Museum of Deadly Beasts Chapter 785 - Yan Shenjun’s Death
Previously on Museum of Deadly Beasts...
Lin Jin, too, was gripped by fear.
This particular tactic carried immense danger, yet if it succeeded, the results would be swift, ensuring Yan Shenjun's demise.
Yan Shenjun absolutely had to perish.
And the sooner, the better, for every moment they delayed only allowed Yan Shenjun's fusion with the saint's body to solidify. Once that balance was irrevocably established, destroying it would become an insurmountable task.
At that juncture, Lin Jin would be at a loss for any further means to defeat Yan Shenjun. The latter would then become the second living entity to pose a threat on par with the immortal devouring beast.
Lin Jin refused to let such a scenario unfold, especially given the unforgivable animosity he harbored towards Yan Shenjun. He would not grant his adversary the chance to escalate their power further.
His resolve was firm: Yan Shenjun must be eliminated, and it had to be today.
Even if it meant embracing considerable peril. This far outweighed the alternative of allowing Yan Shenjun to amass greater strength and ultimately overwhelm them all.
Lin Jin's gaze remained locked onto Yan Shenjun as he soared through the air. Yan Shenjun's physique had swollen to twice its original size, his appearance now barely resembling a human. He moved with monstrous speed, engaged in a fierce battle with Xiao Huo.
Xiao Huo, already at Rank 8 and surpassing the might of typical unfettered immortals, served only to underscore Yan Shenjun's current formidable state.
Yan Shenjun registered Lin Jin's approach instantly.
“Lin Jin, you dare approach! You are merely inviting your own death!” Yan Shenjun bellowed with savage laughter, abruptly shifting his assault towards Lin Jin. Lin Jin remained silent, a pat to the Four Ocean Gourd releasing a torrent of spirit water that enveloped Yan Shenjun. The moment Yan Shenjun closed in, the spirit water struck him.
Though the spirit water appeared unremarkable, its impact carried the force of a crashing mountain. Yan Shenjun was repelled slightly, granting Xiao Huo the crucial opening to intervene and restrain him.
Lin Jin found himself drenched in sweat.
That was an incredibly narrow escape.
It dawned on Lin Jin that if he entered a certain proximity to Yan Shenjun, he would be utterly outmatched.
Consequently, his prior strategy of drawing near to strike with the Visitation Hall's aperture open was rendered unfeasible.
For, before any attack could be launched, he would have met his end at Yan Shenjun's hands. The sheer power Yan Shenjun now possessed instilled a significant hesitation in Lin Jin.
Yet, in a situation where the arrow was already nocked and drawn, hesitation was a luxury Lin Jin could not afford.
Yan Shenjun seized a colossal tree, wrenched it from the earth, and hurled it with immense force towards Lin Jin.
The tree, measuring over a hundred meters in length, streaked through the air with terrifying velocity, reaching Lin Jin in an instant. Reacting quickly, Lin Jin unleashed a flurry of over a dozen Sword Energies with his Clear Wind Sword, cleaving the massive tree into fragments. Sawdust billowed, showering Lin Jin.
Just as he regained his bearings, Yan Shenjun lashed out with his serpentine tail, obliterating several large boulders obstructing his path. Lin Jin felt a profound sense of helplessness, compelled only to evade. Then, a realization struck him.
Yan Shenjun's ferocity was escalating.
And this was a worrying omen. Lin Jin had naively believed he could breathe easier once Xiao Huo ascended to Rank 8. However, it now seemed his optimism was misplaced.
Minute rivulets of blood began to seep from Lin Jin's body.
It was the blood ghost manifesting.
Lin Jin was pushed to the brink, forced to deploy his ultimate abilities lest he forfeit his life.
The blood coalesced in Lin Jin's hand, forming a spear ten feet in length. Within its shimmering head, spirit-devouring ghost worms writhed.
Lin Jin had no recourse but to test whether this potent weapon would prove effective against Yan Shenjun.
‘Go!’
With a mental command, Lin Jin launched the blood spear. Like a projectile from a cannon, the spear blazed a crimson path before embedding itself deep within Yan Shenjun's chest.
The ghost worms within the spearhead immediately commenced their assault, gnawing at Yan Shenjun. A single ghost worm would typically suffice against an ordinary immortal, and even profound immortals were not immune. Yet, now, after the spearhead disintegrated, over a hundred ghost worms swarmed Yan Shenjun, their relentless biting a ghastly spectacle. While an average immortal would have succumbed, Yan Shenjun only cried out in pain, sustaining injuries that were, in the grand scheme, superficial.
Lin Jin observed that the ghost worms were incapable of penetrating Yan Shenjun's scale-armored hide. The blood spear, condensed by a Rank 7 blood ghost, succeeded only in dislodging a single scale, inflicting a wound so minuscule it was negligible to Yan Shenjun.
The ghost worms proved equally ineffective.
The moment a portion of the ghost worms burrowed into Yan Shenjun's body, Lin Jin instantly lost all sensory connection to them. This confirmed the failure of his strategy.
Yan Shenjun sneered. “Lin Jin, you pilfered my ghost worms, believing they would turn against me? What utter foolishness! Do not forget, I am their originator. My understanding of these creatures far surpasses yours.”
“That might not really be the case,” Lin Jin retorted, though his voice lacked its earlier conviction. He drew forth more blood, meticulously shaping it into a formidable claw. With another mental push, the claw lunged towards Yan Shenjun. Yan Shenjun projected a formidable saint’s aura, forcefully repelling Xiao Huo. His aura and might were seemingly unassailable, and Yan Shenjun let out a smug laugh. “Lin Jin, it’s futile no matter what stratagem you employ. I shall end you today!” The assembled immortals observed with grave expressions from a distance. “Yan Shenjun has attained a level of power sufficient to overpower Lin Jin’s formidable beast companion.” “This is dire indeed!” Even Tianzun wore a somber look. He perceived that Yan Shenjun was leveraging his confrontation with Xiao Huo as a means to accelerate his assimilation with the saint’s body. This development was entirely unforeseen. Furthermore, Tianzun gleaned that Yan Shenjun was simultaneously employing the battle with Xiao Huo to refine his own physical form. “This Yan Shenjun is indeed a wily individual. Despite his outward demeanor of clumsiness and arrogance, he is, in reality, highly calculating. He intends to harness the fire wolf’s flames to meticulously refine the saint’s body. This is a perilous situation,” Tianzun communicated to Lin Jin via telepathy upon making this crucial discovery. Lin Jin uttered a silent curse upon learning this. However, what recourse did they possess even with this newfound knowledge? Xiao Huo was compelled to engage Yan Shenjun. If Lin Jin were to recall him, who then would stand against Yan Shenjun? Lin Jin currently possessed no other offensive capabilities. Despite understanding that Yan Shenjun was employing Xiao Huo’s flames to refine his body and elevate his cultivation, Lin Jin was truly left with no viable alternatives. He also understood the critical need to conclude this encounter swiftly. With the blood ghost enveloping him and utilizing the spiritual water from the Four Ocean Gourd for an additional layer of bodily protection, Lin Jin charged forward. The blood claw had been annihilated by Yan Shenjun. Witnessing Lin Jin’s apparent helplessness despite deploying his full arsenal, Yan Shenjun erupted into hearty laughter, filled with satisfaction. Yan Shenjun now held the distinct advantage. He had been utilizing Xiao Huo’s flames for his bodily refinement all along, but alas, they had discovered his scheme far too late. Yan Shenjun could now access twenty percent of the saint’s true strength, a significant boost that would undoubtedly ensure his triumph in this confrontation. Under these circumstances, his previous sense of urgency had vanished. He desired to prolong the engagement, to savor the pleasure of the hunt. Noticing Lin Jin’s determined advance, Yan Shenjun smirked and vanished in a blur of motion, seizing Lin Jin within moments. The protective barrier of blood and spiritual water proved insufficient against Yan Shenjun’s onslaught, its integrity beginning to fracture. Blood started to seep from Lin Jin’s form, inflicting excruciating agony. “Let’s observe your capabilities now, Lin Jin!” Yan Shenjun surmised that with a mere slight increase in pressure, he could obliterate Lin Jin as easily as crushing an insignificant ant. Despite his face contorting in pain, Lin Jin managed to speak, “Yan Shenjun, permit me to offer you a piece of advice.” “And what advice might that be?” Yan Shenjun inquired, a smirk playing on his lips. “Evil-doers perish from excessive chatter!” Lin Jin declared, enunciating each word with deliberate emphasis. Before he could complete his statement, a portal abruptly materialized behind him, from which a potent aura surged forth, accompanied by a wave of immense power that propelled Lin Jin free from Yan Shenjun’s crushing grip. A blood claw then materialized, raking forwards. Lin Jin’s counter-offensive was executed with such startling rapidity that Yan Shenjun was given no opportunity to react. He felt an icy sensation spread across his chest. “I shall slay you!” Yan Shenjun lashed out with a claw, intending to dismember Lin Jin, but Lin Jin had already retreated through the portal behind him following that decisive strike. Yan Shenjun’s retaliatory blow missed its mark. He glanced downwards, discovering a gaping wound in his chest, brutally mangled and saturated with blood. His very heart had been violently extracted. Yan Shenjun recoiled in terror. His strength began to ebb rapidly, akin to a deflating balloon. In addition to the searing pain, the serpentine portion of his body started to grotesquely separate from his torso. His skin itself commenced to decay. What instilled even greater dread was the sight of the half-snake’s maw widening, poised to engulf Yan Shenjun’s remaining form. Mere moments later, Yan Shenjun was completely consumed by the horrifying, serpentine entity.