Chapter 329: Racial Ascension, Dark Emperor Bai Fu
Her anxious heart finally settled, and Bai Fu began checking the new improvements she had gained from this racial ascension.
【God of the Ethereal Realm】, as the advanced race of 【Eternal Night】, perfectly inherited all the previous traits of Eternal Night, including 【Transform into Night】, 【Super Aggregation】, 【Ethereal Adaptation】, 【Pure Baptism】, 【Seed of Divinity】, and so on.
Among them, 【Seed of Divinity】 had now blossomed after this ascension, advancing into the ultra-rare talent 【God Within the Heart】.
Originally, 【Seed of Divinity】 only strengthened the 【Divine Envoy】. After advancing, 【God Within the Heart】 not only strengthened the 【Divine Envoy】 but also allowed Bai Fu to receive stat feedback from the Divine Envoy.
At the current stage, each Domination-level 【Divine Envoy】 could grant Bai Fu an additional 3% attribute boost, while each Transcendent-level 【Divine Envoy】 could grant her 5%—an astonishing gain!
Aside from these inherited powers, the 【God of the Ethereal Realm】 race also brought several new abilities.
1. Each point of Constitution increased HP conversion by +20; each point of Inspiration increased Psionic Value conversion by +100;
2. New Talent: 【Dark Energy Baptism】;
3. New Talent: 【Ethereal Primordial Body】;
4. New Talent: 【Complete Void Dimension Adaptation】;
5. New Skill: 【Ethereal Dimension Descent】.
The effect of 【Dark Energy Baptism】 was similar to 【Pure Baptism】, except that while Pure Baptism increased Bai Fu’s efficiency in learning psionic knowledge and analyzing/crafting psionic creations, Dark Energy Baptism boosted efficiency on the dark-energy side.
This talent had come at the perfect time. With it, Bai Fu could better analyze those supermassive arcane techniques that Liet had given her.
【Ethereal Primordial Body】 was a talent completely beyond her expectations.
This talent described her terrifyingly high affinity toward both psionic energy and dark energy, on par with some Apostles of the Ethereal Realm.
【You have gained the recognition of the Ethereal Realm. The Ethereal Realm has bestowed upon you a new blessing.】
This blessing allowed Bai Fu to master yet another psionic attribute. From dual-attributes to triple-attributes, her combat power would rise by at least several folds.
“This came just in time!”
Bai Fu’s eyes lit up instantly.
She remembered the last maintenance update specifically reminding her to try mastering more psionic attributes. Unfortunately, she had no idea how to do it back then. Now, she finally had a lead.
“Looks like I’ll need to keep raising my Ethereal Adaptation. Once my adaptation surpasses even that legendary Number One Apostle, then the title of God of the Ethereal Realm will truly belong to me alone!”
Bai Fu was thrilled.
If she could master all psionic attributes plus dark energy, then every punch she threw could carry dozens, even hundreds of special effects. How could an ordinary Transcendent ever stand against her?
Never underestimate the strength of a special-effects build Player!
【Complete Void Dimension Adaptation】 was a void-life talent that Bai Fu had accidentally awakened during her racial transformation. With it, she could traverse dimensions freely without fear of damage caused by warped space and dimensional manipulation.
Such an ability was a nightmare for Espers specializing in spatial powers.
On the networks of the Explored Universe, there was a niche theory that void-blooded beings had such poor reputations partly because spatial Espers spared no effort in slandering them online.
【Ethereal Dimension Descent】 was a very special skill. Once activated, the surrounding space would be temporarily assimilated into an ethereal dimension.
For Bai Fu, whose Ethereal Adaptation was extremely high, this caused no harm. But for others, it was a nightmare.
At best, multiple debuffs would cling to them. At worst, they might suffocate to death instantly.
In short, whether used to crush weaker enemies or to fight powerful foes, this was a divine skill.
Perfect.
Bai Fu closed the racial ascension notifications and casually opened her quest interface.
Metamorphosis Quest, settlement!
Just like her first metamorphosis, this one boosted all four abilities granted by Divine Fire Sprout by one level.
The enhancements to Surpassing the Peak, Nurturing the Divine Envoy, and Ethereal Frenzy went without saying. The key was still 【Divine Transformation】.
+1 Divine Transformation had given Bai Fu a 20% boost to base Inspiration and 15% to Strength and other base stats. At +2, these numbers had risen to 35% and 25% respectively.
Though not as dramatic as her first metamorphosis, the gains were still very satisfying.
After finishing the quest settlement, Bai Fu immediately poured vast amounts of XP into leveling up.
Before heading to the Esper Garden, she had specifically listed some dark energy knowledge in the faction shop. With that, she had scythed 300 billion XP from millions of Players in just a few days. Adding the XP she had accumulated from quests and battles, she now had a total of 372.1 billion XP.
Even Bai Fu herself found that number terrifying.
Players truly were her favorite fat sheep!
Ding ding ding.
【You have unlocked a new class [Dark Emperor], current level Lv1, Strength +7, Agility +7, Constitution +10, Intelligence +5, Spirit +5, Inspiration +20, Stat Points +20.】
【You have advanced from Transcendent I to Transcendent II. Each point of Constitution increases HP conversion +20, Psionic conversion +50.】
【You have learned a new skill [Light-Dark Fusion Enhancement].】
【You have learned a new skill [Divine Envoy Legion].】
【You have learned a new Prayer Card Blueprint [Shadow Exalt].】
【Light-Dark Fusion Enhancement】 was a passive skill that doubled output and Prayer Card effectiveness by 100%.
【Divine Envoy Legion】, as the name suggested, was a legion-type passive. It allowed Bai Fu to designate a Divine Envoy as the legion commander, granting massive offensive and defensive boosts to both the commander and the legion.
By her quick calculation, this bonus alone raised her legion’s combat power by about 50%—utterly terrifying.
“With this, any Divine Envoy Legion can rival a normal Transcendent. This metamorphosis bonus is too great—far surpassing even the Oathmaster’s second metamorphosis!”
Bai Fu cheerfully opened the description of her new blueprint.
【Shadow Exalt】 was a red-quality summoning card. It could summon a Shadow Exalt specialized in melee combat, but only one could exist at a time.
This was expected. Shadow Exalts were Transcendent-level summons contracted through the summoner’s 【True Spirit】. Summoning more would either fail or result in disobedient entities.
“Kabaya, Prayer Angel, Shadow Exalt, plus Ying Fu and Eye of Sorrow who are nearing Transcendent strength, as well as the new Divine Envoy I’m about to appoint… with that, I’d be equivalent to eight Transcendents. Cultivating Psionic Prayer-users may be difficult, but once raised, they’re unbelievably strong.”
Sighing in awe, Bai Fu poured XP to raise her main class level to 245, instantly triggering the third Divine Transformation quest.
【Your Divine Transformation progress has reached 59.9%. A new metamorphosis quest has been triggered.】
The requirements for the third metamorphosis were—
【Advanced Psionic Knowledge – 100% / 100%
Advanced Dark Energy Knowledge – 83.3% / 100%
Psionic Attributes – 2 / 2
True Spirit Marrow – 0 / 1】
【Note 1: This metamorphosis is a special one. The more psionic attributes and True Spirit Marrow obtained, the greater the exclusive bonuses after transformation.】
【Note 2: If this metamorphosis fails to surpass the [Baseline], the limit of Life Ascension will be permanently locked.】
“Hm?”
Bai Fu’s eyes were drawn to True Spirit Marrow and the two notes.
True Spirit Marrow? From the name, it sounded like an Apostle-related item.
The two notes were even more thought-provoking.
“If the cost of a locked Life Ascension limit means I can’t level up anymore, or… something worse?”
“As for special metamorphosis… when I guided Yuan Yi, Dmitri, and Chongxiao through their third metamorphoses, I never saw this prompt. Is my situation just too unusual?”
To be fair, Bai Fu thought she was indeed quite unusual now.
Of course, she didn’t mean the fact that she was “cheating.”
She meant her stats far exceeded those of other Transcendents at her level, and her grasp of psionic attributes was also far beyond her peers. Perhaps this “special metamorphosis” was tied to that.
“Advanced Dark Energy Knowledge and Psionic Attributes are manageable. To complete the third metamorphosis, the real key lies in True Spirit Marrow. As far as I know, the Holy City of Apostles holds both a Number Four Apostle and a fragment of the Number Three Apostle’s True Spirit Molt. It seems that, even just for the breakthrough, I’ll have to go all out against the Holy City of Apostles!”
Bai Fu felt no fear.
Though the Supreme Apostle and Number Four Apostle’s strength far outstripped hers, and she couldn’t possibly defeat them even after her third metamorphosis, as long as they didn’t fully uncover her secrets, killing her wouldn’t be easy either.
With the 【Spiral】 talent and the cosmic treasure 【Paradise Ark】, she could already be called a “little Undying.”
Humming in a good mood, Bai Fu dumped her leftover XP into upgrading all the skills and Prayer Card blueprints that had been stalled due to lack of XP.
With this flood of XP, all her dark energy skills and Prayer Cards—such as Devouring of Dark Energy—were maxed out.
After this wave of leveling, her stats became—
【HP】: 5,785,462 / 5,785,462
【Psionic Value】: 9657255/9657255
【Qi】: 221775/221775
【Attributes】: Strength 6041, Agility 6096, Constitution 10567, Intelligence 5694, Spirit 8867, Inspiration 18825
The increase was absolutely staggering.
Her base Inspiration had risen by 36% compared to before, her Psionic Value had more than doubled, and as for her combat power—it had skyrocketed several times over, perhaps even more.
“All thanks to Liet. The method Liet gave me to boost racial potential allowed me to directly fuse the previously missing Dark Energy Foundation. Otherwise, my improvement would never have been this outrageous.”
Bai Fu smiled knowingly.
She thought that now, even if she faced Dmitri, Chongxiao, and Curse Lord—three Transcendents who had completed their third metamorphosis—at the same time, she would still be able to fight and win.
Of course, the premise was that she had to craft more of those Prayer Cards she had just upgraded, since they were one of the foundations of her strength.
After closing the attribute panel, Bai Fu immediately summoned Black King, appointed her as her third Divine Envoy, and instructed her to continue developing in the direction of a tank-type Martial Artist.
Afterward, she quickly contacted Dmitri, the Oathmaster, and others, informing them that she was still alive.
“Ha, you’re not dead?!”
Hearing the familiar voice through the communicator, Dmitri’s eyes nearly popped out.
This was something he could never have imagined, not even in his wildest dreams.
One had to know, Bai Fu had been up against twenty Transcendents at the time.
When saying farewell to her, he had already been thinking about what kind of memorial tablet to make for her, what kind of eulogy to write, what kind of title to bestow, and what kind of heroic publicity to arrange.
After successfully shaking off the pursuit of the Holy City of Apostles, he had even finalized those arrangements with the Imperial Senate and the Emperor.
Yet now…
This had to be fake.
Wasn’t this Bai Fu just an impostor from the Holy City of Apostles?!
“I really am Bai Fu, the genuine article!”
Bai Fu felt a bit speechless. She repeated the method she had used to guide Dmitri through his third metamorphosis. Only then did Dmitri truly believe, though he still found it unbelievable.
“How did you survive?”
“The Holy City of Apostles was very cautious. They erased my soul and every trace of psionic fluctuation. If it had been anyone else, even an Apostle, they would have been dead beyond all doubt. But unfortunately for them, I have a special talent. This talent guarantees me a sliver of life even in the direst situations!”
Bai Fu deliberately spoke in a mysterious tone.
In truth, the mistake the Holy City of Apostles made was in not having a Player by their side.
Determining whether she was truly dead didn’t require such trouble. They just needed a Player to hear the game prompt.
【You have slain Bai Fu】 and 【You have slain Bai Fu’s half-body】—the difference was enormous.
Really, they had suffered for their lack of “education”!
Dmitri was tactful. Knowing this touched upon Bai Fu’s secrets, he refrained from pressing further.
Every Transcendent had their own secrets, the very means by which they survived. He was no exception.
Dmitri fell into sheer joy.
That woman, that silhouette as lofty as Emperor Ignatz himself—she had returned!
Although their mission had failed to destroy the passage carved open by the Holy City of Apostles, just publicizing Bai Fu’s survival would ignite countless hearts with the fire of resistance.
When the Calamity descended, Bai Fu had become the Watcher of the Frontier, single-handedly foiling the Holy City’s scheme. Burn, it burned too brightly!
“I’ll spread the news that you’re alive right away!”
Go ahead, make sure you hype it up well. The more exaggerated, the better!
Bai Fu smiled and nodded at Dmitri. She had contacted him urgently precisely for this wave of new propaganda.
Learning Bai Fu had survived, the Oathmaster’s reaction was no less than Dmitri’s.
“What, what, what?!”
The Oathmaster paced back and forth in the Esper Garden, unable to contain her excitement.
Although she hadn’t participated in the battle against the Holy City of Apostles, she had heard from familiar Transcendents that Bai Fu had gone alone to cover the retreat.
Like Dmitri, she believed Bai Fu was finished. In fact, just moments ago she had been preparing to take the Esper Garden back to Origin Star to entrust it to Bai Fu’s close friend Yulia.
Who would have thought Bai Fu was alive and well?!
Strong.
Invincible.
Bai Fu said: “I’ll come to you now. I don’t have any pressing matters at the moment. Taking this chance, I’ll help you get your revenge first.”
At present, there was still some time before Liet arrived at the headquarters of the Anti-Holy City of Apostles Alliance, and before Anya and Yulia returned to Origin Star. Since the Esper Garden was still in the Oathmaster’s hands, Bai Fu decided she might as well help her friend take revenge and complete that hidden quest.
Time was tight, tasks were many, and threats were immense. She had to make use of every single second.
The Oathmaster was stunned. “You really don’t need to rest a little?”
Bai Fu shook her head.
“You wait for me.”
With that, Bai Fu left Yulia’s laboratory.
Before formally meeting up with the Oathmaster, she first sought out Excavation-Princess, who was idling on Origin Star.
Having just caused a huge stir and renamed her race, Bai Fu naturally wanted publicity—and who better than Excavation-Princess, the little PR expert?
“I have a special mission that you may need to carry out. I can’t tell you the details yet. Just follow me for now.”
A special mission?
Excavation-Princess instantly snapped to attention.
“Fufu, you can absolutely trust me!”
Good.
Then let’s depart!
Bai Fu boarded the mobile palace, heading straight toward the Oathmaster’s location.
During the journey, she deliberately lingered around Excavation-Princess and the other Players, hoping that one of them would use a detection skill on her and discover her new race.
But it seemed they weren’t catching on, too busy taking pictures of her instead.
【Fufu’s new battle suit looks amazing】
【Tight battle suit, thumbs up!】
【I prefer robes】
Forget it, forget it.
Once she fought against the Oathmaster’s enemy, Death God Isaacs, those Players would surely use detection skills on her.
“Hello, is this Mage Yuan Yi?”
Over an hour after setting out, Bai Fu finally reached Yuan Yi.
“It’s Bai Fu. What do you need from me?” Yuan Yi’s ever-affable face appeared.
Bai Fu explained her purpose.
“Issacs?”
Yuan Yi’s expression suddenly turned serious.
Bai Fu asked: “Is there something wrong?”
Yuan Yi said: “Dealing with him now won’t be easy.”
“?”
“He has already joined a Pathseeker organization. That organization’s power is extraordinary. Hold on, I’ll go find someone who knows the details and let him explain it to you directly.”
“Alright.”
Bai Fu narrowed her eyes slightly.
A Pathseeker organization?
She seemed to have encountered many Pathseekers recently.
So, she pulled the Oathmaster into the “group chat” and waited together for Yuan Yi’s reply.