Looking at the astonished Senior Wuyou, Ren smiled and said, "Senior, consider this life force a greeting gift. To be honest, the situation outside isn't great. War between nations is imminent; one bad negotiation could trigger a global conflict!"
"A world war?" Wuyou was momentarily dazed. In his fading memories, the "world" consisted of Yanhuang and a few neighboring powers like the Esoteric Sect. Anything beyond that was just a distant annoyance. He assumed the "world war" meant Yanhuang and the Sect were at it again. He nodded solemnly. "Then you truly do need some top-tier experts."
But in the next heartbeat, Wuyou's tone shifted. He grinned at Ren. "Young man! Did you bring food? I can smell it!"
Unpacking his bundles, Ren wasn't stingy. He pulled out everything he had brought: cold-braised pig ears, numerous cans of meat—mostly pork and beef. Originally, Ren had planned to use these as a bribe to trade for the Poem Immortal Sword, but he hadn't expected Wuyou to simply hand over the manual...
Once heated, the drifting aroma assaulted everyone's taste buds, making them instinctively swallow their saliva. Even the Corpse King felt his mouth water.
Before long, the group was feasting. Of course, the Corpse King didn't touch human food, and Ren and the others ate this regularly outside, so the lion's share went into Senior Wuyou's stomach. During the meal, Ren even produced a bottle of Erguotou (strong Chinese liquor). Wuyou drank with pure delight.
Satiated and content, the group sat on the ground. Ren and Mu Tiancai moved to a corner to set up a rudimentary laboratory, beginning the process of extracting the genetic factors from the samples they'd gathered to make them safe for consumption.
Wuyou and Bai Xiaofei lay on the ground with satisfied expressions. The Corpse King stared into the distance, his face unreadable.
After a while, the Angel Gabriel suddenly appeared before them, carrying two people: Ran Aiguo and Master Denghai.
"These two are your companions, right? They don't have the Prisoner's Mark, so I brought them along," Gabriel said.
Ran Aiguo looked utterly bewildered upon seeing Bai Xiaofei and the others. Although Xiaofei was a Heaven-level master, he kept a low profile; in Yanhuang, very few people outside the highest echelons had ever seen him. Ren and Mu Tiancai were hidden even deeper—outside of the top leadership and a few God-levels, even Heaven-level masters didn't know they existed.
Ran Aiguo and Master Denghai were peak Heaven-level masters, but they were completely unaware of Ren and Tiancai's God-level status. As for the Corpse King, he had "reformed" his appearance to the point that unless he manifested zombie traits, he looked perfectly human.
Xiaofei sat up and introduced everyone, claiming he had been sent by Yanhuang as backup, carefully omitting the details of Ren's deal with the Corpse King. If the truth got out that humans and zombies were cooperating inside the Gate, people would never stop gossiping.
"So you're compatriots from Yanhuang! This is fantastic!" Ran Aiguo excitedly hugged Xiaofei. Finding a fellow countryman in this hellish place was one of life's greatest blessings.
Master Denghai, meanwhile, was busy taking photos with his phone. He even went over to snap a selfie with Xiaofei and Senior Wuyou. All three were grinning broadly!
After the introductions, Gabriel asked, "Where's Ren? I don't see him."
Xiaofei hesitated, about to point out where Ren had been, but at the last second, he changed his gesture to scratching his head and laughing. "He said he had some business to attend to and told us to go ahead without waiting for him."
Gabriel's gaze lingered on Xiaofei for a moment, then shifted to Wuyou, who was lying on the ground chatting animatedly with Master Denghai. She thought: That old man is already a cripple, no need to worry about him. As for that God-level...
Truthfully, Gabriel didn't want to bring Ren along. Being at the peak of the God-level made him a top-tier combatant in Hell—and thus, difficult to control. She didn't want the Corpse King around either.
Scanning Xiaofei, Ran Aiguo, and even Master Denghai, Gabriel reached a decision. She tossed two small cyan crystals, which landed steadily in the hands of Xiaofei and Ran Aiguo. "Eat these. They will boost your strength."
They looked at her in confusion. "Just eat them. They will significantly increase your power," Gabriel explained.
Without hesitation, both swallowed the crystals. The next second, they were enveloped in a cyan glow. Xiaofei's eyes turned cyan, and his aura surged violently, reaching the Late God-level!
"I've become so much stronger!" Xiaofei stared at his hands in shock. He felt leagues ahead of his previous self, especially in terms of physical density—it had nearly doubled! Ran Aiguo also achieved Physical Godhood, his strength skyrocketing.
Click!
Master Denghai snapped a photo of them. "Yanhuang just gained two more God-levels. This is going to get so many likes on Douyin."
Xiaofei and Ran Aiguo were speechless.
Seeing the promotion was complete, the corners of Gabriel's mouth curled up. "Now, help me clear out the prisoners. We will take down the three Lords of this floor together!" With her angelic power restored and three God-levels as backup, she no longer feared the local Lords.
Xiaofei nodded and departed with Gabriel. Master Denghai, realizing the coming battles were for God-levels, stayed behind to record videos with Senior Wuyou, not wanting to be a burden.
On the other side.
Ren had used his ocular powers to create a cloaking barrier around himself and Mu Tiancai. He had also used his Acceleration ability, significantly speeding up time within the area.
Working at an accelerated pace with mature technology, it took them only two days (subjective time) to extract and refine the genes of the cosmic powerhouses. Once confirmed safe, they integrated the genes.
Instantly, terrifying auras erupted from both of them!
Ren extended his hand; his fingers elongated, and ripples of blue light emanated from his palm.
"All Things Captured!"
Excitement flashed in his eyes. Ren had added another "God-tier" technique to his arsenal! He turned to Mu Tiancai, who was focusing energy into his own head, glowing with rainbow-colored energy. A moment later, Tiancai opened his eyes and laughed. "Thanks to our base genetic code being locked to a human form, I can't imagine what kind of monstrosity I would have turned into otherwise!"
The two shared a grin, and Ren deactivated the time barrier. Looking over, he saw Master Denghai boiling water while Senior Wuyou sat comfortably in the pot as if he were scrubbing his back.
Their luggage had been neatly organized on the ground, and the two seniors were helpfully using whatever they needed. Seeing Ren and Tiancai reappear, Senior Wuyou laughed. "Brat, I can feel it. You've become stronger again."
Ren smiled, not denying it. "Where are Xiaofei and the others? Why did they leave? And... who is this?"