“Hmm? Not long. Less than three minutes at most. Did you dream of something? But now isn't the time to discuss dreams; we need to go help!”
Moen’s words snapped Starlight out of his daze, bringing him instantly back to reality.
He finally took in the scene ahead, snapping back to reality.
Barely ten meters away, a burly black figure was locked in a fierce battle with a treant. Each collision between the two was accompanied by a deafening boom.
The treant was being forced back under the giant's relentless assault. Even with the support of Nature's Blessing, it was being completely suppressed and looked ready to fall at any moment.
A dark green arrow was lodged in the black figure's shoulder. A powerful surge of nature's power was constantly seeping from the point of impact, and it was the energy contained within this arrow that significantly slowed the black figure down.
Beside him, Xia Duo was guarding Po Kong-Mars’s side, occasionally firing arrows into the battlefield. Although they weren't very effective, they served as a distraction.
As for Po Kong-Mars himself, he had entered a strange state that Starlight had never seen before.
At this moment, faint flames seemed to be rising from Po Kong-Mars’s body. The sensation was completely different from the pale yellow battle qi armor that usually covered him during combat.
If Po Kong-Mars’s battle qi had previously been like a solid wall, the flames currently erupting from his body were like a sharp blade, even causing the air around him to warp slightly.
“Hah... Whew...!”
Just then, Po Kong-Mars exhaled a long breath of turbid air and snapped his eyes open. The battle qi on his body instantly became as fierce as fire, radiating a brilliant golden light.
Starlight was shocked to discover that Po Kong-Mars’s emerald-like pupils had also turned into a radiant gold that matched his blond hair.
“Hey, Little Star, you’re awake? Sorry for the wait. I had to put in quite a bit of effort for this. Thanks for the help, everyone!”
Po Kong-Mars spotted the awakened Starlight immediately. However, as soon as he spoke, golden sparks inadvertently burst from his mouth.
“Are you... alright? You look like you’re about to explode,” Starlight asked worriedly upon seeing his state.
“Ahem... I’m just not used to it yet. It’s a minor issue... Get ready to move.” Po Kong-Mars coughed, seemingly unconcerned as he patted his chest.
But the sharp-eyed Xia Duo noticed that as Po Kong-Mars moved his arms, tiny, nearly imperceptible cracks appeared on his skin.
Those cracks were repaired instantly, only to split open again. No one present except Xia Duo noticed this fleeting anomaly.
“Are you really okay...”
Before Xia Duo could finish, Po Kong-Mars had already transformed into a ball of golden flame and charged directly into the fray.
Just then, the black giant threw a powerful punch. The sharp bone spikes on its fist acted like blades, instantly shattering the treant’s head.
The treant’s massive body collapsed with a loud crash, sending wood chips flying. Taros quickly adjusted His stance just in time to meet the incoming golden meteor.
When He saw that the newcomer was Po Kong-Mars—the one He had swatted away with a single blow earlier—His fanged mouth curled into a contemptuous smile.
He threw a punch without hesitation, intending to swat away this overconfident ant once more.
However, the result was far beyond His expectations. When their fists collided, a massive force completely disproportionate to Po Kong-Mars’s size surged through Taros’s arm.
“Boom!” Accompanied by a deafening roar, a massive shockwave erupted in the deep underground space, rippling outward.
Taros’s massive body actually staggered back several meters under the impact of this force. Even several of the bone spikes on His arm snapped under the vibration.
Po Kong-Mars used the recoil to land lightly a short distance away.
Despite the disparity in their sizes, they seemed evenly matched in this first exchange, with neither gaining a clear advantage.
Taros raised His arm to His eyes, looking at His fist in confusion. He didn't understand why a human who wasn't even Saint Rank could suddenly burst with such powerful strength.
That power had torn through His thick scales, and faint golden flames could even be seen clinging to the wound, slowly eroding His newly acquired body.
But Po Kong-Mars did not give Him time to think. After steadying himself, he charged forward again with fierce momentum.
This time, Po Kong-Mars’s target was Taros’s arm, which was still pierced by the Sacred Wood Arrow.
He knew the energy within that arrow exerted a powerful suppression on Taros, and he couldn't give Him any chance to pull it out.
With the experience of the previous exchange, the two were soon locked in a fierce, direct confrontation.
The Ancient God of Darkness, Taros, stood like a small black mountain, making the tall Po Kong-Mars look as small as a dwarf by comparison.
Yet in this seemingly lopsided clash of blows, Po Kong-Mars actually held a slight advantage.
This was the first time Starlight had seen Po Kong-Mars fight without a weapon. Even without a proper blade in hand, he didn't seem to care at all, as if a weapon were merely an optional tool for him.
With no flashy skills or redundant footwork, Po Kong-Mars threw over a dozen punches per second. His fists swept forward like a golden storm, creating a vast field of golden phantoms.
Conversely, Taros was clearly not yet familiar with this new body. Combined with the injury to His shoulder, His performance was severely limited.
He soon discovered to His shock and fury that He was being completely suppressed by this small human.
As time passed, numerous fine wounds appeared on His supposedly rock-solid body. Under the erosion of the golden flames, even His self-healing ability struggled to keep up.
He tried more than once to break away from Po Kong-Mars’s rain of attacks, but Po Kong-Mars gave Him no opening, sticking to Him like glue.
Watching the intense battle not far away, Starlight couldn't help but marvel, “This kid Po Kong-Mars has been hiding his strength. At this rate, he might not even need our help.”
But Xia Duo said worriedly, “No. Regardless of the power of this strange energy, he can’t maintain it for long... If the battle doesn't end quickly, this power that doesn't match his cultivation will destroy his body!”
Hearing this, Starlight looked where Xia Duo was pointing. He noticed the wound on Po Kong-Mars’s back, which should have been healing, had split open again.
The blood was vaporized by the golden battle qi surrounding him the moment it left his body, but the sight was still terrifying.
“How can this be? Is the burden of this state that high? Moen, why haven't you given him Nature's Blessing?”
Starlight frowned at the worsening wound and turned to Moen.
But Moen only shook her head gently, her eyes full of helplessness. “It’s not that I won't, it's that I can't... The battle qi on Mr. Po Kong-Mars seems to disintegrate most elemental energy. My mana is reduced to nothing before it even gets within a foot of him.”
“That’s a thing? This is trouble... We can’t let him face the enemy alone! Moen, give me Nature's Blessing. I’m going to help him!”
Rate on N.U.
