Douluo Dalu: I have a Soul Beast Clone

As Li Chang'an attempted to connect with these omnipresent "threads" using his mind, his spiritual power began to deplete at an alarming rate.

At the same time—

Scenes from the past flooded his mind.

He saw the entire life history of the thousand-year-old soul beast before him in an instant.

It had lived for 163 years. Thanks to its decent bloodline and the occasional consumption of plants that enhanced its cultivation, it managed to become a thousand-year-old soul beast in under 200 years.

At this moment, Li Chang'an finally understood.

The "threads" he saw were actually a tangible manifestation of fate itself—an invisible yet omnipresent force, projected into his perception.

Essentially, these threads were merely a product of his imagination. He instinctively perceived fate in this form because, deep down, he believed all beings were like puppets on invisible strings, controlled by fate.

If someone else possessed this ability, they might see fate in a completely different way.

Destiny Threads.

That was the name Li Chang'an decided to give them.

"My eyes can actually see fate!"

"Is this really an ability of the Nine Infants bloodline?"

"Or is it because my bloodline originates from another world, and upon coming to this one, it reacted with the local rules, causing some kind of beneficial mutation?"

"In the original work, the sacred beasts possessed the power of fate and could even influence the fortune of the soul beast race. Could it be that after awakening my bloodline, the world automatically recognizes me as a sacred beast?"

Countless hypotheses surged through his mind, but without concrete evidence, he couldn't determine which was true.

"Forget it."

He shook his head, deciding not to dwell on the origins of his eyes' ability.

As long as it was useful, who cared where it came from?

"If I can see the past, then… can I see the future?"

Fixing his gaze on a ten-year-old soul beast, Li Chang'an pushed his spiritual power to its limits.

Instantly, a series of images flooded his mind—

This soul beast would be devoured by a Man-Faced Demon Spider!

And the time of its death—just six minutes from now.

After absorbing this information, Li Chang'an froze for a moment.

"I can actually see another being's future?"

That raised a crucial question—

Was the future set in stone, or could it be changed?

He decided to run an experiment.

—

A few minutes later.

A strange sound filled the air.

A rustling noise, reminiscent of someone changing clothes, or perhaps the friction of leaves rubbing together.

The animals resting nearby, drinking water, suddenly tensed.

As if sensing imminent danger, they bolted in all directions without hesitation.

The unseen predator, realizing it had been exposed, wasted no time—

A dark shadow shot forth!

A massive spider leapt into view, its body spanning over 1.5 meters in diameter, with eight spear-like legs extending over three meters each.

Its entire body was covered in glossy black armor, reflecting an eerie light.

Its thin, sharp legs silently pierced the ground with every step, showcasing their lethal sharpness.

Most disturbingly, the lower part of its abdomen bore eerie white patterns, forming a terrifying human face.

Li Chang'an instantly recognized it—

A Man-Faced Demon Spider!

A nightmare among small-sized soul beasts.

At this moment, the spider's eight legs moved in a blur, creating afterimages as it lunged at the strongest soul beast present—a thousand-year-old deer soul beast.

Two of its forelegs rose high, then stabbed downward with terrifying force!

But the deer wasn't defenseless.

Realizing it couldn't escape, its survival instincts exploded forth.

A glowing armor-like radiance enveloped its body as it lowered its razor-sharp antlers and charged with all its might!

Unfortunately, the difference in strength was simply too vast.

The Man-Faced Demon Spider was close to two thousand years old—far stronger than the deer.

Its superior bloodline only widened the gap.

Just as the deer lunged, the spider released a pre-prepared silk attack.

Unlike ordinary spiders that spin webs from their silk, the Man-Faced Demon Spider spits its web.

Not only was this web highly adhesive, but it was also incredibly tough and laced with a terrifying neurotoxin.

In an instant, the web wrapped around the deer like a net, causing it to lose balance and collapse to the ground.

By now, the other soul beasts had already fled in a panic.

Only three remained in the area—

The Man-Faced Demon Spider, the trapped thousand-year-old deer, and a certain nine-headed serpent lurking in the shadows.

The spider took its time, its eight legs moving leisurely as it approached its helpless prey.

The deer, now struggling weakly, found its body slowly going numb—the neurotoxin from the web was invading its system.

Its fate was all but sealed.

Or so it seemed.

Because today, it was lucky.

It had encountered someone who wanted to test his powers.

BOOM!!!

A suffocating force descended from above—

A pressure so immense it felt like the very heavens were collapsing.

The approaching Man-Faced Demon Spider suddenly froze in place.

Even the deer, trapped on the web, stopped moving entirely.

Time itself seemed to come to a halt.

The only signs of movement were the ripples on the lake and the rustling leaves swaying in the gentle breeze.

Then—

From the darkness, Li Chang'an revealed his presence.

That terrifying aura of an otherworldly beast, held back until now, exploded forth without restraint.

A higher life form suppressing a lower life form—

An absolute, undeniable dominance.

A massive figure emerged from the shadows—

A colossal serpent, its thick body undulating as it slithered into view.

Nine heads surveyed the two petrified creatures before locking onto the thousand-year-old deer.

One of the serpent heads opened its mouth—

A small burst of flame shot forth.

It landed on the web restraining the deer.

FWOOSH!

The fire spread instantly, consuming the web in mere moments.

And yet, despite being freed, the deer remained motionless—

Eyes shut, as if it had already resigned itself to death.

Li Chang'an assumed the deer was still paralyzed by the neurotoxin, so he decided to help it further.

The same head that had spewed fire now opened again—

But this time, it spat a stream of water.

A cleansing, purifying water, imbued with detoxifying properties.

It drenched the deer completely.

This was one of his abilities—

A natural extension of his newfound power over water and fire.

Of course, if he wished, he could also produce a deadly toxic water instead.

To save or to kill—

It was all at his discretion.

(End of Chapter)