Chapter 86: The Cancer Gold Cloth, the Empty Underworld
"Th-That… actually worked!"
Mo Xuan swallowed hard, his eyes filled with terror as he stared at Lin Beiya floating in mid-air. The shock surging through his heart was indescribable.
Yue Guan, on the other hand, quietly gave Lin Beiya a subtle thumbs-up.
Letting out a long breath, Lin Beiya slowly withdrew the Cosmo burning through his body. After landing, he sat down cross-legged and began adjusting his breathing.
Seeing this, Yue Guan and Mo Xuan did not step forward to disturb him. Instead, they remained alert, warily scanning their surroundings in case any soul beasts without eyes came to cause trouble.
After meditating for several dozen minutes, Lin Beiya finally stabilized his condition. He once again summoned the Athena Statue and began using his soul power to pull the soul ring toward himself.
The sight instantly made both Mo Xuan and Yue Guan tense up.
"This kid… every time he absorbs a soul ring, he scares people half to death."
Fortunately, Lin Beiya's estimation wasn't wrong. His current physical limit could endure close to 15,000 years, which was why he had given the relatively conservative range of around 13,000 years when searching for a suitable soul beast.
And this Giant Pincer Overlord Crab, with cultivation barely reaching 12,000 years, simply couldn't stir up any waves.
The massive crab appearing within his spiritual sea had barely emerged before it was swallowed whole by the star-filled galaxy, becoming nourishment for his Cosmo and further strengthening his nebula.
A torrent of soul power surged through him, continuously strengthening his meridians and physique.
Throughout the process, aside from a slight frown caused by the swelling of his meridians, Lin Beiya didn't show even a trace of pain.
Watching the entire scene, Mo Xuan could only curse inwardly, "Monster."
'No wonder he's the Pope's disciple… By all expectations, Lord Lin must be the next Holy Son, right?'
'Mm. After the Soul Master Tournament, it should be officially decided.'
Mo Xuan nodded, immediately understanding.
In his view, Lin Beiya's strength fully matched the position of Holy Son—if not exceeded it.
But being Holy Son required more than talent; reputation was also necessary to convince the masses. Winning the Soul Master Tournament was undoubtedly the best opportunity to make his name known across the continent.
Mo Xuan silently resolved that he must build a good relationship with this future Holy Son. It concerned his own future prospects.
When they arrived on this island, it was already afternoon. So when Lin Beiya finished absorbing the soul ring and opened his eyes, what he saw was a night sky filled with stars and a bright full moon.
"It's already late at night?"
The quiet night couldn't hide the excitement in Lin Beiya's eyes; the fourth set of gold cloth and an all-around strengthening had quietly arrived.
Seeing that he had succeeded, Yue Guan and Mo Xuan immediately stood and gathered around him.
"Finished? This time was much easier than two years ago."
"Ah. This time it was a ten-thousand-year soul ring, but it's still far from my limit. I didn't have to exert myself too much."
"Thank you, Uncle Ju, and you as well, Hall Master Mo, for guarding me."
Lin Beiya smiled and expressed his gratitude. Yue Guan accepted it with satisfaction, while Mo Xuan shook his head repeatedly, becoming even more respectful.
"Lord Lin, there's no need for such words. This is what I should do."
"All right, all right, enough with the politeness. Little Beiya, hurry and let this old man see your new Gold Cloth."
Yue Guan impatiently cut the two of them off. Lin Beiya could only nod helplessly before withdrawing the Athena Statue.
One yellow, two purple, one black—four soul rings rose in sequence, and the newly obtained ten-thousand-year soul ring lit up.
Several stars in the sky connected, forming the outline of a massive crab. A dim column of light descended, landing upon the ground and transforming into a dark-gold crab.
This made Yue Guan narrow his eyes slightly. He sensed no sacred aura from the crab—or rather, the sacred aura was extremely weak. Instead, it felt strangely similar to the aura of his best friend.
It was completely different from the feeling the previous three Gold Cloths gave.
Lin Beiya did not bother to explain. He directly summoned the Cancer Gold Cloth. The dark-gold crab instantly disassembled in mid-air and, within a second, attached itself onto his body.
The Gold Cloth took on the appearance of a crab covered in sharp spikes. The helmet resembled eight crab-leg appendages, and the chestplate bore a design resembling a crab's belly. The entire set radiated a heavy, armored feeling.
"Fourth Soul Skill—Cancer Gold Cloth."
"Cancer? No wonder you traveled from one end of the continent to the other just to catch a crab."
Ignoring the aura issue, Yue Guan was more curious about its strength.
"Little Beiya, quickly test its soul skills. This old man can't wait!"
Mo Xuan didn't dare interrupt, but he stared at Lin Beiya without blinking, clearly just as curious.
Lin Beiya didn't intend to hide anything. Light-blue arcs sparked across his right arm, and as he pointed at the two men, cold, wet light wrapped around Yue Guan and Mo Xuan.
"Praesepe Underworld Waves!"
Before their horrified eyes, their soul bodies slowly drifted out of their physical forms. Their bodies immediately collapsed unconscious onto the ground.
Lin Beiya, still in his physical body, stepped beside their soul bodies. With a light tap of his left hand upon the air, a swirling green vortex appeared before them.
Grabbing their shoulders, Lin Beiya stepped into the vortex.
"Th-This… where is this?"
Mo Xuan's voice trembled as he looked around in terror.
Desolation stretched in all directions—scattered rocks, uneven mounds, eerie silence, and faint, ghostly green flames flickering across the barren landscape. The atmosphere was chilling beyond belief.
"Little Beiya?"
As a Titled Douluo, Yue Guan's mental fortitude far surpassed Mo Xuan's. Though uncomfortable, he still forced himself to remain calm and turned to Lin Beiya.
"Yomotsu Hirasaka. You can think of it as the entrance to the Underworld—the resting place for the dead."
"Dead…? Are we dead!?"
The word "Underworld" made Mo Xuan's fear intensify. How could he have suddenly died just like that!?
"No. We merely arrived in the Underworld in soul form."
"In this place, the Cancer Gold Cloth reigns supreme. Whether banishing the enemy while returning oneself to the original world, or shattering the opponent's soul entirely—it can do both."
Yue Guan and Mo Xuan swallowed hard. Ordinary people naturally feared death and spirits, and the idea that Cancer Cloth could manipulate both so casually was truly terrifying.
"Let's go back. This old man doesn't like the aura of this place."
"Alright."
Lin Beiya nodded. Before leaving, he glanced toward a distant abyss. Strangely, he saw no souls lining up to enter the Underworld.
In other words, Yomotsu Hirasaka did not accept souls from the Douluo Continent.
But that had little to do with him for now. The skill testing was complete—time to return.
With another tap, a green vortex appeared, and the three returned to the island.
When their souls reentered their bodies, both Yue Guan and Mo Xuan breathed a sigh of relief. The sensation of drifting helplessly like rootless duckweed was far too uncomfortable.
"Looks like we definitely can't let that beam hit us in the future… or we won't even know how we died."
"Yes, yes…"
Lin Beiya chuckled. Yue Guan wasn't wrong—without a Cosmo, people couldn't control their soul bodies at all. If banished for too long, the physical body would naturally die. At the moment, this truly was an unavoidable technique.
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End of Chapter