Chapter 459 – Let’s Have a Good Chat

“Boom! Boom! Boom-“

In the depths of the primeval forest, two massive figures clashed repeatedly, their intense collisions echoing through the night, as if even the stars above trembled and swayed in response.

The terrifying shockwaves tore through the grass, uprooting ancient trees as thick as a person with the ease of pulling up mere straws, forming dark whirlwinds that wildly ravaged the area surrounding the epicenter of the battle.

“Crash!”

Accompanied by an explosive sound, countless sparks and light fragments flew as one of the figures plummeted from mid-air, slamming hard into the ground.

“Zzzzz-“

The Storm Chaser Swordsman’s mecha, using its dual swords as support, kneeled on one knee on the ground.

Light pathways shimmered across its sleek, robust form as clusters of sparks burst forth, the faint glow revealing its “battle-worn” condition.

A massive “wound” stretched from the shoulder to the waist, nearly bisecting the Storm Chaser Swordsman diagonally. The alloy at the injury was deeply indented, the edges uneven, as if crushed and dragged by a blunt force.

Moreover, the Swordsman’s body bore numerous other “injuries” resembling similar blunt trauma. The entire mech appeared somewhat twisted, its once sleek and perfect lines completely disrupted, with both long swords almost bent into “scimitars,” adding to its tragic appearance.

“Gasp-Gasp-“

Inside the cockpit of the Storm Chaser Swordsman, Lu Feng was gasping for air, as if deprived of oxygen.

His face was pale, eyes bloodshot and weary, as if he hadn’t slept in days-a classic sign of severe mental power exhaustion.

Lu Feng’s mind was filled with shock and terror.

In just a few intense minutes of combat with the Blue Falcon Type 4, the intensity of the confrontation felt as if it lasted for centuries.

The opponent seemed like an untiring and unreasonable beast. Each attack carried immense strength within those dual axes, forcing Lu Feng to give his all just to barely fend them off.

It was evidently derived from the Lu family’s Wind Spirit Sword Shadow Style, but took a completely different path with the Dual Axes Style mecha combat, displaying a wild and brutal fighting style, with many of its moves seeming like random slashes.

However, its attention to detail was so intricate and exquisite that one couldn’t help but admire it.

These two seemingly contradictory characteristics were displayed in a nearly perfect form in the opponent’s hands, leading to the ultimate result-

Lu Feng and his controlled Storm Chaser Swordsman… were defeated.

“Whoosh-“

A strong gust blew across as something landed steadily with a thud.

Lu Feng looked up to see a figure holding dual axes, exuding an overwhelming presence, yet possessing an inexplicable grace.

The Blue Falcon Type 4 mecha was approaching Lu Feng step by step.

The tips of its dual axes dragged along the ground, carving out two deep grooves.

As the figure came closer, it seemed as though a vast and profound shadow was rising quickly behind the Blue Falcon Type 4 mecha, gradually blocking out the starlight above.

“Cough, cough-“

Lu Feng coughed lightly, his voice hoarse and raspy.

“Your mental power… is not level 2…”

Lu Feng suspected that the opponent had cultivated some sort of Secret Technique to conceal their true mental power level, which might be above his own.

Otherwise, it was inexplicable how the opponent could withstand his repeated consciousness attacks and still launch increasingly fierce assaults.

The Blue Falcon Type 4 paused momentarily, then shook its head.

“No, my mental power is indeed as you see it.

It’s just that my body constitution is rather special; your consciousness attacks don’t have much effect on me…”

“Uh…”

Hearing this answer, Lu Feng was taken aback and didn’t know how to respond.

Unknowingly, the Blue Falcon Type 4 had already reached right in front of him.

Compared to its massive, broad giant axes, the Blue Falcon Type 4 mecha’s size wasn’t particularly imposing, but in Lu Feng’s eyes at that moment, it seemed as vast as a dark curtain covering the sky.

Lu Feng mustered the strength to lift his head, meeting the gaze of the Blue Falcon Type 4 looking down at him.

He saw the opponent slowly raise the black giant axe.

Defeat meant execution.

Lu Feng had already envisioned his impending fate.

At this moment, Lu Feng’s heart instead became unusually calm.

The events of his life flickered rapidly through his mind like a rotating lantern…

He gently pressed the communication button directed to Lu Lingfeng, awaiting the final outcome.

“Boom!”

Accompanied by a tremendous noise, the entire mecha cockpit shook violently, a multitude of warning lights flashing, followed by various piercing alarm sounds.

Lu Feng closed his eyes, quietly waiting for a moment.

But as time ticked by, the anticipated death did not descend.

He opened his eyes.

In the next second, his pupils quietly constricted.

He saw a massive axe blade silently suspended less than ten centimeters from his nose, lightly pressed against the last layer of defense, compressing the translucent Modulation Liquid sphere out of shape.

“Pop-“

With a soft sound, the water balloon-like Modulation Liquid burst, exposing Lu Feng to the cockpit’s air.

At this moment, the axe blade that had torn through the cockpit quickly retracted.

Before Lu Feng could react, a large hand reached through the breach in the mecha cockpit.

It deftly grabbed the collar of Lu Feng’s clothing and hauled him out.

Before withdrawing, it even casually turned off the video communication that Lu Feng had just connected to.

In spite of himself, Lu Feng was yanked out from the inside of the Storm Chaser Swordsman by the large hand. Just as he caught sight of the stars, his mouth was roughly stuffed with something cold, slimy, and viscous.

Then he was lightly tossed aside by the large hand, and a voice sounded by his ear.

“Eat this… let’s have a good chat.”

Lu Feng landed heavily on the grass nearby, the cold, slimy unknown object forced into his mouth slipping down his throat before he could react.

He hurriedly flipped over and tried to retch on the ground.

But despite trying desperately, he couldn’t bring that thing back up.

He had a feeling that the thing was truly alive.

After entering his body, it quickly integrated into his flesh and blood, and now he had no idea where it was hiding.

Lu Feng, looking distressed, gave up trying to expel it and slowly stood up from the ground.

Turning his head, he saw a tall and slender figure standing not far from him, draped in starlight, quietly observing him.

This was a stark contrast to the frivolous and arrogant demeanor before the battle.

At that moment, the young and handsome face was calm and indifferent, a look that was unusually unfamiliar to Lu Feng.

It was as if shrouded by cold gray mist, making it both inscrutable and inaccessible.

“Who… are you?”

After a moment of silence, Lu Yuan finally heard Lu Feng ask this question again.

“I am Lu Qiyuan,” Lu Yuan replied.

There was no change in expression on Lu Feng’s face as he stiffly said, “Do you think I’ll believe that?”

“It doesn’t matter whether you believe it or not,” Lu Yuan said calmly. “But right now, I am Lu Qiyuan.”

“Right now?” Lu Feng immediately picked up on the nuance in Lu Yuan’s words, staring at him intently. “So you’re saying you weren’t before?”

Although Lu Feng had been marked with the seed of misfortune, making betrayal unlikely, considering they would have to coexist for a considerable time, Lu Yuan thought it over and decided to fabricate a plausible reason.

“Have you heard of consciousness fusion?” Lu Yuan asked Lu Feng.

Lu Feng frowned. “You’re saying that you are now a result of the fusion between Lu Qiyuan and another consciousness?”

“Something like that,” Lu Yuan replied casually. “You know, the meteorite incident a month ago-I passed out…

In fact, that meteorite carried the consciousness of an extraterrestrial life form.

When I touched the meteorite, its consciousness merged into my body.

The wealth of knowledge in that consciousness brought about a bit of change in me…”

“A bit…” Lu Feng murmured, somewhat entranced, repeating unconsciously, “You call such a profound transformation a bit?…”

Lu Yuan shrugged, indicating he had no more to say.

After a moment, Lu Feng quickly reacted, asking in disbelief, “Whose consciousness could bring about such a change in you?”

In just one month, someone with a mental power only at level 1, regarded as a wasteful wastrel, had transformed into a Grandmaster in the domain of close combat martial arts, effortlessly crushing level 5 elite pilots like himself in mecha control.

Lu Feng couldn’t fathom what kind of treasures were hidden in the consciousness that “Lu Qiyuan” had fused with to bring about such incredible changes.

“A very remarkable person,” Lu Yuan said, looking up at the starry sky, his face adopting a wistful expression.

“Someone who reached the pinnacle on another planet, with dazzling talent, unmatched aptitude, loved by all… unfortunately, due to certain unexpected events, alas…”

Lu Yuan’s lament was sincere, though it was for his own lost glory days that would never return.

Looking back, he saw Lu Feng staring at him intently.

“How do I know you are Lu Qiyuan fused with extraterrestrial consciousness, and not an extraterrestrial life form fused with Lu Qiyuan’s consciousness?”

Upon hearing this, Lu Yuan couldn’t help but frown.

“I can’t prove it. Believe it or not, it’s up to you.”

He was starting to lose patience.

Originally, he had planned to brush off Lu Feng with a simple explanation, but the guy just kept on asking questions.

Believe what you want.

“Alright, what happened today-I don’t want a third party to know about it. I’m heading back. You should come back soon too…”

With that, Lu Yuan turned and walked away, leaving Lu Feng standing there.

Lu Feng stood, watching until Lu Yuan’s figure completely disappeared into the dark forest.

He looked at his nearly wrecked Storm Chaser Mecha, then at the personal terminal on his wrist. His eyes flashed as he prepared to report what had just transpired to someone.

But just as he was about to press the dial button, his expression changed dramatically.

Suddenly, thin black veins appeared on his face, like some evil and creepy pattern being etched onto his skin.

A large amount of black aura surged out, and Lu Feng appeared to be in immense pain.

This pain wasn’t physical; it seemed more like a deep imprint from the depths of his soul.

As his body twisted in agony, the personal terminal on his wrist quietly lit up.

A deep, authoritative voice emanated from the terminal.

“Lu Feng, what happened?”

Lu Feng’s face was contorted as he stared fixedly at the terminal.

After a moment, he replied calmly.

“I was just about to report on the Young Master’s recent performances, but the signal cut out unexpectedly…”

As Lu Feng spoke, the black patterns on his face and the black aura emerging from his body gradually began to integrate back into him.

His expression also seemed less pained.

…

“The [seed of misfortune] is working even better than I imagined…”

While Lu Feng, enveloped by the eerie black aura, responded to Lu Lingfeng’s questions word by word, Lu Yuan was quietly observing the scene from the treetop tens of meters away.

The level 2 [seed of misfortune] had formed not long ago and was now used on Lu Feng.

So far, the effect looked promising.

When the [seed of misfortune] is implanted into a life form, it doesn’t immediately bring the target to a point of blind obedience; there’s a gradual assimilation process.

During this process, the [seed of misfortune] begins to gradually erode the host’s body and soul.

Until the host is completely reshaped, inside and out, into what Lu Yuan desires.

Once that level is reached, Lu Yuan will have an incredibly loyal servant.

One who will consider his every need, utterly devoted, and wouldn’t hesitate to sacrifice their life for him.

Lu Feng had just had the [seed of misfortune] implanted, yet he was already willing to deceive Lu Lingfeng for Lu Yuan’s sake, demonstrating the seed’s formidable power.

“It’s not a poor deal for him, either; while the [seed of misfortune] is dark and domineering, it can also enhance the host’s talents and potential.

It grants mysterious abilities that are almost on par with those of many powerful races in the universe…

If it weren’t for the fact that I currently have no one else available, I might not have been so willing to use the first formed [seed of misfortune] so easily…”

Lu Yuan’s eyes flickered. After confirming that everything was fine with Lu Feng, he turned his gaze away, summoned his hover motorcycle from the spatial capsule, and swiftly headed back in the direction he had come.

Tonight’s objectives were essentially all achieved.

His power had been restored to a certain extent. In his transformed Mecha form, his combat strength could rival, if not exceed, level 6 Mechas.

The only shortcoming was his mental power.

However, through the battle with Lu Feng, he discovered that although his mental power was not strong, he could withstand a considerable degree of consciousness impact.

Under normal circumstances, a mental power impact that is three levels higher would typically result in the weaker party’s consciousness collapsing and their body’s cells dissolving.

Yet he remained unscathed.

This was due to the sheer strength of his core flesh cells.

He had previously reached the tenth stage of a star spirit, and now he had no idea how much stronger he had become.

There was no way he would be easily overwhelmed by the mental power of levels five or six.

“I just wonder what the upper limit is for this ‘immunity to mental power impact’?”

To some extent, this upper limit also represented the strength of the opponents Lu Yuan could contend with.

Aside from mental power, he had many techniques and methods to bridge the gap in raw strength, achieving a leap in combat effectiveness.

“Now that I’ve gained control over Lu Feng, I can gradually roll out my subsequent plans…”

“No more need for concealment.”

“This place… is about to become the best incubator for the rapid recovery of my strength!”

The lights from the mining site were visible in the distance. Riding on the hover motorcycle, Lu Yuan slowly fished out a few pieces of chewing gum and popped them into his mouth, with an inner flame seemingly flickering in his calm eyes.

“With the replenishment of Life Energy, the recovery of my core.

Several of the other professional panels on my [Spirit Devouring: God and Demon Species (Transcendent Mythical)] panel seem to show signs of unlocking…”

“Underworld crow death omen, elephant deity asura, azure flame…”

“Whichever of these panels gets unlocked, my strength… will experience a huge leap…”

“The day that happens… isn’t far off…”