Chapter 459: Beauty Lost in Surprise

Chapter 459: Beauty Lost in Surprise

Amidst the storm of dark clouds, sword lights flashed like lightning, crisscrossing in a dazzling display.

Ji Xinghuo hovered in mid-air, with 9,999 fragments of the Thunder Rain Sword combining to form hundreds of sword lights that surrounded him. They weaved, intersected, sliced, and spun, carving out dazzling trajectories of light that decimated the swarming Mayfly Snapper.

Monster corpses rained down onto the sea, their blood mixing with the torrential downpour to stain the waters red.

[Spiritual Source Power +30+28+35+31...]



The prompts in his vision refreshed like a waterfall, too numerous to keep track of.

The values jumped and surged frantically.

However, Xing Power was also being rapidly depleted. Ji Xinghuo remained suspended in the air, refraining from using the Spirit String Song to shoot. He focused his hyper-frequency thoughts solely on controlling the Thunder Rain Sword to slay the monsters, ensuring the most economical use of his power for maximum damage.

Wave after wave, the Mayfly Snapper's onslaught intensified.

Ji Xinghuo stood firm like a reef amidst the raging waves. No matter how fiercely the monsters charged, he remained unmoved, while they crashed against him and were reduced to pieces.

There were also several Mayfly Snappers of Calamity-level, which Ji Xinghuo had locked onto from the start. Whenever they attempted to launch a surprise attack amidst the chaotic tide of monsters, he would shoot them down from a distance with a barrage of arrows from his Spirit String Song.

Gradually, the number of Mayfly Snappers diminished, and their assault began to wane.

The pressure Ji Xinghuo felt lessened significantly, and he breathed a sigh of relief.

Swoosh!

With a final slash of his sword, the last few Mayfly Snappers were reduced to shredded remains, falling onto the sea.

The storm continued to howl, but the battle had ceased.

The countless fragments of light in the sky returned, like weary birds finding their way home, and reunited with Ji Xinghuo, reassembling to form the Thunder Rain Sword once more.

The blade remained untouched by blood, as pristine as ever.

Ji Xinghuo's gaze swept across the surrounding dark clouds, and he noticed that while the spatial rifts remained, no more Mayfly Snappers were emerging from them.

In this battle, he had slain over seven thousand Mayfly Snappers.

[Spiritual Source Power: 484,327]



In just a few minutes, he had gained over 230,000 Spiritual Source Power, an incredibly efficient harvest compared to his time on the Black Ring Star.

"What a pity."

Ji Xinghuo shook his head inwardly.

Just before its death, the Quake-level Mayfly Snapper had issued a command, and a portion of its companions had escaped through the spatial rifts. Otherwise, his rewards would have been even greater.

He turned his gaze towards the sea and spotted the corpse of the Quake-level Mayfly Snapper. The bodies of the other Calamity-level Mayfly Snappers were also floating nearby, their massive sizes making them easily identifiable.

However, they were slowly sinking beneath the waves, swept away by the currents.

Ji Xinghuo flew down and landed on the corpse of the Quake-level Mayfly Snapper, standing atop the forty-plus-meter-long fish. Even in death, he could sense the vibrant life force that had once belonged to this colossal creature.

Aside from the gaping hole in its head, the Mayfly Snapper's body was remarkably intact.

Its three pairs of transparent fin-wings were folded neatly along its sides.

Ji Xinghuo reached out and gently touched its body.

Immediately, the creature's unique information was displayed before him.

[Monster: Mayfly Snapper]



[Level: Calamity - Quake]



[Species: Vacuum Sense, Hydrokinesis, Carnivore, Flight, Steam Cannon, Aquatic Breathing, Wind Dive, Thousand Winds and Blades, Blast Punch, Poison Spray, Vitality Torrent, Advanced Toughness, Mental Scream, Thought Link, Balance]



A total of 15 species, none of which had a "", indicating that they were all naturally awakened during its evolution.

This was in line with the strength of a Quake-level monster.

While it was on the weaker end among Quake-level monsters and paled in comparison to dragons, it relied on the sheer number of Mayfly Snappers to wage war. Nonetheless, it was undoubtedly a genuine Quake-level monster.

In fact, most Quake-level monsters were similar, having evolved to this stage over an extended period.

Dragons were the extreme rarity among them.

It was only because the True Dragonfolk had bred and increased the number of dragons that people began to associate all Calamity-level monsters with immense power.

Ji Xinghuo carefully examined the Mayfly Snapper's species information once more.

Only 'Hydrokinesis' was a Starfall species, the most valuable among them. By fusing with it, one could manipulate liquid water.

This ability could be an evolution from 'Water Gathering'.

And 'Water Gathering' was the core ability of the Water Masters. If a newly evolved Other could fuse with Hydrokinesis, their starting power would be several levels higher than other Water Masters, saving them countless hours of arduous training. They would truly be winning from the starting line.

Most of the other species of the Mayfly Snapper were familiar to him and aligned with the abilities it had displayed.

Aside from 'Vacuum Sense', the rest were rather ordinary.

Ji Xinghuo was not disappointed.

If it had possessed extremely powerful species, it wouldn't have been so easily slain by his arrow.

The Thunder Rain Sword glowed, piercing through the Mayfly Snapper's corpse and carefully extracting the species of 'Hydrokinesis', 'Vacuum Sense', and 'Flight'. The three species flew out through the wound and landed in Ji Xinghuo's palm.

He discarded the rest.

Flying to another Calamity-level Mayfly Snapper's corpse, he found no surprises. He acquired a few more 'Flight' and 'Vacuum Sense' species, but no 'Hydrokinesis'.

Ji Xinghuo looked at the thousands of fish corpses floating on the sea, feeling a twinge of regret.

With so many Mayfly Snappers, there was a decent probability of finding rare species. If Cang Ya weren't here, he would have been willing to spend some time inspecting each one.

On the other side.

The Ice Soul Dragon had already landed on the small island.

Ji Xinghuo flew over as well. Cang Ya had created a transparent water barrier on a rocky area of the island, isolating the raging storm and rain. She had also dried the ground, quickly transforming the area into a dry and comfortable shelter.

"What did you find?" Cang Ya asked.

"One Hydrokinesis, the rest are ordinary," Ji Xinghuo replied honestly, showing her the few species he had acquired.

Cang Ya glanced at them briefly, showing little interest. "This is why Sea Abyss Hunters rarely hunt Mayfly Snappers. Their species are too common, and the rewards don't match the risks. You're lucky to have gotten Hydrokinesis.

The acquisition of exotic species was secondary to him; the Mayfly Snapper was an excellent source of prey, their vast numbers providing an abundant supply of Spiritual Source Energy.

Beyond the water screen, the storm continued to rage.

"We'll wait for the storm to pass before we leave." Cang Ya glanced outside and said, "Storms in the sea abyss are often accompanied by spatial rifts. It's dangerous to fall into those rifts, and there might be beast attacks beneath the surface as well."

At that moment, a giant wave surged in the distance, and the silhouette of the Azure Dragon appeared in the water.

"Shui Yun wants to eat that Quake-level Mayfly Snapper. Do you mind?" Cang Ya asked, "Mayfly Snapper is an extremely delicious food for most sea dragon species, and Shui Yun loves it. Eating a Quake-level one will be beneficial for it."

"Please, go ahead."

Ji Xinghuo didn't mind at all.

With Cang Ya's permission, the massive body of the Cang Dragon leaped out of the seawater, its giant jaws clamping down on the Mayfly Snapper's corpse before dragging it underwater.

Large amounts of blood dispersed in the water, and within a few minutes, the Mayfly Snapper was devoured by the dragon.

Then it set its sights on the other Calamity-level Mayfly Snapper corpses.

The Ice Soul Dragon flew out to join in the feast.

Suddenly, Ji Xinghuo said to Cang Ya, "Leave one of the Disaster-level Mayfly Snappers for Bing Shi and Shui Yun."

"Why?" Cang Ya asked, puzzled.

"Doomsday wants to eat, too."

Ji Xinghuo had just received a mental message from Doomsday, who wanted to try the Mayfly Snapper after hearing Cang Ya call it delicious.

"Doomsday?"

Cang Ya was still wondering what Doomsday was when a dark golden light flashed from Ji Xinghuo's chest. An elegant and slender dragon shadow appeared outside the water screen, exuding a destructive aura.

The Annihilator Dragon! Cang Ya finally realized, having seen Doomsday in person in Titanium Ring City and even engaging in a dragon spear duel with it. So, she wasn't surprised.

The Ice Soul Dragon sensed Doomsday's aura, its dragon eyes widening in shock. It finally understood who the man riding on its back these past few days was, and quickly flew a little further away, not daring to get too close to the Annihilator Dragon.

"Roar..."

The Cang Dragon in the sea let out a terrified roar, churning up huge waves.

"Shui Yun!"

Cang Ya quickly soothed her dragon.

Doomsday ignored the two dragons, flapped its wings, and flew like a beam of light toward a Disaster-level Mayfly Snapper's corpse. It opened its mouth and began to tear at the flesh, swallowing large chunks of the fish into its belly. A sense of satisfaction shone in its majestic dragon eyes, and it quickened its eating pace, relishing the meal.

Ji Xinghuo watched Doomsday while communicating telepathically with Qinghong.

Qinghong was accustomed to cooked food and had become a picky eater, so it had no interest in the raw flesh of the Mayfly Snapper.

Over on the small island, the Ice Soul Dragon's emotions gradually calmed down.

Cang Ya breathed a sigh of relief.

She stared intently at Doomsday, marveling, "The Divine Dragon Clan is indeed domineering. My Shui Yun is usually proud and short-tempered, but in front of your Annihilator Dragon, it was truly intimidated. It almost had an adverse reaction."

"I don't usually let Doomsday appear either," Ji Xinghuo replied.

"You named it Doomsday?"

There was a hint of envy and curiosity in Cang Ya's eyes. This was one of the seven great Divine Dragon species, the rarest and most mysterious of dragons, sought after by countless True Dragonfolk. No matter how many times she saw it, she wouldn't tire of the sight.

Ji Xinghuo nodded, "Yes."

"What a fitting name!" Cang Ya exclaimed, "Only a Divine Dragon species deserves your innate talent and strength. May you and Doomsday soar to the heights of the dragon veins and witness the end together."

This was the highest blessing among the True Dragonfolk.

Ji Xinghuo understood her good intentions, but every time he heard those words, he felt like it was a curse.

Who would wish for someone to witness the end of the world and be destroyed along with it?

"Thank you."

Ji Xinghuo had his complaints, but he still expressed his gratitude.

After devouring an entire Mayfly Snapper, Doomsday's massive appetite was satisfied, and it flew back to Ji Xinghuo's side, curling up on the ground to slowly digest its meal. Its enormous body remained unchanged despite the enormous quantity of raw fish it had consumed.

Being able to observe the Annihilator Dragon up close excited Cang Ya, and after obtaining Ji Xinghuo's consent, she reached out and gently touched Doomsday's scales.

"So amazing..."

Cang Ya's eyes shone with fascination.

Seeing her reaction, so different from her usual graceful and serene demeanor, Ji Xinghuo realized that he had underestimated the allure of the Divine Dragon species to the True Dragonfolk. This was like the world's most potent aphrodisiac!

Fearing that Cang Ya might lose herself or harbor improper thoughts, he asked Doomsday to return to its tattoo form on his chest after she had admired it for a few minutes.

Cang Ya's eyes lingered on Ji Xinghuo's chest, unable to hide her disappointment.

"Are you alright?"

Sensing her intense gaze as if she wanted to devour him, reminiscent of the passionate women in Earth's literary works, Ji Xinghuo asked with concern.

"I'm fine, I'm fine." Cang Ya snapped out of her daze after a few seconds, her ears turning red, "Sorry, I lost myself there for a moment."

At that moment, she wished there was a hole in the rocks for her to crawl into.

"That's good, then."

Ji Xinghuo nodded slightly.

The atmosphere in the water screen shelter became a little odd, with both of them falling silent. Fortunately, the sea abyss storm gradually dissipated, revealing clear skies. The Ice Soul Dragon and the Cang Dragon had their fill and were ready to continue the journey.

After seeing the Annihilator Dragon, the Ice Soul Dragon no longer held any resistance toward Ji Xinghuo.

Instead, it began to curry favor with him.

When Ji Xinghuo landed on its back, the Ice Soul Dragon flew with even more vigor and steadiness, careful not to let him feel any turbulence.

This made Ji Xinghuo think to himself, "So, dragons not only discriminate based on race, but they also know how to shift with the wind..."

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end