Chapter 196: Chapter 167: Blazing Fire Lotus, Leap of Life (Part 2)
In an instant, the tendrils seemed to breathe with a life of their own. Drop by drop, crimson blood tinged with faint gold flowed along them and into Han Ning’s body.
After about ten minutes, Han Ning retracted the extended tendrils, leaving only one out. He then took out a transparent laboratory test tube and aimed the tendril at its mouth.
"DRIP~"
Droplets of thick, golden-red blood were squeezed from the tendril, flowing into the test tube.
’Next, I’ll add the crushed Red Flame Grass... to neutralize the blood’s violent properties...’
Following that, he followed the steps provided by the panel, adding various herbs and crushed ores into the small test tube one by one.
Another ten minutes passed.
A rich, golden-red light formed a thin pillar that shot toward the sky, only to be blocked by the thick rock wall.
"Cheep? Cheep, cheep!"
Egg Pancake, who had been lying on the side, quickly raised its head and looked in Han Ning’s direction.
It felt a restlessness originating from deep within its bloodline.
Even the All-Encompassing Spiritual Silkworm within its body began to stir faintly.
Inside the test tube, a pool of liquid lay still. It resembled surging magma, golden with streaks of bright red.
’For Egg Pancake to evolve into a Red Lotus Dragon Lizard, it needs to be bathed in magma. The Fire and Earth Elements from the molten rock must penetrate its scales, and its skin must fully absorb the magma’s Energy.’
Han Ning looked at the steps on the panel and led the Soul Beasts to a spot near the Magma Lake.
At the edge of the Magma Lake, five Extraordinary Level Earth Attribute and five Fire Attribute Crystal Stones had been placed.
He shook the test tube.
"Egg Pancake, on my command. Drink the liquid in this tube and get into the Magma Lake."
"Cheep!"
Egg Pancake, of course, obeyed Han Ning unconditionally. It immediately opened its mouth, drank the liquid in the test tube, and then, without any hesitation, took a step and jumped right in.
The moment Egg Pancake leaped into the Magma Lake and its body was submerged in the thick, dark-red magma...
"CHEEP, CHEEP CHEEP, CHEEP!!!"
The area around the Magma Lake instantly filled with Egg Pancake’s painful shrieks.
The cries were accompanied by a thick plume of smoke.
THRASH, THRASH, THRASH, THRASH~
Egg Pancake struggled violently in the magma, sending the dark-red liquid splashing everywhere.
"Egg Pancake, trust me! You have to hold on! Don’t you dare climb out!"
Seeing Egg Pancake in so much pain, Han Ning’s own heart ached.
CHEEP CHEEP!!
Although Egg Pancake was in agony, it sent no signals to Han Ning that it was begging for mercy or giving up.
’It hurts, but I won’t cry!’
"Egg Pancake, quick, think about delicious canned meat, rich milk, fragrant roasted snake meat! I promise, when you get out, I’ll take you out for an all-you-can-eat feast."
At this point, all Han Ning could do was try to distract Egg Pancake.
CHEEP CHEEP CHEEP!
Amidst its pained cries, Egg Pancake also projected emotions of wanting to eat...
As the magma burned away at Egg Pancake’s skin, layer by layer...
Its scales began to char, revealing the bright red flesh beneath.
Then, the flesh itself was incinerated by the magma, turning pitch-black...
The horrific sight made Han Ning’s skin crawl; he couldn’t imagine what it was like for Egg Pancake, who was right in the middle of it.
He gritted his teeth and muttered to himself, "A leap in one’s level of Life truly is an arduous trial."
Yin Yi, watching from the side, was also deeply shocked by Egg Pancake’s state. The flickering flames in her pupils froze.
Just as the magma had burned Egg Pancake’s body completely black, charring all its skin and flesh, and was about to penetrate its organs and threaten its very life...
A surging fiery light, wreathed in dark brown sludge, suddenly burst outward from its body, creating a safe zone completely isolated from the magma.
Egg Pancake lay silently within the flames, its body charred black from head to toe. If Han Ning hadn’t known it was still alive through their Spiritual Power link, he would have already sent Yin Yi charging in.
’Hang in there, Egg Pancake!’
Seeing his beloved Egg Pancake in such a miserable state, Han Ning, feeling like a worried father, felt his heart twist in agony.
At the same time, the five Earth and five Fire Attribute Crystal Stones placed at the edge of the Magma Lake began to flicker with a brilliant light, disturbed by some unknown Power.
The Earth and Fire Elemental Particles in the air were also affected, gathering from all directions toward Egg Pancake’s position in the center.
From up ahead, the dying Egg Pancake suddenly let out a deafening roar.
This roar was almost draconic!
ROAR!!
As this agonized roar echoed, streaks of crimson and earthy-yellow light streamed out from the Crystal Stones on the floor, converging on Egg Pancake’s body.
Countless tiny, shimmering particles slowly formed a small vortex. At the eye of this storm was Egg Pancake’s location.
A prone figure, covered by a massive amount of crimson and earthy-yellow particles, was rapidly outlined in the center of the Magma Lake.
INHALE... EXHALE...
Then, Han Ning heard powerful inhalations and exhalations, like the sound of a bellows, coming from the Magma Lake.
With each breath, the silhouette of light in the center grew a little larger.
The Spiritual Energy gathering from all directions also accelerated with its breathing.
After just three breaths, the dual-colored light from the Crystal Stones on the ground dimmed.
"Good, good, good. A big appetite is a blessing!"
Han Ning muttered, then simply placed all the Extraordinary Level Earth and Fire Attribute Crystal Stones he had on the ground.
The light flowing through the air became rich and full once more.
Under Han Ning’s astonished gaze, the lizard-like silhouette of light lying in the magma, besides slowly growing in size, began to change its appearance.
First, two crimson protrusions abruptly grew backward from the sides of its head.
Around its neck, fine lines of light emerged, resembling hard, jagged rocks.
Then, its limbs gradually elongated. As the light flowed, the sharp contours of its muscles became faintly visible.
Its five claws grew thicker and longer, extending outward at the tips.
3.5 meters... 3.7 meters... 4 meters... 4.2 meters...
During its Growth, a massive amount of Earth and Fire Elements were absorbed into Egg Pancake’s body.
Throughout Egg Pancake’s evolution, Han Ning kept the panel open to monitor its fluctuating stats at all times.
The dense Dual Type Spiritual Energy had already finished remodeling Egg Pancake’s head, torso, and limbs.
Only its tail remained unchanged.
INHALE... EXHALE...
At this moment, enveloped in the glow of Spiritual Energy, Egg Pancake seemed to have transformed into a colossal machine that devoured Spiritual Energy.
With every breath, everything—whether it was the Dual Type Crystal Stones on the ground, the free-floating Spiritual Particles in the air, or even the energy within the magma itself—was drawn in as if by the eye of a storm, completely siphoned away by Egg Pancake.
The Spiritual Energy glowing around its body flared, becoming several times brighter.
WHOOSH WHOOSH WHOOSH~
The magma in the lake churned like a storm-tossed sea, raising monstrous waves.
A surging, rich, dark-red Flame spilled from the magma. It coiled around Egg Pancake, spun slowly, and then... formed a furiously burning, dark-red Red Lotus!
The Red Lotus unfurled, each of its petals trembling slightly. Then, all twenty petals turned toward Egg Pancake at the center and gently closed around it.
In an instant, Egg Pancake’s body was enveloped within a giant Red Lotus of fire.
ROAR!!!
Under this influence, Egg Pancake’s body, which had been slowly ceasing its Growth, began to expand outward once more.
meters... 10 meters... 15 meters... 20 meters...
Finally, its already long and narrow tail grew longer and longer, until at last—
The lotus blossom violently burst open.
CRASH!!!
With a tremendous crash, the rock wall behind Egg Pancake was smashed inward by a sweep of its long, thick tail.
A violent shockwave swept outward, blowing the hair on Han Ning’s forehead back.
The tail continued to grow until it was over ten meters long before it finally stopped.
Han Ning stared at the massive figure, now dozens of meters long, and muttered to himself, "Is it finally reaching the end..."
The words had barely left his lips when something unexpected happened.
YEEEOOOW!!
Enshrouded in flames, Egg Pancake suddenly let out a wail of extreme agony!
Han Ning’s heart leaped in shock, but before he could even process what was happening...
...there was a sickening SQUELCH from both sides of Egg Pancake’s torso, where its forelimbs met its back, as a massive amount of crimson blood sprayed out.
Immediately after, a pair of wings, approximately 20 meters long and over 10 meters wide, covered in golden-red patterns, tore through the flesh and unfurled toward the sky!
"Dragon Wings?!" Han Ning’s eyes flew wide.
