"I watched his battle with the Sky-reaching Snake online. There was a shadowy figure beside him. If I'm not mistaken, it should be a soul without a physical body, with a powerful aura. It should be a cultivator at the Golden Core stage," Ye Cang said solemnly.
Ye Beichen, Mu Lihong, Guo Da, Peacock, and Xuan Shi were all stunned for a moment. They had watched that video too, but because their powers weren't strong enough, they couldn't sense the potent strength of that black fog just through the screen.
"I think that person must be Lin Mo's master, otherwise how could a young guy like him rise up in just five years and know such advanced spells? I suppose his master is cultivating him," Ye Cang muttered to himself.
Ye Beichen realized it suddenly; no wonder Lin Mo did everything with such boldness. He truly had a senior backing him up.
"If Uncle Ye's speculation is correct, we really don't need to worry. With a Golden Core stage great power protecting him, Brother Lin will surely be fine," Mu Lihong said, patting Ye Beichen on the shoulder.
Xuan Shi didn't speak, but he thought to himself, "So that's why he has such a skilled teacher; no wonder he's so powerful."
"I have one more thing. A few days ago, when you attended the auction, you should be aware that Ye Hui was there too, but he died that very night," Ye Cang said with a heavy expression.
Upon hearing Ye Cang's words, Ye Beichen and the others' faces changed slightly again.
"Ye Hui is dead?" Ye Beichen exclaimed in surprise. "He was protected by twelve Innate strong individuals, and he's also the son of Ye Mou, part of the Demon Gate Royal Family. Who would dare kill him?"
"I'm not sure either, but Ye Mou sent people to retrieve the auction records. It's been found that Lin Mo seems to have had some small conflicts with Ye Hui during the bidding," Ye Cang said faintly.
Mu Lihong, Guo Da, and Peacock were all present at the time, so they naturally knew about this, but there wasn't concrete evidence proving Lin Mo killed Ye Hui.
"Such a small matter shouldn't lead Brother Lin to clash with Ye Hui," Ye Beichen said with a slight frown.
"Alright, let's not mention this matter anymore. If Ye Mou's people come to ask you about it, just tell them truthfully," Ye Cang said in a deep voice.
...
In the Cold Country's sea domain, within a dark space, Lin Mo had been traversing through this dark space for around three days.
Zhen Yuanzi followed beside Lin Mo in the form of a black fog, frowning, "Mr. Lin, this should be some kind of secret realm; otherwise, we have been traveling for days and still haven't seen the boundary."
Lin Mo nodded lightly, proceeding at a moderate pace.
Ever since the battle with the Sky-reaching Snake, being sucked into this dark space by an undersea whirlpool, Lin Mo and Zhen Yuanzi had been searching for the way out. This dark space wasn't completely dark; they could faintly see some things, but where the light came from was unseen, so they could only continue moving in a straight line.
In the darkness, two indistinct figures remained at a steady pace forward, with the peripheral vision filled with thick darkness.
After traveling for an unknown amount of time, some hazy light finally appeared in their sight ahead.
"Mr. Lin, over there!"
Zhen Yuanzi said joyfully.
"Be careful, let's check it out first." Lin Mo's gaze was profound. In such an unknown space, he wasn't sure if there would be danger, so he always had to maintain a vigilant mindset.
"Hmm, but I wonder where that big snake went; we've been moving forward in this dark space for so long, and haven't seen any trace of it," Zhen Yuanzi said, communicating through True Yuan.
Lin Mo nodded, "Not sure where that thing is. If we get the chance to kill it, its essence blood should be much better than Heavenly Toad Essence Blood, if used for quenching the skin. It would certainly have unexpected effects, possibly granting me the condition to advance to the Moon Wheel Realm."
A portion of Heavenly Toad Essence Blood can allow the body to contain five thousand Starlight, but using the same grade blood too much will diminish the effect, eventually rendering it completely ineffective.
Condensing the seventh star power requires an ultimate limit of ten million Starlight. If the effect of Heavenly Toad Essence Blood remains unchanged, it would take two thousand portions, roughly about fifty thousand top-grade spiritual stones.
Just thinking about these numbers is enough to cause a headache. Soon, the two had arrived at the misty space they had seen earlier. The light wasn't clear where it emanated from, but the temperature here was noticeably colder than the previous place, and the ground all around had turned into hard earth-yellow, laid by some unknown substance
.
"Stop here."
Lin Mo halted his movement.
Zhen Yuanzi said, "Mr. Lin, what do you intend to do?"
"We are still unfamiliar with this place, and don't know where the Sky-reaching Snake might be hiding. I'm planning to condense the fifth star power," Lin Mo said calmly.
Upon hearing Lin Mo's words, Zhen Yuanzi nodded. Having a bit more strength at this time would increase the odds of safely getting out, so he said, "Then I'll protect you, allowing Mr. Lin to focus on condensing the fifth star power."
"Hmm."
Lin Mo nodded, then sat down cross-legged in place.
Connected mentally with Zhen Yuanzi, Lin Mo wasn't worried about him betraying him. Any rebellious thoughts would immediately result in his soul being punished by the Heavenly Dao Law, turning into dust.
"Begin!"
Lin Mo strengthened his skin with Heavenly Toad Essence Blood and expanded his meridians with the Luoshui Crystal. His body was now capable of absorbing fifteen hundred thousand Starlight, though he only possessed eleven hundred thousand, with five hundred thousand obtained from the Crow.
"With Ye Hui dead, the Demon Gate has surely started an investigation. If they aren't dumb, they'll soon trace it back to me; knowing I killed him, but so what? As long as I have enough power, what is there to fear?"
Lin Mo pondered in his mind.
Ye Hui wanted to kill him only because he was friends with the Crow, so Lin Mo chose to fight back without any hesitation. The law of survival is thus: the weak die, the strong live.
Given another chance, he would still kill Ye Hui and the Crow without hesitation.
Ye Hui, however, had backing from the Demon Gate, providing some pressure on Lin Mo, but with sufficient strength, what could the Demon Gate do to him? If he becomes powerful enough to instill fear in them, perhaps they might even apologize personally.
Lin Mo formed a spell, conjuring a transparent arc barrier around his body, then released all eleven hundred thousand Starlight, illuminating the entire space with radiant starlight, resembling a dazzling star nebula. The clustered Starlight enveloped his entire body
. Lin Mo was situated within, slightly closing his eyes, adjusting his breath to a state of tranquility, gradually feeling a warm sensation, remarkably peculiar, like floating on the clouds, supported by cotton soft as willow feathers, allowing his whole body
to relax unconsciously.