'My body would just explode?'
Gu Zheng was startled.
The next moment, he remembered the ability of his equipment slot and relaxed slightly.
Since there were conditions to be met for equipping it, a 100% unlock probably wouldn't make his body explode. But what would happen afterward was anyone's guess.
He would most likely be completely drained of stamina, left lying on the ground, unable to move. This was because the Equipment Effect was a temporary boost, not a true ascension to that realm.
Instantly gaining three hundred points in strength and Constitution—just thinking about it made it clear that while such might would empower his body, it would also leave behind side effects.
Unless Gu Zheng kept it equipped forever, never turning it off, and permanently sported bronze-colored skin.
That was not what Gu Zheng wanted.
He could feel that just by unlocking 0.05%, his body already had a tendency to swell, to grow taller and larger.
If he truly unlocked it completely, he would definitely become a giant.
"Heaven-Stepping Demon Elephant..."
Taking a deep breath to suppress his excitement, Gu Zheng deactivated the equipment.
The muscles that had felt like they were being inflated, the taut bones, meridians, and limbs, all instantly returned to normal. His skin reverted to its original color.
'A single, fragmented tusk holds such immense power. What would a complete Heaven-Stepping Demon Elephant be like?'
Gu Zheng tried to imagine it, but he lacked the reference points to form a clear picture.
But he was certain of one thing: a real, complete Heaven-Stepping Demon Elephant would be a terrifying Demon Fiend capable of destroying cities and nations!
At this thought, the weight returned to Gu Zheng's heart.
This world was changing too fast.
So fast that just as he would start to feel a little secure, he would be struck down again, his heart shrouded in shadow.
'...What in the world happened on Great Dragon Mountain?'
Forcing himself to calm down and suppress his distracting thoughts, Gu Zheng turned and looked up at Great Dragon Mountain.
The not-so-distant mountain peak was half-shrouded in clouds and mist. An formless and mysterious aura grew thicker the closer one got.
Gu Zheng gazed at it from a distance for a few moments before retracting his gaze. He began to walk through the village, which had been destroyed by boulders, stone slabs, and skeletons, to see if he could find a second equippable item.
The result, however, was not another cause for excitement.
He circled the area three times, checking every corner, but found no other equippable items.
'Luck, as expected, doesn't strike that often.'
Confirming there was nothing more to be found, Gu Zheng left the village and continued toward Great Dragon Mountain.
Along the way, he encountered no more Demon Fiends or zombies.
As he neared the foot of Great Dragon Mountain, he suddenly stopped in his tracks, his eyes filled with astonishment at the sight before him.
Just a dozen or so steps ahead, the empty air suddenly began to ripple like the surface of water.
A gentle breeze blew past, causing the space to shimmer with faint ripples.
Looking closer, he discovered that this rippling void encompassed the entire Great Dragon Mountain.
Or rather, Great Dragon Mountain was enveloped by some mysterious power?
The external manifestation of this power was the water-like ripples, but in essence, it was a transparent membrane separating Great Dragon Mountain from the outside world!?
"..."
Gu Zheng fell silent.
He noticed that it wasn't snowing in the sky here.
But the cloud banks high above were being drawn by an invisible force, swirling together, rapidly gathering and dispersing.
A mysterious and immense power radiated outward in all directions, with Great Dragon Mountain at its center.
Under this power, the laws of nature themselves were being altered, causing it to snow in Qingshi County before the winter months had even arrived. And once it started, it showed no signs of stopping.
'So, the appearance of the Demon Fiends was also guided by this power?'
Gu Zheng stared at the water-like void ahead. Instead of going closer, he crouched down and picked up a stone.
WHOOSH!
He threw the stone. Upon touching the transparent membrane, it trembled violently before instantly disintegrating into dust.
'I knew it wouldn't be simple.'
Gu Zheng's sharp brows furrowed, and he didn't press the matter further.
After watching for another moment, he turned and left.
He didn't know why Great Dragon Mountain was enveloped in this mysterious power, nor did he know where this power came from.
But the destruction of the villages around Great Dragon Mountain had to be reported quickly.
The towns and villages a little farther from Great Dragon Mountain needed to be evacuated as soon as possible.
With this in mind, Gu Zheng used his Lightweight Skill and moved swiftly back the way he came.
Just as he approached the village he had passed through earlier, he suddenly sensed danger. He stopped in his tracks and simultaneously dodged sharply to the side.
SHING!
A black shadow seemed to burst out of the void, streaking past Gu Zheng.
If Gu Zheng had been half a second slower, he would have been hit.
'What was that?'
Gu Zheng gripped his saber, ready to activate the Bronze Elephant Body at a moment's notice. His Spirit was highly focused as he sensed his surroundings.
The black shadow that attacked him had vanished again.
It was as if the ambush had never happened.
But a premonition of danger stemming from his very soul vibrated wildly, warning him of a threat nearby.
A Demon Fiend!
'A Demon Fiend that can turn invisible?'
'Or one that has undergone Spiritualization?'
Gu Zheng's heart instinctively pounded faster, his whole body tensing up.
He tried to sense and locate the target with his highly focused Spirit, but to no avail.
He decided to just activate the Bronze Elephant Body, unlocking it to 1%.
HISS... HISS!
As expected, his swelling muscles and growing skeleton immediately strained his frame, tearing his clothes.
A wanton urge to destroy flooded his mind, clamoring as if a little black devil on his shoulder were tempting him, egging him on to let loose, wreak havoc, and go on a killing spree.
The Heaven-Stepping Demon Elephant, with "Demon" in its name, directly affected his Spirit.
Fortunately, since it was an Equipment Effect, Gu Zheng's Spiritual Power was able to withstand it, though it was a bit of a struggle.
By forcing himself to maintain the Bronze Elephant Body state, his magnified spiritual senses finally picked something up.
There was indeed a Demon Fiend hiding near him, one invisible to the naked eye.
Due to the limited unlock percentage and his Spiritual Power, he couldn't "see" its form clearly; he could only sense its outline.
It looked like a dinosaur?
In any case, it had two thick hind legs supporting its upper body and was constantly circling Gu Zheng.