Caught a wisp of Bibi Dong's divine sense?

The invisible fishing line transformed in that moment into a chain tethered to hell.

A terrifying aura, impossible to describe in words, surged madly back along the Karma Rod.

Cold.

Evil.

Chaotic.

Vindictive.

Murderous...

All these negative emotions condensed into a tangible cold current, instantly invading Li Hao's mental world.

It felt as if his soul were being frozen into shards of ice.

The sky of the Soul Beast Paradise dimmed for an instant under the impact of this aura.

The once warm and gentle air turned bone-chillingly cold.

"Master!"

An urgent, delicate cry rang out from behind him.

Cailin's figure turned into a bolt of purple lightning, appearing instantly by Li Hao's side.

She didn't even have time to ask what had happened; her golden slit pupils were already filled with shock and gravity.

She could sense a terrifying power, one sufficient to make even her tremble, eroding her master through that strange fishing rod!

Without a moment's hesitation, Cailin pressed her fingers together like a blade, her palm instantly wrapped in a layer of dense purple energy, and she slashed fiercely at the invisible fishing line!

She had to sever this lethal connection!

However, the next second, an invisible yet vast and boundless force surged from the line.

Bang!

Cailin let out a muffled groan, her entire body sent flying by a massive force, staggering back seven or eight steps before she could steady herself.

Her hand, which had struck out, trembled slightly, and the purple energy glow had dissipated significantly.

How is this possible!

With her current strength, her full-force strike couldn't even touch that line?

In the very moment of Cailin's shock, the system's alarm in Li Hao's mind blared with frantic sharpness.

[Warning! Warning!]

[High-dimensional energy entity hooked: Rakshasa Divine Sense!]

[Karma backlash is too strong!]

[Sever the connection immediately?]

[Warning!]

[Host's spirit is under erosion; soul is at risk of being dragged away!]

[Sever the connection immediately?]

Rakshasa Divine Sense?

Li Hao's brain was so frozen by that cold current he could barely think, yet he instinctively grasped this keyword.

What he hooked... is something belonging to Bibi Dong?

And it's related to a god?

An unprecedented fear, mixed with a hint of absurd excitement, exploded in the depths of his heart.

He felt his soul being pulled out of his body, bit by bit, by an irresistible force.

The world before his eyes began to blur; only the violently vibrating fishing rod and the cold, vindictive will traveling along the line remained crystal clear.

Sever it?

"Are you kidding me!"

"I've already... no, the rod is already cast, and you want me to quit now?"

"I've hooked a god; wouldn't it be a massive loss to go home empty-handed!"

A strange stubbornness and unwillingness surged wildly from the marrow of Li Hao's bones.

He was an extreme social recluse, usually cowardly to the core, but that stubbornness to never turn back until hitting a wall was completely ignited in this moment!

"Do not sever!"

"Hold on for me!"

He roared hysterically at the system within his heart.

At the same time, he poured every bit of his soul power—which had just increased slightly from absorbing insights into the Mysterious Heaven Skill—without reservation into the Karma Rod in his hand!

Hum!

The fishing rod, flowing with golden patterns, erupted with unprecedented radiance.

Li Hao gripped the rod with all his might, his feet carving two deep furrows into the grass as the immense force threatened to lift him off the ground.

This was a tug-of-war.

A tug-of-war between a mortal and the will of a deity!

At the very moment he exerted his full strength, a blurred phantom slowly emerged within the frozen spirit world of his mind.

It was a woman.

A stunningly beautiful woman dressed in an intricate black gauze gown, wearing a Nine-Curve Purple Gold Crown and holding a scepter, radiating a nobility that was as extreme as her malice.

She seemed to be seated upon a dark throne, her eyes closed.

Yet Li Hao could feel that she "saw" him.

That gaze pierced through endless space and time, penetrated the dimensional barrier of the Soul Beast Paradise, and landed with pinpoint accuracy upon him—an ant who dared to spy on a deity.

There was no anger, no surprise.

Only a pure, indifferent coldness that viewed all living things as mere straw dogs.

In the distant Martial Soul City, deep within a secret chamber of the Pope Palace.

Bibi Dong, who had been sitting beneath the Rakshasa statue and striving to attain godhood, suddenly snapped her eyes open.

A flicker of deep suspicion and fury flashed through her purple pupils.

Just a moment ago, a wisp of her original divine sense, which she had entrusted to the Rakshasa statue, had been triggered by a strange and incredibly bizarre power she had never encountered before.

It felt as if someone had taken a fishhook and reached into the deepest, most private core of her soul, attempting to fish something out.

Who was it?

In this world, who else had the audacity and the ability to do such a thing?

Tang Chen?

Bo Saixi?

No, it was neither of them.

The essence of that power was weak, but its laws were absurdly high-level, even carrying a trace of the laws of causality that she could not comprehend.

"Seeking death!"

Bibi Dong let out a cold, low shout. Her vast Rakshasa divine power surged instantly, violently lashing back along that ethereal connection.

She wanted to see exactly who dared to stir trouble on her turf!

In the Soul Beast Paradise, Li Hao felt as if he were dying.

The gaze of that phantom transformed into a tangible spiritual crushing force, causing his soul to wail under the unbearable burden.

Yet, he did not let go.

He stared fixedly at the phantom, using every ounce of his strength to let out a final roar.

"Get! Up! Here!"

Perhaps it was his will that took effect, perhaps the dimensional barrier of the Soul Beast Paradise isolated most of the backlash, or perhaps the laws of the Karma Rod reigned supreme over all.

Snap.

A faint sound, like a thread breaking, echoed deep within his soul.

The immense force that had nearly torn him apart suddenly vanished.

Li Hao, having exerted too much force, fell backward onto the ground.

Whoosh!

From the void, the fishing rod in his hand had forcibly dragged something out.

It was not a ball of light, nor was it a physical object.

It was a wisp of black mist, thinner than a strand of hair, twisting and struggling, exuding an ominous aura.

The black mist traced an arc through the air and, before Li Hao could react, "whooshed" straight into the center of his brow.

Hum!

A cold and massive stream of information exploded within his mind.

[Ding! Successfully fished: Rakshasa Divine Sense (Fragment)!]

[Obtained: Significant increase in Spirit Power!]

[Obtained: Primary Spirit-type skill -- Spirit Spike!]

A series of notification sounds announced the final victory of this insane gamble.

Li Hao sat blankly on the ground, his entire body thoroughly soaked in cold sweat.

He gasped for air, his heart still pounding wildly.

In that split second just now, he truly felt as if he had stood at the gates of the afterlife and shared a drink with the King of Hell.

This fishing... was ten thousand times more thrilling than fighting a Soul Saint!

With lingering fear, he glanced at the Karma Rod in his hand and decided that until he figured out the temperament of this thing, he absolutely must not use it recklessly again.

Using this thing to catch small fry was a surprise, but catching a shark... that was a shock!

Just as he prepared to put away the fishing rod, plan out his new home, and enjoy a peaceful life, Cailin, who had been guarding him the entire time, suddenly spoke with a grave expression.

"Master."

Li Hao looked up and saw her gazing toward the edge of the Paradise Space in a certain direction.

"At the edge of the Paradise Space, a spatial coordinate that does not belong to us has appeared."