The Perfect Transformation

The eastern region had been in turmoil of late. The Yellow Diamond King's rampage through the territory ruled by the Giant King had stirred up a storm of conflict, gravely undermining the Giant King's authority. In fact, powerful fire seed beings from the Beast King City, Hundred Battle City, and other domains had already declared that the Giant King would be overthrown, that the newly risen Yellow Diamond King would return in force and destroy him.

Such proclamations sent waves of unrest through the Giant King's lands, causing incalculable damage to his rule. The Giant King gnashed his teeth, knowing full well that the Beast King and the Hundred Battle King had put their subordinates up to it.

While the eastern region seethed with noise, Xiao Chen was making a long journey, moving away from the central city of the western region—Angel City—and heading into the most desolate borderlands.

After a series of battles, he had slain seven of the ten experts, slaughtered the masters of six great cities, and killed three powerful beings in Giant City—sixteen Yellow Diamond second order fire seeds in total. He needed thirty to advance, but in just a few days he had gathered more than half. A glorious harvest, indeed.

But where would he find so many Yellow Diamond second order fire seeds to reap? Unless he offended the Hundred Battle King or the Beast King as well and went on a killing spree through their domains. However, before breaking through to Yellow Diamond third order, such an act would be suicide.

Alternatively, he could hunt Yellow Diamond second order experts in the western region. Yet watching how the Giant King feared even speaking of the Angel King made it clear that the overlord who had unified the entire western region was far more terrifying. If possible, he should not provoke such a being.

Still, he had mastered the Origin Heavenly Sound and could use it to slowly cultivate and advance.

Several days passed. Xiao Chen stopped on a desolate death plain at the most remote edge of the land. Here, only weak fire seed creatures occasionally appeared, at most castle lord level—none that could threaten him.

By now, he could control the Weng sound well. No longer did his cultivation set the sound ringing for dozens of li and shaking heaven and earth; now the sound waves could be confined to a range of a few li.

He looked forward to breaking into Yellow Diamond third order soon. At that level, he would fear no strong being in the outer regions and would never be hunted again.

Indeed, Yellow Diamond third order was the absolute overlord level in the outer domains.

However, Xiao Chen had only been cultivating in peace for three days in this remote region when his quiet practice was interrupted.

Three humanoid figures descended from the sky, their backs bearing wings like divine birds. They streaked through the air and landed before him. Their bones were snowy white, crystalline and lustrous, their wings as pure as a swan's.

They were angel skeletons, elegant in bearing. Though fire seed beings, they carried an innate pride.

They landed lightly. Within their white skulls, powerful fire seeds shone like bright moons, their light sacred and gentle. All three were at Yellow Diamond second order, and their fire seeds were noticeably purer than ordinary ones. There was only one explanation: they had been purified with Life Source Liquid.

Though there were only three, Xiao Chen did not underestimate them. The combat power of these three was enough to equal the combined strength of five ordinary Yellow Diamond second order fire seed beings.

Purifying the soul was another effective way to increase battle power. Xiao Chen was not envious—he had enough Life Source Liquid to purify himself.

“Where do you come from? Why have you entered this domain?” one of the angel skeletons asked, staring at him.

“I come from the remote borderlands. I am merely traveling.”

“Liar. You come from the eastern region.” A hot-tempered White Bone Angel exposed his lie directly.

Xiao Chen understood at once. These three had probably already learned his identity. After all, his earlier battles in the east and his flight to the west had been widely discussed and were no secret.

“A powerful one from the East. Why do you deceive us?”

“I simply wished to avoid trouble and cultivate in peace.”

One of the White Bone Angels flapped its pristine wings and circled around Xiao Chen. “You are a top-tier evolved being. Wherever you go, you are a threat. But the Angel King fears no powerful subordinates. You can come with us and pay homage to the King.”

Given his nature, Xiao Chen would never shackle himself to another’s command. But he did not wish to offend the Angel King, for this was his domain. “I appreciate the kind intention, but I am a free spirit, accustomed to wandering. I will not serve any master.”

At this, one of the White Bone Angels snorted coldly, even revealing killing intent. “The western region is far stronger than the east. Do not think that because you escaped the Giant King once, you are truly a king-level being of the outer domains.”

If not for his concern about the Angel King, Xiao Chen would have struck with his Yellow Diamond bone palm. He was now thinking: had these three been sent by the Angel King? If they were acting on their own, he could kill them without consequence and obtain three powerful fire seeds.

“Is it an insult to serve under the Angel King, the overlord of the western continent?” the White Bone Angel pressed aggressively.

“I have said I am used to freedom. I will not go with you.” Xiao Chen was ready to strike. He had slain more than a dozen powerful Yellow Diamond second order fire seeds in a single night. Now three arrogant angel beings of similar strength were provoking him—he felt murderous intent rising.

“Then we shall take our leave.” Just as Xiao Chen prepared to attack, one of the White Bone Angels suddenly pulled the other two into the sky and flew away.

Xiao Chen did not give chase. He watched them leave in silence.

“Xiao De, why did you stop me? He is just a Yellow Diamond evolved being, equal to us. We have purified our souls—how could we be weaker than him? If we three attack together, we can kill him.”

“Fool! He alone slaughtered more than a dozen Yellow Diamond second order experts in a single night. That kind of terrifying strength means even the three of us together are no match. You are too arrogant.” The one called Xiao De scolded them. “Our King may be invincible, but that does not mean we can despise all foes. You must understand—he is a Yellow Diamond king. Arrogance has made you forget how fearsome such a being can be. It is said that no opponent of the same tier can stand against him! I brought you here only to assess this enemy. Hah… I sensed the breath of Life Source Liquid on him. He must have come into contact with it recently. Perfect. This place borders the east and west, not far from the God Village. Let us go inform the God Tribe people and let them eliminate this terrible foe. We only need to watch the show and then trade for his Yellow Diamond bone body and fire seed from the God Tribe.”

Far in the sky, after a brief conference, the three White Bone Angels soared away.

Though Xiao Chen had changed location, he was found again several days later.

The three loathsome White Bone Angels reappeared. This time, he decided not to let them go, but at the same time, he sensed an even more powerful presence approaching from the shadows. Could it be the Angel King? His heart sank.

Just then, a familiar figure appeared on the plain. A lively little creature came hopping and skipping toward him.

“Where is that golden bad guy?”

It was Little Tianya from the God Village.

Then the elder Li Mu appeared, striding forward from a hundred zhang away.

“Bad guy, you look a lot like that skeleton…” The cherubic Little Tianya tilted his head and blinked, staring curiously at Xiao Chen.

The God Tribe elder Li Mu approached with a faint smile. “I heard from three experts of the Angel tribe that you killed God Tribe members and refined Life Source Liquid. Is that true?” He frowned. “I really do sense the breath of Life Source Liquid.”

Xiao Chen turned to face the three White Bone Angels, his killing intent undisguised. If not for his acquaintance with the God Tribe elder, he would never be able to clear his name now.

The God Tribe elder Li Mu had realized the truth as soon as the three angels had come to him. They wanted to use him to kill someone else. He had already guessed who the Yellow Diamond King was and knew that Xiao Chen would never act that way.

Seeing that the God Tribe elder detected the Life Source Liquid but did not become angry, Xiao Chen breathed a sigh of relief. Though they were familiar, he still needed to explain carefully.

He took out the bottled divine liquid from his spatial ring and recounted how he had obtained it.

“So you’re Mr. Skeleton…” Little Tianya only then realized that the Yellow Diamond skeleton was Xiao Chen, whom he had not seen in over a year. He knew Xiao Chen would not harm God Tribe members, so he skipped over happily.

The three White Bone Angels were horrified. These two parties actually knew each other! They realized their plan had failed—not only had they failed to use others to kill, but they themselves might be buried here. They shot into the sky.

“The God Tribe does not wish to be embroiled in conflict. But today, you three tried to drag us into your schemes—that is a taboo. You cannot be left alive.” The God Tribe elder Li Mu rose into the air with a speed that made even Xiao Chen gasp. Radiant light burst forth in the sky, like a seven-colored sun hanging there.

Bone dust scattered. By the time Xiao Chen rushed into the sky, the three angel beings had already been shattered. Only their skulls fell, and he caught them.

This was his first time seeing the God Tribe elder kill an enemy. The display was astonishingly fierce. Now he understood why the Angel King of the west and the three kings of the east did not provoke the God Village, which lay at the border between the two regions.

“Mr. Skeleton, long time no see. You’ve become beautiful,” Little Tianya said, staring at Xiao Chen’s golden Yellow Diamond bone body with stars in his eyes.

“… “ Xiao Chen felt at a loss for words.

At the same time, facing the God Tribe elder Li Mu, he felt somewhat awkward. After all, he held a pile of bottled divine liquid in his hand. It would be a pity to destroy it, but the elder might be displeased if he kept it.

As if reading his thoughts, the God Tribe elder sighed. “Many tragedies have occurred in the past. There are only three God Villages left in the outer regions now. But we will not let such tragedies happen again. The strong ones of the God Village will not hastily venture into the depths of the continent to seek secrets until the younger generation has grown strong enough. Since you have obtained this divine liquid, there is no need to destroy it. In your hands, it will not aid evil forces. With so much divine liquid, you can undergo a great transformation.”

“Isn’t divine liquid only used to purify the soul?” Xiao Chen asked.

“That is diluted divine liquid. If there is enough true divine liquid, it can enable a great transformation. The Giant King, the Beast King, and the Hundred Battle King all used it to become profound and mysterious experts. The Angel King is even more formidable—his soul was completely purified, without a trace of death qi, making him the greatest of all, his power unfathomable.”

The God Tribe elder departed. Little Tianya waved his small hand from a distance. “Mr. Skeleton, remember to come visit me when you return!”

Xiao Chen agreed, waving his golden bone palm.

He had originally thought he would need at least half a year of cultivation to break through. But now, the opportunity for advancement was right before him. How could he waste time?

He first refined the three angel fire seeds, then immediately took out the Life Source Liquid and began to drip it onto the fire seed within his skull.

“Ah…”

It was an agonizing process. Even someone as tough as Xiao Chen could not help crying out at first.

The divine liquid seemed strongly corrosive as it dripped onto the soul fire seed, producing a sizzling sound. Wisps of black death energy were refined and expelled.

Pain and joy mingled—that was Xiao Chen’s true feeling at this moment. The emerald green Life Source Liquid shimmered with crystalline radiance as it slowly flowed into his skull, gradually purifying his soul power.

This process lasted a full fifteen days. Xiao Chen consumed five large bottles of Life Source Liquid and finally completely purified his fire seed, leaving not a trace of death energy. But he did not stop there. He continued to pour the liquid over his bones.

Thereafter, the pain ceased. With the death energy extracted, all that remained was a powerful sensation of merging, like water with milk. His soul power increased markedly!

At the same time, the Life Source Liquid flowed out from his skull and moistened every bone in his body, not only imbuing him with a sacred aura but also granting him the foundation of a living being.

Finally, when nearly all the divine liquid was exhausted, both Xiao Chen’s fire seed and his Yellow Diamond bone body could absorb no more. They were completely saturated. Even half a bottle was wasted, spilling into the soil.

He pursued perfection and did not care about the half bottle wasted. Thus, he completed a perfect transformation.

When it was over, a towering radiance burst forth. Holy light shone across the entire great plain. Powerful fire seed fluctuations rolled in all directions. Every fire seed being that sensed this aura knelt down in worship.

At this moment, Xiao Chen’s soul was utterly pure, holy as a bright moon, untarnished by a single mote of dust. His soul had finally transformed to a state of perfection. If he had flesh and blood, he would be a true human.

Moreover, his Yellow Diamond bone body was now filled with life energy. Bathed in divine liquid, the entire skeletal frame had undergone an essential transformation—it was far stronger, tougher, nearly indestructible.

He had reached the pinnacle of a Yellow Diamond king. One more step would open an entirely new realm.

Xiao Chen could not help but let out a long roar, his spiritual fluctuations shaking the land for ten directions. All fire seed beings within a thousand li prostrated themselves in reverence.

His soul was pure, his body a brilliant yellow gold, immaculate. Rays of sacred light shimmered, and auspicious colors bloomed around him.

He strode toward the domain of cities. Now that he had completed a perfect transformation, he could move freely through the outer regions. No one dared to block his path.

Even if the Angel King wanted to make a move, he would have to think twice.

“Now, when I tread the Nine Provinces once more, will my strength be enough…?” Xiao Chen gazed into the distance.