Chapter 1322: Chapter 1322. Endless Mud Beasts.
While she flew over the swamp, Yasenia observed the surroundings and quickly noticed the monsters that had appeared. They were mud monsters with forms that didn’t resemble any animal. If Yasenia had to describe them, she would say that they were grey blobs with large mouths.
To move around, these blobs used their bodies like slugs. Their speed was slow, comparable to a fast-running mortal. After a few seconds, Lataria’s voice reached Yasenia. "Oh? So we are fighting [Endless Mud Beasts]. It’s quite a tricky enemy to fight..."
"You’ve arrived. It took a while."
The dragoness didn’t move her eyes away from the monster while she spoke. She was trying to understand how this creature functioned. After all, creatures spread energy around their bodies through meridians. Only spirits and a few other species didn’t have the necessity of energy paths.
Lataria smiled wryly at Yasenia’s comment. "You are just too fast. Was there a need to use your full speed while flying?"
"Full speed?" Yasenia blinked and turned to look at Lataria for the first time since they arrived.
Lataria’s lips twitched. "That wasn’t your full speed?"
Yasenia chuckled and didn’t answer. Instead, she asked a question about the monsters. "So... How do you defeat them? They look like formless masses of mud. I bet their regeneration is ridiculous."
"You hit the nail on the head." Lataria sighed. "These monsters are a type of twisted spirit monster. Their most common origin is that of water spirits that have been in contact with demonic energies. Of course, there are many more ways of transforming wind, darkness, and many other types of spirits into them. Depending on their origin, their way of attacking is different, even if outwardly they look identical."
Yasenia laughed hollowly. "That’s great. A mysterious monster that will reveal its present only when you fight it."
Lataria added, pointing at the large monster. "To kill them, you have to damage the core. It’s simple but complicated. That core can be moved around their body, and as long as they are in an environment suitable for them, they can regenerate their entire body in less than a second."
Yasenia hummed. "Then, you just need to kill them in a single second, right?"
Lataria was about to deny that when Yasenia raised her hand. The second she raised her hand, the atmosphere around them became viscous, making moving and breathing a chore.
"While this is a very inefficient method... It’s good enough for an opponent that doesn’t even react until it is attacked."
Yasenia’s spiritual and soul energy surged to the sky, supported and enhanced by her beast core.
Below, the mud monster looked around stupidly before it felt not a shadow, but pure, heated light falling from the sky. The glare was incomparably brighter than the cloudy sky.
Looking up, it saw a star—a gargantuan star larger than an island, covering hundreds of kilometers in diameter.
Yasenia’s cold eyes were full of majesty as her energy surged like a hurricane around her. "Let’s see how you deal with a small Moon-sized Star falling on your head."
Her raised arm lowered, and with it, the gargantuan celestial body dropped down. The mud beast roared, but it was too late to dodge.
When the star touched the ground, it exploded, bathing the world in light.
BOOM!!!
Lataria closed her eyes for a second due to the bright flash and then opened them again. Her lips twitched, and her eyes showed disbelief at the giant crater below. The explosion had opened the swamp, creating a depression that went down for several kilometers.
Then, while Lataria observed, the swamp around them shifted as if it were alive, filling the crater and returning to its previous state in just a few seconds.
The blue-haired Divine looked at Yasenia with a face full of shock. "W-What was that?"
The attack was slow and easy to avoid, but the strength behind it was catastrophic. If, under the right conditions, a cultivator of their current level was hit with it, surviving would require the use of a powerful life-saving item.
Yasenia was looking at the sky as she answered. "A failed skill. While creating large area of effect skills, that one is considered a dud. It’s too slow, even if the strength behind it is enormous. Whoever gets hit by something so telegraphed... well, they would die from other skills as easily."
Lataria licked her dry lips. ’If that’s the failure... Which skills are considered a success?’
"Look, Big Sister Lataria. My score has gone up by one point."
Lataria snapped out of her thoughts and looked up with curious eyes. There were a few flames that had gained points; some even had three or four points already.
"That’s... great. However, even if we are considered partners, it seems that only you received something. I am still at zero points."
Yasenia glanced at Lataria and spoke. "That’s normal. You didn’t even touch the beast. Look, there are people with decimal points. That flame has zero point sixty-eight points."
Lataria hummed. "So, the system in place is aware of groups."
Yasenia tilted her head. "I... don’t feel like so. These monsters are probably made out of the bead’s energy. So, when killing or damaging one, you gain a trace of that monster’s energy. The amount of energy is what the formations, or systems, like you said, take into account."
Lataria spoke with a faint smile. "You seem so sure of it."
Yasenia chuckled. "More than being sure of it... It is something I would’ve done. It feels natural to do it like that instead of a last-hit success. After all, if this is a formation to choose the owner, there must be a section to test teamwork. Trust, teamwork, strength... this second trial takes many things into account. It’s quite genius."
Lataria had also thought of many of the things Yasenia said; she hadn’t lived for over five thousand years for nothing. Still, there were details that she missed. "Whether that’s the truth or not, we will know when we hunt the next one."
Then, she added with a wry smile. "Also, to kill those monsters without overwhelming strength, you just need to tire their core’s energy. While their regeneration is absolute..." Looking at the former crater area, Lataria corrected her words. "Almost absolute, they recover energy extremely slowly. So, you just need to kill them many times over, and they will eventually die even if you don’t shatter the core."
Yasenia nodded, thoughtful. "If that’s the case, the only problem will be stamina."
Lataria cleared her throat awkwardly. "Actually, they are quite strong, so don’t be careless... I know you just blew up one of them, but don’t let your guard down. The true nightmare about them is when they are grouped up."
Hearing her tone, Yasenia realized that she had misunderstood her. She chuckled. "I was not underestimating them, just making an objective analysis. Let’s go, Big Sister Lataria."
Yasenia’s energy regeneration was ridiculous. Even after launching that enormous attack, she needed only a few seconds to recover her strength to the peak. Yasenia absorbed energy passively through her dragon tail, and overall, her dantian was like a voracious beast that worked by itself.
If there was one thing Yasenia was confident in while fighting, it was stamina.
In truth, even if Yasenia only slept, with enough time, she would eventually break through the realms. Of course, her advancement speed would be incomparable to her current cultivation speed.
While flying through the realm, Yasenia noticed another one of these beasts. ’Let’s see how powerful you truly are...’
Her energy moved, activating [Celestial Cosmos Dress] and [Celestial Dragon Body]. These two strengthening skills were innate skills and very comfortable to use.
Her dress changed to the long white dress with a skin-tight top. The long sleeves, flowing floor-length skirt, and beautiful imagery of celestial bodies added to Yasenia’s presence, making her otherworldly presence feel even more ethereal.
Then, as Celestial Dragon Body surged through her meridians, her entire body became stronger, and her celestial energy coated all her actions.
Even now, Yasenia had yet to transform all her dantian’s energy into pure Celestial Energy. That accomplishment was still far away. Nevertheless, the diluted version of Celestial Energy in her dantian was, by no means, of low quality.
While she descended from the sky, Yasenia activated the third form of her martial art: Comet Descent. To add to her speed and power, [Pegasus Gallop] unfolded and got imbued within her.
With everything mixed and empowering her descent, Yasenia’s body was surrounded by tyrannical energy, Draheart slicing the air before her.
When she reached five hundred meters away from the beast, it reacted. The reaction speed was so fast that even Yasenia felt a trace of surprise. Then, an energy pulse spread outward from the mud beast.
The rippling seemed to deform the land as if it were water for a moment before pillars of mud soared to the sky diagonally to meet Yasenia’s descending body.
Yasenia tightened the grip on her sword and accelerated, impacting against the mud pillars.
A gargantuan explosion rippled outward while Yasenia sliced through the pillars of mud and arrived right in front of the mud beast. The mud beast was over ten meters tall and thirty meters long. However, the size was far from being intimidating for Yasenia.
"[Shattering The Heavens]!"
Celestial Energies coiled around Draheart like snakes as Yasenia swung her sword vertically.
SLASH!
The mud beast couldn’t properly react before its entire body was sliced in half, and even the clouds far in the sky were divided because of Yasenia’s sword.
"GOHHH!"
A deep rumbling cry escaped the bisected beast before mud-like tentacles sprouted in the hundreds from the two divided halves. Yasenia’s quick perception allowed her to see the true speed of its regeneration. ’Incredible. I have yet to finish my swing, and it has recovered from being bisected.’
This level of regeneration put Phoenixes to shame. The mud beast was about to attack, but it felt danger coming from the sky.
"[Earth Shatter Waterfall]."
A pillar of water descended from the skies, slamming the mud beast against the ground. Yasenia took the chance and enhanced her defenses. Then, she stepped into the waterfall.
Lataria was surprised in the sky, but she didn’t stop. ’Yasenia wouldn’t do anything so reckless without a plan.’
Yasenia stepped forward and raised her left foot. Then, she stomped down powerfully and gently raised her right heel.
"[Grand Cosmos Martial Art..."
Her ankles twisted, and her calves and thighs perfectly transmitted the momentum up her muscles. As her hips slowly started to move, Yasenia’s hand formed a palm.
"...First Form..."
From her hips to her waist and up to her chest. The rotational momentum accumulated exponentially, together with her energy rising from the Dantian.
As her right shoulder rotated forward, her elbow and hand began absorbing the energy to be released.
"...Stellar Burst]."
Using each and every fiber of her entire body, Yasenia’s palm landed on the mud monster.
BOOM!!!
The energy released blasted more than half of the suppressed monsters into pieces. Even the constant waterfall was blasted open, the shockwave rising upward and reaching halfway through before it was stopped.
When the water began falling again, Yasenia stepped back calmly right outside the waterfall’s range. When the water struck down the remaining parts of the monster, it washed all the mud away, creating a large hole in the swamp below.
Looking up, Yasenia could see that her points had increased to 1.71, and the flame belonging to Lataria had changed to 0.39. ’It’s dead. Did Stellar Burst break the gem?’
Lataria descended, her eyes full of awe and bewilderment. "What was that palm strike? It carried so much energy that it blew my waterfall back for a moment! The martial art you learned must be from a famous sect, right?"
Yasenia answered calmly. "It’s part of a martial art I created. Let’s go; we need to keep moving."
Lataria lamented to herself as she followed behind. ’Talented? In front of this woman, everyone who has called me talented will have to eat shit for lying to me! A little over a thousand years old, and she has created her own martial art! Ridiculous creature! All the masters who took tens of thousands of years to do the same are cursing at you from beyond the graveeee!’