Chapter 217: Sacred Scale Armor
Chapter 217: Sacred Scale Armor
Westward Bound.
As night fell, Ji Xinghuo had traveled from the central region of Juefeng Valley to its western edge.
After setting up camp in a secluded cleft between rocks, he and Qinghong finished their meals. Only then did he open the interface of the Myriad Existences Star Pupils.
Spiritual Source Energy: 3474
In addition to the contribution from the thousand-strong Shi Liamo group, he had casually eliminated two more groups of Shi Liamo on the road today. Coupled with the accumulation from the past few days, his spiritual source energy had reached new heights.
"Time to level up."
Ji Xinghuo carefully examined the interface information, which displayed two sections: one for his own abilities and the other for Qinghong's.
In fact, without looking, Ji Xinghuo was already well aware of the progress of his ability upgrades. Whenever he had free time, he would study the interface, calculating which abilities should be upgraded, how much spiritual source energy was needed for each, and which would provide the most value for his investment—he had lost count of how many times he had made these calculations.
After a quick calculation of the spiritual source energy required for the upgrades, he soon made his choice.
The first one was Golden Scale Iron Spine!
This defensive ability had proven its worth time and again, significantly enhancing both his and Qinghong's survival capabilities. After raising it to level four, he had not paid much attention to it.
However, the last time he fused with the titanium-cobalt dragon's blood, the Golden Scale Iron Spine had triggered a chain reaction, causing its progress to surge.
Currently, it was at level four (4126/5477).
With just over 1,300 points of spiritual source energy, the Golden Scale Iron Spine could be raised to level five.
Earlier, when Qinghong had charged into battle against the Giant Stone Scythe Fiend, it relied on the strong defense provided by the Golden Scale Iron Spine, but it had still sustained injuries.
As they were about to venture into the Bloody Highlands, they might face even greater dangers, and a stronger defense would be crucial.
Moreover, Ji Xinghuo had a premonition.
He believed that once the Golden Scale Iron Spine reached the next level, it would evolve!
"Come here."
Ji Xinghuo beckoned to Qinghong, who crawled over from the corner of the tent. The wounds on its abdomen and back had healed, and the shattered scales had regrown, though they had not fully hardened yet. It would take a few more days for the scales to reach their peak hardness.
He reached out and stroked the new scales, feeling their hardness and coldness, like iron plates.
Spiritual source energy began to flow into the ability.
Since the Golden Scale Iron Spine was obtained through symbiosis, upgrading it would affect both Ji Xinghuo and Qinghong simultaneously.
Suddenly, Qinghong's eyes widened as it looked up at its master.
As more spiritual source energy was invested, the progress bar advanced, and the color of the scales deepened into a richer gold, with the patterns becoming more distinct.
Scales also appeared on Ji Xinghuo's skin, shimmering with a three-colored radiance.
Soon.
The progress of the Golden Scale Iron Spine reached level four (5477/5477), and it stopped changing as the input of spiritual source energy ceased.
Ji Xinghuo felt his qi and blood surging within, and the titanium-cobalt dragon's blood roiled. The scales on his body were undergoing a qualitative change. The already alloy-hard spine began to harden other bones beyond the spine, starting from his back, causing each bone to become increasingly sturdy.
In the interface, the skeleton within the right-hand human silhouette glowed.
One could clearly see a golden energy emanating from the spine, gradually spreading throughout his entire body.
"Umm..."
Ji Xinghuo raised his hand. The scales on the back of his hand grew larger and thicker, and the gaps between the scales diminished, forming a solid, dazzling armor-like covering.
The base of the scales grew stalks that penetrated deep into his flesh, connecting with the internal skeleton. They resembled leaves growing from a tree trunk, forming a tightly interconnected defensive system.
The skeleton was the body's support.
Each enhancement to the skeleton brought about an increase in strength.
Ji Xinghuo distinctly felt his strength climbing steadily, and the progress of the titanium-cobalt dragon's blood was also slowly advancing. Ever since the initial fusion, he had discovered a complementary relationship between the titanium-cobalt dragon's blood and the Golden Scale Iron Spine—one was the core, and the other was the shell, working in perfect harmony.
At the same time, Qinghong's scales were also strengthening in sync, but without the influence of the titanium-cobalt dragon's blood, the effect was not as pronounced.
After a while.
Ji Xinghuo's and Qinghong's scales finally stopped changing and stabilized once more.
The ability information in the interface updated.
Ability: Sacred Scale Armor (Level Five 1/27767)
"As expected, it evolved!"
Ji Xinghuo's eyes lit up with delight. His premonition had been correct, but there was one unexpected twist.
In the past, when other abilities evolved, their levels remained unchanged. For example, when "Ether Sensitivity" evolved into "Ether Affinity," it had stayed at level three.
However, the Golden Scale Iron Spine, upon evolving into the Sacred Scale Armor, had jumped to level five.
Apparently, there was no set rule for this.
Ji Xinghuo carefully sensed the upgraded ability and found that, true to its name, the scales had indeed fused into a single piece of armor. The gaps between the scales were merely indentations, resembling intricate patterns, but they were almost entirely closed, impervious to penetration.
"Sacred Scale Armor..." He racked his brains for a while but couldn't recall ever hearing about it.
It was likely an ability that had never appeared on Earth before, and it wasn't in the database either.
Nevertheless, it was definitely a super-limit ability!
Upgrading the Sacred Scale Armor from level five to level six required an astonishing 27,767 points of spiritual source energy, making it the most challenging ability for him to upgrade.
This high requirement was a testament to the ability's immense power and potential.
Without even testing it, Ji Xinghuo knew that his defensive capabilities had skyrocketed. He could now withstand not only physical attacks but also energy-based damage.
His strength had also increased significantly, and he estimated that he could bench-press 18 tons! He pressed his hand against the back of his hand, and the scales only dented slightly before springing back, exhibiting remarkable resilience and a bounce-back force.
"As expected, it does have a rebound effect!" Ji Xinghuo exclaimed in delight.
"Rebound" was a desirable ability that allowed one to deflect a portion of an incoming attack, although its effectiveness was somewhat limited.
It was a passive ability that sounded wonderful, but ultimately, it was a specialty meant for taking hits, and only a few defense-oriented mutants chose to fuse with it.
Moreover, rebound didn't grant immunity but merely lessened the impact of attacks.
Ji Xinghuo had never considered fusing with "Rebound" before, so he was pleasantly surprised that the Golden Scale Iron Spine upgrade seemed to have included this effect.
He turned to Qinghong.
This fellow was still immersed in the excitement of his enhanced scales, happily rolling around in the tent and turning back to lick his own scaly armor.
"We're not done yet." Ji Xinghuo said as he placed his hand on Qinghong's body. "Don't move."
As he spoke, he continued to channel spiritual source energy.
This time, he chose to enhance "Gravity Mutation," and Qinghong immediately sensed the changes in its body, lying still and obediently.
Gravity Mutation was (Level Two 1/347).
Soon, it reached Level Three and became (Level Three 1/1427).
With the upgrade to Level Three, Qinghong could manipulate gravity to a greater extent, making itself lighter and drastically increasing its speed, or suddenly becoming heavier to unleash devastating attacks on its enemies.
Qinghong's eyes shone with happiness, yearning for further enhancements.
The remaining spiritual source energy was just enough to raise Gravity Mutation by another level, but Ji Xinghuo had other plans. He chose to upgrade a different ability instead.
[Rift Claw (Level One 1/239)]
Since Qinghong had fused with this ability, they hadn't upgraded it, but it had already proven its might.
The Giant Stone Scythe Fiend had a body made of basalt, as hard as rock, yet it couldn't withstand Qinghong's claws, even at just Level One.
This clearly demonstrated the immense potential of Rift Claw.
After all, it was a super-limit ability!
Ji Xinghuo channeled his spiritual source energy, and Rift Claw became (Level Two 1/1459).
He didn't stop there and soon upgraded it again, transforming it into [Rift Claw (Level Three 1/6869)].
Qinghong rolled around happily, its eyes fixed on Ji Xinghuo, longing for more.
"That's it," Ji Xinghuo said, checking the interface. There were only a few dozen points of spiritual source energy left, so he decided to spend it all on further enhancing Qinghong's Rift Claw.
"Let's go outside and test its power."
Ji Xinghuo stepped out of the tent, with Qinghong following close behind.
Qinghong revealed its true form, standing tall at over six meters in height. It raised its front limbs, and the claws began to wave, summoning ten energy blades that were more solid, broader, and nearly half a meter longer than before, shimmering with grayish-white energy.
"Try this," Ji Xinghuo said, pointing at a huge boulder a hundred meters away.
Qinghong's body flashed, and its weight instantly decreased, allowing it to rush to the boulder in the blink of an eye. It raised its claws and swiftly slashed at the stone.
A sharp sound filled the air as debris flew everywhere.
The sturdy boulder resembled tofu under Qinghong's Rift Claw, quickly diminishing in size as the claws cut through it. Each cut surface was smooth, as if it had been sliced by a stone-cutting machine.
"That's enough," Ji Xinghuo said, nodding in satisfaction.
The power of the Rift Claw exceeded his expectations. It could cut through not just rock but even layers of steel. If Qinghong had possessed this ability at Level Three during their battle with the Giant Stone Scythe Fiend, he wouldn't have needed to lift a finger—Qinghong could have slain it single-handedly.
Qinghong retracted its claws, shrunk its body, and scampered back to Ji Xinghuo, eager for praise.
Ji Xinghuo saw through its little ploy.
"That's all for now. We'll do more next time," Ji Xinghuo said with a smile. "From now on, fight with all your might during battles. The more enemies you kill, the faster I can enhance you."
Qinghong tilted its head, thinking for a moment before it understood, nodding excitedly.
They returned to the tent to rest.
When the starry night arrived, Ji Xinghuo woke up and began to pack their things.
The nights in the Star Realm lasted for 24.8 hours, and it was currently the early part of the intermonth, with nights lasting around 11 hours. He didn't need to sleep that long and felt refreshed after just six or seven hours. Qinghong's stamina recovered even faster, needing only two or three hours of sleep and some food before it was raring to go again.
"Let's go," Ji Xinghuo said, quickly packing up the tent and jumping onto Qinghong's back. They continued their journey westward.
As dawn broke, they left Juefeng Valley behind.
Before them lay an endless forest, still part of the Thousand Peak Abyssal Forest, within the domain of the Skyfeather King Court.
Along the way, Ji Xinghuo steered clear of the aerial cities of the Winged People and the local tribal settlements, choosing not to provoke any unnecessary trouble.
The further west they traveled, the higher the altitude became.
The density of the forest began to decrease, and the type of trees gradually shifted from broadleaf to coniferous. The once-flat basins now gave way to steep terrain, and the horizon revealed an endless expanse of mountains, each peak higher than the last. The weather also grew colder.
Finally, after several dozen starry days, a continuous range of towering mountains appeared in the distance, their snow-capped peaks stretching toward the azure sky.
The majestic and awe-inspiring highland scenery stirred Ji Xinghuo's emotions.
The Bloody Highlands had arrived!
(End of Chapter)
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