The undead curse—truly erased by half?
And from just a single drop of blood?
Not just any blood, but the essence of a Foundation Establishment Peak-tier beast!
The entire Abyss instantly boiled over, the noise drawing in more and more abyss dwellers. Once they learned what had happened here, they too joined the frenzy.
Kong's face darkened. He turned and barked:
"Silence!"
Immediately, the entire Abyss quieted down once more.
Only then did Kong turn back to the Abyss Baptizer, his expression contemplative.
"Tell me what you felt."
"Yes!"
The Abyss Baptizer rose, his face alight with joy.
"The instant the essence entered my dantian, it felt as if my body had been cleaved in two."
"My whole frame twisted as though wrung like a rope."
"Then, a force that was at once molten lava and frigid ice condensed within me."
"Slowly, strange filth seemed to be stripped from my body."
"Once it was gone, there was an unprecedented lightness—but the pain only grew worse."
"The agony of fire and frost interwoven… it was worse than death."
"Then, it was as though my dantian would burst apart, while my abyssal power was being ground away."
"In the end… I hovered between fainting and consciousness."
"When everything was over, I discovered the undead curse had been cleansed halfway, but my abyssal power had diminished greatly."
Kong nodded thoughtfully.
"So it truly can resolve the undead curse?"
"That much I can swear to, Your Highness. But the pain is extreme—if one cannot endure, then…"
Kong waved his hand, signaling him to continue no further.
Pain was nothing. Compared to the eradication of the undead curse, Khaenri'ahns would gladly mutilate themselves. Eating some beast blood was hardly worth a mention.
However…
That was good news for the Khaenri'ahns. For Kong, it was not enough.
What he wanted to know was—
Could this beast blood make him stronger?
"So, have you become stronger?"
Kong pressed the question. The Abyss Baptizer fell silent, then said uncertainly:
"My abyssal power has been eroded. In terms of raw abyssal force, I am now weaker than even an Abyss Chanter."
Nearby Abyss Chanters immediately darkened in expression.
"That means you've grown stronger in another way?"
Kong ignored them and asked again.
The Baptizer hesitated, then nodded slightly.
"Your Highness, please watch."
He clenched his fist. The muscles of his forearm swelled taut, like iron glowing faintly with a white sheen.
He grabbed a few chunks of crystal ore, drew in a deep breath, and drove his fist down with all his strength.
BOOM!
A sonic boom rang out. A gust of explosive force burst from his punch, striking the crystal.
In an instant, the ore shattered into fragments, the section directly struck by his fist disintegrating into powder that scattered into the air.
Kong's eyes widened in astonishment.
That was the hardest of crystal ores!
Even a strong Vision-bearer needed a weapon to break it.
And this Abyss Baptizer—without using a shred of elemental power—had smashed it with a single punch?
It wasn't that no one could achieve this. But…
This man had been a pure caster before, notorious for his fragile body!
One drop of beast blood had turned him into a berserker?
What kind of ridiculous leap was this?
An Abyss Herald nearby murmured:
"It is said all feral beasts are foremost in physique. It seems, my lord, that his body has become comparable to theirs."
The Baptizer's face showed a hint of pride, but before Kong he spoke modestly:
"I still fall far short. It is said even a mid-Foundation Establishment beast can casually crush crystal ore. That black tiger beast we hunted—when it moved but lightly, it trampled an entire hill."
"Compared to it, I am still far behind."
The others twitched at his humblebrag, but let it pass.
Kong finally nodded with satisfaction.
"So his body has indeed been greatly strengthened… As expected of a Foundation Establishment Peak beast's essence."
"And besides that…"
He lifted his gaze.
"I saw your dantian filled with the blood mist that split off from the essence. Can you wield that power?"
The Baptizer froze, then said uncertainly:
"I can sense it, but I don't know how to use it…"
"Try manipulating it as you would abyssal power."
Kong's suggestion made the man's lips twitch. He replied helplessly:
"That kind of force shouldn't be—"
"Just try."
Kong cut him off firmly. The Baptizer, seeing his determination, steadied his mind and reached for the blood qi within his dantian.
Before all eyes, his body began to exude a savage, bestial aura.
It was as though the black tiger beast had been reborn.
The abyss dwellers nearby unconsciously stepped back under the oppressive force.
Kong narrowed his gaze. The Baptizer was now wreathed in blood mist.
Suddenly, the man opened his eyes. His pupils had become blood-red tiger eyes, cold and predatory.
His back hunched, spine arched like a great beast.
His frame expanded, muscles bulging, hair standing on end.
His fingernails lengthened into claws like a tiger's.
He looked every bit like a predator on the verge of striking, a growl rumbling from his throat like a tiger's roar.
The sight was monstrous.
"All his enhancements went into the body, then?"
Kong mused aloud, then turned to another Abyss Baptizer and nodded slightly.
"You, test him."
"At once."
The man stepped forward, tense under the oppressive presence of his transformed comrade.
He struck first, hurling elemental force.
But the beast-like figure blurred, evading every strike.
Kong's interest sharpened.
"So fast."
An Abyss Herald added quietly:
"Indeed, Your Highness. That black tiger beast was extremely fast, and could even fly with its wings. Were it not for its massive size and our extensive ambush, our casualties would have been far greater."
Kong nodded.
"So he inherited the black tiger's traits. In that case…"
"Farnreb, do not move."
At his command, the transformed Baptizer halted immediately, proving he was still sane enough to follow orders.
Kong was satisfied.
"Strike him with elemental power, then abyssal power. Test his defenses."
The other Baptizer obeyed, launching flames.
Farnreb winced faintly, but when the fire cleared, only his clothing was charred. The few burns on his skin healed rapidly under the blood mist.
"As I thought…"
Kong's eyes gleamed.
"Now with abyssal force."
The Baptizer lifted both hands. A massive black sphere condensed, then shot forward.
Farnreb's pupils shrank. He wanted to dodge, but remembering Kong's command, he merely raised his arm to block.
BOOM!
The blast leveled the plaza, leaving a vast crater. Farnreb vanished.
But Kong wasn't worried—he could still sense that roaring blood qi.
Sure enough, a blur of crimson shot from the pit. Farnreb emerged, his feral aura even stronger. The wound on his arm, inflicted by abyssal force, slowly knitted shut under the blood mist.
"He even inherited the beast's resistance to non-spiritual damage."
Kong's satisfaction deepened. He signaled three more Baptizers.
"You three, attack together. Farnreb, full strength. Show me how strong you've become."
"Yes, Your Highness."
The three men immediately felt crushing pressure. They braced themselves.
But Farnreb gave them no chance. With a roar, the air quaked, and a phantom black tiger loomed behind him.
He stomped the ground. The earth split, rocks flew—shards from the shockwave nearly pierced nearby Abyss Mages, who barely raised shields in time. Even so, their barriers cracked.
To nearly shatter a mage's shield with mere aftershocks… this was terrifying brute force.
The three Baptizers at the center of his hunt couldn't even track his movements.
Kong alone, with his heightened vision, watched Farnreb circling them like a predator toying with prey.
"A hunting instinct as well… or just a show of dominance?"
Kong chose to wait and see.
Finally, Farnreb found his opening. He lunged, the phantom tiger roaring with him.
The three panicked, unleashing elemental and abyssal power alike—but he tore through their defenses without slowing.
A claw like a falling mountain struck.
BOOM!
The explosion sank hundreds of meters of the plaza. Smoke and dust engulfed everything.
Silence fell.
At last, footsteps approached through the haze. Farnreb reappeared, his form returned to normal though pale.
Seeing Kong, he dropped to one knee, grinning faintly.
"Your Highness, I did not fail you!"
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