Shen Daolun was on the verge of losing his mind.
Lin lan was locked in a life-and-death struggle with thousands of malevolent spirits. Any interruption—even the slightest—could shatter his soul completely. And yet, at this very moment, five Giant Bone Lizards had crawled out of nowhere.
Five.
Even at full strength, Lin lan wouldn't survive that.
Now?
It was hopeless.
Shen Daolun felt like fate itself was mocking him. When things went wrong, they didn't just go wrong—they collapsed all at once.
He drifted back and forth, panic tightening his chest, his mind racing for a solution.
None came.
The Giant Bone Lizards noticed them.
To creatures of this level, a skeleton and a wandering soul weren't exactly ideal prey. But hunger had stripped them of patience. After hours without a hunt, even scraps would do.
They advanced slowly.
Close enough now that Shen Daolun could clearly see the jagged bone spines protruding from their massive frames.
At the same time, the black mist around Lin lan thickened violently. The shrieks of the malevolent spirits grew sharper, more unhinged. In response, the silver radiance of the Eight Desolations Soul-Refining Technique intensified, blazing brighter with every breath.
This was it.
The final moment.
Win—or be annihilated.
Shen Daolun clenched his teeth. The loose flesh on his face trembled uncontrollably.
Run.
Or stay.
He had never been a good person. Back when he was alive, he'd been a slippery merchant—selfish, greedy, always calculating profit and loss. After entering cultivation, he'd walked the demonic path. He hadn't committed atrocities, but his hands were far from clean.
Otherwise, he wouldn't have been hunted down and nearly destroyed in the first place.
Now Lin lan was trapped, unable to move.
And the Giant Bone Lizards were closing in.
Logic screamed at him to flee.
Staying meant death.
He turned—ready to escape.
Then the bond between them surfaced in his mind.
From their first meeting until now.
The guidance he'd given.
The protection Lin lan had returned.
Lin lan could have abandoned him long ago. With his strength, traveling alone through the Nine Nether Immortal Realm would have been far easier. Without Shen Daolun dragging him down, he might have absorbed even more soul flame back then.
Maybe today wouldn't have happened at all.
Shen Daolun's expression twisted.
He let out a long, bitter sigh.
"You little brat…" he muttered. "You never show elders any respect. But… you've treated me well."
Without Lin lan, he wouldn't last long in this world either.
"Fine," he growled. "I'll gamble everything."
The next instant, he shot straight toward the Giant Bone Lizards.
He knew he couldn't hurt them.
That wasn't the point.
His goal was simple—draw them away.
Buy time.
He darted around the beasts, taunting them with reckless movements.
The Giant Bone Lizards roared in fury.
Though lacking intelligence, they were easily provoked. Their attention snapped away from Lin lan, massive jaws opening as all five lunged toward Shen Daolun at once.
The pressure was immediate.
Overwhelming.
Shen Daolun barely dodged as one massive skull snapped shut inches from his soul body. The wind from the bite sent him spinning.
Cold fear flooded him.
These creatures carried death energy unique to the Nine Nether Immortal Realm. Even without physical bodies, beings like him could still be torn apart.
Missing their strike only enraged the lizards further.
They attacked relentlessly.
Shen Daolun's instincts screamed at him to flee—but if he did, Lin lan would be finished.
So he stayed.
He weaved desperately between them, keeping their hatred focused on himself, enduring bite after bite as his soul body grew unstable.
Before long, he was surrounded.
"Huff… huff…" His breath came ragged. How long is that bastard going to sleep…?
Then—
A tail slammed into him.
Bone spines tore through his soul body with a shrill screech.
Shen Daolun screamed as he was flung backward. The Giant Bone Lizards surged forward, ready to tear him apart before turning back toward the motionless skeleton.
"So this is it…" Shen Daolun closed his eyes. "After centuries of hiding… still can't escape."
Suddenly—
The shrieks of the malevolent spirits spiked into a piercing scream.
Then stopped.
Abruptly. Cleanly.
As if severed by an invisible blade.
The black mist vanished.
The writhing souls disappeared.
At the same moment, the silver light from the Eight Desolations Soul-Refining Technique exploded outward, blinding in its intensity.
Lin lan was gone.
In his place hovered a perfect sphere of swirling silver light, humming with terrifying power.
The Giant Bone Lizards recoiled instinctively, retreating several steps.
Their undead instincts screamed a single warning:
Something far more dangerous than them—
Was about to emerge.