Nine Abysses Dao Treasury (Beast Chapter)

Back in the valley where he had descended, Lin Tian had already come to regard it as his own territory.

Given the valley's current state, no soul beasts besides Lin Tian dared to come here.

Lin Tian had not killed those humans. After all, he had still been human yesterday. Though he had become a soul beast today, a trace of humanity remained in his heart.

He had released the four Soul Saints and the Soul Douluo, but brought the young lady they had been protecting back to the valley.

Though dragons were naturally lustful, Lin Tian felt no such desire. He had captured this girl merely to question her about the forces beyond the Star Dou Forest and the powerful figures among them—though, of course, there was also a touch of his own malicious amusement.

At that moment, the girl was being carefully held in the Golden Lion King's mouth. She had already fainted from fright.

Lin Tian casually carved out a massive cave in the mountainside and flew inside. The Golden Lion King loathed the atmosphere here, but it did not dare defy Lin Tian's orders. It followed behind him into the cave.

"Put her on the ground. You may leave now. Find a nest nearby, and remember to keep a low profile in the Core Area. Aside from common soul beasts like Blue Silver Grass, don't provoke anything else. They all have powerful backers behind them, and even your boss can't afford to offend them for now."

Lin Tian gave the instructions earnestly, then patted the Golden Lion King's head with his tail. "Don't worry. Once your boss here develops for another five thousand years, I'll definitely knock every fierce beast in the Core Area flat. Then you'll be able to swagger around however you like."

The Golden Lion King nodded as though it understood, then left the valley filled with dark energy.

After the Golden Lion King left, Lin Tian looked at the cave, which could barely accommodate him, and for the first time felt that being too large was not necessarily a good thing.

He really wondered where Di Tian had lived before becoming a fierce beast. Still, he could ask him next time they met.

Lin Tian looked at the still-unconscious girl on the ground without the slightest tenderness. A freezing jet of water sprayed from his mouth and splashed across her face.

The girl awoke instantly after being drenched in cold water. The moment she opened her eyes and saw Lin Tian's savage dragon head, she nearly fainted again.

I didn't die?

The girl looked around and saw the deathly valley outside. She guessed, This should be its lair. Uncle Ding and the guards aren't here. Did this evil dragon already eat them? Did it capture me to use as emergency food?

Her face filled with despair. She was only a support-type Soul Elder. Even Uncle Ding had died in this evil dragon's jaws. Could she only wait for death to descend?

"Drink it."

While the girl was drowning in despair, Lin Tian had condensed a drop of black blood containing dense power of darkness and annihilation.

Looking at the droplet of blood, the girl obediently opened her mouth and swallowed it. Her instincts told her not to drink it, but she had no room to refuse under the circumstances.

This blood must be meant to stop me from running away.

The girl did not think the blood would directly kill her, because there was no need. Before this evil dragon, she was as insignificant as a tiny insect. Such measures were unnecessary.

Lin Tian was quite satisfied by how sensible the girl was. She did not seem like some spoiled young lady. That would make her more useful to him.

Lin Tian called this drop of demonic blood Sacred Blood. It was enough to change the fate of a person or soul beast.

Even if a Soul Master possessed only rank-one Innate Soul Power, after consuming Sacred Blood, they would gain Innate Full Soul Power and an additional martial soul—the Dark Demon Dragon!

Of course, obtaining such a heaven-defying opportunity came with a small price. Sacred Blood would gradually alter the consumer's mind, making them eternally loyal to Lin Tian.

The Sacred Blood entered her mouth and merged into her body. The girl's originally delicate face instantly twisted in agony.

Intense pain surged through her body. Her bones were restructuring, while her physical constitution rapidly strengthened until it could bear the Dark Demon Dragon martial soul without suffering backlash.

Amid the intense pain, the girl quickly lost consciousness and collapsed once more onto the hard stone floor.

"You have to hold on!"

Lin Tian silently encouraged her. Sacred Blood could not be condensed at will; he could only create one drop for every ten thousand years of cultivation he gained. If the girl failed, Lin Tian's first drop of Sacred Blood would be wasted.

His dragon body, more than a hundred meters long, curled into a ball, and his crimson vertical pupils slowly closed.

Within his mind, a cultivation art radiating an unfathomable aura floated silently.

When his spiritual sense entered it, the cultivation art's name clearly appeared before Lin Tian—Nine Abysses Dao Treasury (Beast Chapter).

"Beast Chapter?"

Lin Tian asked doubtfully, "Can I still cultivate it after taking human form?"

"We'll cross that bridge when we come to it."

Taking human form was still far too distant. He looked further into the cultivation art. The Nine Abysses Dao Treasury was exceptionally comprehensive. It contained a detailed meditation method, techniques for reducing Soul Power consumption, and tough, domineering combat methods.

After merely one glance, that profound meditation method seemed to imprint itself in his mind with absolute clarity.

Lin Tian circulated the Soul Power within his body according to the meditation method's route. The instant his Soul Power began to flow, his entire dragon body became like a vortex, madly drawing in the energy of heaven and earth around him.

After sensing it for a moment, he stopped meditating. The disturbance caused by meditation was too great. If it caused the girl to fail her absorption, he would not even have a place to cry.

Lin Tian turned the Nine Abysses Dao Treasury to its final page and looked at the divine abilities recorded there.

"Law of Heaven and Earth!"

And "External Incarnation?!"

"Universe in the Sleeve?"

Lin Tian saw many divine abilities from myths of his past life, but he could not cultivate any of them. The entry requirements for these abilities were simply too high.

He shook his head as a wave of drowsiness washed over him. Lin Tian figured that when in doubt, he should sleep on it.

The next day, the sky had only just begun to pale with dawn.

The girl, who had been unconscious all night, stirred her eyelashes and slowly opened her eyes.

"Where am I?"

The girl looked around in confusion. This was not the luxurious bedroom in her home, but an irregular cave.

The moment she saw the giant dragon beside her, she instantly remembered her situation.

"That... wasn't a dream?" the girl said blankly.

Then she realized that she actually felt heartfelt submission toward this dragon.

"Master."

The word left the girl's mouth uncontrollably. She immediately covered her mouth with both hands, refusing to let another sound escape.

Though she covered her mouth in time, her voice still reached Lin Tian's ears. His crimson vertical pupils slowly opened. Within the dim cave, they resembled two brilliant red gemstones as they looked at the girl.

"It worked?"

"Y-you... what did you make me eat?"

The girl had already sensed something strange about herself and could guess it was because of that drop of blood. She asked in a trembling voice.

"Something that can change your fate against the heavens." Lin Tian answered her question simply, then began his interrogation. "What's your name?"

"Xie Yu'er."

The three words left her mouth without the slightest hesitation. This was also an effect of the Sacred Blood, which could control the consumer's soul.

"Identity?"

"Second daughter of the Xie Family."

Afterward, Lin Tian questioned her further about the continent's overall situation and distribution of forces, then released the control over her soul.

"What happened to me?" Xie Yu'er had no idea what had just occurred.

"The Sacred Blood changed your aptitude and granted you a second martial soul."

Lin Tian spoke as gently as possible. "Likewise, you have become my... servant."

"Once you become a Titled Douluo, you can leave the Star Dou Forest and return to the continent to work for me."

Xie Yu'er nodded. She was not foolish. From the moment the word "Master" had slipped from her mouth after awakening, she had understood her situation.