Test

Tang Wulin clenched his teeth, his stubbornness refusing to let him admit defeat.

Just then, the intense stabbing pain in his shoulder seemed to ignite his body. Waves of scorching heat surged from deep within him, instantly spreading throughout his entire body. He wanted to say something, but found that he could not speak at all.

"Tell me, do you admit defeat?" Xie Xie pressed his dagger down and spoke viciously.

"No!" Tang Wulin roared hoarsely, but his voice had clearly changed somewhat.

Xie Xie froze for a moment. He was certain he had not stabbed too deeply, so why was Tang Wulin reacting as if he were in such unbearable pain? Instinctively, he wanted to pull out the Light Dragon Dagger.

But at that very moment, something utterly unexpected happened.

The Light Dragon Dagger embedded in Tang Wulin's shoulder suddenly let out a somewhat shrill dragon's cry. Xie Xie felt a wave of palpitations spread through his entire body, as though he had suddenly encountered something he feared terribly.

The blood at the spot where the Light Dragon Dagger had pierced him suddenly stopped flowing. Strands of golden light spilled out from the wound, and amid the surging radiance, the Light Dragon Dagger was gradually forced out.

Faced with this unknown situation, Xie Xie's first thought was to let go and retreat. But to his horror, he discovered that the Light Dragon Dagger seemed to have been glued in place. Even if he wanted to pull it back, he could no longer do so.

"Ah—" A roar that shook the surroundings burst from Tang Wulin's mouth as the Light Dragon Dagger was blasted from his wound in an instant.

The last thing Xie Xie saw was a mass of golden light. The next moment, he felt as though he had been struck head-on by a speeding Soul Guidance Train. His vision went dark, and he knew nothing more.

Bang— Xie Xie flew into a large tree in the distance and slowly slid down.

Tang Wulin knelt on one knee, his eyes still bloodshot and his entire body trembling violently. He felt like metal being forged in a furnace, the unceasing heat pouring from within making his body shake uncontrollably.

Yet his consciousness remained clear. At least when he had thrown that punch, he had pulled back at the last instant. Otherwise, he suspected that Xie Xie would have been beaten into a state where he could no longer take care of himself.

Lowering his head, he was stunned to see that his right hand had somehow become covered in dense scales.

They were golden scales. Each one was diamond-shaped and slightly raised, with sharply defined edges. His fingertips had narrowed, while his nails had lengthened and become razor-sharp, like claws.

The little Grass Snake Spirit Soul Golden Light, which had originally been coiled around his wrist, now flickered with golden radiance as well. Its entire body had swollen by a full circle, and its tiny eyes had turned red, glittering like rubies.

Was it? Wasn't it a useless Spirit Soul? What was going on?

Tang Wulin quickly took off his shirt, then saw in horror that it was not only his hand that had changed. From the spot where the Light Dragon Dagger had stabbed him all the way to his palm, his entire right arm was covered in golden scales.

This arm gave him an indescribable sense of power.

He instinctively swung his right arm with all his strength. Boom!

His right fist struck the air, and a mass of golden light surged forth, vaguely taking the shape of a dragon's head in midair. The golden radiance blasted out a full meter, and its fierce aura left him with no doubt about what would happen if that all-out punch landed on someone.

"Golden Light, is this the power you gave me?" Tang Wulin looked at the little Grass Snake around his wrist, overcome with both surprise and joy.

But at that moment, the Grass Snake's swollen body gradually shrank. The scales covering his arm and the changes in his hand rapidly faded away. In just a few breaths, everything returned to normal. What followed was an indescribable exhaustion. Tang Wulin's vision went dark, and he fainted.

And at that moment,

A tall, burly man had appeared before Tang Wulin and Xie Xie at some point.

Although his true form was not of the dragon race, sensing the bloodline aura within Tang Wulin still made him feel suppressed.

How could a mere human possess such powerful bloodline strength?! Forget it. He should first complete the task his lord had assigned. If what his lord had said was true, then the day the Spirit Beasts regained their former glory would not be far away.

The burly man was clearly not the type to dwell on things. He simply followed his lord's instructions, bent down, and prepared to take Tang Wulin away.

But then, suddenly!

A golden point of light lit up on Tang Wulin's forehead, gradually condensing into a miraculous Golden Trident rune.

The burly man's expression changed drastically. He felt an invisible and terrifying pressure descend upon him, completely freezing the Soul Power within his body.

"Damn it, what's going on?!"

Tang Wulin seemed to have become a completely different person as he slowly rose to his feet.

His eyes were no longer clear black, but a faint blue-gold.

The youthful innocence was gone. All that remained was the boundless depth and vastness of the sea.

The burly man roared in shock and uncertainty, transforming into a dark-golden giant bear more than thirty meters tall. Yet even so, he still felt unable to resist.

"Y-you... who are you?!"

Tang Wulin's voice had changed as well, and he let out a startled cry.

As soon as his words fell, several more figures appeared beside the burly man.

Tang Wulin stared at them, his gaze gradually darkening.

The appearance of these people was clearly no coincidence. He could not understand how his arrangements had gone wrong from the very beginning. His plan should have been flawless.

A middle-aged man in black robes among the figures stared fixedly at the Golden Trident rune between Tang Wulin's brows and said gravely, "You are that person?!"

"If you wish to preserve the last inheritance of the Spirit Beast race, then leave now. Do not seek your own destruction." Tang Wulin's deep eyes opened and closed as he looked toward the black-robed middle-aged man.

The black-robed middle-aged man seemed to have been struck where it hurt. He laughed in fury and mocked him.

"Are you bestowing charity upon us?! One day, we will personally take back what we lost. Do not think we do not know that the God Realm has long since vanished. You are merely a fragment of divine consciousness. What can you possibly do to us?!"

As he spoke, the black-robed middle-aged man suddenly raised his right hand. A black Dragon Claw, dark as ink, reached out from the void and grabbed at Tang Wulin.

"How dare you!"

Tang Wulin's face darkened as he shouted. A beam of golden light burst from between his brows and transformed into a dazzling Golden Trident.

Undetermined Storm!

Rings of golden light instantly sealed off the area, without the slightest trace of aura leaking out.

Aside from the silver-haired girl and the woman in green standing atop the trees deep within East Sea Park, no one else noticed anything unusual within East Sea Park.

Unlike the concern and anxiety on the green-clad woman's lovely face, the silver-haired girl remained calm throughout.

After Xiong Jun, Di Tian, and the others had tested it, she had basically confirmed that it had ultimately fallen, and that the God Core should be inside this human.