The Mystic Bird Enters the Lake, Cleansed by Life

But this plane did not yet have a Mystic Bird.

And so, it took the initiative to help Lin Mo communicate with this plane's "Heavenly Dao," hoping that the "Heavenly Dao" could protect the little bird and grant him true peace and happiness in this life.

In exchange, it was willing to offer the last of its Heavenly Dao power.

The "Heavenly Dao" looked at the bedraggled little bird that had fallen from the sky before it, its mouth nearly splitting open with laughter.

Who wanted Heavenly Dao power?

It wanted the sweet-smelling, soft little bird!

Not only did the "Heavenly Dao" decline its Heavenly Dao power, it also agreed to the request on the spot.

Seeing that everything had finally settled, that its little bird had a home and someone to protect him, it finally set its heart at rest. Using the last of its strength, it fell asleep inside Lin Mo's body.

The childish voice that had previously sounded in Lin Mo's mind had come from it, after it had recovered a sliver of its strength.

As for Lin Mo's death in his second life, it had not been entirely a bad thing. Instead, it had triggered the Heavenly Mandate Mystic Bird Martial Soul's passive ability-

Renewed Radiance.

That was because the Mystic Bird was simply too special.

To protect it and keep its birth from alarming the entire continent and drawing a continent-wide hunt, the Heavenly Dao had placed protective shackles on it.

As its cultivation grew stronger, these shackles would gradually come undone, returning the Mystic Bird's full power to it.

In the simplest, most straightforward terms, without beating around the bush:

The Mystic Bird itself was far too overpowered.

If a person or beast swallowed it, they would become very overpowered too.

So the Heavenly Dao had banned some of its abilities.

In other words, the Mystic Bird was a late-game hero that could only unlock its complete form at level fifteen.

Lin Mo had croaked in his second life.

But the Mystic Bird came with built-in resurrection armor!

Though his level had been reset to zero, he had been freed from the ban list. At Lv.1, he was already in his complete form! That was why Lin Mo had been so weak in his previous life and so overpowered in this one.

Of course, Lin Mo hadn't been weak in his previous life either; he just hadn't reached the late game.

And Lin Mo knew nothing of any of this.

The Heavenly Dao's origin was shattered, and it still hadn't recovered from forcing itself to speak last time, so it couldn't open its mouth again.

It could only curl up inside Lin Mo's body, pitifully shedding little pearls of tears.

Seeing that Lin Mo refused to believe them no matter what, Bi Ji found herself at a loss for how to persuade him.

An eerie silence settled over them.

"Never mind."

In the end, it was Di Tian who broke the deadlock first. "Whether you believe it or not, you'll find out in time. I see that your cultivation has reached a bottleneck. I'll take you to obtain a suitable Soul Ring."

"Senior, do you really mean that?!"

Lin Mo's eyes lit up at once, and he instinctively asked for confirmation.

He had also tentatively confirmed that these Ferocious Beasts really meant him no harm. Otherwise, there was no need for them to waste so many words on him.

Di Tian folded his arms and said at an unhurried pace, "Before that, however, your current physical strength can still be tempered further. The age of the Soul Ring you can withstand will increase considerably."

Lin Mo's heart leaped with joy, and he hurriedly asked, "May I ask, Senior, how should I temper-"

Before he could finish, Di Tian appeared at his side.

The next moment, Lin Mo felt a tremendous force strike him, and his whole body shot into the air with a whoosh, flying toward the lake beside them.

"Huh?"

"Hey, fuck!!"

Di Tian had moved so suddenly that by the time Lin Mo reacted, he was already in midair.

At that moment, the formerly tranquil surface of the lake also changed.

The water parted of its own accord, and two columns spiraled upward, catching Lin Mo securely in midair. Then the currents gently enveloped him and slowly carried him down into the lake.

The Three-Eyed Golden Lion lay on the shore, not worried in the slightest.

It had lived in this core region for so long that it had naturally bathed in the Lake of Life before. Knowing what the lake water could do, it had not stopped Di Tian.

Meanwhile, Chi Wang also walked over to the lakeshore.

He asked in puzzlement, "Bi Ji, why didn't you tell that kid about the Human Emperor?"

Bi Ji sighed. Looking at the figure gradually sinking into the lake, she said softly, "Although I hope to live peacefully alongside humans, my allegiance has always been with the Soul Beasts."

"If we let this child know about the Human Emperor, he'll be even less likely to stay."

Di Tian spoke as well, his voice calm but carrying an unquestionable resolve. "I went to such lengths to trick the Mystic Bird into coming back with us so that the Heavenly Dao's favor would fall upon our Soul Beast Clan."

"I threw that kid in just now for two reasons: first, to give him a fortuitous opportunity; second, in the hope that his auspicious aura could help our lord awaken sooner."

He gazed at the rippling surface of the lake, ambition held in check for hundreds of thousands of years surging in his golden vertical pupils.

"As long as our lord awakens, our great plan for revival..."

Di Tian did not finish, but the Ferocious Beasts present all nodded in tacit understanding and turned together toward the Lake of Life before them, its surface calm once more.

The Three-Eyed Golden Lion couldn't understand what they were talking about. It simply lay on the lakeshore, waiting for its little bird to return.

After sinking into the water, the suffocating sensation Lin Mo had expected never came.

As if possessing a mind of its own, the lake water gently enveloped him and carried him slowly down toward its depths.

Through the peacock-green water, Lin Mo dimly saw countless tiny specks of light surging toward him from every direction as if they were alive, scrambling to burrow into his skin.

Lin Mo felt wonderfully comfortable all over, warmth spreading through his limbs and bones.

But his eyelids grew heavier and heavier.

"Phew..."

He wanted to stay awake, but there was no resisting the sudden drowsiness.

Just before his consciousness faded completely, Lin Mo dimly saw what looked like a hazy purple light glowing faintly in the deepest part of the lake, brightening and dimming like a breath.

Before long, he fell fast asleep.

As Lin Mo slept, he had no idea what an earth-shaking transformation his body was undergoing.

The lake water contained the purest life force in the entire Great Star Dou Forest.

Like spring rain nourishing all things, this life force gradually seeped into his flesh, bone marrow, meridians, and soul. The first to suffer were the impurities that had accumulated in his body for more than a decade.

Those lingering afflictions, brought with him from the womb or left uncleared by his later cultivation, were stripped away and vaporized inch by inch by the life force, like ice and snow beneath the blazing sun.

Finally, they left his body as wisps of gray mist.

Next came his meridians.

Washed by the lake water, the meridians that had grown slightly sluggish as his cultivation increased were gradually widened and nourished. They became tough and supple, like dry riverbeds filled once more with flowing water.

After that came his flesh and bones.

Rich vitality constantly nourished and strengthened every inch of his body, as though a pair of invisible hands were reshaping his sinews and bones and cleansing his marrow.

The Heavenly Dao sleeping deep within his soul also grew brighter under the nourishment of the life force.

Time slowly passed beneath the lake.

The bottleneck in Lin Mo's body was like a tightly shut door, repeatedly washed over and struck by the vast life force. The gap in the door grew wider and wider, and it gave a faint creak, ready to swing wide open at any moment.

And he slept on like that.

A Mystic Bird totem quietly appeared between his brows, answering the purple light at the bottom of the lake from afar.