Xiao Jie felt emotional; he hadn’t expected that during a reconnaissance mission, with the task’s objective still unclear, he would unexpectedly gain a Mythical Talent.
A Mythical Talent! It sounded incredibly powerful.
The effect of this talent indeed lived up to the term "mythical." Instant casting of the Transformation Technique with no mana consumption meant he could transform anytime during combat and revert back at will. If used well, it could enable a variety of advanced maneuvers.
Moreover, those previously cumbersome Beast Combat Skills and Demon Beast Combat Skills could now be used normally, enhancing his skill repertoire significantly.
Truly, fortune favors the bold. Even if the mission wasn’t completed, this trip was worthwhile.
As he was lost in thought, a shout suddenly came from outside.
"Hey, the person inside, what’s your status? Any changes?"
Xiao Jie quickly composed himself. Now wasn’t the time to be happy; there were still many demons outside to deal with.
Fortunately, the cooldown for the Phantom Spirit Pearl had ended. Xiao Jie thought he could only bet on this.
Heavenly Spirit, Earthly Spirit, don’t let me down.
Phantom Spirit Pearl—transform!
A dazzling light enveloped his body, instantly transforming him into a new form. His Jiao Long body grew immensely muscular, adorned with a dragon tail, bull horns, a wolf’s head, fish whiskers, and a shining set of dragon scales that appeared even more domineering and awe-inspiring than the previous demon evolver’s form.
The new form’s name above his head revealed: Demon Extreme Warrior!
This Phantom Spirit Pearl was truly amazing, capable of adjusting the transformation appearance based on the scene. It was practically sentient.
"There has been a change," Xiao Jie said. As he spoke, the flesh cocoon slowly split open, and Xiao Jie magnificently stepped out from the darkness.
The kobold’s eyes gleamed, having spent decades nurturing demon evolvers, he had extensive experience with various forms and strengths of newborn demons. The impressive appearance of the demon before him indicated a potential powerhouse.
"Excellent, truly worthy of being catalyzed by three Immortal Fruits. You are destined to become a warrior of my Demon Star Tower. Follow me; the masters are waiting for you."
Xiao Jie sighed in relief, but his heart tightened upon hearing this. It seemed there was no end to this ordeal.
They were going straight to face the Demon Masters!
Although the Phantom Spirit Pearl could deceive these demons before him, the Demon Masters were top-level bosses. The illusion craft of the Pearl had better hold up.
On second thought, he rationalized that it shouldn’t be too much of a problem. The Pearl’s transformation involved real physical change, and he already had many demon auras blending perfectly with their hybrid nature.
Even if the opposing forces were strong, they might not spot any flaws. However, his speech and conduct could give him away.
Better to say less and make fewer mistakes.
Led by the kobold, the group of demon evolvers exited the catalysis chamber and walked deeper into the upper layers of the Demon Star Tower.
As they walked, Xiao Jie continuously recorded the route but soon gave up; the tower’s interior was a vast maze with no regular architectural patterns or symmetrical structures.
Fortunately, the minimap was recording everything, although the multiple levels made pinpointing his exact position difficult.
After walking for over ten minutes, they finally entered a massive hall through a large gate.
There were no walls, partitions, corridors, or stairs—just a gigantic circular space.
At the center, numerous ant-like demons were piling mud balls into a large plaza-like circular platform.
The platform was still under construction, with only half the circle completed, but its central area was finished.
Around the perimeter, dozens of mud pillars stood, carved with many rune symbols.
A formation? Xiao Jie immediately recognized it. He had seen similar pillars, array flags, and hubs multiple times at Chen Tianwen’s house.
However, he couldn’t discern this formation’s purpose, though its scale suggested it wasn’t ordinary.
Thousands of ant-like demons were tirelessly at work, climbing up and down, placing mud balls and building the grand formation, which would still take considerable time to complete despite their efforts.
"Alright, follow me," the kobold shouted, leading the demon evolvers through the busy construction site to a high platform in front of the formation, where three powerful demons were monitoring the progress.
King Mingyuan (Demon Master): Level 58 Boss Level, Life Value: 21,400.
Sword-winged Lord (Demon General): Level 48 Boss Level, Life Value: 8,800.
Cold Fox Lord (Demon General): Level 47 Boss Level, Life Value: 9,400.
The names of these demon bosses were peculiar, but their racial traits were vaguely discernible. Despite their mixed heritage, some original characteristics were preserved.
The Sword-winged Lord, evidently an insect demon hybrid, had four pairs of colorful insect wings on its back and chitin armor that was strikingly beautiful and sinister.
The Cold Fox Lord was covered in black fur, resembling a dark shadow, with a body of a beast but an upturned bird beak.
King Mingyuan, with apparent dragon blood, had a burly humanoid body covered in blue-black dragon scales, a dragon tail, and a head adorned with eight sharp dragon horns resembling a crown.
His hands and feet were dragon claws, and his abdomen bore a crack like a closed eye.
Just standing there, he exuded the aura of a typical villain.
There was no doubt that King Mingyuan was their leader.
The three boss-level demons standing together were imposing, their terrifying forms making Xiao Jie take a breath, even though demons were usually bizarre. These three were particularly intimidating.
"Master, I have brought the latest batch of evolvers," the kobold respectfully announced.
King Mingyuan glanced at the crowd, his ice-cold vertical pupils making Xiao Jie’s heart skip a beat. King Mingyuan’s gaze lingered on Xiao Jie for a moment but only nodded lightly.
"Good. The plan is about to start. Take them to join the other evolvers. They will be the vanguard, heading to the other shore."
Xiao Jie listened carefully, wondering what the other shore was.
Could the formation be a teleportation array?
He found it hard to believe. Were the demons planning a mass teleportation?
But it didn’t add up. The Canglin State Great Wall, constructed by immortals to contain the Demon Star remnants, had a barrier similar to the one at the Soul Suppressing Pass, specifically designed for demon defense.
Not even a high-level sorcery like "Time Swapping" could easily penetrate it.
They could only send infiltration demons like the flying Human-faced Zhe in small numbers.
Despite their sorcery, formations were Taoist Skills from the Mystic Gate. How did they manage it?
"Let’s go," the kobold called, and the demon evolvers followed, Xiao Jie reluctantly trailing behind.
As he pondered how to confirm his hypothesis, a white light suddenly flashed in the formation’s hub. Turning around, Xiao Jie saw a tiger demon materialize out of thin air.
This tiger demon wasn’t a demon hybrid but a pure demon clan member, evidenced by its standard tiger demon form—a humanoid tiger in a tiger-skin robe with a Nine-Ring Saber on its back.
The tiger demon easily leapt from the formation to the platform near King Mingyuan.
"Your formation progress is too slow. I was sent to push you. When will you finish?"
Xiao Jie noticed the name above the tiger demon’s head.
Impudent Old Cat (Great Demon Master): Level 42, Life Value 12,000.
Shock hit Xiao Jie—it was a player!