1966 Dread Shadow Scorpion

A blurry object rose out of the scorpion beast's body having a dark color. This was the Nascent soul of the Scorpion beast which was till intact, as its Dantian had managed survived.

"Shrubby," Lin Mu uttered, causing the oversized feline to clamp its jaws around the Nascent Soul. 

~SKWEE~

The Nascent Soul let out a miserable cry, as it tried to escape, but couldn't do so.

Flames burned in Little Shrubby's mouth, harming the soul as well making it cry even more.

"Wait, don't kill it yet." Xukong's voice was heard

"Stop!" Lin Mu immediately ordered.

"Mm?" Little Shrubby absorbed the flames, but still held onto the Nascent Soul.

"Senior Xukong needs to check something." Lin Mu spoke.

"Oh okay." Little Shrubby replied.

Lin Mu got closer to observe the Nascent Soul better and saw that it looked exactly the same as the beast's body.

"Hmm… There's no doubt, this is a Dread Shadow Scorpion." Xukong spoke.

"A Dread Shadow Scorpion?" Lin Mu didn't know about this.

"What are they?" Lin Mu asked wanting to know more.

"Dread Shadow Scorpions are sneaky beasts that are able to use the Shadow Dao. They can use this to activate their innate ability which allows them to enter the Shadows. This is called as Shadow Sneak and is hard to detect." Xukong answered.

"Enter the shadows? Isn't that a bit similar to my spatial skills?" Lin Mu asked.

"Similar yet, but they still do not enter another dimension. Instead, they are able to turn their bodies into a shadow and merge with the other shadows around the area. This allows them to move around without being noticed and does not leave traces most of the time. 

They are especially dangerous when they manage to enter someone's shadow. If they do, they can hide there for a long time and strike when the target is vulnerable like when they are sleeping." Xukong explained.

Hearing that, Lin Mu couldn't help but be happy that he had decided to take the beast seriously and use all his power to end it. Tyrant Stomp was a little too powerful to be used on a beast like this, and even if Lin Mu had only used a fraction of his power as compared to the tournament, it had still used up ten percent of his Immortal Essence in one go. 

He did not regret it though, as he knew it was better to be safe than sorry.

"Its cultivation base is at the Fourth Tribulation Stage of the Immortal Realm, but it is definitely stronger than that." Lin Mu assessed.

"Yes… though it is strange that it is here." Xukong spoke. "They don't stay in places with so much wood Qi like here." He added.

"Yeah, I didn't read anything about a beast like this either in the books about the Evergreen Pillars Forest." Lin Mu agreed. "Did it come from somewhere else, perhaps?" He wondered.

"Quite likely. The Dread Shadow Scorpions mostly live in dark areas, or areas that at least have some source of Shadow Qi there. For it to be in the Evergreen Pillars Forest which is rich with Wood Qi does not make sense." Xukong stated.

"Then did it perhaps get lured here due to something?" Lin Mu guessed having listened so far.

"Could be possible, yes." Xukong replied. "Though the temptation for it to come here must have been huge. They don't leave their habitats that easily. After all, they get weak under light and are unable to use their innate skill. Their eyes are also sensitive to light, which causes them to become practically blind in bright light like the sun." He informed.

"Hmm… A huge temptation for the Dread Shadow Scorpion… I doubt it is here for the fruits of the Evergreen Pillar Bamboo. There must be something else in the forest." Lin Mu guessed after thinking over it. 

He then looked at Little Shrubby and thought of something.

"Doesn't… Little Shrubby's Midnight Lynx bloodline also have an affinity to the Shadow Dao?" Lin Mu suddenly asked.

"It does yes." Xukong answered.

"Then wouldn't it be beneficial for him to consume the Dread Shadow Scorpion?" Lin Mu replied. "If his sensitivity to the Shadow Dao increases, maybe we'll be able to find what the Dread Shadow Scorpion is here for. It might as well be a treasure that is either beneficial to beasts or is of the Shadow Dao." He explained his thoughts.

"It does seem like a good option, but… do you want to spend your time in doing that?" Xukong asked. "Your goal in being here is to practice the Litany Of the Verdant Forest's isn't it?" He reminded Lin Mu.

"Yes… I shouldn't get distracted." Lin Mu understood. 

"But that doesn't mean Little Shrubby can't search for it on his own." Xukong suggested instead. 

"Ah yes! Of course." Lin Mu had almost forgotten that was an option. 

"With your link, I don't think it'll be too troublesome for him. And his own skills and speed is more than enough to deal with most things." Xukong stated.

"Yeah, that'll be the better option." Lin Mu agreed.

Having consulted Xukong, Lin Mu decided to go ahead with it.

"Little Shrubby, there might be something in the forest that can help strengthen your Midnight Lynx bloodline. You should consume this Dread Shadow Scorpion's corpse and Nascent soul and see if it helps." Lin Mu advised.

"I can eat it all alone?" Little Shrubby's eyes lit up.

"Yeah." Lin Mu nodded.

"YES!" Little Shrubby was more than excited now.

~POOF~ 

Without even missing a second, Little Shrubby bit down on the Nascent soul and consumed it all. Then, he started to tear into the scorpion beast's corpse, his claws and fangs were cooking the beast, he had also torn and ate it up too, making some freshly grilled scorpion on the go.

Within just a few minutes, Little Shrubby had consumed the beast, leaving behind only the inedible parts, which were its carapace, pincers and the stingers.

"You can have those. I can't eat them." Little Shrubby handed them to Lin Mu.