Book Synopsis
Book Tags
Donation Rankings
Comment
0 Comments
You May Also Like
墨書 Inktalez
In a moment of clarity, a faint green light flickered in the air, slowly expanding towards the entire Hope Gathering Place. The light spread like fireflies, strikingly visible, and beneath it, the Winter Wheat, resilient even under the harshness of winter, rapidly withered in the green glow, which gradually replenished itself within that luminous mass.
The brightness intensified and the area expanded further, continuously absorbing the green light to strengthen itself. As it spread relentlessly, its power increased geometrically.
In the distant mountains, countless animals watched this scene but quickly turned their gaze away, for the direction of the Plague's spread was not toward them.
Zheng Yifan, who had just ordered a luxurious meal from the real world in anticipation of a feast, suddenly felt something pass overhead, followed by an eerie sensation creeping up his spine.
In just a brief moment, it transformed into clouds slowly descending. The clouds in the air grew larger and larger, targeting the entire Hope Gathering Place.
Fortunately, at that moment, those clouds had not absorbed enough nutrients to reach an unstoppable level.
Zheng Yifan gripped his Silver Spear firmly in hand, with his Adamantium Shield ready for an attack at any moment.
Just then, a white mist suddenly floated up from their temporary camp, transforming into a mass of vapor. Not far away in the river, invisible steam began to disperse slowly, feeding into the mist.
He had already become a Second-Stage Esper, one of the first to advance through sheer willpower.
As a Second-Stage Esper, his body could grow larger and his dispersal range increased significantly.
On the riverbank, he could almost transform into clouds. It was difficult for anyone to detect him. The ground also possessed the ability to condense mist and obstruct air; if humans were enveloped by this mist for just a few moments, even Superpowered Individuals would struggle to endure it.
Unfortunately, facing Superpowered Individuals that countered him left him with little ability to fight back; he could only flee.
This made Zhou Rui's combat effectiveness particularly useful during reconnaissance missions; however, in true combat situations, it still fell short.
But this did not apply to the current situation. The Plague before him had undoubtedly surpassed the Third Stage and was mutating toward the Fourth Stage. Yet Zhou Rui transformed into dense fog that enveloped nearly all of the Plague. The white mist rose from the river, blocking the Plague's advance.
"I can only hold on for one more moment at most, Chief! Hurry! Eliminate that instigator; otherwise, once the Plague mutates again, I won't be able to control it either. The Plague will evolve into a true Plague beyond its controller's grasp." A faint voice drifted down from above as drops of blood fell from the sky—Zhou Rui's blood.
In the misty state, this was his first injury. The enemy he faced was a cloud of Plague. Within that mist were toxic gases and the essence of Plague, along with the power of a Superpowered Individual.
The mist continuously consumed Zhou Rui.
Unfortunately, this would only deplete the power of Plague. Water, being the essence of all things, has the ability to purify. The Plague was slowly being cleansed by the mist, but it was merely a drop in the bucket.
If the source was not dealt with, Zhou Rui remained at risk of contamination.
Zheng Yifan swung his Adamantium Shield fiercely. He entered the scattered Plague gas and spun around, dispersing the Plague.
This greatly reduced Zhou Rui's pressure. With his right hand gripping a spear, he called out to Li Ning. His body transformed like lightning, running across the grassland like a wild man.
Ahead lay the dreaded river, home to terrifying aquatic beasts. No one knew how horrifying the mutated fish lurking beneath the surface truly were.
However, Zheng Yifan could not afford to worry about that. In mid-air, he could still see the faint remnants of Plague clouds drifting over from above the river. Yet those remnants were too weak and were quickly purified by the wheat on the ground.
Nonetheless, this allowed Zheng Yifan to spot his target—the frail figure on the riverbank.
Looking at its face, it was more terrifying than a Zombie, completely deranged as it stared at Zheng Yifan or perhaps at Li Ning, green light shooting from its flaring nostrils.
Li Ning stood behind Zheng Yifan, wielding an oddly shaped weapon towards the sky. Before them lay the river—a Restricted Area for humans that they could not cross.
But crossing was not an option. However, there was no rule against drawing in enemies, especially when they were in a misty state and their bodies were weakened to such an extent; it was practically Li Ning's favorite scenario.
Using his Duality Superpower, a powerful suction combined with a repelling force swiftly drew Old Wang from mid-air.
Old Wang did not struggle but instead stared frantically at Li Ning. His entire being radiated with intensified Plague energy. A massive wave surged from the river, nearly a hundred meters high, suddenly crashing upwards. Giant waves appeared out of nowhere, slamming Old Wang onto the grassy bank. The plants on the ground absorbed his toxic energy and slowly withered and died, yet Old Wang's body appeared even more transparent.
"Boss, I can't take him down!" Li Ning stepped in front of Old Wang, suddenly feeling the strain.
Zheng Yifan looked at him in surprise, but all he saw in Li Ning's eyes was seriousness.
After a moment of thought, Zheng Yifan understood the reason. Old Wang had somehow advanced to become a Third-Stage Esper, while Li Ning was only a Second-Stage Esper. He had merely brushed against the edge of the Third Stage. Facing a true Third-Stage Esper, even if the opponent was severely weakened, there would still be a level suppression. For Li Ning, who was adept at dealing with groups of enemies, facing a single powerful foe was actually more challenging.
Especially someone like Old Wang, who was tenacious and relentless. Right now, under Li Ning's gravitational pull, Old Wang was temporarily unable to attack him.
But it didn't matter; Old Wang resorted to a desperate tactic. The green light of Plague continuously seeped from his body and stubbornly reached out toward Li Ning.
As long as the green light touched his clothes, they would instantly turn to ashes. A speck of that light clung to the fine hairs on Li Ning's arm, making it shine even brighter. Fortunately, Zheng Yifan had used his Silver Spear to deflect the light in advance. Otherwise, it would have posed a significant problem for Li Ning; that light had immense corrosive and infectious properties.
While it was difficult for a Second-Stage Esper to contract the virus, under level suppression and self-destructive tactics, it was entirely possible for them to eliminate Li Ning.
Never underestimate any Superpowered Individual; you never know what cards they hold.
Zheng Yifan now had to face Old Wang seriously, his hands trembling as he gripped the Silver Spear, ready for battle.
His current strength could be described as at its lowest ebb. Even though he had advanced to Fourth-Stage Esper, he did not possess the power of one; he was still in a complete dormant phase. That precious million Zombie Crystal s had only granted Zheng Yifan a piece of information and an opportunity to evolve to a higher level of power.
Enduring humiliation while bearing heavy burdens could be his perfect interpretation.
No one knew why Zheng Yifan trained his body so diligently. No one understood why he increasingly valued combat skills.
They only knew that he had become one of the most diligent individuals at the Gathering Place, and his hard work even made Li Ning, who thrived on self-discipline, feel somewhat ashamed.
Up until now, Zheng Yifan had not revealed any information about his Fourth Stage Superpower evolution. It wasn't that he didn't trust others; it was simply that he was in an extremely vulnerable state and it wasn't wise to share that with anyone.
Unfortunately, today he needed combat power, but facing him was a Third-Stage Esper. Normally, he would have crushed them effortlessly. However, today he realized he had made a miscalculation. The Adamantium Shield would have been effective against this Fellow, but it was not on hand, and summoning it back would only increase Zhou Rui's burden.
What troubled Zheng Yifan the most was Old Wang's body. It wasn't even physical; the Fellow before him was a Nature System Superpowered Individual, and a rather peculiar one at that. Unlike Zhou Rui's mist, it could be toxic gas or possibly Plague.
Old Wang, however, had no time for idle chatter; he was solely focused on taking down Li Ning. He was betting that the two opponents before him could not harm him—Li Ning couldn't, and neither could Zheng Yifan.
He was right. Li Ning truly could not inflict any damage on him and could only exert control. As time passed, the Plague would indeed head straight for the Hope Gathering Place, putting Zhou Rui in danger.
In a critical moment, Zheng Yifan still hadn't found a way to restrain him; Old Wang's ethereal body was incredibly frustrating for Zheng Yifan.
Raising his Silver Spear, Zheng Yifan pointed it forward and thrust it into Old Wang's body. As expected, the spear tip pierced through Old Wang without any resistance. If Old Wang had been able to selectively transform into toxic mist before his evolution, now he could continuously become Plague without interruption.
This was an enhancement gained from his mutated evolution; conversely, he had almost completely lost his physical form. Even if he condensed into a solid state again, his ethereal body could no longer function like it used to.
He had transformed from a complete flesh-and-blood being into an elemental body of toxic mist.
It seemed like an enhancement, but his limits had already been set; at most, he could evolve to the Fourth Stage. The Fifth Level was a hurdle he would never cross in this lifetime.
Of course, he might not even live to see that day because Zheng Yifan was attacking.
The spear stirred like a raging tide, creating winds more ferocious than a typhoon, with the Vital Energy it carried being wild and untamed.
He did not fear physical attacks, but the agitation of Vital Energy still began to distort his body.
However, it didn't matter; Li Ning was barely holding on. In just thirty seconds more, Li Ning would completely lose control over Old Wang.
As Zheng Yifan's spear continued to swirl, he pondered countermeasures, but all strategies required sufficient power. Li Ning was merely a Second-Stage Esper and could not contend with him; he also had no means to deal with an incorporeal entity. Zhou Rui matched Old Wang's strength well enough, but unfortunately, Zhou Rui only possessed Second Tier power—facing Old Wang was nothing short of a joke.
It seemed they had entered a deadlock.
Li Ning gritted his teeth as he glared at Old Wang, his hands trembling around his weapon. He altered the direction of gravity, making it difficult for Old Wang to adapt to the rhythm of his attacks.
The fluctuating gravity and the force of Rejection caused Old Wang's body to sway.
However, Li Ning's use of Superpower was also rapid; he was now sweating profusely, the moisture slowly soaking through his clothes.
Puddles of sweat began to form on the ground beneath him.
His weapon shimmered with Vital Energy, constantly adjusting the Superpower it emitted while a small amount of Superpower was fed back to replenish Li Ning.
But if Zheng Yifan couldn't find a way to resolve this situation, things would become truly dangerous.
Yet it was precisely Zheng Yifan, the pillar of this Gathering Place, who felt helpless. Old Wang's body could not be harmed by physical attacks; only Vital Energy could injure him.
Previously, there had been Wildfire Spreading, but now he was left with only the power of his Golden Character Card. Would he succeed?
For the first time, Zheng Yifan examined himself. Without the power of a Character Card, relying solely on his own understanding and strength, he held his Silver Spear tightly in front of him.
The spear felt as if it had just received the practice methods from Wildfire Spreading; his body moved with the spear, energy flowed with him, and power surged into the spearhead, followed by the release of all his Vital Energy.
The wild Vital Energy seemed uncontrollable, yet Zheng Yifan still suppressed his thoughts of giving up. He focused all his attention on the flow of Vital Energy.
Suddenly!
A spark of fire flickered into existence.
It truly appeared in an instant. Just a moment's presence and it had already dissipated, but that was enough. A flicker of flame ignited on Old Wang's body, instantly bursting into flames like gasoline meeting fire, his body erupting with a crackling sound as green liquid sprayed outwards.
"Ah!" A piercing howl escaped Old Wang's lips as he screamed, but the power of the Plague within him continued to spread. The Plague seemed to sense its nemesis and retreated far away, as if it had developed its own consciousness, avoiding the flames and leaving Old Wang's body.
However, it couldn't completely escape. It was as if Old Wang's limbs had fallen to the ground, continuously crawling back towards him.
Suddenly, a flash of green appeared—stems slowly burrowing through the ground, and in an instant, they absorbed the Plague and Superpower from Old Wang, retreating shyly as if they had just feasted.
Zheng Yifan was astonished; this resembled the roots of the Mutated Plants from the direction of Han Sui City Gathering Place. He couldn't tell if it was a new Mutated Plant or if the roots of that plant had already crossed over from Hope Gathering Place to here.
Once the problem was resolved, he would need to investigate further.
In that moment, it seemed as though Old Wang's body shrank.
Zheng Yifan immediately seized the opportunity to strike a fallen foe. With a shake of his spear, it resembled thousands of dragons; flickers of fiery power occasionally flashed, inflicting great damage on Old Wang.
Zheng Yifan had not fully mastered this technique yet, but he could already produce it with some probability. With more practice, it would eventually manifest. Once he returned to the Gathering Place, he would refine it further and truly comprehend the usage of Vital Energy's blazing fire.
(To be continued)
Comment 0 Comment Count