Chapter 336: Submit, or Be Destroyed?

"No, no! No…"

In the bloodstained long gouge, a Phantom Knight who had barely recovered, his face full of fear yet carrying a sliver of hope, crawled forward with great difficulty, trying to reach his mount that was likewise struggling to recover, so as to escape the clutches of the monster.

One chi… two chi…

"Gagu!"

Suddenly, the instant he was about to reach his mount, blue-white light flickered, and the Phantom Beast that had just risen shuddered all over before collapsing once again.

Then a massive claw reached out from the black shadow, seized him—who once more showed despair—and dragged him into the darkness.

……

"Slap!"

On the open ground before the cave, Baichuan casually tossed aside the Phantom Knight who had lost all will to resist, letting him rejoin his companions; on the other side, the furry little fellow was also huffing and puffing as it dragged the last unconscious Phantom Knight over.

It was time to deal with these uninvited guests who had come from who-knows-where.

Baichuan had not expected that near the enhancement location he had casually chosen, there would actually be traces of humans, and that they would even try to sneak up while he was enhancing themselves; judging by their behavior, they were clearly up to no good.

But that worked out perfectly—he could test out the power he had just obtained.

Environment Assimilation LV5 (Planet)!

This ability, as the core power of his Gold Finger for this trip, was not something he had chosen at random.

Baichuan glanced at the trembling humans, and as his already metal-covered left forepaw stepped down, the ground visibly softened and rippled like water, and then that left paw of his sank directly into the ground.

The next moment, a terrifying scene unfolded!

……

"What on earth is this mysterious Desolate King doing?"

Gu Shi, who had just woken up again, felt puzzled in his heart. He looked from time to time at his companions around him—some unconscious, some struggling, some opening their mouths as if saying something—and then back at this strangely behaving Desolate King; he was somewhat unclear about what was happening before his eyes.

Perhaps because he had been directly roared at by the mysterious Desolate King earlier, he now felt his entire person in a daze—his consciousness seemed to be here, yet also not here. Not only had everything in his mind become somewhat blurred, but the world before his eyes had turned grey-white and deathly still! And he was suspended in midair, watching a silent pantomime.

As a member of this expedition's Phantom Knights, he was undoubtedly extremely unlucky. After more than twenty years of hardship, he had finally, in the year his daughter was born, become the most glorious Phantom Knight of his tribe, about to step onto the pinnacle of life from then on, becoming a member others of his kind envied without end, laying a solid foundation for his daughter's future.

He never expected that, having just become a Phantom Knight, he would suffer a crushing defeat on his very first mission—the entire squad was captured by a newly born Desolate King.

Yet he was also fortunate: he could withstand the mysterious Desolate King's roar head-on with a human body and survive, unlike his other companions who not only endured the Desolate King's roar, fell from midair and broke a few bones, but were finally manhandled and dragged over by the Desolate King.

Of course, he soon understood what that mysterious Desolate King was doing. Even though he could no longer hear, his widened pupils still reflected the horrifying scene before him:

Invisible ripples rapidly spread in all directions centered on the left paw the mysterious Desolate King had stepped down with, and the towering primitive trees abruptly swayed without wind.

"Crack-crack-crackle…"

The earth-yellow ground seemed to come alive; the emerald-brown great trees swayed ceaselessly; the shrubs grew wildly… It was as if even the air had gained life, everything moving everywhere, stretching out its own trunk. A layer of silver-black liquid slowly emerged from the Desolate King's left paw and spread in all directions, and so—

The earth-yellow ground gradually shed its original color, turning silver-black, gleaming with an unusual sheen; the emerald-brown towering trees became iron trees and silver blossoms; the shrubs became Sharpness brambles; even the air began to give off a cold, metallic scent…

In the briefest instant, centered on that mysterious Desolate King with its long limbs—resembling a tiger yet not a tiger, a dragon yet not a dragon—the entire world filled with primitive aura was utterly transformed into a kingdom of metal!

A kingdom of steel ground, iron trees and silver blossoms, belonging to the Cyber Electronic Bixuan!

In Baichuan's current form, he truly lived up to that title.

The front half of his body had already been completely covered by that mysterious metal—no longer flesh, a steel body that could serve as a mirror, silver gleaming. Upon it were limbs of grey-white with jet-black flickering patterns, every part displaying the sharply angular, cold and smooth texture of metal; beneath the fine details, structures like wires emerged, complemented by flickering breathing-light patterns.

At this moment, he looked less like a living being and more like a powerful technological creation that had gathered every kind of deadly weapon—every part representing the crystallization of mechanical technology!

Calling him a biological mecha would not be wrong in the slightest.

This was why Baichuan had chosen this ability as his core: starting from a single central point, infect and devour the world at the fastest speed, gradually forming a snowball-like overwhelming power.

Until finally, even devouring an entire world!

When he stood in this world in his complete form, even the world itself would be shocked.

Once this ability was unleashed, it meant Baichuan's initial primitive accumulation had come to an end. What awaited him next was a snowball-like rapid rise, until finally sweeping out in all directions with an overwhelming momentum, until he obtained what he desired.

The twenty-meter mechanical Bixuan stepped forward slowly, arriving before the huddled captives, and from within its cold gaze slowly emitted a voice carrying a mechanical feel:

"Submit, or be destroyed?"

The electronic voice, carrying a cold sensation, completely bypassed the temporarily deaf ears of the many captives and transmitted directly into everyone's mind. In an instant, this group of former Phantom Knights, now captives, completely exploded:

"Bah! A mere newborn beast, and you want us to submit?"

"This lord here tells you—dream on!"

"The Forest People will never be slaves! Our tribe's Spirit God will ultimately punish you!"

"Beast, if you've got the guts, kill me right now… Ah!"

For a time, a string of curses kept ringing out.

These proud Forest People had ruled the surrounding region for who-knows-how-many years—how could they possibly submit to a newly born Desolate King just like that?

Their inner pride, and their faith, would not allow them to do so.

Listening to the utterly unpleasant words, Baichuan was not angered.

As his gaze, solid as substance, swept across, it directly locked onto those Forest People whose expressions were intensely agitated. The ground moved once more, and the earth that had already completely become part of his body suddenly melted, swallowing them like silver flowing water.

In an instant, all the Forest People fell silent, and then several of them, even more enraged, grew all the more furious and impassioned.

"Damn you, you—you beast, you actually…"

Before he could finish, the water-like ground moved once more, and another vanished.

After several times, these captives finally recognized the reality and calmed down.

Of course, those who had not calmed down were already dead.

"I wonder, this mysterious Desolate King sir, what is your purpose in capturing us? Might you make it clear, so that we may communicate… And might sir be aware? This region is owned—it is the domain of our tribe's Spirit God. Intruders like yourself have appeared before, and it is not as if there were none, but…"

At this moment, one of the Phantom Knights among them—his eyes gleaming with brilliance, looking extremely powerful—spoke up calmly.

Every word of his, both explicit and implicit, hinted that his tribe's god was extremely powerful, and that Desolate Kings who had intruded like this in the past were not few in number, yet the one who still existed here today was still their tribe's god.

This was a form of silent coercion.

"Very well. On the outskirts of this region called the Primitive Mountain Range, the Forest People tribe upon the Ling Shen Zhi Shu, is that it?"

Baichuan did not respond to the other's words, his gaze lowered as if in thought; just as the knight who had spoken was about to grow hopeful and press on, he suddenly spoke.

"What...!!"

The Phantom Knight who had spoken was startled, his pupils contracting sharply, nearly crying out in shock. He could not understand how this mysterious Wild King, who had known nothing moments ago, had spoken of his tribe's information in such a short span of time. In his astonishment he shut his mouth at once, wondering whether the other possessed some special power that could extract the information he needed from his thoughts and words.

Yet Baichuan paid the fellow no heed at all, and continued: "Because some time ago, an anomaly was discovered in the Forbidden Forest, and Captain Gu Ying, acting on the shaman's order from the tribe, commanded you to come investigate, and to exterminate the nascent Wild King if necessary?"

"So that's how it is — my earlier actions were too conspicuous, and happened to be right near your tribe's territory?"

Baichuan raised his head, murmuring to himself with a half-smile.

"What! You, how could you..."

The captain of the Phantom Squad was seized by fear, a chill rushing from the tip of his tail to the crown of his head, making his entire scalp go cold. He would never have imagined that in such a short time, this Wild King had come to understand the entire course of events. This, this was no newly born Wild King!!!

The Forest Folk tribe was in peril!

Could there be a traitor within the tribe?

Since when?

Was it while I was unconscious?

In his panic, he kept scanning his fellow companions, feeling his heart go cold, utterly unable to imagine that his former comrades had, at some unknown point, betrayed the entire Forest Folk tribe.

As for this man's doubts, Baichuan had no intention of offering the slightest explanation. Would he tell the fellow that he had relied on the few people the earth had just swallowed, reading their memories from their corpses?

Impossible!

After a smile, he composed his face once more, and gazing at these captives, said slowly: "Submit — or be destroyed?"

At the end, without waiting for their reply, he added: "Not considering yourselves, will you not consider the loved ones behind you?"

"Choosing death is easy for you, but have you thought of your parents, your lovers, your children — each and every one of those living lives? Without you, what fate will befall them?"

"The Forest Folk tribe will indeed look after them, but can the care given truly reach the hands of your kin? Rather than being embezzled by some petty steward?"

"Submit to me, and I shall grant you greater power. So long as you strive, the loved ones behind you seeking power is by no means out of the question."

All of this information was something Baichuan had spoken pointedly based on the memories he had read; every line struck at the heart of these people, each one a thought that would surface in their minds from time to time.

In the end, to lend credibility and prove his words were no lie, Baichuan did not hesitate to use the domain he had just gained control of to personally summon an ordinary wild boar only two meters across. The ground then rose into a metal pedestal, and at its center a special liquid slowly gathered, then flowed into the boar's mouth.

The next moment, the boar visibly grew larger and more massive at a speed plain to the eye, while at the same time a deadly aura abruptly radiated from its body.

This was one application of the Environment Assimilation ability — forcibly using one's own power to infect other creatures into the desired form. Of course, given how pressed for Time he was at present, these were all crude, one-time infections, and the boar would soon die.

However, everything he had promised was no problem at all. When he had first shaped this Gold Finger, he had already taken the present situation into account; what was before his eyes was merely a stopgap measure born of haste. In any case, once he had beguiled this group, the boar would not be allowed to be seen by them again afterward.

Now that the date had been offered, naturally the big stick still needed to be brandished:

"On the contrary, if you refuse me, what awaits you is the utter ruin of your entire tribe! Let the dragon's flames spread across the canopy of the Forest Folk!"

At these words, the group changed again. Those among them who had survived the initial selection naturally were not blindly devoted in their faith or in the importance they placed on the tribe; those in high positions, having seen much of the world, naturally harbored their own little schemes — though of course there were also some waiting for an opportunity to ambush him.

Baichuan was not in the slightest surprised by this.

Now, the moment to test them had arrived.

"Demon! Demon!"

At this moment, the captain of this Phantom Squad was finally seized by a fear he had never known before; every cell in his body seemed to be trembling. He had finally understood exactly what this mysterious Wild King before him was!

A demon — a true devil who beguiles hearts and toys with living beings!

This newly born Wild King was unlike those pure creatures of the past that had only just acquired a glimmer of intelligence; this was a devil who had long been toying with hearts, cunning beyond measure!

And this devil was coveting his tribe!

Even without observing the expressions of his surrounding companions, he already foresaw that the others would surely waver, would be tempted.

Because he himself was the same!

"My King, I — I, Gu Shi, am willing to submit to you!"

At this moment, just as the others were still hesitating, such a voice abruptly rang out from beside them.

It was Gu Shi, who was almost entirely stripped naked — the Phantom Knight who had been the first to endure Baichuan's roar.

Though gravely wounded, at this moment he relied on the powerful constitution of a Tier 2 to force himself to stand, and with great difficulty made his way before Baichuan.

As he approached, he did not lower his head, not daring to meet the scorching gazes of his former comrades around him. Only when he drew near the captain did he pause, and in a tearful voice muttered to himself: "For, forgive me, I... I don't want to either, but... but my newborn daughter and mother are still waiting for me. I... I can't let my newborn daughter, who has already lost her mother, lose her father as well!"

His words were spoken in an extremely faint voice, but for Tier 2 experts — especially with Baichuan secretly relaying them — which of them could not hear?

The Phantom Squad captain's expression also grew complicated. He knew Gu Shi's situation well: a man who had grown up in the slums of the Forest Folk tribe, who had lost his father in childhood and his wife in his middle years — he was the sole pillar of the entire family. While he was alive, all was well; relying on the prestige and status of a Phantom Knight, flatterers were countless.

But once he died, everything he left behind — a lone daughter and a widowed mother — with no one to look after them, they simply could not hold on to it.

Even he had to admit that the Forest Folk tribe had existed for too long: the shaman's advanced age and withdrawal from affairs, the captain's naivety, the elders' indulgence... and so on had caused the rot hidden beneath the surface to have long since festered through.

At this moment, the captain wanted to speak, but the words would not come out; he did not even know what to say.

The man named Gu Shi, swaying with every step, arrived before Baichuan. The next moment he dropped to his knees with a thud, declaring his submission:

"My King, from this moment forth, I shall submit to you!"

Very good — Baichuan expressed great satisfaction at this; his speech had finally found a leader.

He was not afraid these people were feigning submission, because—

"... Come, release all your resistance, and accept my power."

The next moment, the mechanical life-form Bixuan raised its right claw and lightly touched the ground once more.

"Hiss!"

The earth writhed again. The silver-black ground abruptly bulged into a small mound, and then something like a living snake extended out from the metal surface, writhing its body and flicking its forked tongue as it slowly wound itself around the kneeling Gu Shi. The thing's body grew longer and longer as it coiled, appearing slow yet in truth swift; in just a few breaths it had completely enveloped that human figure, turning him into a statue.

Throughout the entire process, Gu Shi indeed did not stir in the slightest, otherwise Baichuan's erosion control would have failed.

In less than ten breaths, with a muffled groan, the coiled metal thing loosened once more, like melted water flowing back into the ground and solidifying.

It revealed a man whose chest bore a mark resembling Bixuan's; before the crowd could clearly make out the mark's shape, it vanished completely from sight.

This was the reason Baichuan had painstakingly contrived to make this group submit: once controlled by him, there was simply no need to consider betrayal — anyone who harbored such a thought would drop dead on the spot.

Afterward, he would release these submitted people back, to work with him from within, allowing him to completely subjugate this faction and turn it into his claws and eyes for exploring the world as he expanded outward.

At that time he could simply reap the rewards, whether it was finding news of Little Lizard Earth, or exploring this world, or anything else — all could be done with ease.

Such a vast world — relying on his own strength alone, no matter how powerful, what of it? Many things would still leave him grasping in the dark. This is the benefit of having a force.

This was the plan that flashed through Baichuan's mind the instant he saw these people appear.

Now, at last, he had extended his own claws and fangs into this vast, mysterious world.

……

(End of this chapter)