In a vast and empty space resembling an underground cave,
Wu Ming de-transforms from his wolf-beast fusion state, now adorned with steel-like feathers across his body. After transforming into a werewolf, he becomes an avian humanoid once more, sprouting a pair of eagle wings on his back. Flapping furiously, his right hand morphs into a golden claw, darting through the air like lightning, slicing and felling numerous bull-sized mutated wasps.
On the ground, the demonic wolf is engulfed in emerald-green soul-devouring flames, still clutching the head of a giant wasp in its jaws, while Hou Yong cowers in a corner, trembling.
On his way to Feipu City, Wu Ming had gathered jade slips detailing combat techniques regarding eagle fusion skills, forcefully applying them onto his Iron-winged Golden Eagle.
Now, the results are indeed extraordinary.
This is not only the immense power of a War Soldier Peak-ranked being but also the terrifying advantage gained from an Outstanding species!
“Wow…incredible! These are all Elite-tier Gluttonous Wasps!”
Hou Yong stares in awe, his mouth gradually widening.
“Buzz! Buzz!”
Finally, after a thick layer of wasp corpses accumulates on the ground, a much larger and more terrifying queen emerges from the massive hive ahead.
[Gluttonous Wasp Queen]
[Racial Tier: Elite (Orange)]
[Racial Bonus: +1]
[Attribute: Insect]
[Rank: High War Soldier]
[Skills: Stinger, Venom]
[Status: Enraged]
…
“In Gluttonous Wasps, the queen is the strongest in combat, while the queen, although of higher rank, is only responsible for laying eggs and nurturing…”
Flashes of knowledge cross Wu Ming’s mind as he charges forward swiftly.
“Gale Strike!”
Puh!
His form becomes an arrow, dodging the queen’s stinger, a golden thread streaks out, directly hitting the Gluttonous Wasp Queen.
It hesitates, then its body is evenly split in two from the middle, crashing to the ground.
After all, the Iron-winged Golden Eagle is a War Soldier Peak, and even an Outstanding species—this is a full two minor ranks of advantage, something ordinary means cannot compensate for.
“Buzz! Buzz!”
Suddenly, the entire hive trembles, a fat and enormous queen appears, slowly flying away surrounded by many Gluttonous Wasps, with many worker bees carrying eggs nearby.
Meanwhile, large numbers of wasps recklessly engage Wu Ming, drawing his attention.
This group of Gluttonous Wasps is clearly forced by Wu Ming to abandon their nest and seek a new habitat.
“Pity…I’m not a mass tamer, so I have no interest in the queen!”
Wu Ming lands on the ground, reverting from his fusion form, and looks at Hou Yong: “Alright?”
“Fine…but my Big-bellied Fish Eagle…”
At this mention, Hou Yong nearly cries.
“You still dare to mention that?”
Wu Ming kicks him: “If it weren’t for your Big-bellied Fish Eagle going crazy and flying off, how would we have disturbed this wasp nest? Hurry up and move!”
“Move?”
Hou Yong scratched his head and grinned foolishly: “But what about the honey? From what the teacher said… this is a premium-grade spiritual food, worth a fortune!”
Saying this, he clumsily tries to break open a honeycomb, only to be chased by a newly hatched wasp: “Help! Help!”
Wu Ming watches, half-amused, when he sees Hou Yong stumble, accidentally knocking over a section of the hive, revealing a dark cave behind it.
“This is…an exit?!”
Wu Ming’s face lights up with joy: “Never thought…the exit to the underground labyrinth we’ve been desperately seeking is hidden inside the Gluttonous Wasps’ nest. How cunning…It must have used some method to obscure it, and unless opened manually, no Spirit Master would ever discover it!”
“Master Wu Ming…this…”
Hou Yong wears an innocent expression.
“Haha…you’ve done a great deed! Behind this is likely where Jia Kongming left his legacy! Let’s go!”
Wu Ming’s eyes blaze with excitement as he and Hou Yong step forward together.
…
Not long after, the young lady from the Starfall Empire and her group catch up.
“The wind tells me…”
The elderly female spirit master points to the wasp’s nest and says, “I’ve explored 99% of the Lava Maze—all dead ends! Only recently have there been signs of human activity here!”
“Excellent!”
The young lady leads the way in, first seeing the wasp corpses on the ground, slightly horrified, then spots the cave.
“Someone got here first, quick, follow!”
She immediately commands, not knowing why, but suddenly Jia Kongming’s face flashes in her mind.
She is absolutely convinced that if anyone could defeat her here, it must be that enigmatic group of Spirit Masters!
“So this is the place!”
After they enter, from the shadows beside, a black-cloaked figure slowly emerges.
Earlier, that old woman used her Wind Spirit, claiming nothing within the surroundings could escape detection, yet she failed to notice this black-cloaked figure’s existence.
“Jia Kongming’s legacy must be mine! To complete our family’s secret techniques, only the clues there can help…”
The cloaked figure murmurs, quickly vanishing into the cave.
…
“Quick! Faster!”
Inside the tunnel, Wu Ming urges Hou Yong forward.
“Those Spirit Masters behind are nothing but cannon fodder, but if they unite, it’ll be troublesome… And with the original disguise removed, it’s pointless to set it up again…”
Originally, the plan was to use the Gluttonous Wasps’ unique hive and honey to create an effect similar to blocking detection.
But now, Wu Ming obviously can’t recapture the queen and force her to rebuild the nest.
“Fortunately, the Lava Maze is large enough to buy me some time…”
Wu Ming pulls Hou Yong, rapidly advancing along a sloping path that gradually rises.
Pah!
Finally, he reaches the tunnel’s end, facing a black iron door, with strange spiritual creatures depicted on both sides—unlike any spirits Wu Ming recognizes.
“We’re here, Jia Kongming’s legacy chamber!”
Wu Ming’s heart burns with excitement, suddenly turning his head: “Hou Yong, go open the door!”
“Eh? Yes!”
Honestly, although Hou Yong is somewhat dull, he’s not truly foolish, naturally understanding Wu Ming’s intention.
But having been saved multiple times by Wu Ming and knowing his strength, how could he dare to resist? Immediately stepping forward, he grabs the door handle.
Creak! Creak!
The iron door looks heavy but opens with little effort, only a cascade of dust falling, clearly indicating this place has been abandoned for a long time.
Beyond the door lies a stone chamber, simply furnished with several stone tables and chairs, and at the far end, a stone bed with three stone boxes neatly arranged.
“Hmm? Although I knew Jia Kongming wasn’t a bad person, he really just hands over the legacy so easily?”
Wu Ming eyes the place cautiously, then nods at Hou Yong.
“Alright…”
Hou Yong sighs, slowly stepping forward, picking up a stone box, gently opening it.
A burst of radiant light appears.
Inside the box lies a tightly sealed crystal, containing a phantom spirit egg, dormant like a winter seed, adorned with mysterious patterns on its shell.
“A Stone Ape egg?”
The glow passes, and with just a glance, Wu Ming knows exactly what the egg is, understanding its vitality, attributes, and potential.
Indeed, there’s a yellowed note inside the stone box, with a few lines scribbled:
“An ancient Stone Ape, although an Elite, has high potential, capable of mutating into various ape species, specially collected…”
“It seems… the reason Jia Kongming collected this Stone Ape wasn’t because it was an Elite, but because it’s an ancient Phantom Spirit—extremely rare and valuable for studying racial mutations…”
Wu Ming takes it without hesitation, then points at the remaining two boxes.
This time, Hou Yong is much braver, taking both boxes and opening them.
“Hmm?”
One of the stone boxes immediately radiates golden light upon opening, illuminating the entire room, and Wu Ming even seems to hear an ancient cry in his ears.
“What is this…”
The golden light fades, and he reaches out, pulling out a golden feather.
This feather seems forged from pure gold, with glowing veins running through it. Just holding it, Wu Ming feels a terrifying aura.
“I wonder what ancient beast left this, but it must surpass the Outstanding tier…”
Wu Ming murmurs, feeling the Iron-winged Golden Eagle stirring eagerly.
“A treasure…”
His heart leaps with joy, sensing the strong desire from the contract, knowing this item must be extremely beneficial for the Iron-winged Golden Eagle.
“Actually…the Iron-winged Golden Eagle is already at War Soldier Peak, about to evolve…if I use this, reaching General tier is definitely not a dream…though if I want to elevate its racial tier as well, it might be impossible! Still, even so, I can use its breakthrough to ascend to General tier!”
The advancement of a spirit master is complex yet simple.
Due to Wu Ming’s uniqueness, he doesn’t experience the spiritual bottleneck common among ordinary spirit masters. Therefore, once his phantom spirit evolves, his own advancement follows as a natural progression.
This leads to a terrifying scenario.
“I just advanced to Soldier tier less than two months ago…and now I’m advancing to General tier again…”
In the Dongfang family, only Dongfang Ying is a Marshal-level Spirit Master, while even Dongfang Xiong and Dongfang Tie are merely at the General level.
If he returns after advancing to General tier, he could almost immediately run for the Elder Council and compete for the highest family power!
Wu Ming stores the feather away, then turns to the third stone box.
Inside this box is only a blue fruit, dotted with blue light spots like brilliant stars.
“Stellar Essence Fruit… a rare treasure that enhances the soul, assisting Spirit Masters in breaking through bottlenecks…”
Wu Ming softly reads the description, while beside him, Hou Yong’s breathing immediately quickens.
The advancement of spiritual masters involves two aspects.
Not only must the Phantom Spirit evolve, but the Spirit Master’s own soul must also evolve!
Often, the Phantom Spirit has already met the requirements for evolution, but the Spirit Master’s soul cannot bear the burden, hindering the progress!
Therefore, Hou Yong clearly understands how significant the appearance of a soul-enhancing rare item like this would be.
At the very least, even if the entire Feipu City were to unite all its factions, they would absolutely be powerless to protect it!
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