Han Ning panted as he exited his full transformation state.
Just over ten seconds of combat had evaporated most of his Spiritual Power.
His clothes had also completely burst apart.
Using the mist as cover, he retrieved his backpack from nearby and changed into covering garments.
"This all-out combat mode needs to be used judiciously in the future," Han Ning wiped sweat from his forehead.
While Burst Mode felt amazing, the consumption was tremendous.
A pure blue Energy emerged from Tuna's corpse and flowed into his body.
Instantly, a surging warmth spread throughout his entire being.
This was his first experience of over 200 Energy points flooding into his system at once.
"Ahhh..."
Every inch of his body felt like soaking in a hot spring - even more exhilarating than flying.
[Druid Growth Progress +225] (Current Lv5, 226/2000)
[Mental Power +0.2] (Mental Power: 2.2)
The surrounding battlefield grew increasingly chaotic after the Coral Monster's death.
Without the Coral Monster's terrifying mental suppression, some remaining monsters seemed to suddenly awaken and fled the area in panic.
But most monsters remained in their frenzied state, fearlessly charging at the Awakened squad.
"Hold the line! Don't let them break formation!" the camouflage vest-wearing man roared, directing the remaining Awakened to resist.
Han Ning glanced at the intense battle - with fewer monsters, the group could barely hold their ground.
His attention returned to the Coral Monster beneath him.
He'd already absorbed Tuna's Energy, so why hadn't any Energy dispersed from the Coral Monster's body after death?
"Could it be... not completely dead?" Han Ning recalled his first encounter with the Mirage Worm.
The moment this thought surfaced—
Crack... crack!
Fine fissures suddenly appeared across the charred coral remains, emitting faint Tri-color Halo from within.
Han Ning's eyes narrowed as he flicked out a Vine to sift through the debris.
Gloop~
A crystal roughly the size of an infant's fist rolled out - an irregular sphere covered in fine cracks.
It was encased in a jelly-like substance, its core containing a shimmering Tri-color Halo.
Though slightly blackened by Han Ning's Heat Breath, the crystal's interior remained largely intact.
As the crystal appeared—
"Roo! Roo!"
Snowflake, who had been guarding nearby, became inexplicably agitated.
It circled Han Ning frantically.
"Awoo! Awoo!"
While swimming, its yellow vertical pupils fixated on the Tri-color crystal, transmitting intense desire through their Soul Contract.
As if the crystal held fatal attraction for it.
"You want to eat this?" Han Ning observed Snowflake's unusually urgent behavior and lifted the crystal with a Vine.
"Awoo! Awoo!" Snowflake responded wildly.
Han Ning pondered briefly.
This crystal was likely the condensed essence of the Coral Monster's core.
As his Animal Companion, most of the crystal's Energy essence would ultimately feedback to him through their contract. Snowflake's intense craving might indicate it could undergo some special transformation?
"Alright."
Chapter
He controlled the Vines and tossed them into Snowflake's gaping maw.
Snowflake swung its neck and caught the incoming crystal in its teeth.
The gemstone shimmering with a Tri-color Halo disappeared into its mouth.
Snowflake's throat convulsed as it swallowed the Tri-color Crystal Scale.
The next moment, a sudden mutation occurred.
"Roar, roar, roar, roar!"
After swallowing the crystal, Snowflake's eyes glazed over, its mouth hanging wide open as it began emitting continuous, piercing howls of agony.
Its previously lively body stiffened instantly, like a rat poisoned by rodenticide, and it collapsed into the water with a splash.
"??!"
Han Ning instinctively took a step forward, fearing something had happened to Snowflake.
But judging by their soul link, the creature's life force remained robust.
"Roar!"
After falling into the murky water, Snowflake's body began convulsing violently.
From the gaps between its gray-white Scales, blinding rays of blue, purple, and red light erupted.
The radiance pierced through flesh and bone, even casting eerie reflections on the swirling white mist around them.
"Wabibabo..."
Snowflake's eyes lost focus, and thick drool streamed from its mouth.
Its powerful limbs thrashed unconsciously, churning the muddy water.
"%... #¥...! Roar! Roar!"
As the halo spread across Snowflake's entire body,
Han Ning keenly sensed an endless torrent of destructive, savage emotions emanating from the depths of Snowflake's soul.
That brutal aura belonging to the Black Tide was influencing Snowflake once again!
Mixed within the savagery was also a desperate thirst for life.
Like a carp yearning to transform into a dragon.
Clearly, the crystal contained traces of the Black Tide.
Understanding this, Han Ning immediately activated [Nature's Blessing].
Empowered by the earth's blessing, his palms radiated a rich emerald glow that enveloped Snowflake.
Sizzle! Sizzle! Sizzle!
Snowflake's Scales visibly lost their luster, becoming brittle and curling up.
Large patches sloughed off its body, revealing raw, crimson flesh beneath.
The turbid floodwaters touching these exposed wounds sizzled like water on red-hot iron, sending up plumes of white mist.
Threads of barely visible Black Qi mingled with the white vapor, dissipating into the air.
Under the continuous purification and nourishment of Nature's Blessing, the savage emotions deep in Snowflake's mind gradually dissipated.
"Ooooorrrr!"
Snowflake's cries suddenly rose in pitch, transforming into a deep, resonant roar Han Ning had never heard before.
Its flesh tore and reformed continuously.
Finally, the rate of Scale shedding began to slow.
Over the exposed flesh grew a layer of pearl-like, lustrous white keratin.
This new skin quickly hardened, soon transforming into tightly arranged, porcelain-smooth pure white Scale armor.
The new Scales were smaller, smoother, with faint traces of tri-colored fluorescence along their edges.
Its snout shortened slightly, the lines becoming more angular.
At the center of its forehead appeared a single Tri-color Crystal Scale, no larger than a fingernail.
This Scale was perfectly rhomboid, as if meticulously cut from the purest gemstone.
"Roooorrr..."
A low growl with a metallic rasp echoed forth.
Snowflake pushed itself up, slowly rising from the turbid waters.
Droplets cascaded down its porcelain-white body.
Revealing the full extent of its new Scale armor.
Now, Snowflake stood nearly 1.5 meters at the shoulder, about 4 meters long from head to tail, its form tapering gracefully and radiating sheer power.
The limbs had grown thicker and longer than before, with the tips of its five claws gleaming with a chilling cold light.
A row of fine, serrated bone spikes protruded along the narrow tail, resembling a white bone whip as it flexibly swayed in the water.
The Tri-color Crystal Scale between its brows pulsed with light in rhythm with Snowflake's breathing.
Its eyes had transformed into a peculiar, crystalline form resembling colored glass, though they retained an overall brass-like hue.
Yet along the edges of its pupils, barely discernible intertwined lines of purple, red, and blue had emerged.
A faint but palpable mental pressure radiated from its being.