Alan raised his right hand, his palm surging with magical power!
Meeting the serpent demon and the giant beast charging at him, he unleashed a thunderous blast wave!
BANG!!
Thunder roared, reverberating through the sealed underground hall.
The stone walls trembled, and the ceiling seemed to collapse.
The Skeleton Naga bore the brunt of the blow, shattered to dust.
Following closely behind was the Atavistic Black Forest...
It actually charged forward, braving the "Thunderous Explosion Wave"!
A ferocious shark head suddenly burst through the veil of bone dust, looming before its eyes!
Alan leaped into the air, infusing both palms with "Bone-Piercing Explosion," and slammed down on the shark-lizard beast's head with all his might.
BANG!!
Another roar.
The tomb trembled, and rubble fell like rain. Alan and the giant beast separated at the first sign of contact. The shark-lizard beast's momentum was halted by his palm power. Its front legs wobbled, and it nearly fell to its knees. Two palm prints remained on the shark's triangular head. The clearly visible palm prints were quickly stained red by the blood seeping from the cracks in its scales. Atavistic Heisen, struck with all his might by Alan's palm, was left dazed and his eyes glazed. However, his defense wasn't completely broken! Alan felt even worse. He was sent flying by the giant beast, only coming to rest when his back touched the wall. A half-foot-deep dent was left in the stone wall behind him. Alan was trapped in it, like a mosaic. His chest felt tight, and hot blood rushed to his throat. Puff! Alan spat out a large mouthful of blood, only to find a smoother breath.
Even with his "iron bones" protecting him, his defenses were still breached.
His chest was bruised and slightly cracked, and his bones were slightly cracked.
This was the first time Alan had been beaten so badly.
Throwback Hessen, what a fighter!
Bearing the pain, he slammed his palm back against the stone wall.
With a bang, the stone wall trembled.
Using the recoil, Alan burst through the wall.
He landed gracefully, casually wiping the blood from his lips.
Looking at the throwback Hessen from afar, his eyes blazed with fighting spirit!
Swish!
A crescent of cold light flew across the sky.
Acadia, on the altar, witnessed her lover's injury and, in a moment of desperation, stepped forward to help.
A flash of sword energy, like a wind blade slashing through the air, rivaled Allen's "Finger Wave" in power.
Struck against the atavistic Heisen... it was a wonder it could break through his defense!
Captain Heisen, of the Shark Lizard bloodline.
A late-stage, third-tier violent sorcerer, proficient in the secret techniques of third-tier body refinement.
After reverting to his ancestral form, he transformed into a Shark Lizard renowned for its sturdy defense.
Clad in a thick layer of armor plating, he was a living tank!
Eren and Arcadia struggled to break through his defense!
How should this tough battle be fought?
Arcadia picked up the unconscious doctor and signaled Allen to retreat.
Alan didn't want to leave.
The ancestral spirit's dying obsession: to kill Captain Heisen himself. He hadn't completed it yet.
During the exchange, he had already activated the Gluttony system, analyzing the Atavistic Heisen's defensive data.
The deduction made him frown.
A weapon with at least a Level 2 enchanted blunt force weapon would be needed to penetrate his defenses!
"That's all I can do," Allen sighed.
He unleashed his Phantom Steps, transformed into a cloud of silver mist, and teleported to the golden altar.
Holding Arcadia's hand, he was about to cast another teleportation spell when a sudden rustling sound came from the hall entrance.
A surprisingly sturdy skeleton Naga crawled in.
A golden crown crowned its raised skull.
Most striking of all, it was its tail.
The entire tail vertebrae was a shiny black, with a faint metallic sheen.
This Skeleton Naga, with its unusual appearance and aura, clearly had a clear identity.
Alan and Arcadia exchanged glances, their concerns rising to the same level.
The Naga Mistress has finally caught up!
The entrance and exit of the Sacrifice Hall were blocked by the Atavistic Black Forest and the Skeleton Naga Mistress, respectively.
Alan and the other two were trapped, caught in the middle, with no way forward.
Just as they were getting anxious, the Naga Mistress swung her tail and began casting a spell.
Luckily, her target was the Atavistic Black Forest, who was closer and more conspicuous!
Bang!
A pale vortex erupted beneath the Atavistic Black Forest.
Level 3 Magic—Frost Nova!
The extreme cold instantly brought the temperature in the hall down to freezing point.
The Atavistic Black Forest was frozen solid, its movement significantly slowing.
Taking advantage of the shark lizard's slowing down due to the freezing, the Naga Mistress pounced swiftly.
The atavistic Heisen shook his body vigorously, shattering the frost.
Confident in his armor and his secret body-refining techniques, he didn't take the Naga Mistress seriously.
It wasn't until the Naga Mistress swung out her shiny black tailbone that he suddenly realized...
He was in big trouble!
Bang! !
The Naga Mistress's tail lashed out heavily against Heisen.
Even his natural armor and his hard work couldn't withstand it!
The massive and powerful shark lizard was toppled by her tail!
With a loud rumble, it rolled flat on the ground until it crashed headfirst into the corner of the wall!
Wide shards of scales shattered where the tail had struck, and blood flowed profusely!
The Naga Mistress's tail was actually a naturally enchanted Level 2 weapon!
Realizing this terrifying truth, Heisen's arrogance vanished, and he dove headfirst into the ground.
His sharp, triangular forehead, like an excavator, burrowed through the floor in an instant, sending up a cloud of mud and sand as he burrowed deep into the earth.
By the time the Naga Mistress caught up, all that remained was a pile of dirt and a deep cave.
The Naga Mistress stood guard at the cave, the pale soul fire flickering in her eyes.
In a one-on-one fight above ground, she wouldn't be afraid of the Shark Lizard.
But once she entered the cave, she would be on its home turf.
She didn't dare take that risk.
The Naga Mistress finally gave up on entering the cave to pursue Heisen.
Turning around, she looked up at the golden altar.
A sinister gaze fell upon Alan and Arcadia.
"Oh no! We've been discovered!" Arcadia cried bitterly.
An undead creature of the Naga Mistress's level was unlikely to be fooled by her "Ignorance of the Undead."
Just now, while the Naga Mistress was battling the atavistic Hessen, she had whispered to Alan to seize the opportunity and escape with the Doctor.
That was the best opportunity to escape.
But Alan refused to leave.
He wanted to stay and kill both the Naga Mistress and Captain Hessen!
Killing Captain Hessen was the ancestral spirit's obsession.
Killing the Naga Mistress was a necessary condition for killing Captain Hessen.
The Naga Mistress had already begun wagging her tail, hissing.
This was the unique spellcasting method of the Naga clan.
Alan gave Arcadia a wink, initiating his atavistic transformation.
A four-meter-tall, leopard-headed giant with a deep blue complexion stood atop a towering golden altar.
At the same time, Arcadia raised her silver sword and swung it fiercely.
The silver sword swirled in the air, whistling towards the Naga Mistress.
A hint of disdain flashed in the Naga Mistress's eyes.
A hidden weapon of this caliber could be dispatched with a single swipe of her tail, but she didn't want to interrupt the spellcasting.
Twisting her snake body, she moved sideways a meter—that was all it took.
Clang!
The silver sword passed by, stabbing diagonally into the floor.
It was only half a meter away from the Naga Mistress.
It seemed like a meaningless attack.
But the second after the silver sword landed...
The Naga Mistress's expression changed!
The two pale will-o'-the-wisps in her eye sockets throbbed violently.
Unconcealed astonishment emanated, and the hissing sound faded.
Arcadia cast a second-level "Silence" on her sword.
A 10-meter radius, centered around the silver sword, was enveloped in a "Silence Barrier," preventing even the slightest sound.
The Naga Mistress was speechless, her spellcasting interrupted.
A "Frost Nova," poised to unleash, was abruptly suppressed.
Realizing the problem, the Naga Mistress quickly distanced herself from the silver sword!
Once she left the "Silence" zone, she would regain her ability to cast spells.
Allen didn't give her that chance.
Swoosh!
A flash of black shadow!
The leopard-headed giant leaped directly from the platform.
He stretched out his long arms in mid-air and grabbed the Naga Mistress by the hair!
Using the momentum of his lunge, he slammed her to the ground!
Bang!
The Naga Mistress was pinned to the ground by the leopard-headed giant, her cervical vertebrae broken instantly!
The battle between warlocks isn't simply a comparison of cultivation levels.
Sometimes, it's more like a game of "Beast Fighting Chess."
Elephant > Cat
Cat > Mouse
Mouse > Elephant
Alan faced Captain Heisen in a one-on-one fight, unable to break through his defense.
The Naga Mistress easily defeated Captain Heisen.
But this doesn't mean that the Naga Mistress is stronger than Alan.
Between Captain Heisen and the Naga Mistress, Alan actually found the latter easier to deal with.
In his ancestral state, Alan's physical attribute reached a whopping 28, completely defeating the Naga Mistress.
Infused with "Bone-Breaking" power, his palms exerted a slight force, crushing the Naga Mistress's ribs.
The Naga Mistress tilted her head and bit him viciously on the shoulder!
Puff!
The snake's fangs sunk deep into the flesh, blood gushing out!
The Naga Mistress's fangs, like her tail, were naturally enchanted Level 2 weapons, unstoppable even by "iron bones."
The snake's fangs penetrated the flesh, instantly injecting a frenzy of venom!
Level 5 venom, a single drop could kill ten elephants!
Alan was unconcerned.
His venom resistance had long since risen to Level 6.
A mere Level 5 venom, no matter how much was injected, he felt nothing.
The leopard-headed giant's deltoid muscles suddenly tensed, hard as steel!
The fangs, half an inch into the flesh, were forcibly forced out!
The Naga Mistress was both shocked and furious.
The close combat, coupled with the "Silence Barrier," left her no chance to cast a spell.
She could only use her last resort, swung her snake's tail, and hurled it at Alan's back with all her might!
The slash of the snake's tail, accompanied by a whistling sound that broke through the wind, betrayed her attack.
Alan transformed into a black panther and leaped up.
The speed of a panther!
The pace of a hound!
The moment the snake's tail touched his skin, a black shadow flashed, and Alan leaped three meters away.
Unable to break the momentum, the Naga Mistress delivered a powerful blow, ultimately landing on her own head.
Bang!
Headshot!
The black panther landed, flipped back up, and transformed back into its panther-man form.
Alan turned and looked at the still-writhing headless snake.
He slowly raised his hand and unleashed a "Thunder Blast Wave"!
Boom!
Mistress Naga's skeletal body, devoid of skin and muscle to cushion it, was brittle and easily broken.
Bombarded by the "Thunder Blast Wave," it sustained double damage.
After the deafening explosion that shook the underground palace, the Naga's upper body had been reduced to ashes.
Alan deliberately avoided her lower body, preserving the tailbone.
The pitch-black vertebrae, approximately five meters long, were hard and glistening with a metallic sheen.
After the Naga's death, her tailbone still retained magical energy, equivalent to a level 2 enchanted club.
Just the right amount of power to penetrate the atavistic Heisen's damage-reducing armor!
During their earlier battle, Alan had slapped Heisen twice on the head.
The moment they made contact, traces of parasitic spores were left on him, serving as a tracking mark.
Alan hefted the gleaming black vertebral club and cast "Detect Poison" to track Captain Hessen.
Arcadia flew down from the altar, retracted her silver sword, and followed closely beside Alan, ready for battle.
Alan quickly detected the unique toxin reaction of the parasitic spores ten meters below the floor.
As expected, Captain Hessen was unwilling to return empty-handed and still harbored thoughts about the golden altar.
Alan approached the hole Hessen had dug, club in hand, pondering.
He seemed to be hesitating whether to jump into the hole.
At the same time, he sensed the toxin signal moving beneath the ground.
The signal stopped approximately five meters directly behind him.
Then, it slowly moved upwards.
Heisen, transformed into a shark-lizard beast, was digging upwards.
The floor trembled slightly, a sound not lost on the leopard man's sensitive ears.
But he feigned ignorance, still staring at the deep pit before him.
Finally, Heisen couldn't help himself.
Behind Allen, a patch of floor suddenly cracked.
Heisen, with his shark-like head, burst out of the ground!
His bloodshot triangular eyes were filled with ecstasy, convinced he had succeeded in his sneak attack.
Alan picked up the club, turned, and smiled at him.
"My friend, you're truly stubborn!"
The spinal club, imbued with "Bone-Breaking Explosion," whistled across the air, striking Heisen hard on the forehead.
A perfect home run!
Heisen, struck head-on, flew backward, crashing into the golden altar. With a roar, it rebounded and tumbled to the ground.
A large hole had been smashed into the golden altar by the shark lizard beast.
A large amount of silver-gray liquid poured out of the hole!
It turned out that the altar was hollow, filled with mercury.
The mercury poured down on the atavistic Black Forest's head like a waterfall, washing over the massive wound.
Blood and mercury did not mix, flowing separately, forming distinct streams on the atavistic Black Forest's body.
His skull was cracked by Alan's club.
Large swathes of scales peeled off, exposing bloody muscle tissue.
Alan flexed his numbed fingers.
Still not strong enough!
So, he freed his left hand to cast a spell.
He cast "Giant Transformation" and "Berserk" on himself one after another. The leopard-headed giant doubled in size! From head to toe, it measured a full eight meters! Its once authentic emerald green eyes, stimulated by the "Berserk Technique," were now bloodshot and red, brimming with murderous intent! "Whoosh..." Alan's breath blasted out like a white arrow. It ripped through the air, emitting a sharp shriek. "I feel so full of power!" The leopard-headed giant grinned. This was his first all-out battle. Atavism + Enlargement + Berserk
With the triple buff, his physical attributes soared to 32 points, easily surpassing the Shark Lizard Beast! Atavism Heisen groaned as he climbed out of the mercury-filled ditch. The bloody head injury severely dented his confidence. He dared not leap rashly again, instead launching a surprise attack from the ground.
The sturdy forelimbs stomped the floor with all their might.
Earthquake!
A powerful shockwave traveled along the cracks in the floor.
"It's no use!"
Alan leaped forward and leaped into the air!
He swung his club through the air, slamming it hard into the shark lizard's back.
Bang! !
The beast's carapace shattered, bloody scales flying everywhere.
His spine was nearly broken by the club!
Hessen, a throwback, howled in agony.
He fell to the ground with his limbs, a pool of blood spreading beneath him.
The leopard-headed giant landed on his feet and swung his club across!
Another dull roar, and the beast was struck.
Atavistic Black Forest was left with a limp.
After three consecutive blows, Atavistic Black Forest's scales shattered, leaving him in a bloody mess.
Both his body and his spirit were on the verge of collapse.
Groaning, he crawled towards the cave entrance, attempting to escape through it.
Swish!
Two streaks of cold light shot out from the cave.
A silver longsword, brimming with divine energy, pierced deeply into Atavistic Black Forest's neck, now free of its scales!
The normally carefree and heartless golden cat, however, was quite clever at the critical moment!
While Atavistic Black Forest was being entangled by Allen, she quietly hid in the cave.
Both swords were imbued with the power of "Supreme Slash," ready to launch an ambush.
And, she had waited for the perfect moment!
Atavistic Black Forest had been beaten to the brink of death by Allen.
Now, he was pierced through the throat by Miss Angel's twin swords, lying dead on the ground.
The corpse, deprived of its magical support, reverted to human form.
Alan released his ancestral form, walked toward the golden altar, and awakened Dr. Morgan.
"The Naga clan's burial objects are cursed!" Upon regaining consciousness, the doctor immediately warned Alan, "Don't touch them!"
The family of three left the Naga ancestral tomb and escaped safely.
Next, they would head to the port and board a ship back to Kachen University.
Tazan Morgan, the former rainforest hero and Black Panther, accompanied his father and girlfriend back to his birthplace.
He needed some time, with the help of his father and girlfriend, to readjust to the unfamiliar city life.
In the days to come, perhaps Tarzan Morgan would continue to write the legend of the Black Panther as a "City Hunter," intimidating the city's criminals.
There couldn't be a more perfect ending! ...
In the cabin.
Alan ended his meditation and slowly opened his eyes.
His pupils were emerald green, like a cat's.
This was the sign of the awakening of his feline beastman bloodline!
After just one perfect meditation, he awakened the poisonous leopard bloodline.
Alan wasn't sure whether this was due to his superior aptitude and the aid of the magic stone, or just pure luck.
Opening the system panel, he checked the current data.
Attributes: Constitution 24, Agility 22, Spirit 30
Compared to before awakening, his agility increased by 2 points!
Before Alan merged with the leopard bloodline, each level-up would improve his physique and spirit, but not his agility!
Now, this one shortcoming had been addressed.
The 2 points in agility attribute actually made up for the previous debt.
Alan guessed that future upgrades would likely result in a +1 each for physique, agility, and spirit.
A comprehensive improvement in all three attributes—this was the power of a top-tier bloodline!
Alan took a deep breath.
The scent molecules drifting through the cabin were invisible and intangible, yet more distinct than ever before.
Besides his own scent, a previously unscented fragrance lingered in the cabin.
Two distinct aromas: the body odor of his sister and Sora-sensei.
The fusion of the leopard man's bloodline had greatly enhanced his sense of smell.
Alan stood up, stripped off his clothes, and stood naked on the floor.
His bedroom, of course, was the ship's first-class cabin.
His sister and Sora-sensei had personally furnished it, making his stay as comfortable as possible, with all the finest furniture.
A mercury mirror, over two meters tall, was embedded in the wall.
Alan walked naked to the mirror, narrowing his emerald eyes slightly as he activated his beastly bloodline.
His smooth bronze skin, hair growing frantically from every pore.
In the blink of an eye, his entire body was covered in a sapphire-blue hide.
The young man in the mirror had transformed his face into that of a large cat.
A nimble blue leopard tail trailed behind him.
The poison demon leopard man, with a coat of blue fur.
Alan thought it might be better to simply call him "blue leopard man."
The blue leopard man's fur color more closely resembled the poison demon's skin color.
It fully embodied the fusion of leopard man and poison demon.
Alan spread his hands.
His palms still largely retained the structure of a human hand.
The nails had become curved and sharp, like typical animal claws.
There were actually padded palms, soft to the touch. No wonder walking barefoot on the deck made no sound.
Alan turned and walked towards the bulkhead.
Using his hands and feet, he climbed up the vertical bulkhead all the way to the ceiling.
His claws gripped the ceiling, and he hung upside down.
Retracting his claws, Alan rolled onto the ground, light and silent.
Keep his hands and feet planted on the ground, Alan transformed again.
He transformed into a nimble blue leopard, pacing around the bedroom, patrolling his territory.
Nodding with satisfaction, Alan stood up and transformed back into human form.
This bloodline awakening also gave him a new spell.
The second-level spell, "Moonlight," consumes 6 mana points and creates a 10-meter-wide barrier.
The barrier was filled with a silvery glow like moonlight.
Any hostile creature that enters the Moonlight Barrier will suffer continuous damage.
Hostile creatures naturally adept at shapeshifting, such as beastmen and insectoids, will experience intense mental interference when under the influence of the "Moonlight Light," automatically releasing their beastly transformation and returning to human form.
Unless their mental resistance is sufficiently high or they leave the barrier, their beastly transformation will revert.
"Moonlight Light" is essentially a control spell.
It has average damage effectiveness against enemies within the controlled area, but its advantage lies in its continuous effect.
Enemies trapped within the Moonlight Barrier will be damaged every few seconds.
In Allen's opinion, this spell's greatest use lies in dealing with shapeshifting creatures.
This is especially true of beastmen.
Opening the Moonlight Barrier forces the opponent to revert to human form, completely nullifying their two ultimate moves: beast transformation and atavism!
Alan hadn't forgotten who had forced his family to flee!
With the "Moonlight," he had an extra bargaining chip to use against the beastman sorcerers of the Beast Cult.
Having successfully merged with the Pantherman bloodline, Alan's overall strength had increased significantly.
However, he didn't want others to notice his transformation.
Especially his emerald cat eyes, which made his beastly characteristics too obvious.
Luckily, he still had venom glands, which could restrain his bloodline traits.
Alan tested it.
Using the venom glands, he could restrain his bloodline traits to varying degrees, allowing him to display different bloodline types:
Handsome (Human)!
Ogre!
Poisonous Demon!
Black Pantherman!
Demon Pantherman (Ogre + Black Pantherman)!
And the complete form—Poisonous Demon Pantherman (Blue Pantherman)!