"So this is Changmao’s inner world?" Shen Haoran murmured, surveying the pitch-black space around him. ’So cold and negative. It truly lives up to the name of a Fierce Beast.’

ROAR!

Just as Shen Haoran was surveying the space, a world-shaking roar erupted from the depths. At the sound of the roar, the cold, gloomy space began to tremble. The black vortexes spun furiously, as if welcoming their master. A burst of Devouring Power erupted from them, not even sparing the Fire Spirit Black Obsidian on Shen Haoran’s body.

Shen Haoran’s expression turned grave. An incredibly cold and violent aura emanated from the depths of the space. Under its pressure, he felt like a tiny boat on a storm-tossed sea, in danger of capsizing at any moment.

ROAR!

Another massive roar echoed, much closer this time. Shen Haoran quickly looked up, but his pupils constricted at the sight before him.

Two crimson eyes, the size of lanterns, had abruptly appeared before him. They grew larger and larger as they drew near, and when they were finally upon him, Shen Haoran could see the monster they belonged to.

It was a truly colossal monster. Standing before its massive head, Shen Haoran was as insignificant as a pebble next to a boulder, to say nothing of the creature’s immense body. Faint black mist coiled around the dark monster’s form, where small, black-hole-like vortexes flickered in and out of existence. Its terrifying Devouring Power seemed capable of swallowing the heavens and the earth. The sight of its green tusks jutting from its mouth and its savage, ferocious face was simply overwhelming.

’So this is Changmao’s true form, the Taotie?’ Shen Haoran murmured. Only now did he realize that the giant beast Changmao usually manifested was mere child’s play. This thing before him was the real monster; Changmao’s form wasn’t even a tenth of its size!

ROAR!

Staring down at the sesame-seed-sized Shen Haoran, the Taotie Giant Beast let out an angry roar. A powerful shockwave, like a cannonball, slammed into Shen Haoran. He was sent flying backward, his feet carving trenches in the ground for dozens of meters before he finally skidded to a halt.

’So strong!’ Shen Haoran’s brow furrowed. The might of this Taotie Beast Soul was far beyond his imagination. ’A mere blast of Powerful Qi can force me back like this. I can’t even begin to imagine how strong it would be in a real fight!’

’Looks like a head-on fight is out of the question,’ Shen Haoran mused. The Taotie Beast Soul was so powerful that he wasn’t certain he could succeed in its Refinement even if he risked his life. ’But if I can’t attack, I’ll defend. Once the Taotie Beast Soul has exhausted its strength, taking it down will be a simple matter. After all, this is my Sea of Consciousness. I have the home-field advantage!’

"Hey, you overgrown house cat, is that all you’ve got? If this is the extent of your power, then you might as well lie down and let me begin the Refinement!" Having decided to play defense, Shen Haoran shouted at the Taotie Beast Soul. He had to provoke it and make it lose all reason to achieve his goal.

Perhaps it was enraged by Shen Haoran’s taunt, or perhaps the Taotie Beast Soul was simply innately savage and wished to expel any intruder from its domain. Whatever the reason, it let out a furious roar and began charging toward Shen Haoran.

Despite its massive body, the Taotie Beast Soul was not slow at all. As its four hooves thundered against the ground, the entire space began to tremble. In the blink of an eye, it was nearly upon Shen Haoran.

Seeing this, Shen Haoran’s expression grew solemn. He immediately sat cross-legged on the ground. With a single thought, the Sea of Consciousness beneath the crimson Essence Blood began to churn. Countless dragons of Spiritual Thought howled, surging into the Essence Blood to form layer after layer of Barriers before him. Then, the Fire Spirit Black Obsidian within his body flared, blanketing the Barriers in a secondary layer of protection.

BOOM!

The Barriers had only just formed when the Taotie Beast Soul slammed into them. A terrifying force was unleashed, instantly shattering the outer layers. Without pausing for even a moment, the Taotie Beast Soul continued its charge toward Shen Haoran with unstoppable momentum.

However, Shen Haoran showed no signs of panic as the Taotie Beast Soul closed in. His eyes remained shut tight as his Sea of Consciousness churned even more violently. The Spiritual Thought within it surged frantically into the crimson Essence Blood, erecting a massive wall of Spiritual Thought that finally halted the Taotie Beast Soul in its tracks.

ROAR!

Blocked by the sudden appearance of the massive wall of Spiritual Thought, the Taotie Beast Soul roared in fury. It glared at Shen Haoran behind the barrier and charged again with all its might. The terrifying force caused the wall to tremble violently, but it merely rippled for a moment before growing calm again. The incredible power the Taotie Beast Soul had unleashed vanished without a trace, like a stone sinking into the ocean.

The Taotie Beast Soul froze, seemingly stunned by the impact. But when it saw Shen Haoran still perfectly unharmed behind the wall, rage boiled within it. Its eyes turned an even deeper shade of crimson, and with a great snort of air from its nostrils, it roared and charged once more.

BOOM!

There was another thunderous crash, but the Taotie Beast Soul still couldn’t break through the wall of Spiritual Thought. This time, it finally lost all reason and began ramming the wall again and again in a frenzy. But no matter how hard it tried, it couldn’t break through. Behind the wall, Shen Haoran remained completely unperturbed, like a mountain unmoved by the howling wind. Whenever the wall of Spiritual Thought was on the verge of collapse, Spiritual Thought from his Sea of Consciousness would immediately replenish it. On his home turf, it was a fool’s errand for the Taotie Beast Soul to think it could win a battle of attrition against him.

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

Violent impacts echoed endlessly throughout the dark space. The Taotie Beast Soul grew more and more agitated until its sanity finally snapped completely. It now had only a single, all-consuming thought: smash through this wall and tear the Shen Haoran hiding behind it into a million pieces!

And so, the two fell into a stalemate—one relentlessly attacking, the other staunchly defending. But Shen Haoran knew this impasse would eventually be broken.

Time ticked by, second by second. The sound of impacts in the dark space grew fainter and fainter. Meanwhile, the Spiritual Thought in Shen Haoran’s Sea of Consciousness was also nearly depleted, a testament to the terrifying power behind the Taotie Beast Soul’s assault.

BOOM...

This time, the sound of the Taotie Beast Soul’s attack was barely audible. After one final, listless charge, the utterly exhausted beast collapsed to the ground, no longer possessing the strength to get back up.

’Now, it’s my turn!’ As the Taotie Beast Soul fell, Shen Haoran’s tightly shut eyes snapped open. The crumbling wall of Spiritual Thought dissolved into motes of starlight that flowed back into his body. A powerful aura began to awaken from deep within him...