Lin Tian's whole body trembled violently as he stared fixedly at the Black Tide in his perception.
To the other powerful Sea Soul Beast clans, a horde of this many blood-cell monsters was nothing. After all, they were just a swarm of ants, though they were a pain to kill.
But to him, a Spirit Blue-Veined Starfish who had only just advanced to the thousand-year level, this was a disaster.
Ten thousand blood-cell monsters were surging toward him like a tidal wave. Even with two fists, he couldn't fend off four hands.
And he wasn't good at defense.
The charge of these ten thousand enemies would surely smash him to pieces in an instant.
Seriously? He'd only just reached the thousand-year level and was finally about to make his mark, only to die here?
Lin Tian instinctively tried to flee, and immediately put the thought into action.
Unfortunately, as a Starfish, he was never fast. He had no body parts suited for swimming faster and could only drift slowly through the water.
Before long, the Black Tide drew closer and closer. The air around him was thick with bloodlust and violent energy. It was about to swallow him whole, and there was nowhere to run.
Was this it?
Lin Tian closed his eyes. Faced with the impact of this terrifying torrent, he couldn't summon even the slightest strength to resist.
He could feel his heartbeat growing faster and faster, while the Blue Crystal in his chest kept flashing.
So this was how awful it felt to wait for death?
The plans in his heart, his ambition to rule the entire Blood Sea, were actually going to be ruined by these ten thousand blood-cell monsters. Damn it!
But just as Lin Tian despaired, at the instant the horde of blood-cell monsters was about to swallow him, countless soft tentacles suddenly tugged gently at him, drawing him into their ranks.
He wasn't smashed to pieces as he'd imagined. Instead, he was perfectly alive.
Then the blood-cell monsters swept him along, carrying him rapidly into the distance.
Now he was actually safe in the middle of the horde. Blood-cell monsters of all kinds surrounded him, their appearance even more striking at close range.
Red Monsters, White Monsters, Purple Monsters, and Blue Monsters: every one of them had a clearly defined structure. Yet not a single one attacked him, as if his presence had been anticipated.
And around him, there were even more Blue Monsters. Each of these pale-blue discs tugged at him with its tentacles, afraid he might fall out of formation or get swept away.
These few Platelet Monsters radiated a familiar aura. They were the very blood-cell monsters with a Mental Attribute he had been searching for.
Lin Tian was at a loss, but soon a special mental link reached him. It came from the Platelet Monsters.
Their message was simple and clear: "Kindred, come with us."
In an instant, all the doubts in Lin Tian's heart vanished. His despair disappeared, leaving only wild joy.
It turned out that his Starfish Martial Soul and Blood Sea Martial Soul shared the same origin. After entering the Blood Sea, he had long since ceased to be an ordinary Martial Soul. Instead, he had embarked on the Blood Sea Monster's evolution path.
And then he had chosen to undergo a Mental Attribute transformation. He was following the very same path as the Blood Sea Platelet Monsters.
He had an exceptionally powerful ability to heal himself, on top of his Mental Attribute and the evolution path unique to Blood Sea Monsters.
To these blood-cell monsters, Lin Tian was just like one of their own.
And the Blue Crystal in his chest was like an ID card. Its mental fluctuations and aura matched those of the Platelet Monsters, so they had simply taken him for one of their own?
Neither Red Blood Cell Monsters, White Blood Cell Monsters, nor Lymphocyte Monsters attacked blood cells native to the Blood Sea.
And after the Platelet Monsters recognized him as one of their own, they even took the initiative to protect him and bring him along.
Lin Tian relaxed completely, letting the Platelet Monsters tug him along with the main group. He was both relieved and ecstatic.
This wasn't just blending in with the Platelet Monsters. He'd practically stumbled into the ultimate exploit.
He was a Sea Soul Beast, yet the Blood Sea Monsters had taken him for one of their own.
And what's more, he'd passed himself off as an original Blood Sea Monster. Countless Blood Sea Monsters were generated automatically every day—an inexhaustible, endless stream.
As long as he stayed with the main group, he was absolutely safe.
A Soul Beast had infiltrated the Blood Sea Monsters. Now he could do whatever he wanted.
As long as he stayed with the main group, he'd basically be out of danger.
If he ran into Sea Soul Beasts, he could reveal who he was. They wouldn't attack him either. After all, he was a Starfish and didn't have much meat.
Sea Soul Beasts had their own food chain, too: big fish ate little fish, and little fish ate shrimp. They knew perfectly well what belonged on the menu and what didn't.
Their ancestors had already done the careful selecting. Starfish were one of the species that generally weren't considered food.
He would be safe on both sides. All he needed to worry about were Blood Sea Monsters that had become corrupted.
But that didn't matter either. His Martial Soul was a Corrupted Starfish Martial Soul. As long as he didn't actively become corrupted, he was normal in his usual state.
And with his mental power concealing him, he hadn't exposed the truth that he was a corrupted Soul Beast.
So now he was absolutely safe among all three factions.
With his Mental Attribute and the Blood Sea's unique evolution path, he could stay among normal blood cells.
Thanks to his identity as a Sea Soul Beast, he could also blend in with the Sea Soul Beasts.
And if he ever fell into the hands of corrupted Blood Sea Monsters, he could instantly transform into his evil state. He could play all three sides—invincible.
No matter where he stayed, he could improve his strength by devouring and evolving like crazy.
The Blood Sea World constantly replenished its supply of blood cells. As the owner of this body, Lin Tian knew that very well.
Which meant that, to him, this enormous population was a mobile treasure trove of energy.
Since they were all brothers, surely it wasn't too much to help his brothers improve their strength a little?
A sly smile appeared at the corner of Lin Tian's mouth. Then he slipped free of his good brothers' tentacles and slowly moved to the very back of the formation.
His gaze immediately swept over a Platelet Monster in front of him. Then, without drawing attention, he activated the ability in his stomach and quietly opened up his enormous maw.
While the Platelet Monster wasn't paying attention, he suddenly swallowed it, then dragged it into his stomach.
He himself instantly entered sage mode and began to devour it.
Good brothers really were the best—one bite and they melted in his mouth.
No, he didn't have a mouth. It went straight to his stomach. Never mind, then.
The Platelet Monster had no cultivation at all. The moment it was pulled into his stomach, its life force vanished.
His terrifying stomach acid corroded its body. In just a few minutes, Lin Tian had devoured a Platelet Blue Monster.
He felt a tiny increase in his mental energy. It was faint, but he was satisfied.
Then he immediately turned into a predator, happily hunting his good brothers at the very back—one after another, gobbling them up with relish.
He knew the numbers of the Blood Sea Monsters better than anyone, so he didn't feel the slightest guilt.
Besides, he was devouring them far more slowly than they were generated each day.
There was no way these Blood Sea cells could notice that one of their kin had gone missing. Nobody would care, anyway.
And so Lin Tian grew more and more brazen. He didn't just target Platelet Monsters; he even started going after other blood monsters.
Youth had no price. Brothers melted in his mouth.
Brothers, you smell so good!