"Sir, I had no choice," the man suddenly wailed. "My cultivation is low, and I have a wife and children to care for at home. You know how harsh the border is—if I don't do this, I… I…"
"No need to beg just yet," Lin Xiao interrupted. "I'm only here to clarify one thing."
"Huh?"
"Earlier, I asked if you were afraid I'd capture you to find minerals just for me. Now, I'm saying you guessed wrong back then."
As his words fell, the man hadn't reacted yet when soul rings lit up around Lin Xiao.
Lin Xiao raised his hand, pointing a finger. With his second soul ring glowing, a blood-red vine suddenly burst from the man's forehead. In an instant, the man's body collapsed straight down.
With a pull of his right hand, a translucent silhouette emerged from the gap in the forehead.
"Actually, I am one of those evil soul masters you mentioned."
Enduring the foul smell, Lin Xiao rummaged through the man's body. With a sweep of his cloak, the corpse vanished.
He looked up the mountain, exhaling deeply.
Planting the Higanbana Seed during their conversation had been a precaution. If not for the man coming here, Lin Xiao had no intention of troubling him.
His real target was the Gold-Devouring Beast up the mountain.
As Lin Xiao had said, after feeding, the Gold-Devouring Beast needed to slumber to digest the ores and metals, making it most vulnerable.
It had swallowed half of Fan Yu's mechanical arm, entering berserk mode temporarily, but soon it would slumber due to the ingested metal. Lin Xiao had intervened to lead the Shrek group away, fearing they'd notice something off.
Though he hadn't used the Shrek people to inflict heavy damage, forcing it into slumber wasn't a total loss.
Suppressing his breath, Lin Xiao headed up the mountain. The entire vein had been nearly devoured by the Gold-Devouring Beast, leaving traces in the empty caves below. But Lin Xiao quickly locked onto his target.
Along with the beam fired from the soul cannon, he had launched Higanbana Seeds. Without activation by other soul skills, the seeds could absorb the host's power and persist for a long time.
Following the Gold-Devouring Beast's tracks deeper into the cave, Lin Xiao soon heard heavy breathing. Turning a few corners, the beast's massive body came into view.
Glancing at its left arm, soul power surged within him. A Higanbana rose in his palm. Brushing the stamen with his hand, a translucent silhouette appeared—the man who had died not long ago.
His left fingers flickered, first soul ring glowing yellow. The man's remnant soul quickly turned into fingertip-sized translucent particles, held between Lin Xiao's fingers.
First Soul Skill: Higanbana Seeds.
The flower blooming on the boundary between life and death, guiding souls across the river of forgetfulness. Using souls as seeds could plant them in the mental sea, absorbing spiritual power.
But this wasn't the time for that.
With a flick, the soul seeds scattered, landing in the Gold-Devouring Beast's mouth, nostrils, ears, and eyes.
Lin Xiao didn't linger, stepping back. A blood-red vine burst from the beast's throat, wrapping around its tongue and pulling it out. Fresh blood splashed across the cave.
Though slumbering, the Gold-Devouring Beast wasn't defenseless. Lin Xiao's actions had already altered its breathing slightly.
Knowing he couldn't wait, Lin Xiao retreated a few steps, crossing his hands. His second soul ring shone brightly.
Second Soul Skill: Sprout.
The already planted Higanbana Seeds grew rapidly under Lin Xiao's control, absorbing surrounding nutrients to strengthen themselves.
In an instant, countless blood-red branches and leaves burst from the Gold-Devouring Beast's throat, spilling through its teeth and extending beyond its lips.
"Hah—"
The Gold-Devouring Beast woke abruptly, its voice hoarse and no longer resonant. Something seemed to grow inside it, swelling its body, though contained by its fur, maintaining its shape.
Opening its eyes, it saw Lin Xiao in the cave. Before fully standing, it lunged forward, arms raised high, poised to slam down. But in that moment, its movements froze, eyes losing focus.
That was the pre-planted soul seeds absorbing its spirit. Though Lin Xiao's strength was vastly inferior, the direct mental assault still affected its actions.
Evil soul masters were feared not just for their methods but also their power. Their martial souls were bizarre yet undoubtedly potent. Among soul masters of the same level, evil soul masters far outmatched ordinary ones.
And so it was here. Though Lin Xiao was only a Soul King, under the dual torment of body and mind, the eighty-thousand-year Gold-Devouring Beast let out agonized roars.
Its thick arms flailed wildly, shaking the entire cave. Lin Xiao stayed back, frowning as he watched the beast struggle.
"Thud—"
"Roar—"
Shaking its head violently, the Gold-Devouring Beast stepped forward heavily. The cave trembled, air currents chaotic. Seizing the moment Lin Xiao steadied himself, it raised its left arm high, fur densely arrayed like a fan, swinging down with a roar.
Lin Xiao's soul cannon barrel on his arm grew brighter, parts straining under the load. Ignoring it, he channeled soul power relentlessly into the cannon.
"Bang—"
With a beam firing, Lin Xiao's soul cannon shattered instantly. Tiny parts scattered, leaving cuts on him, blood flowing down his arm and dripping to the ground.
This overloaded strike finally left a deep wound in the Gold-Devouring Beast's mouth. But the fan-like giant palm descended toward Lin Xiao's head.