Chapter 236 – Premature Evolution

“Roar!”

“Howl!”

At this moment, countless Phantom Demons throughout the mountains and wilderness seemed to be stimulated by something, letting out hoarse, desperate roars.

Their cries contained fear, excitement, terror, and madness – as if drawn by something supremely noble yet afraid to offend it, they began descending into inexplicable chaos.

Even those Phantom Demons currently engaged in fierce battles with the Mo Family Hunters suddenly became restless at this very moment.

Their behavior was practically on the verge of kneeling and prostrating toward the direction where the blood Qi soared into the sky, offering their submission.

Without a doubt, this was Bloodline suppression.

The emergence of a high-level Bloodline exerted absolute dominance over these mere lower-rank Phantom Demons.

Especially the Bloodline currently undergoing evolution – its nobility was such that these lower-rank Phantom Demons couldn’t even muster the slightest resistance, all falling into panic-filled worship.

The members of the Mo Family were momentarily stunned, rooted to the spot, somewhat at a loss.

In this situation, only Mo Leng kept his gaze fixed intently on the location where the blood Qi soared, his face revealing ecstatic delight.

“Clan Chief!”

“Clan Chief!”

The next moment, one excited voice after another rang out as figures flashed into appearance, arriving beside Mo Leng.

Among them were some with aged appearances, some in their prime, some with similar features, and others who appeared to be from outside clans – yet without exception, they all radiated powerful Auras.

This was the distinctive Aura and presence unique to Upper-Rank Professionals.

Clearly, these individuals were the Mo Family’s Upper-Rank Professionals – the six Four-Star Hunters besides Mo Leng himself.

Among these six, four were the Mo Family’s clan elders.

Their expressions were the most excited, even surpassing Mo Leng’s.

“Clan Chief, is this a Phantom Demon evolving?”

“The blood Qi soaring skyward, the uncontrollable surge of demonic power – it matches the records in the texts! This is the phenomenon that occurs when a Phantom Demon evolves!”

“And judging by this magnitude, it’s clearly not a lower-rank Phantom Demon evolving into an upper-rank one, but a higher-level evolution!”

“Could it be… could it be…!?”

The clan elders guessed what might be happening, becoming so excited they could hardly contain themselves.

Even the two Upper-Rank Professionals recruited from outside the Mo Family exchanged glances, seeing the emotion in each other’s eyes.

They understood perfectly well what such a massive evolution – greater than a lower-rank Phantom Demon evolving into an upper-rank one – occurring in this location at such close proximity meant.

Here, there was only one Phantom Demon that met the conditions for evolution at this level.

But…

“Why is it happening so quickly?”

“Weren’t we just preparing to use forced cultivation methods?”

The two Upper-Rank Professionals from outside clans were particularly puzzled.

While ecstatic, Mo Leng also felt somewhat surprised by this sudden evolution.

“Let’s go take a look.”

Without the slightest hesitation, Mo Leng transformed into a blurry shadow, darting toward the direction where the blood Qi surged.

The other Upper-Rank Professionals naturally didn’t hesitate either, each transforming into swift winds as they rushed forward.

Before long, the group of seven arrived together at the rear area.

Many Mo Family Hunters were stationed here, and the grounds had clearly been cleared and organized.Because the Mo Family had brought out a large amount of supplies when evacuating from Longyao City, these supplies were placed at the rear for escort, minimizing conflicts with Phantom Demons encountered along the way to avoid unnecessary losses.

The Phantom Demon Cub, regarded by the Mo Family as their top priority, was also imprisoned here under heavy guard.

However, at this very moment, the cage that should have been placed at the center of the supplies and guarded by countless Mo Family members lay shattered into fragments as if it had exploded.

All around, Mo Family members lay scattered across the ground, groaning and wailing in pain.

As for the Mermaid Girl who should have been imprisoned in the cage, she now hovered in mid-air, bathed in surging magical energy and blood Qi.

“Milin—”

Amidst a cry that could be interpreted as either agony or a scream, the Mermaid Girl began to undergo a transformation.

Her aqua-blue eyes and long hair fluttered uncontrollably, her swaying tail fin stirred invisible waves that churned the surrounding waters, and a frosty mist emanated from her body, causing the ground and air to gradually freeze. Ice particles and crystals scattered in all directions, as if a blizzard were about to descend, creating a scene of intense turbulence.

Mo Leng watched all of this, his excitement growing increasingly palpable.

“That’s right, this is evolution—it must be evolution!”

At the very least, there was no doubt that Little Hai’er’s life essence was ascending to a higher level.

Mo Leng could already feel his own Bloodline boiling and trembling, as if in the presence of a higher existence, causing even his magical energy to stagnate.

This was Bloodline suppression.

Though not as pronounced as with Phantom Demons, as individuals who also possessed Phantom Demon Bloodline, they were clearly being suppressed by a life form that had transcended their level.

There could be no more convincing evidence than this.

This was undoubtedly evolution.

Mo Leng even noticed the female attendant he had sent earlier, who seemed to have been blown back by the force, staggering out of the soaring blood Qi and retreating to his side.

“What happened?” Mo Leng suppressed his excitement, grabbing the female attendant’s shoulders and urgently asking, “Why did the evolution suddenly begin?”

The group of Upper-Rank Professionals also turned their gaze toward the female attendant, their eyes filled with fervent emotion.

The female attendant still appeared somewhat unwell but answered Mo Leng’s question nonetheless.

“We carried out your orders and forcibly fed the Phantom Demon Cub blood and cultivation materials,” she gasped. “As a result, the Phantom Demon Cub suddenly began to evolve. It’s highly likely that the cub was already on the verge of evolution, and our actions merely provided the final catalyst.”

That was the explanation.

It was important to note that prior to this, Little Hai’er had been consistently fed Red Vein Stones by Su Ming.

The effects of the Red Vein Stones not only continuously excavated the power within Hai’er’s Bloodline, gradually awakening the formidable strength of the high-ranking Phantom Demon slumbering within her, but also further enhanced her Bloodline concentration, pushing her closer to the next stage of evolution.

Moreover, the Bloodline within Hai’er originally belonged to a Hazardous Species mutant, which had already undergone one evolution. Inheriting this Bloodline gave her a greater probability of ascending to a higher evolutionary stage.Now, this possibility was unearthed by the Red Vein Stone, which could enhance the evolution chances of Phantom Demons, causing Little Hai’er to unknowingly push her Bloodline to the brink of evolution.

However, originally, Little Hai’er wouldn’t have been able to evolve immediately.

After all, she was still just a juvenile. Though her Bloodline was noble, she herself wasn’t even an Upper-Rank Phantom Demon yet, at least not grown to a Rank matching her own Bloodline.

If Little Hai’er were to proceed step by step, she should first unearth the dormant power within her Bloodline, grow and develop to the level of an Upper-Rank Phantom Demon, mature into an adult form, and then undergo evolution.

But the actions of the Mo Family prematurely triggered Little Hai’er’s Bloodline evolution, causing her to begin evolving into a Nightmare Species while still in her juvenile stage.

Thus, Little Hai’er could no longer suppress the power within her Bloodline, and it erupted completely.

This was not a good thing.

Because she was still a juvenile and the power within her Bloodline hadn’t been fully unearthed, Little Hai’er might not be able to withstand the terrifying force unleashed during evolution.

Just like when Su Ming took the Phantom Demon Potion and faced the risk of bodily explosion, Little Hai’er, evolving prematurely before fully maturing, would also face bodily explosion if she couldn’t endure it.

At the very least, even if she survived, the evolution might fail, causing Little Hai’er to lose the possibility of evolving into a Nightmare Species.

So, Little Hai’er was indeed in great pain now, just like Su Ming when he took the Phantom Demon Potion, tormented by that Nightmare Species Bloodline bursting with dreadful magic.

And Little Hai’er had no alchemical potions to assist in adaptation; she could only desperately rely on her own body to adapt to this power, causing the energy to leak out and create a blizzard-like scene.

Unaware of all this, Mo Leng and the others watched the evolving Little Hai’er with immense excitement, completely oblivious to her dire straits.

No, even if they knew, they probably wouldn’t care, right?

They didn’t care about Little Hai’er’s life or death; they only needed her Bloodline.

The Upper-Rank Professionals spoke up one after another.

“What should we do, Clan Chief?”

“The juvenile is starting to evolve. Should we begin the ritual immediately?”

“Looking at the juvenile’s condition, the evolution doesn’t seem to be going smoothly.”

“Could there be a possibility of failure?”

The elders of the Mo Family appeared extremely anxious.

Even the two outsiders felt the same.

However, their concerns lay elsewhere.

“Even if the evolution succeeds, we should take some measures, right?”

“That’s a being about to become a Nightmare Species!”

The two grew tense.

It was no wonder they felt this way.

Nightmare Species were entities that even Six-Star Professionals could only barely handle, and it was said that only Seven-Star Professionals could truly subdue them.

Facing such beings, even Seven-Star Professionals would have to prepare seriously and exert their full efforts to attempt subjugation. Here, their strongest was Mo Leng, a Five-Star Hunter—how could they possibly deal with a terrifying Nightmare Species?

Against a Nightmare Species, these usually high and mighty Four-Star Hunters were nothing but ants.

Fortunately…

“Don’t worry. Even if it becomes a Nightmare Species, it’s still just a juvenile and definitely won’t be able to unleash its true power.”Mo Leng quickly regained his composure and began issuing orders.

“Deploy all personnel immediately! Surround this area completely and set up the battlefield to ensure that hatchling cannot escape after completing its evolution!”

Upon hearing this, everyone responded with loud affirmations.

Mo Leng also began contemplating the ritual, clenching his fists as he felt his entire body growing feverish.

He sensed that he was drawing closer to his ambition.

As for the possibility of Little Hai’er failing her evolution—such a thought never even crossed his mind.

Because in his world, there was only success, never failure.

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(End of Chapter)