After that, Da Ming accompanied Lin Nuo to scour the Great Dou Star Forest in search of the Spirit Beasts she needed.
Lin Nuo wasn't picky; every Ten Thousand-Year-Old Soul Beast they encountered was absorbed. That was the nature of the Martial Soul Pearl of Myriad Beasts—the more beasts it collected, the more stable and powerful the Myriad Beasts Pearl Space became. In return, it gave back the most primal life force.
This primordial power could be understood as the strength and vitality of the Soul: one forged a powerful Soul, the other tempered the body.
Lin Nuo could have converted this returned Origin energy into mental strength or spiritual power, but instead, he compressed and stored it.
He still planned to use those reserves to persuade that foolish Silver Dragon Queen to join him; once she joined him, the entire Spirit Beast Clan would fall perfectly into his hands. This, he believed, was true mutual benefit—far better than the way some well-meaning hypocrite simply took what he wanted from the Spirit Beasts.
Even so, Lin Nuo's strength had reached the twenty-fifth level.
'Isn't that enough?' One day, Da Ming stared at him, speechless. The boy had practically turned the Great Star Forest upside down; seventy percent of his Ten Thousand Year Soul Beasts had disappeared, and almost all beasts above that level had been eliminated, including two hidden Hundred Thousand Year Soul Beasts.
He couldn't understand how that human had persuaded those two powerful beasts; the boy's smooth talk was admirable.
If you asked Lin Nuo, the answer would be simple: present the facts, explain the logic, and make a tempting offer. These Spirit Beasts were straightforward, and he hadn't lied. The two Hundred Thousand-Year Soul Beasts had a more docile temperament, which allowed for the feat.
Otherwise, if they were violent, they would never have listened to a human being babbling and would have killed him with a single slap.
'No rush. There's still a creature that interests me greatly and hasn't appeared yet.' Lin Nuo ignored the strange look Da Ming gave him.
"Which one?" Xiao Wu, who was nearby, asked curiously. That fellow had already captured representatives of all the species in the Great Star Dou Forest, but he still claimed it wasn't enough.
'The Evil Demonic Tiger God of Darkness!'
Lin Nuo's calm words made the two humans and the beast's eyes widen. Da Ming's eyes widened as well, but since Lin Nuo and the others were inside his enormous bull's head, they couldn't see.
"That tiger won't be easy to catch," Mei Ying frowned. She remembered a previous encounter with that dark gray tiger; if Da Ming and Er Ming hadn't arrived in time, she would have died.
"Don't worry, Mom. With this, I'm sure he'll take the bait." Lin Nuo smiled, and a sphere of Origin energy suddenly appeared in her hand.
Staring intently at the green-gold sphere that had materialized in their palm, the two humans and the beast couldn't help but swallow hard; an instinctive desire surged in their hearts.
Seeing their expressions, Lin Nuo wasn't stingy. He separated four fragments of energy from the Origin and gave them to Mei Ying, Xiao Wu, Da Ming, and Er Ming.
Bang!
When the energy entered their bodies, the two humans and the two beasts felt their moods improve and their minds clear. Da Ming had directly broken the hundred-thousand-year limit; after a brief period of seclusion, he would easily reach one hundred and ten thousand years of cultivation.
Although Mei Ying and the others were unable to break through the barrier due to their connection to Lin Nuo, the benefits were still enormous—they could vaguely feel their bloodlines beginning to shift.
After witnessing the transformation, Mei Ying said gravely, "No one can reveal Little Nuo's ability. If the news spreads, we'll all be in danger."
Roar, roar— Er Ming beat his chest first to swear to silence.
Next, Xiao Wu and Da Ming also made oaths, the latter even swearing by the Dragon God.
Mei Ying warned Lin Nuo again, secretly rejoicing that they were far from the core of the Great Star Forest Dou; otherwise, Lin Nuo's fate would have been no better than that of that Giant Insect.
As for Da Ming, he didn't have much affection for the lords of the central region. If it weren't for Di Tian, he would have left long ago. This time, Di Tian instructed him to follow Lin Nuo—which was great.
Observing their actions, Lin Nuo felt a warmth in his heart, but said nothing; between them, words were unnecessary.
Time flew by, and a month passed in the blink of an eye. During that time, Lin Nuo used his Blue Silver Emperor Martial Soul to scan the entire Great Star Forest Dou. Of course, his Blue Silver Emperor Martial Soul had evolved from the Blue Silver King Martial Soul.
Others might not find the Blue Silver King, but the plant-type Demonic Nightmare Tree knew exactly where he was. At first, she refused, but after Da Ming 'convinced' and 'argued' her, she obediently followed Lin Nuo to the Pearl Space of Myriad Beasts.
Lin Nuo was never stingy with his own. He created the Origin of Life and allowed the Silver-Blue King to evolve into the Silver-Blue Emperor. Although the Silver-Blue Emperor on the Douluo Star still lived, there was none within the pearl of myriad beasts.
'I finally caught you.' Lin Nuo opened his eyes; reflected in them was a cave shrouded in black mist, with a pitch-black figure vaguely visible inside.
He had to admit that the Evil Demon Tiger of Darkness was difficult to find. It had no fixed home and, even when located, its movements were erratic.
This time, for some reason, the tiger visited that cave daily—it had already been twice. Judging by this, something inside must have been attracting it; otherwise, it would never have risked a second visit. After all, a tall tree catches the wind.
Lin Nuo sent Da Ming into the Pearl Space of Myriad Beasts, then concealed his aura and, using the invisibility ability of a Ten Thousand-Year-Old Mole-Type Spirit Beast, silently approached the cave.
To avoid alerting his prey, he didn't go inside; instead, he transformed into an ordinary Blue Silver Grass outside the cave and waited patiently.
Night fell, and the Great Star Forest of Dou plunged into silence. Around the cave, the silence was even deeper. Threads of black mist coiled within, creating a sinister and chilling sensation.
Noise, noise—
The undergrowth trembled, a faint smell of blood lingering in the air. Then, a pair of cold, blood-red eyes appeared.
Its owner was extremely cautious. He sniffed the air, detected nothing unusual, and only then entered the cave.
Lin Nuo did not immediately release the Origin's energy aura. After days of observation, he knew very well how cautious the Evil Demon Tiger of Darkness was; the slightest anomaly would make it change course. The creature was terribly calm and would never be seduced by mere advantage.
At dawn the next day, the sun rose, bathing the earth in light. A gentle breeze blew, and a drop of dew, shaken from a blade of silvery-blue grass, heralded another vibrant day in the Great Star Forest of Dou.
'Just one night, but its aura seems even stronger.'
Lin Nuo stood silently shocked. In his view, the black mist inside the cave had almost disappeared; if he lingered any longer, the creature would escape and all his effort would have been in vain.
With that in mind, he hesitated no longer and released the aura of the Origin of life...