GA: Chapter 221: Survival of the Fittest is the Law of Nature; The Strong are Unbound!"
Luo Yang found himself unable to refute Zhao Feng's words, because he knew that this was the harsh reality.
Given Zhao Feng's plundering ability, once his nature became known, no esper would ever willingly approach him.
In this era, becoming weak was even harder to accept than death itself!
But this was absolutely no justification for Zhao Feng to kill others just to steal their abilities.
Zhao Feng knew this as well, which was why he never denied his own wickedness. Even if given another chance, he would do the exact same thing.
"It's not too late for you to turn back." That was all Luo Yang could manage to say.
If that little girl had truly harbored a death wish, Zhao Feng's actions, while still unforgivable, might have been partially mitigated. Making amends through service would have been a real possibility. In fact, considering his current talent was at the First Sequence level, any punishment would likely have been purely performative.
The times had changed, and the handling of certain matters had shifted accordingly. The past and the present could no longer be judged by the same standard.
"Turn back?" "Why would I turn back?" "There is no point."
Zhao Feng spoke with a light laugh, as if he had just heard something ridiculous.
"I already possess the potential to reach the absolute peak. Why would I accept your shackles?"
"What do their lives have to do with me?"
"Not everyone wants to be a hero. From the very beginning, all I've wanted was to be strong!"
"And the strong are unbound! No one can control me!"
"I do what I want. I save people if I feel like it, and I kill them if I feel like it. I can be a good man, or I can be a villain."
"This era belongs to the espers; it belongs to the strong. Why should I listen to the orders of the weak? What right do they have to command me?"
"The rule of nature is that the strong survive and the weak perish. I respect your desire to protect the nation, but I have no such urge."
"I will become the god of this world!" "And you... you will be the stepping stones toward my godhood."
As the words fell, a gray ray shot from Zhao Feng's pupils.
CRACK.
"Not good!"
Feeling a stiffness seize his body and a petrification spreading upward from his feet, Luo Yang let out a mental cry of alarm.
"Can you feel it? This irresistible power."
"Any ability without the support of talent is pathetically weak."
"Even with the same elements, a First Sequence elemental ability and anyone else's are two different things—a gap as wide as heaven and earth."
"Of course, it's also possible that there is a fundamental difference in nature between First Sequence elemental abilities and ordinary ones."
"Just like what I showed you—whether it's the crushing strength, speed, and defense, or the ability that turned you to stone—all of these are First Sequence powers I plundered."
"Medusa? Gorgon? I have no interest in Western myths, and there might not even be a connection between them."
"So, the ability you hold as a Second Sequence might not be some 'Titan' after all; maybe you're just a mutant chimpanzee."
At this point, Zhao Feng suddenly chuckled to himself.
"I've had too few people to talk to lately, so I'm rambling a bit."
"Now then, I'll take your ability and your talent."
Zhao Feng walked forward and placed his hand on the shoulder of Luo Yang, whose body was now petrified with only his head remaining.
[Ability: Plunder]
[Initiating]
A terrifying suction force spread from Zhao Feng's hand, eroding Luo Yang's body. A cool, warm current flowed out from Luo Yang, continuously merging into Zhao Feng's own frame.
"While it's not First Sequence, Second Sequence isn't bad either."
Regarding the current First Sequences, aside from the group being secretly cultivated that even he didn't know about, he had no certainty of victory against any of the known ones.
The White Emperor, the Dragon Emperor, the Ice Emperor, the Flame Emperor—facing any of them was a road to certain death.
But as his plundering ability grew stronger and he gathered more abilities, his own strength would only continue to rise. When that time came...
Just as Zhao Feng was lost in thought, a dragon condensed from flames shot directly toward him.
BANG.
A gray ray shot from Zhao Feng's pupils. After a brief stalemate, the fire dragon was petrified and crashed to the ground.
"This is..."
As if realizing something, Zhao Feng immediately released his grip. Covering his feet with Spiritual Qi, he fled toward the depths of the forest at an unimaginable speed.
ROAR!
A crimson streak of light overtook him and blocked his path. It was a lion with thick, shaggy fur, its entire body radiating a dense aura of flame. He frowned, attempting to turn in another direction, only to find his path blocked by various unknown creatures, each emitting a powerful presence.
"Surrounded, then."
"This is exactly why I was so reluctant when I realized I was heading toward Hangzhou."
"Any city with a First Sequence is never my first choice."
"If not for that voice... forget it." "There's no point in talking about it now."
Zhao Feng shook his head with a touch of helplessness. He turned around to see a figure standing atop a massive scarlet bird in the sky. Fiery red hair fluttered in the wind; she had long, slender brows and eyes that were alluring yet full of spirit. Her lips were a vibrant red, but her snowy white face was currently frozen in an icy expression.
"Flame Emperor, Huo Yu. Among the First Sequences, you are one of the opponents I least want to face."
Unlike other summon-type espers with weak bodies, Huo Yu possessed the ability to turn into fire, making her immune to physical attacks. Her offensive capabilities were also extremely threatening.
She was not a bit weaker than a Second Sequence with fire abilities. Furthermore, the number of creatures she could summon was so vast it made people give up on trying to count them.
During the beast tide in Hangzhou, the Flame Emperor was the first person to tell everyone—including those from the Spiritual Qi Bureau—to evacuate. She had then wiped out the beast tide single-handedly, relying entirely on her summons.
She had apparently spent the entire time sitting on one of her summons, even playing a few games on her phone. If this hadn't been verified internal information, he wouldn't have believed it.
In a one-on-one duel, the Flame Emperor might be the weakest of the Four Emperors, but no one wanted to face her overwhelming army of summons.
"Flame Beast, Transform."
At this moment, Huo Yu had no intention of conversing with Zhao Feng. Looking at the petrified Luo Yang on the ground—who was now unconscious with only his head exposed—her expression grew even colder.
"Yes." "Divine Weapon Flame Beast, Transform!"
ROAR!!!
Under Zhao Feng's gaze, the lion that had first blocked his path let out a massive roar. The terrifying soundwaves were enough to make even him daze for a moment; the creature's roar was a mental attack.
But the scene that followed was even more incredible.
As he watched, the lion's body twisted like a machine, transforming into a long blade with a purple hilt and an orange blade.
"What is that?"
A summon turning into a weapon? How was that possible! He had never heard of a summon being able to turn into a weapon. Or was this particular summon just that special?
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GA: Chapter 222 – The Chess Player and the Chess Piece; Tang Sanzang's Strategic Takeover of the Grand View Garden?
"Die."
Violent and searing flames erupted continuously from the blade, condensing into a massive lion in the air.
ROAR!!!
The flame lion let out a thunderous howl and lunged toward Zhao Feng.
Dull gray rays shot from Zhao Feng's pupils, colliding with the flame lion. The gray and red rays locked in a stalemate for less than a second before the scorching heat swallowed the gray light entirely, enveloping Zhao Feng in a localized inferno.
"AAAAHHH!!!"
The blistering flames almost completely ignored Zhao Feng's defenses—searing skin, muscle, meridians, and internal organs.
Although he possessed the talent of a First Sequence and had leaped in strength enough to crush a Second Sequence like Luo Yang in a short time, the gap between him and the original First Sequences remained immense.
The petrification ability was indeed powerful, but it depended entirely on the target. Petrifying Huo Yu's attacks was far beyond the current Zhao Feng's capabilities.
But just as Zhao Feng was about to perish in the flames, a deep darkness shrouded him, causing him to vanish along with the fire.
"Space-type ability?"
"Another traitor? Or..."
Huo Yu frowned as she looked at the jungle and mountains shrouded in trees. She then signaled a summon to carry Luo Yang's petrified body back toward the city.
For now, getting Ye Feng over to dispel the petrification on Luo Yang was the priority.
The parents of the little girl whose ability Zhao Feng had plundered were fully petrified for too long to be saved, but Luo Yang should be fine; Zhao Feng had intentionally left his head exposed for the plundering process.
"Is it worth saving a human at the risk of being discovered?"
A mutant giant lizard, seven or eight meters long, looked at the charred human on the ground and asked in confusion.
"His ability makes him worth it."
"The main issue now is this fire. If it keeps burning like this, he'll actually die."
Beside the giant lizard, a plant with vibrant purple flowers spoke in a low voice, taking two steps back as it did. The flames surrounding the human were too hot, making it extremely uncomfortable.
"I'll do it. Fire is my domain."
A scarlet giant tiger stepped out from the herd, a flash of complexity in its eyes as it looked at Zhao Feng.
I was once human, too...
The flame lotus on its forehead flickered. The flames on Zhao Feng's body paused briefly before surging toward the tiger's forehead, vanishing seconds later.
"Then I shall assist with his treatment."
The plant from before relaxed slightly once the fire was gone. Its flowers swayed, releasing a faint fragrance into the air while a soft green light covered Zhao Feng. His body, which had been burned down to the bone in places, began to heal rapidly under the green glow.
"Jin Hong, we trust your prophecy. That is why we let Kong risk discovery to save this human."
"If his future does not reach the level of the powerhouse in your vision, I will eat you without hesitation."
The scarlet tiger's cold eyes looked at a monkey in the tree called Jin Hong. It had silky golden fur and eyes full of spirit, but most incredible of all was the golden vertical eye positioned between its brows.
"Whether he does or not isn't the real issue. My fear is that that man will find us because of this."
"That guy... is terrifying."
The mutant plant treating Zhao Feng seemed to recall something horrifying, its purple flowers shriveling in fear.
Originally, there were many mutant beasts and plants here, including many who had gained sapience. Though their wisdom wasn't quite at this level yet, with proper teaching, they could have thrived. They had planned to rule the local mutant creatures and eventually expand into a great power that even humans wouldn't dare offend.
Until that man, who radiated an incredibly attractive aura, walked into this place.
Death!
Nothing but death!
No mutant creature could even put up a fight before their life force vanished—and that man hadn't even seemed to attack.
She had been scared to death!
She had curled up in a corner, chanting "You can't see me," "You can't see me," "You can't see me"...
It was useless.
"Every race produces an existence that changes the fate of its kind."
"Your talent and ability, as well as the destiny shown in the Book of Fate, make me look forward to your future."
She hadn't understood anything about racial destiny or the future, but it seemed the man wasn't going to kill her. That had let her breathe a sigh of relief.
"That guy isn't human at all!"
"He's too strong."
The scarlet tiger knew exactly who she was talking about. Recalling that man's figure, its eyes filled with dread. His first death after reincarnating as a tiger had been at that man's hands! If not for the special ability of the Sacred Flame that allowed him a second reincarnation, he would be truly dead.
Even more terrifying was that when the man met him again, he recognized him and even named his ability.
"This should be our second meeting."
"Sacred Flame is indeed a good ability. Remember to keep a firm grip on your beastly nature."
That was what he had said.
"He won't come back."
"He is a chess player, and we are but pieces."
"Unimportant pieces can be discarded; important pieces must be preserved."
"That is the lesson you taught, Huoyan," Jin Hong said from the tree.
Its ability was precognition; when the whim took it, it could see a fragment of the future. In the future it had seen, someone was orchestrating everything. That person had discovered it but hadn't stopped it. It was as if the monkey seeing him was just another part of the board.
"I only said that once, and you probably don't even know what a chess game is," the scarlet tiger said, exasperated.
Still, these mutant fellows were smart. He had only taught them a few things, and they were already applying them.
"By the way, Huoyan, isn't it time for a story today?" the mutant plant asked, and the others looked over expectantly.
To them, the story wasn't what mattered—it was the human knowledge contained within. Though the stories were quite interesting, too. They didn't know how Huoyan, who was a beast like them, knew so much.
"You remember better than I do," the tiger sighed. "Where did I leave off?"
"The Great Sage Equal to Heaven, Sun Wukong, thrice-fighting the God-King Zeus!"
"Right. I'll tell you the next segment: Tang Sanzang's Strategic Takeover of the Grand View Garden."
There was nothing for it; he didn't remember the details of the original stories anyway, so he made them up. Regardless, his audience had never heard any of these stories before.
As they spoke, the figures moved slowly into the depths of the forest. The still-unconscious Zhao Feng was dragged by his right leg by Jin Hong; given Zhao Feng's defensive capabilities, sliding along the ground wouldn't bother him much.
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