I collected hundreds of crystal cores from the battlefield. Most were low-grade, but the sheer quantity made up for it.
As the energy from the massive number of cores poured into my companion space, I could clearly feel the space's area expanding. The primordial power within my body also grew more profound.
What surprised me more was that as my strength increased, the Nine Dragons Pulling a Coffin totem on my back became more solid. Of the nine crimson chains on that ancient black coffin, in the first chain there was a faint hint of loosening.
I closed my eyes, sensing the experience transmitted by the Nine Dragons Pulling a Coffin.
The Nine Dragons Pulling a Coffin isn't just a suppression type totem. Its truly terrifying aspect lies in devouring. Devouring mutated beast cores, devouring the remnants of enemy totems, devouring all convertible energy. Then it returns these powers to me, strengthening my physical essence and companion space.
This ability is called coffin burial devour.
However, the first chain isn't completely unlocked yet. To truly activate coffin burial devour, a higher level core is needed as a key. At least a level five mutated beast core.
A level five core.
I opened my eyes, a slight smile curling at the corner of my mouth. Soon after the crimson moon descended in my previous life, a level five beast king did appear in the east sea direction. The sea overturning bone dragon. That thing nearly destroyed the entire city.
In this life, its core will be mine.
Satisfied, I turned and walked back into the air raid shelter. As the heavy door slowly closed, completely isolating the outside slaughter, Su Xiaodao approached, his eyes burning with fervor.
"Brother Lie, you're absolutely insane."
Jiang Xinyi handed over a warm towel, her beautiful eyes sparkling. "You must be tired. The hot pot is still warm."
I wiped my hands, sat back on the sofa, and picked up a piece of white beef.
At the same time, within the highest military command center, five hundred meters underground in the capital, the atmosphere was stiflingly tense.
"Report. The second defense line has fallen. Three level four mutated beasts have breached the blockade."
"Report. A tsunami has struck the southern coast. Suspected deep sea aberration making landfall."
"Report. Our effective weapons are ineffective against level three plus mutated beasts. Our awakened forces are suffering heavy casualties."
Each piece of bad news hammered at everyone's hearts like a heavy blow.
The commander standing before the massive electronic sand table closed his eyes in anguish. He was Long Wei, the supreme commander of the Dragon Nation's military.
Only three days since the crimson moon's descent, and humanity's proud modern civilization was already half destroyed. Even the military was finding it increasingly difficult against those terrifying mutated behemoths.
Are we truly doomed?
Just then, an intelligence monitoring officer suddenly stood up. "Commander-in-chief, look at this footage just transmitted by the high altitude stealth drone."
On the large screen, the image rapidly zoomed in. It showed a mountain fortress enclosed by titanium alloy walls. Outside the fortress gate, the forest had been cleared into an open area by fire and bullet scars. Vehicles and weapons left behind by the fleeing Azure Dragon Society thugs lay on the ground.
In the center of the frame stood a young man, bare-chested. He stood alone on the mountain path outside the fortress. Before him was a terrifying blood python over twenty meters long, as thick as a water vat. Its body was covered in dark red scales. Its huge serpent eyes were filled with madness. Its massive body coiled among the mountain forests like a monster that had crawled out from the abyss.
"That's an S-class awakened beast form. Commander, should we immediately deploy nearby troops for support?"
"It's too late. The distance is too great. By the time our people arrive, the battle will be long over."
But the next moment, the entire command center fell deathly silent.
On the screen, the young man's right leg suddenly erupted with a dazzling golden light. An unruly golden battle ape dharma form materialized behind him. The dharma form wore chain mail golden armor, a phoenix-winged purple gold crown on its head, and held a golden staff that pressed down on the void. Even through the drone's feed, one could feel a savage battle intent sweeping across heaven and earth.
"What totem is this?" the intelligence officer muttered.
No one answered.
The battle on screen had reached its most shocking moment. The young man stepped onto the blood python's head. He gripped the phantom of the golden staff with both hands. The golden battle ape dharma form behind him also swelled. Ten meters. Thirty meters. Fifty meters. Then it transformed into a terrifying dharma form almost as tall as the mountain.
The next second, the golden staff struck down hard at the python's seven-inch point.
Boom.
Even through the screen, everyone saw the entire mountain forest violently shake. The ground cracked. Rubble flew into the sky. That S-class blood python, whose defense even heavy firepower might not pierce, was smashed into the ground by this single blow. The python's massive body convulsed violently, then went completely rigid and died.
The entire command center was silent. Several seconds passed before someone managed to swallow hard.
"Killing an S-class beast form with one strike. How is that possible? What level awakened is he exactly?"
"Target's identity found. Chen Lie, twenty-two years old, former heir to the Chen Group in Jiangzhou City. Twenty days before the crimson moon descended, he suddenly liquidated all his assets. He purchased the Blackstone base in Jiangzhou's remote outskirts and stockpiled massive supplies. Simultaneously, he entered the underground tattoo parlor Ghost Axe with two companions. They completed extensive tattoos over seven consecutive days. The day before the crimson moon descended, he officially moved into Blackstone Base."
The entire command center fell silent again. Everyone realized one thing. This young man named Chen Lie seemed to have known the apocalypse was coming all along.
"Keep investigating. Pull up the files on the two people with him. And immediately designate Chen Lie as the highest level strategic target. Dispatch a special envoy to Jiangzhou."