The invisible fishing line had become a chain linking him to hell.
An indescribably terrifying aura surged through the Karma Rod, pouring in like a flood.
Cold.
Evil.
Chaotic.
Venomous.
Killing intent...
All those negative emotions gathered into a tangible chill and invaded Li Hao's mind in an instant.
It was as if they would freeze his soul into shards of ice.
Under the force of that aura, the sky over Soul Beast Paradise dimmed for a moment.
The once warm, gentle air turned bitterly cold.
"Master!"
An urgent cry rang out behind him.
Cailin's figure flashed into view beside Li Hao like a streak of purple lightning.
She didn't even have time to ask what had happened. Shock and solemnity already filled her golden, slit-pupiled eyes.
She could feel a terrifying force, powerful enough to make even her shudder, seeping through that strange fishing rod and attacking her master!
Without hesitation,
Cailin pressed her fingers together like a blade. A thick layer of purple energy instantly enveloped her hand as she slashed fiercely at the invisible fishing line!
She had to sever that deadly connection!
But in the next instant, an invisible yet boundless force surged along the line.
Bang!
Cailin grunted as a tremendous force hurled her back. She staggered seven or eight steps before managing to steady herself.
The hand she had struck with trembled slightly, and much of its purple glow had dispersed.
How was this possible?!
With her current strength, even her full-force attack couldn't touch that line?
As Cailin stared in shock, the system's warning blared in Li Hao's mind, shrill as a madman's scream.
[Warning! Warning!]
[High-dimensional energy entity caught: Rakshasa Divine Sense!]
[Causal backlash is too strong!]
[Sever the connection immediately?]
[Warning!]
[Host's mind is under attack. There is a risk of your soul being dragged away!]
[Sever the connection immediately?]
Rakshasa Divine Sense?
The chill had nearly frozen Li Hao's mind, leaving him barely able to think, but he still instinctively latched onto those words.
What he caught... was one of Bibi Dong's things?
And it was connected to a god, no less?
An unprecedented terror, laced with an absurd thrill, exploded in his heart.
He felt an irresistible force slowly dragging his soul out of his body.
The world before his eyes began to blur. Only the violently shaking fishing rod and the cold, venomous will surging through the line remained clear.
Sever it?
"What kind of joke is that?!"
"I've already got my pants off... no, I've already cast my line. You want me to quit now?"
"I've got a god on the hook. Going home empty-handed would be a colossal loss!"
A stubborn, unwilling determination surged up from the depths of Li Hao's bones.
He was an extreme introvert, usually timid as could be. But the obstinate streak in him that refused to turn back before hitting a wall was now fully ablaze!
"Don't sever it!"
"Hold on for dear life!"
He unleashed a hysterical roar at the system in his mind.
At the same time, he poured every last drop of his Soul Power into the Karma Rod. It had grown ever so slightly after he absorbed his insights into the Mysterious Heaven Skill.
Hum!
The golden patterns running along the rod blazed with unprecedented light.
Li Hao gripped it with all his might. His feet furrowed two deep trenches in the grass as the force dragged him so violently that he nearly flew off the ground.
This was a tug-of-war.
A tug-of-war between a mortal and a god's will!
At the instant he gave everything he had, a hazy figure slowly emerged in the frozen depths of his mind.
It was a woman.
A peerlessly beautiful woman, dressed in an elaborate black gauze gown, wearing a Nine-Curve Purple Gold Crown and holding a scepter. She was as supremely noble as she was venomous.
She seemed to be seated with her eyes closed upon a shadowed divine throne.
Yet Li Hao could feel that she had "seen" him.
Her gaze pierced endless space and time, broke through the dimensional barrier of Soul Beast Paradise, and landed with unerring precision on the insignificant ant who dared to peer at a god.
There was no anger, no surprise.
Only a pure, indifferent coldness that regarded all things as straw dogs.
In a secret chamber deep within Pope Palace in distant Spirit City,
Bibi Dong sat beneath the Rakshasa God's statue, using all her strength to break through to godhood. Suddenly, her eyes snapped open.
A deep suspicion and fury flashed through her purple eyes.
Just moments ago, a wisp of her original divine sense, entrusted to the Rakshasa God's statue, had been touched by an utterly bizarre force she had never encountered before.
It felt as though someone had thrust a fishhook into the most private, innermost depths of her soul, then tried to catch something from within.
Who was it?
Who in this world had the audacity—and the power—to do this?
Tang Chen?
Bo Saixi?
No. Neither of them.
The force itself was weak, but its laws... were absurdly high, even carrying a hint of a causal law she couldn't understand.
"Looking for death!"
Bibi Dong gave a cold, low growl. The mighty Rakshasa Divine Power surged instantly, rushing back along that faint, unseen connection in a violent backlash.
She wanted to see who dared to defy her!
Back in Soul Beast Paradise,
Li Hao felt like he was about to die.
The figure's gaze became a tangible force crushing his mind, and his soul let out a wail beneath the unbearable strain.
But he still didn't let go.
He stared fixedly at the figure and summoned every last ounce of strength for one final roar.
"GET! UP! HERE!"
Perhaps his will had made the difference. Perhaps Soul Beast Paradise's dimensional barrier had blocked most of the backlash. Or perhaps the Karma Rod's laws stood above everything else.
Crack.
A faint sound, like a thread snapping, rang deep within his soul.
The tremendous force that had nearly torn him apart vanished in an instant.
Having used too much force, Li Hao toppled backward and landed hard on his bottom.
Splash!
His fishing rod had dragged something out of the void.
It wasn't a ball of light, nor was it any kind of physical object.
It was a wisp of black mist, finer than a strand of hair, writhing and struggling as it gave off an ominous aura.
The black mist arced through the air. Before Li Hao could react, it shot into the space between his brows.
Hum!
A vast flood of cold information exploded through his mind.
[Ding! Successfully caught Rakshasa Divine Sense (fragment)!]
[Obtained: Greatly increased mental strength!]
[Obtained: Basic mental skill—Spirit Spike!]
A series of prompts declared the final victory of this insane gamble.
Li Hao sat blankly on the ground, drenched from head to toe in cold sweat.
He gasped for breath, his heart still pounding wildly.
For one fleeting moment, he had truly felt like he was standing at the gates of hell, becoming sworn brothers with the King of Hell.
Fishing... was a hundred times more thrilling than fighting a Soul Saint!
Still shaken, he glanced at the Karma Rod in his hand and made up his mind. Until he understood how the thing worked, he absolutely wouldn't use it carelessly again.
Catching small fry with this thing was a pleasant surprise. Catching a shark... was pure terror!
Just as he was about to put away the rod, make plans for his new home, and enjoy a peaceful life,
Cailin, who had been standing guard beside him, suddenly spoke with a grave expression.
"Master."
Li Hao looked up and saw her gazing toward the edge of Soul Beast Paradise.
"An unfamiliar spatial coordinate has appeared at the edge of Paradise Space."
Before you continue