Comb-boned Demon Snail, Body Forging Breakthrough

"Boom--"

The Golden Giant Python roared, and the dense gray mist exploded. The python suddenly contracted and returned to Ronan's front, transforming back into Itai.

In just a few breaths, the magic domain and energy particles attached to Itai were completely eroded away, and even Itai, whose rank had exceeded the third level after absorbing the "Red Lotus Scepter", was consumed to some extent.

"Even Dawn Wizard accidentally falls in might not be able to escape alive."

Ronan's pupils contracted slightly, and without hesitation, he turned around and left, completely abandoning any thought of confronting him.

The terrifying gray fog blocked his way, making it clear that the path he had come from was impassable. He could only try to find a way out from somewhere else.

Ronan continued forward along the cave passage that resembled the walls of an intestine. The path ahead became narrower and narrower, while the tendrils that looked like white vines increased in number. Along the way, he even saw the skeletons of some unknown creatures and things that looked like weapons, but they seemed to be extremely ancient. They shattered and melted as soon as his mental energy touched them.

Ronan continued deeper and deeper, not knowing how long he had walked. The light in front of him grew dimmer and dimmer, the air became increasingly murky and foul-smelling, and the free energy particles in the air became increasingly scarce.

Ronan only stopped when the relentless gray fog that had been chasing him suddenly disappeared.

"Click-click-click—"

A strange sound drifted from ahead.

It was very dense, like many people were tapping bone objects at a high frequency.

Ronan's eyes flickered, and he slowly moved closer to the direction from which the sound came.

At this moment, the intestinal wall passage he was in had shrunk to only a few meters in height. Above his head, all around him and under his feet were white tentacles growing from inside the intestinal wall, intertwined one by one, like wildly growing vines, making the already small passage even more crowded.

Fortunately, they didn't intend to attack Ronan; they were just disgusting and creepy to look at.

After traveling a while longer, when the intestinal wall was almost completely filled with white tentacles, Ronan carefully passed through a narrow opening, and his view suddenly became wider.

"Click-click-click—click-click—"

The frequent knocking sounds suddenly became crystal clear, and the source of the sound seemed to be right in front of them.

Ronan walked in and in. The alternating light and shadow and the regular white light around him made it not seem dark. But when he saw the scene inside, he was shocked.

Before Ronan lay an enormous cavity, its walls, which were crisscrossed with thick, white tubes of flesh. Each tube seemed to writhe as if breathing, and with each writhing motion, a glimmer of white light would flash through it.

At the end of countless white fleshy tubes, there was a huge black monstrous snail.

The shell of the strange snail is crystalline, and thick, long, sharp bony spikes grow from its body, just like the countless strange snails Ronan had seen inside the Howling Fish before.

If the one that swallowed Ronan was the Howling Fish King, then the Strange Snail that [Parasitism] the Howling Fish King's body must also be a top-tier individual among the Strange Snails.

It's hard to say whether Ronan's decisive and calm approach to this point was without any desire to even glance at the [Parasitism] snail inside the giant fish.

Now, he has finally gotten what he wanted.

"Click-click—click-click—"

Strange clicking sounds echoed in the empty cavity, seemingly right next to you.

Ronan activated his Eye of Truth, and a thin veil seemed to be lifted before his eyes, revealing that each of the strange snail's bony spikes was covered with deformed and bizarre heads, like bunches of grapes huddled together.

The heads on the "grape bunch" had their eyes closed, their faces displaying expressions of fear, sadness, or rage. Each grape seemed to shiver, and their upper and lower teeth made a dense, crisp clattering sound. "Are they the sea creatures from the Merfolk's Song?"

Ronan took a deep breath and tried to walk towards the giant black snail.

However, as soon as he took a step forward, all the strange spirit heads above him suddenly opened their eyes, staring straight at him, their teeth chattering more and more frequently.

Ronan frowned, ignoring the creepy scene, and continued forward.

Accompanied by rapid "clicking" sounds, the eyes of all the heads followed Ronan's movements. Just as he was about to approach the black monstrous snail, the "clicking" sounds suddenly stopped, followed by a series of screams. The "grape bunches" hanging in the cavity cave suddenly scattered, and countless ghostly heads opened their mouths and roared as they flew towards him.

"Bite--"

A clear and melodious bell rang out.

A small, quaint cowbell had appeared in Ronan's hand without his knowledge. He gently shook the Square-Horned Cowbell, and strange vibrations emanated from it, forming large plumes of thick black smoke.

Immediately afterward, a pale-faced boy with bloodshot eyes, exuding an aura of overwhelming resentment, slowly emerged from the black smoke.

"Go, Aihaxia!"

Ronan spoke calmly, and the boy's cold gaze swept over the top of his head. In the next instant, he transformed into a cloud of black smoke and rushed out rapidly, like a black python sweeping across the void. In one fell swoop, he engulfed more than a dozen strange heads that had approached Ronan. Immediately afterward, a series of chewing sounds came from within the black smoke.

The ghost boy Aihaxia, although Ronan had always regarded him as the perfect "arrow embryo" to prepare for learning the spell [Ghost Arrow], was also an extremely powerful spirit, almost breaking through to level four, making him the perfect candidate to deal with the current situation.

The hurricane that Aihaxia transformed into formed the [Fortify] defensive barrier, firmly protecting Ronan's safety. Those ghost heads were no match for him at all. Later, he even began to actively hunt and devour them, like a ferocious shark charging into a school of fish.

Ronan refocused his attention on the strange black snail in front of him.

He finally reached the strange snail, which was dozens of times his size, its black shell standing before him like a high wall.

The shell surface has concentric, uneven spirals, scattered with tiny points of light. Ronan gently placed his hand on it, feeling the cold, slippery texture.

Something seemed to be sleeping inside the snail, with heavy breathing sounds emanating every few tens of seconds.

The commotion of the ghosts fighting outside seemed to have no effect on it; it slept so peacefully.

Ronan gently stroked the patterns on the snail shell, his expression focused, like a child reaching out to touch an ancient wall containing endless mysteries.

At some point, he withdrew his hand.

The lake is divided into two parts: solid ice and magma surge from the bottom of the lake, clearly separated, before intertwining into a chaotic vortex.

In his mind, ten crystals of Spiritual Power Crystal trembled slightly, like ten blazing suns silently emitting boundless light. Ronan once again entered the state of [[Clarity Extreme Thought]].

This time he was much more at ease, and his mental strength increased exponentially in this indescribable and wondrous state.

As Dawn broke, a sense of dominance returned. Enveloped in layers of light, Ronan calmly pointed the tip of his right index finger at his brow.

"Buzz—"

With this movement, a rich brass light emerged from Ronan's forehead, then gently rippled outwards, transforming into layers of thick brass-colored ripples that spread outwards.

Layers of brass-colored ripples penetrated the black crystalline shell in front of Ronan without any obstruction. Time seemed to stand still at that moment.

The rhythmic breathing sounds from inside the shell, the flowing white light on the surrounding cave walls, and the ghostly heads being wantonly hunted by Aihaxia. In the vast cavity, everything seemed to stop, and the gazes of countless ghostly heads focused on a single point, staring blankly at Ronan.

Then, in the next second, all the ghost heads showed expressions of extreme terror on their faces.

It was as if something absolutely terrible was about to happen! "Hiss—"

After Ronan unleashed the full power of Spirit Moye Brass Head] to launch a mental attack on the sleeping creature inside the shell, he felt as if all the air around him seemed to flow towards a certain spot at the bottom of the shell. Immediately afterward, the white fleshy tubes on the surrounding cave walls swelled up, creating an atmosphere of inexplicable oppression. Ronan blinked.

He raised one hand, and a diamond-like luster emanated from between his fingers, coalescing into a heart shape with countless facets that enveloped him entirely.

— [The Spirit Moye Diamond Heart]! Just as all this was finished, the extremely oppressive atmosphere in the air suddenly shattered.

"Ah!!!!"

Immediately following, an indescribable, terrifying shriek suddenly erupted from within the shell.

The [Rage] and intensity of the shriek were indescribable. Even though Ronan believed he was fully prepared, his Diamond Heart defense shattered in a single exchange.

Ronan felt a buzzing sound in his head, as if he'd been hit squarely on the forehead with a hammer. Within his Consciousness Space, the ten Spiritual Power Crystal instantly dimmed completely, and blood rapidly flowed from his seven orifices. "Aaaaaah!!!"

Amidst the deafening roar and earth-shattering screams, the enormous cavity cavern resembled a tattered rag being violently tossed about by a gale, with layers upon layers of visible, transparent folds appearing in the air.

Including Aihaxia, countless Ghost Body wandering in the cave exploded directly under this terrifying sound wave.

The ground shook violently. Ronan, enduring the nausea and excruciating pain that made him feel like he was about to faint, struggled to throw the Square-Horned Cowbell in his hand at Aihaxia, who had reverted to his black smoke form and was gradually dissipating.

Then, he turned around, trembling, his eyes wide, staring intently at the snail shell before him, looking at it Greed and eagerly.

The mystery of the [Parasitism] snail inside the ordinary Howling Fish was already enough to fascinate him, so what kind of profound mystery would this top-level snail, which had existed for countless years, contain? Ronan tried to open his eyes wide, only to see countless rays of light emerging on a huge, pure black snail shell, wriggling and intertwining together.

The light shone into his heart, and the spiral pattern that had been drawn earlier quickly grew outward again, becoming more complete and complex. The pattern was like a dark and unpredictable starry sky, or a winding and ancient labyrinth.

Ronan didn't have time to interpret it; he just relied on instinct to desperately memorize it.

The shrieking sounds grew louder and louder, and the white fleshy tubes that had been coiled on the cave walls burst open one after another. The white viscous fluid that was released was shaken into countless scattered foams by the sound waves before it could even spread.

"Click-clack—"

Ronan maintained a forward-bowed posture, his body elongating, his chestnut-brown short hair growing rapidly, fluttering behind him like dark blue flags as clumps of black-blue frost surged forth.

His face was contorted in a ferocious expression, and the large, snake-scale-like patterns on his body had not yet fully emerged before being covered by countless gaping wounds.

"Boom!"

In the [Ancient Ice] state, an even more powerful force surged from his body.

"Snap—"

Ronan's body swelled again, countless lightning-like white lights shooting out from under his skin. His originally dark blue, flowing hair gradually faded to a translucent white from the roots, and jet-black runes rapidly grew upwards from his hands, spreading throughout his entire body. "Roar—"

Ronan's bloodshot eyes widened, and a rune shaped like a "sacred tree" flashed rapidly at his heart.

With the Ancient Frost Hydra Bloodline fully activated, and the Complete Demonification, coupled with the dual blessing of the intermediate [Ancient Power], he was finally able to barely withstand the terrifying sonic wave impact coming his way, and slowly prop himself up amidst the raging waves of sound.

"Huffing and puffing—"

Ronan, breathing heavily and under terrifying pressure, walked step by step toward the shrieking snail, wanting to get a clearer view.

The black, glowing shell had now become almost completely transparent, like the texture of crystal. Countless streams of light intertwined and merged rapidly within this translucent crystal. Ronan's pupils dilated, and the labyrinthine pattern in his mind became more and more complete, more and more mysterious and complex.

Instinct drove him to inching closer to the strange snail, reaching out towards the enormous crystal wall in front of him.

When his fingers finally touched the surface of the crystal shell, some blurry, fragmented ancient images suddenly flooded into his mind.

In a daze, Ronan seemed to see a strange world without land, completely covered by the ocean.

At the center of the world is a huge and unfathomable black vortex into which surging seawater pours, its destination unknown.

Within this vortex, countless bizarre creatures, their shells adorned with black bone spurs and carrying countless Nether Ghost spirits, desperately struggled to climb towards the vortex's opening, raising their heads and emitting terrifying, earth-shattering screams. "Bone-Piercing... Demon Conch!"

Ronan's eyes were glazed over, and he murmured to himself.

At this moment, on his Character Panel, the last bit of proficiency behind the skill "Ascetic Body Forging" that was 1500 points away from the Master Level was quietly added.

It seems that a certain constraint within the body was also broken.

"Snap—"

Ronan heard a shattering sound coming from inside his chest.

The next second.

"Boom!"

His over two-meter-tall, gnarled and imposing Ancient Giant Demon body suddenly exploded, and thick, gooey black Light of Runes burst forth from beneath his flesh. "Boom!"

On the calm sea, a thick column of water suddenly burst forth, shooting straight into the starry sky like an angry dragon.

Chuck jolted awake and scrambled to his feet from the airship's deck. Before he could even figure out what was happening, a massive, dark shadow suddenly blocked out the moonlight and hurtled toward him.

A strong stench of blood wafted in with the sea breeze, like wildly growing black vines, or perhaps from the shadows where some forbidden creature was constantly writhing. From within, a hoarse, deep voice rang out.

"Walk."

Chuck, his mind reeling, was suddenly swept away by a powerful force, and together with the Magic Airship beneath him, they were turned around and sped back the way they came.

In a daze, he turned his head and saw a strange fish carcass, as large as an island, slowly rising from the sea behind him, where water columns were shooting into the sky.