The shattered void was slowly repairing itself. Yu Zhibo followed Ling Wanjun towards the corpse of the black behemoth, finally hovering in mid-air before its head.
This black behemoth, which had died without even a name, was a thousand meters long, incredibly massive. Yu Zhibo and Ling Xiaotian landed on its floating corpse, appearing minuscule compared to its colossal frame.
Ling Wanjun stood with his hands behind his back, admiring his combat results. He smiled and said, "It's been a while since I've had such a satisfying fight. Do you think it's dead?"
"Certainly not!" Yu Zhibo stated with absolute certainty, his face radiating unspoken confidence.
While it wasn't impossible that Ling Wanjun's lightning techniques had completely annihilated the black behemoth's soul, Ling Wanjun's question implied it wasn't a baseless inquiry.
Ling Wanjun looked at him with a hint of surprise and praised, "Good eyesight. Tell me, where did you see that."
Yu Zhibo smiled faintly, "Because if it were dead, you wouldn't ask such a pointless question, Minister."
Ling Wanjun was momentarily speechless, finding himself unable to retort.
"Good heavens, are you exploiting a loophole here!"
Yu Zhibo chuckled, maintaining a relaxed demeanor while actually being on high alert, his mental energy enveloping every inch of the dark behemoth's corpse to guard against any potential changes. The backlash from Jue Ru's dying moments was still fresh in his mind, and he didn't want to use Izanagi again.
Soon, he seemed to sense something, a hint of surprise appearing on his face. Under the shroud of his mental energy, Yu Zhibo discovered a drop of blood wriggling in the gap of a shattered scale near the black behemoth's tail, not far from its reproductive organs. It transformed into a miniature dark behemoth resembling a lizard with only front claws. It surveyed its surroundings, then with a push of its front claws, it silently leaped dozens of meters away.
Yu Zhibo's face showed a hesitant expression, and he couldn't help but turn his head to look at Ling Wanjun. Ling Wanjun's profile was rugged, a standard tough guy's face. The usually stern lines now appeared somewhat softened, a faint smile playing on his lips.
The next moment, he snapped his fingers.
*Snap!*
A clear, loud sound echoed from the friction of his thumb and middle finger. Above the miniature dark behemoth formed from the blood, a slender yet terrifying arc of electricity descended, purifying it completely with a shrill scream.
Ling Wanjun lowered his right hand, his expression solemn. "The corpse of this demonic beast is highly valuable for research. Next, I'm going to reveal a secret, a secret that can only be known after reaching A-rank!"
Yu Zhibo's expression turned serious, showing utmost importance.
The netizens watching the live broadcast were even more excited.
"Holy crap, here it comes!"
"A-ranks know this news, I know this news, I = A-rank!"
"Minister Ling is generous, hurry up and tell us, I want to know too!"
"Damn, could it be about supernormal creature genetic engineering? The pharmaceutical sector might see a surge next!"
"Guoyao Stock, you know? Go all in and take it, even if it means death!"
"I've looked at Guoyao Stock. The stock is in a clear downtrend, but there's a possibility of an upturn!"
"Listening to you talk is all useless garbage!"
"Is this the conversation of A-ranks? Every move is a business opportunity!"
Dense bullet comments filled the live stream.
Just then, Ling Wanjun waved his hand, and the data lightning covering the camera dissipated, all signals vanishing, and the broadcast was interrupted.
A tidal wave of emotional points surged in, with Ling Wanjun absorbing a large portion. He himself, being close, reaped nearly 800 million points, indicating the immense resentment the audience felt from the sudden interruption.
Yu Zhibo watched, dumbfounded.
Ling Wanjun said with a serious expression, "Play is play, and jokes are jokes, but don't joke about regulations. I'm not doing this to earn emotional points by stringing the audience along, but because our subsequent conversation is not suitable for these ordinary people to know!"
Yu Zhibo nodded, feeling a bit weary. Anyone, even an idiot, could see the joy on his brows. He decided to pretend to believe him.
Thus, he solemnly said, "Please reveal the secret!"
Ling Wanjun stood with his hands behind his back and said, "This secret is that whether it's humans or sea beasts, once they reach the Fifty Divine Ranks, they can achieve blood rebirth. If you encounter such enemies in the future, you must be careful, otherwise, if they escape, it could lead to endless trouble."
"That's it?"
Yu Zhibo felt even more weary. He already knew this. As soon as he entered A-rank, there were books introducing the A-rank levels. Such a secret was common knowledge among A-ranks.
Just then, he suddenly felt a weight on his head, followed by a crisp voice.
"I know this! Many villains in novels are let go by the protagonist accidentally, and then the author adds a narrator's line like 'XXX didn't know that his decision would bring such disaster to his family.' Later, the protagonist's family, wife, and so on are all killed by the other party. It's so disgusting!"
Bai Chanyi's small head appeared above Yu Zhibo's head, echoing Ling Wanjun's words.
"Stop watching those messy things!" Yu Zhibo reached out and pinched Bai Chanyi's face on his head, then composed himself and asked, "Minister Ling, is this behemoth truly dead?"
"What's wrong?" Ling Wanjun looked puzzled, not understanding why he asked such a question.
"I didn't see its soul..." Yu Zhibo's scarlet eyes blinked as he entered the Mangekyo state. In this state, his eyes could see through all disguises, yet he still couldn't see the soul produced after the black behemoth died. Could it really have been scattered by that tiny lightning strike?
"Because it absorbed and fused with demonic energy!" Ling Wanjun said with a smile, not surprised.
"Demonic energy?"
Ling Wanjun nodded. "Demonic energy is a different concept from immortal energy. It represents extreme ferocity and evil."
Yu Zhibo listened attentively.
Ling Wanjun continued, "Souls are not fundamentally different from primordial spirits. The difference lies only in the former being weaker and the latter stronger. Creatures that have fused with demonic energy, once they take that step into A-rank, will uncontrollably be infected by demonic energy. At this point, whether it's Divine Rank, Demonic Rank, or Ghost Rank, their souls will eventually completely merge with demonic energy, and they will never be able to escape."
"Therefore, for demonic creatures, their hierarchical levels are extremely distinct. The more demonic ranks they ascend, the higher their level, and the more they can naturally suppress beings of lower ranks. The highest level, Demon Gods, can directly strip the will of low-level demonic creatures, turning everything into sustenance for their own progress."
Upon hearing this, Yu Zhibo's expression turned serious. He recalled the Heavenly Demon clone in the Lighthouse Nation. If Ling Wanjun's words were true, wouldn't that Heavenly Demon clone be at risk of being replaced at any moment?
"What kind of existence are Demon Gods?" Yu Zhibo couldn't help but ask, feeling a little excited in his heart. He loved hearing about these settings; they were so interesting.
Sensing the burning curiosity in Yu Zhibo's eyes, Ling Wanjun couldn't help but glance at him. After a moment's thought, he decided to tell him.
"Demon Gods are beings above S-rank. Such things exist in the Immortal Realm. You won't encounter them in this plane. However, occasionally, Demon Gods will descend their will through demonic creatures in this world. We now preliminarily suspect that the Queen of the Lighthouse Nation might be a wisp of a Demon God's will. Her growth rate is simply too fast. If she were merely a product of the combination of light and dark spiritual energy, she shouldn't have reached level 99 so quickly."
"Doesn't that mean even Dao Saint can't stop a Demon God?"
Ling Wanjun couldn't help but laugh. "You underestimate Old Wang. As the one responsible for guarding Earth, do you think Old Wang's existence is that simple?" He said with a mysterious expression, "Since your clearance is sufficient, I'll reveal a bit. Old Wang's true form is the sect leader of the Liberation Sect, responsible for guarding the passage connecting Earth to the Immortal Realm. The Old Wang on Earth now is merely a wisp of the sect leader's avatar."
Yu Zhibo's pupils contracted involuntarily.
Ling Wanjun patted his shoulder and chuckled, "When I first found out, I was as shocked as you are. Earth is too fragile now; I can't fight freely. The upper realm is much more interesting." By the end of his sentence, his face showed anticipation.
"What is the upper realm like?" Yu Zhibo asked, his curiosity piqued.
However, Ling Wanjun shook his head. "Young people shouldn't aim too high. Knowing too much is not beneficial for you. Although with your strength and aptitude, you would be considered a true disciple of the Liberation Sect upon reaching the upper realm, do not underestimate the powerful beings in the upper realm. You are different from me. You carry too much of Dragon Country's destiny. Knowing too much might attract the attention of certain unknown existences, so it's best to focus on improving your strength first. Once you reach the upper realm, you will naturally understand everything."
"Alright!" Yu Zhibo sensed the seriousness in Ling Wanjun's tone and immediately stopped prying.
"I appreciate that about you, knowing your limits and when to advance or retreat!" Ling Wanjun patted his shoulder and shifted his attention back to the black behemoth's carcass.
Subsequently, Yu Zhibo felt himself immersed in a vast ocean of consciousness, a bright and powerful spiritual sea, which was Ling Wanjun's spiritual sea. Ling Wanjun scanned every inch of the black behemoth's carcass with his mental energy, soon revealing an expression of interest.
"This is interesting. It's the first time I've seen a creature that can perfectly fuse ghost energy, demonic energy, and immortal energy. There's an unknown energy within its body, somewhat similar to our ability users' sequence cores. It perfectly blends the three energies and unleashes corresponding might. It should be an unknown treasure from the Abyssal Sea. It's a pity this item is completely fused with this body, but it still holds extremely high research value."
"The physique of this behemoth feels somewhat familiar, but I can't quite place it!" Yu Zhibo willed his body to float before the behemoth, activated Thousand Bird Flow to cover his fist, and landed two punches on its head. He felt it was incredibly hard, even his defense couldn't be broken.
"So tough!" he exclaimed. He placed his palm on the behemoth's nose, and then his body stiffened abruptly.
[Detected host touching the Immortal-Demonic Body. Do you wish to consume 10 million energy points to convert it into Immortal-Demonic Source? After conversion, you will obtain: 100,000 Immortal-Demonic Sources.]
——————
So sleepy, I'll thank you for the gifts tomorrow!