[ Ding! Congratulations, host, on choosing to risk your life in a desperate situation and successfully killing a target far stronger than yourself—the Black-Scaled Mad Ape (Martial Master Realm Fourth Level)! ]
[ Combat performance rating: S+ (fearless in the face of death, bold yet meticulous, precise strikes, a reversal kill at the limit)! ]
[ Rewards being calculated based on the ho[ Ding! Congratulations, host, on choosing to risk your life in a desperate situation and successfully killing a target far stronger than yourself—the Black-Scaled Mad Ape (Martial Master Realm Fourth Level)! ]
[ Combat performance rating: S+ (fearless in the face of death, bold yet meticulous, precise strikes, a reversal kill at the limit)! ]
[ Calculating rewards based on the host's performance in this battle— ]
[ Congratulations, host, on obtaining a special reward: preliminary control over the Shadow Demon Lotus (core)! ]
[ Congratulations, host! Your SSS-rank martial soul, the Eternal Night Monarch, has absorbed the origin energy given off by the Shadow Demon Lotus and begun to evolve! ]
[ Eternal Night Monarch evolution paths: Shadow Dominator, Void Monarch. Please make your choice, host. ]
[ The host is currently in a weakened state and unable to conveniently choose a martial soul evolution path. The choice will be held for now; the host may choose later. ]
[ Congratulations, host, on comprehending a brand-new ability—Shadow Devour! ]
A string of system notifications nourished Xiao Han's nearly exhausted soul like a welcome rain. His fatigue, weakness, and pain all seemed to fade considerably in that moment.
Preliminary control over the Shadow Demon Lotus? The Eternal Night Monarch's evolution? Shadow Devour?
Just hearing the names was enough to set his heart surging!
The name "Shadow Demon Lotus" in particular was so similar to that mysterious black lotus deep in the valley. Could it be...
Mustering what little strength he had left, Xiao Han laboriously raised his head and looked once more toward the deepest part of the valley, at the dark lotus the Black-Scaled Mad Ape had guarded before.
The black lotus still stood quietly there, dark from stem to petal, a silvery-gray sheen flowing along its edges, as though it had existed since time immemorial.
But unlike before, Xiao Han vaguely sensed that a mysterious connection seemed to have formed between him and the black lotus.
A faint, elusive connection that came from the depths of his soul.
With a thought, he tried to draw on the power of the Eternal Night King Martial Soul to touch and sense the black lotus.
In an instant, an icy, dark, yet incomparably pure and vast energy surged from the direction of the black lotus like a flood bursting through a dam. It flowed into his body and into his martial soul in an instant!
After absorbing this energy, the long-dormant phantom of the Eternal Night Monarch was like parched earth receiving rain after a long drought.
It suddenly came alive. Its once-blurry figure began to solidify, and the shadowy aura it emitted grew deeper and more powerful!
At the same time, Xiao Han could clearly feel his control over the power of shadows and his understanding of the power of space improving at an incredible speed!
The feeling was profoundly mysterious, impossible to put into words, as though some ancient, mysterious power was gradually coming under his control through unseen forces.
The new ability—Shadow Devour?
A thought occurred to Xiao Han, and he focused on the new ability he had just comprehended.
In an instant, a flood of information poured into his mind.
Shadow Devour, as its name suggested, devoured shadows!
But it did not merely devour ordinary shadows. It devoured all "shadows" containing negative energy, dark attributes, or the aura of death!
For example, the negative energy left behind after a mutated beast died, or the baleful aura given off after a battle.
Even the shadow energy in certain special environments... all of it could be absorbed by Shadow Devour and converted into nourishment for the Eternal Night Monarch's evolution, or used to directly strengthen Xiao Han himself!
This was simply a heaven-defying ability!
Especially in a wilderness full of danger and slaughter, it was practically a divine skill!
At that thought, Xiao Han gritted his teeth against the weakness and pain in his body and struggled to his feet. He staggered over to the Black-Scaled Mad Ape's corpse and tried to activate Shadow Devour—
With a thought, the power of the Eternal Night King Martial Soul quietly began to circulate.
The next moment, a strange sight appeared.
Wisps of black mist, visible to the naked eye, began to rise slowly from the Black-Scaled Mad Ape's massive, fearsome corpse.
As though drawn by an invisible force, they streamed toward Xiao Han's body, ultimately merging into the shadow beneath his feet, where they were devoured and absorbed by the Eternal Night King Martial Soul!
As the black mist continued to flow in, Xiao Han could clearly feel the Eternal Night King Martial Soul's aura growing slowly but steadily stronger.
He also felt a faint replenishment of energy, and his weakened body seemed to regain a little strength.
Although the improvement was not particularly dramatic, an ability that let him grow stronger just by "looting corpses" was practically a BUG!
A sharp light flickered in Xiao Han's eyes.
Combined with the Eternal Night Monarch's evolution, Shadow Devour was an unparalleled divine skill tailor-made for him!
With this ability, he could practically do as he pleased in this danger-filled wilderness, killing monsters to level up and grow stronger at speed!
"Martial Master Realm mutated beasts really do contain a tremendous amount of energy..."
In just a few moments, the negative energy given off by the Black-Scaled Mad Ape's corpse had been completely devoured by the Eternal Night King Martial Soul.
The once-oppressive corpse had also grown dull and lusterless, as though it had lost all its essence.
Sensing the slight recovery of his spiritual power and the tiny improvement in the Eternal Night King Martial Soul, Xiao Han was filled with excitement and anticipation.
Growing stronger feels so damn good!
He took a deep breath and suppressed his excitement, sweeping his gaze over his surroundings.
The battle had caused quite a commotion, especially the Black-Scaled Mad Ape's out-of-control energy sphere at the end. It had likely drawn the attention of some powerful mutated beasts nearby. He could not stay here long.
Besides, the Eternal Night Monarch's evolution choice was still waiting for him.
Shadow Dominator? Void Monarch?
Both sounded overwhelmingly impressive, making it hard to choose.
But before choosing, there was something more important to do—
Collect the spoils!
The crystal core of a Martial Master Realm mutated beast, and... that mysterious Shadow Demon Lotus!
The exhaustion that followed his brush with death swept over him like a tide, every inch of muscle screaming in protest.
Xiao Han lay sprawled on the icy ground, breathing hard, his lungs burning with pain. Yet his lips curled into an involuntary grin, and an irrepressible light of excitement shone in his eyes.
I won!
With cultivation at the Fourth Level of the Martial Artist Realm, he had met a genuine Martial Master Realm Fourth Level mutated beast head-on and killed it in the end!
If word of this feat got out, it would be enough to shake the whole of Beihai City. Even at those academies where geniuses gathered, it would be considered earth-shattering!
Agony and wild joy intertwined, leaving his mind in a peculiar state of exhilaration.
Rather than checking the spoils right away, he forced himself to calm down, turned his thoughts inward, and silently began circulating the Creation-Heaven-Penetrating Art.
As soon as the cultivation art began to circulate, it was like a dry riverbed welcoming a trickling stream. Wisps of pure spiritual power began to flow slowly through his nearly depleted meridians.
The recovery was slow, but it was better than nothing.