45: Soul Orb Upgrade

"Tier 3 Sand-Armored Beasts." Lin Yuan squinted his eyes slightly, placing his palm over his brow to shield against the blinding, poisonous rays pouring down from the nine scorching suns. Those Star Beasts, shaped like giant pangolins, each radiated a violent aura of 50,000 stars. Their dark, metallic back carapaces steamed with heat waves under the high temperature, making them impervious to ordinary attacks.

The five Cultivators besieged by them had formed a sword formation, standing back-to-back and struggling to hold on, but the formation was already teetering. Their robes were soaked to a muddy color by sweat and sand, their faces were covered in filth, and traces of blood seeped from their cracked lips.

"The cloud patterns of the Profound Heaven Sect..." Lin Yuan's gaze swept over the emblems on their tattered robes. Information from Feng Tianxiu's Jade Slip flashed through his mind—an ally Sect. Since that was the case, it was a simple matter to help.

"Roar!"

The largest Sand-Armored Beast leader suddenly reared up on its hind legs like a mobile metal fortress, standing three zhang tall! Its giant claws, flashing with cold light, tore through the scorching air, swatting toward the youth at the core of the sword formation like a bolt of lightning!

The youth's face was as pale as paper, but his eyes held a look of determination. Knowing he was no match, he still roared and raised his sword to block! The claws, carrying the shadow of death, were only three inches from the top of his head—

"Zheng!!!"

A gray Sword Qi, seemingly capable of swallowing light, suddenly descended like heavenly punishment! Within the sword light, Chaos Qi circulated endlessly. Wherever it passed, the space emitted a faint wail, showing visible ripples of distortion!

That metallic back carapace, which even ordinary Magic Treasures could hardly shake, was as fragile as rotten wood before this Chaos Sword Qi!

Chila!

The Sand-Armored Beast leader's massive body, along with its indestructible back carapace, was sliced in half without resistance! Internal organs and foul blood mixed with sand sprayed into the air! The Sword Qi's momentum did not cease, acting like the Grim Reaper's plow as it tore a hundred-meter-long trench into the scorching desert ground!

Over a dozen Sand-Armored Beasts along the path didn't even have time to scream before they were turned into minced meat and metal fragments under the strangulation of the Chaos Sword Qi! A dark red blood mist instantly evaporated, staining the sand on both sides of the trench a striking crimson!

[Killed Tier 3 Star Beast x15, Points +1500]

[Current Points: 11600]

The five Profound Heaven Sect Disciples stood petrified, staring blankly at the green-robed figure descending from the sky and the hellish, bloody scene before them. The youth who had survived the ordeal was the first to react, his voice trembling with excitement: "Ma... Many thanks for Senior's life-saving grace! This Junior is from the Profound Heaven Sect..."

"It's nothing," Lin Yuan interrupted indifferently, his gaze sweeping over the various wounds on their bodies. "This place is dangerous, take care of yourselves." Before his voice finished fading, his figure had already vanished like a ghost, leaving behind only the steaming blood mist and a field of silent beast corpses.

Lin Yuan continued deeper into this deathly gobi. Before he had gone far, the sound of intense energy collisions and roars drifted over with the wind. Looking toward the sound, he saw over twenty Martial Artists forming a battle array, besieging a Tier 3 Peak Star Beast as massive as a small mountain!

The giant beast resembled a rhinoceros but had six legs, and its body was covered in thick, obsidian-like scales. Every stomp of its giant feet caused the ground to tremble. The single horn atop its head, flashing with blinding thunder light, suddenly swung, and a violent thunder storm swept out, instantly blasting several Martial Artists away, who fell onto the scorching sand dunes with screams.

Lin Yuan's eyes flickered. Qi circulated within his body, and his figure instantly became transparent. His aura completely vanished as he merged into the distorted heat waves of the air. He quietly crept to the edge of the battlefield. Just as the rhinoceros beast was distracted by the frontal attack and violently lowered its head to ram its horn into a Martial Artist holding a giant shield—

"Chiss—!"

A bolt of lightning, condensed to the extreme and entwined with destructive purple-black thunder patterns, shot out silently from Lin Yuan's fingertip like a venomous snake! It was aimed directly at the relatively thin connection point on the giant beast's back scales! This was a terrifying strike fused with 40% of the Law of Thunder!

"Puchi!"

The obsidian-hard scales were instantly pierced like paper! A fountain of thick black blood, emitting a pungent stench, surged out! The rhinoceros beast let out an ear-splitting wail of agony, its massive body losing balance and crashing to the ground, kicking up clouds of sand!

"Bastard! Where did this little thief come from, daring to snatch my prey?!" A Martial Artist at the fifth level of the Essence Gathering Realm, his face full of flesh and a hideous scar on his forehead, flew into a rage. He pointed a ghost-head saber directly at Lin Yuan, radiating Evil Qi.

Lin Yuan slowly revealed himself, his cold gaze sweeping over the blood moon emblems on the chests of these Martial Artists. "Blood Moon Tower..." He understood; this was a Sect known for its eccentric and morally ambiguous behavior.

"Not going to scram?" Lin Yuan's voice was flat and waveless, but a wisp of gray Sword Qi quietly condensed at his fingertip. The sword tip flickered with a heart-palpitating Chaos aura, and the surrounding air seemed to be swallowed by it, the light distorting slightly.

The people from the Blood Moon Tower's expressions changed drastically! The deathly aura emitted by that wisp of Sword Qi made their very Souls tremble! Especially the scarred-face man; looking at the terrifying hundred-meter sword mark on the ground, his pupils shrank violently!

Veins bulged on his forehead as he stared fixedly at Lin Yuan, finally squeezing out a single word through his teeth: "Withdraw!" Carrying faces full of resentment and wariness, the group quickly retreated into the depths of the desert.

Lin Yuan watched the direction they disappeared, his brow furrowing slightly. The soul pearl craved Souls, but he had his own insurmountable iron rule—kill no one who is not an enemy, execute no one who has not offended! The mortal enemies of the Spirit Martial Hall and those who actively bared their fangs at him were the food for the soul pearl.

In the time that followed, Lin Yuan became the god of death in the desert, specifically seeking out Tier 3 Star Beast groups for efficient hunting. His points grew steadily. Occasionally, if he encountered Martial Artists with ill intentions, their Souls became nourishment for the soul pearl.

In the depths of a canyon eroded into a thousand holes by the wind, seven cold auras suddenly erupted! Seven Netherworld Palace Disciples pounced from the shadows, launching various malicious curses, Soul-consuming black mists, and poisoned bone spikes toward Lin Yuan like a violent storm! The sound of ghosts wailing and wolves howling echoed through the canyon!

"Hmph! Seeking your own death!" Cold light exploded in Lin Yuan's eyes! The soul pearl at his brow suddenly radiated an eerie black light! A vast Mental Energy of 160,000 stars swept out like an invisible tsunami!

Divine Soul Annihilation—Activate!

Puff! Puff! Puff! Puff! Puff! Puff! Puff!

The figures of the seven Netherworld Palace Disciples stiffened simultaneously! The sinister grins on their faces froze instantly, and then thick black blood sprayed from their eyes, nostrils, ears, and mouths at the same time! Like seven puppets with their strings cut, they slumped to the ground, their auras completely gone.

[soul pearl upgrade complete!]

[soul pearl (Level 2)]: Automatically condenses 3,000 star Mental Energy for the host daily!

[Current Soul Reserve: 0/5000]

[Upgrade Requirement: Kill and absorb 5,000 living souls]

[Special Ability: Divine Soul Annihilation (Can instantly annihilate the Souls of targets with Mental Energy lower than one's own)]

Lin Yuan flicked the foul blood from his sword's edge. Just as he was about to leave, an extremely violent and chaotic fluctuation of Qi swept over from the east like a storm! He raised an eyebrow and his figure turned into a stream of light, racing toward it.

The sight that met his eyes was like an apocalyptic purgatory!

Thousands of Rock Lizards! Each one was like a raging bull calf, covered in iron-gray scales as thick as armor, with thick tails ending in bone spikes as sharp as spears!

They converged into a surging black tide of death, madly crashing against a faint point of light in the center! Foul, corrosive slime sprayed like a rainstorm, and sharp claws tore through the air with shrill whistles!

Trapped in the center of this terrifying beast tide was none other than the Hundred Flowers Valley Saintess, Su Miaoyi! Her Azure Silk Umbrella, which once flowed with Immortal Qi, was now riddled with holes and its ribs were broken. Her moon-white gauze dress was soaked with blood, stained a striking crimson like a broken flower ravaged by a violent storm.

Her face was as white as snow, and blood constantly seeped from the corners of her mouth, yet she still gritted her teeth, her slender fingers forming seals as she desperately maintained a teetering Seven-Colored Flower Array. Outside the array, the remaining seven Hundred Flowers Valley Disciples were all injured and pale. The defense they formed was like a candle in the wind under the impact of the Rock Lizards, its light fading rapidly!

Even more surprisingly, the Little Desolate King Tuoba Ye was also caught in this desperate situation! He was like a prehistoric Vicious Beast driven into a corner, his bare upper body covered in old and new wounds, sweat mixing with the foul blood of the Rock Lizards as it flowed.

That pair of door-like giant axes was already encased in shredded meat and black blood. Every swing carried a muffled sound of wind and thunder, hacking the pouncing Rock Lizards into pieces! There was a terrifying wound on his right arm deep enough to see the bone, the flesh turned inside out, but he seemed unable to feel the pain, roaring as he fought madly!

"Spirit Martial Hall's Saint!!!" Tuoba Ye's roar was like an explosion of thunder, drowning out the roars of the beast swarm. His giant axe swept out, cutting a Rock Lizard pouncing toward Su Miaoyi in half, its foul internal organs splashing everywhere. "Help me!!!" His eyes were bloodshot, like a burning furnace.

The corner of Lin Yuan's mouth curled into a cold arc, his eyes filled with absolute confidence.

"Qiang—!"

The chaos heaven-grade sword was unsheathed with a flourish! The sword's cry was clear and resonant, echoing through the clouds! Lin Yuan stood in the air, his wrist turning slightly as the sword tip traced a perfect circle in the void!

Boom!

25% of the Law of Sword—full explosion! Upon the sword's body, countless profound and mysterious Law runes, containing endless sharpness and the true intent of destruction, suddenly lit up, circulating endlessly like living things! The sharpness of the entire world seemed to converge here!

"Ten Thousand Swords—Return to Ruins!"

With Lin Yuan's soft shout, the sword light suddenly divided! Thousands of Chaos Sword Qi, condensed as if solid, agile as swimming dragons, and with profound trajectories, poured down like a torrential rainstorm! Every strand of Sword Qi accurately locked onto the forehead of a Rock Lizard—the only weakness beneath their scales!

Chiss! Chiss! Chiss! Chiss! Chiss! Chiss! Chiss!... The sound of sharp blades piercing armor was as dense as rain hitting banana leaves! Wherever the Sword Qi passed, the space was sliced into countless tiny black cracks!

Puff! Puff! Puff! Puff! Puff! Puff! Puff!... Fountains of black blood madly erupted from the foreheads of thousands of Rock Lizards! The deafening wails instantly merged into one, then stopped abruptly! The massive beast bodies fell in swathes like harvested wheat! In just a single breath!

The beast swarm that was originally like a surging and violent black tide... was emptied!

Within the field of vision, only the piles of Rock Lizard corpses remained, along with the star cores shimmering with faint light on the bodies. A bloody stench so strong it was nauseating spread through the scorching desert air.

Upon the yellow sand, there was a dead silence. Only Lin Yuan remained suspended in the air with his sword, his green robes fluttering, the sword tip pointing diagonally at the ground, Chaos Qi swirling around him like a god of slaughter of the Way of the Sword descending to the mortal realm!