Chapter 405: Qinghong's Transformation

Chapter 405: Qinghong's Transformation

Bang!

A Dark Devourer's head exploded from Ji Xinghuo's gun, and the battle ceased instantly.

The ruins fell silent.

Littered around him were over a dozen corpses of the Dark Devourers; this was the last group in the entire ruins, and perhaps a few stragglers lurked in the shadows, but they were no longer a threat.

With the Dark Domain Sphere in his possession, Ji Xinghuo was no longer affected by the Dark Domain, and his electromagnetic sensing ability had recovered to a 15-kilometer range, greatly increasing his efficiency in searching for monsters.

It took him only five days to clear out the remaining monsters in the ruins.

He checked the interface and saw:

[Spiritual Source Energy: 207,015]



Ji Xinghuo felt a great sense of satisfaction. Including the Spiritual Source Energy consumed during the previous upgrade of his spiritual energy, he had gained a total of over 300,000 Spiritual Source Energy in this ruin, which was close to his estimate.

He hadn't decided how to allocate this large amount of Spiritual Source Energy yet.

"Let's leave first," Ji Xinghuo said to himself.

Without any hesitation, he quickly collected the exotic species and left the ruins.

It would take several decades for the Dark Devourer population to recover to a significant number, and they no longer posed any attraction to him.

While searching for the Dark Devourers, Ji Xinghuo had also scanned the ruins for any treasures or items of value. However, after a millennium, almost everything had been damaged beyond repair.

He had also discovered an Aethercryst treasury belonging to the You Gu tribe.

At first, he thought he had struck gold, but he was sorely disappointed.

Due to the collapse of the preservation measures, the Aethercrysts that were once piled up like mountains had lost their energy and turned into worthless stones.

Upon leaving the ruins, Ji Xinghuo flew out of the Evernight Rift Valley with his Branch-horned Cloud Stag.

For the past half month, it had been hiding nearby, and although it was discovered by hunters several times and attacked by other monsters, its keen senses and excellent escape abilities had saved its life.

Ji Xinghuo hopped onto the back of the Branch-horned Cloud Stag and calmed its agitated emotions.

Riding his mount, he left the equator where the Evernight Rift Valley was located and ran for three to four hours before finally stopping in a safe, open area. He then took out his personal terminal and contacted a transport plane.

Soon, a small transport plane landed.

Ji Xinghuo boarded the plane with his mount, and it immediately took off, flying towards the North Pole of Black Ring Star.

He was heading back to the "North Pole Transit Station" to deal with the exotic species he had collected.

The Dragon Ring, his own dimensional stomach, and Qinghong's were all filled with exotic species, totaling 30,000 to 40,000! Most of them were exotic species of the Dark Devourers.

The transport plane landed safely at the transit station, and Ji Xinghuo checked into a hotel. After washing up, he ordered a table full of delicious food and ate his fill with Qinghong before taking a well-deserved rest.

When he woke up, it was already the next day.

Ji Xinghuo confirmed that his hotel room was not under surveillance, and with his electromagnetic sensing ability, he could tell that everything in the transit station was as it should be.

Only then did he take out the exotic species from the Dragon Ring and his dimensional stomach. Qinghong also opened her mouth wide and spat out a large pile of exotic species.

The room was instantly filled with a putrid stench.

Ji Xinghuo was too lazy to categorize them, as he had already set aside the most valuable super-limit exotic species during the collection process.

The ones in front of him were all excellent and high-quality exotic species, but they were still quite valuable.

He prepared titanium alloy boxes and stuffed the exotic species into them, filling a total of five boxes to the brim.

Then, he walked out of the room with the boxes floating behind him, carried by his spiritual energy.

As Ji Xinghuo walked out with the five boxes, he immediately attracted curious glances from passersby, and some even dared to stare boldly. However, when they met his gaze, they immediately felt a shocking sense of oppression, as if they had been struck by an electric shock, and any ill intentions they might have harbored instantly vanished.

Soon, he arrived at a familiar shop.

"Sir!"

When Karula, the red snake-tailed woman, saw Ji Xinghuo enter, she shooed away the employees in the shop and eagerly approached him with her reddish snake tail, a look of enthusiasm on her face.

"Are you buying exotic species here?" Ji Xinghuo asked directly.

"Yes!" Karula exclaimed.

Having seen the boxes behind Ji Xinghuo, she immediately guessed that a big business opportunity had presented itself, and she couldn't hide her excitement.

"Please come with me, sir." She led Ji Xinghuo into a hidden transaction room.

"Can you appraise how much these exotic species are worth and give me a total price?" Ji Xinghuo waved his hand, and the five titanium alloy boxes neatly landed on the ground in front of Karula, filling the room with a putrid smell as they opened.

Karula paid no heed to the stench and instead, her elongated eyes sparkled with excitement.

"So many!"

Ji Xinghuo had left a deep impression on her. She still remembered that over ten days ago, he had introduced himself as a first-time visitor to Black Ring Star, and she had recommended a few hunting grounds to him.

In such a short time, he had managed to hunt down so many exotic species!

How many monsters had he slain?

Karula suppressed her shock and asked, "Sir, this batch of exotic species is quite large, and it will take some time to appraise and assess their total value. I assure you that I will complete the task within five stars. Would you like to wait in the shop or—"

"I'll come back after five stars," Ji Xinghuo replied.

She looked up, but not even a shadow remained.

"Terrifying..." Karula murmured, her eyes wide with shock.

She had been operating in the North Pole Transit Station for many years and had encountered countless Dragon Lords and Sixth-Stage powerhouses, but none had given her the feeling that this wild man did. He was powerful and mysterious, aloof, yet she felt as if he could see right through her.

Ji Xinghuo strolled through the transit station, casually purchasing a few items and exotic species, all of which were for Jiuyou.

Then, he flew out of the transit station alone.

His entire body turned into a lightning bolt as he sped through the transit station's protective shield and disappeared into the snowy winds.

The North Pole of Black Ring Star had a minimum temperature of minus 100 degrees and an average temperature of around minus 40 degrees. Constant storms raged, filling the sky with ice and snow, making it difficult even for monsters to survive.

Ji Xinghuo weaved swiftly through the storms and, after traveling over a hundred kilometers from the transit station, he dived into an ice crack hidden beneath the snow.

The howling winds immediately lessened in intensity.

He descended to the bottom of the ice crack, hundreds of meters deep, and entered an icy cave where he sat down.

Then, he opened the interface of the Myriads Star Pupil.

As he looked at the information about his abilities and Spiritual Source Energy, he began to ponder.

There were now two choices before him:

One was to continue accumulating Spiritual Source Energy until he reached 330,000 points and upgrade "Electromagnetic Oscillation" to the sixth level.

Electromagnetic Oscillation was his core ability, and upgrading it was the most challenging, but each upgrade significantly enhanced his strength.

The second option was to upgrade his other abilities first, including his own and Qinghong's, following a similar concept to the bucket theory, where he would improve his weaknesses and develop a more well-rounded set of abilities.

Ji Xinghuo quickly made his decision.

Upgrade the other abilities first! There were plenty of monsters on Black Ring Star, and he intended to continue hunting them. Even though absorbing Spiritual Source Energy here was not as efficient as in the ruins, he was confident he could acquire another three to four hundred thousand Spiritual Source Energy before the Doomsday Dragon Sacrifice began.

By then, it wouldn't be too late to upgrade Electromagnetic Oscillation to the sixth level.

Upgrading his other abilities required less Spiritual Source Energy, and the increase in strength they provided was more cost-effective.

Ji Xinghuo immediately began allocating his resources.

First was "Giant Transformation."

{Ability: Giant Transformation (Level 3, 378/36,919)}

This was an ability shared with Qinghong, and upgrading it would strengthen both of them.

As he invested Spiritual Source Energy, Qinghong immediately sensed the change and popped out of his pocket, revealing her true form. She excitedly wagged her tail.

Soon, Giant Transformation reached (Level 4, 1/282,001).

"It didn't advance!" Ji Xinghuo exclaimed in surprise, though he didn't find it entirely unexpected.

He had been upgrading various abilities and had long discovered that it was challenging to summarize a consistent pattern. Even for ultra-limit abilities, the amount of Spiritual Source Energy required for upgrades varied, and the increments between levels were inconsistent, sometimes increasing sharply and other times barely at all.

Some abilities, like Rotating Magnetic Field and Static Electric Field, had advanced and merged upon reaching the fifth level.

Others, like Thunderclap Hand, remained at the sixth level without advancing.

An extreme example was the ability Ether Sensitivity, which had already advanced twice by the sixth level.

Upgrading some abilities was exceptionally challenging, with each level requiring ten times more Spiritual Source Energy than the previous one.

In contrast, some abilities could be upgraded quite effortlessly, jumping two or three levels at a time.

Ji Xinghuo couldn't make heads or tails of it.

He didn't have the time or energy to research the patterns, anyway. As long as he had Spiritual Source Energy, he could upgrade his abilities, and that was what mattered.

Level four for Giant Transformation!

Before Ji Xinghuo could even activate it, Qinghong had already transformed eagerly, instantly expanding to thirty meters in length. From the top of her head to the ground, she stood at over seven meters tall, her twin horns scraping the top of the ice cave and causing chunks of ice to tumble down.

"Don't move recklessly!" Ji Xinghuo quickly admonished Qinghong.

With Qinghong's strength, an accidental bump could cause the ice cave to collapse, burying them both.

Ji Xinghuo's body also stretched upward, surpassing five meters in height in the blink of an eye!

"Bang!"

He clenched his fist, emitting a dull thud.

Standing at over five meters tall, he was comparable in size to most adult giants. In this giant form, his strength increased by a factor of fifteen.

"I also have Overload, Dragon Frenzy, and Dark Avatar..." Ji Xinghuo thought, and he activated them simultaneously.

In an instant, currents of electricity appeared around his body, and his eyes shot forth beams of light. His muscles swelled, and countless dark energies flowed into his body from his surroundings. A faint glow emanated from the depths of his eyes, spreading throughout his body, and a sense of impending doom permeated the area.

Crackle!

Electricity crackled, and darkness encroached.

Ji Xinghuo stood still, yet his mere presence caused the entire ice cave to tremble. Invisible electromagnetic and dark energies radiated from him, melting the ice that had been frozen for untold millennia, causing it to shatter with loud cracks.

"This is my complete form..." Ji Xinghuo thought, but as soon as this notion arose, he suddenly sensed something amiss.

"What's going on?" Ji Xinghuo exclaimed, startled but not panicked.

He observed quietly for a few seconds and realized that if he did nothing, his body would crumble within minutes.

"My body can't withstand my full power. It's overloaded?" Ji Xinghuo mused, feeling a bit absurd, but then quickly understood the reason. He was missing a crucial ability to completely fortify his physique.

The "Superconducting Permanent Magnet" in the profession template was meant for this purpose, to bear the brunt of his ferocious strength.

"I only lack this ability."

Ji Xinghuo's desire for the Titanium-Cobalt Dragon physique had never been more intense.

He deactivated his power amplification, returning to his normal stature, and the feeling of impending bodily collapse immediately vanished.

Next, Ji Xinghuo decided to upgrade Superload.

Investing over 20,000 points of Spiritual Source Energy, Superload advanced from (Level 4, 1843/24899) to (Level 5, 1/125119).

Level 5 Superload, however, did not undergo an evolution.

The conversion effect of stellar force and electric current had improved significantly, and the amplification of electromagnetic oscillation's might had also increased substantially.

Nevertheless, Ji Xinghuo dared not use Superload casually anymore, as prolonged usage would make it challenging for him to withstand the overload of power.

He upgraded Superthinking from Level 5 to (Level 6, 1/36373), further enhancing his thinking speed. Qinghong, who had recently shared this ability, also experienced faster reactions after activation.

Qinghong kept rubbing her head against Ji Xinghuo.

"Don't worry, it's your turn now," Ji Xinghuo assured her.

He had long wanted to enhance her abilities and directly invested 30,000 points of Spiritual Source Energy, elevating her Rifting Claw from (Level 3, 1358/6869) to (Level 5, 1/105199), resulting in a massive increase in both attack range and lethality.

He then proceeded to upgrade Gravity Mutation (Level 5, 1660/22307), Bio Field (Level 5, 1325/19237), Life Revival (Level 4, 558/13099), and Blink (Level 4, 1/16879) by one level each.

Lastly, he turned his attention to Vacuum Perception (Level 4, 734/36299) and poured all his remaining Spiritual Source Energy into it.

Upon reaching Level 5, Vacuum Perception evolved!

Qinghong lay down quietly, awaiting the results. After more than ten minutes, she opened her eyes, and Vacuum Perception had transformed into "Vacuum Guide Source"!

{Ability: Vacuum Guide Source (Level 5, 1/88001)}

"A Stellar Disaster ability!"

Ji Xinghuo gazed at the ability information on the interface, feeling both delighted and helpless. He was thrilled that Qinghong had acquired another Stellar Disaster ability but exasperated by the seemingly random nature of ability upgrades and evolutions.

Vacuum Guide Source was a familiar ability to him.

The Air-Controlling Flying Shoes borrowed from the Leader had this ability.

It was an extremely rare Stellar Disaster ability that could absorb energy from the vacuum, amplify the lethality of creative abilities, accelerate physical and stellar force recovery, and served as the core ability of a "Vacuum Stringer."

However, being on Black Ring Star meant there was no triggering of celestial phenomena.

Qinghong leaped up, eager to showcase her newfound power, when suddenly, a massive surge of energy rushed in from the vacuum and poured into her body.

"You're about to undergo a transformation!"

"It wasn't a waste for me to spend over 100,000 Spiritual Source Energy on you. Finally, it's showing results," Ji Xinghuo said with a laugh.

He observed Qinghong's changes intently.

The evolution of monsters and spiritual beasts differed from that of intelligent races. For beasts, the first evolution occurred when ordinary wild beasts awakened abilities and became monsters; the second evolution was when they became elite monsters; and the third was the Super Beast level.

After four evolutions, they reached the "Disaster" level.

Disaster-level monsters were further categorized into "Flood, Brilliance, Quake, and Disaster." Each level difference between them was called a "transformation" rather than an evolution.

Transformations were less intense than evolutions, resulting in increased strength without earning fusion opportunities.

As Qinghong underwent her transformation, each of her abilities' progress bars inched forward.

However, this only lasted for about ten minutes before ceasing.

Qinghong's true physical form noticeably enlarged, reaching a length of about eight meters from head to tail. Her overall form remained unchanged, but her scales thickened, and the gold, silver, and cyan patterns on her body became more vibrant. The dark golden mane growing from her neck had also lengthened, flowing gracefully in the air.

Ji Xinghuo stroked her hardened scales, and the interface in his vision updated with new information.

{Spiritual Beast: Vacuum Kirin}

{Level: Disaster-Brilliance}

Below was a list of Qinghong's seventeen abilities, which Ji Xinghuo had memorized long ago. He marveled, "Although you're only at the Brilliance level, your strength surpasses that of Quake-level monsters, and you can even rival Disaster-level ones."

Qinghong proudly raised her head, her eyes brimming with satisfaction.

At that moment, Ji Xinghuo released Jiuyou from the Ultimate Dark Sphere and took out the items he had prepared. He said to Jiuyou, "It's your turn now."

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end