Swallowing the Stars: Reboot, The Eternal Serpent!

Chapter 26 Apology!

He had already mastered the art of exhaling to a high degree; this was just one of the subtle applications of the art, which Jiang Zhe quickly learned under his uncle's tutelage.

Although an apprentice cannot control genetic energy, he possesses the strength honed through a family secret.

The thunderous roar of tigers and leopards gradually rises!

—The chest and abdomen are like bellows, and the lungs beat like thunder!

He channeled his strength into his entire body, and with a loud "Ha!" he burst forth with supersonic speed, smashing through a solid concrete pile more than half a meter wide on the rooftop.

Amidst the rising dust, Jiang Zhe quietly savored the state he had just experienced—the recoil from the impact was completely neutralized by the energy he had channeled throughout his body!

The breathing technique... no, the entire "Thunder Sound" manual does indeed have the effect of increasing defense.

Perhaps because the improvement effect was not obvious, and because Earth martial arts were led astray by Hong and Lei Shen, focusing solely on power generation, and because the Black God Set compensated for defense... the Jiang family did not notice the powerful potential of "Thunder Sound" in "strengthening muscles and bones".

"Exactly how many times better?" Jiang Zhe shook his head. "I can't sense it. Besides, this technique is still very rudimentary, but the approach should be correct, right?"

"Quick! The old man is back, get ready." Jiang Zhe's thoughts were interrupted.

Following my uncle's gaze, a streak of light rushed towards us.

As they drew closer, they could see a figure carrying a huge block of ice, rushing towards them.

A living creature is sealed within the ice!

This is a trick the old man developed using his ice-controlling abilities; low-ranking lords are powerless against him.

Jiang Zhe silently picked up the weapons placed in the corner, carrying a round shield and a golden mace on his back and a long spear in his hand.

His uncle's sighing tone reached his ears.

"The Kui Niu monster left a deep impression on me; it was because of it that I developed my 'Thunder' technique."

"Xiao Zhe, with your current level of mastery of 'Thunder,' even the old man can't teach you anymore."

"Your comprehension far surpasses mine. Now let's see if this Kui Niu can help you reach the pinnacle of 'thunder'!"

"I understand." Jiang Zhe nodded, stuck the spearhead into the rooftop floor, and took the golden mace from his back and threw it to his uncle.

"Uncle, please adjust it to a weight of one ton."

"Haha, I love your confident look!" Jiang Chengbo said with a look of approval.

The nephew's attitude was clear: he wasn't going to use a gun or seek a quick kill, but instead used a golden mace, hoping the Kui Niu could give him some inspiration.

Injecting genetic energy activates the secret patterns on the surface of the golden mace, altering its weight before returning it to its original form.

Jiang Zhe took it and swung it around a couple of times, a satisfied look on his face. With his current physical condition, the weight of a ton felt just right to handle.

The old man, traveling at several times the speed of sound, had already flown to the front of the apartment and threw out the huge block of ice he was holding with both hands.

"Xiao Zhe, this is a Kui Niu, a mutated manatee monster that excels in defense and sonic attacks. It has the strength of a low-level lord. Why don't you give it a try?"

The ice cubes shattered as they fell.

The nearly eight-meter-long "fish"-like shadow, resembling a liquid tanker, broke free from inside.

"Moo!"

The panicked roar sounded like muffled thunder!

It generated a shockwave visible to the naked eye, sweeping in all directions, causing surrounding high-rise buildings to tremble, concrete walls to crack, and large clouds of dust to billow up.

The extremely piercing shriek almost echoed throughout the entire city of 079!

Jiang Zhe was only about fifty meters away from it in a straight line, facing the terrifying sonic boom head-on. Fortunately, he was wearing the Black God Suit and had plugged his ears early on, but he still felt that his internal organs were shaken and he felt somewhat uncomfortable.

Yes, "uncomfortable," that's all.

Even the sonic attack representative of Earth's monsters, the Hissing Beast, couldn't handle the Black God Set, let alone the Kui Niu, which is slightly inferior to it.

snoring—gurgling—

Jiang Zhe unleashed a thunderous roar, causing his internal organs to vibrate and neutralize the external force, completely shaking off the sonic attack from the Kui Niu.

Holding a golden mace in one hand and a round shield in the other, he leaped from the thirtieth floor.

He fell into the street after the Lord of Kui Niu, less than twenty meters away from him, and taunted the Lord of Kui Niu by striking his round shield twice with his golden mace.

"Moo!"

A sonic boom surged towards him, and Jiang Zhe was pushed several meters away by the terrifying shockwave.

His feet, clad in metal combat boots, plowed two shallow furrows into the asphalt road, but he remained unharmed, energetically banging on his shield and issuing another provocation.

The imposing aura of the two kings above made it restless, and the ant in front of it unknowingly provoked it, completely igniting the Kui Niu's emotions, causing its eyes to turn bloodshot and it to go mad.

puff!

The fish bladder behind it suddenly spewed out a large amount of gas, causing it to crash into Jiang Zhe at supersonic speed.

"Great! Let's have a strength contest!"

Jiang Zhe assumed the stance of the "Bear King Shield," unleashed a burst of power with a "Ha!" and charged forward, ramming against the shield.

The entire collision process ended in almost a millisecond.

Bang!

After a dull thud, two figures, one tall and one short, were sent flying backward, crashing into apartment buildings on either side of the road.

Hundreds of meters in the air, the two lawmakers, witnessing their first confrontation, looked at each other in bewilderment.

The old man turned to his eldest son and gave him a death stare: "Who taught him to treat the lord like that? Did you teach him this morning?"

"I don't know! It wasn't me! I never taught it!"

Jiang Chengbo denied the allegations three times in a row and quickly clarified the suspicions.

"Dad, believe me, it has absolutely nothing to do with me."

"Xiao Zhe seems to have some psychological issues. He always likes to confront monsters head-on and yearns for that kind of flesh-and-blood battle."

Despite his seemingly evasive words, Jiang Chengbo actually felt that his nephew had been influenced by him.

After all, he had just been teaching the wonderful uses of the breathing technique for strengthening muscles and bones.

Well, isn't this what we're going to use in actual combat?

—A normal fragile martial artist uses movement techniques to dodge monster attacks and then waits for an opportunity to deliver a fatal blow!

The battlefield below.

Jiang Zhe had emerged from the rising dust and was standing on the street again.

"The effects of the secret manual 'Thunder Sound' are quite good."

"The damage from this collision was reduced by 90% by the Black God Set, and the remaining 10% was also neutralized by the surging force around my body, so it did not cause me any internal injuries."

At this moment, Jiang Zhe even considered taking off the Black God Set to test his defense, but fortunately, his rationality prevailed, and he dismissed the idea.

Moo!

The Kui Niu roared, shaking the entire apartment building until it cracked and created a hole in the load-bearing wall. The bull burst out and landed on the street, causing the high-rise apartment building to collapse.

Braving the rain of falling earth and rocks, Jiang Zhe and Kui Niu clashed once again.

The Kui Niu swung its tail, causing the abandoned car beside it to crash into Jiang Zhe with a force more terrifying than a cannonball.

"You dare to show off your meager skills before an expert?"

The spiritual energy within the original core, equivalent to that of an eighth-level apprentice, poured out, suspending the car in mid-air, and then pushing it back the way it came, crashing it into the Kui Niu.

Jiang Zhe stomped his foot heavily, and in an instant, he closed in on the Kui Niu's side, wielding his golden mace.

Moo!

A terrifying sonic boom exploded right in front of my face.

The abandoned car was thrown into the air, but Jiang Zhe used his mental power to push his combat suit from behind, preventing it from being blown away by the sonic waves.

But then, a pair of two-meter-long, sickle-shaped white teeth came stabbing at him.

"Cut it off!"

With eight times the force and the speed of the attack, Jiang Zhe smashed out the golden mace in his hand.

Rain beats against the white sand, and maces strike the chopped firewood in disarray!

Weapons like maces are a perfect match for the concept of speed.

Click!

The sickle-shaped white teeth were smashed off.

The golden mace continued its trajectory, striking the fat face of the Kui ox. With a roar, flesh rippled and the ox's tanker-like body flew out of the air.

When the Kui Niu got up, Jiang Zhe was quite surprised by its appearance.

The white tooth was violently broken, causing a small area of ​​skin to tear around the mouth and nose, exposing the bone.

But the half of his face that was hit by the mace only collapsed; the layer of fat on the surface of his skin was not smashed into mincemeat.

Reflecting on the scene just now, Jiang Zhe found the reason.

"First of all, its skin structure is very special; it's a natural meat shield, incredibly durable!"

"Secondly, it uses sound vibrations to vibrate the skin, creating a special technique that achieves the effect of dissipating force!"

"My uncle's special skill in blowing his breath is obviously related to this special technique."

I'm currently reading the error-free version! This is the first time I've published this novel.

"..."

Jiang Zhe, in high spirits, did not rush to kill the Kui Niu, but continued to fight it.

He smashed his mace against its fat flesh, observing this special defensive technique, and perfecting his own Xingyi Six Arts of Thunder.

……

Two hours later, the Lord of Kui Niu, unable to bear the torment any longer, died in misery.

Jiang Zhe was still somewhat unsatisfied.

The old man landed from the air and asked, "Did you gain anything?"

"Yes, a great deal!"

Jiang Zhe licked his dry lips, his expression excited.

"Who would have thought that such profound mysteries could be contained within the seemingly ordinary and unremarkable Kui ox? One can only marvel at the wonders of nature's creation!"

The old man looked pleased and smiled with narrowed eyes, "Haha, that's the way of nature."

"Xiao Zhe, from now on, there's nothing more we can teach you at home. You can say you've officially graduated."

"But you must remember, Xingyi is a bionics, imitating the stance of a large tree; imitating the twelve true forms of beasts and the sound of thunder... learning from heaven and earth and all things!"

"In the future, you will walk alone, forging your own path. I hope that the 'Xingyi School' will reach its zenith under your leadership!"

Jiang Zhe clenched his fist and pounded it against his chest twice, then readily promised, "Grandpa, don't worry, I will. Xingyi is my foundation!"

At one point, Jiang Lie saw his younger self in Jiang Zhe.

In the midst of turmoil, embracing their family's unique skills, they embarked on an unknown new path, overcoming obstacles and hardships to reach this point.

……

After defeating the Kui Niu, Jiang Zhe's practical assessment continued, proceeding according to the originally planned challenge list.

The Black-scaled Tortoise, in the zoo of City 079, was a tortoise before its mutation.

It was not good at attacking, but like the Kui Niu, it was good at defending. It was killed by Jiang Zhe with his golden mace and 10 times the force.

The golden python, its head pierced by a spear, writhed for a long time before dying.

The Jade Horned Sheep has an extraordinary ability to charge.

Jiang Zhe, shielded by the round shield, faced it head-on and suffered a slight loss.

He turned around and smashed its back with his golden mace to get his revenge.

It is extremely rare for a lion mastiff, a monster that is generally a soldier-level beast, to grow to the lord level.

However, its combat strength was very weak compared to others of the same level. Jiang Zhe stabbed it in the head with a single shot, and its body was thrown dozens of meters away.

Firescale Trident Boar, the most famous and formidable of all boar monsters.

The one the old man found for him is already very close to a mid-level lord in strength.

Jiang Zhe feigned defeat and retreated, luring the Fire Scale Three-Horned Boar to pursue him. With a counterattack combined with 12 times the power and the essence of speed, he killed it with a single shot!

Blue-backed Black Claw Crab, a mid-level lord, the penultimate prey.

Known for its pair of black pincers, it can shred an SS-class combat suit even at the Lord level.

Jiang Zhe dared not be careless in the slightest when taking on the challenge.

But it still managed to seize the opportunity and cut the spear.

Jiang Zhe then used his golden mace to perform a back-opening service on its marble-like blue back.

When the giant crab tried to escape into the river, Jiang Zhe controlled a throwing knife to pierce through a crack in its back, tearing apart all its organs and killing it.

This is the first time Jiang Zhe has used his mental powers in recent challenges.

The "Death Roll" has only one spot left: a mid-level Lord-level Kui Niu!

Jiang Zhe went to sea with his grandfather and uncle to complete their mission.

Two powerful councilors are hunting down the infamous Kui Niu King, which roams the waters off Huang County!

The father and son hoped that that level of combat would bring Jiang Zhe more inspiration.

Upon arriving in Huang County, the two became entangled with the planetary-level Kui Niu King.

Jiang Zhe then unleashed his fury upon the lord-level Kui Niu distributed across several islands.

With his mental power unleashed at full force, ten throwing knives transformed into a meat grinder, showcasing the sharpness befitting a mentalist.

His mental cultivation level was at the seventh level of apprentice, but his mental power was at the eighth level of apprentice.

Killing other high-level lord-class monsters might require some effort, but killing a high-level lord-class Kui Niu is quite simple.

In just a few minutes, Jiang Zhe killed eleven Kui Niu lords, including two high-level, three medium-level, and six low-level ones.

For the rest of the time, Jiang Zhe comprehended the Dao amidst the roars of the Kui Niu King, his eyes straining to follow the movements of the three of them, eager to discern some valuable insights.

Within the ocean, humans cannot act recklessly after all; the roar of the Kui Niu King is too loud and might attract other king-level monsters.

Therefore, Jiang Zhe only watched for less than five minutes before the old man used the Eight Treasures Dragon Spear to deliver the final blow to the Kui Niu King.

Not only is a King-level corpse valuable, but it is also of great use to Jiang Zhe. Therefore, the old man froze it, and Jiang Zhe used his mental power to lift it up and take it away.

The 29-day wilderness retreat has come to an end.

姜哲和老爷子是8月5日仓促出发，沿着铁道赶路用了5天，在8月10日正式开始修行。

Today is September 8th. The three of them, carrying the corpse of the Kui Niu King and backpacks full of Lord-level monster materials, departed from Huang County and flew back to Lanling Base City.

While passing through the Taiyi Mountains, Jiang Zhe stopped to rest. As he regained his mental strength, he heard the noisy cries of monkeys and suddenly realized: "Wealth and honor without returning home is like wearing brocade at night!"

So, the three generations of grandfather, grandfather, and grandson discussed it and decided to wipe out the golden-haired ape clan that had been entrenched there.

In less than half an hour, the entire ape colony, including warrior-level and lord-level apes, was wiped out by Jiang Zhe using his mental powers, and the leader, the ape king, was also killed by the two councilors working together.

In the early morning of September 9, 2046, the grandfather, grandson, and granddaughter returned to Lanling Base City and went back to the Jiang family.

The two king-level corpses and the lord-level materials were all handed over to Steward Wu for disposal.

The grandfather and his two grandsons separated in the courtyard, each eager to go back and clean themselves. Even though there were safe houses in the wilderness, there wasn't enough water, and the three of them were already marinating.

Back in his secluded courtyard, Jiang Zhe was still taking a hot bath, pondering a series of derivative uses of "thunder".

Butler Wu suddenly came looking for us.

"Young Master Zhe, we have distinguished guests. Please wash up quickly, the master wants to see you."

"Yes, Uncle, I understand."

Jiang Zhe agreed, but in his heart he was thinking, "With two members of our family becoming councilors, they've become highly sought after. They must be officials. Could it be Jia Yi?"

(End of this chapter)