When the half pill landed in Liu Xing's mouth, the moss-fox's eye widened, fury and worry radiating from its green eye. In desperation, it tried to extend its moss-fingers to catch half of the pill, making it look like long green poles, but Liu Xing's right hand lashed out with a thin lightning needle. The lightning needle glowed with yellow hue, and sliced through the extended finger.
As the half pill landed on the ground, the moss-fox roared and kicked the ground, launching itself like a rocket, creating a huge cloud of dust behind it. All this effort was for a half pill only a few meters away from it.
Liu Xing whipped his lightning needle again. It bent like a kite string as Liu Xing felt a surge of qi explode from his mouth. It felt like molten rock surging through his entire body.
This feeling of qi tearing through his muscles, tendons, and bones was agonizing. His skin suddenly turned red, as if he had just emerged from boiling water, and the world seemed to slow down. Liu Xing could see the moss-fox's hand trace a path in the ground, trying to scoop up the pill that was now only about half a meter away. As the world slowed down, Liu Xing realized that his body was transforming.
Additional information 4: It's recorded that these pills are considered high-quality, although their effect is not as great for cultivators with high realms. Each pill can greatly enhance a cultivator's muscles, bones, tendons, and all organs, making the body stronger and more resilient. Thus, they were named Diamond Pills by the alchemist, Zhang Ye, who concocted them.
Additional information 5: Diamond Pills also strengthen the qi meridian.
A meridian is a path where qi flows. When someone tries to activate a technique using a cycling pattern, they alter the flow of qi in the meridian. Thus, the meridian is one of the vital parts of a cultivator, and strengthening it directly strengthens a cultivator.
As Liu Xing felt his body transforming, he tried to activate the Exploding Technique. But this time, Liu Xing poured much more qi into the technique, double or even triple the normal amount he usually used. Usually, pouring too much qi into a technique is dangerous, as the meridian could rupture. But after feeling his whole body transforming, Liu Xing decided to go ahead and activate the Exploding Technique with triple the amount of qi he used. When the technique was activated and the gun absorbed it, Liu Xing smiled ferociously.
"Eat this!"
Liu Xing fired, and six bullets with brilliant blue light shot rapidly at the moss-fox. As the fox successfully scooped up the half pill, six bullets hit the moss-fox.
Six explosions bloomed and then merged into one giant explosion, creating a sound so loud it felt like a bomb had gone off in his ears. The ground trembled like an earthquake, and the brilliant light was so bright it bathed the gray spires, while the shockwave it created blew away the green mist that filled the entire area.
Seeing the big explosion, Liu Xing's heart felt elated. He had only eaten half of the pill, and yet, the effect of the bullets infused with Exploding Fist was so strong, Liu Xing doubted anyone in the Lock Opening realm could withstand it. What would happen if he ate a whole pill? Or even two?
Despite his elation, Liu Xing remained cautious. While the explosion was powerful, it could not be compared to his first attack on the fox using Thunderstrike Gauntlets.
After a few moments, the dust cloud surrounding the moss-fox dispersed, and Liu Xing could clearly see the moss-fox. Its head was truly gone, exploded into smithereens. What remained was a blackened and charred stump of a neck, with a little green blood seeping from the destroyed neck, like magma seeping through charred ground. Its two green wings were also gone, as well as its left hand. Its right hand, the one that had tried to scoop up the pill, was still intact, but instead of green, it was black, like a branch that had been inserted into a roaring fire and then pulled out when it looked like charcoal. There were two fingers still intact, positioned as if someone were pinching a marble, and yet, there was nothing between those fingers.
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Seeing this, Liu Xing smiled. It seemed like the half pill had turned to dust as well.
"Seems like I win," Liu Xing muttered. He glanced at his gun, expecting the strips on the side of the gun to glow slightly, but there were no green strips, and no glow. Seeing this, Liu Xing's eyes widened.
The moss-fox was still alive!
As if on cue, the charred neck suddenly bubbled, like boiling water, then green moss erupted and slowly formed a new head. Seeing this, Liu Xing realized that the fox was really dead, but its cultivation as well as its body now belonged to the moss. As he had this thought, he saw the remaining charred flesh oozing with green moss, as if its whole body was bleeding with green blood. Then, the moss began to sizzle, as if it were an acid eating away at the flesh. The green mist that had already been blown away suddenly swirled crazily around the moss-fox.
Seeing this, Liu Xing realized that the moss was probably giving up the fox body. The moss had been so insistent on consuming the Diamond Pills, and Liu Xing suspected the reason was because the pills would strengthen the fox's body to the maximum. If the moss's main goal was to possess the fox, then it made sense to strengthen the fox body before finally possessing it. There was a question of why the fox hadn't consumed the pills and instead guarded them, but unless that fox revived, he likely wouldn't get an answer.
The point was, the moss was giving up the fox body, which meant it didn't need to consume Diamond Pills anymore. This meant it was either very angry at Liu Xing and wanted to kill him with all the power it had, or it wanted to jump to a new host.
Liu Xing tried to sense the qi of the moss and realized that while it was stronger than before, it wasn't too overwhelming. But he needed to be cautious, after all, some spirit beasts had unique and troublesome abilities. He hoped the moss didn't have anything involving mind attacks.
While the moss was still transforming, Liu Xing decided to turn his body and kick the ground. He scanned the surroundings, trying to remember where the other pill was, and soon found it. The pill that had often been flung into the sky was sitting in a small hole with a spider web crack.
Liu Xing scooped up the pill with his right hand and, without further ado, consumed it. Liu Xing then turned his head and saw that the fox body had already stopped transforming. Instead of a fox, its body now resembled a green human, with a muscular torso and lean arms and legs. Compared to the fox body, its new body was like comparing a bodybuilder's body to that of a runner.
Atop its neck, instead of a normal human head or even a fox, there was now a giant green ball of moss. The size was about half a meter, and compared to its body, it was largely comical. There were no eyes or mouth or ears on it, but Liu Xing felt that the moss was watching him.
As he observed the moss, Liu Xing's body was further transformed. Before, when he ate half of a Diamond Pill, his body felt like it was boiling, but now, when he ate a whole pill, it felt like thousands of magma needles were piercing his skin. White smoke began to billow from his entire body, and he had to clench his teeth to keep from screaming. The next few seconds were filled with agony, and Liu Xing knew that this process wouldn't be over soon. The half pill was still wreaking havoc in his body, and combined with the full pill, Liu Xing felt like his body was dissolving into magma.
Still, Liu Xing knew that with each second of pain, his body became stronger. And with his adrenaline pumping through his body, Liu Xing felt like he could still handle the pain.
The swirling green mist around it became faster and faster, creating a small tornado, and Liu Xing realized the mist around him was becoming more dense. Even the light from the sun began dimming, unable to fully pierce the green mist. Even though it didn't have a mouth or eyes, Liu Xing felt that the moss was smiling, like a lion that had successfully trapped a rabbit.
Seeing this, Liu Xing took a deep breath. He had successfully consumed one and a half Diamond Pills, and while his body was still undergoing transformation, his body already felt stronger, and his meridian was wider and harder, as if his body had evolved. He was now stronger than he was an hour ago, and now he had a real chance to win this battle.