Two days later, in the Core Area of the Star Dou Great Forest.
From the moment he entered the Core Area, Lin Mu was on high alert, not daring to relax for even a moment.
This was the territory of the Ferocious Beasts, and their presence could attract the attention of the Beast God, Di Tian, at any time.
Although Lin Mu was confident in his speed, facing the Beast God, who possessed over 800,000 years of cultivation, meant he could be instantly killed if he wasn't careful.
Moreover, this was not a solo operation. Including the Chrysanthemum Douluo and Ghost Douluo, there were six of them!
The weakest among them was undoubtedly Ning Fengzhi, followed by Dugu Bo. These two were completely powerless against Ferocious Beasts, whose strength was comparable to Super Douluos and even Limit Douluos.
"Lord Lin Mu, do you have any specific targets?" Ning Fengzhi asked nervously.
Although the team's lineup was incredibly strong, capable of facing even two hundred-thousand-year soul beasts simultaneously, he still felt uneasy.
This was the Core Area of the Star Dou Great Forest. Who knew what terrifying existence might be hiding in the shadows?
"I do have a target in mind, but the attributes don't match perfectly. It would be best to find a hundred-thousand-year Fire-attribute soul beast. If we can't find one, then I'll settle for my backup."
Previously, Lin Mu's main goal was to hunt the Azure Bull Python.
But now, with the Chrysanthemum and Ghost Douluos present to utilize the Bipolar Static Domain, the Azure Bull Python felt like a waste of such resources. It would be best to hunt a true Ferocious Beast. Only if that failed would he choose the Azure Bull Python.
"A hundred-thousand-year Fire-attribute soul beast?"
The Titled Douluos looked on with envy at Lin Mu's specific request. For most Titled Douluos, simply obtaining any hundred-thousand-year soul ring was a dream come true; they wouldn't dare be picky about attribute compatibility.
However, the Star Dou Great Forest was vast; there should theoretically be a high-level Fire-attribute beast somewhere.
Seeing that Lin Mu hadn't locked onto a target yet, Ning Fengzhi sighed helplessly. Every moment they stayed here increased the danger exponentially.
If it weren't for the five Titled Douluos accompanying him, he would never have dared to linger here. But having come all this way, he couldn't bear to leave empty-handed.
At this moment, Lin Mu stopped. Searching blindly like this wasn't a solution.
A short while later, Lin Mu said to the group, "How about this? You're all too slow. I'll go scout for a suitable target first. If I find one, I'll lure it back here."
Upon hearing this, the mouths of the four Titled Douluos twitched. Being so blatantly belittled by a mere Soul Saint was humiliating, but they had no way to refute his speed.
Soon, Lin Mu transformed into a hurricane and flew away, disappearing from their sight in the blink of an eye.
After a while, the Chrysanthemum Douluo looked at Dugu Bo, a hint of mockery in his voice. "I didn't expect that you, the Old Poisoner, would actually be tamed into obeying Lin Mu's orders like a dog."
"Heh, aren't you doing the same?"
Dugu Bo sneered back. Before, he might have felt resentful about his submission, but as Lin Mu's strength grew, he had completely accepted it.
After all, submitting to a future Limit Douluo, or even a God, wasn't shameful.
Now he only had one wish: to help his granddaughter, Dugu Yan, solve her martial soul problem. Only Lin Mu could do that.
Faced with Dugu Bo's sharp retort, the Chrysanthemum Douluo didn't refute him, only letting out a cold snort to express his dissatisfaction.
His defeat at Lin Mu's hands was an undeniable fact. Strictly speaking, he wasn't even a worthy opponent; he couldn't last more than a few rounds against Lin Mu's explosive power and speed.
Even if he had used his Ninth Soul Skill back then, the outcome wouldn't have changed.
"When Lin Mu possessed Soul Saint cultivation, his strength was already close to that of a Super Douluo. Once he absorbs his eighth soul ring, his strength will definitely be no less than mine," the Sword Douluo sighed, never expecting to be surpassed by a junior in his twenties.
Just as the group was chatting idly, a sudden tremor came from afar.
"They're here!"
The Sword Douluo was the first to react, immediately grabbing Ning Fengzhi and flying into the air.
According to Lin Mu's plan, they didn't need to engage in prolonged close combat; they only needed to use their strongest soul skills to severely injure the beast while it was controlled, ensuring Ning Fengzhi's safety above all else.
Although Ning Fengzhi was only a Soul Saint, the amplification from the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda was terrifying and would be the key to breaking the beast's defense.
The other three Douluos also went on high alert, ready for battle.
"ROAR!!"
With a furious roar, a colossal soul beast charged toward them from the dense forest. Lin Mu was positioned in front of it, retreating rapidly while continuously using the Mad Kite Bow to harass it with wind arrows.
Upon closer inspection, everyone saw the beast clearly. It was over five meters long, extremely robust, and resembled a lion in build. However, it possessed three identical large heads, each over a meter in diameter, with terrifying canines gleaming with a crimson-gold luster.
This soul beast was none other than the Scarlet King, ranked eighth among the Ten Great Ferocious Beasts. Its true form was a Three-Headed Scarlet Devil Mastiff, possessing a trace of the True Dragon bloodline. Its attribute was pure Fire.
It was precisely because of this attribute compatibility that Lin Mu had targeted it.
Currently, the Scarlet King hadn't absorbed the energy from the Heavenly Dream Ice Silkworm yet, so it was far inferior to its future form ten thousand years later. It currently possessed almost 300,000 years of cultivation.
"Human! How dare you insult this King! I will surely kill you!"
The Scarlet King spoke in human language. Its voice was thunderous, immediately reaching the ears of the Sword Douluo and the others, startling them.
This hundred-thousand-year soul beast that Lin Mu had targeted was definitely not simple!
At this moment, the Scarlet King was filled with boundless rage. Yet, no matter how it attacked, it couldn't touch the slippery human before it.
Lin Mu used the speed and range of the Mad Kite Bow to wear it down from a distance.
Although the damage was minor, it was cumulative and insulting. This method of 'kiting' was extremely humiliating for a Ferocious Beast, making the Scarlet King blind with rage.
"ROAR!!"
Suddenly, a deep roar resonated from all three heads of the Scarlet King simultaneously, and a dense dark-red light erupted from its body.
Hearing this specific roar, Lin Mu's expression changed slightly. 'This guy is planning to summon other Ferocious Beasts here!'
If it summoned ordinary soul beasts, it would be fine. But if it attracted other Ferocious Beasts like the Bear Lord or Di Tian, it would be troublesome. He had to finish the battle instantly.
"Attack!"
With Lin Mu's shout, the Chrysanthemum Douluo and Ghost Douluo took the lead. They shouted in unison:
"Martial Soul Fusion Skill: Bipolar Static Domain!"
Immediately, the eighteen soul rings on their bodies condensed into a massive, two-toned halo of gold and silver. Under the cover of this halo, time and space in the vicinity were almost completely frozen.
Just before the domain locked into place, Lin Mu flashed out of the range, leaving only the Scarlet King frozen in mid-pounce.
Simultaneously, Ning Fengzhi, safe outside the control range, activated his Seven Treasures Avatar to amplify both the Sword Douluo and Lin Mu.
"Ninth Soul Skill: Phantom Blade!"
The instant the Sword Douluo completed his charge, the Chrysanthemum and Ghost Douluos released the Static Domain. A gigantic spectral Seven Kill Sword descended from the sky. Combined with Dugu Bo's Eighth Soul Skill, Time Freeze, it pierced the Crimson King's body with precision.
"Titan Skybreaker!"
Lin Mu threw a punch at the Crimson King. His armor had been switched from the wind-based Hurricane Armor to the heavy-hitting Thundercliff Armor, perfectly matching the Titan Giant Ape's heavy attribute.
Combined with the amplification of the Seven Treasures Avatar and the gravity control of the Titan Ape left arm bone, this attack was no less powerful than the Sword Douluo's ninth skill.
BOOM!!
Accompanied by a massive explosion, a pillar of energy containing terrifying power directly blasted the Scarlet King's three heads into oblivion.
Faced with this coordinated, amplified ultimate attack while immobilized, the 8th Ranked Ferocious Beast perished instantly.
Lin Mu had no intention of absorbing the spirit ring on the spot. The commotion was too big.
He shouted to the others, "This place is not safe anymore. Let's leave immediately!"
The Sword Douluo and the others naturally had no objections.
Before leaving, Lin Mu suddenly had a wicked idea to divert suspicion.
He transformed into a hurricane, grabbing the Scarlet King's corpse. But before vanishing, he used his sword to carve a large, messy message into the ruined earth:
"The Slayer of Ferocious Beasts: Duanmu Yan of Spirit Hall!"