Chapter 656

However, a 99% fusion rate is already extremely strong; one cannot be too greedy.

Looking at the skill's attributes again.

From the rune on the back of his hand transforming into a skill star core, and finally merging into his soul, the skill was bound to undergo some marvelous changes.

First, there is no longer a time limit on its use; as long as there is sufficient soul power, he can maintain the Gather Power state indefinitely.

The attribute limit after using Gather Power is restricted only by the user's overall soul level.

The subtext of this sentence is that it ignores the laws…

Lin Moyu was excited; his soul level had already reached level 91.

If he used the Gather Power skill, could he also reach the level 91 tier, becoming a god in one step…

Oh no, it means one skill allows him to possess true god-level combat power.

There is also one more important change: while in the Gather Power state, killing enemies allows him to harvest their souls, replenishing his own soul consumption while also increasing his soul level…

What is this?

It is completely "nourishing war with war," becoming stronger the more he fights.

"I wonder if I can harvest the souls of enemies killed by my Undead Legion…"

Lin Moyu felt he was being whimsical, but without experimenting, who could know?

"Little one, are you done looking?"

Just as Lin Moyu was lost in his thoughts, an old voice suddenly rang out.

The surroundings were too quiet; there wasn't even wind in the Primordial Secret Realm.

Moreover, there was no one around Lin Moyu. If someone had appeared, his soul would naturally have reacted.

The sudden voice startled Lin Moyu.

Lin Moyu opened his eyes and saw an old man looking at him with a kind smile.

Chapter 630: Source Skill, Nine Character Mantra

Startled, Lin Moyu quickly calmed down and bowed respectfully to the old man, "Greetings, Senior."

The old man had a kind and benevolent face and said repeatedly, "No need for formalities, no need for formalities."

He was being polite, but how could Lin Moyu actually dare to be so casual? He had to maintain proper etiquette.

Lin Moyu knew that an existence capable of appearing before him without a sound, and without even triggering his soul's alertness, must be extraordinary.

The old man seemed very satisfied with Lin Moyu's attitude, "How is it? Are you satisfied with your Source Skill?"

"Senior, are you saying that what I obtained is called a Source Skill?" This was the first time Lin Moyu had heard the term 'Source Skill.'

The old man smiled cryptically, "Why? Is there something wrong with the name of the skill?"

Lin Moyu quickly shook his head, "Nothing wrong with it, it is very fitting."

[Primordial Rune], [Primordial Secret Realm], [Source Skill]—they indeed felt like they were all of the same lineage.

The skill came from the [Primordial Rune], so calling it a Source Skill was indeed very fitting.

The old man said with a smile, "You see that big bird in the sky, right?"

Lin Moyu looked at the behemoth in the sky. It blocked out the sun and sky; what he saw was merely the tip of the iceberg, and he couldn't tell what kind of creature it was at all.

However, since the old man said it was a bird, it must be a bird.

Lin Moyu could only nod, "I see it."

The old man smiled and said, "It is not its true form, just a projection. Its true form is more than ten thousand times larger."

Lin Moyu was startled again; it was already blocking out the sun and sky.

Standing beneath it, he could only see a part of it, and its body length was estimated to be over hundreds of kilometers, no smaller than a city.

If it were ten thousand times larger, wouldn't it be comparable to the sun, moon, and stars?

Could such a colossal creature really exist in the world?

Lin Moyu did not hide his shock. The old man seemed very satisfied with this effect and said with a smile, "It is called a Source Bird, and it carries the Primordial bloodline."

"The Primordial bloodline is a precious treasure, incomparably valuable. Unfortunately, it possessed such a great treasure but was not strong enough and did not know how to utilize it."

"In the end, it was hunted down by an invincible powerhouse who used its blood to refine the Nine Character Mantra."

"Lin, Bing, Dou, Zhe, Jie, Zhen, Lie, Zai, Qian."

The old man said each word one by one, his tone slightly flat.

Yet each word caused an earthquake in Lin Moyu's heart.

So the [Primordial Rune] originated from this.

The old man continued, "Powerhouses from the myriad worlds fought and killed each other over the Nine Character Mantra, staining the galaxy with blood. My master obtained the Nine Character Mantra, created the [Primordial Secret Realm], and transformed the Nine Character Mantra into nine [Primordial Rune]s."

Speaking up to this point, the old man stopped and did not continue.

Lin Moyu knew that he had already said enough; from these few words, too much information had been revealed.

Source Bird, invincible powerhouse, the master of the secret realm…

Combining this with the scene he had seen earlier when entering the pavilion, Lin Moyu guessed whether the old man's master might be the old man riding the green ox.

And whether that old man might be the ancestor of Taoism from the legends of his previous life in China, Laozi, the author of the Tao Te Ching.

Lin Moyu dared not ask; if the other party didn't say it, he couldn't ask.

He understood this principle.

When one's strength is insufficient, the more one knows, the faster one tends to die.

Lin Moyu's thoughts raced, "So the Source Bird was just hunted down like that? Can't monsters respawn after being killed?"

The old man laughed heartily, laughing incomparably happily.

"Right, right, right… monsters can respawn after being hunted…"

Lin Moyu's expression did not change as he analyzed the meaning behind the old man's laughter.

Although the old man looked kind and appeared to be a harmless elderly person.

But such an existence is fickle, and one absolutely cannot judge by appearances.

Lin Moyu was accustomed to being cautious and immediately followed the old man's words, "Then does that mean one can repeatedly hunt the Source Bird and continuously obtain the Nine Character Mantra?"

He acted a bit ignorant, but his heart was clear as a mirror, guessing that once the Source Bird died, it was nine out of ten times impossible for it to respawn.

Otherwise, countless powerhouses wouldn't have stained the galaxy with blood over the Nine Character Mantra.

It was just that he needed to show his ignorance in order to learn things from the old man.

The old man laughed for a long time, looking extremely happy, almost laughing to the point of tears.

After he had his fill of laughter, he finally spoke, "I won't tease you anymore. Little one, your world is constrained by rules, and monsters can indeed respawn after death."

"But the Source Bird is different. There is only one Source Bird; once it dies, it is dead."

"Although the Source Bird cannot respawn, the [Primordial Rune]s formed by the Nine Character Mantra can be infinitely copied and exist in various forms."

"However, wanting to make the [Primordial Rune] reach the level of the true mantra is something that can be hoped for but not attained."

Lin Moyu showed a look of disappointment, "Is there no way at all?"

The old man shook his head, "It's not that there's no way, it's just too difficult. To master just one of the Nine Character Mantra and achieve complete understanding gives one a chance to become an invincible powerhouse; how could that be so easily accomplished?"

"I have studied it for countless years…"

The old man stopped here again, still unable to continue.

Lin Moyu still wore a look of disappointment, as if he hadn't heard the old man's words, "Invincible powerhouse… then Senior, your master obtained all of the Nine Character Mantra, wouldn't that make him super invincible?"

The old man was amused again, "My master's realm is not something you or I can speculate about; my master did not even regard the Nine Character Mantra as anything special."

"But having said that, you are not bad yourself, being able to obtain two [Primordial Rune]s and convert one of them into a Source Skill."

"The rules of your world are truly a bit strange; I wonder which supreme existence created them. It's quite interesting."

Lin Moyu wore a confused expression, as if he didn't quite understand the old man's words.

The old man didn't mind and continued, "The small talk ends here. Let's talk about your second [Primordial Rune]."

Lin Moyu bowed respectfully, "This junior is all ears."

The old man said, "[Primordial Rune]s originate from the Nine Character Mantra. Obtaining one is a great opportunity, and obtaining two is an even greater one."

"But since ancient times, many have obtained [Primordial Rune]s, but those who could ultimately obtain a 'Source Skill' are few and far between."

"You have already obtained one 'Source Skill,' which is already a supreme opportunity. Regarding the second [Primordial Rune]…"

The old man's meaning was very clear; he did not want Lin Moyu to continue.

But he did not say it explicitly.

Lin Moyu had experienced similar Dungeons and secret realms, realizing that perhaps some rules restricted the old man, preventing him from speaking clearly.

However, his meaning had been conveyed quite clearly; only a fool wouldn't understand.

Lin Moyu did understand, but he still pretended not to, even acting a bit eager, "What about the second [Primordial Rune]? Please explain, Senior."

The old man's eyes flickered; he couldn't discern anything from Lin Moyu's expression.

If Lin Moyu were over fifty, he would be certain that Lin Moyu was pretending not to understand.

But Lin Moyu was too young; he could see that Lin Moyu's bone age was not even 22 yet.

Such a young person might really not have understood the meaning of his words.

But he couldn't say it explicitly.

According to the rules of the secret realm, he could only answer Lin Moyu's questions, "If you want to turn the second [Primordial Rune] into a Source Skill, the difficulty will increase exponentially. I suggest…"

Before he could finish, Lin Moyu said eagerly, "My teacher once told me that no matter how difficult the road ahead is, one must try. A true warrior should not fear failure. Even if one dies, losing one's head is just a scar the size of a bowl. Eighteen years later, one will be a hero again."

"And I believe that Senior certainly won't watch me die. According to our human records, no one who has entered the [Primordial Secret Realm] has ever died, or even been injured."

The old man's mouth twitched; Lin Moyu's words actually gave him a feeling of being unable to refute.

Of course, in the [Primordial Secret Realm], people won't be allowed to die, but that's a story for another time.

The old man's eyes flickered slightly, "Have you ever thought that no one has died because only the living have come out? And the truly dead cannot speak to the outside world."

Lin Moyu knew what he meant; wasn't he just trying to tell him that death is possible, it's just that the dead can't speak outside?

But Lin Moyu heard a hint of anxiety in his words.

Obviously, the old man really didn't want him to continue.

This further confirmed his guess that there must be something fishy going on.

He immediately said, "Senior, I have decided; I must try. If I really die, then it is my lack of fate, and my life is not big enough!"

The old man stared at Lin Moyu for a long time without a word.

Lin Moyu looked sincere and full of expectation.

He looked just like a greenhorn who didn't know the dangers of hell and was about to charge right in.

In the end, the old man could only follow the rules of the secret realm, "Since that is the case, then let us begin."

Chapter 631: You Want to Kill Me, But You Have to Be Able to Do It

The old man slowly faded and disappeared before Lin Moyu's eyes.

In the last instant before he disappeared, Lin Moyu saw a flash of murderous intent in the corner of his eyes.

"He wants to kill me!"

Lin Moyu felt a chill in his heart, but he dared not show any reaction, still maintaining his previous sincerity.

He couldn't tell at all whether the old man was still there, so he could only act it out to the end.

The smell of blood, which pierced directly into the soul, rose again, and a drop of blood fell from the air.

This time, Lin Moyu had experience and let the blood drip onto his head.