"Was this some kind of growth trap?"
Although the Time Domain was powerful, its current 1% flow-speed effect was practically useless.
For the time being, Bai Mu set aside the matter of the External Soul Bone and turned to look at Zygarde beside him.
"Xiao Ruan, do you have enough cells to combine into a new form—"
Before he could finish, he discovered that Zygarde had already closed its eyes and sprawled on the ground, deeply asleep with steady breathing.
"Looks like that intense battle really wore you out."
Bai Mu chuckled softly, crouched down, and gently stroked Zygarde's head.
"Whimper—"
In its sleep, the Dragon Dog unconsciously rubbed against his hand, a faint purr rumbling from its throat.
"Get some good rest."
With a thought, Bai Mu recalled Zygarde into the Martial Soul Space so it could rest properly and recover its energy.
Then, he turned his attention to the Tusked Time Hunter's corpse.
The Ten Thousand Year Spirit Beast's body was covered in wounds. Its pair of beautiful Time-Diamond Eyes had dimmed completely after merging into Bai Mu's body along with the Spirit Ring.
Yet those two enormous tusks still reflected a diamond-like brilliance beneath the sunlight.
"Beautiful. They're like works of art!"
Bai Mu reached out to caress them, then drew out a short blade and swung it forcefully at the base of one tusk. Crack!
The blade fell with a single motion.
The tusk snapped off at the sound and was pulled out by the root.
"If I can use these to forge weapons someday, they'll definitely be powerful."
Bai Mu could not help but picture Minecraft's classic pixelated diamond gear set.
"I'll keep them for now."
With a wave of his hand, he stored the tusks inside his Soul Tool.
Just as he was about to consider how to deal with the massive corpse, a sudden change occurred—the Tusked Time Hunter's body began to decay and age at a visible rate. In the end, it turned into dust and scattered away on the forest breeze, leaving no trace behind.
"How strange."
Bai Mu shook his head and did not investigate further.
Time-attributed Spirit Beasts were mysterious by nature. No matter how strange something was, it would not be surprising.
"Roar of Time!"
Before leaving, he turned his gaze toward 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 mountainside with precision.
Boom!
The mountainside exploded, sending rocks flying everywhere.
A depression roughly five meters in diameter appeared there.
"This is even stronger than Zygarde's Land's Wrath from before!"
"If anyone dares try a decapitation strike in the future, I'll find an opening and roar at them!"
Bai Mu was filled with delight, but his body had become utterly stiff.
For three seconds, he could not move at all!
"Until I overcome that side effect, I can't use this kind of decisive ultimate move recklessly. Otherwise, if I get myself killed, it'll be game over."
The moment he regained control, Bai Mu immediately left the valley and found a secluded clearing to regulate his breathing.
Several hours later, at dusk, Zygarde stirred.
"Whimper—"
Zygarde moved its body and slowly woke up, giving itself a vigorous shake.
"How is it, Xiao Ruan? How do you feel?"
Bai Mu asked with concern.
I slept very well. I've mostly recovered.
Zygarde replied 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 from this period, along with the vast energy of the Ten Thousand Year Spirit Ring, he wondered how much it had gained.
I feel... quite a few!
Zygarde shook its head and returned to its majestic Dragon Dog form.
Light burst from its body as green energy surged around it. Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!
One, two, three—new Z-Cells flew out from its body one after another and scattered around them.
There were five in total!
"Five! That's five levels all at once!"
Bai Mu's eyes lit up. Adding the two Z-Cells he had recently gained after digesting the Immortal Herb, he now had exactly forty-nine Z-Cells!
What did that mean?
It meant Zygarde could finally comprehend a new form!
"Are you ready, Xiao Ruan?"
Bai Mu clenched his fists, blazing excitement erupting from his eyes.
"Woof!"
Zygarde gave a soft bark.
With a wave of his hand, Bai Mu released a sufficient number of Z-Cells.
"Zygarde, combine—Henshin!"
"Awoo—!!!"
Zygarde threw back its head and howled as its body erupted once more with an unprecedented, dazzling green radiance!
Thirty-nine Z-Cells seemed to receive a supreme command, transforming into thirty-nine streaks of green light that frantically converged upon the Dragon Dog and completely enveloped it.
The light rapidly expanded, twisted, and reassembled!
Bai Mu held his breath, staring intently at the increasingly brilliant ball of light.
Several seconds later, the glow gradually faded.
What appeared before Bai Mu was no longer the one-meter-tall Dragon Dog.
Instead, it was a five-meter-tall giant snake with a majestic form, as though it had stepped out of an ancient myth!
Its entire body was covered in black-and-green scales. Behind its head were black frill-lizard-like ornaments, giving it the appearance of a peculiar cobra. A solemn aura of order radiated from its body.
Zygarde—50% Form!
The Order Monitor had arrived!
I am terrifyingly strong now.
If I faced the Time Hunter again, I could easily deal with it!
Zygarde's deep, imposing voice rang directly within Bai Mu's mind.
"So cool—"
Bai Mu walked forward in a daze, reaching out to stroke the cold, hard body of the Z-Snake, as if he could feel the beauty known as raw power.
At this moment, Zygarde's aura was far stronger than it had been in its Dragon Dog form.
Its eyes, composed of four green hexagons, seemed capable of seeing through everything!
"So, have you mastered any new abilities?"
This was what Bai Mu cared about most. "Can you summon giant plants to attack targets?"
In the anime, after Z2 had been controlled by Team Flare in its 50% Form, it had carried out a massive reforestation event that affected the entire region—countless giant plants burst from the ground, attacking wildly and destroying everything in their path.
But that had been an uncontrolled rampage after it was taken over. Bai Mu was not sure whether a normal Zygarde could use such an ability.
Of course!
The Z-Snake raised its head, and green light flashed.
The next moment, Bai Mu felt a faint tremor from the ground beneath his feet.
Rumble—
Not far away, a vine as thick as a bucket burst from the earth. With a light flick forward, it easily snapped a giant tree that would have taken three people to encircle.
"Looks like its power isn't bad."
Bai Mu observed carefully. It might not be as useful as conventional moves in normal combat, nor could it be used to attack and surround powerful enemies.
But if he could not kill the powerful ones, could he not kill everyone until only the powerful ones remained?
"This ability is called Ecosystem Control. It can not only summon plants to attack, but also adapt according to the actual situation. However—"
The Z-Snake's voice carried a trace of regret. "Although its power is decent, the ecosystem cannot be perfectly controlled.
Whether plants or other things, they are difficult to control precisely, and there is a risk of losing control.
Once summoned, they cannot be easily dismissed."
Bai Mu looked at the giant vine, deep in thought.
No wonder the plants Z2 had summoned after losing control in the anime could not be canceled even after it regained its senses. Greninja had even needed to leave Ash and travel around chopping down trees to preserve peace in Kalos.
The risk of losing control certainly existed, but—
"If it has reached the point where I need to use this ability, then as long as I confirm it's enemy territory, it doesn't matter if it goes out of control."
A cold glint flashed through his eyes. "In fact—going out of control might be even better."
With this ability, he was now a weakened version of Poison Douluo!
In the future, he would become a super Poison Douluo Pro+!
Before you continue