Chapter 237: Ball Lightning

Chapter 237: Ball Lightning

"I've never fought such a wealthy battle before."

Ji Xinghuo looked at the information on the interface about his abilities, feeling exhilarated. Aside from the rotating magnetic field, he could upgrade any other ability he wanted.

Without hesitation, he chose to upgrade his electrostatic field first.

【Electrostatic Field (Level 3 2030/8089)】

This was one of the two core professions, parallel to the rotating magnetic field. Only by combining the two could he exert the greatest power, and it was natural to want to advance them evenly.

Ji Xinghuo immediately invested his spiritual source energy.

The progress of the electrostatic field advanced rapidly, and he immediately noticed that the radius of his electrostatic field was expanding.

Originally, it was around fifteen meters, but it quickly reached twenty meters, then twenty-five meters... When the upgrade progress was full, the radius of the electrostatic field changed to thirty meters!

Then it stopped.

Ji Xinghuo patiently waited for a few minutes, clearly perceiving the upgrade changes in his mind. The efficiency of converting stellar power into electric charges had significantly improved.

The range of controllable electric charges had also increased, and the quantity had grown as well.

Soon, the information updated to 【Electrostatic Field (Level 4 1/50069)】, requiring the same amount of spiritual source energy as the rotating magnetic field to upgrade.

"Fifty meters!"

Ji Xinghuo was delighted. The radius of the fourth-level electrostatic field was even larger than he had expected.

Within fifty meters, he could control lightning as he pleased.

He tried to activate the rotating magnetic field together with it, and the two fields merged into one. Instantly, two independent yet unified electromagnetic fields appeared in his mind, each with its own radius: one with an electromagnetic induction range of about five kilometers and the other with a control range of about fifty meters.

Control electric charges and metal! Without needing to use his eyes, Ji Xinghuo had an even clearer perception of the steel spear in the Qinghong saddle bag. Without specifically testing it, he knew that he could exert a stronger force on it.

He could attach a large amount of electric charge to the metal, forming an electric current to heat it up, transform it, and even melt it! He turned his palm upward.

With his mind focused, his stellar power instantly transformed into countless electric charges, gathering in his palm.

A lightning bolt immediately took shape, but instead of causing a huge commotion like natural lightning, it was as if it had been soothed, quietly hovering in his palm. More and more lightning bolts were generated and joined the first, but the volume didn't increase much, and it transformed into an irregular shape.

Ji Xinghuo's gaze became even more focused, and after a few seconds, the lightning in his palm turned into a sphere.

Ball lightning!

Its diameter was only about five centimeters, about the size of a ping-pong ball, and it didn't look remarkable or make any particularly eye-catching sounds.

However, Ji Xinghuo was very clear about its power.

The tiny ball of lightning contained a third of his stellar power, roughly 300 points, and when it was released instantaneously, the destructive power would undoubtedly be terrifying.

Ji Xinghuo looked around.

Some of the mercenaries had already sensed the danger and were looking at him.

He had no choice but to dispel the ball lightning and convert it back into stellar power, returning it to his body.

This was a new ability he had gained after the electrostatic field reached level four, allowing the conversion between stellar power and electric charges to become reversible, depending on his will.

At this thought,

Ji Xinghuo suddenly had an idea. Could he convert the electric charges from the outside world into his stellar power?

This idea sprouted like wild grass, growing wildly.

If it were possible, wouldn't he have a way to rapidly increase his stellar power?

"It probably won't work,"

Ji Xinghuo shook his head inwardly. The electric charges he controlled were still essentially stellar power—electric charges simulated by stellar power, so they could be converted in reverse.

But the electric charges from the outside world were physical in nature, completely different.

Even though he didn't have high expectations, he still couldn't shake off a glimmer of hope. He decided to give it a try when no one was around.

With the electrostatic field reaching level four, the power and range of the Thunderclap had also improved. When combined with the Flash Step, the distance increased slightly, and he could also develop more application techniques.

Ji Xinghuo couldn't wait to try it out.

But he suppressed his eagerness and continued to upgrade his abilities.

After some thought, Ji Xinghuo chose to upgrade the Dimensional Stomach.

This was his only Starfall ability, 【Dimensional Stomach (Level 2 19/5101)】. It had just reached the second level, and the amount of spiritual source energy required was already over 5,000 points, several times more than what was needed for other abilities at the same level. He hadn't invested any energy into it since the last upgrade.

"It only needs a little over 5,000 points of spiritual source energy. Let's upgrade it now!"

Ji Xinghuo invested his spiritual source energy, and as the progress bar for the Dimensional Stomach moved forward, he could feel the space capacity slowly expanding with each passing second.

Since it was a shared ability, Qinghong also sensed the change.

It turned its head to look back while running and Ji Xinghuo gently patted its back scales to calm it down.

The space of the second-level Dimensional Stomach was around four cubic meters. As it upgraded, the space slowly inflated and expanded. This process reminded Ji Xinghuo of "cosmic inflation," where the space itself was expanding, creating something from nothing.

Before long, the Dimensional Stomach reached level three.

【Dimensional Stomach (Level 3 1/41141】

At level three, the Dimensional Stomach's space had expanded to 8 cubic meters, double the size of the previous level.

He sensed the giant stone stored within the Dimensional Stomach; it originally occupied most of the space, but now there was much more room, allowing him to fit in a lot more items.

Of course, he could also store larger and heavier stones, inflicting even more devastating damage when unleashed.

Aside from the doubled space, there were no other new abilities.

The opening passage of the Dimensional Stomach was originally palm-sized, but after the upgrade, it only increased by a third, still relatively small and not a qualitative change.

Ji Xinghuo was a bit puzzled.

The Rotating Magnetic Field was a super-limit ability, and each upgrade came with new abilities. In contrast, the Dimensional Stomach, a Starfall ability, seemed underwhelming in comparison after its upgrade.

He then realized that the differences between abilities were indeed vast, and there didn't seem to be any inherent patterns.

The grade of an ability wasn't the sole measure of its power, either.

He still had 29,090 points of spiritual source energy remaining.

"I shouldn't use it all up," Ji Xinghuo thought. "In the past, I always used spiritual source energy as I got it. Now that I have a surplus, I can save some for the newly fused abilities."

"We'll gain plenty more, no need to save so much."

"I'll use up some more, then."

Ji Xinghuo chose two abilities with relatively low upgrade costs, [Thunderclap Hand (Level 4, 78/2833)] and [Stellar Might (Level 3, 303/1567)], and invested over 4,000 points of spiritual source energy, raising each of them by one level.

The interface updated to show: [Thunderclap Hand (Level 5, 1/10333)]



[Stellar Might (Level 4, 1/7717)]



After the upgrades, the power of both abilities had increased noticeably, but Ji Xinghuo had no opportunity to test them further, so he had to leave it at that.

He then upgraded Qinghong's "Gravity Mutation" and "Spirit Scent," consuming over 3,600 points of spiritual source energy.

This left him with 21,388 points.

"That's enough for now," Ji Xinghuo decided.

His strength was sufficient to ensure his safety in the upcoming blood battle, and upgrading too quickly would mean he wouldn't have time to explore and adapt to his new powers.

Once the blood battle was over, if he could accumulate 100,000 points of spiritual source energy, he planned to upgrade both the Rotating Magnetic Field and the Electrostatic Field to the next level.

A fifth-level electromagnetic field would not only be more powerful but should also grant him new abilities!

For the entire morning, Ji Xinghuo rode with the Highlander army as they raced over 200 kilometers, stopping to rest only once. As noon approached, they neared their next target, but unexpectedly, the Ferocious Beast Tribe took the initiative to attack.

Over a thousand members of the Biao Tribe lay in ambush behind a relatively low hill, waiting for the Blood Fury Tribe's army to pass by. When they were halfway through, the Biao Tribe struck.

Due to the distance and the presence of illusion-casting experts among the Biao Tribe, neither He Yan nor the Highlander scouts detected their presence.

Ji Xinghuo had sensed them long ago but chose not to say anything.

And so, a battle of encounter unfolded.

The power gap between the two sides was significant, and despite the Biao Tribe's ambush, the Highlander army quickly stabilized their formation and launched a counterattack.

Ji Xinghuo didn't exert himself too much, working alongside the mercenaries to repel the enemy.

The battle lasted for half an hour.

Once again, the Blood Fury Tribe emerged victorious, but not without considerable losses.

The Highlanders suffered nearly 2,000 casualties, almost as many as in the previous engagement, while the Biao Tribe was completely annihilated, with a kill ratio of one to two.

The mercenaries also lost over twenty members.

Ji Xinghuo and his companions emerged unscathed. In this battle, he harvested over 24,000 points of spiritual source energy, nearly doubling the value on the interface!

After the battle, over a dozen Red Emperor Blood Crystals were produced.

He Yan collected the blood crystals and stored them in the leather pouch he always carried.

Leaving the battlefield, He Yan led the army to the Biao Tribe's settlement, only to find it already deserted, and so he ordered it burned to the ground.

From then on, their journey was fraught with difficulties.

The Biao Tribe changed their strategy, splitting into multiple small-scale squads and launching attacks at intervals. There were also legendary members of the Biao Tribe who charged into the Blood Fury Tribe's army alone, wreaking havoc and immediately retreating without engaging He Yan.

Additionally, there were Biao Tribe assassins skilled in stealth who continuously harassed and assassinated along the way.

He Yan did not sit idly by, however.

The Highlanders also had assassins skilled in reconnaissance and counter-reconnaissance, and he dispatched them in batches to search for and ambush the Biao Tribe, engaging in a back-and-forth battle along the army's route, with varying degrees of success.

Ji Xinghuo's electromagnetic sensing kept him aware of all the surrounding movements.

But he kept quiet about it.

He silently observed these followers of the Red Emperor playing their deadly games, feeling a bit disappointed that many died too far away for him to absorb their spiritual source energy.

As night fell, He Yan chose a valley to set up camp and arranged a tight night watch and patrol team.

The Biao Tribe's assassinations and harassments continued unabated.

When the starry night arrived, the Blood Fury Tribe's army set off again, and after ten hours of camping, their numbers had decreased by another three to four hundred.

As they advanced alongside death and blood, they reached the third predetermined Biao Tribe gathering place, only to find that the enemy had already withdrawn entirely.

In fact, the Biao Tribe had burned down this gathering place themselves.

He Yan looked at the place where black smoke was rising from the mountainside, his expression unchanged, and ordered, "Increase our pace and head straight for the Red River Giant Peak."

Everyone understood what was happening.

The Skullcrusher Tribe had retreated to the Red River Giant Peak, intending to concentrate their forces there and have a final showdown with the Blood Fury Tribe.

Not long after daybreak.

A vague and massive mountain silhouette appeared on the horizon, and as they drew closer, the outline of the peak gradually became clearer. It was a giant peak that stood like a pillar supporting the heavens, even among the countless bloody plateaus known for their tall mountains, a peak of this height was a rare sight, standing out like a crane among chickens.

Even from over a hundred kilometers away, one could make out the reflection of snow on its peak.

As they approached the giant peak, a sense of immense oppression loomed over them, and the closer they got, the more they could feel its grandeur and awe-inspiring presence.

When they reached the foot of the giant peak, just a mere dozen or so kilometers away, they had to crane their necks to see its summit.

A true pinnacle that soared into the clouds! Ji Xinghuo gazed at the clouds encircling the giant peak's waist, marveling, "It truly deserves to be one of the wonders of the Star Realm, with a height difference of over 20,000 meters."

While there were seas in the Star Realm, precise measurements were impossible, so there were no altitude data.

One could only estimate the height difference from the peak to its base.

On Earth, Mount Everest's vertical drop was less than 4,000 meters, but the peak before them had a vertical drop five times that of Everest!

Xia Qingyu said, "Among the peaks of the Bloody Plateau, the Red River Giant Peak's height ranks within the top ten."

"Only the top ten?" Ji Xinghuo exclaimed in surprise.

"Hehe..." Xia Qingyu proudly displayed his knowledge, "Just in the eastern part of the plateau, there are two mountains taller than the Red River Giant Peak. One is Thunderstorm Peak, located about 1,300 kilometers southwest of Skyfall Cliff, and the other is the Gangdamoge Peak, 800 kilometers north from here. I've been to both."

Ji Xinghuo listened with great interest and asked, "What about the highest peak of the Bloody Plateau?"

"In the southwestern part of the plateau, about 16,000 kilometers from Skyfall Cliff, there lies a mountain called the Red Emperor Blood Mountain." Xia Qingyu replied, "It's a sacred site for the Highlander believers, with a vertical drop of over 30,000 meters. It's controlled by the most powerful tribe on the plateau, the Bloodshed Tribe."

"Have you been there?"

"No." Xia Qingyu answered honestly, "It's too far, and the journey is fraught with dangers. Moreover, there's no need for me to go to Red Emperor Blood Mountain. It's enough for me to wander around the eastern part of the plateau."

As the two talked, they drew closer and closer to the Red River Giant Peak.

The reason it was called the Red River Giant Peak was because at the foot of this mountain flowed a turbulent river. The murky waters carried a hint of red, and from a distance, it looked like a river of blood.

Thus, the name Red River.

On this side of the river, along a flat stretch of shore that spanned over a dozen kilometers, an army had already set up camp.

They were the Blood Fury Tribe's forces who had arrived at the Red River Giant Peak earlier, numbering over 20,000. With the addition of He Yan's army, their total strength reached 30,000.

On the opposite bank of the river was the Skullcrusher Tribe's most important political and population center. Built along the ridges on both sides of the Red River Giant Peak, a sizable tribe had been established. The Biao Tribe used giant stones and logs to construct walls that encircled the outer perimeter of the ridges, forming a rudimentary defensive line.

The bridges over the river had been dismantled, making it difficult for the army to cross immediately.

From across the river, they could see many Biao Tribe members going about their activities outside the tribe, digging trenches and setting up defenses, while Biao Tribe patrol squads kept watch on the opposite bank.

Ji Xinghuo observed these members of the Biao Tribe.

The proportion of Stage Three Evolvers among them was high, almost half, far surpassing that of the Blood Fury Tribe's Highlanders.

However, the Highlanders had an absolute advantage in numbers.

Several hours later, another Highlander army arrived at the Red River Giant Peak, numbering close to 20,000, and their equipment was even more sophisticated. They were the core army of the Blood Fury Tribe's chieftain, Gu Luo Ke.

But Gu Luo Ke did not initiate an attack.

Instead, he set up camp on the riverbank for the night and waited until the next day for the Blood Fury Tribe's allies to arrive.

The Fangchi Tribe and the Heart-Devouring Claw Tribe, both Highlanders who worshiped the Red Emperor, but with slightly different blood-colored tattoos, joined the fray. These two tribes brought 20,000 and 30,000 Highlander warriors, respectively, swelling the number of troops on the riverbank to a massive 100,000—a true mega-army!

The camp stretched along the Red River for over a dozen kilometers.

Ji Xinghuo and the mercenaries were stationed in the middle of the camp, and from his position, his electromagnetic sensing covered the entire army.

He sensed the magnetic fields of over 100,000 human forms within his range, and he couldn't suppress the excitement surging within him.

To him, they were all spiritual source energy!

"Fight! Kill!"

"I hope you'll all have your brains bashed out, bleed out, and contribute a few hundred thousand spiritual source energy to me!" Ji Xinghuo gazed at the Biao Tribe's settlement across the river, his eyes filled with anticipation.

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end