The greatsword was just one of the many forms that Impermanence could take. Apart from the greatsword, Impermanence could also transform into a dagger, a gun, and many other forms.
Moreover, the attributes of the energy it could unleash were ever-changing, making it even more flashy!
Black Sand was just an ability user, not a Mechanic. Even if he was at Grade 4, it would be very difficult for him to control such a flashy mechanical weapon. However, with the addition of the Magic Puppet, things were different.
The Xu family had spent so much effort to trap the Magic Puppet into Impermanence, but it was not as simple as killing him.
Imprisoning the Magic Puppet's consciousness within it was so that Black Sand could better control Impermanence!
Good weapon!
Unfortunately, I can't use it!
Qi Yuan shook his head regretfully. His Weapon Control was only at Grade 1. Even if he was at Grade 2, he would not be able to use this Grade 4 weapon.
With a thought, Impermanence turned into a metal bracelet and wrapped around Qi Yuan's wrist.
The Magic Puppet's consciousness had already been obliterated, turning it into an AI-like existence. However, it was much more powerful than ordinary AIs. It could perfectly cooperate with the user, perfectly assisting the user in controlling Impermanence's various forms of attack.
This peak Grade 3 Mechanic, who had once been an all-powerful figure in the dark fairytale, had died in the hands of Qi Yuan in the most aggrieved manner.
Just as Qi Yuan obliterated the Magic Puppet's consciousness and took control of Impermanence, the trembling of the earth finally stopped. The battle in the mine had also been decided.
Qi Yuan walked to the entrance of the mine. After waiting for a few minutes, Black Sand came out of the mine with a hollow look in his eyes.
The Blazing Angel was sitting on his shoulder.
Although the Blazing Angel's aura was somewhat weak, her expression was somewhat smug, as if she was showing off her new toy.
Not only did the Blazing Angel defeat Black Sand, who had advanced to Grade 4, she had also completed her control over him!
"Well done!"
Qi Yuan praised as he flicked out an Asterite energy beam!
Although the Asterite energy reserve in the Energy Heart was running low, the reward must be given!
Blazing Angel screamed and leaped high up from Black Sand's shoulder. She hugged the Asterite energy that flew over and happily returned to Qi Yuan's shoulder. Then, she began to enjoy the delicacy that was hard to come by.
Chi Tian used half a minute to absorb all of the star energy from the star energy stone. Only then did he speak with some dissatisfaction.
"All the Insectoids in the mine have been killed!"
Qi Yuan nodded. Although Blazing Angel was a little silly, she was meticulous in her work. Since she said that she would kill them all, then there would definitely not be a single one left alive.
Qi Yuan used his Area Detection to observe Black Sand's empty eyes. He discovered that there was an invisible force field inside Black Sand's body that actually blocked his Area Detection.
As expected, a Tier 2 area detection was unable to detect a Tier 4!
Qi Yuan pondered as he retracted his Area Detection. Going from Tier 3 to Tier 4 was a qualitative change. If even a Tier 4 ability user couldn't block a Tier 2 Area Detection, then that would be unexpected.
"How's his condition?" Qi Yuan asked.
Blazing Angel tilted her head, organized her words, and said, "His injuries are very serious.
Many of his bones are broken, and he's lost a lot of blood. "
Qi Yuan frowned. If it was a Tier 3 ability user, with such heavy injuries, even if he didn't die, he would lose most of his strength.
Black Sand was a Tier 4. Although he wouldn't die because of this, if he lost too much of his strength, then his value would decrease by more than half.
He didn't have too much time to give Black Sand time to recover. Moreover, it wasn't suitable for Black Sand to appear at the gathering point in this state. Otherwise, his trump card, Blazing Angel, would be exposed.
"How much strength can he use now?" Qi Yuan asked.
Blazing Angel raised three fingers.
"At most 30%!"
"Only 30%?"
Qi Yuan shook his head. Although 30% of Black Sand's strength was stronger than peak Tier 3, it was still very limited.
"I can heal his injuries, but I need a lot of energy," Blazing Angel said with some embarrassment.
Qi Yuan's eyes lit up when he heard this. If Black Sand could recover his strength, then he would have two Tier 4 combatants. No matter how dangerous the last checkpoint was, it couldn't be stronger than two Tier 4 combatants!
"How much energy do you need?"
Blazing Angel swallowed and said, "Fifty portions of Asterite energy!"
Qi Yuan glanced at her and didn't say anything.
Blazing Angel was instantly stunned. She lowered her head and said weakly, "Forty is fine too!"
Qi Yuan didn't say anything.
After a short silence, Blazing Angel secretly glanced at Qi Yuan.
"Thirty portions?"
"Twenty!
I really can't go any lower!
I'm still young!
I still need to grow! "
Blazing Angel's voice was full of grievance. Her voice became softer and softer, and there was even a hint of sobbing.
Qi Yuan looked at her clumsy performance and said with a headache:
"Ten portions, forget it if you don't agree!"
Blazing Angel swallowed and said loudly, "Deal!
You're not allowed to lie to children! "
Qi Yuan's lips curled up slightly. Although ten portions of Asterite energy was a lot, it wasn't much compared to a complete Tier 4 combatant. Most importantly, Magic Puppet and Black Sand had a huge Asterite in their hands. If converted into Asterite energy, there were dozens of portions. As long as he found them, he wouldn't lose out in this deal.
"Lead the way, I want to go down and take a look!" Qi Yuan said.
Blazing Angel drooled as he nodded like a chick pecking at rice.
Under Black Sand's guidance, Qi Yuan quickly found the underground blood pool in the depths of the mine. There was only a thin layer of blood left in the pool, and several charred corpses floated in it. A pungent smell filled the air.
Qi Yuan's gaze swept across the blood pool and finally fell on the aptitude users hanging from the top of the blood pool. He saw Embers, Luo Fanxiao, and the other Tier 3 combatants who had disappeared recently.
With Qi Yuan's eyesight, he naturally saw the use of these people at a glance.
These Tier 3 combatants who were rumored to have been killed by Magic Puppet and Black Sand were actually gathered in this underground mine. Moreover, they were used by Black Sand as nourishment for his advancement.
Originally, there were still a few Rank 3 Senior Rank-3 on them, and they still had a weak life force. However, after experiencing the explosion of the plasma bomb and the fierce battle in the black sand, all of them had already lost their life force and turned into cold corpses.
Qi Yuan activated Area Detection and quickly scanned the entire cave. Unexpectedly, he did not find any traces of Asterite.
Not on top!
Not in the surroundings!
Not underground!
Not in the blood pool!
There were no longer any living creatures here. Then, where was the Asterite hidden?
Could it have been absorbed by Black Sand?
Qi Yuan pressed a hand on Black Sand's shoulder, preparing to inspect him.
"Take control of his instincts, I want to inspect his body!"
Blazing Angel's figure flashed and disappeared from Qi Yuan's shoulder, fusing into Black Sand's body.
Although Black Sand's consciousness had been controlled, his body was still at the Tier 4 realm. It would instinctively resist any external invasion. Only another Tier 4 combatant could suppress this Tier 4 ability!
Waiting for Blazing Angel to completely suppress Black Sand's instincts, Qi Yuan's eyes flashed, activating Area Detection and Energy Control at the same time!
Although a Tier 2 Energy Control would have a hard time affecting a Tier 4 ability user, if this Tier 4 ability user gave up resisting, with Blazing Angel's help, even if the Asterite's energy had already been absorbed by Black Sand, he would still be able to extract a portion of it from his body.
Compared to a Tier 3 ability user, a Tier 4 ability user's strength was an all-around improvement. The first time he observed a Tier 4 ability user's body, Qi Yuan had a direct understanding of the strength of a Tier 4 ability user.
Although Black Sand had only just reached Tier 4, from his skin to his flesh, from his bones to his organs, he had experienced an all-around strengthening. Many of his vital parts even had signs of strengthening. Looking at these strengthened parts, Qi Yuan suddenly thought of himself.
The biggest change that the Talent Tree brought to him wasn't those powerful abilities, but rather the changes to his body's basic structure. These changes existed at the cellular level. Although it didn't bring about an obvious increase in strength, it greatly increased his survivability.
No matter if it was the fall from the roof last time, or the crushing of the lake monster this time, they weren't dangers that a Tier 2 Steel Defense could withstand. However, he still managed to survive, relying on the changes to his body's foundation.
From a certain perspective, this change to a Tier 4 ability user was also a transformation to a non-human state.
If this change was a necessary way to obtain great strength, then would those ability users who climbed to a higher level still be able to maintain their human form?
Or rather, would they still be considered human?
Compared to ability users, mechanics were clearly more resolute on this path. The higher the level of a mechanic, the smaller the proportion of flesh and blood. In the eyes of many mechanics, the human body's carbon-based nature was the shackles that restricted humans from becoming stronger.
Qi Yuan shook his head, throwing these messy thoughts out of his mind. Only by living could one have the right to think about these things. If the humans of this world were all ordinary people from the old era, they would have long become food for the insectoids.
If even humans were extinct, then thinking about these questions would become meaningless.
In the face of death, the only thing that needed to be considered was how to survive!
After checking Black Sand's body, Qi Yuan finally found a remnant of Asterite energy in his heart.
Most of the Asterite energy had already been used by Black Sand for his advancement. Perhaps because he had awakened early, there was still a portion of Asterite energy left in his heart. Although it was only a portion, there were still close to twenty portions. Even if he gave ten portions to Blazing Angel, there would still be more than enough.
The only problem was that this portion of energy had already fused with Black Sand, branded with Black Sand's imprint. Forcefully seizing it would not be easy.
At the same time that Qi Yuan discovered the Asterite energy in Black Sand's body, Blazing Angel also discovered this Asterite energy. Her saliva flowed out like a broken dam.
"Don't move!"
Qi Yuan shouted in a low voice. Then, he began to use Energy Control to forcefully extract the Asterite energy from within.
If the Asterite energy was like water that could be easily absorbed, then the Asterite energy in Black Sand's body was like a stubborn rock. Unless it was smashed, there was no way to take it away.
Under normal circumstances, forcefully extracting energy from a Rank 4 ability user's body was no different from using a knife to cut the opponent's flesh. Not to mention being able to instinctively cut, as long as Black Sand instinctively retaliated once, it would be enough to kill any existence below Rank 4.
Although Blazing Angel was a glutton, she knew how to choose at crucial moments. She forcefully suppressed her desire to eat, suppressing Black Sand's increasingly strong instinctive impulse, and cooperated with Qi Yuan's extraction of the Asterite energy.
Hei Sha suddenly groaned in pain, and the expression on his face contorted in pain. In the end, he was still being controlled, and he was not dead. Qi Yuan's act of extracting the star energy from the star energy stones had brought him endless pain.
The Rank 2 Energy Control was like a hammer, continuously pounding on Black Sand's rock-like Asterite energy. After losing the control of Black Sand's consciousness, although the Asterite energy was incomparably stubborn, it was still unable to resist Qi Yuan's absorption. Slowly, it was dissolved by Qi Yuan bit by bit.
Rumble!
Rumble!
When Blazing Angel's saliva spread like a river, Qi Yuan finally extracted all of the Asterite energy in Black Sand's heart, fiercely restoring himself with a wave of health.
Black Sand stood on the spot dispiritedly, his breathing becoming even weaker. The Asterite energy in his heart was forcefully extracted, making his already heavy injuries even worse.
Blazing Angel looked at Qi Yuan eagerly. Although she didn't say anything, her saliva already expressed her intention.
Where's the food?
Where's the food you promised before?
If you don't give it to me, I'll get angry!
Qi Yuan glanced at the weak Black Sand and said, "Don't let him die!"
After saying that, he flicked his finger, and an entire 10% of the Asterite energy fell into Blazing Angel's hand.
The Blazing Angel beamed with joy as he hugged the star energy and sat on Qi Yuan's shoulder, delightedly enjoying himself.
The check-in light beam was in the middle of the blood pool.
Qi Yuan held the check-in light with one hand, and the familiar notification came as expected.
Talent point obtained!
What made Qi Yuan even more surprised was that other than a rank 2 talent point, the opportunity to advance to rank 3 also appeared at the same time.
This check-in point provided an additional broken rank 3 pass!
Qi Yuan clenched his fist. Rank 3 was already in front of him.
As long as he completed the next check-in point, he would be able to step into rank 3!
There was only one more check-in point to reach rank 3, but Qi Yuan didn't dare to relax at all.
The difficulty of the Talent Tree's check-ins was already on the verge of collapse, and the last check-in point was bound to be even more dangerous. If not for Blazing Angel's help, he would have died a long time ago. Although Black Sand's participation made him even more powerful, Qi Yuan wasn't completely confident that he could successfully complete the last rank 2 check-in.
Burp!
Blazing Angel let out a satisfied burp, lazily half leaning on Qi Yuan's body, and a drop of blood seeped out from between her fingers.
The blood emitted an amber glow, and through Energy Control, Qi Yuan could faintly feel that the blood contained a strange energy.
Blazing Angel copied Qi Yuan's actions, and with a flick of her finger, the scarlet blood droplet flew directly into Black Sand's mouth.
An abnormal shade of red appeared on Black Sand's pale face, and his aura rapidly weakened. Just as Qi Yuan was wondering if he would suddenly die …
A series of cracking sounds erupted from Black Sand's body, and then his life force began to steadily rise until Qi Yuan felt that he was in mortal danger.
Qi Yuan carefully inspected Black Sand, and only then did he discover that not only had his injuries completely healed, but his broken bones had also been reconnected, and even his heavily injured internal organs had been completely healed.
Such a powerful recovery effect made Qi Yuan click his tongue in wonder.
In just a few short minutes, Black Sand, who was originally on the verge of death, had actually recovered to his original state, as if someone had pressed a button to restore his factory settings!
This was even more powerful than his Steel Self-Healing!
"Does this recovery method of yours have any side effects?" Qi Yuan asked.
Blazing Angel's expression froze, and after a while, she said somewhat guiltily, "His life force has been overdrawn, so he shouldn't be able to live for very long."
Qi Yuan understood. So it wasn't that Blazing Angel's blood could quickly heal injuries, but that Blazing Angel's blood could stimulate a person's body's potential, allowing the body to quickly repair itself by overdrawing on one's life force.
"How much longer can he live?"
Blazing Angel sensed the condition of Black Sand's body and whispered, "At most two years."
Two years!
Hearing this number, Qi Yuan froze for a moment. The mutation of an ability user's body didn't just bring about great strength, but also an extension of life. Although he hadn't heard of anyone completely breaking Haycliff's limit and achieving immortality with their flesh and blood, the extension of human life was already an indisputable fact.
The more powerful an ability user was, the longer their lifespan. According to the information from the Shelter, Glory rank ability users, excluding those who died in battle, had an average lifespan of over 150 years, and this number was constantly increasing.
As for high rank ability users, their lifespan would only be even longer!
Black Sand's age definitely couldn't be over 40 years old, and now that he had stepped into the 4th rank, he had at least a hundred years left to live. Just by recovering a bit, his lifespan was reduced to less than two years!
Even if Black Sand's method of advancing to the 4th rank damaged his lifespan, it shouldn't have shortened his lifespan to such an absurd extent.
The price of Blazing Angel's recovery seemed to be a bit too heavy.