Chapter 279: Ascension, Nuclear Explosion in Claws, Divine Abilities Achieved (I)

Runes were not actually words, but manifestations of a certain kind of power. Because they couldn’t be described in words, observers would present them as characters within their understanding, including their comprehension of the patterns.

This was a weak point for Chen Chu. His cultivation time had been too short, and he had only been exposed to runes for just over half a month.

Although he had learned to recognize those basic runes and understood what kind of power each rune represented, this understanding was superficial. He only knew what they were without understanding why they were so.

He knew that a "flame" rune represented fire and heat, but why did it represent fire and heat? If he wanted to condense this rune, where should he start? What issues might arise during the formation process? What would be the specific effects after condensing it?

He didn’t know even these things, let alone how to combine various runes representing different abilities to achieve the desired result. This was the advanced martial foundation that Chen Chu lacked.

Under normal circumstances, even geniuses would take several years to cultivate to the Sixth Heavenly Realm. For ordinary geniuses, breaking through from the Sixth to the Seventh Realm could take several years, even up to a decade. Such a long time was sufficient for them to cultivate and study the related content of runes.

Therefore, having possessed the secret scripture of the Divine Might Dragon Elephant for only a few days, Chen Chu had just finished reading the structure of the runes for condensing the True Martial Phantom of the Seventh Heavenly Realm. He had been comparing and analyzing each section through the general outline.

In this situation, it would take him at least a month to comprehend the contents of the scripture's seventh to ninth levels, to say nothing of creating his own secret scripture based on this reference.

But now, with the Thunder Fiery Colossal Beast breaking through to level 8, and its seven major abilities manifesting and condensing from nothing, it was almost as if it was explaining the essence of runes to Chen Chu bit by bit. He was frantically absorbing the information, his mind operating at a frenzied speed, with countless thoughts colliding and exploding like sparks.

Many previously incomprehensible rune structures and principles suddenly became clear to him. This opportunity was one that could not be replicated throughout history.

The process of a colossal beast breaking through to level 8 could only be perceived by the consciousness of the beast itself; other beings couldn't see or sense it at all. The runes that humans observed and studied came from the remnants inscribed on the scales, bones, or crystal horns of slain colossal beasts, which were incomplete.

Furthermore, most level 8 colossal beasts were in a state of slumber when they broke through. The few that remained conscious during their breakthroughs would only look at the scene in confusion. For mutated creatures, the concept of knowledge didn't exist in their minds, let alone the notions of thinking, referencing, and comprehending.

Only Chen Chu could simultaneously learn, comprehend, and compare the basic runes he had studied during this period, frantically absorbing countless universal truths to enrich himself.

He lost track of time as he immersed himself in the ocean of the essence of power, trying to comprehend all of it. Eventually, the runes representing the abilities began to fade away.

Golden flames burned, and thunderbolts leaped, covering a central area of two hundred meters. The black-red colossal beast, now sixty-five meters long, slowly opened its eyes, a faint trace of regret appearing in them. It hadn't seen enough yet.

However, one shouldn't be too greedy. The gain this time was already immense.

Chen Chu now felt confident that, in perhaps a day, no, just half a day, he could fully decipher the Divine Might Dragon Elephant secret scripture, as the core of both was the Divine Might Dragon Elephant runes.

With this thought, the Thunder Beast retracted its attention.

After the manifestation of its abilities, the fire and thunder that had originally existed only within its body now materialized in the outside world, forming the rudimentary shape of a two-hundred-meter domain. These flames and thunderbolts didn’t dissipate, but maintained a constant presence, as if this illusory domain was an extension of its body.

In fact, it was essentially the true forms of the flame and thunder ability runes. Thus, the seemingly endless eruption of scorching flames and leaping thunderbolts were merely projections of power, without any actual high temperature, leaving the surrounding seawater unaffected.

However, with just a thought from the Thunder Beast, these flames could instantly explode with scalding heat, incinerating everything. No wonder that level 8 ancient crocodile had been able to use its domain in an instant; said domain was always present around it.

Moreover, within this domain, the Thunder Beast's control over fire and thunderbolts was more effortless. It lowered its head, and with a thought, the endless golden flames around it surged and leaped, converging into its claw in an instant to form a fireball.

Boom!

As the flames continued to compress, an intense heat exploded, causing the surrounding water to burst into rings of purple-red shockwaves. The ten-meter-diameter fireball kept rotating and compressing, expanding and contracting, emitting an even more dazzling light and scorching heat.

Whoosh!

Flames spewed from the Thunder Beast's mouth and nostrils, and even danced in its golden pupils, as its formidable willpower continuously compressed the fireball. The Golden Flames within its body poured in endlessly, one part, two parts...

When the Thunder Beast infused sixty percent of its Golden Flames into the fireball, compressing it forty times with its immense willpower and domain strength, a miniature sun appeared in its claw.

The ten-meter-diameter, seemingly solid golden sphere of light emitted an invisible heat reaching hundreds of thousands of degrees Celsius, vaporizing and annihilating everything.

The temperature was so high, and the gathered energy so intense, that numerous black spots appeared around the light sphere, with the surrounding space seemingly warping. The water within a ten-meter-radius had long been vaporized and disappeared, creating a thirty-meter diameter vacuum on the seabed due to the intense heat and pressure.

Under the convergence of such extreme flame power, the Thunder Beast's right claw turned red, with the scales at its fingertips showing signs of melting and even disintegration.

No, I can't control it.

Roar!

The Thunder Beast slammed its claw down, hurling the golden sun into the ground beneath it.

Crack! Crack!

The ground under the Thunder Beast's feet continuously cracked. Massive rifts spread out hundreds of meters in all directions, dazzling golden light shining from the fissures. Immediately after, the ground arched upward, rapidly lifting the Thunder Beast atop it as it released an infinite burst of golden light.

Boom!

From the depths of the sea, a light resembling a nuclear explosion rose, with golden destructive shockwaves sweeping across a range of a thousand meters from the immense explosive force. Wherever the shockwaves passed, the ground shattered, and the mud and rocks instantly melted into lava under the scorching golden light.

The water boiled, and countless white steam bubbles mixed with the shockwaves shooting skyward. The sea surface a thousand meters above exploded, sending water spraying hundreds of meters into the air.

In the wake of the shockwaves, all ordinary marine life within several kilometers were killed, their bodies floating densely in the water.

When the explosive aftershocks subsided, a crater over three hundred meters in diameter appeared on the seabed, with the surrounding ground within a kilometer looking as if it had been plowed, full of pits and hollows.