Deep inside the cave.
Lin Mo slowly opened his crimson-gold eyes.
"Phew~ Two Hundred Thousand Year Soul Bones gave me the physique and mental power of a Soul Emperor!"
Exhaling a breath of stale air, the boy slowly stood up.
Feeling the surging power inside him, he broke into a satisfied smile.
The Blue Silver Emperor's right leg bone had not only greatly strengthened his physique.
It also came with two skills: flight and self-repair.
"Hmm? The fog outside has cleared? Perfect. I'll go take a bath and try out my new abilities while I'm at it."
Lin Mo walked straight out of the cave.
Outside, he found gentle breezes and bright, beautiful sunshine.
Then he looked at the sticky grime covering his body and flew toward the river without hesitation.
"Roar, roar, roar~"
Low beast roars occasionally sounded nearby.
But Lin Mo paid them no mind and simply kept flying forward.
Before long, he reached a small river about ten meters wide.
The water was crystal clear, reflecting the blue sky, white clouds, and green trees along its banks.
Splash! "Ah~ This feels amazing!"
Lin Mo stripped off his clothes and jumped straight into the water with a splash.
His movements were so practiced that he might as well have been at home.
Thud! Thud! Thud!!
Just as Lin Mo was about to climb ashore, heavy footsteps sounded nearby.
And they were drawing closer by the moment!!
"First Soul Skill-Myriad Transformations!"
Almost instinctively, his Hundred Thousand Year Soul Ring appeared in an instant.
Immediately afterward, Lin Mo swiftly transformed into an ordinary little goldfish.
He looked no different from the other little fish.
"Roar~"
Just then, an enormous crocodile covered in golden scales slowly crawled out of the woods.
It was well over twenty-five meters long, its blood-red maw resembling that of a monstrous beast capable of swallowing the heavens.
Its limbs were thick and powerful, its claws razor-sharp!!
Hidden underwater, Lin Mo's pupils contracted at the sight.
When he inspected it with the Eye of Myriad Phenomena's Innate Soul Skill, his jaw nearly dropped.
[Target: Golden Crocodile King] [None: None] [None: None] [None: None]
There was nothing he could copy.
But its name alone was frightening enough!
Golden Crocodile King!!
If I remember correctly, wasn't the Second Worship of Spirit Hall's Martial Soul a Golden Crocodile King?
He recalled the Soul Beast knowledge he had crammed into his head over the past few days in the cave.
Lin Mo's surprise instantly turned into wild delight.
[Golden Crocodile King]: Possessed a trace of Dragon Race bloodline; each meter of body length equaled eight hundred years of cultivation!
The one before him was almost twenty-six meters long, which meant roughly twenty thousand eight hundred years of cultivation!
I can definitely absorb it!!
And it suits my Blazing Sun Serpent Martial Soul too!!
"But how am I supposed to kill it?"
Looking at the enormous creature, which was now drinking and resting.
Lin Mo sank into thought.
His physique and mental power could indeed rival a Soul Emperor's.
But killing a twenty-thousand-year Soul Beast alone would be extremely difficult, and he might end up losing half his life in the process.
Especially this Golden Crocodile King, whose strength and defense were both exceptional-it was unquestionably a top-tier Soul Beast.
His best option was to target a weakness and use his Spirit Head Soul Bone's Spiritual Pierce to kill it in one strike or severely wound it.
"Screee!!"
Just as Lin Mo was considering his options, a long cry rang out from the sky nearby.
He instinctively looked up and discovered a Blazing Terror Bird over ten thousand years old.
Ten-thousand-year soul beasts were hardly uncommon in the Mixed Zone of the Star Dou Great Forest.
Lin Mo initially thought nothing of it, but an extremely daring idea sprang into his mind a moment later.
I don't necessarily have to hunt the Soul Beast myself!
As long as I land the final blow, won't that do?
At that thought, the boy's eyes lit up.
"Spirit Head Soul Bone skill-Spiritual Pierce!!"
An immensely powerful, invisible surge of mental power instantly erupted from a "little goldfish."
It shot across the sky, striking the nearby Blazing Terror Bird directly!!
"Screee!!"
A piercing, agonized bird cry rang out; it had clearly suffered a severe injury.
But what followed was towering fury!!
Without wasting a moment, Lin Mo activated another ability.
"Spirit Head Soul Bone skill-Spiritual Illusion!!"
After scanning its surroundings, the enraged Blazing Terror Bird.
Quickly discovered "Lin Mo" standing beside the river!!
"Screee!!"
With a furious cry, the Blazing Terror Bird plunged into a rapid dive!!
Once it locked onto its target, it unleashed a blast of fiery breath!
The leisurely resting "Lin Mo" was engulfed in flames before he could even react.
"Roar, roar, roar!!"
A heaven-shaking roar reverberated across the sky.
Battle erupted in an instant!
The little fish in the river scattered in terror.
Only one fearless "little goldfish" remained to enjoy the show.
He even blew a bubble now and then, as though cheering them on.
"Fight! Hit harder! Blazing Terror Bird, peck its eyes!!"
Watching the fierce battle onshore, Lin Mo shouted excitedly.
But all that came out was the gurgling of bubbles.
Naturally, the two creatures locked in combat were the Blazing Terror Bird and the Golden Crocodile King.
This happened because the Spiritual Illusion Lin Mo had created made the Blazing Terror Bird mistake the Golden Crocodile King for the human who had attacked it.
Still, there was ultimately a gap between the two Soul Beasts' strength.
Before long, the Golden Crocodile King began gaining the upper hand.
"So it's still a little lacking in age and bloodline?"
Seeing that the Blazing Terror Bird already wanted to flee, Lin Mo shook his head.
But naturally, the Golden Crocodile King would not let it escape.
"Roar, roar, roar!"
A deafening roar rang out.
The Golden Crocodile King opened its blood-red maw and savagely tore off a chunk of flesh.
The Blazing Terror Bird let out a shrill, mournful cry.
Its earlier desire to flee seemed to vanish completely.
Countless fireballs began forming and bombarding the Golden Crocodile King.
"Holy shit! Has it gone blood-mad? Retreat, retreat!"
Seeing the battle grow even fiercer, Lin Mo hurriedly swished his tail and swam away.
After all, it would be unfortunate if he became the pond fish caught in the calamity.
Only after swimming some distance did he stop to continue watching the show.
Although the Blazing Terror Bird was slightly weaker, it was still a Soul Beast over ten thousand years old.
Now that it was fighting back with its life on the line, the Golden Crocodile King began suffering one injury after another.
Even one of its eyes was pecked blind.
Are they fighting to the death now?
Seeing the state of both combatants, Lin Mo chuckled inwardly.
Go on, fight. Keep fighting.
In the end, while the snipe and clam fight, I'll reap the fisherman's reward.
"Screee!!"
Perhaps realizing it no longer had any hope of survival.
The Blazing Terror Bird began frantically burning its own Soul Power.
Boom!!
The sudden explosion leveled the surrounding area.
Lin Mo, who was not far away, was also blasted back by the shock wave.
Only after returning to his own form did he clearly see what had happened.
"The Blazing Terror Bird... blew itself up?!!"
Staring at the enormous crater nearby, Lin Mo exclaimed in stunned disbelief.
He had never expected the Blazing Terror Bird to be so ruthless that it would simply blow itself up.
What a fierce-tempered bird!!
"Wait! Where's my Golden Crocodile King!!"
Lin Mo suddenly snapped out of it and hurried toward the crater.
The power unleashed by the self-destruction of a Soul Beast over ten thousand years old was easy enough to imagine.
Before you continue