After doing all this, Wenwu slowly closed his eyes and calmed his mind to contemplate the meaning.
Feeling the enhancement brought about by absorbing Stern's soul and life essence, and sensing the changes within his body.
A moment later, he slowly opened his eyes, shook his head slightly, and there was a hint of regret in his eyes.
"It merely enhanced the soul's foundation and strengthened the physical body; it did not inherit Stern's Mind Stone abilities and mutated physical talent."
To be honest, Stern's mutated body has extremely strong potential. Not only can it absorb gamma rays and undergo two more transformations, but it is also an extremely powerful talent.
Unfortunately, the chance of successfully devouring and replicating the opponent's unique talent ability through one's own Life Control is not very high, about 50%, or half the chance.
Although he didn't inherit the talent, Stern's life essence was incredibly profound, which still enhanced his physical strength even further.
A thought suddenly flashed through Wenwu's mind, and his eyes lit up.
"Oh, right! Inside the Ta Lo, there are also a large number of small Dweller-in-Darkness, as well as a powerful Dweller-in-Darkness King!"
He secretly began to plan in his mind.
If you enter the secret realm and devour all these Dweller-in-Darkness, you might not only be able to break through the limits of your physical body and soul again, but also inherit the special ability of the Dweller-in-Darkness to devour souls at will and strengthen yourself.
Although he can now devour souls, his efficiency in devouring and the rate of conversion and utilization are probably far inferior to the Dweller-in-Darkness King in the secret realm.
Thinking of this, a chilling glint flashed in Wenwu's eyes.
"And that divine dragon in the secret realm—if it doesn't know what's good for it and dares to be my enemy, then I'll devour it too!"
The Ta Lo is a small-scale dimensional world parallel to Earth.
The entrance to the secret realm is located deep in the mountains within China, and its perimeter is surrounded by layers of a magical bamboo forest maze that can be moved and closed off.
Bamboo branches in the forest can shift on their own, blocking the way. If you take the wrong path, you will be instantly pierced and swallowed by the sharp bamboo branches, which is extremely dangerous.
Moreover, the entrance to the secret realm is extremely special. The bamboo forest maze will only open a passage window once a year on the Qingming Festival. At all other times, the entire bamboo forest will be completely sealed off, and no one can enter.
It's not Qingming Festival now. To enter the secret realm, you must embed two pendant gems into the eyes of the dragon wood carving in order to decipher the correct route inside the maze.
Wenwu happened to possess a dragon wood carving and two gemstone pendants.
After activating the item and obtaining the complete route, he took Dahei and boarded the Great Emperor's Fighter Jet, heading straight for the deep mountains of China.
Thanks to the fighter jet's super-fast speed, they quickly reached their destination deep in the mountains.
Following the analyzed route, Wenwu led Dahei steadily through the layers of moving bamboo forest maze and arrived at the end of the bamboo forest.
Here stands a magnificent, gigantic waterfall; behind the white curtain of water lies a portal connecting to another dimension.
Wenwu flipped over and mounted the Dahei dog on its back. Because the Dahei was too big, he used the Pym Shrinker to shrink it from five meters to three meters.
The man and the wolf charged straight into the waterfall's curtain of water, passing through a semi-transparent water-shaped energy barrier, instantly stepping from the Earth plane into the world of the Ta Lo.
The surrounding scenery suddenly and completely changed.
The howling wind and roaring waterfalls of the mountains and forests have all dissipated, replaced by a gentle tranquility.
Wenwu rode Dahei slowly through a lush, quiet, and secluded forest, finally stepping onto a flat, verdant meadow.
Looking up, there is a clear and gentle pale blue sky overhead. There is no scorching sun or blazing moon here, but a soft, even light shines down from the sky, illuminating the entire world.
One after another, uniquely shaped green peaks rise abruptly from the ground, their dark green bodies covered with lush vegetation, layer upon layer, stretching into the distance.
Wildflowers of all colors bloom freely everywhere, the forest vegetation is evergreen all year round, the air is moist and sweet, and every breath is filled with the rich spiritual energy of plants.
In the distance, a vast lake lies nestled among the mountains, its waters clear, deep, and boundless.
Wenwu released his spiritual power and scanned the area, clearly sensing a massive divine dragon lurking deep at the bottom of the lake, still asleep.
Seemingly sensing the external mental fluctuations, the dragon slumbering at the bottom of the lake twitched its tightly closed eyelids slightly.
Wenwu rode Dahei and continued to move forward slowly.
The scenery along the way is expansive, and various ancient mythical beasts can be seen everywhere, roaming freely and resting peacefully in this mysterious world.
Several pure white Nine-Tailed Fox lazily curled up on a sunny rocky slope, their fluffy, long tails swaying gently, their posture leisurely.
Above the horizon, Fire Phoenix, its body ablaze with flames, spread its enormous wings and gracefully swept across the clear sky, its firelight illuminating half the heavens.
The faceless beast Dijiang flapped its four wings, landed on the ground, and rolled and frolicked carefree, showing no ferocity whatsoever.
In the middle of the road, several Ching-Lin Qilin stood still, their eyes warily fixed on Wenwu and Dahei who had intruded into the area, their scales taut.
A three-meter-tall Suanni with yellow fur, having never seen such a large beast as Dahei before, immediately bared its sharp fangs and let out a low, intimidating roar at Dahei.
Dahei, provoked by the other party for no reason, immediately raised its head and roared, forcefully responding with a warning, its aura fierce and menacing.
Wenwu completely ignored the Suanni's hostility and roar, and looked up into the distance. The Ta Lo Village, built by the lake, came into clear view.
Wooden terraced fields are scattered throughout the village, where the Ta Lo people are working peacefully.
The entire secret realm is peaceful and serene, filled with exotic flowers and beasts, and sacred mountains and lakes, like a fairyland that only exists in ancient myths.
"What a wonderful place!"
Looking at the scene before him, Wenwu couldn't help but marvel.
Every mythical beast that inhabits this place possesses some magical power within its body. Some of these beasts are also incredibly powerful, like the Suanni before us, whose true strength is only slightly Dahei.
He continued gazing into the distance. Across the vast lake, atop the magnificent green peaks on the opposite side, stood a colossal black stone gate— the Dark Gate that sealed the Dweller-in-Darkness.
In this breathtakingly beautiful fairyland, the pitch-black stone gate stands out like an ugly, menacing scar, completely out of place.
Just then, the Ta Lo Village in the village also discovered Wenwu, the intruder, and an urgent alarm sounded.
Immediately afterwards, a group of villagers dressed in red ancient-style robes covered with dragon scale armor quickly gathered, each holding various magical weapons forged from dragon scales, and were on high alert.
Leading the group were a man and a woman. The woman appeared to be middle-aged, with a calm and dignified demeanor, while the elderly man had gray hair and a robust physique.
He was very familiar with both of these faces, both in his past life and in the memories of the original Xu Wenwu.
"Boy! Who are you? This is a forbidden area, a place no one should be here. Leave at once!"
The old man held a double-headed staff covered in dragon scales, raised it directly at Wenwu on the wolf's back, and shouted sternly, his tone full of seriousness.
"You... you are Xu Wenwu??"
Ying Nan, the middle-aged woman, who is also the older sister of Ying Li, the original owner of Xu Wenwu's wife, and Wenwu's sister-in-law, stared wide-eyed at the young and upright Wenwu on the back of the giant wolf with disbelief, and exclaimed in shock.
"What? It's actually Xu Wenwu? How did he get so young, like a pretty boy?"
The village elder Uncle Guang, also stared wide-eyed, his face filled with shock.
Years ago, when Xu Wenwu abducted Ying Li, the guardian of Ta Lo Village, he had seen her face. Now, after many years, she looked incredibly young, almost like his grandchild!
Wenwu's brows furrowed suddenly, a layer of icy coldness covering his eyes. He stared at Uncle Guang and said coldly, "Old man, watch your mouth! I've wanted to tear your stinking mouth apart for ages! Your ancestors are all juniors in front of me. I've eaten more salt than you've eaten rice, and you dare to be so disrespectful to me?!"