The Decision

After returning to the Xiao Clan's back courtyard, Lin Hai did not rest.

The value of the Nine-Star Spirit Saint peak corpse had to be converted into combat power at once.

He pondered for a moment.

Reshaping Yao Chen's body was certainly important, but although Yao Chen's soul was powerful, suddenly taking control of a Nine-Star Spirit Saint peak body would require an extremely long period of adjustment. He would be unable to bring out its full strength in the short term, and the body's overwhelming power might even make it difficult for him to control perfectly.

By comparison, refining that boundless energy into the purest essence blood and using it alongside the Ninth-Grade Profound Pills to strengthen the four fire-attribute Spirit Saint magical beasts—who had already built a solid foundation and been branded with soul marks—would make the best use of the resources.

The four beasts were Seven-Star Spirit Saints, powerful enough at this stage to sweep aside any force apart from the handful of superpowers such as the Ancient Clan and the Soul Clan. They could handle countless matters for him.

With his decision made, Lin Hai returned to the forbidden grounds behind the mountain.

The four magical beasts were still in seclusion, consolidating their Four-Star Spirit Saint cultivation.

With a wave of his hand, he formed an even mightier spatial barrier, completely isolating the area from the outside to keep the spectacle that followed from shocking the world.

He brought out the enormous Nether Cold Jade Coffin and opened its lid. The remains of Mo Yin, the Yin-Yang Saint, lay quietly within. Even after ten thousand years in death, the pressure of a Nine-Star Spirit Saint peak still lingered, leaving behind a trace that made the heart tremble.

Lin Hai's expression remained calm as he formed an abstruse hand seal.

At once, spiritual energy vast as the sea surged from his body and became a fiercely burning golden flame before him.

This was no Heavenly Flame. It was his own Nine-Star Spirit Saint peak spiritual energy, condensed to an extreme and transformed by a qualitative change into his innate true fire. Its might far surpassed that of ordinary Heavenly Flames!

"Refine!"

He gave a low shout, and the golden true fire instantly enveloped the coffin and the remains within.

The terrifying heat made the surrounding space warp violently. Without the barrier, everything within a hundred meters would likely have vaporized in an instant.

Even the Nether Cold Jade Coffin began to melt slowly beneath the flames, releasing an intensely frigid aura in an attempt to resist. But before this absolute power, that chill was refined instead, merging into the ever-growing mass of liquid energy.

The energy contained in the flesh, bones, and meridians of a Nine-Star Spirit Saint peak corpse was boundless.

Under the searing Spirit Saint True Fire, the remains began to melt, slowly but surely, shedding countless gray impurities that were then utterly annihilated by the heat.

What remained was the purest essence of energy, rolling and boiling like molten red gold, radiating a vast surge of energy that made one dizzy.

The process lasted a full day and night.

At last, the enormous remains and the Nether Cold Jade Coffin vanished completely, replaced by a mass of dark golden liquid suspended in midair, roughly one zhang in diameter.

The liquid writhed slowly as if alive. With each pulse, the space inside the barrier collapsed and mended again and again.

Lin Hai's eyes narrowed, and his hand seal changed.

"Condense!"

The dark golden liquid shrank violently, as though a black hole within it were devouring everything.

At its core, a point of dazzling light appeared. Then a drop of essence blood took shape—crimson as a blood diamond, edged with a dark golden sheen, with countless tiny stars seeming to live and die inside it.

The first drop separated from the mass of liquid and floated upward, radiating terrifying energy that stirred even the four beasts meditating in the distance.

Then came a second drop, a third...

By the time the twentieth drop had condensed, the dark golden liquid had shrunk considerably, though a fair amount of essence still remained.

Lin Hai raised an eyebrow and applied a little more force, squeezing the remaining energy with all his might.

Hum!

The twenty-first drop of essence blood successfully condensed. It was slightly smaller than the previous twenty, but every bit as pure.

"Twenty-one drops... An unexpected bonus." Lin Hai nodded slightly and stored the drops in separate jade bottles.

That extra drop could be kept for Xiao Yan. It might prove a great help when he tried to break into the higher ranks of the Spirit Saint realm.

Next, he took out the five Ninth-Grade Profound Pills.

The pills were perfectly round, with naturally formed Pill Patterns across their surfaces. They faintly resonated with the energy of heaven and earth, and their medicinal fragrance was almost tangible.

Every pill of this caliber possessed the power to seize the workings of creation. Any one of them could spark a continent-wide bloodbath.

He set one aside for Xiao Yan to receive in the future. The remaining four were for the four magical beasts.

"Awaken." Lin Hai's voice rang like a great bell, striking directly into the souls of the four beasts.

The beasts jolted awake from their cultivation. Sensing the four bottles of essence blood and four Profound Pills before Lin Hai—and the terrifying energy within them that made their very souls tremble—their enormous eyes instantly filled with incomparable fervor and awe.

"These are the source essence blood of a Nine-Star Spirit Saint peak expert, along with Ninth-Grade Treasure Pills. I grant them to you. How much you absorb depends on your own fortune. Your goal is Seven-Star Spirit Saint."

Lin Hai spoke simply and directly, but his words nearly drove the four magical beasts to roar with excitement.

Seven-Star Spirit Saint! It was a realm they had never dared to dream of before!

"Thank you, Master, for this generous gift! We swear to serve you to the death, no matter the cost!" The four beasts sent out low, resolute cries through their souls.

Lin Hai said nothing more. With a flick of his finger, the four bottles of essence blood and four Ninth-Grade Profound Pills shot precisely into the mouths of the beasts.

Boom—!!!

An outburst of violent energy, five times fiercer than before, erupted inside the beasts!

In an instant, the entire barrier became a sea of pure energy. Four figures rose and fell within it, undergoing a transformation akin to being reborn.

Lin Hai watched in silence. When they emerged from seclusion, he would command a terrifying force of magical beasts that would make all of Central Plains look on in awe.

When he went to the Ancient Realm, and later faced the Soul Clan, his hand would be stronger still.

He put away the extra drop of essence blood and one Ninth-Grade Profound Pill, his gaze deep and distant.

"Xiao Yan, your uncle has already paved the road as far as he can for you. The rest of it, in the end, you'll have to walk on your own."