Chapter 404: The Second Battle Pet

Chapter 404: The Second Battle Pet

Ji Xinghu's vision had gained an extra dimension, as if a black filter had been applied to the world, layering it with a new depth. Everything took on a distinct contrast of black and white.

However, these were not the ordinary shades of black and white. The white was what normal people would see, while the black was like the background of space—pervasive yet imperceptible to human senses or observation.

It was akin to the very fabric of space itself, carrying matter and energy, forming the foundation of the universe.

"Dark energy!" Ji Xinghu realized.

This "blackness" that permeated space was dark energy. It wasn't the conventional black but appeared dim and formless in contrast to other visible matter.

Dark energy was evenly distributed throughout the universe. Thus, despite comprising 70% of the total mass-energy of the universe, it didn't appear prominent in local or small-scale areas; instead, it seemed weaker, like the shadow of matter.

Only in a few shadows did darker blotches exist, resembling cotton wool and randomly distributed—these were dark matter.

Ji Xinghu found it extraordinary that even technological means couldn't detect dark energy and dark matter, yet he could see them directly.

Not only could he see them, but this ability also granted him a form of "X-ray vision."

"That's not right…" Ji Xinghu immediately realized, "This is far more powerful than just X-ray vision!"

Since dark energy was omnipresent, even within objects, as he sensed the dark energy, his line of sight seemed to unfold three-dimensional objects, revealing everything in perfect detail.

No matter which direction he looked, walls and rock layers became transparent, offering no obstruction.

"It's like a black-and-white photo without color."

Before Ji Xinghu could finish his thought, electromagnetic induction overlapped with the world before his eyes, instantly infusing the monochrome world with rich colors.

"Wow…"

"Now this is amazing!"

He initially felt a bit disoriented, but soon mastered this new way of observing the world, as if standing at a god's-eye view, overlooking everything with absolute control.

And this was just the basic function of the Ultimate Dark Ball.

Ji Xinghu continued to explore its capabilities.

The core of the Ultimate Dark Ball was highly intelligent, conveying information that quickly made him understand its true power.

Its most commonly used ability was called the "Dark Domain."

By gathering the surrounding dark energy, it created an extremely large interference zone. There was no change in the visual perception of normal people, but various detection methods, such as magnetic field induction, mental probing, or vacuum sensing, were severely suppressed or even rendered ineffective.

"So it was the Dark Domain!" Ji Xinghu understood. No wonder his electromagnetic induction was suppressed in the city ruins.

The Dark Domain was like a shadowy canopy, veiling oneself from detection.

As the master of the Ultimate Dark Ball, not only was he unaffected by the Dark Domain, but it also amplified the power of the Dark Stringer. Any abilities involving dark energy and dark matter would have their might significantly increased.

"It's a pity I'm not a Dark Stringer," Ji Xinghu thought. "But it's still effective for the Shadow Serpent Spirit Body."

The range of the Dark Domain was immense! With just a single activation, it had a starting radius of 120 kilometers.

Moreover, it required no additional consumption, as the Ultimate Dark Ball could absorb dark energy and automatically maintain the Dark Domain.

Of course, one could also infuse spiritual energy to expand the Dark Domain.

Ji Xinghu tried it, converting a large amount of stellar power into spiritual energy and channeling it into the Ultimate Dark Ball in his left eye.

Instantly, he sensed the Dark Domain expanding rapidly, with himself at the center. Starting from a 120-kilometer radius, it quickly grew to 150 kilometers, then 180 kilometers, and soon broke through 200 kilometers!

The consumption of spiritual energy was far less than expected.

Ji Xinghu decided to increase the input, and in a moment, the radius of the Dark Domain exceeded 1,000 kilometers, with the consumption increasing exponentially.

On the interface of the Myriads Star Pupil, the stellar power value plummeted.

With a 1,000-kilometer radius Dark Domain, Ji Xinghu estimated that his stellar power would only be enough to maintain it for about five minutes.

And this was far from the upper limit of the Dark Domain.

Based on the spiritual energy consumption of the Ultimate Dark Ball, Ji Xinghu calculated the range of the Dark Domain, which had a maximum radius of over 100,000 kilometers and might even be larger.

With just over 20,000 kilometers, the Dark Domain could cover most terrestrial planets.

100,000 kilometers was truly beyond imagination.

Hiding within such a vast Dark Domain, even a Star Saint would find it extremely difficult to locate him.

This was an excellent means of self-preservation! Ji Xinghu immediately thought of its applications. If he encountered an overpowering enemy, he could activate the Dark Domain, hide in the shadows, and find a corner to crouch in without making any noise. Who could possibly find him then?

If he were a Dark Stringer, he would be almost invincible within the Dark Domain, standing undefeated.

The Shadow Serpent Spirit Body appeared, hovering before him.

The second ability of the Ultimate Dark Ball was the "Dark Avatar," and the key to this ability lay in the Shadow Serpent Spirit Body.

The Dark Avatar was similar to a Magus' "Demonification," releasing the inner dark matter demon, resulting in a surge of power, and gaining the abilities of a demon.

However, it was even more potent than demonification.

Demonification carried significant risks for Magus, including backlash and an immense burden on the body, limiting the duration of its use.

On the other hand, the Dark Avatar was entirely safe.

It offered two options: first, to amplify power using only dark energy, enhancing overall combat prowess; second, to integrate the Shadow Serpent Spirit Body into one's physical form, temporarily gaining its supernatural abilities.

One could also choose to have both options active simultaneously.

If the user were a Dark Stringer, their strength would increase even more upon activating the Dark Avatar.

The stronger the Shadow Serpent Spirit Body, the greater the amplification. Thus, the Shadow Serpent Spirit Body was crucial to the Dark Avatar.

Ji Xinghu opened the Myriads Star Pupil interface and focused on the information regarding the Shadow Serpent Spirit Body. Each of its eight supernatural abilities had an upgrade progress bar, indicating that he could invest spiritual source energy to upgrade them.

"Let's give it a try," he thought.

He selected "Dark Energy Vortex Field," the ability closest to being upgraded.

[Supernatural Ability: Dark Energy Vortex Field (Level 3 14652/16699)]



However, nothing happened.

Ji Xinghu immediately realized that the Shadow Serpent Spirit Body needed to be in physical contact with him.

As he placed the Shadow Serpent Spirit Body in his palm, the progress bar began to rise.

Cuddled up in his hand, the Shadow Serpent Spirit Body emitted a dim, dusky glow.

It unfurled itself, revealing its true form: a rough humanoid outline with vague features and a single arm for its upper body, while its lower body was a black vortex, with black energy flowing endlessly around it.

Its narrow, azure eyes turned towards Ji Xinghu, reflecting bewilderment and astonishment, before it realized it was being enhanced.

The speed of this enhancement was millions of times faster than what it had experienced by absorbing dark energy in the past.

It trembled with excitement, its body twisting and turning as if it were dancing.

Soon, Ji Xinghu invested over 2,000 points of spiritual source energy, upgrading the Dark Energy Vortex Field to Level 4 (Level 4 1/66629).

This supernatural ability was truly remarkable!

The entire universe's movement was propelled by dark energy, which always appeared in vortex motion, hence the spiral structure of galaxies.

The Dark Energy Vortex Field simulated this phenomenon, instantly generating negative pressure to push objects within the vortex towards its center along the spiral path. Simultaneously, it impeded the use of stellar power and supernatural abilities, creating a suction-like effect.

This was an extremely rare control-type supernatural ability, almost impossible to immunize against.

In the heat of battle, being forcibly controlled for a few seconds and having one's supernatural abilities disrupted could easily lead to death.

The higher the rank of the opponent, the more challenging it was to control them.

Therefore, in Ji Xinghu's opinion, the Dark Energy Vortex Field, despite being a Transcendent-tier ability, was even more formidable than a Stellar Destruction-tier ability.

Its only drawback was its limited range.

At Level 3, the Dark Energy Vortex Field had a diameter of about ten meters.

Ji Xinghu had the Shadow Serpent Spirit Body release the vortex, and he found that upon reaching Level 4, the range had only increased to fifteen meters.

For battles between the Legendary and Heavenly King tiers, the combat range could span from several hundred meters to tens of thousands of meters, making the fifteen-meter range of the vortex seem minuscule.

However, it would be incredibly useful in close-quarters combat!

"Upgrading the Dark Energy Vortex Field to Level 5 requires 66,629 points of spiritual source energy, which is a bit much," Ji Xinghu thought, deciding to hold off on the upgrade for now.

He prioritized upgrading the other abilities that were closer to reaching the next level.

[Supernatural Ability: Shadow Invisibility (Level 2 7501/12911)]



[Supernatural Ability: High-Energy Ray (Level 3 2320/6569)]



Shadow Invisibility was a Stellar Destruction-tier ability. Ji Xinghu invested over 5,000 points of spiritual source energy, upgrading it to Level 3 (Level 3 1/48311), enhancing the Shadow Serpent Spirit Body's stealth capabilities, especially within the Dark Domain, making it even harder to detect.

He also upgraded High-Energy Ray to Level 4 (Level 4 1/19609), increasing its range, speed of release, and power.

Ji Xinghu consecutively upgraded three of the Shadow Serpent Spirit Body's supernatural abilities, and it reveled in this rapid enhancement, cheering and celebrating.

With just a small display of power, the Shadow Serpent Spirit Body had completely submitted to him.

Ecstatic, it floated up, circling Ji Xinghu before returning to his palm and wriggling its body, asking for more.

Qinghong, witnessing this, also emerged and jumped towards the Shadow Serpent Spirit Body, baring its teeth and growling deeply.

The two battle pets faced off for a few seconds, on the brink of breaking into a fight.

Ji Xinghu quickly intervened, lifting Qinghong by the neck and shrinking it down before tossing it back into his pocket. He then commanded the Shadow Serpent Spirit Body to remain still.

To facilitate communication, Ji Xinghu gave the Shadow Serpent Spirit Body a name. Jiuyou spun around to indicate its understanding before transforming into a shadowy light and returning to Ji Xinghu's left eye, hiding within the Ultimate Dark Ball.

Ji Xinghu was very pleased with Jiuyou's performance. As his second battle pet, it excelled in both strength and potential.

He planned to enhance Jiuyou further by fusing it with several exotic species, improving its abilities, and compensating for its shortcomings. In the near future, its combat prowess would surpass Qinghong's.

His thoughts then turned to Cang Huo Gui's battle pet system.

With Qinghong as the core, Jiuyou could accompany it during star realm leaps, one attracting enemies out in the open while the other launched surprise attacks from the shadows, forming a perfect combination.

"This system still lacks a powerful offensive battle pet," Ji Xinghu mused. "Cang Huo Gui uses three two-headed flying dragons for long-range attacks, but that's clearly insufficient. I also can't find any battle pets with super-strong offensive capabilities..."

"Looks like I'll have to do it myself."

Ji Xinghu sensed the Ultimate Dark Ball within his left eye.

It had one last function, one of the most powerful burst abilities, called "Dark Frenzy"! The Ultimate Dark Ball would immediately drain all his stellar power and spiritual energy, releasing it in an instant and triggering a shockwave of dark energy and dark matter in the surrounding area, resembling a chain reaction and resulting in a large-scale energy explosion.

The stronger his stellar power, the more destructive and far-reaching the Dark Frenzy would be.

This move was akin to self-detonation.

However, the Ultimate Dark Ball would protect itself from harm. Still, once its stellar power and spiritual energy were drained, its strength would be greatly diminished, making self-preservation difficult.

If the enemy didn't perish in the Dark Frenzy, he would be left in a dire situation.

Thus, it was a move he could only use as a last resort.

Ji Xinghu couldn't help but marvel at the treasure of the Five Stars of Apocalypse. It had elevated his strength to a whole new level, and ordinary Sixth-Stage powerhouses or Heavenly Kings were no longer a match for him.

However, there was also a hidden concern.

The Ultimate Dark Ball was too precious to be revealed lightly.

Especially within the True Dragon Dynasty, where the Dragon Kings were likely familiar with it. The annihilation of the Shadow Serpent Clan wasn't exactly a secret within the dynasty, and anyone could look up that information. Even if it weren't one of the Five Stars of Apocalypse, but merely a one-star treasure, it could still attract unwanted trouble.

"Before I advance to the Star Saint realm, the Ultimate Dark Ball must remain my trump card and cannot be easily utilized," Ji Xinghu resolved.

"However, if Jiuyou can change its appearance and transform its form, it should be fine to occasionally join Qinghong in battle."

He had already planned how to strengthen Jiuyou and which exotic species to fuse it with.

Scanning his surroundings, Ji Xinghu confirmed that there was nothing else of value in this Shadow Serpent Clan's laboratory, and he took off into the air.

"As for Bi Feng Yuju and the other two..."

He glanced in their direction. Before Jiuyou returned, it had been attacking Bi Feng Yuju and his companions.

Its sudden cessation of the attack had already aroused Bi Feng Yuju's suspicions.

Ji Xinghu didn't remove the Dark Domain, which still shrouded the entire city ruins. However, now that he controlled the Ultimate Dark Ball, the Dark Domain no longer suppressed his electromagnetic induction, restoring his sensing range to 15 kilometers.

At that moment, Bi Feng Yuju was pursuing Jiuyou, having tracked it down to a location just 3,000 meters away. He was searching for its whereabouts.

Of course, he was also seeking the Ultimate Dark Ball.

The best method of keeping a secret was always to eliminate all witnesses.

Ji Xinghu shook his head. Bi Feng Yuju seemed like a decent person, at least in the way he had presented himself. He was someone worth befriending, and there was no need to be ruthless. Besides, Bi Feng Yuju didn't know that he had obtained the Ultimate Dark Ball.

"Jiuyou."

He called out softly, and Jiuyou emerged from his left eye.

"Go and attack them, but don't kill them. Make it look convincing, and don't let them see through your act."

Ji Xinghu pointed in Bi Feng Yuju's direction, though it was unnecessary as Jiuyou could immediately locate its target within the Dark Domain.

It melded with the shadows and swiftly made its way over.

A few minutes later.

Jiuyou returned to Ji Xinghu's side, while in another direction, Bi Feng Yuju fled with the Brietas sisters, battered and bruised.

He was unharmed, but the sisters had sustained serious injuries. Despite their precautions and this being their third encounter, they couldn't withstand Jiuyou, who had just been enhanced by three supernatural abilities by Ji Xinghu. Their bodies were instantly pierced by the high-energy rays.

If not for Jiuyou heeding Ji Xinghu's command and holding back, they would have been dead.

Ji Xinghu trailed behind the trio from a distance.

Only after confirming that Bi Feng Yuju had retreated from the ruins with the injured sisters did he turn back to continue hunting the Dark Eaters.

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end