Faced with Lin Mu's relentless onslaught, Di Tian finally discarded all restraint and reverted to his true form.
In an instant, a colossal black dragon manifested in the sky, radiating a pressure so terrifying that every soul beast within a hundred miles prostrated themselves on the ground like loyal subjects.
Seeing this, Lin Mu summoned the Thunder Sword of Heaven and Earth, gathering a torrent of lightning at its tip before slashing down at Di Tian. The raging electricity slammed into the black dragon's claws, but despite the immense force, it only left shallow scorch marks on the obsidian scales.
"As expected of the Beast God. His defense alone far surpasses that of the Bear Lord," Lin Mu mused. Rather than backing down, his eyes gleamed with excitement. Defeating such a legendary opponent wouldn't be nearly as satisfying if it were easy.
Lin Mu brandished the Lightning Thunder Sword, unleashing a rhythmic barrage of elemental skills: Fierce Flame Slash, Whirlwind Thrust, Hurricane Slash, Absolute Slash, and Lightning Thrust. The relentless sequence nearly drove Di Tian to the brink of collapse.
It was supposed to be a mere spar, yet this human was attacking with the ferocity of a death match. Left with no choice, the dragon endured the attacks and lunged forward. As the gap closed, Di Tian's massive tail whipped through the air with enough force to shatter mountains.
In response, Lin Mu's lightning wings shivered, the tips glowing with the five elements before he vanished entirely from Di Tian's sight. Enraged by the miss, Di Tian roared. He had taken countless hits, yet his own first real counterattack had been effortlessly dodged.
Suddenly, Lin Mu appeared directly above him. Before the dragon could twist around, Lin Mu unleashed another Eight Symbols Attack.
Under this relentless bombardment, Di Tian was pushed to the edge of fury. While these attacks didn't cause fatal injuries, the frustration was unbearable. As the Beast God of the Soul Beast race, he was actually being toyed with by a human. If the fight continued like this, his old injuries would flare up while Lin Mu remained untouched.
Di Tian's golden eyes blazed with fierce flames as he unleashed a pressure that far surpassed a Level 99 Limit Douluo.
Lin Mu felt the shift and his heart trembled. Di Tian was about to unleash his strongest divine skill, the Dragon God Claw!
A forepaw covered in thick, dark scales rose slowly. The Soul Power contained within it was so dense that space itself seemed to freeze. Accompanied by a deep, ancient draconic chant, a dazzling nine-colored divine light erupted from the claw, weaving into a phantom image capable of tearing through reality.
Lin Mu had no time to deliberate. He released the four elemental energies, fire, water, wind, and earth, condensing them into a massive energy vortex before him. He charged into the center of the vortex, igniting it with lightning to stabilize the five elements.
Space compressed as the massive dragon body moved. A nine-colored claw, large enough to obscure the sky and carrying the power to shatter stars, swung toward Lin Mu at incredible speed. Wherever it passed, black cracks of torn space followed, filling the air with the scent of destruction.
The Thunder Atlas Armor, wreathed in the five-element vortex, collided head-on with the divine claw.
BOOM!!
The world went white. The two energies clashed with a deafening roar, releasing a shockwave that instantly pulverized the mountains below into dust. The explosion was visible for hundreds of miles, and many lower-level Soul Beasts were knocked unconscious by the mere sound.
"How... how can he be so strong?!"
Di Tian, now forced back into human form, coughed up a mouthful of blood. He looked utterly disheveled as he stared at Lin Mu in disbelief. The Dragon God Claw was a divine skill passed down by the Dragon God himself. How could he lose?
Both were injured; Lin Mu hadn't escaped the backlash of the explosion unscathed, but he remained standing in the air. After a long silence, Di Tian forced himself to stand upright. "You won."
It was a crushing blow to his pride. If he couldn't defeat one human, how could they ever hope to reclaim the God Realm?
"Your strength is impressive," Lin Mu said, his tone turning serious. "Fighting you has been beneficial. For the coming period, I plan to stay in the Star Dou Great Forest. We will spar again in a few days."
Aside from Di Tian, only Bo Saixi or Qian Daoliu could provide this level of challenge. Compared to condensing his final two soul cores, improving his combat experience against the Beast God was his top priority.
Di Tian was dumbfounded. Why was he being singled out as a punching bag? But Lin Mu dangled a carrot: "You still need my Soul Power for your Lord, don't you? If you agree, I will share it periodically."
"It's a deal!" Di Tian replied instantly. For the recovery of his Lord and the future of his race, a few more beatings were a small price to pay.
For several months, Lin Mu lived near the Emerald Swan habitat, sparring with Di Tian multiple times a week. This arrangement infuriated Bi Ji, but she was powerless to stop him. After all, if Lin Mu truly wanted a fight, not even all the Great Ferocious Beasts combined could stop him now.
Over time, Lin Mu became familiar with the two. Di Tian's initial fear that Lin Mu would harm the forest faded as Lin Mu spent most of his time cultivating or occasionally teasing Bi Ji. Bi Ji's hostility also lessened once she saw that he kept his promise not to hunt her kind.
Finally, one day, Di Tian approached Lin Mu with a heavy expression. "My Lord wants to see you."
Lin Mu followed him through the barrier into a secluded space. There, he saw a silver-haired girl of unparalleled beauty. She sat cross-legged, her purple eyes clear yet filled with a strange, haunting confusion.
The moment their eyes met, her gaze lit up with recognition. She stood up unsteadily, walked toward him, and, to Lin Mu's absolute shock, the Silver Dragon King threw herself into his arms.
"What is going on?" Lin Mu stood frozen, holding the Silver Dragon King in his arms.
He knew she was Gu Yuena, but why was she acting like this? His mind raced back to the Asura Armor he had glimpsed in his dream$#@!_8...or future? He couldn't recall anything; it was all a blur.
Could it be that he, having obtained the Asura Armor, was behind this?
He suspected that a version of himself from the future had already intervened here, an ability far beyond a God-King.
Which means the sudden changes in Xiao Wu and Gu Yuena were among the many actions carried out by his future self.
'If that's the case,' he thought, 'the final set of armor truly must be the Asura Armor.'