What kind of monster is this? Where's its health bar... Bah, this isn't a game; how could it have a health bar? Wang Linchi thought, observing the translucent humanoid figure nearby. It appeared peculiar; from his perspective, its outer layer looked human, but within, it was a large mass of bizarre, jumbled humanoid limbs—hands, feet, eyeballs, and even organs like hearts, livers, spleens, lungs, and kidneys, all melded together.

Nearby, Wang Linchi also spotted a disheveled Ye Tian. Unlike their last encounter, Ye Tian had now stepped into the Transcendent realm, possessing powers from the game.

However, there are also drawbacks, Wang Linchi observed. Because he obtained these powers prematurely, they seem somewhat underdeveloped.

Furthermore, he discovered that Ye Tian had fused with the Fate Devil God, causing their Protagonist's Auras to merge as well. This outcome naturally means Ye Tian won. It makes sense; his Destiny was already slightly greater than the Fate Devil God's, and with the home-field advantage, how could he possibly lose?

Wang Linchi saw Ye Tian, but Ye Tian didn't see him. After the translucent humanoid figure was intimidated by Wang Linchi's presence, Ye Tian fled without hesitation, clearly unable to deal with it.

This thing... it feels like a Soul Kind, a Living Soul Species, Wang Linchi mused, gazing at the nearby figure. My intuition shouldn't be wrong. I've handled hundreds of thousands of Soul Kinds, if not a million; how could I misidentify it?

So, can the Soul Shadow · Book of Records read it? he wondered.

Despite his thoughts, he acted without hesitation. Once Ye Tian had departed, Wang Linchi immediately struck out with Fanciful and Fickle.

Research can wait. First, I need to assess its threat level.

If it's too dangerous, I'll just run. There's no need for a direct confrontation.

The Fanciful and Fickle, charged with one hundred thousand units of spiritual power, struck the translucent shadow. Its form began to ripple, and then numerous humanoid limbs oozed from its surface, falling to the ground with wet PLOPS.

Despite its seemingly small size, it shed more limbs than its body volume would suggest. The sight made Wang Linchi's scalp tingle.

This thing is really challenging my worldview.

Just as he was about to turn and flee, he saw the translucent shadow suddenly collapse, turning into a puddle of water.

Wang Linchi was rather perplexed by this.

It's a shame the Saint Master can't be summoned in the real world due to restrictions. Otherwise, I could have sent him to scout for danger.

After waiting for about ten minutes and seeing no further activity, Wang Linchi cautiously approached to investigate.

First, he probed it using his Thought Field and then attempted to read it with his Book of Soul Resemblance.

And, surprisingly, he actually managed to read something.

[Error-Series Spirit Seed · Shadow of Devourer (Excellent Level)]

What the hell is this? There's even an Error-Series... Wang Linchi couldn't help but grumble. Besides the name, the rest of the information was completely garbled, making it impossible to discern its effects. He felt quite helpless.

The feeling of a Living Soul Species was confirmed, but the problem is, this thing isn't actually a Soul Kind. It's something similar to one.

I can destroy it if it's Excellent Level. But if I encounter Epic, Legend, or Mythological levels, it probably won't be this easy. Those three tiers of Soul Kinds are incredibly resilient, unless... you directly absorb their power as a... supplement?

A sudden thought struck Wang Linchi. If this thing is similar to a Soul Kind, can I absorb it as sustenance? Never mind its origins, I need to focus on achieving the first revolution of my Golden Core.

GULP. Wang Linchi swallowed, an inexplicable surge of appetite making him feel slightly uneasy.

This translucent figure, the Shadow of Devourer, wasn't dead yet. It seemed to possess some kind of immortal ability; in other words, it was clinging to 1 HP.

It's like jelly. Scooping it up will be difficult, Wang Linchi thought, touching it. It had collapsed into a puddle of water, but to his touch, it felt more like a gel. When he tried to lift it, it stretched out considerably.

It's strangely reminiscent of a jellyfish. Wang Linchi glanced around. Seeing no one, he retrieved a large bag from his storage space. Don't ask why I keep something like this; it's for emergencies.

He stuffed the Shadow of Devourer directly into the large bag, then glanced at the massive pile of limbs.

He really couldn't deal with this. He had tried earlier and found that these were all genuine human body parts. Such a huge amount... I haven't heard of any recent serial killings in the area, have I? These human parts were also highly mutated, fused and embedded into each other. If their basic appearance hadn't remained, Wang Linchi wouldn't have recognized what they were.

Can't deal with it. I'll let the Chen Country officials handle it tomorrow. Holding his large bag, Wang Linchi made his escape.

If the Saint Master could be summoned, I wouldn't mind him using the Dragon Talisman to incinerate them—a complete service. But since the Saint Master isn't here, I can only leave it be.

On the way back, Wang Linchi pondered the source of this sudden appetite.

I didn't feel it when I first encountered it. The urge only appeared after I beat it half to death. Wang Linchi sniffed. It smells so good... yet, according to the Thought Mirror's feedback, this thing has no scent.

Wang Linchi carefully compared the before and after, quickly pinpointing when this appetite had emerged. It was only after he had beaten the Shadow of Devourer until it "vomited" out the limbs that he felt the desire to eat it.

In other words, the ingredient must be fresh and free of impurities for me to want to eat it, Wang Linchi reasoned. It's like how you have to clean out the gizzards of chickens and ducks before eating them. So, what's the source of this appetite? Wang Linchi began to investigate further.

First, let's rule out physical causes. Neither the Thought Mirror nor the Thought Field has detected any problems. With my vast spiritual power, my entire body is under my surveillance. If it were my genes or cells transmitting this craving, I would have detected it instantly and taken control. No issues with the soul, mind, spirit, or thought aspects either... These four aspects are interconnected, forming a system of checks and balances. If one develops a problem, the other three would immediately detect the anomaly and sync it to the Thought Mirror, sending me an alert. Then where could it be coming from?

Wang Linchi examined himself thoroughly but found no problems, yet the craving persisted.

Wait a minute... could it be the Book of Records? After another thorough check, Wang Linchi focused his attention on his Soul Resemblance, which he had largely overlooked. To him, this Soul Resemblance was merely a framework for loading various powers, possessing little inherent function. However, upon closer inspection, he was astonished.

Damn it, it really is you! Wang Linchi was shocked. It turned out that his Soul Shadow · Book of Records wanted to eat. Because the Book of Records was part of him, the desire was directly transmitted to him. It was essentially saying: Daddy, I want it!

He felt hungry now because the Book of Records was throwing a tantrum, demanding it.

Now that the source was identified, the rest was much simpler. Wang Linchi promptly "muted" it.

You've only been a rebellious child for a few years, and you dare pull this stunt on me? Wang Linchi grumbled. With his level of self-control, there was no way he would lose control due to his own internal factors. The Book of Records wasn't truly hungry; Wang Linchi had no intention of indulging it. It was, after all, an inanimate object, incapable of distinguishing right from wrong. Give it what it wants just because it asks? What if there's a problem? I should take it back and study it thoroughly before anything else.

「 」

"Phew, I barely escaped with my life again. The real world is getting increasingly bizarre," Ye Tian said, sighing with relief as he sat down after returning home.

However, the Fate Devil God remained silent, apparently deep in thought.

"What are you thinking about?" Ye Tian asked, noticing the Fate Devil God's preoccupation.

'The one who intimidated the Erroneous Sin... I find that person a bit strange,' the Fate Devil God said, his tone grave.

"The world is full of capable individuals. Just as I was favored by the Game System, others could be too." After his great enlightenment, Ye Tian no longer harbored any sense of being uniquely superior.

'That's true,' the Fate Devil God replied. 'But I sense our shared Destiny in that person. I can't be certain, though. Theoretically, anything obtained in the game cannot be brought into reality at this current stage.' Compared to Ye Tian, the Fate Devil God had a stronger ability to perceive Destiny.

"So, you're saying the one who helped us might be Calligraphy Linchi? He lives in this area!" Ye Tian exclaimed in surprise. What an absurd coincidence!

'It's highly possible. However, I don't recommend you try to contact him. The fact that he could intimidate even the Erroneous Sin suggests his origins are anything but ordinary.'

'He possesses rule-level power, at the very least.' The Fate Devil God was actually somewhat bewildered. What kind of messed-up development is this? Wasn't it supposed to be easy to destroy this world? So what's with all these bizarre monsters and powerful individuals emerging out of nowhere?

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