Acquisition and Conclusion

As time passed, the fragrance in the air grew stronger. After who knew how long, the flower bud finally opened.

The fruits, most of them green, slowly came into view. Their surfaces were patterned with purple streaks, giving them a mysterious appearance.

As soon as the fruits appeared, the atmosphere in the space grew tense once more.

The Rot-Tooth Beasts and Black Armor Leopards charged toward the Life Fruits, moving at the fastest speeds of their lives. Even the gravely wounded Dragon Owl stirred, but its massive body only shuddered before going still again.

In this race, the Black Armor Leopards clearly had the advantage. The four of them led the pack, quickly pulling away from the Rot-Tooth Beasts.

Then, blade after blade of energy shot through the air toward the Black Armor Leopards, forcing them to dodge.

The attacks couldn't threaten the Black Armor Leopards, but they succeeded in slowing them down.

And so, an intense competition began.

Finally, after a fierce struggle, the Black Armor Leopards were about to reach the Life Fruits.

But just then, a figure flashed past, then vanished.

Where Huang Wuye had been standing, his form flickered. Suddenly, several fruits appeared in his hand—the Life Fruits.

Huang Wuye examined the fruits in his hand and felt an intense desire rise from within him. Without a second thought, he stored them in his World Ring. Then he grinned at the Rot-Tooth Beasts and Black Armor Leopards, who had turned their attention toward him.

"You all look pretty tired. I'll do you the favor of taking these fruits off your hands."

Huang Wuye had no idea whether the Black Armor Leopards and Rot-Tooth Beasts understood him, but judging by their furious roars, they seemed quite pleased.

Good. That would make the game ahead a little more interesting.

Huang Wuye took out his spear again and flashed into the middle of the Rot-Tooth Beasts.

He didn't hold back. Wrapped in a crimson glow, his spear shot toward a Domain Lord-level Rot-Tooth Beast. Before it could react, he pierced straight through its skull.

"Prairie Fire, First Form: Endless Life."

A huge hole had been pierced through the Rot-Tooth Beast's skull. A thread of flame flickered inside it, and the beast was clearly beyond saving.

The other Rot-Tooth Beasts reacted quickly. The instant they realized their companion was dead, blade after blade of silvery energy shot toward Huang Wuye, about to engulf him.

"Prairie Fire, Second Form: Avici." Huang Wuye didn't dodge. With a shout, he sent spear shadows sweeping through the air, forming a barrier that blocked every incoming attack.

"Bang! Bang! Bang!" A continuous barrage of impacts rang out.

After blocking the attack, Huang Wuye's aura surged. The flames on his spear suddenly solidified, and a colossal spear shadow burst outward. With a sweep of his spear, it cut through the Rot-Tooth Beast pack.

"Prairie Fire, Third Form: Barren Earth."

As Huang Wuye's voice fell, the Rot-Tooth Beasts, poised to attack, abruptly froze as if someone had pressed pause, turning into statues.

Suddenly, a series of "pfft, pfft, pfft" sounds rang out. Clusters of flames erupted from the bodies of the Rot-Tooth Beasts, and the scent of roasting meat filled the air.

The flames quickly spread, rising into pillars that reached thousands of meters into the sky. The once-dim sky was suddenly lit up.

Hundreds of magnificent fiery torches blazed across the space, their heat warping the air around them.

Huang Wuye walked through this world of flames like a king. The light of the surrounding torches made his figure seem even taller.

The entire pack of Rot-Tooth Beasts had been turned into candles in the blink of an eye.

"Looks like I overdid it. This breakthrough seems to have been pretty substantial." Huang Wuye rubbed his nose, then waved his hand. The flames around him all sank into his body.

Looking at the even more devastated land, Huang Wuye felt a little melancholy. Even someone as outstanding as him couldn't help damaging the environment. Back in the day, he probably would've been sent to prison for it.

He cast aside his jumbled thoughts and looked toward the dazed Black Armor Leopards.

Perhaps things had changed too quickly. The anger still lingered on their faces.

Before they could change their expressions, Huang Wuye's gaze fell upon them.

The Black Armor Leopards were probably desperate by now. But what little reason they had left told them that fighting was useless. Splitting up and fleeing was perhaps their only chance.

That was exactly what they did. In the next instant, they split up and fled in several directions with perfect coordination.

Huang Wuye watched with interest. The moment they took off, he moved.

"Void Shadow, First Form: Close as the Horizon."

Four streaks of spear light shot out. They weren't fast, but a curious thing happened: the Black Armor Leopards that had fled seemed to fly backward. Their bodies came hurtling back from the distance, their relief at having escaped not yet faded from their faces.

Then their heads met the spear lights Huang Wuye had thrust out.

With a faint sound, all four Black Armor Leopards died at once.

Huang Wuye looked around at the toppled trees and scattered body parts and clicked his tongue. Such was the sorrow of life.

Then Huang Wuye flashed into the air above Dragon Owl.

Looking at the fellow, Huang Wuye wasn't sure what to do.

Dragon Owl's massive body lay on the ground. The huge wound on its body had scabbed over. On closer inspection, the wound had even shrunk a little.

Its heart beat heavily, as if proclaiming the vigor of its life.

"Fine. You're intelligent, have a good temperament, and look pretty impressive. You can be my mount for now." After some thought, Huang Wuye made up his mind.

Dragon Owl wasn't on his hunting list. It was also gentle by nature, despite its ferocious appearance. And with its decent speed, it would make a good mount.

Most importantly, having such a mighty mount would be quite impressive—not to mention that it had plenty of potential.

So Huang Wuye didn't waste any time. He waved his hand and put Dragon Owl into his World Ring. Still unconscious from its serious injuries, Dragon Owl didn't resist, and Huang Wuye stored it without a hitch.

Huang Wuye didn't linger. He headed straight back to his residence on Giant Wood Planet.

Once Huang Wuye returned to the base, he brought Dragon Owl back out. He ordered an assistant robot to build a huge recovery tank, then placed Dragon Owl inside.

After adding nutrients and medicine to help it recover, he waited for Dragon Owl to wake while taking stock of what he had gained from this round of training.

After all, the huge Dragon Owl could wake at any moment. To keep it from causing any damage, Huang Wuye had to stay and keep an eye on it. For now, he could only take stock of his own situation.