CHAPTER 63 - A REAL SURPRISE

Utilizing the Controlled Mutation, Han Wu evolved the Heavenly Demon Insects to a towering two meters in height. Furthermore, their horns elongated into meter-long lances, weapons sharp and powerful enough to pierce through any obstacle in their way.

In contrast, Han Wu mutated the Dark Cursed Bugs until they were a mere 10 centimeters in size, but the energy concentrated within their small bodies had been amplified to dangerously high levels. Consequently, every Shadow Nail they expelled could immobilize a Common half-dragon for a full three seconds—a duration that could prove fatal in the intense chaos of battle.

The unexpected resilience and strength of the locusts caused Wicked Dragon to stare in disbelief as the locusts began to overpower his army, driving them backward.

What in the world is going on? How did these locusts suddenly become ten times stronger? Did they consume some kind of drug while I wasn’t looking?

The inexplicable surge in the locusts’ power left everyone bewildered. However, Wicked Dragon was unaware that Han Wu’s true force was yet to be revealed. Han Wu had secretly completed the mutation of 100 Locustmen, each standing at an imposing 5 meters in height and radiating a powerful aura. Armed with colossal bows, they rained down massive arrows on the unsuspecting half-dragons.

The powerful arrows effortlessly pierced through multiple half-dragons with each shot. Even the resilient Unique half-dragons found it difficult to defend against the sheer force of the attacks. Only the two Heroic half-dragons possessed the durability to withstand the incoming arrows, but the sheer number of Locustmen proved overwhelming. There were a hundred of them, and each one wielded power comparable to that of weak Heroic beings.

The reality of the battle was that each Heroic half-dragon was in a position where they had to fight against the equivalent of 50 weaker beings of Heroic caliber at once. This sheer numerical disadvantage rendered any chance of victory nonexistent. Recognizing the substantial gap in power and the hopelessness of his situation, Wicked Dragon was forced to concede defeat when half of his summoned forces had been killed.

The situation was utterly hopeless. Wicked Dragon would have undoubtedly persevered if even the faintest glimmer of victory remained, but Han Wu’s mutated locusts had become overwhelmingly powerful. There was no conceivable way to turn the tables.

The crowd, for the most part, had foreseen Han Wu’s triumph. Realizing that continuing to fight against such an overwhelming force was an act of foolish pride, they did not condemn Wicked Dragon for his decision to surrender.

Once the battle had ended, Han Wu and Wicked Dragon each sent their remaining units back to their divine realms. The fallen corpses that littered the arena floor were then enveloped by the unique array specific to the Blood Coliseum, which converted them into Core Fragments.

The arrogant demeanor Wicked Dragon had previously displayed was now completely absent, yet his confidence remained unshaken. He approached Han Wu and said, “Locust Plague, this battle may have ended in my defeat, but I assure you that I will be victorious next time!”

“If there’ll be a next time,” Han Wu responded simply, his thoughts drifting to the immense power he had just witnessed from the Origin of Mutation. Its power was on an entirely different level!

Sensing Han Wu’s awe, the Origin of Mutation chuckled derisively. “Calm yourself, vessel. This is just basic stuff.”

In a surprising turn, Wicked Dragon unexpectedly revealed his real name to Han Wu. “You are remarkably strong. Out of curiosity, which college are you affiliated with? My name is Long Xiang, and I am a first-year student at the prestigious Warfare College, a First Class institution. I look forward to a rematch or friendly spar between us sometime.”

Han Wu’s eyebrows shot up in surprise. The difference in power between students from First Class Colleges and Top Colleges seems immense. Xiang Meng of Imperial College, despite being a first-year student like Long Xiang, had already reached the Demigod realm, while Long Xiang is still a Divine Being.

Han Wu was certain that Xiang Meng possessed the edge over Long Xiang due to his Divine Skill, regardless of their armies’ power. He responded to Long Xiang’s proposal with a polite refusal, “I highly doubt our paths will cross again. I haven’t even taken the entrance examinations for any college yet.”

A look of astonishment spread across Wicked Dragon’s face. “Seriously? You’re still in high school? That’s unbelievable! Someone as strong as you has to be on a reserve list for some college. The reserve students I’ve seen at my college are nowhere near your level. It looks like I’ll have to give my future juniors a heads-up about you.”

Paying no attention to Long Xiang, Han Wu received his Core Fragment rewards and made his way to the teleporter. Just as he arrived, Long Xiang’s Permanent Coordinates for the Blood Coliseum suddenly broke free and transformed into a beam of red light, which then shot directly into Han Wu’s own Permanent Coordinates.

Han Wu tried to detect if his body had undergone any transformations, but everything felt the same. The significance and power of that red beam of light only became evident to him once he was safely back within his divine realm.

His divine realm housed a special building called the Blood Coliseum. It served as a training ground for his units, with the victor holding a slim possibility of ascending to the next rank. Furthermore, there was an exceedingly rare chance that his Unique life forms could even evolve into Heroic life forms without the usual requirement of a Heroic template.

However, that minuscule chance had now improved to a minor one. The exact probability had increased significantly from 1 in 10,000 to 1 in 3,000. While the likelihood of this event occurring was still relatively low, this improvement was still quite beneficial for the locusts’ potential evolution.

Han Wu had a strong feeling that the Blood Coliseum would be instrumental in producing a significant number of Heroic locusts for his future needs. After thoroughly inspecting the building, he instinctively made his way towards his Core, a routine he had developed within his divine space.

A significant mountain of resources awaited him at his Core, including a substantial quantity of radioactive minerals, hundreds of valuable Gene Stones, several fragments of divine realms, a large accumulation of Core Fragments, the remains of six Demigod corpses, and even the partially consumed bodies of the Rank 6 mutated beast Gemora and his super regenerative locust.

Now, this was a truly unexpected surprise!

The Origin of Mutation let out a soft, mocking laugh. “Oh ho~ Vessel, do you really find this small amount so captivating? In comparison to the boundless wealth at my disposal, these resources are but a tiny fraction, no more than the tip of an enormous iceberg.”

Han Wu dismissed the Origin of Mutation’s comment with a wave of his hand. “Yes, yes, yes. You are absolutely right. You’re the seasoned veteran, and I’m just a rookie in comparison.”

The sight of the massive accumulation of resources ignited a strong desire in Han Wu to improve his units as swiftly as possible.