Ling Chen slowly straightened his body.
Icy wastewater, mixed with black blood and shredded flesh, flowed down him, dripping onto the murky water's surface.
He slightly moved his left arm; the deep, bone-exposing wound had long vanished, replaced by smooth, new skin, even gleaming with a jade-like luster.
His fingers slowly clenched, knuckles cracking like clashing metal! Power! An unprecedented sense of power surged through his entire body! It was many times stronger than before!
Ling Chen lowered his head, looking at his reflection in the water.
On his pale, gaunt face, the thirty originally blood-red markings had transformed into ink-black blood patterns resembling a thorny crown, emitting a cold and eerie glow.
This was one of the signs of advancing from the Corpse Ghoul Realm: the blood patterns at the corner of the eyes changing from red to black.
His wet black hair clung to his forehead, his face covered in bloodstains, yet it couldn't conceal his unfathomable, black eyes, deep as an ancient frozen pond.
The Soul Jade Physique's cold will, like a precise scanner, instantly assessed his condition.
Realm: Bone Eater Realm (Initial Entry)
Blood Patterns: Thirty Ink-Black Patterns (Stable)
Bone Strength: Initial Mutation Complete, Hardness Increased.
Core Abilities:
Thunder Wings (Tier 2 · Enhanced): Wingspan increased to four meters, lightning intensity increased, duration extended to five minutes.
Soul Jade Physique (Enhanced): Mental resistance increased.
New: Bone Armor Prototype (Passive): Can mentally condense energy on the bone surface to form localized bone armor defense (limited strength, immense consumption).
“Good,” Ling Chen's lips curved into a cold arc. “Power… it’s finally on the right track. Reaching the Bone Eater Realm is equivalent to 30 times the full attributes of an adult male.”
Not only that, after 30 blood patterns, it means the heart has been completely energized into a crystalline form, which is the complete “Crystal Core.” The previous partially energized hearts could only be broadly referred to as “Mutated Crystals.”
The value of one Crystal Core is far greater than 30 Tier 1 Mutated Crystals because the purity of a Crystal Core is much higher than that of Mutated Crystals.
In his previous life, in the black market, let alone 30, even 300 wouldn't necessarily buy a single Crystal Core.
But this realm would likely drop back down soon, because compared to powerful combat strength, he needed a more covert force, he needed… a “shadow” that could move for him in the darkness.
During his time in the military, he would need such a character to handle some more important matters, as the saying goes, 'soldiers and horses move, provisions go first.'
He had to prepare his escape route; if he managed to acquire the reverse scale pendant but then died in the military's pursuit, how frustrating would that be?
His gaze pierced through layers of darkness, like an invisible probe, scanning the entire Linghui Academy Ruins. The Soul Jade Physique's cold will, like an invisible spiderweb, covered every inch of the land.
He was searching… for a special “signal.”
A… unique existence, a mix of canine loyalty, complex human emotions, and… strong mutated energy fluctuations.
Ling Chen had stumbled upon him by chance during a previous outing, but he changed his mind after encountering Zheng Xiyun. Firstly, he had no time to deal with it, and secondly, Zheng Xiyun had abilities and greater potential. But now that Zheng Xiyun was gone, only he remained.
Found him!
In the western part of the academy, deep within the collapsed grandstand ruins near the abandoned Sports Hall.
A faint but exceptionally resilient mental fluctuation flickered like a candle in the wind. That fluctuation was filled with pain, confusion, struggle… and a fiercely suppressed, wildfire-like… instinct for survival!
That's it! An extremely rare mutant capable of maintaining a sliver of clear consciousness solely through willpower.
Ling Chen’s figure, like a ghost merging with the darkness, silently vanished into the depths of the drainage ditch. Only three massive beast corpses, gnawed down to mere skeletons and shredded skin, remained, along with… an overwhelmingly dense stench of blood and death.
Sports Hall Ruins · Deep within the Grandstand
Darkness, like viscous asphalt, tightly enveloped this space buried under rebar and concrete debris. The air was foul, mixed with dust, mold, and a faint smell of blood. A massive, emaciated monster, the size of a small calf, was curled up in the shadow of a corner.
It… or rather, he? It was difficult to define him with a simple species.
His upper body vaguely retained a human outline, but his skin was a sickly gray-white, covered in crisscrossing, hideous dark red scars resembling centipedes.
His muscles were abnormally swollen and knotted, yet appeared shriveled from prolonged hunger. Most bizarre was his head—it could no longer be called a human face.
His cheekbones protruded sharply, eye sockets deeply sunken, and his pupils were a dull yellow, like a wild beast's. His mouth was split to his ears, revealing two rows of jagged, interlocked, pale fangs covered in sticky saliva!
And his lower body… had completely mutated into a canine form! Covered in gray-black, stiff, needle-like short fur! His thick hind legs were bulging with muscle, joints twisted and deformed, ending in razor-sharp, hooked claws that gleamed with a cold, bluish light! A thick, bone-spiked tail dragged limply behind him like a steel whip.
He was Zhuang Han, formerly a student in Class 7, Grade 11, at Linghui Academy. A cheerful, sunny teenager who loved basketball.
When the Blood Moon Catastrophe erupted, he was training in the Sports Hall. To protect his girlfriend, who was being attacked by ghouls, he was bitten through the calf by a mutated large Doberman. The virus, the mutated dog's genes, a strong will to survive, and obsession… a terrifying fusion mutation occurred within his body. He transformed into this half-human, half-dog monster.
He retained some human memories and emotions, but canine instincts and a thirst for blood, like maggots clinging to bone, constantly eroded his sanity.
He roamed the ruins like a lonely ghost, hunting lone ghouls and mutated beasts, scavenging carrion, and avoiding all clustered living beings—whether human or ghoul. He feared his monstrous appearance, and even more… he feared that he would completely lose control and harm… her, who might still be alive.
Hunger, loneliness, pain, self-loathing… gnawed at his soul like venomous snakes. He didn't know what he was, where he should go, or even… if he was still alive.
Just then!
A cold, powerful will, like an icy abyss, pierced through the thick rebar and concrete without warning, instantly locking onto his soul like an invisible chain!
Zhuang Han suddenly lifted his head! His murky beast eyes contracted sharply! Every hair on his body stood on end like steel needles! An overwhelming, irresistible fear, stemming from the instinct of life itself, instantly seized his heart!
A suppressed, low growl, like a wild beast whose tail had been stepped on, escaped his throat! His body began to tremble violently, uncontrollably!
What was that?! That feeling… it was more terrifying than any mutated beast he had encountered before! As if… a natural predator had descended!
Crack… crack…
Heavy rebar and concrete debris were slowly moved aside by an invisible force. A figure, like a demon returning from hell, stepped through the cold moonlight (filtering through a crack) and slowly entered this forgotten corner.
Ling Chen.
He stood at the entrance of the ruins, looking down at the monster curled in the corner. The shadow of his hood obscured most of his face, revealing only his pale, gaunt chin and his tightly pressed, blade-like lips.
He exuded an aura that was cold, deathly, yet contained terrifying power. Like ice that had not melted for ten thousand years, yet also like a volcano on the verge of eruption.
His gaze fell on Zhuang Han, like the most precise surgical knife, dissecting his body structure, energy fluctuations, mental state… and… the faint spark of “Zhuang Han's” soul hidden beneath the monster's shell.
“Half-human, half-canine… genetic chimera… retains partial human consciousness and emotions… strong obsession… craving for flesh and blood… confusion and fear about its own existence…” The Soul Jade Physique's cold will completed the assessment instantly.
Perfect, even more perfect than he had anticipated.
A perfect “Dark Claw” – intelligent, retaining human weaknesses (obsession), formidable in strength (broke through to mid-tier on the third day, relying on his own cultivation), possessing immense potential (genetic chimerism brings infinite possibilities), and… absolutely unacceptable to human society.
When Ling Chen stepped into the grandstand ruins, the figure curled in the shadows was not entirely bestial—
It was a tall, slender teenager in a tattered school uniform, with abnormally bulging muscles beneath his gray-white skin. But the moment Ling Chen's killing intent locked onto him!
“Ugh ah—!” Zhuang Han let out an inhuman growl, his school uniform ripped apart with a tearing sound! His spine snapped like a taut bowstring, and gray-black fur rapidly sprouted from his pores! His fingernails transformed into hooked claws, tearing through his gloves!
By the time the transformation was complete, he had become a monstrous beast, like an armored vehicle, and lunged forward!
This was 【Beastification】, a special ability that only manifests when the fusion rate reaches about seventy to eighty percent. It seems this guy's luck is truly good.
Ling Chen smiled, slowly raising his right hand. At his fingertips, a wisp of dark purple electric arc, condensed to its extreme, silently danced. Around the arc, the air seemed to twist!
“Young mutant, will you choose to submit or die?”
The cold voice, as if from the Nine Nether Frost Springs, carried no human emotion. Although it held a strange hint of mockery, the pure, undeniable will of suppression and the extremely strong aura of a superior being could not be hidden by a smile!
In Zhuang Han's murky beast eyes, an intense struggle and… ferocity erupted instantly!
The ferocity stemming from canine instinct and the rage of invaded territory instantly overwhelmed his fear! He let out a low roar, like a wounded beast, from his throat!
His thick, bone-spiked tail whipped up sharply! His hind leg muscles bulged! His hooked claws, gleaming with a cold, bluish light, fiercely pushed off the ground!
Boom!
Crushed stones flew! His massive body, like a cannonball, charged straight at Ling Chen, accompanied by a tearing shriek and a strong fishy wind!
His giant mouth, split open to his ears, revealed pale, razor-sharp fangs that snapped towards Ling Chen's neck!
His speed was like lightning! His power was absolutely brutal!
He wanted to tear apart this intruder who had invaded his "nest" and brought him immense threat and fear!
Facing this pounce capable of tearing steel, Ling Chen stood still, unmoving.
A cold arc formed at the corner of his mouth, hidden by the shadow of his hood.
Foolish.
Just as Zhuang Han's fangs were about to touch Ling Chen's neck!
Ling Chen moved!
No evasion! No retreat!
His raised right index finger, like the most precise conductor's baton, lightly tapped towards the pouncing Zhuang Han!
Buzz—!!!
A dark purple rhomboid crystal, condensed to the extreme and only thumb-sized, silently pierced Zhuang Han's glabella!
Bloodline Slave Seal—Activated!
"Awoo—!!!"
Zhuang Han let out a distorted, mournful howl! It was as if he had been struck hard on the head by an invisible giant hammer!
His forward momentum instantly stiffened!
His massive body, like a kite with a broken string, crashed heavily to the ground! Kicking up a large cloud of dust!
He clutched his head, rolling and convulsing wildly on the cold ground! His dull yellow beast eyes were instantly covered with crimson bloodshot veins! It was as if countless steel needles were wildly stirring in his brain, tearing his nerves!
Burning his soul! The enhanced Soul Jade Physique's will ignored all of his resistance, forcibly invading his spiritual core, and imprinting an indelible mark belonging to Ling Chen deep within his soul!
"No... don't... get out... Ahhh—!"
Zhuang Han let out a human-like roar, full of pain and despair! His remaining human consciousness struggled wildly! His canine instincts also resisted fiercely! But... in the face of absolute power disparity, all resistance was like a praying mantis trying to stop a chariot!
Ling Chen watched the monster rolling in pain on the ground with an expressionless face.
The dark purple electric arc on his fingertip continued to output.
The Soul Jade Physique's cold will, like the most precise carving knife, meticulously carved the runes of the slave seal deep into his soul.
He could clearly "feel" Zhuang Han's soul wailing and struggling, but it couldn't evoke any pity from him.
"Give up resisting... accept your fate..." Ling Chen's cold voice, like a curse, directly penetrated deep into Zhuang Han's chaotic consciousness,
"Become my dark claw... you will gain power... gain new life... gain... the meaning of existence..."
"No... I... I am human... I am Zhuang Han... I am not a monster... not..." Zhuang Han's remaining human consciousness let out its final mournful cry.
"Human?" Ling Chen's voice carried a hint of cold mockery, "I remember your name is Zhuang Han, right? And you seem to have a girlfriend?
But look at yourself, in this state, will humans... still accept you? Your girlfriend... if she's still alive... seeing you like this, will she embrace you, or... scream and flee?"
Zhuang Han's struggle suddenly paused! His girlfriend's bright smiling face flashed through his mind instantly... followed by the look of fear and disgust when she saw him in this monstrous form...
Immense pain and despair, like a cold tide, instantly submerged his consciousness.
The will to resist... like a flickering candle in the wind, was extinguished instantly.
"Submit... or... be forever lost..." Ling Chen's voice was like the final judgment.
Zhuang Han stopped rolling.
He curled up on the ground, his body still trembling violently, but the crimson and ferocity in his eyes slowly faded, leaving only a bone-deep... numbness and... resignation.
He slowly raised his head, his cloudy beast eyes looking at Ling Chen.
In those eyes, there was pain, confusion, humiliation... and... a humble plea, like a drowning person grabbing a piece of driftwood...
He opened his mouth, and a hoarse, dry sound, like an old bellows, came from his throat:
"Ma... Master..."
Bloodline Slave Seal—Completed!
Ling Chen slowly withdrew his finger.
The dark purple electric arc on his fingertip quietly extinguished.
He could clearly feel that an invisible, indestructible spiritual chain was now firmly connected between his soul and Zhuang Han's.
Zhuang Han's life and death, will, and even... soul, were completely in his hands!
Very good.
But... it's not enough.
Zhuang Han's current strength is too weak.
A peak first-order mutated beast, in these perilous ruins, it's difficult for him to even protect himself, let alone carry out the tasks he's assigned.
A hint of determination flashed in Ling Chen's eyes.
This is the final step of the Bloodline Slave Seal, and also the most crucial step!
To allow his cultivation, imbued with his will, to enter another person's body and fuse with their cultivation!
He slowly raised his hands, palms facing each other.
The vast energy of the Bone Eater Realm, which had just stabilized within his body, began to circulate wildly!
Below the corners of his left and right eyes, the thirty ink-black blood patterns, like burning chains, instantly lit up!
A powerful and cold aura spread out!
"Bear with it." Ling Chen's voice was cold and emotionless.
He suddenly pushed his hands forward!
The dark purple energy torrent, condensed in his palms as if solid, surged violently into Zhuang Han's body like a bursting river!
"Ugh ah ah ah ah ah—!!!"
Zhuang Han let out a more agonizing and painful howl than when the slave seal was imprinted! It was as if his entire body was being torn, burned, and reshaped from the inside out!
His body swelled violently like a balloon!
Muscle fibers tore and reformed wildly!
Bones made a jarring "crunch" sound!
It was as if he was being forcibly stretched, twisted, and strengthened by an invisible giant force!
His beast-like form continued to strengthen! His skin became rougher and tougher, like old tree bark! His finger joints became thick, and his nails became like daggers!
His head was completely mutated, his cheekbones higher, his canine teeth overgrown, and his dull yellow beast eyes completely turned crimson! And the canine form of his lower body became even larger and more ferocious! The steel-needle-like short fur covering him became denser and harder, as if he were covered in a layer of metal armor!
His hooked claws became sharper and thicker! His bone-spiked tail lashed the ground wildly like a steel whip!
The most drastic changes occurred deep within his bones! The Bone Eater Realm's mutated energy, under Ling Chen's forceful infusion, acted like a violent catalyst, wildly transforming his bone structure!
Bone density increased sharply! Hardness soared! Joints became more flexible and powerful! And even... at key areas like his shoulder blades, elbow joints, and knees, sharp bone spurs began to pierce through his skin, protruding ferociously from his body!
Excruciating pain! Pain like hell! Zhuang Han felt as if his soul was being torn apart! But he couldn't resist! The Bloodline Slave Seal, like the strongest shackles, firmly bound his will!
He could only passively endure this torture-like transformation! A guttural sound, like a dying beast, came from his throat!
Ling Chen's face also paled at a visible speed! Fine cold sweat seeped from his forehead!
Forcibly infusing half of his own Bone Eater Realm origin energy into another person, even with the Bloodline Slave Seal as a conduit, was a huge burden for him!
Below the corners of his eyes, the thirty ink-black blood patterns rapidly dimmed! Fifteen of the blood patterns directly disappeared, and the remaining fifteen blood patterns changed back from ink-black to crimson!
His realm instantly dropped from the stable Bone Eater Realm back to the peak of the Corpse Ghoul Realm (fifteen patterns)!
But the effect... was significant!
When the last trace of the energy torrent injected into Zhuang Han's body, Ling Chen suddenly withdrew his hands, his body swayed slightly, and his aura was noticeably much weaker.
And Zhuang Han... stopped howling.
He slowly stood up from the ground.
His body was a circle larger than before! Now, standing on all fours in his petrified form, he was nearly three and a half meters tall! His body length was nearly seven meters, covered in gray-black short fur like metal armor, his muscles bulging like cast steel!
The ferocious bone spurs protruding from his shoulder blades, elbow joints, and knees gleamed with a cold light!
In his crimson beast eyes, the previous cloudiness, confusion, and pain had completely disappeared, replaced by a cold, sharp, and blade-like... glint of intelligence!
Bone Eater Realm! At the cost of Ling Chen forcibly infusing half of his origin energy, Zhuang Han was forcibly elevated to the Bone Eater Realm!
He completed the preliminary ossification of his bones! More importantly... with the leap in life level, his human intelligence and consciousness, which had been suppressed by his beast nature, completely awakened like the sun breaking through the clouds! Clear! Complete!
He lowered his head, looking at his "hands" covered in steel-needle-like short fur and ending in sharp hooked claws, then looked at his completely mutated giant dog hind legs and steel-whip-like tail...
A highly complex emotion flashed in his crimson beast eyes—shock, pain, bewilderment, and finally... settling into a cold, slightly self-mocking... resignation.
He slowly raised his head, his crimson beast eyes looking at Ling Chen.
In those eyes, there was no longer the humble plea from before, replaced by a reverence and... submission, like the most loyal hound.
He slowly knelt on one knee, his massive, bone-spiked knee hitting the cold ground with a dull thud.
He lowered his head, and a hoarse, low, yet exceptionally clear voice rang out, with a metallic grinding texture:
"Master... Zhuang Han... awaits your command."