Chapter 421: The Dragon King's Gaze

Chapter 421: The Dragon King's Gaze

【Mental Source Energy +185】

Ji Xinghuo received the prompt without any surprise. The stronger the opponent he killed in the Heart Spirit Fantasy Realm, the more mental source energy he gained.

Ma Ke was powerful, surpassing most of the abnormal people in the King of Heaven realm.

But he had underestimated and was too careless.

In the first instance of Ma Ke's surprise attack, before he even got close, Ji Xinghuo had created a shadow clone, and his main body turned invisible. The release of a Level 4 shadow clone was almost instantaneous, creating a true-to-life illusion that evaded Ma Ke's perception.

Even with the shadow clone, Ji Xinghuo had invested over 3,000 star points, which was enough to crush an ordinary legend.

So Ma Ke never thought that he was facing just a shadow clone.

The Ji Xinghuo that Ma Ke blasted had actually exhausted most of his star power, yet he completely attracted Ma Ke's attention.

And then he was slashed by Ji Xinghuo's main body.

"Shadow clones are still useful," Ji Xinghuo thought. If he had fought the white snake superconducting sorcerer head-on, it would have taken a lot of effort, and it wouldn't have been this easy.

He opened the kill list and took a look.

After Ma Ke's kill count was halved and added to his own, his kill count surged to over 700 people.

On the kill list, the name "Ashes" jumped to 29th place.

"I've entered the top thirty," Ji Xinghuo said with a calm smile. This was just the beginning. He turned his head to look at the terrifying dragon shadow flying supersonic in the distance and immediately flew north.

Titanium Ring City.

The gazes of the billions of people in the city were gathered on the "Dragon Guard Seven" projection high in the sky.

No matter which angle one viewed it from within the city, as long as their gaze focused on it, a link would be established with the Heart Spirit Fantasy Realm, allowing them to rotate the planet, magnify designated areas, and gain a bird's-eye view of the battle according to their own intentions.

One could also lock their perspective onto a particular participant, and the view would automatically follow that person's movements.

Everyone saw a different scene.

At the same time, one could also conveniently query the current battle records and rankings.

Not many people had paid attention to Ji Xinghuo's process of killing Ma Ke, but when his ranking on the kill list suddenly jumped by more than 20 places, it finally attracted attention.

At this moment, millions of people in Titanium Ring City were discussing it.

"Who is this Ashes?"

Anyone who saw Ji Xinghuo had the same question.

However, apart from a dozen Earthlings and Titanium Cobalt Blue, no one knew that when they checked the information, Ashes was listed as a barbarian from the Guze Tribe who had obtained the status of a subject two months ago and was Titanium Cobalt Blue's attendant.

"Even Ma Ke died at his hands. It looks like another genius powerhouse has appeared out of thin air."

"The bow in his hand is a Doomsday weapon."

"That's right!"

"The style of that bow is definitely from the Star Spirit Empire. To possess such a powerful weapon, his background must be significant."

"He didn't kill Ma Ke with his bow and arrow," said someone who had just happened to witness Ji Xinghuo's killing process. But when others asked about the process, he couldn't explain it: "I don't understand how he killed Ma Ke..."

Among the ring-shaped superstructures in the sky, one-sixth of the ring-shaped area was occupied by hundreds of silver-gleaming buildings arranged in sequence. Each building was square-shaped, with two sides ranging from low to high, tightly connected, forming a symmetrical mountain range. The building at the center was the mountain peak, towering at a height of over 10,000 meters!

At the peak, a metal palace shone with silver light.

It was the residence of the Titanium Cobalt Dragon King, the ruling center of Titanium Ring City and the Yuan Magnet Territory, known as the "Yuan Magnet Palace."

At this moment, a wide platform floated in front of the Yuan Magnet Palace, offering a bird's-eye view of the entire Titanium Ring City. In the middle of the platform stood a silver-white throne with a simple and broad design. The Titanium Cobalt Dragon King sat on it, his expression indifferent as he gazed upon the Heart Spirit Fantasy Realm.

Dozens of men and women surrounded the throne, all of them True Dragon Humans.

Each one was a handsome man or a beautiful woman, clad in dragon-patterned armor or gorgeous robes, exuding an air of nobility and power. They occasionally whispered among themselves.

Titanium Cobalt Blue was among them.

Her gaze had been locked onto Ji Xinghuo for a while, her face calm. Suddenly, a gentle voice sounded.

"Little Blue, is he your subject?"

The speaker was the Titanium Cobalt Dragon King, and his words immediately attracted everyone's attention. They turned to look at Titanium Cobalt Blue, but most of them didn't understand who the "he" the Dragon King was referring to, and their faces showed confusion.

Of course, Titanium Cobalt Blue knew, and she quickly replied, "Yes, Your Majesty."

The Titanium Cobalt Dragon King nodded.

After a few seconds, he suddenly said, "You have a good eye. You've dug up an absolute genius.

"Good!"

The Titanium Cobalt Dragon King praised, but from Titanium Cobalt Blue's perspective, she felt that the Dragon King's gaze was rather playful. The Dragon King said, "I didn't want to interfere in your personal affairs, but giving several Dragon-Bodied Variants to outsiders is a bit much. Now it seems that your investment has yielded initial returns."

"Your Majesty is wise," Titanium Cobalt Blue rejoiced.

Obviously, the Dragon King tacitly approved of her handling the Dragon-Bodied Variants from now on, and her previous worries no longer existed.

"If you can rely on this help to advance to the Seventh Stage, then a mere few Starfall Variants are nothing." The Titanium Cobalt Dragon King smiled, as if there was more he wanted to say but stopped short.

Titanium Cobalt Blue understood the Dragon King's meaning.

Over the years, she had supported Earth to the best of her abilities and secretly invested a lot of resources, not only because of her connection with Earth but also because she valued its potential.

Advancing to the Seventh Stage, or becoming a Dragon King or Star Shepherd, was extremely difficult.

Talent, abilities, resources, and time were all essential.

She had talent and abilities, and she could afford to wait for time, but she lacked sufficient resources.

The Titanium Cobalt family ruled over the Yuan Magnet Territory, governing nearly a hundred planets and possessing a vast amount of resources. However, the cost of ruling was also extremely high, and there were many competitors within the family, so it was impossible for all the resources to be allocated to her alone.

Even with the Dragon King's favor, the resources would never be enough.

If Earth could develop and provide assistance in terms of resources and manpower, then her chances of advancing to the Seventh Stage would be much greater.

This was a consistent approach.

Not only the Titanium Cobalt family, but most of the true dragon families' dragon masters, Sixth Stage powerhouses, would seek help outside their families, fostering a potential race or civilization as a common method.

Earth was Titanium Cobalt Blue's choice, but she never expected to receive the Dragon King's affirmation so soon.

And all of this was because of Ji Xinghuo! Titanium Cobalt Blue looked at Ji Xinghuo in the Heart Spirit Fantasy Realm, but she was somewhat puzzled. She knew that Ji Xinghuo's strength was growing rapidly, with unparalleled talent, and was the first among the hundreds of billions of Earthlings. However, in the True Dragon Empire, he was not particularly remarkable.

Even within the Yuan Magnet Territory, Titanium Cobalt Zhenhe from the Titanium Cobalt family was not much worse than Ji Xinghuo, and his talent was even stronger. Yet, the Dragon King had never made a comment about him.

"Could it be that the Dragon King has noticed something?"

Titanium Cobalt Blue recalled her two encounters with Ji Xinghuo and the information she had obtained from Earth, falling into deep thought.

In the Heart Spirit Fantasy Realm.

Ji Xinghuo was unaware of the conversation between the Dragon King and Titanium Cobalt Blue.

Scanning his surroundings through electromagnetic induction, he noticed that the people in the path of the Black Flame Dragon's destruction were fleeing north. Many of them had seen him kill Ma Ke and dared not come closer, intentionally maintaining their distance.

"Having the ability but not using it will also arouse suspicion," Ji Xinghuo thought. "I should display my strength appropriately without killing too many."

He immediately changed his direction to the north-west, closing in on the closest untamed person to him. This person was not adept at flying and was running on the ground. In fact, it was not just one person but a team of four, keeping a distance of one dragon length between them.

As soon as the four of them noticed Ji Xinghuo approaching, they immediately scattered in different directions, each trying to escape on their own.

Ji Xinghuo accelerated once more, and within a few seconds, he was within range.

He fired arrow after arrow with the Spirit String Song.

Electric arc arrows flew out, the electric lights heading towards the four targets at different distances and directions.

After a few miserable screams, three of them had their heads blown apart.

"Hm?"

A hint of surprise flashed in Ji Xinghuo's eyes as he noticed that the figure on the ground had dodged his electric arc arrow. Not only was he still alive, but he had also burst out at an even faster speed, turning around and charging towards Ji Xinghuo.

The rugged man was clad in extremely thick armor, his tall stature resembling a steel fortress. Although he looked bulky, his running speed was completely unmatched by his weight, and his footsteps and body movements were extremely agile.

He held a shield in one hand and a massive two-handed sword in the other.

That square shield was entirely made of alloy, with a thickness of over twenty centimeters and a weight of at least thirty tons. Coupled with the two-handed sword and his full set of armor, the barbarian's total weight must have exceeded a hundred tons!

Yet, despite this immense weight, the wild man moved as if he were carrying nothing at all, each step covering a distance of a hundred meters.

He truly embodied the saying, "as light as a swallow and as swift as the wind."

"So, he's a Heavy-Armored Vanguard!"

Realization dawned on Ji Xinghuo's face.

The Heavy-Armored Vanguard was a rare advanced profession, a combination of the "Flying Steps" and "Gravity Master" templates. It merged the advantages of both professions, complementing their shortcomings. They possessed not only incredible speed and endurance but also the ability to reduce the weight of their heavy armor by manipulating gravity, resulting in superior defense. Moreover, their immense weight translated to tremendous strength!

In hunting teams, the Heavy-Armored Vanguard was one of the best tanks. They could not only withstand damage but were also quick and agile, with the ability to manipulate gravity to control the battlefield.

Ji Xinghuo drew his bowstring and took aim, firing a test shot in the form of a Linked Arrow.

"Pa!"

A peal of thunder rang out.

This Linked Arrow condensed 1,000 star points, and with a flash of electric light, it shot down from the sky at an angle. The barbarian roared and slammed his large shield onto the ground in front of him.

Within a few hundred meters, gravity surged, causing even the air to distort slightly.

The flight path of the Linked Arrow was affected, dipping slightly, but it immediately corrected its course, skimming the ground and striking the shield. A transparent force field was triggered from the shield, which was instantly pierced, but not before it had dissipated the first two arrows.

The remaining three arrows exploded in succession on the shield, causing the barbarian to lift his shield and parry.

A block and counter!

The electric arc arrow, in its pure energy form, was actually deflected by the shield, but a portion of the electricity still pierced through the air and struck the barbarian, only to be negated by the protective layer on his armor.

"What strong defensive power!"

Ji Xinghuo couldn't help but exclaim in admiration. The barbarian's shield and armor were no ordinary items; they were all three-star super-ability equipment.

However, it was unlikely that the barbarian would be able to pose any real threat to him.

The Heavy-Armored Vanguard was not without its weaknesses; its lack of long-range attack capabilities meant that as long as Ji Xinghuo maintained his distance, the Vanguard would be little more than a sitting duck.

The barbarian was well aware of this shortcoming.

Having blocked Ji Xinghuo's Linked Arrow, he immediately charged again, his speed increasing yet another level, almost reaching supersonic speeds.

An object weighing several hundred tons reaching hypersonic speeds could cause devastating damage.

However, in Ji Xinghuo's eyes, it was useless.

He maintained his altitude and continued flying forward, firing electric arc arrows with the Spirit String Song to harass the barbarian on the ground.

The distance between the two quickly closed.

The barbarian, judging his timing, leaped forward, his massive feet creating huge pits in the ground. In an instant, he reduced his gravity to its minimum and reversed it, launching himself like a missile toward Ji Xinghuo in the sky.

Even before they made direct contact, a wide-area gravity field enveloped Ji Xinghuo, causing his flight speed to drop sharply.

Among those watching the battle, many shook their heads in disapproval.

A shooter, allowing a Heavy-Armored Vanguard to close in so tightly, even to the point of almost touching faces, was indeed too careless.

The next second.

Ji Xinghuo's actions became even more incomprehensible as he sheathed the Spirit String Song and gripped the Electric Potential Battle Blade, using the gravitational acceleration to charge toward the barbarian, intending to engage in close combat with the Heavy-Armored Vanguard.

Before anyone could make sense of his actions, Ji Xinghuo's body abruptly grew to a height of over five meters, transforming into a giant.

Electricity crackled around Ji Xinghuo's eyes and coursed through his body.

Boom!

Thunderous explosions rang out.

Ji Xinghuo unleashed a Lightning Cutter, a genuine collision of strengths, causing the barbarian to sense his inferiority. Acting on instinct, the barbarian attempted to evade with the 'Flash Step' technique, but he immediately realized that there was no escape, so he discarded his greatsword, raising his shield with both hands to meet his opponent.

The two figures, differing in size by more than ten times, collided, and electric light exploded, instantly deciding the victor.

The barbarian was cleaved in two.

His shield, armor, and body were all bisected, a fissure extending from his head to his abdomen. The portion that was struck directly vanished, and the remaining remnants amounted to only half of his original size.

This was a straightforward display of overwhelming power.

The Heavy-Armored Vanguard's formidable defense and hundred-ton weight were as fragile as tofu in the face of absolute power.

The barbarian's body turned to ashes and scattered into motes of light.

【Mental Source Energy +153】

Ji Xinghuo shrank back to his normal size and didn't even bother to glance back at his defeated opponent. He switched the Electric Potential Battle Blade back to the Spirit String Song and continued his pursuit of the other opponents.

In Titanium Ring City, thousands of people were astounded, their faces reflecting their shock.

In front of the Yuan Magnet Palace.

The Titanium Cobalt Dragon King's gaze flickered, and Titanium Cobalt Blue, who had been observing the Dragon King, understood that the king had taken an interest in Ji Xinghuo.

Before she could fully process this information, the voice of the Titanium Cobalt Dragon King sounded in her mind: "If he can become the Ender of this Dragon World Sacrifice, I will give him a pleasant surprise, which will also be considered an addition to your investment."

Titanium Cobalt Blue's heart trembled.

The Ender was the final victor of the Dragon World Sacrifice, and she had never even considered the possibility of Ji Xinghuo winning the championship, yet the Dragon King seemed to be very optimistic about his chances.

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end