Chapter 148: Testing Eternal Shadow
--- Chapter 148 ---
Monster Race(Siluman) is an alien creature with the appearance of a gray-skinned human. They have mimicked the Devil Race(Kroman) and evolved into something new. That's why most of them possessed monster-like features like wings, claws, and scales.
Monster Race is also quite intelligent but not wise enough to build technology. They have a unique bloodline called Spirit Ancestor's Bloodline, allowing them to enhance their physical strength.
Yes, unlike Devil Race, Monster Race couldn't cultivate Inner Energy.
However, their bodies proved strong enough to win any long-driven battle.
That's it, Until a real monster appeared before them, slaying 100 Monster Soldiers with one attack.
BOOM!
"ARGGHHH!"
"A Kroman is attacking our frontline!"
"H-He's too powerful!!"
Huo Yuhao regulated this breathing and attacked the Monster Race most efficiently. He transformed the All-Transforming Ink into a halberd and coated it with Eternal Shadow and Armament Haki, killing 4th Class Monsters despite being in 3rd Class Devil Warrior Realm.
CLANK!
He reached this stage after consuming the Violet Devil Flower, which enhanced his inner energy even further. After waving his weapon and blasting at least 100 monsters, Huo Yuhao moved to another area.
He doesn't want to waste his time.
Monster Race is mighty outside with their superior physical prowess, but their inside is very vulnerable. Huo Yuhao used Armament Haki to injure them inside, destroying their cell.
Of course, Huo Yuhao has to use his Observation Haki constantly with one million enemies around him. He has to dodge, parry, and counter each attack without losing a beat, or everything will be over.
Theormars's body is different from his original body. It's not trained to the extreme and is barely enough to be used recklessly. Its stamina is also not unlimited, making Huo Yuhao constantly cycle his inner energy with Universal Breathing Technique.
Clank!
Thud!
Huo Yuhao instinctively parried an arrow, grabbing and throwing it back to the source. What's remarkable about Theomars's body is his raw survival instinct is high. The danger is one thing he always felt when entering this battlefield.
He bleeds.
He kills.
He slaughters.
He tramples over the monster race with shadowy armor covering his body. His black helmet covered his head, letting bright brown light escape. Its eerie brown light makes one feel dread.
Huo Yuhao is thrusting his halberd, remembering Scathach's teaching to handle polearm. "Gentle, Swift, and Decisive."
He moved like a war god amidst the monster race, slaughtering everything on his path.
Cough!
Huo Yuhao coughed a mouthful of blood as Theomars's body couldn't keep up with his extreme performance. The shadow armor was uncovered, revealing his overheating body.
"I've been fighting for five hours." He wiped the blood from his mouth. He was lucky the monster race hadn't sent 6th Class Monster or above here.
"Retreat... This body needs to recover from the extensive performance."
"But first..."
Huo Yuhao combined Darkness and Death Manipulation, staring at the pile of corpses with keen eyes. His shadow, illuminated by the morning sun, expands greatly, covering a 100 meters radius.
SWOOSH!
Huo Yuhao had never felt so empty in his entire life, but it was strangely comforting. The Darkness and Death Laws seemed to embrace him in coldness.
"Arise."
All his inner energy drained to zero, making a wailing cry appear on the battlefield.
This scene will never be forgotten and engraved in the Monster Race's minds. Their fellow brethren's corpses started to release a shadowy aura, and limbs made of darkness crawled out slowly.
Their dead brethren have become hideous shadowy creatures.
"W-What kind of sorcery is this?" One monster uttered in shock.
[You have turned 19 Tusk Monster Race into Shadow Warrior]
[You have turned 34 Winged Monster Race into Shadow Warrior]
[You have turned 77 Armored Monster Race into Shadow Warrior]
[You have turned 80 Centurion Monster Race into Shadow Warrior]
[You have turned 40 Orc Monster Race into Shadow Warrior]
[You have created the "Shadow Realm." from Your Eternal Shadow]
[Shadows: 250/250]
"250... That's my limit, huh?" Huo Yuhao ordered his new pawns to enter the shadow realm and used Extreme Lightning Mirage to retreat from the battlefield. He doesn't have the inner energy to maintain Shadow Warriors.
He could only extract them, not letting them fight yet.
Huo Yuhao retreated to the Black Pearl Castle and fell to the floor with a heavy sigh, which alerted the servant.
"Doctor, hurry up!" Damian's voice echoed throughout the whole castle.
"Your highness is bleeding!!"
"Calm down... it's just a wound." Huo Yuhao rolled his eyes. This level of pain isn't enough to make him wince or cry.
While the doctor was tending his wounds, Huo Yuhao ordered Evo to show him the objective bar. He doesn't know how many monsters were slaughtered by him.
[Objective: 10.369/100.000.000.001]
"A little over 10k..." Huo Yuhao smiled weakly.
"I have to be better-!"
"Your highness!!" Everyone watched Huo Yuhao faint on the spot.
...
...
Huo Yuhao appeared in a dark place filled with shooting stars, witnessing a beautiful woman with flowing crimson hair and gold eyes. She possessed a wild lion-like charm, smiling at him tenderly.
"Oh, someone actually able to reach this place~?" She sounded amused for some reason. "Don't be afraid, child."
"We shall meet again when you are stronger."
Huo Yuhao wanted to say something, but a polished ceiling greeted him immediately. "The fuck..." He cursed while feeling a headache.
"Where am I?"
"Your highness, you finally awake!" Damian grabbed his hand. "Thank god, I was worried."
Huo Yuhao listened to Damian's grumbling for several minutes and was surprised to find out he had fainted after returning to the castle. He was fine, mentally.
It's the case of Zero Order.
Zero Order is an extreme state where Devil Warriors use all their inner energies. It led to exhaustion and forcibly shut down physical function for several hours.
Even with the "Healing Factor." Huo Yuhao gained through Violet Devil Flower. He still needs 2 hours of rest to restore his stamina and energy instead of half a day. It's a miracle, according to Castle's Doctor.
[Name: Healing Factor]
[Type: Passive Skill]
[Grade: C+]
[Description: An ability to recover from bodily injuries or disease at a fast rate]
[Name: Poison Immunity]
[Type: Passive Skill]
[Grade: C]
[Description: Immune to 100 kinds of poisons]
These two passives are very helpful because the monster race did some damage and tried to poison him several times on the battlefield.
Huo Yuhao stretched his neck and jumped off the bed, asking for Black Pearl Castle's defense. "How is the situation?"
Damian blinked and solemnly answered, "We got surrounded. The shaman has created a deep pit around the castle at a long distance so that the monster couldn't reach this place."
"Still, the Guard Captain reported some monster able to sneak into the castle like Winged Monster Race. Without the barrier and Guards, we wouldn't be able to resist them."
"We should wait until-!
"I'll push them away again." Huo Yuhao commented while walking out of the room. "
"No! Your Highness, at this point, you'll die." Damian warned him sternly.
Huo Yuhao flicked Damian's forehead and replied with a chuckle, "Of course, I'll die."
"You'll die."
"Everyone will die."
"But not this day."
"..." Damian.
Huo Yuhao utilized Universal Breathing Technique to circulate his inner energy and discovered he was about to reach the 4th Class Devil Warrior Realm. He was satisfied because the battlefield pushed his limit from low to high 3rd Class Devil Warrior in one fight.
[Status]
[Name: Theomars von Admante(Huo Yuhao)]
[Age: 18(13)]
[Race: Ancient Ink Devil(Low)]
[Cultivation: 3rd Class Devil Warrior(Recultivated)]
[Battle Power: Fifth Class(Low)]
[Passive Skill: Healing Factor, Poison Immunity]
[Active Skill: Darkness Manipulation, Death Manipulation, All-Transforming Ink, Eternal Shadow(+)]
[Description: Seventh Young Master of Admante Family, the Banished Child, Transmigrated Person]
Huo Yuhao achieved this much in just a day, familiarizing himself with the environment. "What a drag." He needed to protect this castle and kill every monster race.
"Wait..."
"Evo, you strictly said items related to homeworld before, right?"
[Yes]
"Does it include an item bound to my soul too?"
[Yes]
"So an item that didn't relate to my homeworld and was not bound to me is free to use? For example, Quest Reward that I haven't touched at all."
[...]
[Yes?]
[After thorough consideration, The Host may pick and freely use two items unrelated to the homeworld and soul from the inventory]
"Only two? Better than nothing, I guess."
Huo Yuhao fell into a dilemma, pondering what would be the best choice for this Emergency Quest. This Black Pearl Castle basically has no protection nor resources to support itself.
After a long yet short five minutes, Huo Yuhao scrolled through the inventory and picked two items.
[Are you sure, Host?] Evo asked him.
"Yeah, these items are the best for the current situation." Huo Yuhao responded calmly.
[You have selected "Nightmare Demon Pot." and "Jungle Dungeon Key." from the inventory]
Picking Jungle Dungeon Key is pretty self-explanatory. Huo Yuhao probably has to stay in this world for a few months, and with scarce resources, he wouldn't be able to defend this castle.
A Dungeon will be a decent land to grow food and hunt to gain experience. And Huo Yuhao was sure it worked like Advalon, despite not being able to self-evolve and have time dilation.
As for the Nightmare Demon Pot, Huo Yuhao had a hunch about this item.
"I'll do a small experiment later." He huffed in confidence.
"Let's push the monster away first."
Huo Yuhao went to the battlefield and fought with the monster race again. However, this time. He has 250 Shadow Warriors supporting him greatly.
Even though maintaining them cost 2/3 of his inner energy, it was still an agreeable price for increasing his kill counts. And they literally become immortal soldiers that fought alongside him.
Another 5 hours passed, and the day reached evening time.
Huo Yuhao breathed heavily and looked at the land near the Black Pearl Castle. He has cleared this area by wiping more than 20.000 4th Class Monsters. His shadow helped a lot, adding 5000 more to his kill counts.
Returning to the Black Pearl Castle, Huo Yuhao sighed and deactivated the "Eternal Shadow." Skill. His shadow warriors haven't increased in number, and their strength is stagnant at 3rd and 4th Class.
"Welcome back, your highness." Damian greeted him, having a solemn expression on his face.
"Do you still want to stop me?" Huo Yuhao casually pointed at the battlefield.
Damian shook his head and replied, "No. No, your Highness. I've witnessed your strength and ability to kill more than 30.000 monsters, no joking matter. And those shadowy creatures, I congratulated your Highness for obtaining noble power."
"It's not just me, but everyone. We were shocked by your performance and awaited our death until you showed us this validity."
"Validity, huh?" Huo Yuhao patted Damian's shoulders.
"How much food do we have now? And how long will it last?"
Damian sighed and answered, "A month."
"We only have enough food for a month as merchants usually enter the castle. But the monster race suddenly attacked us."
"Bring warm food to my room." Huo Yuhao went to this room, thinking about this castle's condition.
Throwing the sweaty clothes to the floor, Huo Yuhao used Universal Breathing Technique and meditated for ten minutes. Damian brought the warm food and placed the tray on the table, diminishing himself quietly.
SWOOSH!
Huo Yuhao's cultivation skyrocketed and reached 4th Class Devil Warrior, increasing the amount of Inner energy and physical strength he previously had.
Growl~!
Huo Yuhao smiled and rubbed his stomach, eating the warm food Damian put on the table. After filling himself, He picked the Nightmare Demon Pot from the inventory and observed the item meticulously.
[Name: Nightmare Demon Pot]
[Type: Artifact]
[Grade: SS+]
[Description: A mysterious black jade pot with the ability to refine Demon Spirits]
"Evo, Can I substitute Demon Spirit with Shadow Warriors?" Huo Yuhao asked with a grin. "Since shadow warrior is technically the soul of a dead creature, I should be able to do it."
[Theoretically, possible]
[The refining process might have a lower success rate because of the different materials used...]
[It's worth it to try]
Huo Yuhao rolled his eyes and commented, "Let's see if the lower success rate could win against my luck."
He ordered his shadow warrior to cover and compress themselves into shadow beads. He has read the Tales of Demons and Gods, so using Nightmare Demon Pot shouldn't be a problem.
He tossed 10 of them into the pot and covered the lid.
Is it unethical? Probably?
Does it help Huo Yuhao? Yes.
At least these souls aren't innocent before he extracts them into shadow warriors. How did he know this? Death Manipulation, Son.
Huo Yuhao flowed his inner energy into the pot and added a bit of Eternal Shadow Element, which caused the Nightmare Demon Pot to light with a mystical bronze glow. He could feel the ten shadow warriors fighting each other and leaving one survivor, absorbing the essence left behind by the other fallen shadow.
The survivor shadow is Centurion Shadow Warrior, a centaur with shadowy armor. He possessed a darker shade of shadow and released dim purple light.
[Name: Novice Centurion Shadow]
[Type: Shadow Warrior]
[Battle Power: 4th Class]
[Description: Novice Centurion Shadow is Shadow Centaur who went through Nightmare Demon Pot's refining and evolved to wield the force of the earth. This shadow warrior is also 3x faster than a living centaur]
"Hehehe..."
"We know where this is going, Evo." Huo Yuhao laughed mischievously.
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