Devouring and Replenishment, the Snipe and Clam's Struggle

Moonlight filtered through the canopy, casting mottled, fragmented shadows across the ground.

The depths of the Soul Hunting Forest were far quieter—and far more dangerous—than its outskirts.

Xiao Yin moved soundlessly between giant trees and tangled vines.

The Taotie Martial Soul's instinctive perception of "food" was like an invisible radar, constantly scanning the surrounding environment.

Two days had passed.

After leaving, Xiao Yin had completely released his suppression of the Taotie Martial Soul.

The savage aura from primordial antiquity enveloped him like an invisible crown.

Low-level soul beasts sensed this pressure, which made their souls tremble, and mostly kept far away, not daring to approach.

Xiao Yin could not even be bothered to hunt such sensible, weak soul beasts.

But there were always a few who failed to recognize danger.

Just over an hour ago, an Iron-Armored Armadillo of nearly three hundred years, its entire body covered in armor-like shell, had blocked his path.

This soul beast possessed astonishing defense and a violent temperament. Relying on its thick hide and tough flesh, it charged at Xiao Yin with a low growl.

Xiao Yin's gaze was icy, without a trace of fear.

Just as the Iron-Armored Armadillo rushed close and opened its jaws to bite down—

"Roar—!"

A roar from ancient primordial times suddenly erupted from Xiao Yin's mouth.

The air behind him twisted violently, and a fleeting phantom with a dragon's head and a goat's body flashed into view, radiating a monstrous, savage aura!

The Iron-Armored Armadillo froze in the middle of its charge!

Its dim yellow eyes filled with an irresistible terror rooted in its bloodline!

It was as though it had encountered the absolute ruler at the top of the food chain!

Overwhelming fear weakened its limbs, bringing its charge to an abrupt halt as it even tried to turn and flee!

The instant its mind faltered, Xiao Yin moved!

He flashed forward, swinging the dagger in his right hand as condensed Soul Power coated its blade!

Ssh—!

There was no earth-shattering collision, only a soft sound.

Like a red-hot table knife slicing into congealed grease, the dagger precisely and effortlessly pierced the gap in the Iron-Armored Armadillo's neck armor, sinking deep inside!

"Awooo—!" The Iron-Armored Armadillo let out a shrill cry as its massive body convulsed violently.

And now, the true feast began!

A crimson glint flashed through Xiao Yin's eyes as his thoughts surged!

"Devour!"

Buzz—!

The Taotie phantom behind him instantly became a little clearer. Its phantom maw, packed with fangs, flew open as an overwhelmingly powerful suction force erupted!

Its target was the dying Iron-Armored Armadillo!

Visible to the naked eye, the Iron-Armored Armadillo's massive body rapidly shriveled like a deflated ball!

Its blood and vitality, Soul Power, and even its life essence turned into streams of pale red energy, forcibly drawn out through the wound and pouring into the Taotie's enormous mouth behind Xiao Yin!

At the same time, a dim yellow soul ring emerged from the corpse. It spun and struggled, but was ultimately dragged by that terrifying suction force into the phantom maw as well!

Immediately afterward, Xiao Yin's body shook violently!

Although most of it was absorbed by the Taotie Martial Soul itself for growth, the energy it fed back was not insignificant!

A vast torrent of energy surged wildly into his body through their invisible connection!

This energy was immensely violent and filled with the wildness of a soul beast. It instantly flooded his limbs and bones, battering his meridians!

"Urgh!"

Xiao Yin groaned, his face flushing crimson in an instant. Veins bulged across his forehead as his body trembled slightly.

Devouring was not without a price!

He immediately sat cross-legged and circulated the Myriad Spirits Unification Art with all his strength.

It was as if an invisible furnace had appeared within his body. The violent energy rushing in was forcibly swept into it, producing sizzling sounds as it was refined.

Its wildness was stripped away and its impurities burned to ash, leaving only the purest life energy and the essence of Soul Power for him to absorb and refine.

The entire process lasted nearly half a shichen.

When Xiao Yin opened his eyes again, they gleamed brightly, and the aura around him had clearly grown more robust!

The increase in Soul Power was not especially obvious, given the limits of his level.

But the increase in his physical strength was plain to see!

"So this is... the power of devouring!"

Xiao Yin clenched his fist, feeling the power surging through his body. An excitement born from taking control of his own fate rose within him.

He was pleased.

But the Iron-Armored Armadillo on the ground had been reduced to nothing more than a shriveled hide and skeleton.

The contrast before and after was horrifying!

Devour, plunder, and make it one's own!

Simple, direct, tyrannical!

This was the path of Taotie!

Over the next two days, similar scenes played out several times.

A two-hundred-year Ghost Shadow Marten and a three-hundred-year Poison Arrow Porcupine both became nourishment for Taotie.

Every devouring was accompanied by violent energy shocks and painful refinement.

But every success made Xiao Yin's Soul Power more condensed and his physical body even stronger!

Moreover, the Taotie phantom behind him seemed to have become an almost imperceptible bit more solid.

On the morning of the third day, following Taotie's instinctive attraction toward high-energy targets, Xiao Yin arrived at the edge of a valley filled with jagged, bizarre rocks.

The air was thick with the stench of blood and violent Soul Power fluctuations.

He concealed himself behind a boulder, held his breath, and looked down into the valley.

Two ferocious soul beasts were facing off below!

One was nearly three meters long, covered in dark golden scales. It resembled a giant lizard, though its head was even more vicious, with a single horn on its forehead and a tail like a steel whip—a Golden-Armored Earth Dragon!

Judging by its aura, it was likely only a step away from the thousand-year threshold!

Its body bore several torn wounds, with dark golden blood flowing from them. Yet its presence remained fierce and violent as it guarded an unusual orchid-like plant glowing purple from within a crack in the rocks behind it.

The purple glow was gentle, radiating an aura that calmed the mind. One look was enough to tell it was no ordinary item.

The other was slightly smaller, but more agile and nimble—a Nether Shadow Leopard!

Its entire body was black, its four claws glimmered with an eerie cold light, and its emerald vertical pupils were filled with cunning and greed.

Its aura had to be at least nine hundred years old!

At this moment, it darted swiftly around the Golden-Armored Earth Dragon, launching pouncing attacks from time to time and leaving deep claw marks across the earth dragon's hard scales.

But it had also gained several wounds from the earth dragon's steel tail, making its movements somewhat sluggish.

They were fighting over that purple spiritual plant!

"Purple Heart Jade Bone Orchid?"

Knowledge of rare medicinal herbs flashed through Xiao Yin's mind, making his heart burn.

Thanks to his relationship as Ning Rongrong's playmate, he had once read many precious books in the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect's library.

He remembered that the Purple Heart Jade Bone Orchid could greatly nourish spiritual power and was a supreme treasure to any soul master!

And those two soul beasts—especially the Golden-Armored Earth Dragon on the verge of reaching a thousand years—would make an exceptional "feast"!

But reason told him that facing them head-on was suicide.

Neither the nine-hundred-year Nether Shadow Leopard nor the nearly thousand-year Golden-Armored Earth Dragon was something he could confront directly at his current level.

Taotie's pressure worked remarkably well against low-level soul beasts, but its effect would be greatly diminished against soul beasts nearing a thousand years, and it might even provoke them.

"Looks like I'll have to outsmart them..."

"System, open the shop."