Witch, I'm really not an ancient god of the deep sea!

Chapter 268 New Shadow Unveiled: The Shadow of the Flame Demon!

Chen Qi served the legendary golden apple pie on the table, accompanied by a glass of fine red wine.

Eating such legendary food definitely requires a bit of ritual.

Elegance is also important... Chen Qi took a sip of red wine, then carefully picked up the small silver fork next to him with a fork, and gently scooped up a small piece of apple pie and put it in his mouth.

It's sweet and crunchy, with a hint of warmth.

"good to eat!"

The golden apple pie wasn't very big, and Chenqi quickly finished it all.

The full version of the Soul Seasoning skill can bring out the original flavor and power of the ingredients.

The digestion speed is also faster than expected.

Therefore, Chen Qi quickly sensed the changes in his body.

As the sweetness of the golden apple faded, a terrifying, extraordinary power swept over him, flowing like a river and continuously permeating his powerful body.

Every inch of his body absorbed the heat surging from all directions, greedily devouring this power!

As he devoured, his muscles and bones became increasingly hardened, even emitting a creaking sound.

In that instant, countless dark golden patterns appeared on Chen Qi's skin.

In Chen Qi's mind, it felt as if countless golden apples were falling from the sky.

This is a side effect of enhanced inspiration.

Chen Qi could feel that his perception was constantly extending further, and his control over spiritual energy itself was becoming more refined, to the point that he could manipulate spiritual energy the size of a speck of dust.

Chen Qi closed his eyes, adjusted his breathing, and used the Blade Breathing Technique to adapt to this immense power. Unbeknownst to him, the dark golden patterns on his body gradually disappeared.

Hua Hua Hua——

Propose to exit.

[You have perfectly absorbed the power of the Golden Apple Pie. Constitution +20, Inspiration +20, Strength +5, Agility +5, Disease Resistance increased!]

[You have received the Golden Apple's 24-hour blessing buff, greatly increasing your energy, recovery, luck, and learning efficiency.]

"call!"

Chen Qi stood up and exhaled sharply.

At this moment, his body lines were strong and powerful, and with the addition of steely energy, he was like a rock, indestructible.

This upgrade alone increased his physique by an astonishing 20 points, making it the largest single attribute boost he had ever achieved!
Chen Qi looked at his panel again.

At this moment, his physique was a full 118 points, finally breaking through the 100-point mark.

And his Inspiration has reached 85 points, Strength 81 points, and Agility 52 points!
Achieving 100 points in Constitution is a tremendous achievement; his attributes are now perfectly suited for equipping the Ember Touch and Shadow Weave.

At the same time, a physique of 100 points means that he can install a wide variety of steam-powered mechanical equipment on his body, and also master higher-level body-forging techniques.

At that moment, a new notification popped up.

[By digesting the Golden Apple, you gain the permanent passive skill 'Golden Apple Body'.]

The Body of the Golden Apple:

Nature and form: lamp
Effect: Your body will become stronger, with significantly increased resistance to debilitating negative states such as toxins, paralysis, burning, freezing, and dissolving.

Chen Qi looked at the prompt in front of him with some surprise. This must be a special effect brought about by the cooking of delicious food.

This extraordinary ingredient, the essence of Chenqi's seasoning, can perfectly draw out its power, thereby triggering the ingredient's hidden effects.

"This is a pretty good passive skill..."

Chen Qi felt the changes in his body.

After reaching the third tier, battles between superhumans often become more insidious. In order to deal with superhumans with strong physiques, there are many underhanded tricks.

For example, moves like Unextinguished Fire, Lightning, Enchanting Poison, and Snake Venom will cause continuous, real-time damage to the body upon contact.

It can be said that the Golden Apple Body indirectly increases his defense, making it a fairly good passive skill.

Chen Qi casually swung his fist, which produced a piercing sonic boom.

"good……"

After finishing breakfast, Chen Qi felt full of energy, and his mind became exceptionally clear.

Previously, Chen Qi had thought about it and realized that he had not yet fully mastered his Dark Flame Fist and Blade Forging Breathing Technique.

Taking advantage of this special buff from the 'Golden Apple Blessing,' strike while the iron is hot and master these two key skills.

Chen Qi took a deep breath, took out some bread he had made in the kitchen, handed it to the White Tower hunters of the Serpent Father, and told them not to disturb him.

Melanie, the White Tower Hunter, agreed, but in the end, she still lost the match.

Melanie handed fifty wriggling shadows to Chen Qi and then left him alone.

They knew that after eating the golden apple, it would be precious time to study.

Especially in the study of physical techniques, one day of learning is equivalent to ten days.

After the other White Tower hunters finished breakfast, they also began preparations. They were about to arrive at Bluefire Island and needed to make thorough preparations for the battle.

With the help of the Golden Apple, I might be able to master these two core skills ahead of time... Chen Qi returned to his room on his ship, closed the doors and windows, put on the Ember Touch, and then officially began practicing Dark Flame Fist and Blade Forging Technique.

boom! boom! boom!
Inside the room, Chen Qi spent 10000 Inspiration Points to upgrade the Blade Forging and Body Strengthening Technique to the final Lv3.

[Your Blade Forging and Body Strengthening Technique has reached level 3. Strength increased by 10 points! Constitution increased by 2 points!]

Chen Qi took a deep breath and felt the changes in his body.

The Blade Forging and Body Forging Technique, a secret of the Blood Blade Pirates, actually has a final stage. However, this final stage requires mastering steel qi, transforming qi into form, and combining it with blood crystals and high-temperature fire to complete.

Without hesitation, Chen Qi took the Blood Crystal.

In an instant, he felt his blood turn ice-cold, as if he were in the extreme cold of the ocean thousands of meters deep, and his breathing became disordered, and he was panting heavily.

Chen Qi gritted his teeth and, in his bedroom, used the Fire Forging Technique, treating himself as a piece of refined iron, constantly tempering himself with intense fire.

The sensations of icy cold and fiery heat exploded within my body, relentlessly assaulting my muscles and bones, again and again—

Chen Qi felt as if he were standing on a mountain of lava, being constantly battered by a cold waterfall.

At this moment, if the Flower Witch were beside him, she would notice that Chen Qi's physique had not only become stronger, but his body was also radiating a sharp, blade-like aura.

He didn't know how much time had passed, but Chen Qi felt his Blade Breathing Technique, Qi Transformation, Steel Qi, and Blade Forging Technique merge and finally achieve sublimation—

[Your Blade Forging and Body Tempering Technique has reached MAX level. You have forged your body into a blade, gaining the Blood Blade Body!!]

When Chen Qi opened his eyes, his body was already surrounded by bright red smoke, which looked like a monstrous demon from a distance.

Even a long sword made of steel will be cut in two when it comes into contact with this energy.

Chen Qi exhaled, and his strength was sublimated.

Blood Blade Body:
Description: Legend has it that there was a swordsman whose body was like a blade, capable of transforming his own energy into a blade to cut through everything. And now, you have forged your body into a blade.

effect:

Blood Blade Aura (Passive): Based on your constitution, your defense is greatly increased, and all your Qi attacks are enhanced by 30%, imbued with crimson blade power! You gain a small amount of Blade Affinity!
Bloodblade's Will (Passive): When you suffer excessive damage, you become immune to pain and gain a temporary 150% strength!

Bloodstained Body... Chen Qi took a deep breath.

The enhancement of Bloodblade Body is extremely abnormal. As a passive ability, although it does not have direct attribute bonuses, its essence is that Qi has undergone a small sublimation! Qi sublimation is also an essential step for third-tier transcendents, Qi transcendents.

Now, he can be considered to have mastered one of the Bloodblade Pirate Crew's secret techniques.

"Cool!"

Chen Qi suddenly unleashed a burst of energy, pouring out all his strength. The explosive energy emanating from his body was like a bright red sword, leaving more than a dozen bright red scars on the walls of the room.

This room will have to be cleaned by the water spirit again... Chen Qi took a deep breath and put away the violent blade energy.

Chen Qi felt that his power had reached a new level.

Chen Qi glanced at the time. With the blessing of the Golden Apple, he had only spent half a day practicing the Blade Forging and Body Strengthening Technique to the maximum level.

This speed was much faster than he had imagined.

Immediately afterwards, Chen Qi took out the wriggling shadow and the shadow oil from before.

The resources in the Sea of ​​Natural Disasters were even richer than he had imagined, and these resources greatly accelerated his training speed.

At the same time, the golden apple also increased his burning resistance to a certain extent. The higher the burning resistance, the easier it is to master the Dark Flame Fist.

At this rate, he might be able to master the third-tier Dark Flame Fist before the next night arrives.

Chen Qi applied the Shadow Oil to his fist, then consumed 5000 Inspiration to level up to Lv2, feeling a surge of immense knowledge.

Your Darkflame Fist has reached Lv2, and you have gained Darkflame Affinity.

Darkflame Affect: You can ignite your energy and transform it into "Darkflame Wounds," which have a defense-breaking effect.

boom! boom! boom!
Without hesitation, Chen Qi immediately began practicing Dark Flame Fist Lv2, throwing punch after punch.

Unbeknownst to him, with a full three thousand punches, he successfully honed his Dark Flame Fist to its highest level of proficiency.

[You have fully mastered Dark Flame Fist Lv2; 'Dark Flame Wound' is now even more powerful.]

Sure enough, with the burning resistance, mastering the Dark Flame Fist became exceptionally easy... Without hesitation, Chen Qi spent another 10000 Inspiration Points to upgrade the Dark Flame Fist to Lv3!

At this moment, his inspiration points have increased from 30100 to 5100.

Chen Qi didn't pay much attention and looked at the panel.

[Your Dark Flame Fist has been upgraded to Lv3. The power of Dark Flame Wound has increased, its armor penetration effect has improved, and Dark Flame Wound will now appear as a burning substance, making it difficult to extinguish.]

Time passed, and Chen Qi was drenched in sweat when he opened the window. A touch of twilight red had already appeared in the sky.

Now, he has fully mastered the use of Dark Flame Fist and can use his tentacles to unleash incredibly powerful punches.

At the same time, he can also use the attached dark flames to inflict a significant defense reduction effect on enemies.

Chen Qi could clearly feel that he had become stronger!
However, a great sense of fatigue washed over him; he had been practicing under immense pressure for a full day.

"However, that's not enough. Tonight, I can break through again..."

Chen Qi shook his head, thinking to himself that his goal was to advance to the legendary level, and at the same time, to have the strength to crush Fen when he saw her again.

"The last day!"

With his willpower and the energy provided by the Golden Apple, Chen Qi prepared to practice the Dark Flame Fist to perfection.

boom! boom! boom!
It was another thousand times of simple, unadorned straight punch practice.

Unbeknownst to them, the entire sea was plunged into darkness once more, and Xiaoyue once again cast its cold, red moonlight.

"call……"

Chen Qi stopped practicing his fist techniques and slowly relaxed his body. He could already feel that he had completely mastered the Dark Flame Fist!
"wrong……"

Chen Qi unexpectedly discovered something that seemed amiss.

There seems to be a subtle connection between his spiritual power and his body. The 'Dark Flame Attachment' of the Dark Flame Fist, along with his Shadow Charm, Shadow Armor, Dark Flame Fist, Shadow Step techniques, Qi Transformation, and Blade Breathing, can form a wondrous synergy.

"I think I've mastered something strange..."

Chen Qi carefully sensed it and discovered that as night fell, the shadow oil on his fist became violent, and the power in his body also became restless.

But it only needs a special thing to ignite it, and it will bloom into a new form.

[Your Dark Flame Fist proficiency is maxed out. You have gained 2 points of Strength and Burning Resistance. Your current Burning Resistance is High.]

You have mastered Shadow Release: Flame Demon's Shadow Lv1!

The Shadow of the Flame Demon... Chen Qi's gaze froze as he looked at the enhancement before him.

After fully mastering the Dark Flame Fist, one can gain new liberation, which was something Chen Qi had anticipated.

After all, Dark Flame Fist is a high-level attack skill in B-rank rifts!
However, under normal circumstances, when Dark Flame Fist reaches its complete form, it should master the Flame Demon Avatar!

The Flame Demon Incarnation is an extremely powerful skill that allows one to transform their energy into a Flame Demon.

The Shadow of the Flame Demon... This isn't right...

Chen Qi was stunned for a moment. Because of the skills he possessed, what he comprehended seemed to be a completely new and special liberation.

I opened it to check it out when I woke up.

[Shadow Explanation. Shadow of the Flame Demon Lv1]
Nature/Appearance: Blade, Shadow
Description: Rage, rage, go mad! Let us become a natural disaster, hunting down all enemies in the darkness!
Activation conditions: Low enough sanity and sufficient negative emotions or fighting desire.

effect:

Passive: Once activated, it rapidly and continuously lowers sanity, covering the entire body and transforming the user into a terrifying, crazed shadow of a fire demon!

In the state of Flame Demon's Shadow, Constitution, Strength, and Agility are increased by 200%! Spirit Strength is increased by 100%!!
Once activated, you will remove all negative buffs from your body and will no longer be subject to any mind control!
At the same time, you can easily transform your negative emotions into more powerful dark flames to aid your energy moves.

Note: Once you activate the Liberation, you will enter a state of madness. Your sanity will drop below zero within ten seconds, and your body will be dominated by a large number of negative emotions, transforming you into a destructive monster of the night.

Note: The daytime sunlight and exhaustion can both bring you down from your frenzied state.

This… Chen Qi looked at the Shadow Interpretation he had just mastered.

After using the Flame Demon Avatar, the user will ignite, providing approximately 100% bonus to Strength, Constitution, and Agility.

And the Shadow of the Flame Demon is a whopping 200%!

The difference of a full 100% shocked Chen Qi.

However, its negative conditions have also increased significantly.

Originally, the negative effect of the Flame Demon Avatar was that it continuously depleted sanity, but this negative effect can be turned off manually.

Judging from the description, there is no normal way to close this Flame Demon Shadow.

Once activated, it can only rely on the exhaustion of one's physical strength, the sunlight of day, or the subjugation of others.

Totally crazy!

"A truly pure interpretation..."

I couldn't help but feel a sense of感慨 (gǎnkǎi, mixed feelings) as I woke up this morning.

Generally speaking, while such liberation is powerful, it also has an extremely high mortality rate.

However, this also raised a question for him.

His talent as a lamplighter allows him to maintain a fixed mental level in the dark, preventing it from decreasing further.

So, which has a higher priority: his talent as the Lightkeeper or the madness of this Fire Demon Shadow?

(End of this chapter)