Chapter 228: Chapter 204: Metamorphosis, the Formidable Fruit Ability

In the back of her mind, Fang Tangtang felt that there was no way Gao Neng could die.

After all, Gao Neng was incredibly fast. Plus, she had given him an Angel’s Wings pill, and he could use Earth Dragon Subterranean.

’How could he possibly die?’

But now, she had to face a harsh reality.

Gao Neng was being hunted by thousands of elite warriors from other races, and some of them were high-rank... ’High-rank! Even if Gao Neng is fast, he can’t outrun a high-rank warrior, can he?’

A single Angel’s Wings pill would only last for ten minutes at most.

’And after those ten minutes were up?’

An image suddenly flashed through Fang Tangtang’s mind...

Gao Neng, flying through the sky!

Then, mid-flight, he suddenly plummeted.

Then, he started running for his life. He ran for an hour, then another, and another... He kept running until night fell.

But just then, a heavy drowsiness would wash over him.

Gao Neng’s body would begin to be enveloped by threads of green energy. His metamorphosis was starting.

But the pursuers would still be right behind him!

The outcome...

She didn’t even need to think about it.

Before Gao Neng’s cocoon could even finish forming, his pursuers would catch him. Then, they would slice him in half with a single blow and take back the Seventh Princess.

"Ah... I got Gao Neng killed! It’s my fault he’s dead... Waaaah... How could he die?!" The more Fang Tangtang thought about it, the more horrified she became. By the end, she was overwhelmed with a profound sadness, not even understanding herself why she felt so heartbroken.

"Vice Director Gui, please take Fang Tangtang to get some rest," Chen Yichuan said with a sigh. In truth, Fang Tangtang’s thoughts mirrored their own.

Gao Neng had most likely died for his country on the battlefield.

A second-rank warrior... meant little to the Alliance.

But if that second-rank warrior was a genius—and a genius capable of energy materialization at that—his loss was a true pity.

"What a shame. He had Spiritual Power as a second-rank and could even materialize energy. To die just like that?" one of the generals lamented.

"Hah..."

"..."

"No, he’s not dead! Gao Neng can’t be dead!" Fang Tangtang screamed, tears streaming down her face, but she was quickly escorted away by Gui Zian.

But a moment later, Gui Zian returned.

"Vice Commander Shen, Vice Commander Chen, Gao Neng is a student at our Eastern Capital Military Academy. I don’t think he’s dead. If possible, I’d like to go to the battlefield to find him!"

"Absolutely not!" Chen Yichuan refused outright. "Vice Director Gui, we understand how you feel, but do you really think a second-rank warrior could survive being chased by thousands of Elves?"

"He’s different!" Gui Zian said, gritting his teeth.

"Regardless, this is out of the question. We’ve already lost one young genius. Do you want us to lose a high-rank warrior as well? Vice Director Gui, it’s not that we’re being cruel, but the battlefield is extremely treacherous right now. You absolutely cannot go!"

"I’ll just search around the second line of defense. Perhaps he’s..."

"Vice Director Gui, this is a military order. Is that clear? You are forbidden to search for him!" Chen Yichuan stood up and took a deep breath, then waved his hand dismissively. "You may leave, Vice Director Gui. What Fang Tangtang told us has been very helpful. We need to continue our meeting."

"..." Gui Zian’s fists clenched.

In the end, however, he said nothing more and slowly backed out of the command center’s conference room.

Outside the door, Fang Tangtang was looking at Gui Zian, her eyes filled with tears.

"Uncle Gui, I’m sorry... I really didn’t know this would happen. Gao Neng has always been so hard to kill. I... Waaaah... I’ll never act on my own again!"

"Go get some rest, Tangtang." Gui Zian patted Fang Tangtang’s head, his own expression darkening. A genius, lost just like that.

It was a loss for the Alliance.

’One day,’ he thought, ’I will get revenge for this!’

"Meow." Gao Xiaomeng let out a small cry. She didn’t know exactly where Gao Neng was, but she could sense that he was still alive.

’So...’

’...what are these humans crying for?’

’So boring!’

...

「Time: 10:00 PM.」

Gao Neng finally, slowly, opened his eyes.

He had emerged from his cocoon, transformed!

And what a powerful butterfly he had become. He could feel the torrential power surging within him. His meridians had expanded to three or four times their previous size.

’Is this the power of the Spring of Life? And what about the Immortal Fruit and the Soul Fruit? What do they do...?’ Gao Neng carefully took stock of the changes.

He quickly felt the effects of the Soul Fruit.

His Spiritual Power had grown stronger again.

It was at least twice as strong as before!

And it wasn’t just his Spiritual Power that had grown. He felt as if his very soul had been reforged, and a strange "mark" had faintly formed within it.

’It feels like... the Sun God state?’

Gao Neng had read many books. In ancient history, there was a state called "Sun God," which meant the soul could transform into a special form to attack.

He didn’t know if this counted as achieving the Sun God state.

However, he definitely had a feeling that his Soul Mark could transform into a blade. If he encountered someone with a weaker soul, he could instantly obliterate their soul with a single strike.

’The Soul Fruit is so powerful! But the Immortal Fruit’s effect... I can’t quite feel it.’ Gao Neng could sense the power of the Soul Fruit, but he couldn’t perceive any change from the Immortal Fruit just yet.

So, after some careful thought...

...he decided to be a little rough on himself.

He drew his Horse-Cutting Saber and slashed it across his arm.

SCHLICK!

A thin cut appeared.

"Ow, that stings a little!" Gao Neng frowned. He stared at the cut. Based on a literal interpretation, he figured that if the Soul Fruit shaped the soul, then the Immortal Fruit must shape the physical body.

’Does that mean... I’m immortal?’

As he was thinking, he watched the gash rapidly heal. In just a moment, the wound vanished completely, not even leaving a scar.

"Whoa, I’ve gotten so much stronger! I can self-heal!" Gao Neng was genuinely amazed. The ability to physically regenerate was an insanely powerful skill.

’But wait, with two fruits this powerful...’

’...why didn’t the Seventh Princess eat them herself?’

’Weird!’

Gao Neng didn’t know that these two fruits were actually a "betrothal gift" from the Celestial Race, given to the Seventh Princess to compensate for the damage their marriage-proposal scheme had done to her reputation.

The Seventh Princess had indeed been planning to eat them.

She just hadn’t gotten the chance before Gao Neng robbed her blind.

’Not bad at all. Now, let’s see if I broke through to the fourth rank!’ Gao Neng was in high spirits. He began to try and release his energy externally.

The energy from his magnetic core slowly flowed out.

Soon, he reached the same conclusion as Fang Tangtang had.

He was just a hair’s breadth away from the fourth rank!

His externalized energy could only reach the surface of his skin; he couldn’t truly project it yet. But, given enough time, he was confident he could break through soon.

"Just a little bit more. What a shame." Gao Neng climbed out of the hole and looked around. The sky was pitch-black. He checked the time on his phone and saw that it was ten at night.

’Wait!’

’Have two full days and nights passed?!’

’If that’s the case, the Military Department’s main forces must have already withdrawn, right?’

’So what do I do now?’

Gao Neng carefully considered his next move. He now faced two choices: use the cover of darkness to sneak back to the Eastern District Fortress, or remain on the battlefield.

’Returning seems like a good idea, but... it’s so dark. Will I even be able to find my way back?’ Gao Neng hesitated. He wasn’t at all sure he could navigate his way back at this hour.

More importantly, he remembered that the Celestial Race Royal City should be in utter chaos right now.

The Elf Queen of the Dark Night Elf Clan had led her troops to the Celestial Race Royal City.

All those Princes were there, too!

’Does that mean...’

’...that the Elf Royal City is currently an empty fortress?’

’Maybe I should sneak back for a look?’

’It’s risky.’

’But if I’m just taking a peek... it shouldn’t be a problem, right? Besides, I have the Flying Earth Dragon now!’

’The difference between becoming a dragon or a worm can be decided in a single moment. I’ll go back for one more look. Maybe I can grab some more Spring of Life or some ore to take back. I could give some to Shen Ning’Er then, right? I can’t very well say I went to the battlefield and didn’t bring her back a single gift, can I?’ Gao Neng still had a small vial of the Spring of Life on him.

But he felt it wasn’t nearly enough.

This one small vial probably wasn’t enough to trigger a metamorphosis.

He’d need at least two or three bottles!

’And if I could maybe grab a few more Immortal Fruits or something, I’d strike it rich.’

’Just one look. It shouldn’t be a problem, right? I’ll take advantage of the Elf Royal City being empty. If anything goes wrong, I’ll bolt immediately!’ Gao Neng gritted his teeth. Fortune favors the bold.

His power had soared.

With the Flying Earth Dragon, he could fly into the sky or burrow into the earth to escape. Add to that the quantum leap his soul had taken, and against a fourth-rank... it would be a basic insta-kill!

"Time to go back for a look. As the old saying goes, the scariest thing is looking back!" With his mind made up, Gao Neng once again had the Flying Earth Dragon dive underground.

The night was pitch-black.

But from beneath the ground, he could see a patch of light.

The source of that light...

...was the Elf Royal City!

It was like a beacon in the night, making it impossible to get lost.

...

Inside the Dark Night Elf Royal City.

Elf Queen Una’s expression was ghastly. Thirteen of the Strongest had gathered at the Celestial Race Royal City. The final result, naturally, was that the Celestial Race and the Elf Race had to concede.

Even with two of the Strongest on their side, the Celestial Race couldn’t possibly make an enemy of all the other races combined.

As for the terms of their concession...

...the Sixth Prince alone shouldered all the blame.

Furthermore, the Seventh Princess was now required to hold a genuine marriage proposal ceremony to prove that the whole affair wasn’t a scheme concocted by the Celestial Race and the Elf Race.

To put it bluntly, the Seventh Princess, Wu Dingxiang, had to choose a prince from among the twenty-odd delegations of suitors, and she was absolutely forbidden from choosing anyone from the Celestial Race.

"Oh, Ding Xiang, your mother is useless!" Elf Queen Una’s fists clenched. She looked at the large pile of "apology gifts" that the Celestial Race had secretly sent over, but felt not an ounce of joy.

’Without one of the Strongest...’

’...we can only endure this endless humiliation.’