Free Web NovelChapter 501: Chapter 494: Pondering
The men and women in the office all gazed at Zhou Yuanjue with reverence, as if they were looking at a worshipped idol or hero.
In fact, after learning of Zhou Yuanjue’s terrifying combat achievements and seeing the monstrous corpses and remains, their perception of him went far beyond that of a simple idol or hero.
As members of the special logistics task force, they were all confidential personnel, handpicked by the Secret Inspection Bureau and the Military Department. They had long worked in professions related to the Celestial Demons. To ensure their mission on the Black Continent went smoothly, they had been thoroughly briefed on the existence and data of the Seven Mo Luo before their arrival.
They were the strongest combatants in the world, beings who could suppress entire continents—the highest publicly known power of the Celestial Demons.
In the official power rating for the Seven Mo Luo, headquarters had used the word "monster" to describe their abilities and strength.
So, if his opponents were monster-level combatants, what did that make Zhou Yuanjue—a man who had single-handedly defeated four of them in an ambush and even managed to kill two?
For a human to possess such power... The man standing before them was already a legend, a miracle.
As everyone watched, Zhou Yuanjue scanned the room and gave a slight nod of acknowledgment before turning his gaze to Huang Bin, the person in charge.
"What are your instructions?"
Standing before Zhou Yuanjue now, Huang Bin felt a change in his own demeanor. After all, the person before him was quite possibly the strongest being in the thousand-year history of the Martial Dao.
’What an incredible honor.’
"Prepare a secure room for me," Zhou Yuanjue said to Huang Bin.
"Of course. I’ll arrange it at once. Please, follow me."
With that, Huang Bin immediately led the way, guiding Zhou Yuanjue out of the office.
The moment their figures and footsteps vanished completely, the office erupted in discussion.
"We’ve been here so long, and we finally get to see him in person!"
"His presence is so powerful. And he’s so young, it’s unbelievable."
"So, do you think our Principal Zhou is now the strongest in the world?"
"..."
...
...
Sannas was now a wasteland, so finding a suitable secure room was no easy task. In the end, Huang Bin could only offer Zhou Yuanjue an armory to use as a temporary private chamber.
Zhou Yuanjue wasn’t particular about it. He just instructed Huang Bin that after he left, he was to clear all personnel and living beings from a two-kilometer radius. No one was to approach until he emerged of his own accord.
This wasn’t out of fear of secrets being leaked or of an assassination attempt, but purely for safety.
After all, he was simply too powerful now. If he lost control for even a moment and his personal magnetic field leaked out, the immense power could inflict irreversible damage on any living thing in the vicinity.
Having witnessed the horrific deaths of the Black Crow Mercenary Army firsthand, Huang Bin didn’t dare to delay. He immediately ordered his men to set up a security cordon, completely sealing off the area around the armory.
In the center of the armory, Zhou Yuanjue sat cross-legged and slowly closed his eyes.
He focused, trying to recall the crucial information Zhang Dongwei had transmitted to him in the final moment before his will was extinguished, sent through their faint magnetic connection.
It concerned the partial changes and insights his body had experienced while breaking through its limits.
For his current self, this information was invaluable.
Although Zhou Yuanjue had his own theories about the King Level, he still lacked a concrete path forward.
A Celestial Demon’s breakthrough was driven by the Bloodline Atlas contained within their spirit and bloodline, but that didn’t mean the insights from such a breakthrough were entirely useless.
After all, a Celestial Demon’s breakthrough still occurred in a human body; in essence, it was a metamorphosis of human genes.
Unfortunately, because the mental connection between them hadn’t been very strong, the information he received was fragmented and incomplete.
He closed his eyes, and the thread of information replayed in his mind as he tried to glean key insights from it.
First was the sensation concerning his consciousness and body.
A sense of detachment.
This was the most distinct sensation Zhang Dongwei experienced as he broke through to King Level. Whether it was due to Doctor Nightmare’s restraints or some other reason was unclear. In that moment, he felt his will detach from the vessel of his brain. A unique wave of volition spread throughout his body, seeming to merge with his very cells.
Next came a very distinct feeling: a sense of life.
Following the detachment, Zhang Dongwei perceived a unique sense of life within his body. It was as if every cell had gained its own consciousness and had begun to conduct deep-level modifications to its own genetic structure. In that instant, they seemed to be driven by some unseen force.
Finally, there was a sense of metamorphosis.
Once the cellular genetic modification was complete, his cells began to proliferate anew. Due to the changes in their genetic makeup, his entire physical structure began to transform dramatically during this process.
The most distinct change he felt was in his skeleton.
The skeletal structure was reorganizing. From Zhang Dongwei’s fragmented sensations, Zhou Yuanjue experienced the process of his arm’s transformation.
His entire forearm had grown a jointed, spine-like structure, granting his arms an illogical degree of explosive power and flexibility.
Other parts of his body were undergoing similar transformations: his skeletal structure, internal circulatory system, endocrine system, muscle structure...
It was an ineffable sensation of shedding a mortal vessel and attaining a transcendent form.
Like a chrysalis emerging as a butterfly.
Finally, just as the physical transformation was nearing completion and the moment before Zhang Dongwei’s will vanished, his last sensation was this: the brain was no longer a weakness.
Before reaching King Level, no matter how bizarre one’s physical and magnetic field abilities became, there was always one insurmountable threshold.
The brain.
Take Yuan Luàn for example. Below King Level, he possessed an incredibly potent Recovery Ability. This ability, based on his "Rebellion Cells," was nearly enough to be called Immortal. No matter how much damage his body sustained, as long as he had the stamina, he could repair himself indefinitely without dying.
However, this ability had one weakness: the brain.
If Yuan Luàn’s brain was damaged, his ability couldn’t repair it. In fact, Zhou Yuanjue had killed him by destroying his brain.
It wasn’t just Yuan Luàn; Zhou Yuanjue’s own abilities had the same weakness, as did everyone else’s.
Below King Level, brain damage was fatal.
But according to Zhang Dongwei’s final sensations, upon reaching King Level, the brain was no longer the most fatal weakness. He even had a feeling that if his entire brain were destroyed, he could still survive as long as he had enough physical energy to sustain him. He might even be able to slowly regenerate his brain afterward.
In a way, to kill the physical body of a King Level master, one had to completely destroy the majority of their body. That was the only surefire method.
