Chapter 68:
The tree canopy was thick with soul beasts, seven of them ten-thousand-year existences. Among them lurked the purple fox, but the true danger lay in the other six, now silently closing in from every direction. Though varied in species, they all shared a single fixation—the lingering scent in the air, one that was quickly dissipating.
Above them, Yingtian circled like a predator, his wings cutting sharp arcs through the sky. The ten-thousand-year soul beasts raised their heads, sensing no ripple of soul power, yet the pressure radiating from him was unmistakable—equal to, if not greater than, their own.
A lone figure among them, the red-eyed black eagle, let out a shrill, piercing cry. Its crimson eyes shimmered with a sharp, almost human intelligence. Lin Bai caught the intent in its call. It wasn't a warning. It was probing—testing the waters.
Yingtian narrowed his gaze. He could vaguely decipher its meaning. The red-eyed eagle seemed to be proposing something—an unspoken pact, though the barrier between species made the exact message elusive.
Lin Bai, however, recognized the creature for what it was.
The Red-Eyed Monkey-Eating Eagle—an apex predator, a nightmare to all ape-type soul beasts. A ten-thousand-year-old of its kind could reach a staggering three meters in height, with a wingspan of twelve meters. Despite its bulk, it was terrifyingly agile, capable of weaving through dense forests with the grace of a phantom.
His gaze shifted to the ground below, where the six ten-thousand-year soul beasts waited. Among them loomed a hulking ape-like beast, its body draped in sleek black fur and muscles bulging like coiled steel cables. Most unsettling of all was the single vertical pupil on its forehead, glimmering with eerie intelligence.
Lin Bai immediately recognized it—the Three-Eyed Demon Ape, a notorious spiritual-type soul beast famed for using mental shock attacks to incapacitate prey before crushing their skulls. It was said to favor devouring the brains of other soul beasts.
By logic alone, the Three-Eyed Demon Ape and the Red-Eyed Eagle should have been sworn enemies. Yet here they stood, keeping distance without attacking.
A cold ripple of unease crept through Lin Bai's mind.
"Something's off," he murmured.
The soul beasts continued their slow approach. The scent of the beast-attracting incense was fading.
Lin Bai activated his Eye of Identification, sifting through the ten-thousand-year beasts for the optimal target.
Before he could complete his analysis, Zhao Wuji and Flanders burst into action.
Zhao Wuji unleashed his Martial Soul True Body, his third soul skill—Gravity Enhancement—activating in an instant. Within a ten-meter radius, any soul beast under three thousand years old struggled to remain standing. Even the ten-thousand-year beasts flinched, their bodies tensing under the invisible weight.
One, a massive Rock Bear, shook its head as if to clear it, lumbering forward with heavy steps. Its beady eyes peered past Zhao Wuji, trying to glimpse what lay behind him.
"Get lost!"
Zhao Wuji's sixth soul ring flared as his booming roar sent a shockwave through the air. The Rock Bear reeled, covering its ears with its massive paws as the sound tore through its senses.
Roaring in return, it dropped to all fours and charged, its open maw spewing a foul stench that rolled through the clearing.
Zhao Wuji's expression hardened. He was done playing.
Another flash of soul power—Vajra Palm.
His palm struck the Rock Bear's head with a thunderous crack.
And yet, it barely faltered. The beast staggered a step, blood trickling from its nose, but it didn't fall.
Zhao Wuji's eyes widened.
Impossible.
A ten-thousand-year soul beast should never have withstood a blow like that, not from him in his true form.
He glanced at his hand as if expecting an illusion.
"Boss F, something's wrong. These beasts… they're way stronger than they should be. The younger ones are manageable, but the ten-thousand-years… they're twice as tough."
"I've noticed," Flanders muttered grimly, adjusting his glasses. "We're in for a nasty one."
Meanwhile, Lin Bai's Identification Eye finished its sweep.
[Three-Eyed Demon Ape (Mutant) — 10,800 Years]
Bloodline: Three-Eyed Demon Ape
Evolution Conditions: Devouring dungeon monsters. Prolonged exposure to demonic energy has corrupted its bloodline, halting natural growth.
Mutation Evolution Conditions: Further demonization through consuming equal parts spiritual-type and ordinary monsters. Potential evolution into Three-Eyed Mad Ape King at 100,000 years. This form fights as a berserker and emits an aura that drives weaker creatures into madness.
Soul Skills: Mental Shock, Mental Strengthening, Mental Interference, Madness (state skill)
Weakness: Forehead eye. Loses pain perception while berserk.
Martial Soul Compatibility: 67.1% (Silkworm Dragon), 85.3% (Ruyi Qiankun Spear)
Soul Skill Mutation Chance: 35.9% (View details)
Soul Bone Drop Chance: Low
Individual Data: Female. Height 386 cm. Front limb strength…
Lin Bai's gaze sharpened.
"So that's it… these beasts have been fighting in dungeons. No wonder they're so much tougher."
His eyes lingered on the compatibility score.
"85.3% with the Ruyi Qiankun Spear… highest I've seen yet."
It wasn't perfect for his Silkworm Dragon Martial Soul, but the mutation chance alone was too valuable to ignore.
He quickly swept the remaining beasts. The purple fox and glyptodon showed significant mutations too—but neither compared.
Decision made.
"The Three-Eyed Demon Ape, then."
Lin Bai deactivated his Identification Eye and leapt onto Yingtian's back. The Ruyi Qiankun Spear shimmered in his grip, surging with golden light.
Yingtian didn't hesitate. The air shuddered as he exhaled a sweeping cone of gray-black dragon's breath. The thousand-year beasts in its path shrieked in agony, their flesh crackling under the searing heat. The air filled with the stench of charred fur and burning flesh.
The Three-Eyed Demon Ape, however, remained eerily calm. It turned its head, its forehead eye gleaming with misty light.
Lin Bai's sharp gaze pierced through the haze. He saw it—the suppressed madness lurking behind the purple glow.
Without wasting a breath, he activated his telekinesis, forging a mental barrier around himself and Yingtian.
Yingtian tensed, sensing the impending danger.
The ape's third eye suddenly erupted in blinding purple light.
A compressed beam of psychic force shot forth.
Mental Shock.
But it wasn't ordinary. The beast's mind had warped from devouring too many corrupted monsters.
"Lin Bai, dodge!" Flanders shouted, his voice uncharacteristically sharp with urgency.
But Lin Bai's expression remained composed.
"I've got this."
His blue soul energy flared as the mental shield solidified, catching the psychic blast head-on.
The barrier shimmered, absorbed the attack—and didn't even crack.
And Lin Bai's eyes narrowed.
This was just the opening move.
The real battle was about to begin.
*******
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