Chapter 505: Dragon Ant
Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
Gao Peng realized that there was a loophole in this ability of his. Even though it still allowed him to read the stats and attributes of other monsters, thus giving him an advantage in combat, he had also discovered that ever since he received a considerable boost in spiritual strength, the [Monster Description] bit had become quite useful lately.
It would sometimes give him access to important information about the monsters they were dealing with. Said information sometimes proved to be critical in subduing these creatures.
Even though he didn’t find any sign of this Precept Fragment, the name of which sounded supremely awesome, he did manage to obtain an altar capable of breaking down inanimate objects, which was better than going back empty-handed.
No matter how much disdain Gao Peng threw at the altar, constantly letting it know how worthless it really was, to the point that the altar began to suspect Gao Peng’s words were indeed true, the reality couldn’t have been further from the truth. Gao Peng saw more value in the altar than he was willing to let on.
Unsure if these fruits would have any side-effects on them, Gao Peng decided to let the recently reanimated Black Lightning Eagle Skeleton take the Earth Resistance Fruit.
When the Black Lightning Eagle Skeleton swallowed it, nothing happened. Then, its bones began to radiate a soft yellow light, which gradually spread throughout its entire body.
When the yellow light finally faded away, Gao Peng saw that a new entry had been added to the Black Lightning Eagle’s stat sheet.
[Monster Ability]: Earth Resistance Level 2 (No longer upgradeable)
For the next two days, Gao Peng began observing the Black Lightning Eagle for any side effects. Only when he was sure that the fruits were safe for consumption would he let his own familiars eat the fruits themselves.
Before, Gao Peng had no interest in any of the monsters that they came across in the wild. Most of the time, he would just let them be. Now, he was on a killing spree, slaughtering every monster he could find along the way, all so that he could place their bodies on the altar as an offering.
Goldie was greatly amused by Gao Peng’s sudden interest in wanton bloodshed. The latter would pounce on anything that moved before breaking its neck with his bare hands and then bringing it back to the altar. Meanwhile, Goldie was squatting beside the altar, staring at it without moving an inch. When Gao Peng couldn’t find any more prey to bring to the altar, Goldie slowly rose to its feet, a vacant look in its eyes.
“Brother, how are you able to stare at something for so long?” asked Bei Zhi. It thought that Goldie was incredible, to be able to stare at something for so long without falling asleep. It truly was the gangster of gangsters. Bei Zhi couldn’t even keep its eyes open after a while. Watching Gao Peng bustle around was about as fascinating as counting the oranges on Stripey’s back.
Goldie, who was now standing upright, shook its head. “It all comes down to experience, kid.”
In truth, Goldie didn’t understand what it was watching. It had only said what it said to sound cool. It then strode off, hoping that Bei Zhi wouldn’t ask it any further questions.
The Great Altar Cutter was forced to process every monster corpse that Gao Peng could find for the next few days without rest. The fruits of its labor were then stored in Silly’s portable space. The altar mostly yielded Meat Essence. On the other hand, monster ability fruits would only appear once or twice on the altar. Fresh corpses sometimes yielded Soul Essence, as well.
The abilities distilled from the monster corpses all seemed to be downgraded by a level. This was likely due to the altar’s current damaged state. It still hadn’t managed to extract a monster ability above Level 3.
The altar felt like it was gradually losing its standing in Gao Peng’s team as the extent of its abilities became more clear.
They trudged on towards the southwest for three days straight. Soon, the outline of an impressive-looking labyrinth rose from the horizon before them. It was made of stone. However, unlike the previous labyrinths that Gao Peng had visited, this one seemed somewhat different, its walls standing approximately 160 feet tall.
A strange power seemed to radiate from these labyrinths. Stripey basically towered over all of them. However, every time it passed through one of their entrances, it would feel a mysterious force slowly shrinking it until it was as tall as the labyrinth itself.
What a huge labyrinth. I wonder if there’s something huge living inside…
“Gao Peng, there’s a monster up ahead. I think it’s fighting for ownership of the labyrinth,” said the Desolate Frost Lion. Its injuries had completely healed. However, its recovery had left it lethargic. It still preferred to laze around on Stripey’s back.
On the horizon, Gao Peng could see a huge monstrosity just outside the labyrinth. Its dark gold exterior gleamed dazzlingly beneath the sun. Its twelve slender appendages were splayed out across the ground on both sides.
The most impressive part of it was its head; it looked almost draconic. The creature’s emerald eyes gleamed coldly. It looked like a Bug-type monster.
This was the first time Gao Peng had come across a Bug-type monster since entering the Black Fog World. On the surface, it looked like a strange-looking beetle that had been magnified multiple times.
Looking closely, one could see that it somewhat resembled an evil dragon that had clawed its way out of hell. Its face was distorted by cracks and blemishes.
[Monster Name]: Dragon Ant
[Monster Level]: Level 67 (Emperor-tier)
[Monster Grade]: Epic
[Monster Attribute]: Wind
[Monster Ability]: Hardened Shell Level 6, Explosive Wind Level 5, Gigantified Body Level 3, Wind Mastery Level 4, Accelerated Digestion Level 4
[Monster Traits]: Ruined Dragon Head (A dragon head born from the blood of a Dragon of Destruction. Intimidation is not its only function.
Passive Effect 1: The ant’s dragon head is the source of its destructive power. It is also equipped with Level-6 Sharp Dragon Fangs. Any injury they inflict will take an incredibly long time to heal.
Active Effect 1: Spews out Rays of Destruction from its dragon maw. Capable of bypassing a monster’s magical resistance with its destructive power.
[Monster Description]: Originally a Thief Dragon Ant from the Valley of Fallen Dragons, it has evolved into a full-fledged Dragon Ant by awakening what little dragon blood was coursing through its veins. It prefers snacking on dragon corpses, from which it draws power and dragon blood. It then uses the latter to make any part of its body take on a more draconic appearance.)
Gao Peng raised an eyebrow at the Dragon Ant’s description. It was like a graverobber of sorts whose only prize was the blood of long-deceased dragons. It would then use the dragon’s blood to jumpstart its own transformation.
The White Leather-bound Book was now floating beside Gao Peng, flipping its pages open excitedly. “I’ve never seen this kind of dragon before. Following you here was the best decision I’ve ever made.”
The Dragon Ant still hadn’t noticed Gao Peng and the others. It was lying on the ground before the labyrinth’s entrance, then it let out a resounding roar at it.
“The Dragon Ant wants to take control of the labyrinth,” said the Desolate Frost Lion. A moment later, heavy footfalls echoed from the labyrinth.
Gao Peng could tell from the sound of the footsteps that they belonged to the feet of a huge creature. The labyrinth’s black steel doors were flung open. Behind the threshold stood a giant that was at least 130 feet tall. Its bald scalp seemed to be covered with countless blue lines.
An incredibly explosive power rippled across its muscles, which gleamed with metallic light under the sun.
“Baldie, is that your cousin?” shouted Flamy when it saw the giant’s hairless scalp.