Is there something going on between this kid and His Holiness the Pope?

Deep within Star Dou Forest, a towering tree over a hundred meters tall suddenly began to shake. Amid the falling leaves, a gigantic mantis with a dark green body and crimson limbs appeared atop a tree several dozen meters away.

It stood three to four meters tall and looked almost no different from an ordinary mantis.

However, the Nether Ghost Blade Mantis had four pairs of translucent wings on its back, covered in purple specks of light. An eerie force seemed to permeate its body, warping the surrounding air and making its figure flicker in and out of view.

Most horrifying of all were its massive mantis blades, like crescent moon scimitars, incomparably sharp. Merely looking at the arcs of reflected light was almost more than the eyes could bear.

At that moment, it stared at everyone present with its blood-red compound eyes, its face twisted into a savage expression.

As the ruler of this region, it had fought plenty of human Soul Masters. If it had not devoured a thousand Soul Masters, then it had devoured at least eight hundred. Yet it was the first time it had encountered humans as calm as these.

But after carefully surveying the group, the thirty-thousand-year Soul Beast set its sights on Lin Tian.

It would kill this brat and show these high-ranking human Soul Masters what it was capable of.

At that thought, the air around them trembled, and the Nether Ghost Blade Mantis, which had just been standing before them, suddenly vanished.

"Not good, it's trying to escape!"

Ghost Douluo's eyes widened abruptly. As a fellow user of Nether power, he keenly realized that the Soul Beast intended to flee.

It could shatter space and escape. It must have realized that none of the human Soul Masters before it were opponents it could handle, so it wanted to run!

"Trying to run? That depends on whether you can!"

Bibi Dong's delicate brows furrowed slightly. In an instant, an overwhelmingly domineering Title Douluo pressure blanketed the area, trapping the Nether Ghost Blade Mantis that had been about to shatter space and flee.

Against ordinary Soul Masters, this creature might truly have escaped.

But of the four people who had come to hunt it this time, three were Title Douluo-level experts!

Even though Lin Tian was the youngest and had the weakest Soul Power, protected by three Title Douluo, the Nether Ghost Blade Mantis had no chance of succeeding.

Instead, its rash attack forced Ghost and Chrysanthemum, the two Title Douluo, to drive it out of the spatial barrier.

To prevent the Soul Beast from shattering space and escaping again, Ghost Douluo and Chrysanthemum Douluo decided to use their Martial Soul Fusion Skill, Two-Pole Static Domain, to lock it down completely.

"Yue Guan, get ready. We're using our Martial Soul Fusion Skill."

Ghost Douluo called out to Yue Guan beside him, then leaped into the air.

At the same time, silver flames burst from his body almost instantly.

Then golden flames erupted from Chrysanthemum Douluo's body as well.

Immediately afterward, all nine Soul Rings on the two Title Douluo lit up, and the golden and silver flames tightly fused together.

Lin Tian knew well that these twin flames of gold and silver were Ghost and Chrysanthemum Douluo's famed technique, Two-Pole Static Domain.

Everything within the range of this Soul Skill would be completely frozen.

Not to mention that their opponent was merely a thirty-thousand-year Soul Beast—even Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beasts like the Titan Giant Ape and Sky Azure Bull Python would be unable to move once trapped inside.

"Lin Tian, make your move. Within the absolute static domain created by Elders Ghost and Chrysanthemum, this Soul Beast won't be able to resist at all. You can kill it without worry."

Bibi Dong moved her long, jade-like legs and slowly stepped into the static domain jointly created by the two elders. Her soft hand held Lin Tian's as she signaled for him to step forward and hunt the Nether Ghost Blade Mantis.

Seeing the Nether Ghost Blade Mantis restrained in the clearing, Lin Tian gripped a crimson dagger and strode forward. Without the slightest hesitation, he drove the dagger straight into its head.

Once they saw that Lin Tian had successfully killed the Nether Ghost Blade Mantis, the two Title Douluo immediately released their Martial Soul Fusion Skill.

The Nether Ghost Blade Mantis, its head pierced through, struggled on the ground a few times before losing all signs of life.

A black Soul Ring then floated above the mantis's corpse.

Under everyone's hesitant gazes, Lin Tian sat cross-legged and began absorbing the special Soul Ring from the thirty-thousand-year Soul Beast.

"Lin Tian, if you feel that your body can't endure it, you must give up immediately, understand? Star Dou Forest is filled with Soul Beasts. We can capture one more suitable for you. Mother doesn't want you taking such a risk, understand?"

Lin Tian nodded, then took a deep breath and prepared to absorb the Ghost Blade Mantis's Soul Ring. Seeing this, Bibi Dong's heart filled with nervous unease.

For the sake of helping her fulfill her wish sooner, this little fellow was willing to take such a tremendous risk and absorb the Nether Ghost Blade Mantis's Soul Ring. Her pretty face flushed as she found herself not knowing how to reward him.

Perhaps when they returned to her chambers tonight, she could make a few more concessions and let this foolish little boy...

Bibi Dong did not dare continue thinking.

What was wrong with her?

She was the Pope of Spirit Hall, the inheritor of the Rakshasa God's divine position. Why was her mind full of ways to please someone? It was simply outrageous...

Lin Tian did not actually have much confidence in absorbing a thirty-thousand-year Nether Ghost Blade Mantis as his fifth Soul Ring.

But during his previous training in Star Dou Forest, he had consumed special body-tempering materials rewarded by the system. That made him firmly believe there was absolutely no problem with his tough body.

"Don't worry, Mother Pope. I'll be fine!"

Lin Tian nodded toward the Mother Pope beside him, then sat down cross-legged, gathered his Soul Power, and began absorbing the black Soul Ring floating in midair.

The phantom image of the Soul-Eater Spider Emperor Martial Soul then appeared behind him. Its sharp forelimbs, gleaming with cold light, hung across the air like twin blades, making one's neck turn cold and leaving no one daring to look directly at it.

The black Soul Ring that had been flaunting its might moments earlier now behaved like an obedient rabbit under Lin Tian's Soul Power guidance, being devoured bite by bite by the Soul-Eater Spider Emperor's phantom.

Not far away, Ghost and Chrysanthemum Douluo, who were gathering their Soul Power, exchanged a glance, and a trace of astonishment surfaced in their eyes.

They had not expected this brat to truly gamble with his life, using the physique of a Soul King to absorb a thirty-thousand-year Nether Ghost Blade Mantis that far exceeded his body's limit.

After all, across Douluo Continent, countless Soul Masters died every year after greedily pursuing higher-year Soul Beasts and exploding from the strain!

They truly had no idea how he dared do something like this.

Could it be that Her Holiness the Pope, this young married woman, was truly so alluring that this brat would risk his life for her?!

They simply could not understand why young men these days had such strange tastes!