novelraw Chapter 468: Peru's True Power!
Chapter 468: Peru's True Power!
Pelu's voice vanished into the torrential storm raging across the sky.
Five minutes later, Devil Island, Redstone Town.
A pair of dark boots stepped through seawater, traversed the downpour, and arrived on this nearly desolate little island.
This was an island once mined for redstone ore. With the arrival of the Dimensional Tide, this island too soon fell into abandonment.
Chen Qi looked up.
The damaged copper dome atop the lighthouse swayed with the sea wind, its light flickering on and off, casting eerie patches of light onto the lead-gray cloud layer.
Due to the collapse of the C-rank storm dimensional rift, this island remained perpetually shrouded in a sky-wide downpour.
On this lighthouse, it seemed as if no one had ever existed.
"Pelu!"
Chen Qi shouted loudly.However, no matter how much he used his spiritual energy to probe, he couldn't find any trace of Pelu.
At that moment, Fen and An arrived, panting heavily and a little late.
Their current stamina was far inferior to Chen Qi's.
Fen leaned on her knees, sweat mixing with the pouring rain as it dripped down, gasping for breath:
"Huff... ha... huff... Qi, any news?"
Chen Qi, holding the Daylight Lantern, sighed:
"It disappeared again."
"Pelu and Water Spirit No.1 are also nowhere to be found."
The Ember Beast would suddenly appear and just as suddenly disappear.
Pelu ultimately couldn't hold on after all... Chen Qi stepped slowly from the shore onto the surface of the sea, casually tossing down a Supernatural Bait.
Splash!
"Wah wah wah wah wah!"
Suddenly, a thunderous shriek came from behind him!
"Help! Qi! Qi!"
Chen Qi turned around.
A massive mist, like thick smoke, swiftly enveloped him, Fen, and An.
"Help!!"
A screaming face emerged from the mist, but in the next instant, a tentacle wrapped around her slender arm!
"Pelu!!"
An's eyes widened.
She never expected Pelu to still be alive.
However, in the next moment, the azure-blue burning tentacle pulled the terrified Pelu back, completely disappearing into the dense fog.
Before the Ember Beast, Pelu was like an ant, completely at its mercy!
However, compared to most brutal sea beasts, the Ember Beast preferred 'collecting'—
From within the thick mist came an ancient, profound whisper.
Even An and Fen could understand this ancient whisper at this moment:
"Kneel!"
Five burning deep-blue tentacles crossed through layers of mist, like two high-speed spears, thrusting towards Fen and An—
So strong... An's eyes were covered by the deep-blue tentacles, her small hands trembling uncontrollably.
Just sensing the aura of this sea beast hidden behind the heavy mist was enough to cause intense bodily trembling.
Fen's face instantly paled with fright, her breathing deliberately suppressed to an extremely light level, like a terrified little animal.
Tension!
Fear!
Terrifying!
Weakness!
"Finally..."
Chen Qi stood upon the sea, a smile curling at the corner of his mouth.
The Ember Beast had finally appeared!
Unity of Blade and Qi. Spiritual Energy Surge!
Chen Qi didn't hesitate, erupting his own spiritual energy field.
A storm whipped up Fen and An's hair and clothes, forcefully repelling the two tentacles.
The mist was instantly dispersed by the blazing spiritual energy, and the sea beast hidden within that enormous mist finally revealed its true form.
Tentacles crossed and overlapped under the giant flames, resembling the graceful body of an elegant being!
And the chief reporter of the White Pigeon Press, along with her large white pigeon, were placed upon its chest like tiny doll toys.
Utterly elegant.
"Ember Beast..."
An's throat moved slightly, her neck taut like a fragile arc.
She had severely misjudged the Ember Beast.
She originally thought the Ember Beast was similar to giant titans like the Twelve-Tentacles Titan or the Forest of the Sea, with extremely high health and strength.
But whether in speed or domain abilities, it couldn't compete with a fifth-tier Transcendent.
Yet at this moment, An even felt the Ember Beast surpassed her teacher, the Book Saint Aslina!
This wasn't due to its strength or massive size, but rather its sense of mystery.
This was no longer a deep-sea titan, but another level, a more powerful creature.
Just like those ancient Deep Sea Ancient Gods from ocean legends.
"Huff..."
The Ember Beast bent its body, its blazing head descending like a small star, landing before them.
It extended its right hand towards Chen Qi!
"First time meeting you, Ember Beast."
Chen Qi drew the Flesh Cleaver Bone Breaker from his waist.
Inhale—
The Ember Beast took a deep breath, the burning flames gradually shifting from their original orange-red hue to a layer of faint pink!
The Ember Beast, learning human language, murmured to itself:
"You and... I are the same..."
"No... you are more... noble... than me... noble!"
Chen Qi gripped the hilt, not launching an attack immediately.
The Ember Beast could sense his Deep Sea Affinity.
Currently, the Ember Beast was likely the highest-tier deep-sea creature he had ever encountered.
This meant negotiation was possible... An felt a surge of joy.
However, the next moment, the Ember Beast lifted its head, its massive form looking down upon Chen Qi from above.
It said excitedly:
"Your aura... is very noble... but... you... are very weak... very weak... unworthy of this aura..."
"Unworthy..."
"If... if..."
"If I can conquer you! Assimilate you!"
"I... can become... the sea... god!"
The Ember Beast's eyeballs rolled.
This was its first appearance upon the sea, displaying powerful aggression.
Huh? Chen Qi was startled.
He hadn't expected the Ember Beast's goal was actually to assimilate him.
Previously, the Illusion Beast had similar thoughts, but far less forceful than the Ember Beast.
So this was a sea beast with ancient bloodline, one that defeated the Deep Sea Hunters!
Chen Qi placed the Rift Blade horizontally before his chest.
Clang!
Hundreds of thirty-meter-long blazing tentacles smashed down, attempting to bind Chen Qi, then bit by bit, use its power to assimilate and become part of him.
Unity of Blade and Qi. Howl!
Chen Qi drew his blade and slashed. In an instant, surging blade energy swept past like a tsunami, severing those hundreds of tentacles—
However, the next moment!
The Ember Beast instantly vanished, then instantly reappeared behind him.
Instantaneous movement utilizing dimensional rift traversal ability!
That ancient flame issued sound once more:
"Let us fuse!"
"Let us intertwine!"
"Let us dominate!"
Dazzling light flashed within the storm!
[You have suffered the Ember Beast's mental control!]
[You have immunized against this control!]
Chen Qi swung his blade to block again.
However, his speed was still a step too slow.
A burning tentacle directly pierced his shoulder.
The tip of that tentacle rapidly sprouted pink flames.
Blood splattered!
Chen Qi's eyes widened.
In that instant just now, the Ember Beast's speed had tripled.
[You are suffering the Ember Beast's lamp contamination—]
[You have immunized against this contamination. Your mental resistance has decreased!]
Ember's Bloom, Crimson Form, activate!
Burning crimson tentacles surged from Chen Qi's back, tearing out the burning tentacle from his shoulder along with flesh and blood.
"Huff... huff..."
Chen Qi's body was soaked in blood.
The Ember Beast truly lived up to being the currently known strongest sea beast in the ocean.
Both its speed and strength far surpassed his normal state.
However, that was assuming he hadn't activated Release.
The Ember Beast's flames burned:
"Continue..."
Clang! Clang! Clang!
Chen Qi's figure transformed into a crimson meteor upon the sea.
Fen and An stared with wide eyes.
Chen Qi, with Ember's Bloom activated and twenty-meter-long tentacles, already resembled a giant beast.
But unlike the slowness of conventional giant beasts.
The speed between the two was beyond imagination!
Under the downpour, within a mere five seconds, like two roaring thunderbolts, blade and tentacles clashed a thousand times!
The entire harbor of Redstone Island was instantly reduced to rubble.
"Huff..."
An hugged Fen, quickly retreating, putting distance between them and the current battlefield.
Clang—
The clash between the two sides entered its final strike!
Chen Qi condensed blade energy, unleashing a crimson crescent that swept horizontally across the sea.
Crimson Moon!
Blade energy slashed, colliding with each other, stirring up hundreds of layers of waves!
Then, both sides ceased their attacks.
So strong... An watched this scene.
The Ember Beast's hundred-meter-tall beautiful form had hundreds of tentacles severed, becoming riddled with holes.
Even the flames symbolizing its blazing life force grew extremely weak.
Without a doubt, in terms of strength and speed, Chen Qi held the advantage.
However... An swallowed.
Judging purely by the outcome of the battle, it was Chen Qi's overwhelming victory.
One could even say it was pure domination.
But at this moment, she felt no joy of victory whatsoever!
The Ember Beast's strength was like a black hole, completely unfathomable.
Chen Qi wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth:
"What's wrong? Not continuing?"
The Ember Beast lowered its head, tentacles gently clamping onto Pelu's head.
It raised its head high, then lowered it:
"You... are not my match..."
"I cannot conquer you... nor can you... conquer me..."
"Human... if... you submit to me... let me intertwine with you, I will grant you... new power..."
Having said that, the Ember Beast tightened its grip on Pelu's head.
"Qi! I think I'm going to die too!"
"For me, publish my news article... don't forget to include my byline..."
"And! Qi, don't forget to tell that Lily, who ran away to the Goldenfinch Kingdom because she was afraid of you, that I am the chief... reporter!"
Pelu's eyes were full of fear as she took out the soaked news article clutched in her hand.
Although the death of the chief reporter was quite sensational news.
But at this moment, Pelu's eyes held only tears and endless terror.
Chen Qi tightened his grip on the blade, recalling the Deep Sea Hunter's records.
At the beginning, the Deep Sea Hunter also thought the Ember Beast was a simple sea beast.
But in the end, the Ember Beast's difficulty kept increasing.
And ultimately, it became the highest level of 'brain-racking' difficulty. Even the Deep Sea Hunter was defeated by the Ember Beast!
This was an ultimate BOSS at the peak of the fifth tier... Chen Qi took a deep breath.
The Ember Beast's burning head moved beside Pelu, whispering in an aged language:
"You... go... deal with... him..."
Pelu was stunned for a moment.
The Ember Beast wasn't draining her power!
It wanted her to fight Chen Qi!
"Me fight the Black Hunter?"
However, the next moment, Pelu felt her spiritual energy field surge wildly, continuously rising, continuously rising!
Her fighting the Black Hunter wasn't impossible!
Third-tier peak!
Fourth-tier initial!
Fourth-tier peak!
Pelu looked down at her glowing body, memories of the past flooding back.
She was originally a fourth-tier Transcendent of the Lighthouse.
Simultaneously, within the White Tower, she was selected to become a fringe hunter tasked with detecting the Fringe World.
However, during an adventure in the Fringe World, she unfortunately encountered a lamp beast that covered the entire gray sky, and her body contracted a permanent 'Lamp Curiosity' mutation.
This mutation suppressed her spiritual energy field to the first tier while generating intense 'curiosity' and 'thirst for adventure.'
If she couldn't satisfy this hunger for curiosity and adventure, she would die.
This was why her physical strength was comparable to a Legendary, but her spiritual energy was only at the first tier.
Yet, just in that fleeting moment, Pelu felt the 'Lamp Curiosity' mutation that had plagued her for three years vanish.
If not for the Lamp Curiosity mutation...
She wouldn't have become a reporter, wouldn't have constantly sought out danger, and certainly wouldn't have come to Moonstone City!
And without the lamp mutation, she would have diligently studied, cultivated her own power, continuously grown stronger—
Grown stronger!
And ultimately progressed from a fourth-tier lamp affinity professional photographer to a fifth-tier pure lamp profession 'World Reporter'!
The possibility of a fifth-tier Saint!
"Huff!"
Pelu's short hair grew continuously longer, her eyes flashing with ember-like light as brilliant as stars. She grasped the forbidden rift unique item at her waist.
The Ember Beast smiled slightly:
"Go on, Pelu, kill him..."
"!!!"
Chen Qi watched this scene from a distance.
The Ember Beast had directly triggered Pelu's hidden ability as a BOSS!
Under the Ember Beast's control, the light in Pelu's eyes was completely covered by cold flames, making her resemble a killing machine.
"Alright."
She aimed the White Tower Camera at Chen Qi, Fen, and An.
"Lamp Domain. What I Record, Becomes Reality!"
Chen Qi immediately accelerated.
The White Tower Federation's special profession, Reporter!
This profession was quite powerful.
It was the super-evolved profession of the Messenger, with three core abilities.
First, the ability to attract major events. She herself would be constantly drawn to major events.
Second, unparalleled escape ability. She could instantly teleport, completing anchor point movement over tens of thousands of meters.
Third, and its most terrifying ability, it could record all major events she reported on and ultimately materialize those events!
This was also the reporter's most terrifying domain!
Pelu, like a manipulated puppet, muttered softly:
"February 17th, White Tower Federation, Lamp Moon City, A-rank rift Magic Net collapse, causing a knowledge vortex to descend, including one fifth-tier, twenty fourth-tiers, two hundred and ten thousand Lamp Moon City residents..."
Click!
Pelu pressed the camera shutter.
The sky shattered like glass, the world underwent a massive change.
The ground beneath Chen Qi instantly transformed into a massive magic net. A collapsing city-state appeared before them, tens of thousands of people wailing and fleeing—
"Damn!"
"Domain. Activate!"
Chen Qi drank a potion from Fen, mustering all his qi force. His form shot forward like a crimson lightning bolt, reaching Pelu in an instant.
Once this domain before them fully expanded, the consequences would be unimaginable!
Domain could counter domain!
The sea churned!
Fortunately, the Pelu before them wasn't a true fifth-tier Transcendent and wasn't proficient with domains!
Her domain hadn't fully expanded yet!
Plus, the Rift Blade itself had domain-destroying effects.
Fast! Faster!
Clang!
With one strike, Chen Qi directly severed both of Pelu's hands along with the camera she held.
Bang!
Pelu's domain shattered, the world returning to reality once more.
The blade flashed—
Raindrops fell on everyone's faces.
"Huff, huff, huff..."
Chen Qi's chest heaved continuously as he exhaled hot air, sharply looking up towards the Ember Beast.
He saw the Ember Beast watching his movements, continuously exhaling. Its flames had completely turned into an excited pink!
It felt Chen Qi's flavor was becoming more and more noble, more and more delectable!
Simultaneously, its tentacles were also constantly tearing at its massive form, striking seductive poses.
A huge rift-like opening suddenly appeared on its body!