At the same time, the phantom image of the Chaos Green Lotus swayed gently in his sea of consciousness, releasing a stream of soft cyan light.
The vibrant energy seeped into every limb and bone, silently nourishing his injured organs and meridians. The pain of his body being torn apart also eased considerably.
The two forces worked together, and the effect was obvious.
He was still a long way from a full recovery, but at least he had regained a little strength to move.
"Phew..."
Xiao Han let out a long breath of stale air tinged with the smell of blood. Bracing himself against the ground, he struggled shakily to his feet and finally managed to steady himself.
Without wasting time, he walked on unsteady legs toward the Black-Scaled Mad Ape's corpse lying on the ground.
As soon as he approached, a heavy stench of blood mixed with a faint burnt smell hit his nose, carrying with it an indescribably cold, baleful aura.
Shadow Devour!
Xiao Han silently invoked the technique, and the power of the Eternal Night King Martial Soul activated once more.
Wisps of pale black mist rose from the Black-Scaled Mad Ape's massive corpse.
As if drawn by something, they twisted and spiraled before disappearing into the shadow beneath Xiao Han's feet, where the Eternal Night King Martial Soul swallowed them in one gulp.
As the black mist continued to pour in, Xiao Han could feel that the Eternal Night King Martial Soul's once somewhat indistinct shadow seemed to have become a tiny bit clearer.
A faint but pure stream of energy fed back to him, and his legs, which had felt filled with lead, seemed a little lighter.
Good stuff... A thought stirred in Xiao Han's mind.
That bit of energy was nothing compared to what he had just expended, but the experience of "turning waste into treasure" and "killing monsters to level up" was pretty great!
Only when no more black mist rose from the corpse did Xiao Han begin looting what the Martial Master Realm exotic beast had left behind.
First was the crystal core.
Enduring the ache in his arm, he put in some effort before prying a crystal core the size of an adult's fist from the ape's hard skull.
The crystal core was a pure inky black, with specks of starlike light flowing across its surface. The energy inside was both pure and dense; just holding it in his hand, he could sense its astonishing power.
"A Martial Master Realm Fourth Level crystal core... Heh, if I took this thing to the Warrior Center, it should be enough to trade for a better villa, right?" Xiao Han weighed the hefty crystal core in his hand, feeling delighted.
This was worth far more than those three penniless robbers put together!
He stored the crystal core in his system space and began feeling around the ape's enormous corpse again.
Soon, he found something unusual.
Near the ape's shoulder blade, several scales on its back were different from those around them.
They were darker, with a peculiar silvery-gray sheen along their edges. When he touched them, he could even feel a very faint distortion of space!
Scales with a spatial attribute? Xiao Han's thoughts turned to the mysterious Shadow Demon Lotus at the bottom of the valley.
The ape had guarded this place for years and had probably picked up some spatial power. These scales were definitely excellent materials for crafting defensive or spatial treasures!
He didn't stand on ceremony, prying off the unusual scales and putting them away.
Finally, he looked at the ape's two thick, long fangs, sharp as spearpoints.
The fangs gleamed coldly, their tips radiating a sharpness capable of piercing defenses. They, too, were fine materials for crafting weapons.
Only after stripping away everything of value did Xiao Han stop. Though covered in injuries, he was in quite a good mood.
Just then, the system's emotionless voice rang out in his head.
[Beep! The Eternal Night King Martial Soul's evolution options are ready. Please choose an evolution path!]
[Option one: Shadow Dominator!]
[Description: Strengthens absolute control over shadows and dark energy, greatly increases the efficiency and upper limit of [Shadow Devour], and unlocks the embryonic domain ability [Eternal Night Domain] (suppresses and weakens enemies within the domain and enhances the user's own shadow-type abilities). Increases resistance to negative status effects and mental attacks. Evolution focus: control, devouring, domains.]
[Option two: Void Monarch!]
[Description: Deepens understanding and application of spatial power, greatly improves the effects of the [A Step to the Ends of the Earth] movement technique, and grants a chance to comprehend related abilities such as spatial traversal and dimensional exile. Increases resistance to spatial lockdown and confinement. Evolution focus: space, traversal, exile.]
Two options, two different paths, lay before Xiao Han.
Shadow Dominator sounded domineering enough just from its name. It controlled shadows, devoured everything, and could even produce an [Eternal Night Domain]—the undisputed boss of the darkness! It matched the [Shadow Devour] he had just used and could greatly strengthen his ability to fight head-on and control the battlefield.
Void Monarch, on the other hand, had an air of mystery about it.
Spatial power was one of the most sophisticated and esoteric powers there was.
Traversing space and exiling enemies—just thinking about it was exciting! It went well with his "A Step to the Ends of the Earth" movement technique and could bring his speed and elusiveness to a new level.
Xiao Han found himself thinking of the Shadow Demon Lotus sitting quietly deep in the valley.
The demon lotus had both a dark aura and spatial fluctuations.
Shadow? Space?
Both evolution paths seemed to have something to do with the mysterious demon lotus.
He had quite a few cards in his hand: the "Creation-Heaven-Penetrating Art" provided staying power and built his foundation, the Chaos Green Lotus handled healing and kept him alive, the Eternal Night Monarch was responsible for stealth, sneak attacks, and movement, the "Annihilation Divine Fist" was his main offensive move, "A Step to the Ends of the Earth" was the key to fleeing and launching surprise attacks, and [Shadow Devour] was his cheat for growing stronger quickly.
Choosing [Shadow Dominator] would let him delve deeper into darkness and devouring, unlock the full potential of [Shadow Devour], and, combined with [Eternal Night Domain], send his ability to fight head-on soaring.
Choosing [Void Monarch] would max out his spatial talent. "A Step to the Ends of the Earth" might truly become spatial traversal, sending his ability to stay alive and launch sneak attacks through the roof. He might even gain an ability like "exile," which sounded outrageous just to hear about.
One leaned toward control and domain suppression, while the other favored extreme speed and the mysteries of space.
Xiao Han frowned, unable to make up his mind for the moment.
Both choices were appealing, and both pointed toward a path to becoming a powerhouse.
Shadow Dominator was a better fit for his current abilities, especially [Shadow Devour] and the Eternal Night Monarch's dark attribute. It also matched the "shadow" in the demon lotus's name.
But Void Monarch's spatial abilities matched both "A Step to the Ends of the Earth" and the demon lotus's spatial fluctuations, and its potential seemed even harder to gauge...
Which should he choose?
Void Monarch's spatial power was elusive and unpredictable, with limitless potential. Just imagining traversing the void made his blood boil with excitement.
But in the end, Xiao Han's gaze settled on the words "Shadow Dominator."
Though space was powerful, it was too elusive and intangible. Who knew how many years it would take to truly master it?
By comparison, Shadow Dominator was a match made in heaven for the [Shadow Devour] ability he had just acquired, and it could bring the Eternal Night Monarch's own dark attribute into full play.