Chapter 409: Starfall: Gravitational Field

Chapter 409: Starfall: Gravitational Field

The shuttle moved swiftly, its wings resembling the outstretched wings of a true dragon. It dove over a thousand meters in just a few seconds before slowing down.

Ji Xinghuo had already spotted the people on board the shuttle.

There were four of them, led by a True Dragon King, a sturdy yet sleek figure standing over two meters tall. He wore brown battle armor, his features sharply angular as if chiseled from stone, and his eyes held a deep brown hue. His short hair stood upright like steel needles.

The other three were Legends, apparently attendants of the True Dragon.

Ji Xinghuo glanced at the shuttle and, before they could arrive, took a flashing step towards the Giant Devourer Worm's corpse, reaching out to touch it.

Monster: Black Ring Earth Devourer Worm

Level: Catastrophe-Brilliant

Variants: Devourer, Earth Pulse, Rock Skin, Slime Spray, Subtle Underground Sense

There were only five variants because the Earth Devourer Worm's body had been completely split in half.

Ji Xinghuo immediately touched the other half of the corpse, and information appeared before his eyes.

Monster: Black Ring Earth Devourer Worm

Level: Catastrophe-Brilliant

Variants: Gravitational Field, Wound Transfer, Underground Movement, Earthquake, Fossil to Sand

The first variant's information made Ji Xinghuo's heart skip a beat.

"Gravitational Field!"

This was a Starfall variant.

Although it was considered mediocre among Starfall variants, its power was still formidable. After all, it was a Starfall variant, a dream come true for countless Exotics, with a wide range of applications and compatibility with more than half of the professions.

Gravitists, Earth Walkers, Giants, Martial Artists, Flying Steps, and Chordists could all integrate "Gravitational Field."

It could be evolved from "Gravity Mutation."

Qinghong's Gravity Mutation was currently at Level 6 (102/88657), and one more level should be enough for evolution.

Aside from Gravitational Field, this Earth Devourer Worm also had several other excellent ultra-limit variants.

However, the value of all the other variants combined didn't even amount to one-tenth of Gravitational Field's worth.

"I never expected..."

"...that this Earth Devourer Worm would give me such a pleasant surprise."

If it weren't for the ambush with Jiuyou, slicing it in half with one strike, but instead engaging it in a head-on battle, it certainly wouldn't have been this easy to kill.

Ji Xinghuo glanced at the location of the Gravitational Field variant.

It was on the abdomen of this half of the Earth Devourer Worm's corpse, about the size of a fist, and very well-hidden. It would take some effort to dig it out.

More importantly, they now had uninvited guests.

At this moment, the Soaring Dragon shuttle had arrived, hovering about a hundred meters above the ground. With a wingspan of over fifty meters, it resembled a true dragon descending from the heavens.

The bottom of the shuttle opened.

A figure leaped out and landed with a loud thud, the impact shaking the ground.

Ji Xinghuo watched as the True Dragon man approached. With powerful and robust legs, each step was a flash step, like a teleport, bringing him within a few dozen meters of Ji Xinghuo in just a few strides.

He didn't look at Ji Xinghuo but instead fixed his gaze on the Earth Devourer Worm's corpse, a hint of joy flashing in his eyes.

Then he noticed that the worm had been sliced in half, and a wary look appeared on his face.

Finally, his eyes landed on Ji Xinghuo.

"I am Yan Wang Ke."

The True Dragon introduced himself, his demeanor arrogant as if implying that it was an honor for Ji Xinghuo to know his name.

However, Ji Xinghuo remained expressionless and did not respond.

With the surname Yan Wang, he was obviously from the Yan Wang Dragon bloodline, one of the three Yan Wang Dragon families in the Yuan Magnet Domain. Yet, he didn't provide the family's "surname" for distinction, clearly not considering Ji Xinghuo worth his attention.

As soon as Yan Wang Ke landed, Ji Xinghuo had assessed his strength—a King at the second stage, with the profession template of Dragon Lord.

True to its name, the Yan Wang Dragon was an Earth Dragon species.

They had an innate affinity with the earth and rocks, possessing the ability to manipulate rocks. Their bodies were tough, and their strength was formidable. The Dragon Lords and Dragon Warriors of the Yan Wang family could advance in the directions of Gravitists, Martial Artists, and Giants.

And the most talented among them could excel in all three paths.

Yan Wang Ke, standing before him, was one such individual!

Due to the Yan Wang Dragon's massive size, it was not adept at flying, and there were limitations to their combat environments. As such, Dragon Lords often ventured out without a True Dragon partner, leaving the Yan Wang Dragon behind in the family, a form of protection for the True Dragon.

Yan Wang Ke frowned slightly, displeased by Ji Xinghuo's lack of response. He asked again, "Did you kill this Earth Devourer Worm?"

Ji Xinghuo remained silent.

"Haha..." Yan Wang Ke suddenly smiled, "I, Yan Wang Ke, have never been the kind to bully others. If you're willing to sell this Earth Devourer Worm to me, we can be friends. If you ever run into any trouble in the Yuan Magnet Domain, you can come to me for help."

"Ten million True Dragon Coins," Yan Wang Ke shouted, "I'll give ten million True Dragon Coins for this Earth Devourer Worm!"

Finally, Ji Xinghuo's lips twitched, a hint of contempt flashing across his face.

This price was equivalent to 200 Ether Crystals.

If it were just a few ultra-limit exotic species, it wouldn't be worth Yan Wang Ke offering such a price, but it seemed he had guessed the presence of a Starfall exotic.

His offer immediately revealed his intentions.

Realizing his mistake, Yan Wang Ke's smile vanished, and he said in a deep voice, "I'll go up to fifty million. You're a barbarian, and this is the Empire's territory. It would be wise to consider your situation carefully; those who offend me never fare well."

The emphasis on Ji Xinghuo's racial status implied a clear threat.

Ji Xinghuo suddenly looked up at the sky and then back at Yan Wang Ke.

"So, are you selling or not?"

Yan Wang Ke grew impatient and took a step forward, his aura intensifying as he tried to pressure Ji Xinghuo. "My patience is limited."

"Let me think about it," Ji Xinghuo finally spoke.

Yan Wang Ke's expression softened slightly, and as he was about to continue pressuring him, Ji Xinghuo said, "I'm thinking about whether killing you here will lead them to me, and then your family will take revenge."

"You dare!" Yan Wang Ke roared with laughter, about to make his move, but then he saw the serious look on Ji Xinghuo's face, and it didn't seem like he was bluffing.

Then, he noticed the flickering lightning in Ji Xinghuo's eyes.

A terrifying aura enveloped him, his pores stood on end, his skin went numb, and the air around him was ionized by high-voltage electricity, emitting a burnt smell.

"You..."

Yan Wang Ke's heart filled with dread as he found the barbarian before him extremely frightening. He immediately took several consecutive flash steps backward, trying to create distance between them.

However, each time Yan Wang Ke took a flash step back, Ji Xinghuo would flash step forward.

Both were using flash steps.

After three consecutive steps, their relative distance remained unchanged. After five consecutive flash steps, Yan Wang Ke's star power was rapidly depleted, preventing him from outputting power in time, and his sixth flash step stumbled.

Meanwhile, Ji Xinghuo's movements were unhindered, and he closed in with another flash step.

As he flash stepped, his body expanded step by step. By the final step, when he stood before Yan Wang Ke, he had transformed into a five-meter-tall giant. His tightly clenched right fist was as large as a basket, and electricity arced from it, resembling a thunder god wielding lightning.

However, Ji Xinghuo did not unleash that punch.

"Wait!"

Yan Wang Ke shouted, "If you're not willing to sell, then forget it. It was just a misunderstanding, no need to fight to the death."

"Your death, my life," Ji Xinghuo said coldly.

"If I die, you won't live either," Yan Wang Ke said in a low voice, "Black Ring Star is guarded by my 'Zhengang Clan' of the Rock King family, generation after generation. My shuttle is synchronized with the star network of Black Ring Star. As long as you're on Black Ring Star, there's no way you can escape being traced."

As he spoke, his confidence returned.

Yan Wang Ke's body also enlarged to over four meters tall, and beneath his battle armor, a layer of grayish-white dragon scales appeared. He unleashed a gravitational field spanning several hundred meters, instantly increasing the gravity within the range by several dozen times.

At the same time, the weapons on the shuttle in the sky were activated.

"You can try if you want to kill me," Yan Wang Ke said as he clenched his fists together, emitting a loud reverberation.

Ji Xinghuo chuckled lightly.

Indeed, this Yan Wang Ke was powerful, but Ji Xinghuo didn't find it challenging to kill him.

However, as Yan Wang Ke had mentioned, Ji Xinghuo was hesitant since he had introduced himself as a member of the Rock King family earlier, which gave him pause.

Black Ring Star belonged to the Titanium-Cobalt Dragon King, but the actual administrators were the Rock King family of the Zhengang Clan, who owned the stargate on Black Ring Star, making them semi-owners.

This place wasn't the Star Realm, where one could kill someone and then flee.

There were countless satellites in orbit, constantly monitoring the surface of Black Ring Star, and it was daytime, so he couldn't hide.

If a conflict broke out with the Rock King family, and they banned him from entering Black Ring Star, he would lose a great place to harvest a large amount of spiritual source energy.

So, it was enough to just scare Yan Wang Ke away.

As for Yan Wang Ke holding a grudge and taking revenge later...

Ji Xinghuo transformed into a bolt of lightning and retreated to the side of the Earth Devourer Worm's corpse, his body returning to its normal size. He took out the Titanium-Cobalt Blue identity badge that represented his status as a subject.

"I am a subject of Titanium-Cobalt Blue. If you want something that belongs to me, you should ask Titanium-Cobalt Blue if he agrees or not."

Yan Wang Ke's face changed.

He stared at the identity badge in Ji Xinghuo's hand, confirming its authenticity, before reluctantly forcing a smile, "It was my mistake. Let's just say it was a misunderstanding, and now it's resolved.

Don't be fooled by Yan Wang Ke's hasty retreat after learning his identity; it was only because of his own strength. If he had revealed his identity from the start without demonstrating his power, Yan Wang Ke wouldn't have backed down so easily.

Any subject's status means nothing in the eyes of a True Dragon.

Not even if they are a subject of the Titanium-Cobalt family.

Ji Xinghuo had a feeling that his conflict with Yan Wang Ke wouldn't end here. As long as he remained on Black Ring Star, a confrontation was inevitable.

He glanced up at the sky once more, "It's a pity it's not night..."

If it were night, the visibility and clarity of the orbital satellites would be greatly reduced. If he had acted as soon as Yan Wang Ke appeared, Ji Xinghuo would have been highly confident in handling the situation cleanly and leaving no trace.

Confirming that the shuttle had left, Ji Xinghuo immediately began collecting the exotic species.

Soon, he had acquired ten of them.

Ji Xinghuo held one of the exotics in his hand; it appeared as a semi-transparent stone ball riddled with holes, yet it had a fleshy texture and felt resilient. One could directly see the "gravitational field" energy lines within it.

[Exotic: Gravitational Field]



[Grade: Starfall]



[Fusion Success Rate: 74%, 95%, 34%]



[Can it be upgraded: Yes]



The second 95% fusion success rate belonged to Qinghong. Clearly, the gravitational field was very compatible with Qinghong, but Ji Xinghuo had no intention of fusing it with his beast.

Qinghong already possessed the Gravity Mutation. With just one more level, it should be able to evolve into the Gravitational Field.

It would be a waste to fuse it with Qinghong.

The Gravitational Field could originally be derived from the combination of Gravity Mutation and Bio-Field. It could utilize the earth or extremely massive objects to form a spherical force field, manipulating gravity within its range to not only increase but also decrease its pull.

Moreover, the gravitational changes of the Gravitational Field were extremely rapid, and different areas within its range could experience varying gravity, from increased to decreased pull.

All gravitational changes could be manipulated at will.

The increase or decrease in gravity was also far greater than what the Gravity Mutation could achieve, starting at over 180 times the normal force! If fused by a Gravitist, the range and variation multiples of the Gravitational Field could be further enhanced through spiritual energy amplification.

"What a fantastic ability!"

Ji Xinghuo stored the exotic into his Dimensional Stomach.

Although he wouldn't be fusing the Gravitational Field with himself or Qinghong, he could sell it or exchange it for another Starfall exotic that he desired.

With a thought, Jiu You, who had been hiding in the shadows, flew over and entered the Dark Magic Ball.

Then, Ji Xinghuo mounted the flying motorcycle and took off.

As he sped through the air, his electromagnetic sensing spread out, and soon he detected the presence of hidden Earth Devourer Worms.

However, he did not begin hunting them as he usually would.

Although his electromagnetic sensing detected nothing unusual, Ji Xinghuo had a strong intuition that he was being secretly tailed.

"Satellite..."

Ji Xinghuo looked up at the sky helplessly.

Previously, while in the Quiet Wasteland, he had sensed scans from orbit a few times, but those were just routine patrols by the satellites, quickly passing by.

Now, however, several satellites had clearly locked onto him and were tracking his every move.

"Yan Wang Ke."

Ji Xinghuo coldly huffed in his mind.

He immediately changed direction, riding his motorcycle for over two hundred kilometers until he reached one of the largest city ruins in the Quiet Wasteland. The ruins contained numerous structures, including underground layers, making the environment complex and ideal for evading pursuit.

The motorcycle weaved through the ruins and entered the base of a collapsed building, blocking the satellite's line of sight from above.

Within the ruined structure, Ji Xinghuo stored his motorcycle back into the Dragon Ring.

Then, he quietly waited for nightfall.

Ji Xinghuo's left eye glowed with a eerie light as he activated the Dark Magic Ball, causing Jiu You to attach itself to his body. Instantly, shadows flowed across his skin, and his eyes turned pitch-black, even the whites of his eyes darkened, creating a terrifying appearance.

Dark Avatar!

He felt his body becoming ethereal, existing between light and darkness, capable of shifting between reality and illusion.

The interface of the Myriad Images Star Pupil also changed.

All of Jiu You's abilities were transferred to his own ability interface, including Dark King, Dark Matter Aberration, Shadow Formless, Mimicry, and more. Ji Xinghuo could now utilize all ten of Jiu You's abilities without any hindrance.

At this moment, Ji Xinghuo felt like he was the King of Darkness.

It took him only a few seconds to adapt to this state.

Then, his body quickly turned translucent and merged with the night, like a fish returning to the sea. Ji Xinghuo leaped through the shadows, disappearing from the ruins in the blink of an eye, moving swiftly and silently into the distance.

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end