Lin Jin leaped onto a boulder and stared at the fire in the distance with a smile on his lips.
Seven years ago, he sent Xiao Huo away to seek survival in the immortal mountain. After all, there were many Rank 8 beasts in the world of immortal mountains and Xiao Huo wasn't the most outstanding among them.
This was the Rank 9 evolution method Lin Jin came up with.
For seven years, Lin Jin hadn't seen Xiao Huo nor did he allow him to return. But due to their blood contract, Lin Jin could sense Xiao Huo's location and his current condition at any time.
In the past, Xiao Huo had been through brutal battles and encountered powerful opponents. Some were weaker than him but came in large numbers while others were few in number but were stronger than Xiao Huo.
However, all of these opponents were defeated by Xiao Huo without exception.
Some were killed and devoured, becoming Xiao Huo's source of strength while others chose to submit and become Xiao Huo's minions.
Lin Jin didn't interfere with any of this. What he wanted was to cultivate Xiao Huo's wildest side. He wanted Xiao Huo to become the beast king of the immortal mountain.
However, the immortal mountain was too huge, even bigger than a state in Heartland. In this vast mountainous region, Xiao Huo wasn't the only one who wanted to become the king of beasts.
Moreover, there were already existences who could become kings before this, and that was the Rank 9 immortal devouring beast.
The immortal devouring beast was undoubtedly the king here. No one dared to challenge its authority and existence. This was the question Lin Jin gave Xiao Huo.
How to grow stronger under the nose of a powerful king and replace him? If he could do this, Xiao Huo would definitely be able to evolve to Rank 9.
In the past seven years, Lin Jin had faced many dangers on his own. There were even a few times where he almost lost his life. But compared to Xiao Huo, Lin Jin felt he was still a far cry.
Fortunately, seven years had passed in the blink of an eye. Xiao Huo was no longer the same as before.
Although Lin Jin knew through the blood contract that Xiao Huo had yet to evolve, he was now very close to Rank 9. He was probably just one step away, or maybe even just a thin layer of paper.
Moments later, the flames in the distance gradually disappeared. Lin Jin knew that the battle had ended.
He leaped down from the boulder.
In the past few years, Xiao Huo had already defeated all the Beast Kings that had risen to prominence in various parts of the immortal mountain. That one just now might be the last one or two.
Lin Jin only had the Breezy Monster Sword, the Four Seas Freedom Gourd, and a white horse to keep him company. Lin Jin felt rather lonely, but not Xiao Huo.
All these years, Xiao Huo had subdued at least a hundred ferocious beasts, and all of them were extremely powerful. It wouldn't be long before the Immortal Devouring Beast noticed Xiao Huo's strength.
Or rather, the Immortal Devouring Beast had noticed.
Perhaps a great war was about to break out. Lin Jin didn't need to add fuel to the fire. He just needed to go with the flow and observe the situation.
As long as Xiao Huo could defeat the Immortal Devouring Beast, the Heavenly Dao Cornerstone Fragment in the Immortal Devouring Beast's body would be theirs.
As for the Old Supreme Elder, it had been seven years and it was about time for him to return.
Sometimes, this person just couldn't stand being nagged.
Just as Lin Jin was wondering if Old Lord was coming back, half a day later, Old Lord returned as expected.
"Little friend Lin, this old man has come to keep the appointment." Old Lord looked travel-worn. Lin Jin quickly got up to greet him. After not seeing each other for seven years, both of them had changed a lot.
Lin Jin was no longer as childish as before. He was now extremely mature and even had a hint of vicissitudes. Old Lord didn't change much but he couldn't hide the fatigue on his face.
For the past seven years, in order to search for the Heavenly Dao Cornerstone Fragment, Old Lord hadn't had a single moment of rest. He must have traveled all over the place.
Compared to Old Lord, Lin Jin had an easier time searching through the mountains.
"Old Lord, it's been years. You're still as strong as ever?" Lin Jin greeted him with a smile. Only then did Old Lord stare at Lin Jin in shock.
It turned out that when the two of them met, Old Lord realized that Lin Jin was much taller than him. Previously, their heights were about the same, but after seven years, Lin Jin was now two heads taller than Old Lord.
Forget Old Lord, even Lin Jin was dumbfounded.
"Old Lord, why are you shrinking your head?" Lin Jin asked. Old Lord smiled bitterly. "Although I'm old, I wouldn't shrink like this. Young Friend Lin, you've grown taller."
Lin Jin hadn't met anyone for seven years so he didn't notice the changes in his body. Now that Old Lord mentioned it, he realized that compared to Old Lord, he was indeed much stronger and taller. Before this, Lin Jin's height was no different from an average person. But now, Lin Jin was at least two meters tall.
'This must be because I'm living on this mountain.' Lin Jin immediately thought of the key point.
Not only could this mountain affect beasts, but it could also affect humans.
Old Lord was currently reading Lin Jin's lifespan and a look of surprise appeared on his face.
"Looks like I should stay on this mountain for a few more years."
It turned out that Lin Jin's lifespan had doubled as well. It was no exaggeration to say that by staying on this immortal mountain, one could easily live forever. Most importantly, his physical body could be improved. Although Lin Jin was still a mortal, his mortal body was now comparable to an immortal's.
This wasn't Lin Jin's words but Old Lord's.
"It's a pity that this opportunity is gone," Old Lord lamented.
Lin Jin could tell that Old Lord was implying something so he asked. The latter smiled and tossed a bag to Lin Jin. This bag was weaved with golden threads and was extremely soft and tough. It was definitely a treasure.
As if there were pebbles inside, they rattled incessantly as they swayed.
Lin Jin immediately knew what was inside.
"There's so much?" Lin Jin exclaimed. Old Lord nodded. "For the past seven years, I haven't rested for a single day. I've traveled all over the world, Middle Earth, the outworld, the underground nether world, the nine-heavens realm, and the four oceans. I've even explored every nook and cranny before I managed to find all the fragments. Thankfully, I have some divination skills. Otherwise, I wouldn't have been able to do this."
Lin Jin knew how difficult it was to find these fragments. Other than Old Lord, no one else in this world could complete this mission, including Lin Jin.
Lin Jin was already exhausted from searching the immortal mountain and the outside world was a thousand times bigger than the mountain. Old Lord must have had it tough.
"According to my calculations, the apocalypse is coming soon. My conservative estimate was a year but now, I'm afraid it won't even be six months." Old Lord's words were the main point.
Lin Jin understood why Old Lord said he couldn't improve his physique on this immortal mountain. It was because he didn't have the time.
"What about you? How many are you missing?" Old Lord asked.
Lin Jin looked up at the Heaven's Foundation and mumbled, "If I'm not mistaken, I'm only missing two fragments."
Old Lord immediately understood.
Of these two fragments, one was obviously the largest fragment in the Rank 9 immortal devourer's body while the other was the one in Lin Jin's hand.
"What's your plan?" Old Lord knew that the hardest part was the fragment in the Rank 9 immortal devourer's body. To take it away, Lin Jin would have to defeat the immortal devourer.
"We should be able to find out within three months." Lin Jin gazed at the place where the flames had engulfed the sky, a hint of certainty in his eyes.
Hundreds of miles away from Lin Jin and Old Lord was the peak of a mountain. Currently, a gigantic fire wolf stood proudly, the flames on its body seemingly able to burn through the heavens and pierce through hell.
This fire wolf's eyes carried a domineering aura. It was the aura of a king and possessed the wildness of a wild beast.
There were many powerful beasts around. Some of them were strangely shaped while others resembled giant lions, tigers, bears, and leopards. Each of them exuded the aura of a Rank 8 beast and each of them was once the king of a mountain.
But now, they were all subservient to this gigantic fire wolf.
No one even dared to look the fire wolf in the eye.
Those stubborn beasts had already been reduced to ashes by the raging flames. At this moment, the Fire Wolf Beast was looking at a huge mountain hidden in the distant sky.
That was the habitat of the immortal devourer.
No beast dared to enter the vicinity of that mountain because everyone knew that entering was a declaration of war against the immortal devourer.
Over the past few years, the fire wolf had tried to enter the mountain countless times but it had held itself back each time.
Because it remembered its master's words.
Unless one was a hundred percent confident, one should never attempt to challenge the immortal devourer.
This fire wolf was Lin Jin's pet beast, Xiao Huo. He could sense that he was at the final stage of his evolution to Rank 9 so he spent the next two months cultivating here.
He hoped to break through to Rank 9 within these two months.
There was progress but he was still lacking something to break through that final barrier.
Xiao Huo couldn't figure out what exactly he was lacking.
Then, he thought of the key.
In an instant, the flames on Xiao Huo's body surged. He got up and his body grew to the size of a mountain. Then, he howled into the sky. His howl resounded throughout the immortal mountain and even the heavens.
This was just like the immortal devourer in the past. Because before this, only immortal devourer beasts' voices could be heard throughout the nine heavens.
Now, Xiao Huo could do it too.
Finally, there was a commotion on the highest peak.
The immortal devourer was startled. To it, this sound was a declaration of war.
The beasts surrounding Xiao Huo were intimidated by the powerful aura. They prostrated themselves on the ground, not daring to move.
Just then, the immortal devourer let out a howl as well. Then, a huge shadow moved in the sky and Xiao Huo howled again.
Rumble.
His body continued to grow and the flames on his body were now as bright as the sun. In fact, it had completely surpassed the might of Elder Supreme's furnace.
This was the limit of what a flame could achieve.
By now, Xiao Huo's body was almost the same size as the immortal devourer in the sky. He knew that this battle was inevitable and it was either life or death.
There was no way out.
Hence, Xiao Huo leaped up and landed on the highest peak. The next moment, he engaged the immortal devourer in battle.
"It's starting!" From afar, Elder Supreme looked excited. He watched with a mixture of anticipation and worry. Beside him, Lin Jin's expression was much calmer.
He had done everything he could. Just now, he gave it his all, transferring his strength to Xiao Huo through their blood contract.
As for who won and who lost, Lin Jin had no idea.
The immortal devourer was still powerful, but after seven years of cultivation and improvement, Xiao Huo was only a hair's breadth away from Rank 9. Or to a certain extent, Xiao Huo was Rank 9.
However, Heaven's Will could only accommodate one Rank 9 beast so Xiao Huo couldn't level up. In other words, the immortal devourer was Xiao Huo's final hurdle on his path to Rank 9.
After defeating the immortal devourer, Xiao Huo would be the only Rank 9 beast left.
In a battle of this level, forget Lin Jin, even Elder Supreme at his peak wouldn't be able to intervene. Hence, the old and young duo sat on the peak, watching the battle and commenting on it.
This battle would obviously decide the life and death of the world, the life and death of all living beings, and the fate of everyone.
"It's really earth-shattering. Xiao Huo's attack could easily kill Immortal Carefree. Impressive, impressive!" Elder Supreme was thrilled. He turned to look at Lin Jin, who was sleeping soundly on his side.
"You're still able to sleep at a time like this?" Elder Supreme was dumbfounded. Lin Jin mumbled, "It's been seven years. Closing my eyes and falling asleep is nothing. Elder Supreme, aren't you tired?"
Elder Supreme was stunned. He really was tired.
Glancing at the earth-shattering battle, Elder Supreme laughed. "Tired, of course I'm tired. Alright, I'll lie down for a while too."
Having said that, he laid down on the side.
Soon, both of them fell asleep. Snoring could be heard as they dreamt.
Lin Jin fell asleep because he had severed his blood contract so that Xiao Huo could reach his peak strength. The huge backlash was too much for Lin Jin. Anyone else would have died on the spot. But Lin Jin had a unique physique so his life wasn't in danger. Still, he couldn't avoid falling asleep for a while.
Lin Jin had given it his all in this battle. Whether he could succeed or not, Lin Jin could only leave it up to fate.
If he failed, the world would be destroyed and Lin Jin would die in his sleep. That would be a comfortable outcome. But if he succeeded, sleeping early wasn't a big deal.
Hence, Lin Jin slept soundly. It was as if he had returned to his past life, meeting familiar people and encountering familiar things.
It was as if the dream was reality and everything that happened before was just a pipe dream.
In his past life, Lin Jin continued to live the life of an ordinary person. Day after day, year after year, Lin Jin didn't know if this was a dream or reality.
After some time, as Lin Jin was strolling on the streets, he heard someone calling out to him.
"Young Lin, we did it!"
(End of book)
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