From the origin of the soul, five light specks, more than ten times finer than dust, slowly drifted down from the Zifu (Purple Mansion), silently merging into the five viscera. The internal organs writhed contentedly for a moment, and then five streams of energy slowly seeped out. However, these emanating currents seemed infinitesimally brighter in hue than the first five, though the difference was barely perceptible.

These five-colored streams of energy first circulated through the body’s sinews, bones, skin, and flesh, slightly enhancing Gu Xichen's five senses, before finally merging into the Dantian (Elixir Field). Carrying a wisp of pure Zhenqi (True Essence), they slowly ascended back to the Zifu, merging with the very origin of the soul. Once a small portion of the soul’s origin transformed into a five-colored sheen, five more ultra-fine light specks gently descended.

After eighty-one repetitions of this ninety-nine cycle, the process no longer required Gu Xichen's deliberate control; it had become an innate instinct, akin to a heartbeat, with the five-colored streams erupting continuously from the viscera, perpetually repeating this marvelous transformation.

This process of altering the soul's origin was the 'Fu Shen' chapter of the Hanyuan True Canon!

The act of releasing the five-colored light specks to strengthen the viscera and fundamentally alter the body's aptitude was the 'Hanyuan' chapter of the Hanyuan True Canon.

The Yun Shen and Hanyuan chapters were originally stages cultivated concurrently upon achieving mastery of the foundational chapter. Commencing the cultivation of both Yun Shen and Hanyuan signified that Gu Xichen's path had advanced to a truly superior echelon. He had finally broken free from the mundane cycle of accumulating Zhenqi and continuously hardening the physical body, entering the mysterious and profound realm of tempering the soul and refining one's innate potential.

Sensing the changes in his body with satisfaction, Gu Xichen clapped his hands loudly and strode to the center of the hall. He seized one of the dragon heads adorning the Hao Ji (a decorative fixture) and exerted his full strength, pulling upwards fiercely. The dragon head emitted a sharp, grating screech as the massive head slowly began to dislodge. This head was crafted from so-called Innate Material; although its volume appeared modest, its weight surely exceeded one hundred tons. Yet, as Gu Xichen pulled it free, he felt an extraordinary lightness, noticing none of the expected heaviness.

The moment the dragon head was pulled free, a brilliant flash of gold and silver light erupted from the floor, and the hole instantly vanished.

Glancing at the ground in surprise, Gu Xichen shoved the dragon head into the Xiao Qiankun Jin Nang (Small Universe Pouch), then proceeded to yank out the remaining dragon heads and the raven heads.

Just as he finished stowing these treasures, forged from rare Innate Materials, within the Xiao Qiankun Jin Nang, the entire hall began to shake gently. Gu Xichen cursed in exasperation, “Damn it, they really pulled this trick? The moment the treasure is secured, the mountain cave holding it must collapse? Can’t they ever come up with something new?”

Despite his words, he dared not test whether he could withstand the cave collapsing. Powerful Zhenqi continuously poured into the boots transformed from the Yun Xue (Cloud Boots), lifting him into the air as two streaks of light shot him rapidly toward the cave exit. He had just shot into the entry tunnel when Porphyres, in high spirits, charged in with over a hundred Roman warriors.

“To hell with you! Get out of the way!”

Both sides roared their commands simultaneously. Porphyres raised his high-energy broadsword and slashed down toward Gu Xichen’s head, while all the Roman warriors simultaneously leveled their axe-lances at him.

Clenching both hands into fists, Gu Xichen met the descending sword strike with a brutal punch.

With a massive clang, the fist shattered the high-energy plasma shell surrounding the sword, slamming directly into the alloy core. The tremendous force of the punch pulverized the sword’s core, sending Porphyres staggering back, his thumbs and forefingers splitting open as the sword disintegrated into countless arcs of electrical light. The shattered remains struck the cavern ceiling, raining down a dozen stones the size of human heads.

Porphyres stumbled backward in shock. Gu Xichen’s physical strength was outrageously immense now; the force contained within his punch had destabilized him completely. What shocked Porphyres even more was that someone had actually shattered a high-energy sword with their bare hands! Was this man’s fist truly flesh and blood? Had he stumbled upon a robot relic from a prehistoric ruin?

Shifting his stance, Gu Xichen grinned wickedly as he closed the distance on the reeling Porphyres. He drove his shoulder hard into Porphyres's abdomen, pushing back with all his might. The impact force of that shove was easily several hundred tons. Even with his energy armor protecting him, Porphyres felt his internal organs nearly rupture. He let out a scream, spat out a mouthful of blood, and slumped over unconscious. The Roman warriors behind Porphyres, caught off guard, were sent tumbling as Gu Xichen used Porphyres as a battering ram.

A bolt of lightning ripped across the sky, a massive electrical discharge slamming into one of the foundation piles outside the cave entrance. With a sharp hissing sound, the pile, several hundred meters high, spewed forth countless powerful currents as thick as human arms, illuminating the surrounding thousand-meter radius in blinding white light.

Gu Xichen burst out of the cave, still gripping the unconscious Porphyres, and swung his hand backward.

Five streaks of frost-cold claw energy, several meters long and crystalline like white quartz, whistled out, squarely striking the Roman warriors pouring out of the cave entrance. Amidst continuous screams, dozens of Roman soldiers were shredded into fragments by the claw strikes. The Roman guards stationed at the entrance simultaneously raised their axe-lances and fired at Gu Xichen, who was suspended in the air.

As dozens of high-energy particle streams shot out, the mountainside behind them suddenly shook violently. The entire mountain mass, spanning nearly ten kilometers in diameter, collapsed with a monstrous, subterranean laugh.

An eerie red light pierced up from below into the sky, dyeing the dark clouds a fiery crimson. A wave of heat washed over them. The collapsing mountain rapidly melted, and in the blink of an eye, a massive lava lake, over ten kilometers in diameter, formed on the spot. A reactor constructed of black stones floated eerily on the lava, continuously spewing red light, whipping up waves over ten meters high on the molten surface.

The Roman warriors at the entrance tumbled to the ground; a few unlucky ones fell directly into the lava tide, instantly swallowed by the magma. The rest screamed in terror, dropping their axe-lances and fleeing in all directions. Their speed of retreat astonished even Gu Xichen, who was wearing the Yun Xue: "Their speed—it’s too fast, not much slower than mine when I wear the Yun Xue!"

Such a massive disturbance had alerted everyone at the construction site. Large numbers of Special Operations agents and soldiers swarmed from various locations. Nearly ten thousand people stared blankly at the sudden lava lake. Several agent leaders felt their bodies go numb and cold, unsure how to proceed.

Bell Adams and Guohua, however, grabbed their cameras and rushed out. They eagerly filmed everything unfolding before them. Bell Adams even cornered a leading agent with a microphone.

“Excuse me, what is the cause of this sudden incident? According to the site's preliminary geological survey, there is no volcanic activity beneath this area. Why has a lava lake appeared? What is that black object floating on the lake? Why does it look like an artificial structure? Please, what is the reason for all this?”

The Special Operations agents finally dropped their gentle facade of recent days. They furiously drew their sidearms and aimed at Guohua and the others.

“Scum! You are under arrest! The charge is colluding with supers to destroy federal property! We are investigators from the Federal Special Oversight Committee. You... have the right to remain silent, and you must remain silent!”

The agents, their true colors exposed, lunged to snatch the camera from Guohua's hands. Guohua, hoisting the heavy camera, turned and bolted, shouting excitedly, “The Oversight Committee agents are trying to silence us! Boss, hold them off, I’m calling the police! Tsk tsk, they won't catch me! Heh heh!”

Guohua’s running speed was phenomenal. With a few leaps and bounds, he vanished, his speed momentarily stunning even the well-traveled Special Operations agents: "That speed is almost comparable to mine when wearing the Yun Xue!"

Bell Adams and his two assistants were not slow either. They tossed aside their instruments, quickly shed their outer clothing, pulled up the hood attached to their collar, and dashed into the darkness within steps. They were clad in specially customized digital camouflage combat suits, capable of shifting their color to match the surroundings, providing near-invisibility, especially at night. This combat attire could withstand small-caliber artillery fire, rendering the agents' sidearms useless.

“Damn it!” Seeing the sudden transformation of these 'reporters,' several leaders of the Special Operations agents rolled their eyes and promptly fainted.

Wind roared past his ears. Gu Xichen, still clutching the vomiting Porphyres, sped toward the nearby mountain forest. The boundless, powerful Zhenqi within him constantly flooded the Yun Xue, pushing Gu Xichen’s speed ever higher. A gentle light curtain enveloped his body; although his speed had long surpassed the speed of sound, there was no sonic boom.

Four Roman warships followed anxiously in the sky above, all their gunports open, black muzzles locked onto Gu Xichen’s high-speed figure. The Roman commanders aboard the four ships exclaimed repeatedly, “Heavens! Are these the frail Earth humans? How can he run so fast?”

His communicator and personal beeper had long been frozen into powder by the intense cold. Gu Xichen had to fish out a spare communicator from his pouch to call Sayu and the others.

Half an hour later, the group finally converged in a mountain hollow, even Bell Adams and his assistant having managed to commandeer a small helicopter to arrive.

The four Roman warships hovered less than a hundred meters above the ground. Large numbers of Roman warriors jumped down from the vessels, and over three thousand soldiers surrounded the area from all directions.

Glancing at the surrounding Roman warriors, Gu Xichen grabbed Porphyres and delivered a savage series of slaps across his face. With a rapid slap-slap-slap, Porphyres’s handsome face instantly swelled into a grotesque mess. With a low moan, Porphyres, whose body had nearly been shattered by the impact, gasped himself awake. He stared dumbly at Gu Xichen with listless eyes for a moment before letting out a scream like a violated young maiden: “My God, what are you doing? What are you doing? Where is this place? What are you doing?”

A single slap silenced the terrified Porphyres. Gu Xichen sneered, “This place is… apologize, I don’t actually know where this place is. However, what’s most important right now is getting your subordinates to cease all hostile actions, or I cannot guarantee your personal safety.”