Vajra Evolution, Hair Roots Wither

Elder Withered Bone stood atop solidified blood clouds, and the ghastly white skull atop the Myriad Bone Wailing Staff's tip flickered with a surge of eerie green ghostfire.

Below, at the center of the churning Bone Sea, the bald ant's actions defied its comprehension.

Not fleeing? Not defending?

It dared to open that weak furnace of qi and blood, actively devouring the torrent of bone-breath saturated with its decay rule?

Seeking death!

"Ignorant... arrogant... turn to dust!" Elder Withered Bone's icy divine sense vibrated through the void, and the Myriad Bone Wailing Staff slammed down heavily!

RUMBLE—!

The eerie green soul-fire in the eye sockets of several colossal white skeletons flared, and the torrent of ghastly white bone-breath they spewed instantly doubled in thickness!

The dense decay miasma solidified into opaque black mist, and wherever it passed, space itself let out a corrosive wail!

The ghastly white bone-breath torrent completely submerged Fang Gang!

The crimson-gold qi and blood protective aura was like a dying candle in a fierce wind; it lasted only a moment before it shattered with a roar!

The bone-breath, imbued with the rule of decay, pierced into his dark golden dragon scales like countless icy venomous needles!

Sss-ssss-ssss—!

A sharp corrosive sound erupted!

The surface of the resilient dragon scales instantly became covered in grayish-white spots, emitting groans of unbearable strain!

An ice-cold pain that penetrated to the marrow surged through his entire body, as if to freeze and decay his flesh, blood, and even his soul!

"Ughhhh—!"

Fang Gang let out a beast-like roar, blood seeping from his seven facial orifices! But his eyes were blood-gold, burning with an almost frenzied flame!

"Now!"

He roared internally, his will like a red-hot branding iron, fiercely stabbing into the furiously spinning Dragon Elephant Furnace deep within his Power Apertures!

"Swallow it for me—!!!"

BZZZZ—!!!

The phantom furnace erupted with unprecedented, blinding light! The roars of the Dragon Elephants on its furnace walls seemed to solidify!

A terrifying suction, specifically targeting bone and death energy, exploded from the furnace's opening!

No longer a mere devouring, but a whale-like gulping!

The target—the ghastly white bone-breath torrent that was madly corroding his body! And the surrounding churning bone sea miasma!

BOOM!!!

A miracle occurred!

The bone-breath torrent, which had been violently eroding him, suddenly halted as if caught by an invisible maw!

Then, like a hundred rivers flowing into the sea, it was forcefully dragged and pulled, pouring back into Fang Gang's right arm's Power Aperture!

Further away, the decaying miasma scattered from the countless clawing and slashing bone claws was also forcibly stripped away by this terrifying suction, transforming into streams of grayish-black energy that madly surged in!

Elder Withered Bone's eerie green ghostfire flickered violently!

It clearly felt its released bone-breath energy slipping from its control, being forcefully plundered by something within that ant...

"Impossible!"

For the first time, Elder Withered Bone let out a mental shriek laced with fury, "Myriad Bone Shred!"

It slammed the Myriad Bone Wailing Staff down towards Fang Gang! The skull atop the staff opened its jaw, emitting a silent, piercing scream!

In the Bone Sea, countless massive bone claws abandoned their slashing, twining and twisting together like enormous pythons!

Instantly, they transformed into several terrifying bone dragons woven from thousands of white bones, covered in sharp bone spurs!

Carrying immense power capable of crushing mountains and the ultimate rule of decay, they charged towards the central Fang Gang from different directions, violently shredding him!

Space was compressed, emitting piercing sonic booms!

A true killing blow! Capable of instantly shredding an S-Class peak expert into a bloody pulp!

"Good!"

Fang Gang rejoiced instead of fearing!

His body, battered by the bone-breath torrent, trembled violently, the skin beneath the dragon scales even beginning to crack and bleed, but the light in his eyes was terrifyingly bright!

The agony from the furnace's overload was far less than the exhilaration of his power surging!

He could clearly feel the massive amounts of pure, yet icy, bone sea energy being madly devoured and refined by the furnace!

The Nine Yang True Fire within the furnace, under extreme pressure, had actually taken on a hint of dark gold!

BOOM—!

The feedback of power was no longer a dark gold stream, but a violent torrent!

This brand new, surging energy, carrying a profound intent of crushing and a trace of immortality, no longer merely washed over the bones of his arms, but like bursting lava, madly surged towards every inch of his bones, flesh, blood, and even... his skull!

[WARNING! Furnace overload! Refining efficiency 300%!]

[Dragon Elephant Furnace phantom solidification rapidly increasing!]

[Physique rapidly improving! Bones developing deeper jade-like quality!]

[Strength breaking through limits!]

[True·Vajra Indestructible Body touching evolutionary critical point! Energy infusion in progress…]

[WARNING! Head energy overload! Hair follicle matrix destroyed irreversibly!]

The system panel flashed frantically in Fang Gang's consciousness, blood-red warnings and golden breakthrough prompts intermingling!

Strength! Unprecedented strength surged and roared within his body!

Fang Gang could even hear his entire skeleton emitting clanging dragon roars, like divine weapons being forged, as it was washed by the dark gold torrent!

"Not enough! Just a little more!" he roared in his heart, his gaze locked onto the several white bone dragons that were writhing towards him!

At the critical moment when the white bone dragons were about to close in and crush Fang Gang completely!

Fang Gang abruptly raised his head and let out a roar that shook the mountains and forests:

"GET OUT—!!!"

ROAR—!!!

An invisible, terrifying pressure, mixed with the Furnace Suppressing True Intent, the Dragon Elephant's crushing will, and newly born immortal properties, erupted from him!

BOOM!!!

The air shattered like solidified glass! Visible dark golden shockwaves instantly spread!

The white bone dragons that had been writhing towards him hit an invisible wall of sighing, their crushing momentum abruptly halted!

Their entwined bone joints emitted "crack" sounds of being unable to bear the load!

Countless fine cracks instantly spread across their bodies!

The eerie green soul fire in the white bone dragons' eye sockets flickered wildly, transmitting terrified mental fluctuations!

Elder Withered Bone's eerie green ghost fire also shrank abruptly! This pressure… even made him feel a trace of… threat?!

"World Shaking Dragon Fist—Sea Breaker!"

Fang Gang moved!

His right fist, covered in dark golden dragon scales, carrying the seemingly endless and vast power he had just absorbed and refined, punched directly at the thickest white bone dragon in front of him, without any fancy moves!

As the fist passed, space twisted and collapsed!

A condensed to the extreme dark golden fist aura, like a sky-splitting great axe tearing through chaos, fiercely struck the bone dragon's ferocious head!

CRACK—BOOM!!!

No stalemate, no resistance!

Only crushing destruction!

The white bone dragon's head, harder than fine steel, along with half of its body, instantly disintegrated into pieces like ice and snow thrown into a furnace the moment it came into contact with the fist aura, turning into a sky full of pale bone dust!

The fist aura's momentum unabated, it fiercely pierced into the surging Bone Sea behind!

BOOM—!!!

The Bone Sea was forcibly plowed open, creating a huge ravine hundreds of meters long, burning with dark golden flames!

Countless bone claws turned to dust in the aftermath of the fist aura!

One punch! Broke the dragon! Opened the sea!

"Hiss—!"

The soul fires of the surviving bone beasts in the Bone Sea flickered violently, transmitting instinctive fear!

Elder Withered Bone stood above the blood-red clouds, the skull on the Myriad Bone Wailing Staff let out a silent shriek, its eerie green ghost fire fixedly staring at the bald figure below, feeling troublesome for the first time.

This ant… had undergone some terrifying transformation amidst its Bone Sea ultimate kill? Even… plundering its power in return?

It locked onto Fang Gang, especially his bald head, which shone exceptionally brightly under the reflection of his dark golden vital energy and blood.

That head was currently emitting a pure, masculine, and immortal aura that it found extremely repulsive, yet also faintly threatening…

The power of that punch just now was far beyond intelligence!

Fang Gang slowly retracted his fist, the dark golden dragon scales receding into his skin. The cracked wounds on his body healed rapidly under the surging vitality, and his new skin flashed with a jade-like luster, even tougher than before.

He felt the terrifying power surging and roaring within him, almost breaking out of his body. The furnace phantom in his Power Apertures had solidified into a tangible form, rotating and exuding a heavy sense of suppressing the eight directions.

Peak mid-stage Aperture Condensing Realm! Just one step away from late-stage!

This was the benefit of plundering the old bone ghost's power!

He raised his head, his gaze piercing through the surging Bone Sea, meeting the two points of eerie green ghost fire above the blood-red clouds. The corner of his mouth curled into a cold and wild arc:

"Old bones, the firewood… is potent! Got any more?"

His voice was not loud, but it carried a new, all-encompassing dominance, clearly penetrating the shrieking of the Bone Sea and echoing beneath the solidified blood-red clouds.

Elder Withered Bone fell silent, his spectral green ghost fire flickering violently. The icy killing intent was almost tangible.

The Myriad Bone Wailing Staff in his hand was slightly raised. The countless small bone segments on the staff began to wriggle and rearrange themselves in a grotesque manner, hinting at a more dangerous aura coalescing.

Fang Gang's provocation had completely enraged this ancient entity.

However, just as Elder Withered Bone was about to unleash a more terrifying attack, the wild grin on Fang Gang's face faltered slightly.

An indescribable, scorching sensation originating from the very core of his life force erupted without warning from the depths of his head—that smooth, gleaming scalp!

It wasn't pain, but an extreme form of "burning" and "purification"!

It was as if something was being ignited, refined, and utterly incinerated in the deepest part of his skull!

[Warning! Head energy overload peak reached!]

[True Vajra Indestructible Body evolution forcefully triggered!]

[Immortal substance generation… Matrix incineration… Irreversible process initiated!]

[Hair follicle matrix… Completely withered!]

The system's prompts were cold and resolute.

Fang Gang instinctively raised his hand, reaching for the top of his head.

His touch confirmed it was still smooth, hard scalp.

But the instant his fingertips made contact—

Hiss—!

An extremely faint, almost imperceptible wisp of pale golden-green smoke, carrying an aura of finality like scorched earth, rose from the very center of his gleaming scalp, vanishing in an instant.

The next moment, an unprecedented sense of clarity and solidity, like a divine awakening, surged through his entire head and rapidly spread throughout his body!

It felt as if some invisible shackles had been thoroughly burned away, and some true "Vajra" essence was being reborn from the ashes of that incineration!

The thin halo of golden-red qi and blood surrounding him silently took on a faint, immortal, dark golden hue.

Fang Gang was stunned.

Above the cloud of blood, the Myriad Bone Wailing Staff, about to be swung by Elder Withered Bone, abruptly halted.

The spectral green ghost fire stared intently at the wisp of dissipating smoke above Fang Gang's head, as well as the sudden change in the latter's aura. A subtle yet undeniably real sense of "threat" from a fundamental, rule-based level, like a cold serpent, coiled around its ancient, decaying consciousness for the first time.

That bald head… seemed… different?