Chapter 999: 6,400 Times
Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
Luo Feng had let Golden Horned Beast body merge with blood river crystals in the outer-region battlefield before, and he could merge with 165 blood river crystals! Back then, he had only completed the first volume of the Nine Volume Manual and hadn't completely transformed his will, as he hadn't completed the life-or-death inheritance in Star Tower.
"166, 167, 168…"
Golden Horned Beast sat there like a mountain. As for Luo Feng's original earthling body, he sat on the Golden Horned Beast's back with his legs crossed. As a space beast measuring over 600 miles long, he was like a towering mountain with a broad back. The original earthling body sitting on his back looked like he was in the middle of colossal, rolling plains.
Chi!
The original earthling body moved his wings and cut through the scales, creating a deep wound in Golden Horned Beast's back. The original earthling body took out a triangular-prism-shaped blood crystal and tossed it into the gaping cut. Then another. And another.
Golden Horned Beast merged with each of the blood river crystals as they were thrown into its body. The process repeated itself over and over again.
"196, 197, 198…" Luo Feng said, tossing blood river crystals into the wound. He recalled the life-or-death inheritance last time—a life-or-death experience lasting more than 6,000 years. It had completely reshaped his will, and he had made great advancements in the 10,000 years since the last blood-river-crystal merging.
"200."
After the 200th blood river crystal integrated into Golden Horned Beast's back, the back started to flow with the blood river energies. The muscles, bones, and scales on it were transformed instantly. The back bulged, and the muscles twisted like pieces of rebar under enormous pressure.
The scales condensed and turned golden. There were bloody threads on the golden scales, and they constituted a terrific, roaring beast god. The mighty power! The magnificent power!
After completing the first five volumes of Nine Volume Manual—coupled with Golden Horned Beast's life gene level being 10 times that of ordinary life forms—his life gene level had been improved 480 times! Now, under the blood river energies, his right claw hit the limit instantly. His back was improved 20 times, which was twice as powerful as the undriven body. The same thing happened to his right claw, and once it was driven, it was twice as powerful as the body before the blood river energies began to flow.
"Keep merging… Keep the balance and choose the left claw."
The original earthling body stood on the boundless meadow, looking at the giant claws. The scales on the claws were cut, and blood was dripping down. Luo Feng threw in one blood river crystal after another.
"226, 227, 228…" The process continued. "281, 282… They have started to affect his will."
The original earthling body frowned. After merging 282 blood river crystals, Golden Horned Beast's mind was affected by the vicious energy.
"I can see how much I've improved based on the number of blood river crystals I'm able to merge with. My will was greatly enhanced." Luo Feng didn't change his facial expression at all,. The pain under the vicious attack and the blood river energies merging were nothing compared to the agony he'd had to endure when "Star Tower" integrated with his soul.
"299, 300!"
His right claw had also hit the limit.
Howl!
Golden Horned Beast roared with thrill. Meanwhile, he moved his front claws, and both his claws became sturdy. His scales turned shining gold. Two beast-god heads made of bloody threads roared on the golden scales. Golden Horned Beast could feel his power surge as he stepped on the image of the beast god.
I think he can still merge dozens more, thought Luo Feng. And to make it more beneficial, I need to merge it in different places.
Luo Feng made up his mind.
"10 more for each part of his body."
******
Luo Feng was exhilarated every time one more crystal was merged, as this represented his power increasing. However, there was a limit to his power.
With his ultra-strong will, he was able to merge 380 blood river crystals. When he was trying to merge the 381st one, however, he couldn't withhold it anymore. The energy surpassed his limits. Luo Feng screamed with agony and failed.
The right claw, the left claw, and the back had all merged with 100 blood river crystals. The tail, both of the back claws, the scaled-wing, and the upper back all merged with 10 blood river crystals while the head merged with 20. He had successfully merged with 380 crystals!
"The right claw, the left claw, and the back are all twice as powerful as before the blood river energies were integrated," he said, gasping. "The other seven areas of my body also became twice as powerful. Which means it's now more than 6,000 times stronger than that of a sector lord! My life gene level is more than 6,000 times stronger now—nearly 6500 times stronger, in fact."
Ah-ooo!
Golden Horned Beast lifted his head and roared, feeling the blood river energies that had penetrated every part of his body. The genes changed instantly, together with the constitution.
The bones started to crack, and suddenly, Golden Horned Beast grew to twice its previous size. The scales became pale, especially the front claws and the back, which were the sturdiest parts of the body. Each scale was covered with bloody threads and formed one beast god picture after another. Some of them were simple while others were exquisite. The bloodline empowered Golden Horned Beast a great deal.
"It should be 6,400 times more powerful."
The body had been 480 times stronger before the energies were driven. Now, it was 6400 times stronger now. Golden Horned Beast started to roar with excitement.
Ah-ooo! Ah-ooo! Ah-ooo! Ah-ooo! Ah-ooo!
"Haha…! 6,000 times! I'm 6,000 times stronger! Zhu Chong Emperor, as a special life form, is only 5,000 times! Bark Mirror Emperor's life gene level is 2,000 times, and there are only a few in the universe can rival him. I'm even stronger than Zhu Chong Emperor!"
Luo Feng looked up at Golden Horned Beast with excitement. Magnificent! His life gene level was higher than the special life form Zhu Chong Emperor!
Luo Feng made a quick estimate. "Only the extraordinary have life gene levels higher than 5,000 times. Now, I am one of them. Based on the number of blood river crystals, I can put 100 on each part of my body, and there'll be 1,000 of them. After which, my life gene level will be 10,000 times higher."
10,000 times! Special life forms were generally thousands of times stronger, some as high as 10,000 times. For ordinary life forms, 100 times was the limit, and as for special life forms, 10,000 times was their limit.
After venting his excitement, Luo Feng smiled and said, "Golden Horned Beast body is indeed my trump card. With high life gene level and a body 600 miles long, it'll take a long time to burn his godly body."
Compared to humans, who grew barely over six feet tall, Golden Horned Beasts had much more godly power.
A high life gene level and an extremely large body—how incredible was that?
Expectation flashed in Luo Feng's eyes. "Hmm… Now I'll try blood river crystals on my original earthling body."
The original earthling body was different from Golden Horned Beast. Golden Horned Beast had an enormous body, which required ten different parts to complete the merging, yet the original earthling body was far smaller than a single claw of the Golden Horned Beast. Thus, the original earthling body could only merge with 100 blood river crystals at most.
"My life gene level is six times stronger after finishing the second volume of the Nine Volume Manual," said Luo Feng, "and I successfully merged with ten blood river crystals after that. Now I've finished the first five, and my life gene level is 48 times higher. I wonder how many crystals I can merge with."
Without a doubt, his will could withhold the evil energy from 380 blood river crystals. As for the number of crystals his original earthling body could merge with, it depended on the life genes of the earthling.
"11th one." Luo Feng scratched his palm and started to merge with blood river crystals.
******
One blood river crystal after another merged with the original earthling body, whose life gene level was 48 times stronger.
"61…" Luo Feng kept merging with blood river crystals.
"81, 82, 83—no! No…!"
Suddenly, Luo Feng could feel his muscles and bones being torn apart, and the blood river energies flowed back into the 83rd blood river crystal.
"82?" he said. "Only 82?"
Luo Feng was reluctant to believe it. The first time Golden Horned Beast merged with 100 blood river crystals, he hadn't even practiced the Nine Volume Manual, and Golden Horned Beast's life level was only ten times. On the contrary, the life gene level of Luo Feng's original earthling body was 48 times stronger, but it couldn't compare to Golden Horned Beast in the past.
Is it because blood river crystals are more suitable for Golden Horned Beast? Luo Feng thought.
Based on his observation, it was difficult for other life forms to merge with blood river crystals—including his original earthling body, who could only merge with 10 after finishing the first two volumes of the Nine Volume Manual—whereas it was always easy for the Golden Horned Beast to merge with them. Golden Horned Beast bodies could merge with blood river crystals at all times. The only thing that troubled Luo Feng was that his will was not able to withstand the evil energy.
Blood River Crystals come from the "gold and space" inborn beast god, thought Luo Feng. Golden Horned Beasts are the peak race of space beasts of the gold attribute, and they have "swallowing" power. Perhaps Golden Horned Beasts are designed for merging with blood river crystals.
"It's demanding for a part of the life gene to merge with blood river crystals," he muttered, "but Golden Horned Beasts are born able to withstand the process. As for the Nine Volume Manual, it will improve the life gene as a whole, simultaneously improving that part of my body. That must be why it's easier for me to merge with blood river crystals."
******
On the plain, the Golden Horned Beast lay with a human leaning against its enormous claw.
"What should I do?" Luo Feng said, leaning on the cold scales. "I can only merge with 82 blood river crystals. If I can merge with 100 crystals, my original earthling body would be 4,800 times. Although my original earthling body is small, it would have high combat power. Am I only able to merge my original earthling body with 100 blood river crystals after I finish the sixth volume of the Nine Volume Manual? No. Maybe…"
Luo Feng sat up abruptly.
"Beast god blood!"
He nodded and quickly used a portion of his mind to connect to the virtual universe.