Chapter 1447: Runic Reconstitution |
Upon hearing the Stargod cultivator's words, all the other challengers gaped at Zhang Lie.
Five beasts would correspond to about fifty challengers' worth of progression, so the remaining fifty had to be from the rock forest. That void storm had sucked up countless cultivators, each of which had killed some other cultivators to begin with. That could account for about a hundred challengers' worth of seal accumulation, but what about the remainder?
It was obvious that Zhang Lie was akin to a god of slaughter.
The Stargod swallowed a gulp of saliva, drummed up some courage, and proceeded with his original plan.
"You don't seem to understand much about the tournament. Why don't we team up? There are plenty of dangers in the rock forest, as well as enemies from all fronts. It's in our best interests to work together. We don't have to stay as a team for long, either—we can try it out now and keep it going later if we want."
The reason the Stargod had been so willing to volunteer information was in hopes of joining forces with Zhang Lie, transforming a threat into an ally.
The Holywing youth clearly had a similar idea, but had faltered after staring at Zhang Lie's seal. He immediately added, "I'd like to join you both. I'm rather strong myself. Those beasts wouldn't have been able to take me down if I weren't exhausted after fighting with a group of other challengers."
The Stargod and Holywing youths turned to Zhang Lie, ignoring Sun Xiaowu. Sun Xiaowu had no interest in joining the conversation; he retreated to the side.
Zhang Lie shook his head in refusal. "I'm sorry, but I already have comrades. I don't intend to work together with other challengers."
Zhang Lie didn't discriminate against the Stargods or the Holywings, but among his companions were those who had defeated the Stargods and the Holywings. There was no way the party would last.
"That's a pity."
"Let me know if you ever change your mind."
The Holywing and Stargod youths slumped and turned away.
Zhang Lie turned to Sun Xiaowu and asked, "How did you end up fighting?"
Sun Xiaowu pointed at the runes in the rock forest. "These runes seem rather extraordinary, almost as though they represent some sort of inheritance. Everyone tried to intuit them, but tensions were rife and a fight quickly broke out."
Zhang Lie replied, "Try to recover some of your genetic energy. Let's see if we can get something from these runes."
The other challengers thought the same way.
Everyone sat around the rock forest, contemplating the shining golden runes that hung in the air. This could very well be some mysterious inheritance.
Zhang Lie could easily take down the challengers before they recovered from their exertion, but he wouldn't be able to do so while simultaneously protecting Sun Xiaowu. He discarded the idea.
Zhang Lie glanced at the runes and cocked his head. He didn't know if he simply didn't boast the talent, or if the runes were incompatible with his framework and techniques.
Suddenly, fog gathered around the rock forest. The runes glowed brilliantly as the runes crashed into each other with tinkling noises, as though they were notes of some divine music.
Sun Xiaowu sat cross-legged as the runes hovered around him, smashing his bones. He bore with the intense pain as the runes granted him their golden light. The rumbling of thunder could be heard within his body as golden light bathed his limbs and bones, shrouding him in radiance.
The golden light was like a scorching flame. Despite the overwhelming temperature, Sun Xiaowu stood still and motionless as the golden runes branded themselves on his skin.
Sun Xiaowu's bones cracked. He shuddered in overwhelming pain as the golden runes seeped into his very bones.
His bones continued to fragment as blood seeped out of his skin, carrying trace impurities from his mind along with it.
The black demonic seed, implanted during the qualifiers, emerged anew. Demonic aura roiled in the air and shot into the skies, transforming into the figure of some great demon that seemed about to descend to the virtual world. Black lines, like roots, spread from the demonic seed all over Sun Xiaowu's body, causing black aura to seep out of it.
Zhang Lie blanched. Bu Wentian had underestimated the power of this demonic seed.
Without anyone's knowledge, it had implanted itself in Sun Xiaowu's mental world. If not for his attuning to these mysterious runes, the demonic seed would have continued to corrode at Sun Xiaowu's mind. The moment he touched the bone lance again, he would immediately transform into a demon, one far more frightening than what had occurred during the qualifiers. For one, Sun Xiaowu was stronger than the last successor of Heaven, and he was distinct from the statue altogether. Who knew what sort of cursed existence would result if he were to wield the bone lance?
Fortunately, almost as though it were fated, Sun Xiaowu had received the inheritance of the rock forest, which was forcing out the demonic seed. Demonic aura exuded from Sun Xiaowu's body, cleansed by the golden runes. The entire rock forest shook as the runes glimmered. The challengers who were recuperating and attuning to the runes themselves opened their eyes and looked over.
Zhang Lie glared back at them. "If you keep looking, I'll dig your eyes out."
The challengers didn't dare to contest Zhang Lie. They minded their own business as they attempted to create the same resonance that Sun Xiaowu was emitting—or perhaps a stronger one entirely.
Zhang Lie didn't dare to leave Sun Xiaowu's side. He stood right before him, guarding him from assault. If any cultivator dared to strike at him, Zhang Lie would retaliate at full force.
Sun Xiaowu's body was reconstituting; this would be a key part of his transformation.
That said, they were in a virtual realm, so what Sun Xiaowu was really rebuilding was none other than his mental avatar.
Sun Xiaowu's bones continued to grind against each other. He gritted his teeth and bore with the pain as bone finally turned into powder.
This was a frightening scene to behold. Considering the extent of the destruction, if anything untoward were to happen, Sun Xiaowu's mental avatar could be ruined for good.
Then, even his skull began to fragment, crack, and turn to powder.
Someone realized what was happening to Sun Xiaowu. "Reconstruction of the ego..."
Sun Xiaowu was supporting himself with genetic energy. Otherwise, without any bones to maintain the structure of his body, he would be nothing more than a bag of flesh and bones.
With his bones shattered, the blood seeped even more quickly out of his skin, carrying the impurities of his mental avatar along with him. The blood turned black; new, fresh, pure blood would be created within his body as it was reforged.
The golden light from the runes bathed Sun Xiaowu. He continued to bear with the pain as he absorbed the light to refine his blood, flesh, and bone.
The golden runes transformed into natural law that smelted his body, fully obliterating bone in preparation for reconstruction.
Finally, Sun Xiaowu's body shone with even more intense light, blood-colored as impurities streamed out. What remained of his body was weakened and febrile.
