"But before that, I should finish the other matters at hand!"
A crystal ball materialized in Leilin's hand. Inside it, a small, pure white serpent with crimson eyes continuously writhed and coiled.
What was bound within was none other than Belinda's father — Kende, a fifth-rank pure-blooded White Devil noble — his Beast Soul! If Belinda were ever to find out, it would certainly spell enormous trouble, but Leilin could no longer concern himself with her.
Besides, he had considerable confidence in his own concealment techniques.
At this point, however, the hatred and stubbornness in the Beast Soul's eyes had long since vanished. All that remained was a blank, dazed haze.
Seeing this, Leilin was quite satisfied.
【Ding! Target inspection complete. Hostile intent within the subconscious has been fully neutralized!】 The Chip's mechanical prompt sounded at that moment.
"Good. It wasn't in vain that I spent nearly an entire month finally taming every last shred of hidden resistance!"
Leilin pressed his finger against the crystal ball, releasing the white serpent from its bindings. The little snake coiled and slithered between his fingers, and a faint sense of dependency even seemed to radiate from it. A month ago, such a thing would have been utterly inconceivable.
"At this level, even if my Soul Sealing Array is rather crude, I should have at least a fifty percent chance of success!"
A smile tugged at the corner of Leilin's mouth. "Perfect. I'll complete the sealing tonight!"
The power system of the Purgatory World held considerable appeal for Leilin as well, and over this period he had more or less mapped out every avenue of power available here.
In the Purgatory World, aside from the innate talents of each race, there were only two mainstream and widely accepted systems of power: the Path of the Priest and the Path of the Beast Soul!
The Path of the Priest depended entirely on the Supreme One. If you earned the Supreme One's favor, even without sufficient devotion or adequate offerings, you could still receive greater power descending upon you and advance to higher priestly ranks. The price, however, was that every inch of your body would be branded with that power, and the path to the seventh-rank Realm of Law would be permanently closed off. Of course, for those fanatics, this manner of "dwelling with the divine" might well satisfy the deepest yearnings of their hearts even more.
The Path of the Beast Soul was far more primitive — a route of hunting great beasts, refining their souls, and sealing them within oneself to command in battle.
Though it sounded simple enough, each Beast Soul sealing was an enormous trial for the Beast Soul Master's own spiritual foundation and mental fortitude. Failed sealings where the Beast Soul devoured its would-be master were practically commonplace across the Purgatory World.
The higher the rank of a Beast Soul, the more terrifying the resistance it harbored, even containing hatred rooted deep within the soul itself — lethal threats for any Beast Soul Master.
Of course, once a Beast Soul of a given rank was successfully sealed, the Beast Soul Master would automatically ascend to that tier.
After sealing a Beast Soul, the Master could not only command it in combat but also enjoy the spiritual augmentation it provided — benefits were plentiful.
It was precisely this incentive that drove so many Beast Soul Masters to risk life and limb in pursuit of high-rank Beast Souls, striving to seal them, even though the likelihood of failure was far greater.
Leilin's understanding of the Path of the Beast Soul had already reached considerable depth, but given the rarity of Beast Souls, he currently possessed only a single one — a Gudorik Beast Soul, still immature and at the third rank. Thus, his own Beast Soul Master level was likewise only third rank!
But that was no matter. In the Battle of White River Beach Valley, Leilin had slaughtered Belinda's family, and in particular had extracted Kende's soul, refining it directly into a Beast Soul.
A fifth-rank Devil White Phosphorus Serpent's Beast Soul — even across the entirety of the Purgatory World, such a thing was extraordinarily rare.
Even on the Serpent Plains, fifth-rank giant serpents were few and far between. Leilin and his group had never encountered one, and they typically existed in族群 — provoke one and you provoked an entire species.
Moreover, in Leilin's estimation, those giant serpents were not as exceptional as the Devil White Phosphorus Serpent.
"Whether it's for using bloodline imprints or for concealing my identity afterward, this Beast Soul will be of the greatest help to me!"
Leilin gazed at the small serpent in his hand. At that moment, a scarlet tongue flicked from its mouth, continuously licking at his fingertips.
He had collected a great deal of Devil White Phosphorus Serpent bloodline material and was even experimenting with refining bloodline imprints — to obtain a key for freely entering and exiting the Dream World.
If he personally possessed a Devil White Phosphorus Serpent Beast Soul, the benefits would be obvious whether for refining bloodline imprints, for using them, or even for future exploration of the Dream World. Leilin had always preferred to prepare for every contingency, and if his earlier plans fell through, the power of the Dream World would serve as his trump card — which was why exploration of the Dream World had always been a key focus of his research.
Beyond that, for Leilin who was about to infiltrate the Holy City, carrying an additional Devil White Phosphorus Serpent Beast Soul would provide yet another layer of insurance.
Though he already had the bloodline trace on the Dreamless Mask and the chaotic power of the Filth Bird to conceal himself, Leilin had no objection to adding one more safeguard.