Chapter 1160: An Exchange of Strength
The Everbearing Lady had shrunk to half her original size, but after surviving the trial of the golden dragons, what remained of her seemed to have undergone a significant boost in strength. Her black vines were noticeably quicker.
The tens of thousands of golden dragons had sucked away the superficial layer of her growth, allowing her to refine what remained.
Zhou Ying swung her daggers around her, cutting at the Everbearing Lady's bark with a series of void cuts.
"You're done for!"
As Zhou Ying manipulated her fingers, the storm of gray leaves around her morphed into a hurricane that surrounded the Everbearing Lady. She stomped on the ground, summoning another ten thousand golden dragons to swamp and whip the Everbearing Lady.
The Everbearing Lady struggled again amidst the horde of dragons. Despite her refined strength, she was still in a weakened state, and temporarily unable to escape from the dragons that surrounded her. Zhou Ying thrust forward with her daggers, boring holes into her opponent's bark.
At this point, the match had been all but decided.
The king of chaos announced, "I think we'll stop there. Zhou Ying, you're the victor."
Zhou Ying waved a hand, dispersing the golden dragons and releasing the Everbearing Lady.
The Everbearing Lady had half-wilted, either because she had lost to Zhou Ying or because the golden dragons had sucked away much of her energy.
The witch of dreams gaped. "Your companions really are strong, to have won three consecutive matches."
None of the other guests present would have believed that Zhang Lie's motley crew could win three consecutive fights, but Zhang Lie had accomplished precisely such a feat.
The king of chaos announced, "You are the third victor. State your wish."
Zhou Ying asked, "King of chaos, you promised to grant any wish, correct?"
The king of chaos replied impatiently, "There's no need to confirm it one by one. As I said, I'll be able to grant essentially all wishes restricted to this realm."
Zhou Ying glanced at the Everbearing Lady and asked, "And what if my wish is for you to hurt your companions?"
The king of chaos seemed to understand roughly what Zhou Ying wanted. He sounded surprised. "As far as I know, this is the first time the two of you are interacting. Is that right?"
"Yes, it is."
"You've had no previous enmity or feud—this is your first encounter. Is there a need to go so far?"
Zhou Ying explained, "Your majesty, you may be unaware that I and the Everbearing Lady are natural enemies of each other on a genetic level—and hence that I'll be able to grow stronger if I can absorb her strength."
The king of chaos asked, "Does K'thun need to be killed?"
"No, your majesty," Zhou Ying replied. "I just want to absorb part of the Everbearing Lady's strength."
The king of chaos turned to K'thun. "What do you think, K'thun?"
Indeed, the king of chaos treated his companions like companions, not subordinates.
The Everbearing Lady replied, "I will naturally accede to your orders, my leader, but I have a few conditions of my own."
The king of chaos asked, "What conditions?"
The Everbearing Lady replied, "As this human hunter has stated, she and I are natural enemies. Just as she can grow by absorbing my strength, so too can I grow by absorbing hers. I'd like to propose an exchange of energies."
The king of chaos was silent for a few moments. Zhou Ying spoke again. "I accept these conditions, and am willing to part with a portion of my vitality, but you'll have to exchange for it with superior world's energy."
A portion of her vitality was a minor matter for Zhou Ying, who was overflowing with vitality.
The Everbearing Lady replied, "I'm willing to trade all the superior world's energy in my possession, fifty superior worlds' worth, for a tenth of your strength."
"I accept."
Zhou Ying was delighted. Fifty superior worlds' worth of energy! The Zongming world hadn't even amassed that much energy in total, even after a few years.
Zhang Lie couldn't help but laugh. "If Li Zongming were to learn about this, he might well vomit blood."
He had worked so hard for two or three superior worlds' worth, but Zhou Ying was about to receive fifty for barely any price at all.
Neither did she have to worry about her safety. After all, the king of chaos was overseeing the operation.
If the king of chaos were going to strike them, he would have done so the moment they entered the hall. They might have had reservations about attending the banquet initially, but those reservations were now all but irrelevant.
The king of chaos suggested, "Let me help heal you first, K'thun."
The Everbearing Lady might have been able to perform the exchange of strength as is, but it would be rather dangerous for her, and Zhou Ying wouldn't be able to obtain much strength.
The king of chaos infused part of his own strength into her body, inflating it and elevating her past her peak condition. An aura of chaos suffused her. The Everbearing Lady thanked the king of chaos for his generosity.
The Everbearing Lady's strength had reached new heights with this infusion of energy.
"Zhou Ying will begin absorbing power."
Zhou Ying stepped forward and placed both palms on the Everbearing Lady's bark. The black vines parted for her as golden vines emerged from Zhou Ying's body and came in contact with the Everbearing Lady.
As Zhou Ying absorbed the Everbearing Lady's strength, her long hair turned the color of crystalline jade, and it gave off motes of vitality. She was so beautiful no one could take their eyes away, and golden leaves whirled around her. Gray air seeped out of the tips of her hair.
The gray power gathered around Zhou Ying's forehead, which cracked apart. A gray eye budded from her flesh. It opened up to reveal a chaotic opal iris, which seemed to be able to penetrate flesh, soul, and space.
The gray eye closed again as Zhou Ying pulled back, exhaling deeply. She seemed to have grown significantly stronger.
Despite the limited duration of contact, the Everbearing Lady had returned to her original withered form. It was her turn next.
The Everbearing Lady sent out black tendrils toward Zhou Ying, who extended her hands and transferred roughly a third of her newfound power back to her opponent. The Everbearing Lady glowed with power, green and gold and gray. Her single gray eye was surrounded by motes of green and gold energy, forming a ring of light around it as she screeched shrilly.
The green and gold light burst apart, causing a transformation in her crown.
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