Chapter 568: Energy from the Masses

An interesting tidbit of information from the monarch of stars' files was that the strength in these seeds could be distributed from one lifeform to another, and these seeds essentially behaved like currency.

𝙧𝙚𝙚𝔀𝒆𝓫𝓷𝙤𝓿𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝙤𝓶

If the one who controlled these seeds hadn't been the swan, but rather an alien race or some more intelligent species, a kingdom of genetic lifeforms might truly be a reality.

"So even genetic lifeforms have developed to such an extent where they know of slavery..."

With this sort of ability, it was likely that the swan had experienced rapid growth, and it might well be a disaster-grade lifeform by now—a perfect target for Zhang Lie.

Given the monarch of stars' extensive notes, Zhang Lie quickly found this supposed kingdom.

To be honest, it seemed rather destitute. It was surrounded by dense forests and tall mountains, but there were far more lifeforms, and of a far higher caliber, than he expected within the kingdom. Peak-grade lifeforms were commonplace, and superior-grade lifeforms formed the majority of the populace.

All sorts of genetic lifeforms could be seen within, much like all sorts of alien races could be seen in Renhuang.

Zhu tugged at Zhang Lie worriedly. "Mister, will we be discovered?"

Zhang Lie turned around. "Discovered by what?"

"Genetic lifeforms...?"

"Oh, we were discovered a while ago."

"What?!"

A lifeform leapt out before Zhang Lie and roared, sending a burst of wind toward him and Zhu. Zhang Lie's eyes flashed. The lifeform instantly prostrated itself like a little kitty before Zhang Lie kicked it aside.

"So what if we've been discovered? It hardly affects us."

Zhu stared, her mouth agape. She thought she had grown used to Zhang Lie's surprises, but the sight of a peak-grade lifeform cowering before Zhang Lie from just a single glance was still too shocking a sight for her to bear.

Zhang Lie continued calmly, "Don't worry, the lifeforms around won't be able to see us."

Indeed, despite the commotion the peak-grade lifeform had caused, none of the other lifeforms around seemed to notice a thing.

All those lifeforms who had turned to Zhang Lie found themselves mired in an illusion.

Zhang Lie and Zhu had become all but transparent, and they wouldn't be noticed by any lifeform nearby. In fact, the peak-grade lifeform that had jumped out at them had been controlled by Zhang Lie, with the intention of reassuring Zhu that all was well.

Unlike regular lifeforms, these genetic lifeforms all exuded a bloody scent. The center of their foreheads bulged with purplish-black veins, as though their capillaries were the roots of a flower that grew out of their heads.

As they walked deeper within the kingdom, the lifeforms only grew more and more numerous. Zhang Lie saw the traces of an ancient city left behind by some other civilization.

It was very likely that the swan had built its kingdom atop these ruins, and the only remaining structure from this ancient civilization was the castle that stood in the middle of the city.

Zhang Lie found a secluded location where Zhu could hide, warded that location for safety, and headed into the castle himself. He walked around the interior of the castle, where he heard the howling of a beast and what sounded like a duck's quack. He followed the source of the noises to a large chamber where several genetic lifeforms seemed to be having… an orgy.

At the very center of the crowd was a swan with black and white striations across its body.

The other lifeforms stayed well away from the swan. When Zhang Lie walked into the room, the genetic lifeforms seemed to notice him immediately. They stopped what they were doing and raised their heads, only to be caught unawares by his multicolored eyes.

Subsequently, almost as though they were in a daze, they returned to what they had been doing.

Zhang Lie walked up to the swan, raised a fist, and made to punch it.

Suddenly, the swan's eyes gleamed. It made a huge honk, and its wings shot toward Zhang Lie like the sharpest of blades.

Zhang Lie took half a step back, tilted his head, and punched forward.

"[Fists of the Silent Sea: Quake]!" His fist caused a geyser of water to erupt, exploding the bodies of all the lifeforms around him except for the swan.

The swan barely dodged the attack. It spun rapidly in the air, taking advantage of the momentum of the attack to evade it in full. It cawed loudly, and its aura instantly grew to that of a peak-grade lifeform. It seemed to be at the boundary between peak- and disaster-grade.

The discordant sound was particularly loud and jarring, and it shook the genetic lifeforms within the kingdom awake. Unexpectedly, however, none of those lifeforms rushed to aid the swan.

"[Fists of the Silent Sea: Soar]!" Zhang Lie threw out one lone punch, so strong it warped the space all around his fist. Ripples of energy spread out from him as the swan threw the nearest lifeform within reach at him—a lifeform that looked like a top hat, with sharp, vicious teeth where the interior of the hat was.

Ripples of energy spread out from Zhang Lie, pulping everything in its wake.

The bowl of the hat-like lifeform was a pocket dimension, much like the whirlpool tyrant's belly or the potbellied toad's pouch. Zhang Lie's [Fists of the Silent Sea: Soar] was fully sucked within, and it proceeded to wreak havoc throughout the lifeform's body.

As the hat-like lifeform moaned and whined, the swan's black-and-white body turned a pale white. The hat-like lifeform had been unable to resist even a single blow from Zhang Lie.

Knowing that it had encountered a truly dangerous existence, the swan tried to escape, but Zhang Lie appeared in its path before it could do so. He sent another punch toward the swan, space distorting and reforming in the aftermath of his attack.

Ripples of energy crossed each other in mid-air, and the frightening burst of wind that heralded the attack seemed poised to destroy heaven and earth.

The swan ducked behind the hat-like lifeform, which absorbed the second of Zhang Lie's punches and exploded with a bang, unable to withstand the potency of Zhang Lie's attacks.

The destruction that resulted was harrowing. The entire room bore thick scars from the explosion, and all the lifeforms' carcasses had been disintegrated. The swan had been caught near the center of the explosion, and its body was marred with layers of wounds. The fact that it hadn't been torn apart was testament to its own strength.

Zhang Lie punched forward once more with [Fists of the Silent Sea: Soar]. He moved so rapidly that he was by the swan's side before it could recover from the attack. It had no time to dodge; it was forced to defend itself with its two wings as force exploded from Zhang Lie like a tsunami.

The swan was thrown back like a bullet. It smashed against the wall, cracks propagating from the point of impact. Its two wings had broken, and blood trailed down its body.

Zhang Lie was just about to kill it with one last blow when a figure pounced toward him and met him fist for fist. Zhang Lie marveled at the strength of the silver chimpanzee that stood before him, his fur glowing silver, his arms gleaming with the luster of gold.

That the chimpanzee hadn't died was shocking. Zhang Lie hadn't used any specific technique, but 31 disaster gene fragments afforded him a shocking level of strength.

That said, the chimpanzee hadn't gone unharmed, either. Its body was partially caved in, but there was no flesh or bone to be seen, only translucent crystal.

.

Zhang Lie had seen the likes of this before—this was a pseudodisaster-grade lifeform! This silver chimpanzee's arms had crystallized! Although he had never seen a peak-grade lifeform evolve to disaster-grade, he had seen a pseudodisaster-grade lifeform before.

There were countless genetic lifeforms in the second realm, and it was reasonable that they all had different routes to evolution.

"[Rune: Control]!"

Zhang Lie raised both his arms into the sky, and the image of a dragonturtle appeared behind him. The two gravity-controlling tablets smashed into the ground, blocking the exit from the chamber. Black ripples emanated from the two gravity-altering tablets, forming a localized region of distorted gravity.

Zhang Lie's intention was to disrupt the two lifeforms from fleeing, as well as to block the most obvious exit.

"[Fists of the Silent Sea: Fade]!" A black serpent shot out of Zhang Lie's fist toward the two movement-impaired lifeforms, who were unable to dodge the attack.

The chimpanzee sucked in a deep breath and blocked the blow for the swan. As the serpent bit into it, its body quickly began to corrode away.

Zhang Lie clenched his fists tightly. "It's all over now."

Just as he was about to take down the swan, however, the entire castle seemed to quake, and the cries of all sorts of genetic lifeforms could be heard in the distance. They poured in like the tide, breaking the walls of the castle down in their urgency. The swan's cries had finally had an effect...