Chapter 177: Giant Dragon Battle Sigil

With a roar, Xu Feng’s heartbeat suddenly became intense. Powerful surges of strength erupted from his chest and flowed throughout his entire body.

Xu Feng felt as if his body was starting to catch fire. A wave of intense heat spread inside him, while externally, he was frozen inside the ice coffin. The sensation of ice and fire clashing made Xu Feng feel as if he was hovering between life and death.

“Damn it, why is it so unbearable…” Xu Feng frowned tightly. He never expected that absorbing the Giant Dragon Essence Blood would be ten times more painful than absorbing a Beast Crystal. He desperately wanted to stop immediately, but his reason kept him going.

Countless tiny streams of energy scurried beneath Xu Feng’s skin, causing it to bulge slightly. It felt as if tens of thousands of ants had burrowed under his skin, leaving him unbearably sore and itchy. Heat, cold, numbness, and pain—all these sensations washed over him like tidal waves, one after another, eroding his mind.

Crack, crack!

The ice coffin encasing his body began to shatter as it lost its energy support.

Bang~

Countless fist-sized chunks of ice shot out in all directions, striking the cave walls and making the cavern tremble as if on the verge of collapse.

Xu Feng’s body suddenly turned blazing hot, his skin flushed red. Even his eyes took on a crimson, blood-like hue. Sweat rolled down his forehead, and his body began to convulse uncontrollably. The blood inside him surged like a raging river, crashing through his veins and rushing toward his heart.

Thump~ thump~ thump~

His heart began to beat violently, like a pumping machine, emitting a deep, resonant sound that grew faster and faster. Xu Feng couldn’t help but clutch his chest, feeling as though his heart was about to burst out of his body.

If someone were to examine Xu Feng’s cells under a microscope, they would see that all of his cells were being invaded and altered by a mysterious force. Many cells died from the overwhelming energy impact, but even more underwent a complete transformation. The newly evolved cells pushed the dead ones out of his body, and a greasy, black substance slowly seeped from Xu Feng’s pores.

Under such changes, Xu Feng’s skin, flesh, tendons, bones, membranes—even his hair and nails—underwent evolution, bursting with renewed vitality.

His original hair fell out in large, dry clumps, while new hair grew at a visible rate, becoming longer. His nails also changed, the regrown ones glowing like polished jade with an inexplicable shine.

Everything was changing rapidly, and Xu Feng felt as if he had been reborn.

“Ah~”

Xu Feng finally couldn’t bear it any longer and let out a furious roar.

Crack, crack~

The cave walls could no longer withstand the force and began to fracture. The entire cavern collapsed with a loud crash, burying Xu Feng beneath the rubble. The surrounding mountains and forest returned to silence, with only a few frostbitten Ancient Trees drooping their branches, barely alive, as if recounting what had just happened.

The sun set in the west, and the starry sky shone brilliantly. The next morning, the sun slowly rose from the east, illuminating the entire land.

Boom~

The pile of rocks exploded. Originally a small hill made of large boulders, it shattered apart. Xu Feng stood bare-chested amidst the scattered debris.

At this moment, Xu Feng’s body was covered in a layer of oily, black filth. On the surface, there seemed to be a thin layer of skin, like a snake shedding its skin. In a few broken areas, the bronzed skin beneath was revealed.

With a gentle rub, he removed the layer of grime from his body. The old skin clung to the new, making a soft tearing sound as he pulled it away—a sound that was music to Xu Feng’s ears.

His bare upper body, under the sunlight, gleamed with a bronzed luster, making him look like a statue. Every muscle was perfectly proportioned, appearing incredibly strong without any hint of bulk, like a divine warrior, radiant and dazzling.

On Xu Feng’s body, there was a faint red mark that looked like a birthmark. This pale red mark covered almost his entire back. Upon closer inspection, it took the shape of a Giant Dragon.

The dragon’s head and torso covered Xu Feng’s entire back. One front claw extended over his shoulder, covering his throat, while the other stretched from the left side of his chest, firmly guarding his heart. The dragon’s two hind claws wrapped around his sides, protecting his ribs and abdomen, and its tail extended down along his spine.

This was the Sacred Giant Dragon Battle Sigil. Xu Feng could sense that this faint red tattoo was alive. With a mere thought, it could transform into a real Giant Dragon for Xu Feng to command. From then on, Xu Feng had gained another trump card, another lethal weapon.

“Strength, immense strength!” Xu Feng clenched his fist, feeling as though he could punch a hole through the sky with a single blow.

Touching the areas covered by the tattoo, he could feel an extra layer of thick, leathery protection. His defense had risen to a whole new level.

His clothes were torn beyond repair, so Xu Feng could only take out his Shadowhide Leather Armor to wear. The armor directly touching his skin didn’t feel pleasant, but he didn’t care about that now.

Although Xu Feng was only at Four Stars, after absorbing the Giant Dragon Essence Blood, he was no weaker than a Five-Star monster. Even facing a peak Five-Star monster, he dared to charge forward and fight.

The time agreed upon with Priest Hu Tian was today. Xu Feng looked up at the sky; there wasn’t much time left. He leaped up and ran toward the Beast Demon Village.

The image of the Skeletal Warhorse wasn’t very favorable. Any living creature had a natural aversion to Undead Creatures, so Xu Feng had never summoned his mount to travel.

The Beast Demon Village wasn’t far from here. In half an hour, Xu Feng could already see the buildings of the village.

At that moment, a group of Beastkin were walking out of the Beast Demon Village. Minotaur Xihua’er led the way, with Black Ape Village Chief Yuan Yi beside him.

“Brother Xu Feng!” Xihua’er smiled upon seeing Xu Feng, greeting him loudly without a trace of resentment over the loss of the Giant Dragon Essence Blood.

The other Beastkin, however, looked grim, their gazes filled with a mix of disgust and fear as they stared at Xu Feng.

Yuan Yi glanced up, a flicker of regret and killing intent passing through his eyes before he nodded at Xu Feng, offering a strained greeting before continuing forward.

“Brother Xihua’er, where are you all headed?” Xu Feng noticed that almost the entire Beast Demon Village was on the move. Even the injured Beastkin followed slowly at the back of the group.

“The ten-day Desolate Ruins market is about to begin. We’re going there to participate. Brother Xu Feng, why don’t you come along and take a look? There are many good things to exchange,” Xihua’er said with a warm smile, enthusiastically inviting him.

Desolate Ruins market?

Xu Feng’s heart stirred. It was a market where Beastkin exchanged goods. There, many items that Beastkin had no use for, but were very beneficial to humans, often appeared.