Chapter 158: Hierarchy of Divine Artifacts, Facing Dragon Thunder with Dragon Thunder (4K)

Chapter 158: Hierarchy of Divine Artifacts, Facing Dragon Thunder with Dragon Thunder (4K)



After chatting with Renia for a while and learning about what had transpired, the young girl bid farewell and left.

Xue Jing watched as the girl's hesitant figure walked away until she was out of sight. He then sat down on the spot, setting the bowl of water aside on a flat rock nearby.

He picked up the Fu Tu dagger and sliced off a piece of meat from the Yan Ti Dragon's corpse, skewering it onto the dagger.

The shadow flames ignited, incinerating all the blood from the meat. He took a bite.

"It's tough."

Xue Jing chewed vigorously on the meat, his jaw aching after a while from the effort it took to masticate the tough flesh.

"The taste is strange, too."

For some reason, the dragon meat had a tangy, plant-like astringency.

"Forget it, this thing isn't worth eating."

He swung the Fu Tu dagger, using his strength to shake off the residue, before sheathing it.

Then, he took out a compressed biscuit from his backpack and started eating it.

The person in the mirror, who had been crouching with his arms wrapped around his legs, spoke up when he saw how casually Xue Jing was eating, "Why do you seem so carefree?"

"We're going to be trapped in this borderland forever..."

Xue Jing glanced at him and smiled, "You don't seem to have much faith in me."

The person in the mirror paused for a moment before replying, "It's not that I don't have faith in you... The fact that you can hunt such high-risk dragon species on your own proves that your strength is quite remarkable."

"But pureblood dragons are different. The terror they inspire is unlike any other dragon species you've encountered."

"'True Dragons'. That's what they're called." The person in the mirror spoke with a grave tone.

"They are the race that comes closest to 'Gods' among all the creatures in the borderlands, excluding some special individuals."

He lifted his eyes from the water's reflection and looked at Xue Jing.

"You're still young, and to possess the strength to defeat high-risk dragon species at your age is truly remarkable. I've been alive for over two hundred years, and I've encountered countless human geniuses. Very few could match your prowess at a similar age, and perhaps only forty or fifty could surpass you."

Xue Jing retorted, "That's still quite a lot."

The person in the mirror glared at him, "Don't interrupt."

"I've lived for over two centuries. In such a long time, countless notable figures have been recorded in history books. Those who can match you, or are even stronger, are far fewer than the number of names in those books!"

Xue Jing stroked his chin, "Hearing you say that makes me feel a lot better."

The person in the mirror crossed his arms, "But even with your genius, wanting to kill a pureblood dragon, even if it's just a juvenile, is nothing but a pipe dream."

"Just their 'Dragon Thunder', which all pureblood dragons can wield, along with their formidable physical might, will be incredibly difficult for you to handle. Not to mention their core organs possess unique abilities."

"If it happens to be an ability exceptionally suited for combat, the danger level increases even further."

Xue Jing smiled, "We'll just have to give it a try."

The person in the mirror tilted his head, "From your demeanor, it seems you're not blindly confident in your ability to defeat a pureblood dragon... Do you have something else up your sleeve?"

"Of course," Xue Jing replied with a smile. "You'll find out soon enough..."

Changing the subject, he asked, "Can you only stay in water? That's quite inconvenient."

"I can enter any 'mirror surface' that can reflect and mirror my image," the person in the mirror replied.

His gaze shifted to the black wristband on Xue Jing's wrist.

It was the recording wristband Dr. Shen had given him. The surface was smooth and black, resembling a smartphone screen, and it could be used as a mirror. It qualified as a 'mirror surface'.

The person in the mirror vanished from the water's reflection, and his voice soon emanated from the black wristband on Xue Jing's wrist.

"As long as two 'mirror surfaces' can reflect each other, I can move freely between them."

"I'll stay here from now on."

Xue Jing extended his hand in front of him, examining the black wristband.

The smooth black surface reflected his image, and because the wristband was curved, it acted as a 'convex mirror', distorting his reflection slightly.

The boy in the mirror sat on his shoulder, appearing slightly warped due to the convex surface.

"Although I don't know what you're relying on, I'll treat you like a dead horse that might just be a live horse. Let's see what you can do."

Xue Jing corrected him, "It's 'treat a dead horse as a live horse doctor', not 'dead ant as a live ant'."

The boy in the mirror pouted, "Of course, I know that. I was just being witty, and you didn't get it? For someone so young, you're awfully stiff."

Xue Jing raised an eyebrow, "It's a bit ironic to hear that from someone your age."

The boy in the mirror huffed, "I'm not human. I'm not controlled by hormones, and my body won't age, neither physically nor mentally."

Upon hearing this, Xue Jing's curiosity was piqued.

"By the way, what is your self-perception as a Divine Artifact? Do you see yourselves as the children of a 'God'?" Xue Jing asked.

The figure in the mirror extended his hand, wagging his index finger as he spoke, "Not exactly. The concept of Divine Artifacts is something humans arbitrarily imposed on us. In fact, I don't acknowledge it."

"After the death of a God, their divine blood is scattered throughout the world, inhabiting all things, and thus Divine Artifacts are born... This is the most popular theory among humans at present, but we 'Divine Artifacts' have no related memories of this."

"Take me, for instance. I was born much like a human infant, ignorant and unaware. It was only after observing humans for a long time through mirror surfaces that I gradually learned your language and formed some cognizance."

"Speaking for myself, I don't acknowledge being some 'thing left behind by a God'. I merely see myself as a special life form that came into existence by chance."

The figure in the mirror paused, then continued, "However, although I don't agree that I have any connection to a God, humans are right about one thing."

"We 'Divine Artifacts' are indeed of the same kind."

Intrigued, Xue Jing asked, "Oh? How so?"

The figure in the mirror pondered for a moment before replying, "It's a vague, instinctual sense. We 'Divine Artifacts' can sense each other and recognize a strange hierarchical relationship between us."

"Humans' ranking of Divine Artifacts largely references this instinctual sense."

"For example, the ['Mirror World'] is considered the 'highest' among us."

Xue Jing asked curiously, "What's the difference between the upper and lower hierarchy?"

The figure in the mirror answered, "Of course, there is a difference. Whenever our abilities conflict, the lower-ranked Divine Artifact's ability is overridden by the higher-ranked one."

"For instance, I possess the conceptual ability to move through any mirror surface, and in theory, the ['Mirror World'] is a reflection of the real world, so I should be able to move freely between the Mirror World and the real world."

"But in reality, I am completely unable to leave... This is because the Mirror World is ranked higher than me, and its ability overrides mine."

The figure in the mirror glanced at the glasses Xue Jing was wearing.

"Your glasses' ability is to reduce your presence. I can vaguely sense that its ranking among Divine Artifacts is very low... If there were a Divine Artifact ranked higher than it that amplified one's presence, then the effect of your glasses would be overridden and rendered useless."

Xue Jing nodded, impressed. "So there's a hierarchy among Divine Artifacts as well. I'm learning something new."

He took off the [GOD-1280·Unremarkable Glasses].

Instantly, the suppressed strong presence seemed to explode from his body.

The figure in the mirror was caught off guard and was dazzled for a moment.

He stared at Xue Jing's face for a while, then nodded and mused, "I see."

"No wonder that little girl, Wu Youqing, was so anxious that she lied to me and lured me to this borderland to notify you."

"Now that I see your appearance, it all makes sense."

"Hmph, so she's just an ordinary human girl going through puberty. I overestimated her."

There was a hint of mockery in the figure's tone.

Xue Jing understood his implication and smiled. "You must have misunderstood."

"The Wu Youqing I know is not the type of shallow woman whose judgment is clouded by desire."

"She cares about me... but it's probably for a different reason."

The figure in the mirror stared at him for a moment, smiled, and said ambiguously, "Is that so..."

"Let's end the chit-chat. What do you plan to do next?"

Xue Jing stood up, stretched lazily, and took out the dragon species distribution map from the backpack held by Shadowflame Crow. He spread it out.

"We need to make some preparations before dealing with the pureblood dragon species."

His fingers brushed over the remaining red dots on the map.

"First, we'll clip its wings."

...

One day later.

"Roar—!!!"

A mournful dragon's roar echoed as a colossal dragon, its body covered in hard armor, collapsed to the ground.

The immense weight caused the earth to tremble.

Xue Jing squatted on the armored dragon's neck and pulled the Fu Tu dagger, engulfed in black flames, from its throat.

"Chi—"

[Killed a divine-natured special creature. Divinity +232]



[Divinity: 1324]



Xue Jing glanced at the panel, wiped the sweat from his face, and nodded.

"Done."

The figure in the black wristband exclaimed,

"You've practically wiped out every dragon species in this borderland...

"Your strength... exceeds my expectations."

"It's still impossible to deal with a pureblood dragon, but I admit, you are indeed the most talented among all the humans I've ever seen... second only to some monstrous anomalies that defy reason."

Xue Jing smiled and said, "So I'm still within the range of a 'normal person.' Looks like I need to keep pushing myself."

He summoned the Shadowflame Crow and took out the dragon species distribution map from his backpack, spreading it out. He also retrieved a pen and drew a cross on one of the red dots.

Now, apart from the three thick red dots in the central region, all the other red dots on the map had been crossed out.

"Next, it's time to deal with the 'Three Nobles.'"

Xue Jing pondered aloud.

Earlier, he had chatted with Renia and learned a lot about the dragon species in the borderland.

The three dragons located near the 'Roaring Great Waterfall' were known as the 'Three Nobles.'

They were said to be the three dragons with the closest bloodline to the Dragon God, possessing tremendous strength.

"According to what Renia said, these 'Three Nobles' are probably the 'guard dragons' born from the pureblood dragon species through asexual reproduction," the figure in the mirror commented.

"The so-called pureblood dragon species are born without a father or mother, appearing naturally in the world, which is why they are called true dragons."

"Although the guard dragons can't be considered pureblood, they are still formidable. Especially since they, too, can wield dragon thunder."

Xue Jing nodded in understanding.

Dragon thunder was the symbol of pureblood dragon species.

As the beloved children of the sky, all dragon species inherently possessed a biocellular field that defied gravity.

And dragon thunder was further proof of the sky's favor.

Not only did it possess the destructive power of lightning, but it also had the ability to influence gravity.

According to the information provided by White Crow, there had been a case where someone was struck directly by dragon thunder. Although the person was wearing an insulating suit and wasn't killed by the lightning, their body's gravity suddenly increased by several dozen times, crushing them into a puddle of flesh.

Xue Jing opened the panel, his eyes scanning the Divine Power skill column.

After some thought, he clicked to upgrade the [Plant Pact].

He upgraded it twice.

[Plant Pact Lv4 (524/800)]



"This should be enough," Xue Jing nodded.

He had an idea he wanted to test.

"Let's go find these 'Three Nobles' and have some fun."

Xue Jing put away the map and pen into his backpack.

Then, he waved the Fu Tu dagger, using his strength to shake off the residue, and sheathed it.

"Aren't you going to rest?" asked the figure in the mirror.

"No need. We don't have much time," Xue Jing replied as he touched the small pocket of his tactical vest where he kept the five Snake-Slayer Claws.

...

The dull sound of rumbling thunder echoed through the valley.

This valley was close to the territory of one of the 'guard dragons.'

Xue Jing searched the valley for a while and stopped in front of a three-meter-tall tree with golden leaves and branches.

"This is a dragon thunder plant," the figure in the wristband spoke up.

"Most plants die after being struck by dragon thunder, but for some unknown reason, a small number of plants survive, not only avoiding death but also adapting to dragon thunder, with their bodies containing a portion of dragon thunder power."

"I recall that this type of plant is quite expensive in your human world."

"But since you're prioritizing mobility, you didn't even bother to collect the core organs of the dragons you killed. I suppose you don't care much for these plants either..."

Xue Jing didn't respond but instead reached out and gently touched the 'dragon thunder tree' in front of him.

When he removed his hand, a small, circular 'pact seal' had appeared where he had touched.

He opened the panel and glanced at it; the name of the [Plant Pact] skill had become faint.

It seemed that contracting this dragon thunder tree had consumed a significant amount.

"Then, let's give it a try."

With a thought from Xue Jing, the golden dragon thunder tree began to grow wildly, quickly transforming into a towering tree over a dozen meters tall, requiring four or five people to encircle it with outstretched arms.

The canopy covered an area of several meters, enveloping Xue Jing within.

The figure in the mirror was taken aback:

"You have a secret technique for controlling plants too? Which god are you the 'chosen one' of?"

Xue Jing smiled, "The Lord of No Face and a Thousand Faces... Didn't I tell you before?"

The figure in the mirror mused, "I've never heard of that... Could it be a forgotten ancient god?"

"It's not uncommon for a 'chosen one' to possess multiple secret techniques... But to have both the 'Shadow' of the darkness domain and the 'Plant' of the life domain is beyond my understanding..."

"Never mind, we can discuss that later. I understand your plan now."

The figure in the mirror nodded.

"Using a plant resistant to dragon thunder to counter dragon thunder... That's a clever idea."

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end