"A third-level beast soul seal could probably advance a second-level wizard's breakthrough to third level by about twenty years!"
Leilin stroked his chin — that was the conclusion the Chip had reached through meticulous analysis.
"Of course, an ordinary second-level wizard wouldn't have the soul strength or physical body to bear a third-level beast soul seal. Only a sorcerer would stand even a slight chance…"
"And the limit of soul talent and strength is also the bottleneck of the Beast Soul Art. That's why, in the Infernal World, sixth-level Beast Soul Masters are practically legends, and those beyond seventh level — both Priests and Beast Soul Masters — have never appeared…"
At that moment, the enemy across from him watched as his own fourth-level Deep Blue Sea Serpent was being held in check by Gudolik for an impossibly long time, and his expression was nearly frozen in disbelief.
When had a third-level beast soul ever been able to rival a fourth-level one?
For an instant, he felt his entire worldview shatter.
"Beast Soul Summon — Four-Winged Bird!" But no matter how shocked or unwilling, the opponent still had to accept reality. Once he confirmed the Deep Blue Sea Serpent couldn't do anything to Gudolik in the short term, bright, gleaming tattoo runes blazed to life on the hawk-nosed alien's body once more.
A colossal bird with four wings materialized in an instant. Violent wind-element particles condensed around its body, almost immediately forming a raging energy shape — Wind Blades!
Massive pale-green light blades slashed across the sea surface, revealing Gudolik and the Deep Blue Sea Serpent still locked in fierce combat beneath.
Seeing his side couldn't bring down Gudolik quickly, the enemy immediately triggered another summon. The Four-Winged Giant Bird was a third-level beast soul, but together with the Deep Blue Sea Serpent, Leilin's Gudolik beast soul was driven into a desperate struggle. Wind Blades kept slicing across its body — if Gudolik hadn't already transformed into beast soul form, it would have been covered in gaping wounds, bleeding like a fountain by now.
Even in beast soul form, Gudolik's roars grew quieter and quieter. Its spirit body dimmed.
"Just as I expected. I've only just started exploring the Beast Soul Art. Trying to trade blows head-on with a fourth-level Beast Soul Master using only a single third-level beast soul — it's far too reckless…"
Leilin's gaze swept discreetly across the battlefield.
As for Belak, who hadn't entered the fray, he had locked his full attention onto Governor Ias's position — clearly devoting most of his focus there, only occasionally casting a few glances Leilin's way with undisguised schadenfreude.
"What a petty, narrow-minded old man!"
A wave of disgust rose in Leilin's heart. He silently stamped a death sentence on Belak.
"Right now I can't use sorcerer energy or wizardry, and not even the Comorion Serpent King's innate abilities — to maintain my cover, I can only use abilities related to the Devil White-Phosphorus Serpent…"
His thoughts raced, and a fine layer of white scales surfaced across Leilin's body.
With the Dreamer's Mask and the Devil White-Phosphorus Serpent bloodline it contained, simulating some of the enemy's abilities was trivial for Leilin — even Belinda couldn't tell the difference.
[Beep! Host activating Devil White-Phosphorus Serpent bloodline. Commencing scale-state simulation. Fidelity: 99.99%. Constitution increased. Surface defense increased. Dream Field intensity enhanced.]
The Chip's voice came through. Leilin's completed transformation left his entire body covered in a layer of fine, smooth white scales. Sharp claws sprang from his fingertips, and the crimson glow in his eyes deepened into something richer and more piercing.
"White Devil bloodline!" the enemy across from him called out in alarm.
"Die!" But Leilin gave him no further chance to speak. He shot forward as a streak of white shadow, his claws slicing through the air with a keen, cold gleam.
Although he was confident in his disguise, a fake was still a fake — given enough time, someone might spot the seams. Better to end this quickly.
"Damned mongrel!!!" Leilin's opponent, the hawk-nosed alien, went red-eyed and slammed his own chest.
Within a ring of blue spectral light, fine, stiff bristles sprouted across the alien's face, and blue flames erupted and burned across his body.
"Beast Soul Fusion — third-level Ghost Blue Fire Wolf!" With a low growl, the Beast Soul Master completed his fusion with his beast soul, transforming into a half-human, half-wolf monster whose aura was steadily intensifying.
"Ghost Blue Fire Wolf? Some kind of high-level creature — adept at flame and close-quarters combat, with extraordinary physical strength!"
Based on the most commonly circulated Beast Soul Bestiary on the market, Leilin was able to identify the characteristics of the opponent's beast soul, along with its strengths and weaknesses.
Fourth-level and above Beast Soul Masters possessed the technique of Beast Soul Fusion — through a secret method, they could grant themselves some of the abilities of the sealed beast souls they carried. The more beast souls sealed within, the more terrifying the abilities a Beast Soul Master could wield. This fusion technique also solved the problem of the Beast Soul Master's own frailty. Without this fusion capability, the value of the Beast Soul Art would drop by a good third.
"ROARGH!" The opponent's hands had already become massive, fur-covered wolf claws sheathed in blue flames that clung like glaze.
A colossal wolf claw swung forward, wreathed in razor-sharp force and fire, and smashed directly into the white shadow hurtling toward it.
BOOM! A tremendous shockwave erupted, and blinding light exploded across the scene.
Leilin and his opponent both blasted backward, a shower of white scales and blue fur scattering in their wake.
"Borrowed power is still borrowed power. If I could use the full might of the Comorion Giant Serpent, I would've finished him off long ago — even at fourth level!"
A flicker of regret crossed Leilin's eyes, while his opponent was shaken with rage and alarm.
The half-serpent person's serpentine bloodline was astonishingly powerful — powerful enough to trade blows head-on with his fourth-level Beast Soul Master body and even gain a slight edge, completely nullifying the advantage his Four-Winged Giant Bird had provided. The battle was clearly heading toward a prolonged stalemate.
But such a stalemate was lethal for him. Once Belinda and the others finished clearing out their opponents, they would certainly turn on him — and thanks to Belak's presence, this Guardian Elder had zero confidence that the forces of Ias Port could claim victory.
Meanwhile, the battle on the port grounds was drawing to its close.
Thick smoke billowed everywhere. The aftermath of colossal sea beasts' rampage was everywhere — enormous claw prints scarred what had once been bustling, noisy streets. Ruined walls and rubble lay all about, spotted with dark stains of blood.
Clearly, in the face of Belak's meticulously assembled punitive force, the Freedom Port garrison had almost no capacity to fight back.
Under these circumstances, unless a sixth-level powerhouse intervened, there was absolutely no way to turn the tide.
Unfortunately, this was the coastal waters of the Heil Continent — the domain of the Mother of Ten Thousand Serpents. The Foul Bird clearly couldn't afford to send her elite forces to die for nothing.
As the ground battle concluded, the aerial combat overhead was also gradually reaching its end.
"Devour of the Devil White-Phosphorus Serpent!"
With Belinda's soft cry, a colossal phantom of a Devil White-Phosphorus Serpent materialized from the void, its enormous crimson vertical pupils fixing directly upon a Foul Bird Priest ahead who had already lost half an arm.
Dark red mist spread in all directions, carrying the hallucinatory power of the Dream — so oppressive that even the surrounding Morning Star powerhouses recoiled like serpents from its presence.
This power of dreams was contamination and poison to any being who had never touched the Dream World and could not wield dream energy!
Now, the Foul Bird Priest targeted by Belinda had begun to melt like a candle statue. Droplets of grease-like substance mixed with flesh and blood slid slowly from his body, until even his bones dissolved the same way.
"Nick! Hold on!"
The enormous Devil White-Phosphorus Serpent phantom pivoted and dove straight toward Leilin's position.
"Finally! Just as I calculated — as long as I held on long enough, Belinda would come help once she finished her opponent. No need for me to expose anything more!"
Seeing everything unfold according to plan, Leilin let a look of "profound relief" cross his face.
Across from him, his opponent's eyes went hollow with despair. He abandoned the fight with Leilin entirely, even forcibly recalling the Deep Blue Sea Serpent from the ocean to block Leilin temporarily, while he leaped onto the back of the Four-Winged Giant Bird — clearly preparing to flee.
"Think you can run?" From beneath the terrifying phantom of the Devil White-Phosphorus Serpent, Belinda's icy voice rang out. "In your dreams!"
Beneath the colossal white devil serpent, the Deep Blue Sea Serpent's serpentine body looked so small and frail that even Leilin felt a moment of pity for it.
…
It seemed that the hawk-nosed alien's rout served as a signal. Seeing that one of their own had already fallen, the remaining Morning Star Guardians began scrambling to flee — Governor Ias among them.
A fourth-level Priest combined with a fourth-level Beast Soul Master gave him the ability to wield Morning Star–peak power. Without Belak's presence, he could have easily shaken off his opponents.
But unfortunately, that massive Evil Eye Elder had locked onto him from the very start.
"He's mine! The rest of you, cut off the other Foul Birds!" The Evil Eye Elder's colossal spiritual wave radiated outward, and a ring of blood-red light enveloped it and Governor Ias together.
"Snatching the kill right out from under his own men's noses — that's cold-blooded, even for him."
Leilin was inwardly speechless but willingly retreated to the rear, yielding the battlefield to the others.