CHAPTER 581: CHAPTER 261: [DESTRUCTIVE SOUND], [ONE LAYERED SHELL PALACE], ARRIVAL AT THE CENTRAL REGION

"The Zhi Bone Demon Snail is not a creature of this world..."

Ronan received some fragmented pieces of information during the final eruption of the strange snail inside the Ghost Cry Fish King, revealing that the Zhi Bone Demon Snail is a creature from another world.

This creature feeds on ghosts and can emit terrifying sound waves.

In the fragmented memories Ronan gained, these snail creatures once ruled an entire realm, and any being capable of dominating a whole world is far from simple. The strange snails now dwelling in the Green Luminous Sea Abyss are far from true Zhi Bone Demon Snails, at best just "defective products" with a trace of the Zhi Bone Demon Snail’s bloodline.

That’s why they can only survive by parasitizing inside the Ghost Cry Fish; the original ability of the true Zhi Bone Demon Snail to convert ghostly power into terrifying sound waves has regressed into extracting the host’s life force. Although it can also unleash terrifying sound wave attacks, such an outburst would kill itself due to the recoil.

The Snail King that Ronan last saw had a decent bloodline concentration, with the grievances of the Sea Clan’s ghosts still burdening its shell, and even ancestral memories lingering within its body.

This is also why Ronan was able to obtain this rune pattern from it.

Perhaps it wasn’t originally like this, but for a Wizard, runes are the best language to interpret everything.

"The impure-blooded Zhi Bone Demon Snail, whose talent has changed from extracting ghostly power outbursts to extracting life force outbursts, is just the most suitable for me..."

The way the Zhi Bone Demon Snail extracts life for outbursts is much more sophisticated than Ronan’s own crude technique of compressing the Life Light Ball and releasing it all at once. Once mastered, Ronan’s combat power could greatly improve when he attempts the "Complete Giant Demonization" transformation.

"Coincidentally, [Ascetic Body Refinement] has broken through 1,500 points at Master Level Proficiency, the [Ancient Power] rune has upgraded to advanced. My [Pure Body]’s strength is somewhat insufficient, but if the [Shell Palace] method truly works, it might compensate for this lack..."

Ronan’s expression was indifferent; he himself hadn’t anticipated the significant burden the upgraded [Ancient Power] rune to advanced would levy on his body.

The dull white hair he bore and the large quantity of Healing Potions he purchased at the Secret Power Workshop were due to severe depletion of vitality from once employing the advanced [Ancient Power].

Thinking of this, Ronan attempted to activate [Pure Body].

"Ka-ka-ka—"

In the familiar sound of bone and flesh colliding and compressing, Ronan, sitting cross-legged on the carpet, gradually made his body rise, becoming robust and majestic.

Everything seemed the same as before, but in the palms of Ronan’s hands, some black patterns like vines began to spread along his arms like flames, proliferating across his entire body...

"Boom!"

An invisible aura burst through, resembling an unseen millstone, compressing the void into layer upon layer of wrinkles, as the room’s furniture and decorations were destroyed. Layers of rune formations glowed intensely.

"Swoosh—"

Ronan stood up, swiftly appearing outside the airship.

By that time, the airship had long since left the authority of the Secret Power Workshop, flying over a boundless, deserted, barren Gobi Desert.

Ronan stood in the air under the dim setting sun, carrying the desolate sky backdrop. The black patterns had spread to his chest area.

The long white hair rose behind him, with Ronan emanating a dark aura enveloping him like a pitch-black distorted Great Sun, swallowing the void’s radiance.

The terrifying aura continued rising, reaching a peak when...

"Bang!"

Ronan’s upper body burst open, with the black patterns emerging from the exploded blood and flesh, wildly dancing like flames or vines, releasing masses of writhing black threads.

"Swoosh—"

Ronan’s five fingers turned into claws, indifferently swinging them forward with fierce determination.

In the next second.

"Crack—"

The pitch-black, ink-dark branch-like lightning seemed to streak through the void ahead. Following that, a far-off area of the void suddenly appeared distorted and collapsed, with several unfathomably deep, elongated ravines silently appearing on the Gobi Desert below.

"Huff—"

Having done all this, Ronan seemed utterly spent, exiting the activation state of [Pure Body] completely.

With weakened breath, wearing fresh blood-laden, shocking ruptured wounds, he flew back into the airship, retrieving copious quantities of Healing Potions from his Space Ring, consuming them as if they were free.

As the Healing Potions took effect, the remaining vitality began to work, with fresh flesh sprouting at the wounds, knitting them together slowly...

When all wounds on Ronan healed, he seemed to have "aged" ten years or more, white hair like withered grass draping over his shoulders, his bent spine, and formerly smooth jade-like skin turning dull, even showing some barely perceptible fine wrinkles.

"The third power reaching the ’Forbidden’ level..."

Ronan looked at the patterns on his palms, a complicated and indescribable expression in his eyes.

He never imagined that after the [Ancient Power] rune ascended to advanced, its potency would grow so immensely.

So great that it easily broke into a level equivalent to the realm of Forbidden Magic, and even this was not the full extent of its [Ancient Power], making him wary of fully unleashing its "strength."