Chapter 446: A House of Perversion

[You successfully killed a superior-grade fiery eagle and obtained its soulshard. By consuming the flesh of the superior-grade fiery eagle, you may receive one to ten superior gene fragments.]

"As mentioned in the diary, all the lifeforms here are cruel and ferocious..."

The glade of trees was located along one side of the valley. Zhang Lie leapt down the cliff like a meteor and landed on the valley floor with a big boom that echoed throughout the valley and caused the ground beneath him to crack.

All sorts of genetic lifeforms were startled by the impact of his fall. Zhang Lie glanced around at his surroundings and saw three superior-grade lifeforms nearby. Indeed, the valley seemed densely populated with strong lifeforms.

When they saw Zhang Lie, they were initially frightened by the noise he had made, then enraged that he was encroaching on their territory. They rushed toward him at once.

"[Fists of the Silent Sea: Fade]!" Zhang Lie threw out one lone punch, so strong it warped the space all around his fist. Ripples of energy spread out from him, destroying all the lifeforms below superior-grade in the vicinity.

Announcement after announcement could be heard in his head; Zhang Lie ignored them all. He sent slashes of sword energy flying around him with his sword, finishing off the heavily wounded superior-grade lifeforms as well.

[You successfully killed a stargrass demonwolf. By consuming the flesh of the stargrass demonwolf, you may receive one to ten superior gene fragments.]

[You successfully killed a redmoon tortoise and obtained its soulshard. By consuming the flesh of the redmoon tortoise, you may receive one to ten superior gene fragments.]

[You successfully killed a fistborne rabbit. By consuming the flesh of the fistborne rabbit, you may receive one to ten superior gene fragments.]

Zhang Lie again ignored the announcements as he continued roaming through the valley. Over the next few days, the valley would remain in a constant state of upheaval as Zhang Lie slaughtered his way through its denizens.

The sura king Shouta walked into the monarch of stars' palace carrying a cloth-wrapped executioner's sword behind him.

Within the palace was a long table, around which seven chairs were arrayed. Shouta sat down at the first chair.

He wasn't too different from the other sura kings—not the godsons of the monarch of stars, but rather the rulers of the other sura territories all around.

He had astounding musculature and gave off an emperor's aura, but compared to the others, the stench of blood was too strong and concentrated around him, so much so that no amount of washing could remove the stench.

The blood had seeped into his aura and spirit. To look at the sura king Shouta was to look at a sea of corpses, a river of blood.

As Shouta walked into the palace, the air itself seemed to take on an iron tinge. There were scars all over his body, and a particularly long one by his neck, a testament to the battlefields he had waded into and survived.

"So you're already here, butcher."

The sura king Shicang strode into the meeting room in a long robe, his feet not even touching the floor. Black smoke wafted from his robe, and the air in the room turned cold.

Shouta folded his arms. "What do you mean, 'butcher'? I'm far more sophisticated than that—I don't sell meat, I'm an artist, an artist of the battlefield!"

Shicang continued, "I heard you waged war against a few nearby kingdoms, three from alien races, and two sura. You rushed in yourself and slaughtered an entire swathe of defenders, then made towers out of their heads. What was it, thirteen thirty-meter tall towers?"

Shouta shook his head. "Eighteen."

Shicang sighed and tilted his head. "Cruel and barbaric."

"I don't want to be lectured by a necrophile."

"Ah, you're both here!" Fenghe strode in, and both Shouta and Shicang greeted him. "Hello, third brother."

His appearance was well-received, so much so that one was led to suspect that it was the most perverted of the nine who were most respected by their brothers. Shouta and Shicang didn't get along well because neither respected the other's perversion, and neither thought the other worthy of their level.

Shouta called out, "Third brother, I've made a few new creations!"

Fenghe nodded. "I heard about your exploits on the battlefield. Has Father let you participate in his wars yet?"

"Don't mention it—he always rejects me, and I get so mad I have to take my anger out on the sura kingdoms nearby! Only art can pacify my soul—only art can bring me peace."

Shouta then waved a hand around. "Let's not talk about such unpleasantries. I made a few other sculptures recently, and I feel like my expertise is growing even higher. One of my towers went forty meters tall."

Fenghe sighed. "Eldest brother, you want to be an artist, not an architect, don't you? That means that you can't just focus on height, but rather skill, expression, and elegance. Did you paint this tower of yours? I'd love to discuss it with you."

Shouta scratched his head in embarrassment. "Well... another of my painters went crazy, and I haven't been able to find a replacement yet."

Fenghe: ...

Shicang: ...

Fenghe replied seriously, "It looks like you must have made significant improvement, then. How long did the last painter last?"

"Three months or so. This painter's mental state is weaker than the last, and he only managed to survive a month."

Fenghe nodded. "Keep working hard."

Moyan walked inside. "Ah, are all of you here already? Butcher, necrophile, and third brother!"

Shouta glanced up at him. "Oculophile, I heard you vanquished a sura kingdom next door to yours."

Moyan shook his head. "Don't call me an oculophile. I have no idea what you're talking about—I'm just a blind man."

"Indeed?" Shouta couldn't help but laugh. "If you're just a blind man, then there's no one in this world who's ordinary."

Fenghe smiled. "Fourth brother, I recently made a creation whose body is filled with eyes all over. Would you like to have a look?"

Moyan whirled around. "When, where?"

Shouta spread his arms. "I told you, an oculophile is an oculophile."

"Have you found any pretty eyes lately, fourth brother?"

Moyan replied, "Two days ago, I extracted a pair of eyes from a human girl. They're very pretty, innocent and pure, unclouded by despair or age. They're like angels' eyes, and I'm besotted with them."

Niutou strode inside. "Butcher, necrophile, seamster, and oculophile, are you all here already?"

Everyone present frowned. Fenghe replied politely, "Please don't call me a seamster. You can address me as an artist, but I'd rather be called a biologist. I've been searching for the truth behind life, to reach the pinnacle of evolution with my mortal hands."

Niutou shook his head, then sat opposite the group of sura kings. "In other words, you're a mad scientist."