Chapter 337: The Change

Emily, Snow, and Sol stared ahead at the scene. It was a rare scene to see Lamia being pushed back like that.

Even Lamia seemed a bit surprised. She stared at her fist and then at the monster before her. ’What the hell? This one is barely at the third level of the Martial Grandmaster realm. Yet it pushed me back? How?’ She wondered inwardly.

The monsters weren’t that eager to give her time to ponder. One more lunged at her. The remaining five shot toward Leon.

When Lamia saw that the monsters were still trying to go after Leon, her veins bulged. Leaving behind a blur, she shot forward like a streak of white.

The monster charging at her threw a punch. Lamia dodged while getting close, and then her fist connected with its belly. She was so fast that it seemed like the world was moving in slow motion. Her fist pushed forward, its belly caving in and swallowing the punch. Her fist continued to sink until the monster couldn’t take it anymore. Its feet left the ground. And then...

Whoooooosh!

Boooooom!

Two distinct sounds rang out. The monster whistled through the air before hitting the ground with an explosive force. Immediately, a crater exploded into existence. Dust rose, debris scattered. And amidst that, the monster lay unconscious. It didn’t get up anymore.

Before the five monsters rushing toward Leon could even graze his body, Lamia appeared before them like a ghost. She raised her hand. Her forearm morphed into a handle while her fist morphed into an icy hammerhead.

Bam!

She swung the hammer. The massive icy weapon landed on one of the monsters. Like a cannonball firing, a shockwave erupted. It was sent flying. The other four were also sent flying in different directions due to the impact.

Meanwhile, the monster that had sent Lamia backward charged at her from the side in silence.

By the time Lamia noticed it, the monster was already there.

Whoooosh!

Greenish claws streaked through the air. Lamia reacted at the very last moment, but it was still enough. As she ducked her head down, raging claws swept over her head, touching a few billowing strands of her hair.

Her right arm moved instinctively.

Bam!

Her fist struck like a battle ram in the monster’s abdomen. Its feet left the ground, its body doubling over. Lamia wasn’t done. Her other arm moved like a flash, slamming on the same spot.

Bam!

And then...

Bam!

Bam!

Bam!

A barrage of destructive punches landed on the monster before it was sent flying. It whistled through the air like a cannonball and slammed on the ground. It stopped moving as well.

Lamia was about to turn around. But a sound stopped her in her tracks.

Thump!

She froze.

Thump! Thump!

Heartbeat. Almost inaudible. But it was there.

While Lamia and others were busy fighting the monsters, something else was going on inside Leon’s body. At the moment, his face carried a pained expression.

His brows were knitted. Jaws tightened. Fist clenched instead of staying naturally open. His breathing was ragged.

In multiple places on his body, flesh was swelling up and then returning to normal shape again. His inside was in chaos. Veins were bursting open, blood and Qi colliding with each other. Leon didn’t lose focus. But he wasn’t having an easy time either.

[Warning!]

[Warning!]

Notifications popped up before Leon’s main body. Leon still had his eyes shut. Though his body was moving instinctively, his consciousness hadn’t returned yet.

At the same time, the dot behind him had grown into a crimson ball by now. It was glowing like fire, radiating heat as well. The orb swelled up in many places. Specifically in six. The six swollen spots on the crimson orb began to move.

At first, the change was barely noticeable. But soon, the surface of the orb started stretching.

The first change appeared at the top. A part of the orb rose, growing longer and longer. Its front slowly curved downward, taking the shape of a sharp beak. The part connecting it to the orb became narrower.

A head!

But it didn’t stop there.

Whoooosh!

Astral energy continued pouring into the orb. The two swollen spots on its upper sides began stretching outward. They grew longer and wider. Their edges slowly separated, forming what looked like countless feathers.

Wings!

A pair of massive wings was taking shape.

Then came the lower two. They extended downward, becoming thinner near the ends. Slowly, three sharp claws began forming on each of them.

Finally, the last swollen spot at the back of the orb began to grow. It stretched outward, splitting into several long, feather-like shapes.

A tail!

What had been a simple crimson orb moments ago was slowly turning into something else.

A living creature. Or at least that’s what it looked like.

Its shape was still rough. There were no clear details on its body. But the outline was becoming more and more obvious.

And with every passing moment, its crimson glow grew brighter.

Meanwhile, Leon was going through something even more terrifying.

Crack!

Another vein inside his body burst apart. Then another. And another. It wasn’t just a few. Almost one-third of his old veins were being destroyed. They broke into pieces, unable to withstand the strange energy rushing through them.

The pain was beyond anything ordinary people could endure. But Leon didn’t scream. He couldn’t. His consciousness was still deep within the Astral River, drawing more and more astral energy from the ninth layer.

And as his old veins disappeared, something new began growing in their places. At first, they looked like thin crimson threads. But those threads quickly thickened, spreading through his body and connecting with one another.

They weren’t like his previous veins.

These were sturdier. Stronger. Their walls were thicker, yet energy flowed through them with surprising ease. More importantly, they weren’t ordinary channels for blood or Qi.

Leon’s heartbeat grew louder. Lamia’s expression changed. She could sense it now. Something inside Leon was being destroyed. And something far more powerful was taking its place.

"Phoenix Veins." She whispered.