In the depths of the cave.
Beneath the shattered Soul Suppressing Tablet, what world lay buried?
A continuous stream of bizarre entities poured forth, each, upon appearing, sought out living beings, attacking with utter disregard.
The exotic beasts and humans who had almost escaped were now forced back, finding themselves unable to advance under the siege of the bizarre.
Only Lin Yu, like a divine Buddha, bathed countless bizarre souls in the light of salvation wherever his power passed, earning a vast amount of upgrade points.
Now, his upgrade points were sufficient, and he could evolve his talent.
Lin Yu's heart thrummed with excitement. He glanced around, quietly retreated a few steps, and moved to a corner of the cave.
He pulled Lin Fan aside and whispered, "I will teach you the Divine Soul Art. Guard me and keep the bizarre entities from getting close."
Lin Fan's heart leaped with joy. He had long wished to learn soul arts, but his true self refused to teach him, leaving him only to watch with envy.
Lin Yu closed his eyes, communed with his talent, and updated the information for his external avatar, Lin Fan.
The next second, a flood of information appeared in Lin Fan's mind. He closed his eyes, absorbing it, and soon received the Divine Soul Art.
Feeling the power of the Ten Great Soul Arts, he could barely contain his excitement.
"You guard outside and don't let any bizarre entities get close, understand?" Lin Yu instructed.
"Brother, rest assured. I would rather die than let a single bizarre entity get in," Lin Fan promised, patting his chest.
Lin Yu nodded. Protected by his numerous clones, he began to upgrade his talent.
"System, upgrade first talent: Clone!" Lin Yu silently chanted.
"Ding, upgrading..."
"Ding, congratulations to the host, talent upgrade successful!"
"Ding, congratulations, your first talent has been upgraded to SS-class, granting the new ability: Possession!"
"Ding, your clone count has increased to five hundred, capable of inheriting two hundred percent of the main body's combat power."
Possession: This ability has two functions.
First: Upon the host's death, the soul can exist for a certain period. Before the soul dissipates, it can possess a living being's body or a recently deceased corpse to resurrect. The body and soul will gradually achieve perfect compatibility over time.
Second: One can replicate a soul and possess a living being's body or a recently deceased corpse, regardless of race or type, inheriting partial memories of the target. Only one possessed clone can exist at a time.
As soon as the Clone talent upgraded, countless rays of light emanated from Lin Yu. These lights wrapped around him. Only after the complete evolution of his talent did the light recede, and Lin Yu opened his eyes.
"Phew, my strength has increased tenfold!"
Lin Yu was overjoyed. This talent upgrade not only increased his clone count from two hundred to five hundred but also boosted the inherited combat power to two hundred percent.
And, most importantly, he now possessed the ability of Possession.
"Who should I use this ability on?"
He opened his eyes, scanning his surroundings. His gaze fell upon Bai Xiaosao, and he shook his head. This was a good friend, he couldn't possess him.
He then looked at the Empress, and finally shook his head again.
Though the Empress held a high status, she was merely the Empress of the secret realm, with limited future prospects. Moreover, she was female. What if a female body made him… crooked?
Therefore, he would not possess the Empress.
Just then, roars suddenly echoed from the distance.
Lin Yu's eyes fixed on the source, and they lit up. His gaze swept over the target's body, and he nodded with satisfaction.
It's settled!
Yes, Lin Yu chose the little flood dragon as his Possession target!
At this moment.
"Roar!"
The little flood dragon's throat was hoarse. The bizarre entities were still too numerous to kill, and exotic beasts kept falling around it, filling its heart with anxiety.
However, escape was now impossible. With the Soul Suppressing Tablet shattered, the entire State of Chu Yun was already surrounded by bizarre entities.
Not just here, but outside, demons and ghosts ran rampant, countless souls were devoured, and it was a living hell.
The little flood dragon felt regret. If it had known the outcome, it wouldn't have destroyed the Soul Suppressing Tablet. Now, all it could do was persevere, hoping the bizarre entities would disperse at dawn.
Persist, persist, persist until dawn! It kept cheering itself on.
"Roar!"
"Dragon Brother, save me!"
A one-horned tiger exotic beast, besieged by dozens of bizarre entities, cried out desperately for help.
The little flood dragon roared, "Brother, hold on! It'll be fine at dawn!"
"Dragon Brother, I can't hold on!"
"I can't either. There are too many bizarre entities, and I'm exhausted."
"Am I going to die?"
They were all geniuses among exotic beasts, yet they were now falling one after another.
The little flood dragon's eyes were bloodshot, its heart aching. Without them to draw fire, it would become the sole target and eventually perish from exhaustion.
What to do?
It scanned its surroundings, seeing Shui Qianchou on the verge of exhaustion just like itself. It then looked in another direction.
Suddenly, a thought struck it.
"It's those humans! They can deal with the bizarre entities so easily!"
"I must go to their side. That is the only way to survive!"
With this realization, it quickly dashed towards Lin Yu's location.
Along the way, its soul power formed a protective shield, safeguarding it.
Lin Yu's eyes widened with joy. He silently chanted, "Clones!"
Boom!
The entire underground cave was illuminated by white light. When the light vanished, five hundred Lin Yus appeared in the cave.
Though the cave was vast, five hundred people still felt a bit crowded.
Lin Yu commanded, "Good timing! Capture it!"
All the clones immediately focused their gazes on the little flood dragon.
The little flood dragon was instantly terrified and stopped abruptly, but it was too late.
One by one, the clones wielded the Myriad Treasures Condensing Formation Art, conjuring armor and weapons. Some conjured ropes, even fishing nets.
"Capture it alive!"
Boom!
Various weapons rained down. The little flood dragon couldn't even react before being ensnared by dozens of fishing nets, then dragged like a caught fish by the clones to Lin Yu's front.
"Excellent, excellent! Although you are only a flood dragon, I will surely become a true dragon in the future!"
Lin Yu appraised the little flood dragon, showering it with praise. These words were pleasing to the little flood dragon's ears, but thinking of its predicament, it was filled with confusion about the future.
Will this human kill me?
I am of royal blood!
"Human, if you let me go, I can give you anything you desire!"
Lin Yu chuckled, "Don't worry, I will definitely let you go. You don't need to fret."
The little flood dragon breathed a sigh of relief. It seemed this human wouldn't dare harm it, for it was of royal blood.
However, it forgot that even if it wasn't Lin Yu, Shui Qianchou would have killed it if given the chance.
Lin Yu, on the other hand, didn't kill it because it was still useful. It was the perfect target for Possession.
Just as Lin Yu was about to attempt Possession, Shui Qianchou and the others also held on, pleading for help.
"Lin Yu, save us!"
"Help!"
Bai Xiaosao whispered, "Brother Lin, they are at their limit. Should we save them?"
Lin Fan pouted disdainfully. "Brother, ever since we entered the secret realm, they've looked down on us. I say, let them die."
Bang!
Lin Yu flicked Lin Fan's forehead with a finger.
"How can you be so malicious, brat? When fellow countrymen are in danger, how can we not save them? Lin Fan, go and escort them outside!"
Lin Fan's initial disappointment turned into elation.
Oh, so the true self meant not to die in front of him. Heh, the true self was still so clever!
"Alright, alright! I'll guarantee the mission's completion!" Lin Fan exclaimed excitedly.