High above the sky, Xue Jing split open the armor of the Sky Pirate leader with a single slash and was about to continue the pursuit.
At that moment, the Twin Instinct that had been active all this while issued another warning.
Without any hesitation, a black thin plate materialized in front of him as he kicked off with the back of his foot, retreating swiftly.
Simultaneously, as he retreated, the body of the Sky Pirate leader began to change. Searᴄh the Nôvel(F)ire.nёt website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.
The Amethyst Armor that covered the entire body moved as if alive, rapidly sprouting countless crystal spikes from its surface, each one dozens of meters in length, dense and numerous, resembling a super-giant Amethyst Sea Urchin.
This spike eruption was fierce and fast, with each point sharp beyond compare. Had Xue Jing not retreated quickly, he would have been pierced with innumerable bloody holes by now.
Xue Jing materialized several thin plates in the air, using them to leap and land on the body of the aircraft. He looked up at the giant 'sea urchin' and frowned,
"What in the world is that thing?" he asked with furrowed brows.
Captain Void Blade flew beside him, floating in the air, also looking towards the 'sea urchin,' and said,
"That is an ISE, officially named Implant Silicon Based Organic Exoskeleton,"
"It is made from a special living creature from the Intersecting Boundaries known as the 'Living Crystal Species', a true 'living armor'."
"Implanted into the human body at the spine through surgery, and connecting with the human nervous system, one can control it as naturally as their own limbs,"
"The ISE can absorb energy from the human body to freely transform, proliferate, and other operations... The strength of the ISE depends on the grade of the Living Crystal Species used as raw material. The ISE used by this Sky Pirate is at least at grade B3."
Captain Void Blade rattled off quickly, explaining the ISE in less than ten seconds.
"... A skilled ISE user can utilize a technique called 'Primordial Return' to entrust their flesh and Spirit to the ISE, reversing back to the biological state of the 'Living Crystal Species'... "
As Captain Void Blade spoke, the 'sea urchin' seemed to respond to her words, beginning to transform.
All the crystals softened, curled up, withdrew, and condensed on the body of the Sky Pirate leader into a huge purple spherical crystal.
Then, the sphere began to wriggle and change shape, first elongating into a rectangle, and then gradually edges and corners began to emerge from various places, as if an invisible artist were sculpting it.
Head, limbs, tail...
Before long, what appeared before Xue Jing and the others was a creature that greatly resembled a wolf.
It was nearly fifteen meters in length, with sleek and elegant limbs, huge and sharp claws and teeth, and eyes that were the only red spots on the body of purple crystal.
"ROAR—!!"
The Amethyst Giant Wolf opened its mouth for a piercing roar, vibrating and distorting the air to create a shockwave. Standing on the plane, Xue Jing, along with the plane itself, was blown backwards by the force.
Captain Void Blade was also sent tumbling backward by the shockwave. She struggled to stop her retreat and then touched her hand to her ear, where she heard Jing's voice through the communicator.
"Captain!..."
After listening, Captain Void Blade's expression changed, and she quickly said to Xue Jing,
"Jing has made a rough estimate of the data. This 'Living Crystal Primordial's' overall danger level is at least above level 5!"
Xue Jing extended his arm in front of his eyes to block the wind, his eyes narrowly peering through his pitch-black helmet.
"Captain Void Blade... you go into the cabin, and then get the plane to move further away from here," he said.
Captain Void Blade understood that she was of no use here except to drag behind, so she nodded immediately, flew to the cabin door, and had the Mountain Demon open the hatch before taking refuge inside.
After she went in, Xue Jing took a deep breath, his Power surged, his legs bent slightly, and he launched himself even higher with explosive force from his feet.
Moving his fingers, numerous thick vines grew from the dark red seeds beside him, casting a myriad of shadows in the sunlight.
He then accessed the panel.
[Divinity possessed: 962]
Xue Jing's gaze shifted to the Divine Skill column.
[Shadow Flame Lv4 (Divinity needed for an upgrade: 962/800)]
The ISE strength of this Sky Pirate leader was formidable, and at the current level, whether it was Shadow Flame's own power of Annihilation Destruction or its physical manifestation, it was unlikely to cause much damage to the opponent.
And based on the threat level feedback from the Twin Instinct, the opponent's attacks were clearly a significant threat to him.
Now having employed 'Primordial Return', it was evident the opponent had become much stronger.
If he didn't upgrade now, he feared he wouldn't be able to win the fight.
Faced with the choice of upgrading his Plant Pact to Lv4 or Shadow Flame to Lv5, Xue Jing didn't hesitate and focused on 'Shadow Flame'.
In the current situation, what he needed most was pure combat power.
Although upgrading Plant Pact to Lv4 might be more versatile than Shadow Flame, Shadow Flame was currently his strongest skill, signifying the upper limit of his combat power in one aspect.
Therefore, upgrading this skill would directly raise his limit, the best choice for the current situation.
Xue Jing clicked to upgrade.
[Shadow Flame Lv5 (Divinity needed for an upgrade: 162/1200)]
The next moment, Xue Jing's Dark Enchained Armor erupted with numerous Dark Flames, fiercely burning.
From the shadows created by the interlacing roots, he extracted intense black currents that flowed towards him.
The Dark Flames grew larger and larger, eventually covering around ten meters around him, and then began to materialize, forming a large, translucent black skeleton.
Then came the sinews and flesh... Layers of human tissue emerged from the skeleton, finally forming a complete and massive robust human body, no longer just an upper body as before.