Chapter 139: Throughout the Heavens and the Earth, I Alone Am the Honored One!
Then, the golden light began to contract, shrinking from an all-encompassing brilliance into a faint halo around his body.
Lin Xuan's eyes were half-closed, seeing neither heaven nor earth, as he murmured in a calm tone,
"Avidya... Eternal Darkness... Fallen Heaven Guard..."
"Technique Lapse: Corrupt World Jewel."
As his voice fell, the halo began to change.
The gold gradually faded, replaced by a profound, deep gloom. It wasn't being swallowed by darkness, but rather the light itself transforming into darkness.
Like the transition between day and night, or the intertwining of light and shadow, two types of ultimate power flowed, alternated, and coexisted perfectly within his body.
Not only that, but other lights were faintly flowing on the surface of that darkness.
At first, the light was the color of black iron, followed by bronze, then silver, and finally it turned into an incomparably brilliant gold.
Ultimately, the gold disappeared, turning into the purest darkness.
It was a darkness identical to Di Tian's.
"It's Ultimate Darkness!" Chi Wang exclaimed in shock.
Di Tian shook his head and sighed softly. "It's the Gold-level Second Awakening of his Body Martial Soul... He actually did it."
The so-called "helping hand" he had mentioned was using the threat of death to constantly force Lin Xuan into a near-death state, thereby pushing him to stimulate all his potential and touch the threshold of the Body Martial Soul's Gold-level Second Awakening.
If successful, it would be a massive gain for Lin Xuan. After all, without this help, even if he could achieve a Gold-level Second Awakening, he would have only been able to do so at the Soul Saint realm at the earliest.
But now, while only at the Soul King realm, he had achieved a feat that countless Body Martial Soul users could not accomplish even at the Titled Douluo realm.
In this way, if Lin Xuan were a normal human, even if he weren't grateful to Di Tian or the Soul Beast race, he at least wouldn't end up in a situation of irreconcilable enmity with them in the future.
If Lin Xuan had failed to break through his limits and died, it wouldn't have been a loss for Di Tian. At most, he would have felt a bit of regret, and perhaps after a few days, he would have completely forgotten this person's existence.
In mid-air, Lin Xuan looked up at the star-filled night sky. At this moment, the World became exceptionally clear in his eyes.
Every tiny detail, every speck of dust, was reflected in his pupils with absolute clarity.
He could even see the dew condensing on a leaf a hundred meters away, trembling gently with the breeze and reflecting the silver glow of the moonlight.
The same went for sound. Even if ten thousand people were roaring and cheering in his ears, he could clearly hear the sound of a butterfly's wings flapping a hundred meters away.
Everything was so fresh, as if he had stepped into an entirely new World.
Feeling the power within his body that had risen by more than one level, as if stepping into a new World, Lin Xuan couldn't help but think to himself,
"Ultimate Darkness, huh..."
An Ultimate attribute—a peerless talent that could create a top-tier powerhouse standing at the peak of the World with just one—he now possessed three of them.
Ultimate Fire, Ultimate Light, and Ultimate Darkness.
Unprecedented in the past, and likely... none to follow in the future. Moreover, for Lin Xuan, this might not even be the end.
Under the gaze of Di Tian, Chi Wang, Bi Ji, and the Three-Eyed Golden Lion, Lin Xuan's expression was calm, and his eyes were undisturbed.
Then he slowly spread his arms, one finger pointing to the sky as if piercing through the firmament to the God Realm, and one finger pointing to the ground as if breaking through the earth to reach the Nine Serenities of the Underworld.
"Throughout the heavens and the earth, I alone am the honored one."
Lin Xuan's voice wasn't loud, yet it sounded like the striking of metal and stone, echoing in the night sky for a long time.
Di Tian's expression visibly stiffened, and a look of astonishment appeared in his eyes.
What a 'throughout the heavens and the earth, I alone am the honored one.'
He had lived for hundreds of thousands of years and witnessed the rise and fall of countless geniuses, yet this was the first time he had heard such arrogant words. But strangely, coming from this youth's mouth, there wasn't the slightest sense of incongruity...
All three of the Three-Eyed Golden Lion's eyes lit up, and her tail unconsciously perked up high. As moonlight fell and starlight surrounded him, that upright figure looked like a Divinity walking out of mythology.
Inside the Spiritual Sea, Bing Di, Electrolux, and the Tianmeng Ice Silkworm all fell silent together.
Among them, Bing Di and the Tianmeng Ice Silkworm, who knew what triple Ultimate attributes represented, already had stormy waves surging in their hearts.
Three Ultimate attributes... if even Lin Xuan couldn't become a god, then the two of them would just accept their fate.
After a long while, Lin Xuan restrained his aura and slowly descended back to the ground. He stood firm and performed a solemn salute to Di Tian once again.
"Thank you for the guidance, Beast God."
Although it was extremely dangerous just now and he would have certainly died if he hadn't pulled through, regardless, he had indeed completed the Gold-level Second Awakening of his Body Martial Soul with Di Tian's help.
Lin Xuan would remember this favor.
A look of satisfaction appeared in Di Tian's eyes; it seemed he hadn't misjudged the boy. Then he shook his head and sighed softly,
"A Gold-level Second Awakening of the Body Martial Soul... Although I don't know much about Body Martial Souls, I know how brilliant and talented you must be. At the rate you humans grow, I'm afraid it won't be long... before you can stand on equal footing with me."
Lin Xuan wore a humble smile on his face, but in his heart, he didn't take it seriously.
Don't make me laugh; equal footing? Ten years from now, if I can't kill you with one punch, I'll consider myself a waste.
Of course, these words could not be spoken aloud.
Di Tian stared at Lin Xuan for a good while, then suddenly smiled with great interest.
"I've heard that after a Gold-level Second Awakening of a Body Martial Soul, there's a chance for the Martial Soul to awaken special abilities."
He stood with his hands behind his back and said indifferently, "Since that's the case, how about I spar with you to help you practice?"
Hearing this, Lin Xuan showed no fear. "Then I thank the Beast God senior for his guidance."
Before his voice had even faded, Chi Wang, Bi Ji, and the Three-Eyed Golden Lion had already retreated dozens of meters in unison, standing in the distance and looking at the two with anticipation.
In the forest, Lin Xuan and Di Tian stood ten meters apart, facing each other.
Lin Xuan stared intently at Di Tian with an expressionless face. It was impossible not to be nervous when facing Di Tian, but that was all; at this moment, his heart was filled more with a raging battle intent.
Di Tian looked at Lin Xuan and gave a light laugh. "Be careful."
Before he finished speaking, his figure instantly vanished from the spot!
Lin Xuan's pupils constricted, and in the next instant—
Bang!
His right arm instantly exploded! Blood splattered, and bits of flesh flew everywhere!
Meanwhile, Di Tian's figure had already appeared behind him, standing with his back turned and his hands behind him.
The Three-Eyed Golden Lion immediately grew nervous, her two small paws tightly clenched together, her claws digging into her flesh.
However, Lin Xuan, whose right arm had exploded, didn't panic at all. He looked down at his empty right shoulder and sighed softly,
"What terrifying speed."
As he spoke, that exploded right arm actually turned entirely into a misty shadow!
Those shadows writhed, surged, and condensed like living things, drifting and dancing like clouds and mist, and then instantly restored themselves to the shape of an arm!
At the same time, a layer of heavy black mist rose from the surface of his skin, making his entire person appear extremely ethereal, like a reflection in water, making him hard to grasp.
Di Tian turned around and stared at Lin Xuan for a few moments, then raised an eyebrow in surprise.
"Oh? You can actually transform your physical body into a shadow state to ignore damage..."
"What a truly remarkable ability."
Lin Xuan gave a slight smile.
Di Tian was right; turning his body into shadows was exactly the ability he had gained after the Martial Soul's Gold-level Second Awakening.
As long as the Soul Power in his body wasn't exhausted, he could maintain this state indefinitely. No matter how painful a blow he received, as long as he wasn't killed in one hit, he could use Soul Power to reconstruct his physical body.
Combined with the Reverse Cursed Technique, he was practically immortal at this moment.
Di Tian suppressed the amazement in his heart and flickered his figure again! At the same time, Lin Xuan also moved!
Next, in the eyes of the Three-Eyed Golden Lion, both Lin Xuan and Di Tian vanished. There were only fleeting afterimages that appeared in the air from time to time and the occasional sound of fists and feet colliding.
The two of them clashed using nothing but pure speed and physical techniques.
Of course, Di Tian was definitely holding back. But even so, he couldn't help but be amazed by Lin Xuan's terrifying physical techniques and bodily strength.
Several times, he had already shattered Lin Xuan's limbs, and in the most severe instance, he had directly crushed Lin Xuan's heart!
But along with an output of Soul Power, the shattered heart returned to its original state in the next instant!
Unlike Di Tian's surprise and doubt, Lin Xuan grew more excited the more he fought.
After completely adapting to this Shadowfication ability, he also displayed the second ability he had gained from the Martial Soul's Gold-level Second Awakening.
After another collision of fists and feet, the black mist swirling around Lin Xuan's hand suddenly became viscous, like liquid mercury, and he threw a punch toward Di Tian!
Di Tian instinctively wanted to counter the punch, but suddenly, he seemed to notice something wrong. His brow furrowed slightly, and his figure flashed, just barely dodging the punch.
The punch missed and hit a boulder over two meters tall behind him, but what happened next made everyone's eyes widen.
The boulder didn't explode as expected. After Lin Xuan's punch hit the rock, his arm actually passed straight through it without any resistance, as if he hadn't hit a rock but had struck the air.
In the next instant, he pulled his arm out. Looking closely, a hollow hole had appeared within that boulder.
The inside of the hole was extremely smooth, looking like a natural cave formed by a million years of weathering.
Di Tian looked at the liquid shadows dripping from Lin Xuan's fingertips, his brow furrowed as he said in a low voice,
"It's not corrosion... it's devouring. Your shadows devoured everything they touched."
Lin Xuan was a bit surprised, but since it was Di Tian, it was normal for him to see through it at a glance. He nodded and said with a smile,
"The Beast God has keen eyes. My Martial Soul has indeed been endowed with a devouring characteristic."
As he spoke, he looked at the slime-like shadows in his hand, and his gaze gradually became fervent.
Now, anything touched by these shadows would be devoured into them. The strength of the devouring depended on the Soul Power output; if the Soul Power was sufficient, it could even devour a patch of space!
In the former Ten Shadows Technique, shadows could basically only be used to control enemies or as a medium to summon Shikigami; they had no offensive power of their own.
But now, with this devouring attribute and Shadowfication, even without the Malevolent Shrine Martial Soul and Cursed Technique Reversal: Pure Lapis Lazuli, Lin Xuan no longer had any shortcomings.
Di Tian remained silent for a moment before suddenly withdrawing his hands and standing with them behind his back.
"The Gold-level Second Awakening is indeed powerful. Fine, let our exchange end here. You've only just finished awakening; your Spiritual Power, Soul Power, and even your vitality have been excessively overdrawn. You should rest well now."
Lin Xuan retracted the shadows and bowed slightly once more.
Di Tian nodded and said no more. He turned around and stepped into the spatial rift that had not yet dissipated.
"Let's go."
The Scarlet King glanced at Lin Xuan and immediately followed. Bi Ji gave Lin Xuan a gentle nod, then holding the Three-Eyed Golden Lion, she also turned to follow in Di Tian's footsteps.
Lying in Bi Ji's arms, the Three-Eyed Golden Lion looked back at Lin Xuan.
She opened her mouth as if to say something, but nothing came out. Finally, she just waved her paw forcefully before quickly looking away and burying her face in Bi Ji's embrace.
Under the moonlight, the spatial rift slowly closed, leaving only Lin Xuan alone in the forest.
After confirming that Di Tian had completely left, the calm and composed smile on Lin Xuan's face vanished instantly.
His face turned pale at a speed visible to the naked eye, and his consciousness gradually blurred.
Stinging pain, fatigue, and exhaustion—all sorts of negative sensations surged from within his body, drowning him like a tide.
"Lin Xuan! What's wrong with you?!" Tianmeng Ice Silkworm's voice was full of anxiety.
Lin Xuan shook his head, forcing a strained smile onto his face. "It's nothing, just a bit of over-exhaustion. I'll be fine after resting for a while..."
Hearing this, Tianmeng Ice Silkworm and the Ice Empress finally breathed a sigh of relief.
Lin Xuan said no more and sat cross-legged, beginning to concentrate on meditation to recover his nearly depleted Soul Power.
Silence returned to the forest, with only the moonlight quietly spilling down, illuminating the figure sitting cross-legged beside the corpse of the Dark Demonic Evil God Tiger.
His breathing gradually became steady, blending into the surrounding night.
After a long while, Lin Xuan opened his eyes again.
He hadn't fully recovered, but he couldn't wait any longer. If he waited any further, that fifty-thousand-year Dark Demonic Evil God Tiger Soul Ring would dissipate.
He stood up, walked to the front of that deep black Soul Ring, and sat down cross-legged.
Circulating his Soul Power, he began the absorption.
His Soul Power surged as if boiling. Lin Xuan controlled his Soul Power and Spiritual Sea to both accept the power crashing in frantically, gradually assimilating and absorbing it.
With his current physical quality, absorbing this fifty-thousand-year Soul Ring from the Dark Demonic Evil God Tiger was not a problem.
The only pity was that the age of this Soul Ring was a bit low; fifty thousand years was indeed no longer up to par for him.
But fortunately, the Tianmeng Ice Silkworm could make up for this. Moreover, Lin Xuan believed that given the strength of the Dark Demonic Evil God Tiger, it should grant him a decent Soul skills.
The Soul Ring slowly merged into his body, and his Soul Power began to climb...
The next morning, a light mist filled the Star Dou Great Forest. The morning light refracted through the mist, revealing brilliant colors that dyed the entire forest into a hazy ink wash painting.
On the branch of a large tree, Lin Xuan sat cross-legged, eyes closed as he rested his Martial Soul.
Beneath him, five Soul Rings pulsed slowly up and down... Black, Black, Red, Red, Red!
Two ten-thousand-year Soul Rings, and three hundred-thousand-year Soul Rings.
If there were anyone else here, their jaw would likely drop in shock. This kind of Soul Ring configuration was simply unheard of in the Soul Master World; it was not a configuration a human should be able to possess.
Suddenly, Lin Xuan's eyelids flickered slightly, and a faint smile appeared on his calm face.
But he quickly suppressed the corners of his mouth, pretending he hadn't noticed anything.
In the canopy above his head, leaves were vaguely swaying gently.
A few seconds later, a gold-and-red figure suddenly lunged out from within, pouncing straight at Lin Xuan!
It was the Three-Eyed Golden Lion!
She came with aggressive momentum, four dragon claws spread wide, clearly intending to tackle Lin Xuan into a full embrace. However, just as the gold-and-red figure was about to hit its target, something unexpected happened.
The "Lin Xuan" sitting cross-legged in front of her instantly turned into a pool of shadow!
Oh no!
The Three-Eyed Golden Lion immediately sensed something was wrong, her four claws kicking wildly in the air as she tried to find leverage to escape.
But before she could act, a large hand reached out from behind, accurately grabbing the scruff of her neck and lifting her up entirely.
Lin Xuan held the Three-Eyed Golden Lion by the scruff, lifting her in front of him to eye level.
He looked at those small eyes that were darting around, looking everywhere but at him, and a mischievous smile curled on his lips.
"Little one, why are you here?"
The Three-Eyed Golden Lion's ears twitched. She stiffened her neck and feigned composure, saying,
"I am the Emperor Auspicious Beast! This Star Dou Great Forest is all my territory; I can go wherever I want!"
Lin Xuan raised an eyebrow. "Oh? So you were just passing by?"
"Yes! Passing by!" The Three-Eyed Golden Lion nodded vigorously, her tail swishing.
"This Auspicious Beast was simply taking a morning stroll and happened to pass by here, happened to see a certain annoying fellow meditating in a tree, and stopped by to see if he was dead yet."
"I see." Lin Xuan nodded as if coming to a realization. "So, have you finished looking?"
The Three-Eyed Golden Lion was stunned.
"I'm not dead yet, so you can continue your stroll." Lin Xuan made a motion to let go.
"Wait, wait!" The Three-Eyed Golden Lion panicked, her four paws paddling the air. "I... I suddenly remembered, I don't feel like strolling today!"
"Then what do you want to do?"
"I..." The Three-Eyed Golden Lion's eyes rolled. "I'm hungry! Yes, I'm hungry! Today, this Auspicious Beast will show great mercy and let you grill a fish for me to eat, just for a change of pace!"
Looking at her guilty expression while she tried to act righteous, Lin Xuan couldn't help but smile. This tsundere little look was truly quite cute.
"Fine then." He let go, placing the Three-Eyed Golden Lion on the branch beside him. "But the fish has to be caught fresh."
The Three-Eyed Golden Lion immediately jumped up. "I know where there are fish! Follow me!"
She impatiently leaped off the branch, her four legs moving fast. After a few steps, she looked back, fearing Lin Xuan wouldn't follow.
Lin Xuan chuckled and stood up to follow her.
...
By the lakeside, Lin Xuan sat on the shore holding a sharpened branch with two freshly grilled fish skewered on it, which were sizzling and glistening with oil.
The Three-Eyed Golden Lion squatted beside him, her three eyes staring brightly at the two fish, drool almost leaking out.
"Is it ready yet?"
"Almost."
"You said that just now too!"
"Then don't eat it."
The Three-Eyed Golden Lion immediately shut her mouth, but her tail was wagging rapidly.
Finally, the fish was done. Lin Xuan handed one to her. The Three-Eyed Golden Lion took it immediately and, ignoring the heat, took small bites, her three eyes narrowing in satisfaction.
"Is it good?"
"It's so-so." The Three-Eyed Golden Lion said stubbornly, though she wasn't eating slowly at all.
Lin Xuan smiled and didn't call her out.
The human and the beast sat by the lake like that, one eating fish and the other looking at the lake.
The morning light spilled through the mist, spreading a layer of crushed gold over the water's surface. The sound of birds chirping came from the distance, crisp and pleasant.
After finishing the fish, the Three-Eyed Golden Lion licked her paws and suddenly asked in a casual tone, "How long are you going to stay in the Star Dou Great Forest?"
Lin Xuan leaned against a tree trunk, his tone relaxed. "How much longer can I stay? I'm a human, not a Soul Beast. Naturally, I'll leave whenever my goal is achieved."
The Three-Eyed Golden Lion's movements paused slightly. Lin Xuan had already absorbed the Dark Demonic Evil God Tiger's Soul Ring... so he would be leaving today, right?
She lowered her head and continued licking her paws, but her movements were noticeably slower, and she seemed somewhat absent-minded.
Watching her, Lin Xuan teased, "What? Looking at that little expression of yours, are you reluctant to see me go?"
As if her tail had been stepped on, the Three-Eyed Golden Lion suddenly sprang up!
"How could that be!" Her voice rose several octaves, her three eyes wide and round.
"Who would be reluctant to see you go! I can't wait for an annoying fellow like you to leave! You're mean and bad, and you always bully me!"
She spoke faster and faster, more and more urgently, until finally she just turned her head away, her tail swishing like a windmill.
Lin Xuan feigned heartbreak, clutching his chest. "How sad. I was originally thinking of having you take me somewhere, but it seems there's no hope now."
He sighed, stood up, and patted off non-existent dust from his robes.
"Alright then, I'll come back next time."
The Three-Eyed Golden Lion was stunned. She opened her mouth to say something but couldn't bring herself to ask him to stay.
She paced in circles anxiously before finally blurting out, "Where... where are you going?"
Lin Xuan turned around. Seeing her look of clearly wanting to know yet pretending not to care, the corners of his mouth curled up slightly.
"What? Are you interested?"
"I am not!" The Three-Eyed Golden Lion denied immediately. " I just... I was just asking! What if the place you're going to happens to be on my way? This Auspicious Beast could show some mercy and give you a ride!"
"Oh? And if it's not on the way?"
The Three-Eyed Golden Lion's mouth was as hard as a rock. "If it's not on the way, then... then it's not! Go by yourself!"
Lin Xuan suppressed a laugh. "Alright, I'll tell you then."
He paused, looking deep into the forest.
"The place I want to go is the habitat of the Hawksbill Turtle Clan."
The Three-Eyed Golden Lion's three eyes all blinked at once, as if she were thinking about something.
A moment later, she suddenly turned her head and said in an indifferent tone, "What a coincidence. This Auspicious Beast happens to be going over there for an inspection today! I'll... I'll just take you along while I'm at it!"
After saying that, she didn't wait for Lin Xuan's response and started walking with her four legs. After a few steps, she turned back to urge him, "Hurry up! Dawdling like that, what kind of behavior is this!"
Looking at her extremely tsundere manner, Lin Xuan finally couldn't help but laugh out loud. He stood up and followed her.
"Alright, then I'll have to trouble the Auspicious Beast to lead the way."
The Three-Eyed Golden Lion huffed, but her tail was held high, and her steps became much lighter.
The morning light spilled down, stretching the shadows of the human and the beast very long, intertwining them on the forest path...
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