Chapter 859: Handing A Free Power-up While Getting Nothing In Return
Lin Moyu had no reason to doubt Antares's words.
Otherwise, there was no explanation for why the Star Tree would leave a soul imprint on him.
After all, planting such an imprint meant damaging its own soul, and recovering from that loss would take at least ten thousand years.
No sane being would willingly pay such a price without a compelling reason.
"Is there any way to remove the soul imprint?" Lin Moyu asked.
Instead of answering, Antares flew to the edge of the soul world and stopped before the Star Tree's soul imprint.
Closing his eyes, he carefully examined the imprint.
A moment later, Antares spoke, "Come here. Take a look.”
Lin Moyu flew over and examined the imprint at close range.
It resembled a miniature Star Tree, radiating the same unique aura as its true body.
Looking closer, he discovered that its roots had already intertwined with his soul world.
Antares explained, "This is why it's so difficult to remove. The imprint has fused with your soul almost perfectly."
"If I forcibly erase it, your soul world will surely be severely damaged.”
"Of course, your talent allows your soul to regenerate. But whether your soul world can regenerate as well... even I can't say for certain."
"And there's another issue. The imprint has already absorbed your aura. If your talent activates, I don't know whether it will restore only your soul—or restore the imprint along with it."
Lin Moyu fell silent for a moment before making his decision, "Let's do it."
Antares looked at him, "Are you sure? If your soul world can't recover, the consequences will be severe."
Lin Moyu nodded, "I'll have to enter the greater world sooner or later. I can't keep living with a blade hanging over my neck."
"I don't want the Star Tree to appear the moment I arrive and swallow me whole."
Waiting until he was powerful enough to kill the Star Tree himself could take countless years.
Right now, this was his only option.
Besides, Lin Moyu had absolute confidence in his talent.
If it could completely restore his soul, then his soul world should be no exception.
As for the Star Tree's soul imprint—it was, after all, nothing more than an external thing.
Seeing that Lin Moyu had made up his mind, Antares nodded, "Very well. I'll restrain my power as much as possible."
Lin Moyu took a deep breath, "Do it."
A tremendous aura erupted from Antares's body.
Inside the soul world, a pair of enormous eyes slowly opened.
Lin Moyu immediately realized these were not the Divine Dragon's Discernment.
Divine Dragon's Discernment radiated insight, as though it could perceive the true nature of all things.
These eyes were different.
They were filled with pure destruction—death incarnate, capable of annihilating everything they gazed upon.
"Dragon secret method: Eyes of Extinction."
"Don't worry. I'll be extremely careful."
The Eyes of Extinction blinked lightly, and two beams of light shot forward, striking the Star Tree's soul imprint.
Boom!
The entire soul world shook violently.
The soul imprint flickered wildly under the assault.
At the same time, a crack tore open across the glazed barrier of the soul world where the soul imprint had taken root.
The once flawless soul world now had a gaping hole blasted into it.
Lin Moyu let out a muffled groan as agonizing pain surged through him, his face twisting in agony.
Fortunately, he had moved his talents and endured the scorching talent fire. That experience had forged a tolerance for pain far beyond that of ordinary people.
Anyone else would likely have suffered a complete collapse of their soul, dying on the spot.
Antares glanced at him with concern, "Can you still endure it?"
Lin Moyu clenched his teeth, "I'm fine. Keep going."
The soul imprint had not yet been destroyed.
Antares focused once more.
The Eyes of Extinction flashed again, unleashing another pair of beams.
Boom!
The soul imprint grew even dimmer and more transparent.
The soul world shook violently as the hole widened even further.
Lin Moyu cried out in pain.
The once stable soul world was becoming increasingly unstable.
As it continued to suffer damage, his soul main body suffered alongside it.
He could clearly feel that his soul had been severely wounded.
Still gritting his teeth, Lin Moyu forced out a single word, "Continue!"
Since he had already committed to this path, there was no turning back now.
Even Antares was shaken by Lin Moyu's ruthlessness.
When Lin Moyu truly pushed himself to the brink, even Antares couldn't help but feel a hint of dread.
The Eyes of Extinction attacked again, blasting the soul imprint.
The imprint left behind by the Star Tree was extraordinarily powerful.
It had fused almost completely with Lin Moyu's soul world, making the two nearly inseparable.
Destroying it inevitably meant damaging the soul world as well.
"Continue!"
"Continue!"
"Continue!"
Under Lin Moyu's relentless urging, Antares launched strike after strike.
At last, the soul imprint was completely erased.
But the price was devastating.
Lin Moyu's soul world was riddled with holes.
The once flawless glazed barrier now resembled a tattered lantern leaking wind, threatening to collapse at any moment.
Next came the final step—activating Lin Moyu's talent to restore his soul.
Antares had long mastered this process.
With Transcendent God 5th tier power and soul tracking, a single strike was enough to trigger Lin Moyu's talent.
The talent tree within his soul world erupted with dazzling brilliance.
Purple light flooded every corner as the soul world rapidly regenerated, restoring his soul to perfect condition.
"It really worked..."
Before Lin Moyu could celebrate, his expression froze.
The soul imprint had returned.
As his soul world recovered, the soul imprint was restored alongside it.
The excitement that had just begun to rise instantly vanished.
Lin Moyu could only smile bitterly.
His talent was simply too strong—so overwhelmingly potent that it bordered on the absurd.
Yet that very strength had become a liability, restoring even the hostile soul imprint.
"This is going to be troublesome."
At present, he remained safely inside the small world, protected by the rules of the greater world and a spatial barrier that prevented the Star Tree from entering.
But the moment he stepped into the greater world, the Star Tree would come for him immediately.
If its true objective was the law of time, it would never give up.
The temptation of such a supreme law was simply too great.
Yet hiding inside the small world forever wasn't an option.
If he never left, the Transcendent God realm would become the limit of his cultivation.
Lin Moyu could never accept that.
Antares suddenly frowned, "Something isn't right."
Lin Moyu looked over, puzzled, "What is it?"
"The soul imprint seems weaker... but its connection to your soul world has actually become stronger."
"Hmm?" Lin Moyu carefully examined it himself.
Sure enough, the soul imprint had weakened by roughly ten percent.
Yet at the same time, its bond with his soul world had grown noticeably tighter.
A moment later, Antares spoke again, "No... wait. Your soul world itself has actually become stronger."
Lin Moyu had sensed the same thing.
As he connected the clues, realization dawned on him.
Antares suddenly burst into laughter, "I get it! I finally understand!"
"When your talent restores your soul, it absorbs a portion of the foreign soul's power and assimilates it into your own soul world!”
Lin Moyu nodded. His own conclusion was exactly the same.
"Then all I have to do is die a few more times."
"Each resurrection will weaken the soul imprint further. Eventually, all of its power will be absorbed, and the soul imprint will collapse."
Antares laughed loudly.
"Not only will the soul imprint vanish, it'll become nourishment for your soul. Your soul will grow even stronger, bringing you one step closer to a 4th grade soul."
"The Star Tree would never have imagined it would lose on both fronts—handing you a free power-up while getting nothing in return."
Lin Moyu rolled his eyes, "Enough nonsense. Get to work."
Antares grinned wickedly, eager to resume what had become his favorite pastime.
"Brat, prepare to die!"
With an exaggerated roar, Eyes of Extinction appeared once more and unleashed another merciless barrage upon Lin Moyu's soul world.