Chapter 410: Legend, Second Stage

Chapter 410: Legend, Second Stage

Under the cover of night, a dark figure ran across the barren wilderness. Its speed was not particularly remarkable, but each footfall produced a dull thud as it struck the ground.

Thud! Thud! Thud...

The sound of footsteps reverberated underground, carrying far and wide.

Suddenly, the surrounding gravity intensified by several dozen times. The ground caved in three places, giving rise to hideous, fanged maws that sprayed greyish-white viscous fluid from different directions, targeting the shadow that had been slowed by the increased gravity.

The ground-devouring worms had long lost their sense of sight; they navigated the world solely through sound waves and touch.

In the perception of these three worms, their target suddenly vanished.

Immediately afterward, a black vortex appeared above the largest worm, sucking its body out from the ground and exposing it fully in mid-air.

Ji Xinghuo leaped out from the shadows, his left eye emitting a pitch-black beam.

High-energy ray!

The beam he projected, empowered by the Darkening Spellball, had reached Level Four in intensity. It was as thick as an arm and highly concentrated in energy, thanks to the delicate manipulation of spiritual energy, ensuring it wouldn't disperse within a 400-meter range and maximizing its destructive power.

A soft puff sounded.

The black beam acted like a sharp blade, slicing through the body of the worm. Ji Xinghuo slightly turned his head, controlling the ray to make two more cuts.

The eight-meter-long worm was instantly divided into three sections.

He deliberately chose the cutting angles so that the high-energy ray also struck another worm, severing the half of its body that had emerged from the ground.

Simultaneously, Ji Xinghuo extended his hand toward the farthest worm and clutched at it with a burst of spiritual energy. A large patch of soil, along with the worm, churned violently. With a turn of his gaze, he swept the high-energy ray across it, reducing it to a corpse as well.

In almost an instant, all three ground-devouring worms were slain.

Had there been any witnesses, they would have heard nary a sound and seen nothing of Ji Xinghuo's movements.

[Spiritual Source Energy +78]



[Spiritual Source Energy +56]



[Spiritual Source Energy +41]



Ji Xinghuo saw the information prompts as he leaped toward the corpses, his shadow merging with them. He quickly pressed his hand against the worms, swiftly confirming that they didn't possess any particularly special or rare exotic species. There were no surprises.

His left eye once again emitted a narrow black beam, this time akin to a surgical knife as it precisely dissected the corpses.

In less than half a minute, he had extracted the most valuable exotic species from the worms.

As he collected the exotic species, Ji Xinghuo also channeled all the spiritual source energy he had just acquired into "Electromagnetic Oscillation."

After finishing his tasks, he melded with the shadows and vanished like a ghost.

He swiftly navigated through the shadows, covering several kilometers. Ji Xinghuo then emerged from the darkness, deliberately stomping heavily as he ran toward the area where a ground-devouring worm was hiding underground, several hundred meters away.

Search, lure, strike, collect.

Ji Xinghuo was like a reaper in the darkness, relentlessly harvesting the lives and exotic species of the ground-devouring worms in this quiet, desolate wilderness.

All the spiritual source energy he acquired was immediately funneled into upgrading Electromagnetic Oscillation.

This caused the range of Electromagnetic Induction to expand continuously, enhancing his efficiency in searching for ground-devouring worms, which, in turn, provided him with even more spiritual source energy. A cycle of increasing returns!

Even during the daytime, Ji Xinghuo showed no restraint.

He remained in stealth mode almost constantly, lurking in the shadows to evade the eyes of orbital satellites. His Electromagnetic Induction scanned his surroundings continuously, allowing him to effortlessly avoid other aliens and hunting teams.

At night, he unleashed his full power, massacring his prey with abandon as his spiritual source energy skyrocketed.

Ji Xinghuo was completely immersed in the hunt.

Time flew by.

Unbeknownst to him, over twenty days had passed since Ji Xinghuo entered the Quiet Wilderness. His footprints were scattered across most of the wilderness, and he rarely stayed in one place for long.

After encountering Yan Wangke that day, Ji Xinghuo had hunted down two more calamity-level ground-devouring worms, both of which were of the Flood level and lacked the Star-Falling exotic species.

The number of hunting teams in the Quiet Wilderness was steadily increasing.

News about the quake-level ground-devouring worm had been fully disclosed.

Ji Xinghuo accessed the Black Ring Star's network via his personal terminal and saw many people discussing this very topic. From the conversations of these aliens, he learned that five days ago, the quake-level worm had reappeared, annihilated another hunting team, and then disappeared once more.

"Not my problem," Ji Xinghuo muttered.

Sitting by the campfire in his camp, he turned off the terminal screen and exited the network.

He had lost interest in that quake-level worm.

Instead, he hoped someone would kill it and take away its exotic species, so this wave of attention would pass, and he could continue hunting ground-devouring worms in the Quiet Wilderness undisturbed.

"Time to upgrade!"

Ji Xinghuo opened the interface for the Myriad Star Pupil in his field of vision.

[Ability: Electromagnetic Oscillation (Level Five 333300/333331)]



He had poured all the spiritual source energy he'd accumulated over the past few days into this ability, and it was now just a small step away from reaching the next level. Ji Xinghuo had intentionally paused his journey to set up camp and rest, waiting until now to continue the upgrade.

Abilities driven by electromagnetic fields, such as Electromagnetic Pulse, Metal Manipulation, Spherical Lightning, and Ion Storm, saw a significant increase in power, with speed, strength, and recovery enhancing drastically over these twenty-plus days.

And this was only level five.

Ji Xinghuo remained calm, channeling his spiritual source energy into the Electromagnetic Oscillation.

Soon, the upgrade progress reached the required threshold! Ji Xinghuo detected subtle changes in his body; not overwhelmingly intense, but the range of his electromagnetic perception was rapidly expanding, as if another layer veiling the physical world had been lifted, bringing him closer to its essence.

Currents of electricity manifested outside his body, and within a kilometer radius, flickers of electrical light intermittently flashed in the air, centered on Ji Xinghuo.

Crackle!

Crackle...

Countless bits of soil, stones, and leaves, along with other lightweight substances, floated as if gravity had lost its hold on them. They were struck by the increasingly dense currents in the air and turned to smithereens.

Gradually, even the ground began to lift.

Ji Xinghuo maintained his cross-legged sitting posture, gently floating into the air himself.

Invisible ether energy surged from all directions, pouring into his body, being absorbed and transformed, causing his stellar power value to skyrocket.

In the black night sky, faint rumblings of thunder could be heard.

Ji Xinghuo felt a peculiar state that was difficult to describe in words. It was as if he had become the center of the universe at that moment, with everything within his grasp and all possibilities within reach.

This state persisted for several minutes.

His stellar power surged, breaking through the 33,000-point mark, while the radius of electromagnetic perception reached 100 kilometers. His electromagnetic wave manipulation delved deeper into the microscopic realm, with an effective range of about 1,000 meters.

Electric lights danced in the sky, and within a kilometer radius, the matter that had been floating in mid-air disintegrated into dust.

It was as if they had been shattered at the molecular level, completely collapsing.

Crack!

A thunderous roar of lightning ripped through the night sky.

Ji Xinghuo's originally half-closed eyes suddenly snapped open, emitting a thick ray of electricity like a sword piercing the darkness, shooting straight up into the sky. It lasted for several seconds before fading from view.

The surrounding anomalies also disappeared, and countless bits of powder fell back to the ground, restoring the darkness of the night.

"Hu..."

Ji Xinghuo's heart pounded with excitement.

Then, with some urgency, he opened the interface and saw the information after the upgrade.

[Ability: Electromagnetic Oscillation (Level Six 1/1000081)]



"That's a lot!"

Even though Ji Xinghuo had expected as much, seeing the seven-digit number, a whopping 1,000,0081 upgrade requirement, still shocked him.

However, he soon felt confident again.

There were just too many ground-devouring worms in the Quiet Wilderness. The ones he had hunted over these twenty-plus days were but a drop in the bucket. Although the requirement of one million spiritual source energy seemed daunting, he was sure that as long as he kept hunting in the Black Ring Star for a few months, he would definitely reach it.

Level six Electromagnetic Oscillation was still a Stellar Disaster-level ability.

"'Level seven should be enough to advance to an Eclipse-level ability,' Ji Xinghuo thought. Using the 'King of Darkness' ability of the Nine Shadows as a reference, the 'King of Darkness' at level seven was an Eclipse-level ability, so Electromagnetic Oscillation should be similar."

He carefully experienced the enhancement to his strength after the upgrade.

The biggest gain was mastering a new ability to emit rays from his eyes and inflict damage on distant targets.

As he had frequently used the 'High-energy Ray' of the Nine Shadows in recent days, Ji Xinghuo was quite familiar with this form of attack.

Once again, his eyes flashed with electric light, emitting rays.

Crackle!

A zigzag beam of light illuminated the night sky, cutting a gully in the ground hundreds of meters away.

"Let's call it the Electric Ray," Ji Xinghuo named his new ability.

After several tests, he found that the Electric Ray's power far exceeded that of the High-energy Ray. Its range matched his control over electromagnetic waves, reaching as far as 1,000 meters. Beyond this distance, the energy would seriously dissipate, causing the destructive power to plummet.

The Electric Ray consumed both spiritual energy and stellar power.

In an instant, it unleashed terrifying heat, similar to an electric arc, releasing extremely fast. If an enemy were unprepared, they would hardly be able to dodge it.

"Too strong!"

Ji Xinghuo was delighted.

The only drawback was that it consumed too much spiritual energy and stellar power. Each release required at least 1,000 points of stellar power, and maintaining it for one second cost more than 300 points.

And this didn't even include the consumption of spiritual energy.

However...

Ji Xinghuo looked at the values on the interface.

[Stellar Power: 33408]

Instantly, a faint electric glow seemed to emanate from his entire body, like a substantial flow of energy moving across his skin.

Release stellar power!

This was the sign of reaching the second stage of the Legend realm.

When he was on Black Ring Star, Ji Xinghuo had not cultivated at all, solely relying on the effects of his three ether resonances to automatically increase his stellar power. Every day, he engaged in battles, depleting and then recovering his stellar power, which also promoted growth.

Initially, his plan was to return to Titanium Ring City to cultivate for a period before the Apocalypse Dragon Festival, aiming to advance to the second stage of the Legend realm.

Unexpectedly, it happened sooner.

It had been four years since he became an alien, and this was the first time Ji Xinghuo had directly witnessed the form of his stellar power.

It was evidently different from the stellar power of others, highly condensed and accompanied by electromagnetic force.

"The release of stellar power indicates an increase in density, but it's still in a gaseous state without any substantial changes," Ji Xinghuo mused.

Many Legend realm aliens at the second stage would fuse with a defensive exotic species, taking advantage of the characteristics of stellar power release to enhance their defense.

This was extremely valuable for professions lacking in defense.

However, Ji Xinghuo had no such need.

He already possessed ample defensive means; both the Flux Barrier and Holy Dragon Scale were at Level Six, and the combination of the two provided him with a stronger defense than most Monarchs.

If he successfully obtained the "Titanium-Cobalt Dragon Physique," his defensive capabilities would reach their pinnacle.

There was no need to waste a fusion opportunity for redundant defense.

"I need a capacity-expanding wonder!" Ji Xinghuo exclaimed.

He had kept one fusion opportunity in reserve for the Titanium-Cobalt Dragon Physique, but until now, he had not obtained a usable capacity-expanding wonder.

Throughout the entire Legend realm, he had only fused with three exotic species.

Such accumulation was insufficient.

He needed to fuse with more exotic species to increase his stellar power limit. At this rate, by the time he reached the peak of the Legend realm, his stellar power would only be around 50,000.

Although this was several times more than most Legend powerhouses, Ji Xinghuo was not satisfied.

The Emperor had once said that an alien's first six evolutions were all in preparation for the push to become a Star Saint.

The more one accumulated, the stronger their stellar power would be.

In turn, the difficulty of advancing to a Star Saint would be lower.

"I must fuse with at least five exotic species before I can advance to the Monarch realm," Ji Xinghuo resolved.

He glanced at the date.

According to the day and night cycle of Black Ring Star, the Apocalypse Dragon Festival was still nearly 100 days away; there was ample time. He could continue to reap spiritual source energy.

"I'll slow down on upgrading Electromagnetic Oscillation for now."

"From now on, I'll prioritize improving my other abilities with the spiritual source energy I obtain, comprehensively enhancing my strength in preparation for the Apocalypse Dragon Festival."

"Additionally, I'll set aside some spiritual source energy. If I obtain the Titanium-Cobalt Dragon Physique, I can upgrade it immediately."

Ji Xinghuo made plans for the future.

After resting, he immediately set out again, resuming the hunt.

With Electromagnetic Oscillation reaching Level Six, Ji Xinghuo's electromagnetic induction expanded to a 100-kilometer radius, allowing him to instantly locate all the monsters within range. His hunting efficiency soared once more, and by daybreak, his spiritual source energy had surpassed 10,000 points.

Days turned into nights.

In the vast expanse of the Quiet Wilderness, spanning over 20 million square kilometers, Ji Xinghuo moved like a specter, hunting relentlessly regardless of day or night.

His spiritual source energy rapidly accumulated—30,000, 50,000, 100,000...

Ji Xinghuo temporarily refrained from using it, deriving a sense of satisfaction akin to saving money as he watched the number of spiritual source energy continue to climb.

With just over 40 days left until the Apocalypse Dragon Festival, his spiritual source energy broke through 500,000 points!

"I'll get to a million!"

Ji Xinghuo would occasionally open the Myriad Star Pupil interface to take a look, feeling motivated. After another continuous day and night of hunting and reaping spiritual source energy, just as he was about to set up camp and rest, Ji Xinghuo's mind suddenly sensed danger.

"What is it?"

Concealed in the shadows, Ji Xinghuo quickly looked toward the west.

This was the western region of the Quiet Wilderness, and a hundred kilometers further west was the edge of the wilderness. There weren't many hunting teams in the vicinity, and the number of ground-devouring worms was relatively lower as well.

However, at this moment, Ji Xinghuo's electromagnetic induction detected a massive creature unlike anything he had ever encountered before!

It was located 4,000 meters underground.

At such a depth, blocked by hundreds of millions of tons of soil and rock, Ji Xinghuo wouldn't have been able to discover it if his Electromagnetic Oscillation was still at Level Five.

Due to the distance, Ji Xinghuo couldn't immediately discern its tier, so he merged with the shadows and swiftly approached it. From the surface, about ten kilometers away, he clearly probed for information about this ground-devouring worm.

Quake-level!

Ji Xinghuo's spirits lifted. This should be the very quake-level ground-devouring worm that countless people had been searching for!

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end