Chapter 509: True · Sixty Percent Power

Ignoring the mission rewards, Tang Luo began treating his injuries first.

In order to kill Ksitigarbha, he even used his Reincarnation Salvation Finger at eighty percent power; the cost of this battle was actually not small.

Fortunately, the harvest of merit power was considerable.

Closing his eyes and quietly healing, soon Tang Luo consumed a considerable amount of merit power to "stabilize his injuries," ensuring they would not worsen due to this instance of exceeding his output limit.

Next, he still needed to treat his arm and further heal his injuries.

This wasn't urgent; it could be set aside for now.

After resting for a while, the three gathered again.

"What did you gain?" Tang Luo asked. Last time the "Precious Lotus Lamp Mission" failed, and none of them received rewards from the God-Demon Game.

This time the mission succeeded; aside from Howling Celestial Dog, who hadn't signed a team contract, everyone received their own rewards.

"Hunyuan Shield, a defensive skill," Zhu Bajie said. The skill name sounded quite intimidating.

Hunyuan Shield: condenses surrounding Qi to form a seamless spherical protective barrier that can block attacks; the user cannot move while casting it.

Level 1: Maximum duration five minutes.

Level 2: Maximum duration fifteen minutes.

Level 3: Maximum duration half an hour.

Note: Looks like a ball, doesn't it?

Cooldown: Level 1 one hour, Level 2 thirty minutes, Level 3 fifteen minutes; timing starts after the Hunyuan Shield disperses or is broken.

Looks like an "I'll hold the rear, you go!" skill that can only be used once in a lifetime.

Zhu Bajie's team role instantly became clear with the appearance of this skill — crowd control, tank.

"Hehe, my reward is the skill Dragon Claw Hand!" Ao Yulie said.

"Sounds improper alright. Little White Dragon, you're a monastic; this isn't right," Zhu Bajie said earnestly.

"It's a proper skill!" Ao Yulie protested. "And what qualifications do you have to say that, Second Senior Brother?"

Cough. Strictly speaking, the few people present are all precept-breaking monks who should be expelled from the Buddhist order.

This breaking of precepts — of course, they're all minor precepts, harmless.

They can shout in front of disciplinary monks: "I've rendered meritorious service for the Great Teaching, I want to see the Tathagata!" — making the disciplinary monks' faces turn as black as pot bottoms.

"Look." Ao Yulie reached out and grabbed; a dragon's chant rang out in the room, and faint golden dragon scales could be seen emerging on his right hand.

Five fingers hooked like claws; crushing gold and cracking jade was as easy as grabbing tofu.

"Wait, how is it golden?" Zhu Bajie spotted the blind spot.

"Well, it's still Level 3 after all..." Ao Yulie turned his head away.

"You're a dragon yourself; learning the Dragon Claw Skill and still haven't comprehended and integrated it at the first moment?" Zhu Bajie was somewhat speechless.

"It's different. It's not simply turning into a dragon claw and grabbing; it requires technique and mana. The power is far greater than an ordinary grab." Ao Yulie explained.

The nature of the Dragon Claw Skill is actually similar to Continuous Ordinary Punches.

There are requirements in all aspects. Ao Yulie also took advantage of being a True Dragon to gain two levels immediately upon acquisition. To truly comprehend and integrate it, he still needs more practice.

However, this skill levels up far faster than the "Shadow Bind" Ao Yulie got previously.

Shadow Bind: Ao Yulie is still at the starting stage of Level 1; leveling up is hopelessly distant.

"Then it's decided. From now on, you're our squad's main DPS," Tang Luo said. "Bajie is main tank, I'm responsible for support, Doggy sells cuteness."

"Woof~ Meow~"

"???"

Ao Yulie looked completely bewildered. What situation? He just got a Dragon Claw Hand and suddenly he's main DPS?

"I'll transfer my rewarded skill to you." Tang Luo said, transferring the skill he received as a mission reward to Ao Yulie.

The "Skill Transfer" in the team contract was still carefully selected for Tang Luo and the others by Kongming.

The skill transferred to Ao Yulie is named "Five Consecutive Slashes," allowing five slashes to be unleashed in an extremely short time. Whether bare-handed or holding miscellaneous objects, it can be cast without hindrance.

The limitation is that it can only use hands; head and feet won't work.

This point is similar to the "Continuous Ordinary Punches" skill.

The difference lies in that Five Consecutive Slashes requires holding a knife or sword-type weapon to unleash maximum power.

The first time Tang Luo attended the "Approaching Science" gathering, Yao Jingwu tried to embezzle a broom equipment.

It was because Yao Jingwu had a similar skill that required a "staff-type weapon" to exert maximum effect.

In the information provided by the God-Demon Game, equipment and items are not further categorized, but the game judges them automatically.

Once a skill is fully comprehended and integrated, however, there are no such restrictions.

Tang Luo's Thousand Hands Cannot Defend — whether fist, palm, claw, or holding a weapon — makes no difference.

It's merely a matter of what one is more proficient in and prefers to lean towards.

The Five Consecutive Slashes skill is obviously useless to Tang Luo; he won't keep it to replace any of his six skills. Giving it to Ao Yulie lets him practice his hand well.

"From now on, you go first when there's trouble." Tang Luo said to Ao Yulie.

"Okay." Master's orders; what could Ao Yulie say? Naturally he could only nod and agree. He wasn't so far gone as to truly fear combat.

However you put it, he's the White Dragon Horse who follows Tang Luo; what grand scenes hasn't he seen?

At worst he goes up, takes a beating, and runs back if he can't win; the backer behind him is solid.

And honestly, normally completing missions without provoking this and that, he, Ao Yulie, fears nothing at all, okay?

Looking weak is really just because Master is too strong.

"Not the fault of war."

"Right." Tang Luo thought of something and took out a Kunpeng wood carving. This was the Kunpeng True Spirit seized from those people at Mount Mei.

It belongs to "items" in the God-Demon Game, while the "Umbrella" transformed from Yang Chan and the Precious Lotus Lamp belongs to equipment.

Both of these count as gains beyond the mission rewards.

In nature, they are actually equivalent to the "Ominous" revolver Tang Luo obtained on the first mission — a return after risk.

That umbrella Tang Luo obviously wouldn't use.

Even the Kunpeng True Spirit was forgotten — mainly because the last mission simply had no use for it.

Tang Luo and the others also wouldn't use the Grand Kunpeng Array those few from Meishan set up.

"You refine this." Recalling it now, Tang Luo simply gave the Kunpeng True Spirit to Ao Yulie.

The Kunpeng is an exotic beast, in no way inferior to a True Dragon; many Kunpeng feed on flood dragons, and cases of devouring True Dragons are not unheard of.

On the "food chain," the two sides are not in a superior-subordinate relationship.

In terms of rarity, the Kunpeng is even higher than the True Dragon.

This bit of Kunpeng True Spirit is of negligible help to Tang Luo and Zhu Bajie.

For Ao Yulie, it should be able to raise his strength somewhat; more importantly, there is a significant possibility it can increase Ao Yulie's speed.

As a mount, the most important things are of course speed and comfort.

Whether fleeing or rushing, both are needed.

Accepting the Kunpeng True Spirit with delight, for Ao Yulie a mount's priority is far higher than some main damage dealer.

"Master, how is the Glazed Pure Garment?" Zhu Bajie asked.

Tang Luo, already changed into casual clothes, raised his hand, looking at the Buddhist beads on his wrist, which bore many cracks.

"Not bad." Tang Luo said, "The birth of the artifact spirit is not far off."

It wasn't Tang Luo speaking with eyes open telling lies; rather, the Glazed Pure Garment is originally a defensive magic treasure, and such an experience, as long as it can be perfectly repaired, is also a kind of tempering for the magic treasure itself, and is beneficial.

With the artifact spirit's birth, Sha Wujing's rebirth as an artifact spirit can naturally be expected.

When I enter seclusion to heal later, I'll just use the Merit Jade Lotus to consume merit power and repair the Glazed Pure Garment at the same time.

Ao Yulie began refining; Tang Luo then entered seclusion to heal; Zhu Bajie stood guard for the two.

As the saying goes, "In the mountains there are no sun or moon, cold and heat know not the years."

During seclusion, time passes extremely fast; nearly a month passed in a flash.

Ao Yulie emerged from seclusion a step before Tang Luo, successfully refining the Kunpeng True Spirit, his speed rising another level.

Then he was tossed by Zhu Bajie to practice Five Consecutive Slashes and Dragon Claw Hand.

After a few more days, Tang Luo finally broke through and appeared.

His arm had already recovered; the "Buddhist beads" on his wrist shone with flowing radiance, slowly dissipating, returning to their usual low-key state.

"Sixty percent." Tang Luo clenched his fist.

Ao Yulie beside him instantly felt a sense of suffocation; Zhu Bajie's complexion also changed slightly, sensing the surge of power.

Power forcibly unleashed by breaking through the no-injury upper limit regardless of consequences, and power that can be freely wielded without scruples, are still somewhat different.

From 5.4-tenths to 6-tenths of the no-injury upper limit.

Another threshold crossed; one must say, Bodhisattva Ksitigarbha truly lives up to being a great-vow bodhisattva of compassion for heaven and pity for mankind.

Even after falling into demonhood, he still provided Tang Luo with great help — of course, this kind of help is not something just anyone can afford to receive.

With the slightest carelessness, one would likely be made into an evil ghost or such by the Demon Ksitigarbha borrowing the "Power of Origin."

For example, Tang Luo turning into a ghost that chases people to beat them, the kind where you die if hit.

Zhu Bajie, Ao Yulie, and the others would become Wangliang ghosts, responsible for passing messages and detaining people for Tang Luo.

Efficiency should be countless times higher than the pig-headed ghost-men of the slaughterhouse.

"Master, Kongming and the others have been looking for you, already several times." After sensing the power, Zhu Bajie said to Tang Luo who had emerged.

"Mm, what matter?" Tang Luo asked.

Zhu Bajie shook his head slightly: "I didn't ask; he came together with Zhao Hongmiao."

In the Dragon King's reception hall, Kongming and Zhao Hongmiao sat drinking tea, their demeanors looking fairly relaxed.

One is the "manager" of the martial arts legend, the other the founder of Approaching Science, a big shot.

By now the two organizations have basically laid all cards on the table, cooperating with each other.

Zhu Bajie and Tang Luo pushed the door and entered.

"Speak, who needs crossing over?" Tang Luo spoke as soon as he entered.

"Huh?" Zhao Hongmiao froze, his motion of standing up halting.

Kongming, however, was unfazed, standing up and saying: "It's not crossing over."

"Not crossing over, yet you two come together?" Tang Luo found it a bit strange, "I thought you ran into an opponent you couldn't handle. Put that way, it's a consecration ceremony?"

"It's not a consecration either." Kongming said, "There's a person we need dealt with, and we hope the Holy Monk will make the decision."

"Oh, who?" Tang Luo asked with interest.

"You Guanghe." Zhao Hongmiao said.

"Never heard of him, who is that?" Tang Luo sat down and said.

Zhao Hongmiao looked at Kongming.

Kongming smiled and said: "I said, the Holy Monk most likely doesn't know him."