Ultragene Warlord

Chapter 1024: Trash into Treasure

Zhang Lie was startled to no end.

The power source was the most important part of the battleship, as well as the most abstruse to understand. Zhang Lie couldn't believe that the ragtag group in front of him had understood its mechanisms.

Zhang Lie and a few others walked into a ruined battleship to find the draconian sage inside.

The draconian sage smiled. "I heard that you brought back a death spirit battleship. I was curious, so I came to have a look."

Zhang Lie nodded as everyone walked toward the core.

Fang Yi explained, "Actually, it's not particularly complicated. As long as you're strong enough, you can sense what's going on. The motive force that powers these battleships are souls and life."

The Yeluo chieftain hypothesized, "I suspect that, when bodies are transformed into black spirits, their lifeforce is extracted and infused into these black pyramids."

Fang Yi continued, "The death spirits also use some souls filled with negative emotions as fuel, injecting it into the core—these black pyramids are powered by souls and negative emotions."

The draconian sage shook his head. "The death spirits are truly vile creatures to use such materials as fuel. We're lucky that Zhang Lie destroyed them all—or who knows how many more species might have suffered under their conquest?"

Zhang Lie could sense that the vicinity of the core was filled with souls charged with negative emotions, confirming the group's suspicions.

"Does that mean that we won't be able to replicate their methods?"

Fang Yi shrugged. "It's not impossible, but do you really want to adopt such an inhumane approach?"

Chu Feng suggested, "I think we'll need to start by finding a replacement fuel."

Fang Yi added, "The death spirits' battleships are strong principally because of their core. Although it's cruel, the combination of lifeforce and souls charged with negative emotions is a potent mixture that can give rise to explosive strength. I have to say that the death spirits who came up with this source of energy are both insane and insanely gifted. I can't imagine we'll be able to find an alternative."

Zhang Lie thought for a moment. "We don't necessarily have to extract lifeforce from aliens—genetic lifeforms and plants have it too. As for spiritual energy, we can get those from genetic lifeforms. Negative emotions can be harvested from aliens or other races."

Chu Feng sighed. "The problem is that we don't have any research materials or researchers. Where would we start?"

Zhang Lie nodded. "It is a serious problem, isn't it? I'll go headhunt in the Zongming world. In the meantime, see what else you can find."

Zhang Lie next went off in search of Hong Xi and Zhang Hanxiang, both of whom were resting after the heated battle. They had eaten their fill and slept the entire day and night.

Zhang Lie rushed into his sister's house and woke her up.

Zhang Hanxiang rubbed her eyes blearily. "Ah? Is it morning already? Good morning, Brother."

Zhang Lie frowned at her. "What do you mean, morning? It's evening!"

"Ah, then I'll keep on sleeping." Zhang Hanxiang slumped back into bed and began to snore almost immediately."

Zhang Lie called out grumpily, "Get up! If you keep sleeping, you'll turn into a pig!"

Zhang Hanxiang slowly crawled out of bed and spread her arms wide. "Hug me, Brother!"

Zhang Lie rolled his eyes. "Your feet are fine now—you can walk."

Zhang Hanxiang reached forward and hugged Zhang Lie, nuzzling his cheek. "But I'd rather have a hug from you, Brother."

"Don't act cute now--you're already a hunter. Wake up and get dressed." Zhang Lie pulled his sister up and carried her into the washroom.

As she cleaned herself up, Zhang Lie brought out some meat from a genetic lifeform and transformed it into a sumptuous meal with some hard work. By the time he was ready, Zhang Hanxiang had emerged from the washroom. She picked up a slice of meat that Zhang Lie had just prepared.

Zhang Lie tutted at her. "Where are your manners?"

Zhang Hanxiang stuffed the meat into her mouth and gave her brother a thumbs up. "Your cooking is as good as ever, Brother!"

Zhang Lie grumbled, "Change your clothes and call Hong Xi over."

Zhang Hanxiang was a little confused as to why, but she did so obediently.

Hong Xi quickly joined the Zhang siblings for their meal. After the meal, Zhang Lie placed two vials of Potion #4 on the table. "This is one of the promised rewards, Potion #4."

Zhang Hanxiang picked up a vial and looked at it. "So this is Potion #4..."

Zhang Lie instructed, "Don't consume it here. The consumption process will create a big disturbance—it'll be felt even within the city outside."

Zhang Hanxiang said, "Brother, I want to absorb peak limit fragments as quickly as possible so that I can grow strong."

Zhang Lie nodded, then shattered space and brought both of them straight to the territory of black sand.

The territory had grown completely different from before. What was once shards of black glass beneath them had become a lustrous, metallic material. Zhang Lie picked up a piece to find that some world's energy had been infused within it.

This was an unusual change that had taken place during the evolution of the draconian world.

The lustrous black metallic material contained an astounding amount of energy, causing Zhang Lie to frown. All types of energy were infused into the shards of material—fire, life, the ocean, time, wind and storm, metal...

When Fang Yi took over the barren world inhabited by the black spirits, a black desert within which there was no life was left behind. Zhang Lie had consumed Potion #5 there, and a tremendous explosion of energy caused all the black sand to vitrify. Subsequently, the members of Team Zenith had all consumed Potion #4 there.

"Could it be that the energy that was emanated by the members of Team Zenith while they were undergoing their transformation ended up being absorbed by all this glass? When the draconian world evolved, all that energy reacted..."

That energy had fused with the black glass to form an unusual material.

Zhang Hanxiang was very confused as to her brother's actions—he had picked up a shard of metal, frozen stiff, and was now mumbling to himself. She asked curiously, "Brother, what's the matter? Is there something unusual about the terrain?"

Zhang Hanxiang couldn't sense the energy within the black, metallic material because her senses were still yet undeveloped.