Chapter 65 - Growth
The Silver-Winged Flying Ant’s silver and red light intensified and enveloped its body like a massive flame.
When the flame gradually died down and revealed the Silver-Winged Flying Ant’s body, Zhou Wen’s eyes lit up.
It was now twice its former size, about the same size as the Silver-Winged Flying Ant which Zhou Wen had killed. However, its exterior wasn’t exactly the same.
On its body were some additional red-ringed stripes that alternated with the silver patterns. They made the lower half of its body appear like a hornet.
More strangely, the tip of the ant’s bottom had grown a silver spike that resembled a hornet’s tail.
Is this growth or mutation? Zhou Wen was astonished seeing this. He remembered that the person who delivered the Companion Egg mentioned that it was a Fire Hornet’s Companion Egg. From how it looked, the Silver-Winged Flying Ant had apparently obtained some of the characteristics of the Fire Hornet.
He quickly checked the in-game stats and found that the Silver-Winged Flying Ant’s stats had changed drastically.
Silver-Winged Flying Ant: Legendary (Adult)
Legendary Life Providence: King of Low Altitudes
Strength: 17
Speed: 20
Constitution: 16
Primordial Energy: 19
Talent Skill: Silver Wing Flash, Magical Needle
Companion Form: Wings
Zhou Wen was pleasantly surprised and delighted seeing this. With such stats, the Silver-Winged Flying Ant could be said to be a pinnacle existence among Legendary Companion Beasts, especially its Speed. Typically, the stats of a Legendary maxed out at 18. 20 points was described as an Overdrive.
Although the Primordial Energy was lower than Speed, it was also an Overdrive value.
What surprised Zhou Wen, even more, was that the Silver-Winged Flying Ant had an additional Magical Needle Primordial Energy Skill. It had become a Companion Beast with two skills, making it an excellent Companion Beast.
Although compared to the blood-patterned Buddha Heart Lotus which had many skills, two skills weren’t many, the Silver-Winged Flying Ant was already considered rather rare when most Companion Beasts only had one Primordial Energy Skill.
Zhou Wen was even more delighted when he saw the information regarding Magical Needle. It was a long-range Primordial Energy Skill. The Silver-Winged Flying Ant could release a Magical Needle and attack a target from afar.
With this Silver-Winged Flying Ant, I don’t have to worry about killing the blood-patterned Buddha Heart Lotus. Without a second thought, Zhou Wen ended the summoning of the Silver-Winged Flying Ant and chose to enter the game dungeon.
Zhou Wen headed straight for the Underground Buddha City. With the Silver-Winged Flying Ant’s present size, it was big enough for him to sit on it. Zhou Wen got the blood-colored avatar to ride on the Silver-Winged Flying Ant and quickly fly to the lotus pond.
A Speed of 20 was much faster than Zhou Wen could run himself. It was almost the difference between a horse carriage and a sports car. It didn’t take long for him to fly to the bank of the lotus pond.
The blood-colored avatar jumped off the Silver-Winged Flying Ant’s back and watched the ensuing battle from the sidelines. Without any hesitation, the Silver-Winged Flying Ant flew towards the blood-patterned Buddha Heart Lotus in the middle of the pond.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
More than ten blood-colored lotus seeds shot at the Silver-Winged Flying Ant as it flapped its four wings, leaving behind afterimages in the sky, easily dodging the attack range of the blood-colored lotus seeds.
A Speed of 20 was just too fast. In a blink of an eye, it arrived in front of the blood-patterned Buddha Heart Lotus, to which the latter’s petals contracted in a bid to devour the former.
Just as the Silver-Winged Flying Ant was about to be devoured, silver light swirled from its back. Like a rocket, it blinked several meters away, dodging the petals. At the same time, it slashed at them with its blade-like claws.
The blood pattern on the petal shimmered, producing a halo that blocked the claws.
Although the Silver-Winged Flying Ant’s Strength was already one of the best amongst Legendaries, it was unable to slice through the petal without the augmentation of any Primordial Energy Skills.
The petal wasn’t slashed through, but it opened by itself, revealing the venomous toad which opened its mouth and spat venom at the Silver-Winged Flying Ant.
While the Silver-Winged Flying Ant easily dodged this, a silver light flashed at its tail, shooting a silver beam through the toad’s forehead.
Bang!
The toad exploded, splattering its venom everywhere. However, the speed of the venom couldn’t catch up with the Silver-Winged Flying Ant’s Speed.
After the toad was killed, the lotus receptacle was completely exposed. The lotus seeds that resembled blood crystals exposed their tips as they suffused a sanguine luster.
The Silver-Winged Flying Ant didn’t stop as its silver tail flashed, shooting another Magical Needle at the lotus receptacle.
Magical Needle’s attack range was less than twenty meters. Although its range was limited, it was potent. The blood-patterned Buddha Heart Lotus closed its petals, blocking with the blood-patterned Buddha Glow, but ended up being penetrated by Magical Needle.
At the instant the Magical Needle impaled the lotus receptacle, a blood-colored explosion erupted like a volcano. Twenty to thirty blood-columns spewed out, turning into bloody rain that covered twenty meters of the area. Whatever touched the bloody rain was liquefied. Even the other Buddha Heart Lotuses and lotus leaves living in the pond were no exception.
The blood-patterned Buddha Heart Lotus’s petals were corroded by the bloody rain as they became riddled with holes.
Thankfully, the Silver-Winged Flying Ant was fast enough and dodged most of the splash; otherwise, it would have been reduced to a pool of blood.
After the bloody rain finished its attack, Zhou Wen ordered the Silver-Winged Flying Ant to fly forward. At this moment, the blood-patterned Buddha Heart Lotus was no longer capable of putting up any resistance. It didn’t take long for its lotus receptacle to be sliced open.
‘Killed Legendary creature, Mutated Buddha Heart Lotus. Discovered Dimensional Crystal.’
A dimensional crystal from the Mutated Buddha Heart Lotus dropped. It almost fell into the pond, but Zhou Wen was quick enough to command the Silver-Winged Flying Ant to grab it.
Mutated Buddha Heart Lotus Crystal! Zhou Wen studied the text on the dimensional crystal carefully and was immediately exhilarated. He was originally a little depressed that no Companion Egg dropped, but after reading the text, he instantaneously felt better.
Although a Mutated Buddha Heart Lotus wasn’t as valuable as a Companion Egg, it was possible that this Mutated Buddha Heart Lotus’s Primordial Energy Skill was able to help him enter Small Buddha Temple.
The Primordial Energy Skill of ordinary Buddha Heart Lotus is Heart Meditation. But a Mutated Buddha Heart Lotus has several Primordial Energy Skills. I wonder if Heart Meditation will be obtained by absorbing its Primordial Energy Skill? Zhou Wen wasn’t sure either.
The Silver-Winged Flying Ant brought the Mutated Buddha Heart Lotus back to the blood-colored avatar’s side. The moment the latter touched the crystal, the energy within surged into its body.
Almost simultaneously, Zhou Wen felt a burning strength surge out of the phone. It instantly filled his body, making his body feel like a furnace. His body perspired profusely as though he had been scooped out of the water and was now being baked.
After quite some time, the heat gradually subsided and he felt a refreshing coolness emerge in his body.
It was especially so for his heart. It felt an indescribable comfort. It had a miraculous feeling of tranquility and coolness. At the same time, plenty of magical information surged into Zhou Wen’s brain.
‘Absorbed Mutated Buddha Heart Lotus. Attained Blood Meditation (Rank 9).’