Chapter 515: This Is A Disaster

Medicine God Shu's face was grim. He swallowed hard, “Serene God, are you certain this isn’t a mistake?”

Meng Anwen’s expression was equally severe. He shook his head, “I don’t think so.”

Their reactions made Lin Moyu realize this was no trivial matter.

He had never even heard of Soul-Devouring Beasts. But if someone as composed as Meng Anwen looked this shaken, the danger had to be real and extreme.

Lin Moyu wasn’t ignorant. He had pored over countless records, including many sealed in the imperial family’s secret archive.

He had uncovered long-buried events lost to time. But there had never been any mention of Soul-Devouring Beasts.

Even Medicine God Shu, whose family possessed deep ancestral knowledge, had only heard of them in vague, scattered references.

Clearly, the truth about these creatures had been deeply buried.

To Lin Moyu’s senses, the creature hadn’t felt powerful, just... unnatural.

It was the first time he had encountered a monster that existed purely as a soul, without a physical body.

It was the complete opposite of the monsters from the Putrid Corpse Land, which had bodies but no souls—neither truly dead nor alive.

This one had a soul, but no body.

“Another ancient secret...”

“This Soul-Devouring Beast is truly bizarre.”

As the thought crossed his mind, a faint breeze—an unmistakable sign of the Detection spell—swept through the air.

In an instant, both Meng Anwen and Medicine God Shu’s expressions changed drastically.

The spell had come from Shu Han, who had been curious about the creature. But the moment it activated, the Soul-Devouring Beast turned, locking eyes with her.

A chill ran through Shu Han’s body, and she froze. The monster had fixed on her.

It let out a sound only souls could hear and suddenly broke free from the Shenxia Tower’s restraints.

In the blink of an eye, it vanished, reappearing as though from another dimension, hurtling toward Shu Han.

Her face went pale. Her body refused to move.

Meng Anwen and Medicine God Shu panicked.

Just before the Soul-Devouring Beast could reach her, fire burst from Lin Moyu’s palm. The creature shrieked in agony.

A heartbeat later, with less than a finger’s width to spare, it burst into flames. Its ghostly form turned into a blazing fireball, then crumbled into ash.

“Weak.” Lin Moyu said calmly.

From the feedback through his spell, he could tell: the Soul-Devouring Beast was extremely weak, likely under level 20.

Soul Blaze was more than enough to destroy it.

As the monster died, the oppressive sensation on Shu Han vanished.

She gasped, stumbled backward, and collapsed to the ground.

Afterward, Meng Anwen and Medicine God Shu were certain—the small, dog-like creature had indeed been a Soul-Devouring Beast.

Meng Anwen spoke in a deep voice, “I can’t believe they still exist.”

“After all this time... who knows how many people they've already spread to.”

Medicine God Shu muttered, face pale. “We must seal off Jiangning Province immediately. No one can be allowed to leave.”

Lin Moyu frowned, “Is it really that serious?”

Meng Anwen nodded gravely, “Yes. It’s extremely serious.”

Medicine God Shu added, “It may be even worse than we fear. This could escalate into a full-blown disaster.”

Their words made Lin Moyu tense.

Shu Han, still visibly shaken, finally spoke, her voice trembling, “Why couldn’t I move just now?”

Meng Anwen explained, “You used Detection on the Soul-Devouring Beast, which created a link between you and it. Your soul was locked on by it, paralyzing you.”

“It also used that link to open a unique soul channel, allowing it to break free from the restraints.”

“If Moyu hadn’t destroyed it with a soul attack, it would’ve possessed you.”

Shu Han’s face turned pale, “What if it had possessed me?”

Medicine God Shu answered grimly, “A number of outcomes are possible. Gao Yang’s half-dead state is one. If it finds a better host, it might kill you and switch bodies. Or if it finds you suitable, it could devour your soul entirely and take over.”

Shu Han gasped, trembling. She had come terrifyingly close to a fate worse than death.

Lin Moyu spoke up, “It felt weak, but it can’t be that fragile. What exactly is it?”

If it truly were that weak, Meng Anwen wouldn’t look so worried, nor would Medicine God Shu describe it with the word disaster.

Meng Anwen replied, “Over a thousand years ago, before the Shenxia Empire was founded, a Soul-Devouring Beast disaster nearly wiped out humanity.”

“Very few records remain. Perhaps the imperial family knows more.”

“The Soul-Devouring Beasts have no physical form. Before finding a host, they’re fragile.”

“But once they possess someone, they become incredibly difficult to eliminate. They hide in the host’s soul, feeding on health, blood, and even the soul itself.”

“The only reason Gao Yang is still alive might be because the Soul-Devouring Beast hasn’t found a more suitable host—or perhaps it sensed that even if it consumed him, it wouldn’t be of much use.”

It was entirely possible. Gao Yang was weak, and his soul wouldn’t offer much.

The soul was a mystery few understood.

Lin Moyu had only come into contact with it through his Soul Blaze skill.

If these creatures hid within the soul, they’d be almost impossible to detect.

“Is there no way to eliminate them?” Lin Moyu asked.

Meng Anwen shook his head, “There must be. I’ll check the imperial archive. Maybe there’s something there.”

The last Soul-Devouring Beast disaster happened before the Shenxia Empire’s founding.

Few public records from that time survived. Meng Anwen only knew fragments; perhaps the imperial family held more.

He pointed toward Gao Yang, and the Shenxia Tower once again released a beam of light.

Gao Yang’s soul floated out and returned to his body.

At that moment, Medicine God Shu poured a potion down Gao Yang’s throat.

The return of the soul and the potion worked in perfect coordination.

Meng Anwen cast another light over Gao Yang.

His health rapidly recovered, and this time no longer weakened. Color returned to his face.

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Lin Moyu exhaled in relief. Gao Yang was out of danger.

As long as the root cause was gone, even major injuries like severed limbs could be healed.

Meng Anwen said, “Old Shu, I’ll leave Gao Yang in your care. I’m heading to the imperial palace.”

Lin Moyu added, “I’ll come with you.”

He was deeply curious about the Soul-Devouring Beasts. What kind of creature could nearly wipe out the human race?

Even a thousand years ago, when humanity was weaker, there were still God-level experts among them.

Shu Han spoke softly, “I’ll go too.”

Medicine God Shu waved his hand, “Go on, all of you. Leave Gao Yang to me. I’ll find someone to treat him.”

Lin Moyu bowed slightly, “Thank you, Senior Medicine God. If there’s ever anything you need, just say the word.”

Medicine God Shu chuckled, “Godly General Lin, no need for such formality. The Venomous Flood Dragon’s Spinal Fluid Han brought me is a treasure beyond value. This is nothing in comparison.”

Meng Anwen formed a hand seal, and the Shenxia Tower immediately enveloped the trio, teleporting them to the imperial palace’s entrance.

His calm yet powerful voice echoed throughout the palace: “I, Meng Anwen, have come to pay a visit. Emperor Dongfang, please come forth.”

Though his tone was neither loud nor forceful, it carried weight—layered and resonant, reaching every corner of the palace. Even those asleep were stirred awake.

Within moments, a figure soared from deep within the palace and landed before them.

“Greetings, Serene God and Godly General Lin.”

“Greetings, Emperor Dongfang.”

“Greetings, Emperor Dongfang.”

After the formalities, Dongfang Yi grew serious. Meng Anwen’s unannounced arrival in the dead of night clearly meant something urgent.

“What brings you here, Serene God? Please, speak.”

Meng Anwen wasted no time and explained the situation regarding the Soul-Devouring Beasts.

Dongfang Yi frowned slightly, “Forgive my ignorance, but I’ve never heard of such creatures.”

Still, given Meng Anwen’s grave expression, this was no trivial matter.

Meng Anwen said bluntly, “I know your imperial family maintains a secret archive. I need access to search for information on the Soul-Devouring Beasts.”

The secret archive he referred to was not the same Lin Moyu had seen before—that merely contained surface-level secrets.

What Meng Anwen sought now were the imperial family’s most classified and hidden records.