Cosmic Demon

Chapter 171 Beast Evolution, the Heart of the Furnace!
Although the Dongxia Republic does not approve of the worship of gods, it is always difficult for people to avoid seeking a home or support for their empty and fragile hearts. What's more, the four pillar gods really exist and will occasionally come down to show their great power.

With the continued influence of several thousand years, the names of the Four Pillars have gradually been revered by more and more extraordinary people who have embarked on the path.

Especially in the psychic realm, most of them would surrender or worship under the dazzling light that is like a stellar body and cannot be looked directly at.

Therefore, when Chen Ruofu proposed Qin and was chosen by the four gods, Representative Zhou immediately fell silent.

It was impossible for him to say directly that the divine pillar had a wrong vision and had chosen the wrong person.

This is an extremely dangerous statement, and if you are not careful you might get targeted by those people in the Inquisition.

"Minister Chen really kept it a secret. The candidate recommended by the Inspection Department this year is indeed a natural genius! He is fast and steady in the martial arts path, and is highly regarded by the Four Pillars Spirits."

Representative Li's expression changed, but he quickly put away his shock. No wonder the Nanhuang Taoist Temple, the mainstay of the old Hengzhou martial arts school, was willing to move from the central city to Tai'an.

There are many criteria for measuring genius, but this is the most authoritative and unquestionable one.

Nothing is more important than the recognition of the divine pillar!

From the first generation Martial God Yan Haishan, to the subsequent Ning Yuanhai, and then to the first generation of top ten heroes, almost all of them have been bet upon by the pillars of gods.

In every Star Cup organized by the Extraordinary Tide, the top 20 will basically receive the attention or blessings of the Four Pillars of Dongxia.

The only exception is probably Zhang Qiang, the master of Nanhuang Dojo, who is known as the background board of the Ten Heroes.

It is said that this person has never been chosen by the four pillars, which makes many people subconsciously question the value of his master-level status.

Even before the leader of Nanhuang Taoist Temple came out to kill the descendants of Ying family, this bloody incident that shocked Dongxia happened.

Sayings such as Zhang Qiang simply relied on his seniority to get onto the Honorary Committee of the Wushu Association are very popular.

Until this Nanhuang Grandmaster, wearing armor and holding weapons, broke into the Ying territory by force, blew up Hengzhou's iron curtain defense, and slaughtered dozens of people.

Everyone just felt the horror of the title of "Ten Outstanding Backdrop".

"A tree that stands out in the forest will be destroyed by the wind. It is not necessarily a good thing for young people to be too proud and too eager to show off."

Chen Ruofu glanced at Representative Zhou, who looked like a defeated fighting cock, and said meaningfully:

"If it arouses the jealousy of the scoundrels, it will be bad if they secretly harm us. I heard that in recent years, many of the special students who had the hope of entering the junior classes at the four national universities have met with accidents."

Representative Zhou had an unpleasant look on his face. He snorted coldly and strode away from the temporary command base.

He walked some distance, regained his composure, and sent a message using his watch.

"The outer areas have been lost. Qin Shi was chosen by the four gods and has the potential to be crowned."

This text message will be sent to the secretary's office of the Director of Education in a dozen minutes.

"The last martial arts path chosen by the four gods was He Lanchan. Those who learn from him live, and those who resemble him die. Chen Ruofu thought he had picked up a treasure, but he didn't know that the more Qin Shi resembled He Lanchan, the more likely it would alert the higher-ups."

Representative Zhou lit a cigarette and puffed out smoke while gazing at the thick night sky.

He couldn't help feeling sorry because the Education Department's duty was to recruit talents for the country.

Logically speaking, a young genius like Qin Shi who has unlimited potential and a bright future should be supported.

But unfortunately, many historical issues have not been resolved.

The past that has been covered by the dust of history is like an unfathomable whirlpool. Anyone who approaches or tries to contact it will be swallowed up.

"No one in the outer area can stop Qin Shi. If he is this strong, we can only look forward to Zhou Yuanchen's performance."

Representative Zhou lowered his head and stepped on the cigarette butt, allowing the Fourth Regiment to discover that a "second-generation He Lanchan" had emerged in Hengzhou.

Then it's not just a struggle between the central city and the urban area, the Ying family and the Nanhuang Dojo.

If the military is involved, the situation will become more complicated.

……

……

The next day, when the sun jumped out of the Great Rift Valley, the morning light dispelled the cold mist and frost.

Qin Shi woke up from his closed-eye meditation. He opened his eyes and a gleam of light flashed.

His spiritual transformation and the surge of telekinesis caused his temperament to change drastically, as if his entire person was endowed with some kind of uniqueness. Even when standing among a crowd, he stood out.

Like a touch of bright colors on the hazy white paper!
"I finally understand what it means to describe someone as ordinary yet extraordinary in novels."

Qin Shi continued his trek and found a shallow stream that had not yet dried up, with a human figure vaguely reflected on the water.

His eyes were like the finishing touch, making the boy's originally immature image more profound and bright, with a hint of indescribable majesty.

"Spiritual transformation actually has a charm bonus, I didn't expect that."

Qin Shi wiped his face to wash off the dirt from last night's fight, and ate a few protein bars to absorb nutrients.

After defeating the biggest boss of the outer level, the Cultist, you can go straight to the lair and enter the middle area.

"Walk around again, collect some materials, and see if there are any big fish willing to take the bait and send some supplies over."

After simply washing and eating, Qin Shi fully opened his mental perception within a hundred-meter range to capture prey one by one.

The remaining group of war mastiffs, without the guidance of the secret believers, were like a pile of loose sand, which was just right for him to practice dimensional slashing.

Chi Chi Chi!
Black cracks appeared on the palm of his hand, sweeping past like a whirlwind, bringing out a large area of ​​blood.

Those thick-skinned war mastiffs were like paper, and were torn apart in an instant by the Dimension Slash powered by telekinesis.

"Even a professional fighter who is hit head-on by this terrifying attack power may not be able to withstand it."

Qin Shi's face turned pale. Every time he used the Dimension Slash, he felt weak as if his spirit was dried up and his body was hollowed out.

Operate the self-cultivation furnace to restore physical strength, then meditate on the void to make your mind complete.

After about half an hour, the physical condition returned to its peak.

He collected the red crystals and threw them into his tactical backpack.

Then he looked for the next group of war mastiffs and launched a dimensional slash.

During the period, they ran into other teams twice. Qin Shi was quite easy-going and asked them to leave their supplies and give up the race voluntarily.

Many players who witnessed the Dimension Slash harvesting scene did the same.

"How did they let this kind of monster into the outer area?"

They all thought so at the same time.

With a vitality of just over 80 points, he was about the third level of amateur level in martial arts.

The result is also compatible with psionic pathways, and opens up spell slots, making it possible to cast skills.

The combined combat power of the two paths is incredibly terrifying!
By the time Qin Shi, who was almost obsessive-compulsive, had cleared the outer area, the day was already over.

His tactical backpack was bulging, filled entirely with materials.

"The rations are almost gone, it's time to head to the middle area to restock."

Qin Shi continued to improve his proficiency in Dimension Slash and finally shortened the skill's cooldown to twenty minutes per shot.

And the control level is more subtle, no longer simply rubbing with hands, the pre-swing is extremely long, and it is easy to dodge.

The obvious progress made him very satisfied. The spherical core of the sea of ​​consciousness inside his brain became increasingly brighter, as if it had been polished.

"What shape should the holy fetus take? In ancient times, the holy sons and daughters, and the world's geniuses all seemed to like to make them into bells, tripods, and towers!"

Qin Shi went deep into the lair of the secret cultists and passed through the gloomy and dark underground caves. The other party left several mechanisms. Fortunately, his mental power transformed and his five senses were extremely sharp, so he destroyed them one by one.

During this time, they harvested a rich supply of materials. Apart from the disgusting rotten flesh and blood, biological limbs, etc. soaked in formalin, they also found many precious metals used in esoteric rituals and items with a strong smell of the underworld, which Qin Shi packed up and took away.

Because of the [Auto-Pickup] achievement feature, he would never miss anything valuable and could be said to have cleaned out his nest thoroughly.

“It’s a great harvest.”

Qin Shi could get a great sense of comfort from this kind of behavior of searching for pictures and looting.

It took him twenty minutes to pass through the intricate underground caves and return to the world above ground.

The glaring sunlight made my eyes hurt slightly, and the topography of the middle area was different from that of the periphery.

On the steep walls on both sides, there are dense clusters of crystals growing, like clumps of weeds.

Under the sunlight, it reflects colorful light, which is extremely dazzling.

"The manual says that the middle layer is overrun with rust beasts. These are alien creatures that were bred due to the high-intensity war that caused a huge change in the ecosystem."

Qin Shi had a strong mental power and an almost photographic memory, so he had already memorized the contents in his head.

He slowed down his breathing, and his breath became very fine, spreading his mental power far away, forming a "perception field" of nearly a hundred meters.

As expected, we "saw" a group of about a hundred strange beasts.

They are two meters long, very large, shaped like mane dogs, and their flesh shows signs of corrosion like metallic rust.

They are densely packed together, and it looks spectacular.

Usually, if you want to clear out the rust beasts, you must wear corrosion-resistant ceramic composite armor and then use the firepower of the Gauss rifle to clear the ground.

The most troublesome thing about the Rust Beast is that after being killed, it will explode on its own, scattering high-temperature radioactive substances and forming a contaminated area that can burn sustainably.

Once trapped, it is difficult to escape.

Even a professional martial artist would not rashly fall into a group of hundreds of rust beasts.

"One rust beast is worth 70 points. If I can get rid of this group of beasts, my points should be able to catch up with those people in the core area."

Qin Shi thought that rust beasts basically moved in groups. They fed on metals, and their mouthparts secreted strong acid and absorbed the iron in them. Their defenses were naturally very strong. In addition, there were so many of them that it was not difficult to kill a few of them, but it was not so easy to destroy the herd.

"It would be a shame to miss out on the points that are right in front of us."

Qin Shi hid in the corner, observing the rust beasts.

He did not forget his goal to enter the core area and fight for second place and first place!

The accumulation of points is very important to me!
"The ranking will be refreshed every three days. I have to rush to a higher position before that."

Qin Shi racked his brain. At present, his most powerful means of attack was the dimensional slash extracted from the "Void Meditation Method".

But it is undoubtedly wishful thinking to expect to clear out hundreds of rust beasts with one shot.

If you attract too much hatred, it will inevitably cause the beasts to riot and surround you.

The high temperature of radioactivity, combined with the strong toxins generated, poses a huge threat!
"The disadvantages of being a lone ranger come into play. One person has to do too many things."

Qin Shi sighed that if someone helped him pull the monsters and restrain them, the difficulty would be greatly reduced.

He was not in a hurry. He found a vantage point with a good view, stayed there and waited for an opportunity.

Silently practice the "Void Meditation Method" to absorb the free energy of the dimensional space.

When Qin Shi opened his eyes again, the sun had already set, and the orange afterglow fell on the Great Rift Valley.

The rust beasts did not migrate away. They climbed the steep walls and moved in and out of the crystal clusters.

Occasionally, it would open its mouth, pick up an irregular cluster of broken crystals, and carry it to the center of the herd.

There was a very "petite" rust beast, its surface looked like a thick hard shell, not the dirty rust color, but an alloy material that looked very hard. Its limbs had evolved into power claws, not flesh and blood, but like transplanted refined steel.

"Beast King?"

Qin Shi looked at the leader-level rust beast, which was about the same size as a wolfhound. In front of it was a pile of broken crystal clusters as high as a hill.

Other rust beasts presented "offerings" and it lowered its head to gnaw on them. As it ate more and more, a roar of a machine suddenly came from its body.

As if there was some kind of mutation, the "rust" all over the chest of this leader-level rust beast kept peeling off, revealing an iron heart.

This object is undergoing a transformation and is gradually emitting a bright glow, just like a jadeite stone with the skin worn off, revealing the plump texture and charming color inside.

"Evolution! This rust beast is evolving!"

Qin Shi sensed the energy surge in the dimensional space. He closed his eyes and observed with his psychic vision. The vast number of rust beasts disappeared and turned into blood-colored light balls, converging into a long river.

And in the middle of the river, there is an extremely thick beam of light.

"Rust beasts are divided into 'ordinary level', 'elite level', 'boss level' and 'leader level'. The last 'leader level' is almost equivalent to the professional level of the martial arts path!"

Qin Shi recalled the introduction of the manual and couldn't help but feel excited. Just like in order to advance from amateur level to professional level in martial arts, one needs to "hatch" the seeds of life into crystals.

The Rust Beast also needs to complete its own transformation, which is to sublimate its heart from iron to a "heart of the furnace".

It can then devour more scarce metals, digest them faster, and even generate refined materials through the heart of the furnace.

The leader-level rust beast can convert the metal elements swallowed in its body into plasma and emit high-temperature jets.

Even professionals have to retreat away from such a horrific blow. Once hit, their flesh and blood will be carbonized and cannot be restored by using their active energy.

"Worth 10,000 points!"

The thought that flashed through Qin Shi's mind was how to deal with this rust beast that was evolving into a leader level.

"If it is allowed to complete its transformation, it will become a professional alien creature, far beyond the food chain of the middle zone! It will definitely lead the herd to hunt on a large scale..."

Through the detailed text in the manual, he had a general understanding of the habits of the rust beasts. They often went on large hunts in groups, leaving a scorched earth wherever they appeared. After a big harvest, it would take a long time before they would go "foraging" again.

"With the protection of hundreds of beasts and the energy barrier of the evolutionary stage... we must use long-range means!"

Qin Shi's eyes lit up slightly, and he took out Wu Tao's gift from his tactical backpack.

The undamaged Cang Lei composite bow!

"With the Qi locking and mental aiming, it shouldn't be possible to miss!"

Qin Shi was also quite nervous. He first looked for a way to escape, thinking about which direction he should escape if he alarmed the herd and failed to kill the evolved rust beast!

After taking several deep breaths, the body-cultivation furnace was running to its maximum, the tendons and bones were firmly locked, as if they were one, and a powerful force burst out.

He slowly looked towards the petite rust beast and prepared to draw the bowstring.

boom!
Thunder suddenly roared!

I saw a burly man jumping out from above, swinging a sledgehammer taller than him!
"Where did the top laner come from? He's trying to steal the lead from me!"

Qin Shi paused in drawing the bow, as an inexplicable thought popped into his mind.

(End of this chapter)