50% Form, Ecosystem Control!

"Is this what you'd call a growth-type trap?"

Although the Time Domain was powerful, its current 1% flow rate effect was practically useless.

Bai Mu temporarily set aside the matter of the External Spirit Bone and turned his attention to Zygarde beside him.

"Xiao Ruan, have you gathered enough cells for a new form yet—"

Before he could finish his sentence, he noticed that Zygarde had already closed its eyes and lay prone on the ground, breathing evenly in a deep sleep.

"It seems the high-intensity battle just now was too exhausting."

Bai Mu chuckled softly, crouched down, and gently stroked Zygarde's head.

"Wuu—"

The Dragon Dog rubbed against his hand unconsciously in its sleep, a faint purring sound emanating from its throat.

"Get some good rest."

With a thought, Bai Mu recalled Zygarde into his Martial Soul Space to rest properly and recover its energy.

Afterward, he cast his gaze toward the corpse of the Tusked Time Hunter.

The body of this ten-thousand-year Spirit Beast was covered in wounds, and those beautiful Time-Diamond Eyes had dimmed, having faded along with the Spirit Ring that had merged into Bai Mu's body.

However, those two massive tusks still reflected a diamond-like brilliance under the sunlight.

"Truly beautiful, just like a work of art!"

Bai Mu reached out to stroke them, took out a short blade, aimed it at the base of the tusks, and swung down with force. "Clack!"

With one swift motion, the blade fell.

The tusks snapped off at the sound and were extracted by the roots.

"If I can use these to forge weapons in the future, they'll definitely be strong."

The classic pixelated diamond set from Minecraft couldn't help but surface in Bai Mu's mind.

"I'll keep them for now."

He waved his hand and stored the tusks away in his Soul Tool.

Just as he was preparing to consider how to dispose of the massive carcass, a sudden change occurred—the corpse of the Tusked Time Hunter began to decay and age at a speed visible to the naked eye, eventually turning into dust that was scattered by the forest breeze, leaving no trace behind.

"How marvelous."

Bai Mu shook his head, deciding not to dwell on it any further.

Time-attribute Spirit Beasts are inherently mysterious, so it is no surprise when strange things happen.

"Roar of Time!"

Before leaving, he cast his gaze over the devastated valley.

"ROAR!"

As the third deep black Spirit Ring beneath his feet lit up, a roar that seemed capable of shaking time itself blasted out like a beam of light, striking the cliff face with precision.

BOOM!

The cliff shattered, and rock fragments flew everywhere.

A crater approximately five meters in diameter appeared where the wall had been.

"This power—it's even stronger than Zygarde's Land's Wrath!"

"From now on, if any guy dares to attempt a decapitation strike on me, I'll wait for the right moment and give them a good shout!"

Bai Mu was filled with joy, but his body felt incredibly stiff.

For three seconds, he was completely unable to move!

An ultimate move like this that can decide the outcome of a battle shouldn't be used recklessly until I overcome the side effects. Otherwise, if I end up killing myself, it'll be game over.

Once he regained his mobility, Bai Mu immediately left the valley to find a secluded clearing to regulate his breathing.

A few hours later, at dusk.

"Wuu—"

Zygarde shifted its body and slowly woke up, shaking itself vigorously.

"How is it, Xiao Ruan? How do you feel?" Bai Mu asked with concern.

I slept very well. I have basically recovered.

Zygarde responded through Telepathy, its voice carrying the laziness of someone who had just woken up.

"How many cells can you split off this time?" Bai Mu asked expectantly.

With the accumulation over this period, combined with the immense energy of the ten-thousand-year Spirit Ring, he wondered what the harvest would be.

I feel... quite a few!

Zygarde shook its head, returning to its majestic Dragon Dog form.

Its body shone with a brilliant radiance, and green energy surged all around it—swish, swish, swish!

One, two, three—new Z-Cells flew out from its body one after another, scattering into the surroundings.

There were five of them in total!

"Five! It leveled up five times at once!"

Bai Mu's eyes lit up. Adding the two Z-Cells he had recently gained from digesting the Immortal Herb, he now had exactly 49 Z-Cells!

What did this mean?

It meant that Zygarde could finally comprehend a new form!

"Are you ready, Xiao Ruan?"

Bai Mu clenched his fists tightly, a fiery light erupting in his eyes.

"Woof!"

Zygarde let out a soft bark.

Bai Mu waved his hand, releasing the sufficient amount of Z-Cells.

"Zygarde, merge, Henshin!"

"Awoo—!!!"

Zygarde let out a long howl toward the sky, its body once again emitting an unprecedented, dazzling green light!

The 39 Z-Cells, as if receiving a supreme command, transformed into thirty-nine streaks of green light, converging frantically toward the Dragon Dog and enveloping it completely.

The light expanded, twisted, and reorganized rapidly!

Bai Mu held his breath, staring intently at the increasingly intense ball of light.

A few seconds later, the light began to fade.

What appeared before Bai Mu was no longer that one-meter-twenty Dragon Dog.

Instead, it was a giant serpent, five meters tall and majestic in form, as if it had stepped out of an ancient myth!

Its entire body was covered in black and green scales, with black, frilled-lizard-like decorations behind its head. It resembled a peculiar cobra, and its whole body radiated a solemn aura of order.

Zygarde 50% Form!

The Order Monitor, reporting for duty!

"I am terrifyingly strong now."

"If I were to face Gari again, I could easily finish him off!"

Zygarde's deep, majestic voice resonated directly within Bai Mu's mind.

"So cool..."

Bai Mu walked forward, dazed, and reached out to stroke the cold, hard body of the Z-Snake, as if feeling the beauty of what is known as strength.

At this moment, Zygarde's aura was far more powerful than its Dragon Dog form.

Those eyes, composed of four green hexagons, seemed capable of seeing through everything!

"How is it? Have you mastered any new abilities?"

This was what Bai Mu cared about most. "Can you summon giant plants to attack targets?"

In the animation, after Z2 in its 50% form was controlled by Team Flare, it had once carried out a massive reforestation campaign that affected the entire region—countless giant plants burst from the ground, attacking, destroying, and obliterating everything in their path.

However, that was a berserk state caused by mind control; he wasn't sure if a normal Zygarde could use such an ability.

"Of course I can!"

The Z-Snake raised its head, and a green light flashed.

The next moment, Bai Mu felt a faint tremor coming from the ground beneath his feet.

Rumble—

Not far away, a vine as thick as a water barrel burst through the soil. With a light flick, it easily snapped a giant tree that would have required three people to wrap their arms around.

"Looks like the power is pretty good."

Bai Mu observed carefully. While it wasn't as useful as specialized moves for normal combat, and couldn't be used to surround and kill powerful enemies, it served another purpose.

If you can't kill the strong, why not just leave them as the only ones left standing?

"This ability is called Ecosystem Control. It can do more than just summon plants to attack; it can also adapt based on the actual situation. However—"

The Z-Snake's voice carried a hint of regret: "However, while the power is sufficient, the ecosystem cannot be perfectly controlled."

"Whether it is plants or other elements, they are difficult to control precisely, and there is a risk of losing control."

"Once summoned, they cannot be easily dispelled."

Bai Mu looked at the giant vine, lost in thought.

No wonder the plants summoned by the out-of-control Z2 in the animation couldn't be retracted even after it regained its senses, requiring Greninja to leave Ash and travel around cutting down trees to maintain peace in Kalos.

The risk of losing control did indeed exist, but—

"Once it reaches the point where I have to use this ability, as long as I've confirmed it's enemy territory, it doesn't matter if I lose control."

A cold glint flashed in his eyes. "In fact—losing control might even be better."

With this ability, he was now a weakened version of the Poison Douluo!

In the future, he would be a super Poison Douluo Pro+!