Ch116 – Powering Up

Xiong Ye was anxious, and consequently the speed at which he built the raft was very fast. It wasn’t long before the raft was complete.

He pushed the raft out into the sea, intending to go out and start searching.

Xiong Qi and the others all spoke up, “Chief, I’m going too.”

“I’ll go with you.”

“Me too.”

Xiong Ye refused them all. “No, you guys stay here.”

“I’ll go with you.” Zhu Zhan said. Those low level Beast Warriors would be useless if they encountered danger, but he might be of help to Xiong Ye if they encountered danger.

“Thanks.” Xiong Ye also acknowledged this point and immediately thanked him for his help. He then went over to One-Eyed Wolf and dislocated the joints on both her arms and legs––after he and Zhu Zhan left, the strongest person left here would be One-Eyed Wolf. He wanted to prevent this person from doing anything bad.

One-Eyed Wolf had her joints dislocated and started to curse loudly. Seeing this, Xiong Ye had someone gag her mouth and tie her up.

One-Eyed Wolf: “……”

Xiong Ye and Zhu Zhan boarded the raft together and started to paddle.

Neither of them had rowed a boat before and weren’t very skilled at it. At first, they were only able to turn the raft around and around while remaining in the same place, but after trying it a few times, Xiong Ye learned how to do it and they finally started moving the raft forward.

Waves came and splashed up onto the raft, but it could at least remain floating on the water… Xiong Ye and Zhu Zhan were each on one side of the raft, working hard to move the raft.

Xiong Ye didn’t say a single word during this time. Zhu Zhan wasn’t very accustomed to this silence, “Xiong Ye, don’t worry. The Sea God of the Beach Tribe hasn’t returned, which means that Zhou Ji won.”

“Yes, he won.” Xiong Ye agreed, then took a deep breath and looked at Zhu Zhan.

One-Eyed Wolf had spoken many provocative things earlier. Xiong Ye was worried that Zhu Zhan would start to dislike Zhou Ji, so he said, “There must be a reason for why Zhou Ji hasn’t helped you. I think that there’s something wrong with him when he turns into his animal form. Perhaps this kind of powerful strength is beyond his control.”

Now that Xiong Ye had mentioned this, Zhu Zhan also felt that this made sense.

To speak of nothing else, just taking into account the time when the Giant Tiger Tribe was utterly destroyed as an example…

At the time, Zhou Ji could have secretly killed all of the people of the Giant Tiger Tribe. If he had done so, they would probably have never discovered this matter at all. Yet, what had happened in the end? Zhou Ji had caused such a large disturbance, and not only had he destroyed the Giant Tiger Tribe, he had also killed a lot of dinosaurs and wrecked a whole stretch of forest.

He could ignore Zhou Ji killing all the dinosaurs, but what was the point in wrecking a forest? This was obviously a little strange. And his means back then had really been too cruel and too crazy…

“I know. There must be a reason for why he’s like this.” Zhu Zhan said, “Don’t concern yourself over One-Eyed Wolf’s words. It was Zhou Ji who insisted on coming with the salt team this time, and he secretly followed us when we went to attack the Giant Tiger Tribe before… It must be because he cares about you.”

Xiong Ye nodded, then suddenly asked Zhu Zhan, “Is it true that you can go back on your vows after becoming mates?”

Zhu Zhan: “I’m not clear about this, but on the Beastman Continent, there is no such thing as being unable to separate.”

Xiong Ye: “I see.”

Zhu Zhan noticed that his expression was a little strange, and suddenly thought about how Xiong Ye hadn’t even known how men and men slept together. He and Zhou Ji… could it be that they really had problems between them?

However, he couldn’t even solve his own troubles. How could he have time to worry about other people’s relationship problems?

In fact, he had accompanied Xiong Ye to come out and look for Zhou Ji for a reason––Zhou Ji was so powerful that he wanted Zhou Ji to send him across the river.

He had something to request of Zhou Ji, so even if he was unhappy in his heart, he wouldn’t be like One-Eyed Wolf and offend Xiong Ye and Zhou Ji.

.

The raft soon ventured deeper into the sea, but the sea in front of them was so vast that they had no idea about where to start to look for someone.

He hoped that Zhou Ji was alright. If Zhou Ji was fine, he might be able to send him across the river, but if something had happened to him… he would have to fight his way across on his own.

Xiong Ye stopped shouting and rowed forward with Zhu Zhan. After they travelled a bit further, Xiong Ye started shouting again.

But they still didn’t receive any response.

The sky slowly brightened, but there was still nothing.

At first, Xiong Ye had still been able to remain calm, but he gradually started to grow restless.

Zhou Ji was very strong, but the person who had come to fight them last night was also very strong. That person’s animal form was so big…

“Let’s go back first?” Zhu Zhan proposed.

Xiong Ye didn’t want to go back. He kept feeling like he would be able to find Zhou Ji if he searched for just a little bit longer, but as the sun rose up in the sky and shone down on the blue sea, it was very clear that there was nothing there.

Moreover, they were now far away from the coast. If they continued on, they might not be able to see the shore and could end up lost in the vast sea…

“Zhou Ji is so strong. Perhaps he’s already gone back.” Zhu Zhan suggested.

“Let’s go back.” Xiong Ye finally made a decision.

They started rowing back together. When they finally came close to the shore, they noticed a column of smoke billowing from the beach further down the coastline.

By the time Xiong Ye and Zhu Zhan set out to sea to look for him, Zhou Ji had already recovered somewhat.

He certainly couldn’t just continue to float around at sea now that he had recovered.

Xiong Ye must be very worried given that he had gone out into the sea to fight against the whale. He needed to get back as soon as possible so that Xiong Ye wouldn’t keep worrying.

With that in mind, Zhou Ji looked towards Hai Feng, “Which direction leads back to the shore?”

Zhou Ji basically couldn’t distinguish between north, south, east, or west while in the sea. Even if he spread out his spiritual powers, the surroundings were the same everywhere… He had no idea which direction the shore was in.

However, even if he was clueless, the Hai Feng who had spent so long in the sea definitely knew which direction the shore was. He was tied up and couldn’t move, but he used his head to point in a certain direction, “The coast is that way.”

After pointing out the direction, he looked on as Zhou Ji, who had wrapped some kelp around his own body at some point in time, started running along the surface of the sea.

Energy gathered around Zhou Ji’s body, allowing Zhou Ji to move forward swiftly, while also ensuring that he didn’t sink into the water.

That was possible?! Hai Feng was somewhat surprised as he saw how Zhou Ji traveled. He was still pondering the different ways that energy could be used when he was tugged along.

Previously, Zhou Ji had tied him up severely with kelp. Now, he held a strand of kelp and dragged him along as he ran.

This feeling of being dragged along was horrible, but Hai Feng had no way to resist and could only try to adapt to all of this in order to preserve his life.

Hai Feng closed his eyes and allowed himself to ‘glide’ along the water. He always felt that the wounds on his head kept growing more and more painful from the seawater that sluiced over him.

Zhou Ji had already recovered a lot. It didn’t take long before he arrived at the shore with Hai Feng in tow. He then helplessly discovered that they were quite far away from the Beach Tribe.

Zhou Ji could only carry Hai Feng with him and run towards the Beach Tribe.

After running for a while, Zhou Ji suddenly became a little afraid to continue on.

He had lied to Xiong Ye. Was Xiong Ye very unhappy with him now?

This was all Hai Feng’s fault!

Zhou Ji tossed Hai Feng onto the ground and said abruptly, “I will let you go, but you have to do as I say in the future.”

“Why?” Hai Feng demanded.

“Because you can’t win against me.” Zhou Ji said. He used some of the spiritual powers and energy that he had recovered to pressure Hai Feng.

“I’ll do as you say, I’ll definitely do as you say!” Hai Feng immediately agreed. He didn’t want to die, so he could only choose to give in.

“Good.” Zhou Ji continued, “Since that’s the case, remember my words. We both suffered losses when we fought against each other before. Also… After fighting with me, you felt that it was wrong to proclaim yourself as the Sea God. It offended the Beast God, so you now want to repent and will obey me in the future.”

“Alright.” Hai Feng agreed, then asked, “What do you want to do?”

Zhou Ji wanted to portray himself as weak and pitiful, but he didn’t plan to tell all this to Hai Feng.

After tossing Hai Feng down on the beach, Zhou Ji went and brought back some wood, then rubbed two sticks against each other to light a fire.

The fire started burning and produced a lot of smoke. It should be visible to the people of the Beach Tribe off in the distance.

After completing all this, Zhou Ji went back to where Hai Feng was and used his energy to heal the wounds on Hai Feng’s face.

Once the wounds on this person’s face were healed, Zhou Ji finally discovered that this person was already quite old. He appeared to be fifty or sixty years old, and he had a particularly loyal and honest looking face.

“How miraculous.” Hai Feng discovered that the wounds on his face had disappeared and felt a burst of wonder. He no longer had any thoughts of resistance.

The person in front of him was much stronger than he was.

After beating him half to death, this person was still able to go on and kill a sea behemoth at the same level as a Beast King. Hai Feng knew that he wouldn’t be able to win against him no matter how hard he fought and could only do as he said.

“Don’t say any nonsense when I’m talking later.” Zhou Ji said, giving Hai Feng a threatening glare.

Hai Feng nodded, then watched on as Zhou Ji lay down right by the fire. He looked… a little weak and frail?

Hai Feng: “……” What exactly was this man trying to do?!

Hai Feng didn’t know what Zhou Ji was trying to do, but he also didn’t dare to run away. Well, fine, he couldn’t escape even if he wanted to.

He had left his tribe at the age of ten and had lived in the water in his animal form for most of his life. He didn’t know much about the world of beastmen, which left him quite confused at this moment.

The flames were very warm, but Hai Feng didn’t find it comfortable. Instead, he wanted to move away––he felt very uncomfortable when he was dry.

Hai Feng was thinking about how uncomfortable he felt when Zhou Ji suddenly spoke up, “Add some wood to the fire.”

“My body is…” Hai Feng wanted to say that he was still wrapped up in kelp, but he then discovered that the kelp that surrounded him had broken into pieces.

He clamored around with his injured body in order to add wood to the fire. It was very miserable, but Zhou Ji even added, “Wrap a piece of kelp around your body. Don’t go around naked.”

Hai Feng, who had lived nude for so many years in the sea, could only find a piece of kelp to cover himself up with.

The fire had been burning for over an hour by the time Xiong Ye and Zhu Zhan led people over to find them.

Xiong Ye had immediately thought of the signal smoke that Zhou Ji had once told him about as soon as he saw the smoke on the distant shore while at sea. He felt that Zhou Ji should be where the smoke was!

With this in mind, he started rowing faster. They first arrived at the shore, and then he called over the people of the Big Bear Tribe to go and find Zhou Ji together.

They ran very fast, and arrived at the place in the sand where the fire was lit soon after. After that, it only took them a glance to see the pale faced, miserable looking Zhou Ji.

“Zhou Ji! Zhou Ji, are you alright?” Xiong Ye’s expression was full of worry. He couldn’t remember a single one of the jumbled thoughts that previously occupied his head, and could only hope that Zhou Ji was alright.

“I’m fine.” Zhou Ji said.

He was really alright. He was just a little tired, and… the sea beast’s crystal core hadn’t been fully absorbed yet and was still providing him with some support.

“It’s great that you’re fine.” Xiong Ye picked up Zhou Ji, whose skin was covered in tiny grains of salt from the dried up sea water, and embraced him in his arms.

Xiong Ye’s attention was all focused on Zhou Ji, but Zhu Zhan noticed Hai Feng’s existence. “Who are you?”

Hai Feng glanced at Zhou Ji and didn’t dare answer––Zhou Ji had told him not to speak carelessly!

“Cough, cough… He’s the Sea God of the Beach Tribe. His name is Hai Feng.” Zhou Ji introduced. “The Beast God showed us a miracle while we were fighting. He now knows that he was wrong and no longer dares to call himself the Sea God. He’s decided to believe in the Beast God.”

Zhou Ji was speaking nonsense. He didn’t even believe in the Beast God.

Hai Feng heard Zhou Ji’s words and immediately agreed, “Exactly!”

Zhu Zhan was pleasantly surprised when he heard this.

Based on Zhou Ji’s strength, it would be a simple matter to send him across the river, but there seemed to be problems with Zhou Ji’s body… However, this Hai Feng seemed to be fine!

If he could get this man to protect him as he crossed the river…

“Xiong Ye, I’m sorry. I lied to you before…” Zhou Ji looked at Xiong Ye, “Only, I can’t casually make a move against others…”

Zhou Ji was purposely acting pitiful so that Xiong Ye would forgive him, but he didn’t plan to go overboard. However, he hadn’t expected that at this moment, the energy in his body would go berzerk, forcing him to be unable to hold back from spitting out a mouthful of blood.

A Beast King level crystal core wasn’t easy to absorb since there was too much energy contained within. Not only that… he didn’t know if it was because he had constantly been cultivating in addition to the crystal core that he had eaten this time to ‘support’ himself, but changes actually started to take place in his own crystal core.

The color of the purple crystal core inside his body grew even deeper and darker. Finally, it seemed that it was slowly turning black.

He was… going to power up again.

It turned out that there was another level beyond Beast King?

Beastmen didn’t suffer much when they powered up, but it was different for Zhou Ji. Not only did he spit out a mouthful of blood, but because there was too much energy within his body, and because a lot of the energy didn’t belong to him, beads of blood even started to form on his skin.

He soon turned into a bloody person.

In fact, nobody would eat the crystal core of a mutant beast that they had killed. The energy might reject the beastman’s own energy if it was eaten directly, and it was possible for beastmen to lose their lives that way. It was even worse when they ate a crystal core from a mutant beast that was at the same level of strength as they were.

Only, Zhou Ji hadn’t known about any of this.

However, he knew how to cultivate and knew how to absorb energy that didn’t belong to him. For better or worse, he wouldn’t suffer any serious consequences, but his situation would be the same as it had been when he absorbed that Beast God Fruit where there was too much energy inside him all of a sudden. The energy would go crazy within his body, destroying it from within.

“Zhou Ji!” Xiong Ye was frightened by this situation.

Hai Feng: “……” It was clear that there was nothing wrong with this Zhou Ji! He was even threatening him just a while ago!

So, Zhou Ji was acting, right? His act was so realistic!