Di Tian walked on the muddy gravel, the Five Elements Power surrounding him making the plants bow.
The aura of his recent Breakthrough to the ninth level of the Foundation Establishment Stage spread like an undercurrent; the stream water in the distant mountain gorge actually condensed into ice crystals along the Spiritual Qi's trajectory, then turned into white mist under the scorching heat of the fire-attributed power, repeating this cycle to form a bizarre and magnificent scene.
Living creatures in the mountains, if they obtain an Opportunity and learn to devour the essence of the sun and moon, can be called Spirit Monsters.
When they gain some Dao cultivation and awaken their spiritual intelligence, they are called Yao Beasts!
There is a huge gap between the two; most mountain Spirit Monsters and tree Spirit Monsters remain ignorant until death, possessing only a few instincts.
However, Yao Beasts with spiritual intelligence will autonomously devour the essence of the sun and moon to strengthen themselves, growing stronger over time.
Di Tian originally possessed spiritual intelligence, and now with several hundred years of Dao cultivation, he could finally explore areas beyond his cave.
Moss left deep imprints under Di Tian's paws.
"Your 7th offspring has been born, with a medium Physique, gaining 30 years of Dao cultivation....."
"Your 8th offspring has been born, with a low Physique, gaining 10 years of Dao cultivation....."
The System's notification sound rang out again.
Somewhere in the jungle, several of Di Tian's tigress mates began to give birth.
However, most seemed to have a low Physique, as a series of notification sounds did not add much Dao cultivation.
As Di Tian's Dao cultivation increased, the gray fur on his body seemed to have a faint, almost imperceptible golden hue.
Di Tian found that his perception was also strengthening; the situation within fifty zhang around him could not escape his senses.
"Roar —"
A roar, mixed with a Soul-tearing sensation, came from the western mountain hollow.
Di Tian's pupils contracted sharply, only to see a Black-Robed People Cultivator standing in mid-air, his palm swirling with eerie blue flames, forcibly pulling the Soul of a rock bear from its body.
The bear's Soul let out a dying wail, but upon contact with the flames, it turned into wisps of black Qi, absorbed by the blood-colored rune on the Black-Robed People's chest.
"Ding! Cultivator detected: Soul Devouring Sect's Chen Wu."
"Cultivation: Early Stage of the Golden Core Realm."
"Spell: Soul Devouring Art (can devour living Souls to increase Cultivation, with Soul scorching effect)."
The moment the System's notification sound exploded in his Sea of Consciousness, Di Tian transformed into a green light and retreated three zhang.
He had heard his mother mention the Soul Devouring Sect's sinister Cultivation Technique — it specialized in feeding on the Souls of living beings; if a Cultivator was struck by the Soul Devouring Art, at best they would become imbeciles, at worst their Soul Flying Away and Spirit Scattering.
"The little fellow is quite alert."
Chen Wu, the Black-Robed People, licked his lips, and the eerie blue flames on his fingertips suddenly split into dozens of small fire snakes, "But... a Foundation Establishment Stage young beast, can it last three moves against me?"
"Soul Devouring Art, Second Form — Soul Devouring!" The Black-Robed People's voice seemed to come from the Nine Netherworld, carrying a captivating demonic sound.
Before he finished speaking, the fire snakes darted forward like living creatures.
Di Tian slammed his paws onto the ground, and earth-attributed power condensed into a shield wall beneath him, but the fire snakes easily pierced through the stone wall, their scales making a "hissing" scorching sound as they brushed against his tiger fur.
The intense pain made him grunt, and he instinctively used the Divine Travel Technique to maneuver, while simultaneously circulating the Five Elements Art — the vitality of wood spread over his wound, and the sharpness of metal condensed at his claw tips.
"A bit interesting."
Chen Wu's pupils slightly constricted, "It's actually the lost Five Elements Art? But in the face of absolute strength..." He formed a hand seal, and the blood-colored rune on his chest suddenly expanded, transforming into a giant maw that devoured the Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi, "Soul Devouring Art: Myriad Souls Devouring Heaven!"
In an instant, the cries of all living creatures in the mountain forest rose and fell.
Di Tian saw countless translucent Soul bodies surging from all directions, forcibly sucked into Chen Wu's body by the giant maw.
Among these Soul bodies were deer, wild rabbits, and even a few residual Souls of human Cultivators, each face contorted with pain and unwillingness.
Chen Wu's aura surged at a visible speed, and the pressure of the Early Stage of the Golden Core Realm transformed into a tangible heavy hammer, forcing Di Tian's front paws deep into the soil.
The eerie blue flames in his palm suddenly flared, turning into a hundred-zhang-wide giant maw, black venom dripping from its fangs, distorting space wherever it passed.
Di Tian felt as if his Soul was being grabbed by an invisible hand, intense pain came from the depths of his Sea of Consciousness, and terrifying images of being chased by Yao Beasts in his childhood began to appear before his eyes.
"I must sever his connection with the Soul bodies!"
Di Tian's mind flashed with words his mother had once said: "The Dao of Five Elements emphasizes balance and Symbiosis.
If you see evil spirits devouring living beings, use the life-giving power of wood to restrain their killing, and the stabilizing power of earth to break their chaos."
He suddenly raised his head, and five-colored spiritual light surged around him — the wood-attributed spiritual power condensed into the illusory image of a towering giant tree behind him, its roots delving deep into the earth to draw life force; the earth-attributed power transformed into the outline of a mountain range, suppressing the turbulent Soul tide.
Chen Wu's sinister grin abruptly stopped.
He was horrified to discover that the devoured Soul bodies were actually flowing out in reverse under the pull of the Five Elements Power, like iron filings attracted by a magnet, all converging towards Di Tian.
Even more terrifyingly, the Five Elements halo around Di Tian was purifying the Soul bodies; the originally turbid black Qi was filtered into pure Spiritual Qi, which then fed back into the mountain forest.
"Impossible! You, a mere Foundation Establishment Stage Yao Beast..."
"Nothing is impossible."
Di Tian's voice resonated in his Sea of Consciousness, carrying the unique calm of the Five Elements Power, "You devour living beings, thinking you can become stronger, but you do not know that all things have a cycle.
Today, I will use the Five Elements Power to suppress your Devouring Dao!"
Five rays of light burst from Di Tian's claws — golden light like a sharp sword cut through the flames, wooden light like vines entangled Chen Wu's limbs, water light transformed into an ice prison freezing his Golden Core, fire light incinerated the blood runes on his body, and earth light condensed into the illusory image of a mountain, heavily smashing down on his head.
This move was precisely the prototype of "Five Elements Unity" within the Five Elements Art; though not fully comprehended, it already unleashed power comparable to the Golden Core Realm due to his centuries of Dao cultivation and Bloodline Power.
Chen Wu didn't even have time to scream before he was crushed into dust by the Five Elements Power.
In his terrified eyes before death, a faint, mysterious phantom was reflected behind Di Tian — it was a colossal beast burning with five-colored flames, with the head of a Dragon and the body of a tiger, and a vertical eye opening and closing on its forehead; it was the residual image of the ancient Five Elements Divine Beast.
As the smoke cleared, Di Tian looked down at the Soul Pearl floating in his palm — it was Chen Wu's 본명 Soul Pearl, but it had become pure and flawless under the purification of the Five Elements Power.
The System's notification sound rang out at the opportune moment:
"Drip! Defeated a Golden Core Cultivator, obtained Soul Devouring Art Incomplete Manual x 1."
"Detected host Bloodline resonance, unlocked hidden ability: Five Elements Spirit Devouring (can purify evil Cultivation Technique for personal use)."
Di Tian looked up at the gradually clearing sky, and suddenly understood: his hidden Bloodline might just be the descendant of the ancient Five Elements Divine Beast.
And this Incomplete Manual of the Soul Devouring Art, under the ability of Five Elements Spirit Devouring, would eventually become the key to breaking evil.
He picked up the Soul Pearl in his mouth and turned to walk towards his nest; behind him, the mountain forest once again echoed with the chirping of insects and birds.