"One level of Taiyin True Skill? It seems like not much has changed," Zhu Hao mused, sensing the faint trace of Yin energy now coiling within his golden, porcine core.
He was momentarily perplexed. The skill, which had cost a significant chunk of resources, felt underwhelming. However, the system had devoted a separate, prominent column to it on the Light of the Pig God panel, a clear signal that this wasn't mere junk magic.
Lord Pig deduced that its true function—likely a cosmic-level enhancement to his devouring abilities—was probably locked behind a higher level or a specific trigger condition. Since his body wasn't currently demanding immediate refinement, Zhu Hao decided to file the Taiyin True Skill under Future Problem.
Focusing on immediate utility, he shifted his attention to the mundane magic cluttering his Backpack.
"Get the magical power Water Control and level up!" he commanded with a thought.
"Consume 11 points of Energy (1537.1053 remaining) and Experience (1221.2021 remaining) to upgrade the magical power Water Control to the Heavy Water of the Sea."
"Heavy Water of the Sea? That sounds appropriately dense and crushing. Not bad at all!" Zhu Hao was immediately satisfied. This was the sensible use of marginal resources—converting low-tier garbage into high-quality defense and offense. He did not plan to upgrade further; resource conservation was key.
"After all," he reasoned, adjusting his position on a warm, mossy rock, "raising my overall level is the most important thing. As long as the magical powers are sufficient for the current tier, I must save the big numbers for Level 5."
In the following days, the valley became a study in contrasts.
Xiao Bai, still in her immense, snow-white serpentine form, was a picture of intense, focused agony. She was coiled in the deepest part of the valley, her massive scales often pulsing with uncontrolled white and black energy as she struggled to refine the powerful, chaotic magical essence of the National Master's deceased disciple. Her massive body would occasionally shudder and roar, a sound of monumental spiritual distress.
Conversely, Zhu Hao, the master tactician, spent his days traveling the surrounding mountainsides, keeping watch, sunbathing, eating the best local game (expertly roasted, of course), and occasionally practicing his Phantom Clone skill by juggling small, confused mountain goats. His life was one of unbridled, gluttonous luxury, punctuated by occasional, strategic violence. He had mastered the art of eating the rewards while delegating the suffering.
On the seventh day of their seclusion, Zhu Hao was indulging in a perfectly crisp, fire-roasted pheasant, perched precariously on a jagged mountain peak.
Crunch, crunch.
Suddenly, an angry, piercing shriek ripped through the air, vibrating the very stone beneath him.
"AHHH!"
"It's Xiao Bai!"
Zhu Hao's celebratory gorging stopped instantly. He spun, seeing a blinding, pulsating Demon-Trapping Formation rise from the valley floor. Golden light surged upward, forming an impenetrable cage. He instantly activated his upgraded senses, the Purple Demon Pupil, which flared with intense violet light.
Through the dazzling golden lattice, he saw Xiao Bai, her enormous white body pinned and suppressed within the formation, roaring in pain and desperation.
"You court death!" Zhu Hao roared, his tiny body radiating pure, lethal coldness. The Eight Wings of Flying snapped out behind him, and he vanished in a whoosh, becoming a golden light beam hurtling toward the valley.
Standing beside the formation, observing his capture with greedy, possessive eyes, was an extremely ugly Taoist priest wearing a ridiculously tall, wide-brimmed hat. His face, visible in the harsh light, was a roadmap of sickly pallor and ill-health.
"What a magnificent giant python!" the Taoist exclaimed, his voice a sibilant hiss. His eyes, devoid of any kindness, were filled with perverse passion. "When I fully master the Taiyin True Art with this essence, I shall ascend to heaven in broad daylight, achieving immortality and a truly carefree life—free of this cursed face!"
"Carefree, your sister! Prepare to die for Lord Pig, you pathetic, ugly bastard!"
The childish but devastatingly solemn voice hit the National Master with the force of a punch. The ugly Taoist's entire body—from his pinched anus to his tall hat—tightened immediately. He sensed a razor-sharp, lethal aura sweeping toward him.
He was the current National Master, at the peak of the Nascent Soul stage, and a dedicated practitioner of the Taiyin True Skill. He had naturally known about Zhu Hao's existence, but had utterly dismissed the tiny, un-transformed beast—a creature he believed he could obliterate with a single, lazy finger.
Now, he dared not hesitate. Magical paper cranes instantly condensed around him, forming a tight, shimmering protective layer.
When!
The golden light—Zhu Hao's charge—collided with the magical shield. The sound was a deafening clash of metal on forged steel.
Laugh!
The golden light, acting like a cosmic sharp sword, shattered the magical paper crane shield instantly. It continued its relentless trajectory, leaving a thin, crimson line across the National Master's neck.
The ugly Taoist's eyes widened in shocked disbelief. He touched the cut. His pale fingers came away stained with a single streak of blood.
"I didn't expect... I was wrong. Very good, very good, you actually managed to wound me!" the Master laughed, but the sound was raw fury. "You are not a mere Qi Training demon, little pig. But you are insignificant!"
"Die, little monster!"
The Imperial Master abandoned his feigned calm. A ferocious snarl split his face, revealing teeth filed sharp with malice. Nascent Soul-level magical power surged from his body, condensing not just into paper cranes, but into a torrent of shimmering, razor-edged, magical weapons.
With a flick of his hand and a scream of rage, countless paper cranes—now sharp, kinetic projectiles—shot toward Zhu Hao. It was like a colossal paper tsunami, a river bursting its banks, threatening to tear the golden pig into a thousand pieces.
"Eight Wings of Flying Sky!"
Zhu Hao met the overwhelming assault with his own. The golden wings behind him flapped violently, releasing their own torrent—thousands of golden wing blades that converged into a brilliant, concentrated golden flood.
Bang bang bang bang bang bang!
The clash was the collision of two opposing elemental rivers. The aftermath was catastrophic: a sweeping shockwave that ravaged the landscape. Mountains crumbled, ancient trees were vaporized into dust, and the ground cracked open in immense fissures. The heavens themselves seemed to buckle under the strain.
"ROAR!" Xiao Bai roared from within the golden cage, her immense body thrashing in frustrated agony. The spiritual pain was secondary to the fear of watching her beloved Lord Pig fight a powerhouse like the National Master.
"Hiss... what an obscenely powerful pig demon!"
A short distance away, hidden behind the ruins of a collapsed stone pillar, Xiao Qing and the treacherous Chang Pan watched in wide-eyed horror.
The National Master's might was known, yet this ridiculous little golden pig was meeting him blow for blow!
"I sensed my sister's presence here, but now... she must be in that Demon-Trapping Formation!" Xiao Qing's concern for Xiao Bai was eclipsed by fury.
Chang Pan, the venomous snake demon who hated Xiao Bai, instantly realized the opportunity. The White Snake is captured by the Imperial Master! This is a chance to win favor with the Snake Mother!
With a flash of malicious glee, Chang Pan immediately dispatched a subordinate to inform the Snake Mother, while he stayed to watch the fight—hoping the National Master would do his dirty work, or perhaps, that Zhu Hao would be grievously injured.
The stalemate between the two torrents ended in a blinding explosion. The magical paper cranes and the golden wings shattered simultaneously, the volcanic aftermath pushing both combatants apart.
"You truly possess some bizarre skill!" The National Master's eyes narrowed into twin slits of pure hatred. His face, already hideous, contorted with insane rage.
His body shook violently, and the air around him thickened. He allowed the magical paper cranes to surge back, enveloping him entirely. In a flash of shimmering power, the Master merged with his technique, transforming into a gargantuan, terrifying paper crane—a beast of pure magical paper and malevolent energy.
The giant crane shrieked and flew toward Zhu Hao, its razor-sharp talons extended. The space around the talons seemed to compress, and the sharp aura promised instantaneous annihilation.
"Law of Heaven and Earth!" "Diamond Indestructibility!"
Zhu Hao countered instantly. His tiny body expanded with terrifying speed, covered in a blinding, sacred golden light. He was no longer a pig; he was a majestic, flying divine pig—a being of sacred power and terrifying majesty.
The crane's powerful claw slammed down.
Swish!
The golden pig was ripped apart in a single, devastating grab.
"ROAR!" Xiao Bai's grief-stricken roar tore from the formation.
"An illusion!" The National Master reacted instantly, seeing the shredded pig dematerialize without a drop of blood.
At that moment, hundreds of Zhu Haos—Phantom Clones—appeared around the giant crane and rushed the Master from every possible angle.
"Taiyin Divine Light!"
Greatly shocked, the Imperial Master unleashed his ultimate defensive counter. A wave of abyssal black light erupted from his body, radiating outward with the blinding force of an inverse sun. The terrifying Lunar Divine Light swept the sky, consuming everything in its path.
Bang bang bang bang!
The countless phantoms vanished instantly. But this time, the attack found its true target.
Puff!
Zhu Hao's actual body was caught in the wave, the black light overwhelming his Diamond Indestructibility defense. He spat out a mouthful of golden-tinged blood and was sent spiraling backward.
Simultaneously, Xiao Qing, who had just burst from cover to charge the Master, was also caught by the edge of the blast. The Taiyin Divine Light instantly overloaded her Golden Core defenses, forcing her back into her small, primitive snake form. She hit the ground, stunned and momentarily incapacitated.
"Incredible!"
Zhu Hao steadied himself, wiping the blood from his snout. A chilling, solemn realization dawned in his Purple Demon Eye. This National Master—a simple, earthly evil cultivator who had strayed from the righteous path—was this terrifyingly powerful.
"If a mere Nascent Soul peak can unleash this kind of power, how utterly terrifying must the true Immortals and Buddhas of the heavens be? How easily could they crush me?"
A profound sense of urgency gripped Lord Pig. With Xiao Bai caught in a destiny tangled with Buddhism, and now facing demonic kings, he couldn't afford to be frugal. He needed instant, overwhelming power.
"Little pig demon, prepare to die! Your energy is wasted!" The National Master shrieked, eyes blazing with vindictive triumph, and flapped his massive crane wings toward the bleeding golden pig.
"Kill Lord Pig? Dream on!"
The time for conservation was over. Zhu Hao sneered, his eyes focused entirely on the Light of the Pig God panel.
"System! Execute maximum viable upgrades immediately!"
"Upgrade the magical power Law of Heaven and Earth!""Upgrade the magical power Diamond Indestructibility!""Upgrade the magical power Eight Wings of Flying!"
"Consume 100 energy points (1348.1053 remaining) and 100 experience points (1032.2021 remaining) to upgrade Law of Heaven and Earth to the ultimate form: Big and Small Ruyi!"
"Consume 100 energy points (1248.1053 remaining) and 100 experience points (932.2021 remaining) to upgrade Diamond Indestructibility to the ultimate form: Immortal Golden Body!"
"Consume 100 energy points (1148.1053 remaining) and 100 experience points (832.2021 remaining) to upgrade Eight Wings of Flying to the ultimate form: Wind and Thunder Sky Wings!"
A glorious, golden storm of energy erupted from Zhu Hao's tiny body. The transformation was instantaneous and sublime: the power to change size and form coalesced into the effortless mastery of Big and Small Ruyi; his defense solidified into the unyielding, holy shell of the Immortal Golden Body; and the Eight Wings of Flying became vast, magnificent, sparking pinions of raw tempestuous energy—the Wind and Thunder Sky Wings.
Lord Pig stood ready. His blood had been spilled, and now, the National Master was about to face the terrifying result of pushing the Pig God too far.