Chapter 1233: An Innate Change

The members of Team Zenith and Zhang Lie went beyond what the third realm could sustain, regardless of where they were. In fact, at that moment, the will of the world was still repairing the damage that Zhang Lie and Yang Ze had wrought.

In the end, Sun Xiaowu's mecha grew until it was a million meters tall before it stopped, far taller than it had been even when facing Ghroth.

Clearly, maxing out his gene fragments had significantly augmented Sun Xiaowu's strength.

The huge mecha seemed to materialize physically. Its body was the size of a planet, and its face looked a little like Zhang Lie's. Its armor gleaming a resplendent gold. It looked like a sun of titanic proportions.

As Sun Xiaowu made his move, so too did the mecha, blocking the crystalline sword with both its palms.

"Interesting indeed!" Zhang Lie smiled, pitch-black genetic energy roiling around him like the sea.

"[The Boundless Blade: the River Lethe]!"

Zhang Lie raised the blade in his hand high into the air, encircled by black genetic energy. The temperature of the arena dropped to sub-zero values, and a strong wind buffeted all combatants present. Blood-colored frost appeared around them all.

An underworld river materialized in the sky, one so vast the entire world could see it.

As though the doors to hell had just been thrown open, tens of thousands of serpents rushed out in a flood.

Sun Xiaowu punched forward with fists glimmering with radiance, each a sunburst that exploded in the pitch-black ocean of genetic energy.

"[Golden Divide: Desolation]!"

Sun Xiaowu's arms glowed with golden radiance, so brightly that everyone was forced to squint. As he summoned and shot forth a blade, that golden light morphed into a flood, clashing with Zhang Lie's netherworld river. Pitch-black genetic energy sprayed from the point of impact like ink.

Zhang Lie surfed over serpents down the netherworld river, his sword slashing apart the very sky. The gigantic mecha behind Sun Xiaowu crossed his arms in defense, blocking the attack.

Zhang Lie asked, "Did you intuit something?"

Sun Xiaowu nodded. "Captain, you're trying to tell me that, as long as you control two different types of genetic energy, you can do whatever you want."

How was he meant to win against someone who had both water- and gold-attuned genetic energy?

Zhang Lie rolled his eyes. "Have you forgotten the laws of this world that our forefathers have discovered?"

Sun Mengmneg commented, "It truly is remarkable for you to have access to two elements, Captain."

Li Feng grinned. "Only someone like our captain deserves it, after all!"

Hong Xi nodded. "If an ordinary person had such access, I would think it exaggerated... but somehow I find it perfectly normal that our captain would be an exception among exceptions."

Zhang Lie sighed. "Have you forgotten even these basics?"

Zhu spoke up. "Zhang Lie does not have access to two different elements."

As the ruler of the unified world, she could clearly sense the fluctuations in Zhang Lie's genetic energy.

Ordinary hunters had to use their sight, but Zhu could use the senses granted her by the very world itself.

Zhang Lie clutched his head. "I don't know what to tell all of you. No one can command multiple elements; it's a fundamental tenet known to the hunters of the Milky Way. Just what made you think I could control two?"

Sun Xiaowu was shocked, as were the members of Team Zenith. Did Zhang Lie really only have access to one element?

Sun Xiaowu cried out, "How could this be?"

Sun Mengmeng added, "I saw the genetic energy with my very eyes, Captain! It was clearly gold-attuned."

Sun Xiaowu nodded. "It has the strength and sturdiness of gold-attuned genetic energy, and it's even sharper and denser than my own! It was able to penetrate through my golden clones directly."

Zhang Lie rolled his eyes. "Your clones were simply too weak. If you weren't even able to see through my energy transmutation, it's clear you need more training."

Pitch-black energy exploded from Zhang Lie, as though a demon were descending on the world.

"[The Boundless Blade: the River Lethe]!"

The huge sea of genetic energy covered up the skies of the world of black rain, the dark clouds, the rain itself.

The skies themselves were replaced by a pitch-black ocean, one so massive that even the enlarged space could barely contain it. Waves surged forward, sounding like peals of thunder, like stampeding hooves.

The surface of the sea frothed with angry waves, like dragons emerging with the tide. The entire sea roiled, and lightning crackled amidst the void.

Countless serpents swam across the raging sea as lightning flashed ominously overhead, a scene right out of an apocalypse.

As Zhang Lie struck, an underworld river hurtled into existence, roaring into the sea. The sword energy roiled like black waves. The sea had morphed into a boundless battlefield. The sea breeze was as a horn to action, and the serpents, thousands of courageous soldiers heeding its call.

"[Goldenscale Palm: Shattersoul]!"

The mecha's golden fists glimmered with radiance, and golden runes circled them. The light burned like flames. As it punched forward, the netherworld sea roiled, and dark serpents exploded in showers of ink.

The pitch-black genetic energy stuck to the golden mecha's fists and began to corrode at his genetic energy. As though alive, the netherworld sea began to restore itself even as it stuck to the golden mecha.

As Sun Xiaowu attacked, so too did the golden mecha. Explosions wreaked the sea, causing waves to form and serpents to explode.

"[The Boundless Blade: Dragon's Wrath]!"

Zhang Lie thrust forward with Guicang, summoning a blood dragon.

A dragon's roar shook the sky as the pitch-black genetic energy turned blood-red. The underworld sea roiled, forming a gigantic blood dragon, its jaws wide open and its claws poised to swipe. The golden mecha's figure began to crack, moments away from destruction.

Zhang Lie bared his blade horizontally before him. "Do you see it now?"

"I hadn't considered this possibility. Thank you for guiding me, Captain. You don't control two elements—rather, you've managed to imbue the properties of gold into your water-attuned genetic energy, haven't you?"

Sun Xiaowu was quite intelligent, and this was the conclusion he had come to with Zhang Lie's hints and from sensing his genetic energy.