mirror. In an instant, the gloomy void surrounding him shattered, revealing a scene of utter devastation. The once vibrant colors of the Mei Clan's domain had been reduced to smoldering rubble, fiery explosions erupting every few seconds with thunderous force.
Chen Mo's crimson eyes widened in disbelief at the apocalyptic sight before him. What calamity could have possibly befallen this place in the span of his introspection? His gaze snapped upward, drawn inexorably to the maelstrom at the heart of the chaos.
There, amidst the smoke and ruin, stood the wizened figure of an elder, arms outstretched in a futile attempt to restrain the unstoppable force tearing through their sanctuary. Mei Ling, her lithe form usually the epitome of serene grace and innocence, had been consumed by a berserk frenzy. Unleashing wave after wave of catastrophic power, she left naught but destruction in her wake.
As Chen Mo's heightened senses drank in the sight of her ravaged countenance, a warning flashed through his mind in blazing crimson runes.
[Report] - [Dangerous entity detected]
[
Name: Yin Mei
Cultivation: ???
Information: Yin Mei's reincarnation avatar, ???, Fox Demon, ??
]
Gifts
-- Gift
received Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone