Chapter 132: Harvest, a New Divine Ability - Plant Covenant!

Chapter 132: Harvest, a New Divine Ability - Plant Covenant!

(A Reliable Yu Qing's A Dream)



The countless tendrils that had enveloped the area were now visibly withering away.

Xue Jing took a step forward, approaching the black-robed woman who was bound by the Shadowflame Steel Barrier. The translucent black giant that had enveloped him slowly dissipated into shadows and flames as he advanced.

The plant, named Naga... something or other, withered and ceased absorbing oxygen. The scarce oxygen density in the surrounding area was immediately replenished from the outside, restoring the air to its former richness.

Xue Jing took a deep breath and then exhaled slowly, feeling his body come alive again. He murmured, "Good thing I won."

The situation had been quite dire.

He had never really considered that one day he would face a situation where his oxygen would be restricted, rendering his power useless.

"No matter how versatile the martial arts school is, it cannot transcend its own framework and break free from the limitations of the martial path."

Xue Jing mused.

"Unless one reaches the 'Leap Dragon Gate, Transcend Human Realm'—a breakthrough realm where one's consciousness can control even the tiniest part of their body. Only then can one truly break free from the reliance on oxygen and harness their power without its assistance..."

"Until then, I must be cautious of opponents who can manipulate oxygen."

He turned his gaze to the black-robed woman lying on the ground, asleep like an infant, and smiled:

"A case of outsmarting oneself, perhaps?"

Using an otherworldly plant that absorbs oxygen to counter him would have been a surefire way to victory if he were just a martial artist.

However, there was no way she could have anticipated his divine ability—'Shadowflame'.

While the tendrils had absorbed oxygen, they had also blocked out the sunlight, creating an extensive shadow that provided the perfect environment for him to utilize his shadowflame ability.

The larger the shadow, the more shadowflame he could convert, and the less it would cost him.

Without this vast shadow, he wouldn't have been able to use it so recklessly, nor would he have been able to perform the 'Susanoo' technique, summoning a giant made of the strongest shadowflame he could currently muster.

"I have to admit, this Suzaku ability is pretty handy," Xue Jing rubbed his chin.

As long as he had enough shadowflame to work with, this was undoubtedly the most potent application of the ability he had discovered so far.

"Bigger is better, and more is beautiful!"

The joy of piloting a giant robot was indescribable.

Although he couldn't pilot anything too large yet, he knew that as his shadowflame ability upgraded, he would one day be able to pilot a true behemoth.

Xue Jing silently adjusted the priority of his shadowflame divine ability, increasing its importance.

He opened his panel to take a look.

[...] Fitness Experience: +611

[...] Health Experience: +1539

[...] Running Experience: +315

[...] Aiming Experience: +458

[...] Combat Experience: +512

[...] Coiling Dragon Force Experience: +433

[...] Meditation Experience: +422

[...] Acting Experience: +498

Acting upgraded to Lv2 (267/500)



Xue Jing nodded in satisfaction.

Even though it wasn't a fight to the death, the experience gains were quite impressive.

After all, he had faced a formidable opponent whose combat prowess was the strongest he had ever encountered.

Since he didn't rely solely on martial arts to win, the experience gains in that area were slightly lower, but they were still considerable.

The health experience gains, however, were a bit unexpected...

Health Cultivation: Lv7 (4486/4500)



He was just a hair's breadth away from leveling up.

"The secret to a man's longevity—pilot a giant robot."

Xue Jing smiled as he squatted down in front of the unconscious black-robed woman, his eyes contemplative.

"Now, what to do with her?"

Should he kill her?

That seemed a bit extreme, as she hadn't shown any intent to take his life. She had only wanted to recruit him to her church, albeit in a rather annoying manner.

However, letting her go wasn't an option either.

"She was sent by the higher-ups of the Floracult to find me. I need to find out why they're targeting me."

Xue Jing's mind raced as he considered several possibilities.

"Come to think of it, she's a recipient of divine grace..."

Recipients of divine grace were blessed by the gods and bestowed with their power.

With such a direct connection to the divine, she was bound to possess some sort of divine ability. Xue Jing's eyes lit up as he examined the black-robed woman.

He reached out and placed his hand on her mature and beautiful face.

His fingers pulled back her eyelid, revealing the iridescent eye underneath.

During the final moments of their battle, Xue Jing had seen the woman reach for her eye, as if she intended to do something with it.

If there was any part of her that was likely to possess a divine ability, he thought it would be this eye.

With her eyelid pulled back, the iridescent eye, devoid of focus due to her unconscious state, stared blankly.

Without hesitation, Xue Jing placed his finger directly on the colorful iris.

A soft, slick sensation met his touch, and the panel automatically popped up.

\[Detecting divine substance. Absorbing divinity...\], it read.

"As expected!" Xue Jing's eyebrows rose.

He opened his panel.

The divinity value began to increase steadily, ticking up by several points every second.

"Looks like it'll be a good harvest—wait, what's this?"

Xue Jing's eyes widened slightly.

In the divinity skill column, beneath the entries for 'Twin Birth' and 'Shadowflame', faint golden light points were appearing, gathering, and coalescing.

This phenomenon had occurred twice before.

"A new divinity skill!?"

Xue Jing was astonished.

After so many years... after over a month, a new divinity skill was about to be activated?

Recalling the formidable displays of 'Twin Birth' and 'Shadowflame', a rare sense of excitement stirred within Xue Jing, and he found it hard to contain his emotions.

He took a deep breath, his powerful mental control subduing his agitated feelings, calming himself.

However, his eyes still shone with delight.

"Who would've thought there'd be such an unexpected harvest... You came at just the right time!" His gaze softened as he looked at the black-robed woman before him.

She was truly a bringer of fortune!

At that moment, perhaps due to the discomfort of having her eye directly touched, the black-robed woman's other eyelid twitched, and she began to stir from her unconscious state.

As she opened her eyes and realized that Xue Jing seemed to be doing something to her 'holy mark', she panicked and exclaimed, "What are you doing to me!?"

She struggled, trying to break free from the restraints of the Shadowflame Steel Barrier that bound her. Although her body was immobilized, moving her head was no issue, and she quickly freed herself from Xue Jing's touch.

\[Separation from contact. Divinity absorption failed\], the panel displayed.

Seeing this, Xue Jing frowned and slapped her across the face without hesitation.

"Smack—!"

"Behave."

A prominent handprint of five red fingerprints appeared on the black-robed woman's beautiful, mature, and fair face. The force of the blow rattled her jaw, causing her brain to shake within her skull, and she lost consciousness once more.

"This feels kinda weird..."

Xue Jing's expression turned strange, and he felt a sense of unease.

It was as if he were doing something wrong...

When in fact, he was merely receiving the well-deserved compensation for being provoked.

Shaking his head, Xue Jing lifted the black-robed woman's eyelid once more and touched her iridescent eyeball.

Time passed slowly as the countless tendrils around them withered into black stalks, then shattered, disintegrating into black ashes that vanished without a trace.

All that remained were the ravaged cement grounds, riddled with gaping holes.

\[Divinity absorption complete\], the panel informed him.

"Finally..."

Xue Jing breathed a sigh of relief and opened his panel.

Below 'Twin Birth' and 'Shadowflame' in the divinity skill column, a brand-new skill had appeared.

\[Plant Covenant (Inactive): Divinity Skill. Divinity required for activation: 518/500\]



\[Conditions met. Activate?\]



\[Yes/No\]



"Plant Covenant? A wood-attribute skill?"

Xue Jing's eyebrows rose quizzically.

He felt like he had stumbled upon a pattern for activating divinity skills.

The Lord of a Thousand Red Allures was obviously related to flowers, plants, and trees, so it made sense that the recipient of her blessing would gain a plant-related divinity skill. 'Twin Birth' was activated from the 'Cat Tail Ring', and 'Shadowflame' from the 'Evil Woman's Coronet'... Were there unknown connections between these skills and divine relics?

Xue Jing's mind buzzed with questions, but he soon shook his head, dismissing them.

He tapped 'Yes' to activate Plant Covenant.

\[Activation successful\]



\[Plant Covenant Lv1 (Divinity required for upgrade: 19/100)\]



\[Effect: Control a plant after forming a covenant with it\]



\[Divine Incarnation: Locked (Unlock conditions: Divinity 19/2000, Level 10)\]



...The skill description was as concise as that of 'Shadowflame', but Xue Jing knew that any divinity skill was bound to be powerful.

Just like 'Shadowflame', as its level increased and it was further developed, it had evolved from an unremarkable skill into an incredibly formidable one.

Xue Jing wanted to test its effects, but after looking around, he couldn't spot any plants nearby.

"I'll try it after I'm done here," he decided, standing up and gazing thoughtfully at the unconscious black-robed woman.

Although the woman had mentioned that she had sprinkled otherworldly pollen in the area to keep people away, Xue Jing knew that its effects wouldn't last forever. Moreover, they were right by the entrance of Feng City University, a place with high foot traffic. This abnormal situation was likely to attract the attention of the authorities soon.

Xue Jing was now at a loss for what to do.

He had just absorbed a wave of divinity from someone and activated a divine ability; he couldn't very well kill her and destroy all the evidence, could he?

After some thought, Xue Jing took out his phone.

When in doubt, ask Yu Qing for help! He scrolled through his contacts, found the entry for "Rich Boss Lady," and gave her a call.

It didn't take long for the call to connect after a few rings.

"What's up?" Came the tranquil and lovely voice of Wu Yuqing from the receiver.

"Yuqing, you're my only hope..." Xue Jing pleaded.

"Heh." Wu Yuqing seemed to smile on the other end of the line.

"What is it now, Daxiong?"

Xue Jing couldn't help but smile as the pop culture reference landed, and he continued, "It's like this..."

He recounted the events that had just transpired—how he had been approached by a recipient of divine grace from the Floracult, refused their attempts at conversion, and subsequently defeated them, though he omitted any mention of Shadowflame.

At this point, Xue Jing didn't think he could keep his possession of such a mysterious ability as Shadowflame a secret anymore.

He estimated that the entire encounter had probably been captured by the surrounding security cameras.

However, he also didn't know how to explain it to Wu Yuqing just yet, so he left it out for now.

"I see..." Wu Yuqing's voice trailed off thoughtfully.

After a moment, she continued, "I initially thought you just had a body that easily attracted divine artifacts, but it seems like you attract more than just that."

"Do you have any idea why you keep getting involved in these incidents?" She asked.

Xue Jing was speechless.

Why did everyone keep teasing him about having a predisposition for trouble? He was sure it was just a coincidence.

"This person came with specific orders from their higher-ups; it's not like they suddenly took an interest in converting me after seeing my handsome face," Xue Jing explained.

"Hmm," Wu Yuqing's voice took on a playful tone, "So, Mr. Trouble Magnet, have you given any thought to why these things keep happening to you?"

Xue Jing: "..."

Without further banter, Wu Yuqing fell silent as she pondered the situation. After a moment, she continued, "The Floracult... here's what you should do. First, take her back to the hotel and lock her up."

Xue Jing asked, "Can we hold her there?"

After all, this was a recipient of divine grace who could use magic.

Although he had absorbed some of her divinity, based on the fact that neither the Cat Tail Ring nor the Evil Woman's Coronet had been affected when he absorbed their divinity, he assumed that this black-robed woman wouldn't suffer any ill effects either.

"There must be something unusual about her body. See if you can find it," Wu Yuqing instructed.

Xue Jing nodded. "There is. Her left eye is very strange; it's colorful."

"That's her 'holy mark,'" Wu Yuqing affirmed. "It's the source of a recipient's power. After receiving the blessing of the gods, their body undergoes a transformation, and a part of their body takes on characteristics similar to the deity they worship. This is known as the 'holy mark.'"

"If her 'holy mark' is her left eye, then remove it," Wu Yuqing said calmly.

Xue Jing's lips twitched at her ruthlessness.

However, he didn't hesitate. He immediately knelt down, reached for the black-robed woman's left eye, and pulled back her eyelid.

Then, with his thumb and forefinger, he squeezed the upper and lower edges of her eye socket, sending force deep into the eye socket to sever all the nerves and tendons connecting to the eyeball.

With a gentle pop, he easily plucked out the colorful eyeball.

Perhaps it was because he had slapped her so hard earlier, but the black-robed woman didn't wake up even as her eye was removed.

"It's out," Xue Jing reported.

"Good. Now she won't be able to use the power of the foreign god," Wu Yuqing confirmed. "Recipients of the Floracult rarely have abilities related to physical enhancement. Once their holy mark is removed, they're essentially an ordinary person. Just tie her up with a rope, and she'll be as good as imprisoned."

"Take her back to the hotel and lock her up. I'll contact the Feng City officials and the hotel to let them know. I'll also reach out to the Floracult to find out why they're so interested in converting you," Wu Yuqing explained. "Once we know more, we can decide how to deal with her."

Xue Jing couldn't help but marvel, "Boss, you truly are incredible! You even have connections with the foreign gods. Is there anything you don't know or can't do?"

"I just happen to know a few things and am in a position to help you," Wu Yuqing replied casually.

After chatting a little while longer, Xue Jing ended the call.

He wiped the still-sticky eyeball and placed it in his pocket.

According to Wu Yuqing, the 'holy mark' possessed a certain degree of immortality and was resistant to decay and damage, so he didn't need to worry too much about preserving it.

Then, he hoisted the black-robed woman over his shoulder like a sack and leaped into the air, navigating through the maze of buildings as he made his way back to the hotel.

...

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end