?The scream wasn't human. It was the sound of vocal cords snapping under the pressure of a geological event.

  ?Elder Han arched his back, his spine cracking audibly as the sabotaged serum flooded his system. The "Perfect Chimera" ritual, corrupted by Jiang Chen's inverted runes, didn't elevate him. It unraveled him.

  ?"What... did... you... do?" Han gurgled.

  ?Blood sprayed from his pores. But instead of dripping, the blood hissed, turning into jagged spikes of crystallized lightning. His skin split down the center of his chest.

  ?Wet, gray fur erupted from the wound.

  ?[ALERT: High-Energy Biological Mutation Detected.]

  [Target: Elder Han (Foundation Establishment – Unstable).]

  [Danger Level: Critical.]

  ?"I helped you," Jiang Chen said, leaning against the cold stone of the furnace. "You wanted to be a beast. I just took off the leash."

  ?Han roared. His jaw unhinged, extending into a snout filled with serrated fangs. A third eye—yellow and manic—ripped open in the center of his forehead. His arms elongated, muscles bulging until they tore through his robes, transforming him into a seven-foot monstrosity of ape muscle and reptile scales.

  ?He was a Thunder-Ape Chimera. Or at least, a botched attempt at one.

  ?"Ugly," Apeiron critiqued. "The skeletal structure can't support that muscle density. His left knee will buckle if he pivots. Aim there."

  ?Han looked at his new claws. The pain had driven him past sanity. He looked at Jiang Chen, and the only thing remaining in his eyes was hunger.

  ?"FLESH!" Han shrieked.

  ?He moved.

  ?He didn't run; he detonated. A shockwave of lightning blasted the lab, shattering glass jars and vaporizing the wooden furniture. Han was in front of Jiang Chen instantly, a claw the size of a shovel descending toward Jiang Chen's skull.

  ?Jiang Chen didn't blink.

  ?[Skill: Thunder-Blood Burst.]

  ?The world slowed. Jiang Chen's heart pumped liquid lightning. He ducked under the swing, feeling the static charge singe his hair.

  ?He punched upward.

  ?[Void Claw.]

  ?His fist, coated in the black anti-matter of the Void, slammed into Han's exposed armpit.

  ?SIZZLE.

  ?It wasn't a dull thud. It was the sound of meat hitting a hot pan. The Void Qi chewed through the scales, rotting the flesh instantly.

  ?Han howled, thrashing backward. He swung his tail—a thick, scaled appendage ending in a bone spike. It caught Jiang Chen in the ribs.

  ?CRACK.

  ?Jiang Chen was launched across the room. He smashed into the stone wall, denting the granite.

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  ?[Damage Detected: Rib Fracture (Minor).]

  [Pain Suppression: Active.]

  ?Jiang Chen slid down the wall, coughing up a speck of blood. He grinned.

  ?"Is that it?" Jiang Chen taunted, wiping his mouth. "I thought you were a god."

  ?Han foamed at the mouth. The Mercury Grass in the serum was reacting with the lightning blood. Green steam was venting from his ears.

  ?"DIE, RAT!"

  ?Han clasped his hands together. The third eye on his forehead glowed blindingly bright.

  ?"Thunder Arts: Ape King's Roar!"

  ?A beam of concentrated lightning shot from the eye. It was thick, erratic, and hot enough to melt stone. There was no room to dodge.

  ?"Block it," Apeiron ordered.

  ?"Are you crazy?"

  ?"Trust the foundation. You are a Furnace. Fire does not burn fire."

  ?Jiang Chen planted his feet. He didn't raise a shield. He opened his arms.

  ?[Physique Activation: Obsidian Furnace Body.]

  [Skill: Energy Siphon (Overdrive).]

  ?The lightning beam hit him dead center in the chest.

  ?It should have vaporized him.

  ?Instead, Jiang Chen screamed—not in pain, but in exertion. The black veins on his skin pulsed violently. The bronze hue of his skin turned molten red.

  ?He was drinking the attack.

  ?The [Void Foundation] in his gut spun like a jet turbine. The lightning was sucked into his pores, stripped of its intent, and broken down into raw fuel.

  ?[System Alert: High Voltage Intake.]

  [Biomass Conversion: +50 EV.]

  [Biomass Conversion: +50 EV.]

  ?The beam died out.

  ?Jiang Chen stood there, smoking. His clothes were burned off from the waist up. His skin was glowing with heat.

  ?He burped. A small spark of lightning escaped his lips.

  ?"Spicy," Jiang Chen rasped.

  ?Han stepped back, the beastly rage momentarily replaced by human terror. "Impossible. That is... that is the Golden Core ability! You are just a boy!"

  ?"I'm not a boy," Jiang Chen said, pushing off the wall. The floor cracked beneath his feet. "And I'm not a beast."

  ?He walked toward the trembling chimera.

  ?"I am the stomach."

  ?Han panicked. The instability in his body spiked. The sabotage Jiang Chen had performed—the inverted stabilization rune—finally reached critical mass.

  ?Han's left arm suddenly ballooned, swelling to three times its size.

  ?"No... No! Stop!" Han clawed at his own shoulder. "It burns!"

  ?"The Mercury Grass," Apeiron laughed darkly. "Cellular collapse in 3... 2..."

  ?Jiang Chen lunged.

  ?He didn't use a technique. He used momentum. He jumped, driving his knees into Han's chest, knocking the massive beast to the ground.

  ?Jiang Chen mounted him.

  ?Han flailed, striking Jiang Chen with his claws, tearing gashes in the Obsidian skin. Jiang Chen ignored the damage. He grabbed Han's face with both hands, forcing the three eyes to look at him.

  ?"You wanted to eat me for your foundation," Jiang Chen whispered, his voice resonating with the Void's distortion.

  ?Han's third eye flickered and went dark.

  ?"Please..." Han wheezed, his voice reverting to the old man's tremolo. "I can give you... everything. The Sect... money..."

  ?Jiang Chen's fingers dug into the Chimera's skull.

  ?"You already gave me everything," Jiang Chen said.

  ?He activated the [Venom Core].

  ?But this time, he combined it with [Glutton's Gravity].

  ?[Void Art: Devour.]

  ?Black smoke poured from Jiang Chen's eyes and mouth, enveloping Han's head.

  ?The Chimera screamed as its essence was ripped out physically. The lightning, the blood, the decades of cultivation—it all flowed up Jiang Chen's arms like water through a straw.

  ?Han's body withered. The fur fell out. The muscles liquefied. The scales turned to dust.

  ?In ten seconds, the massive Thunder-Ape Chimera was gone.

  ?Lying on the floor was the husk of a small, dried-up old man.

  ?[Target Neutralized: Elder Han (Foundation Establishment).]

  [Bonus: Chimera Essence Assimilated.]

  [EV Gained: +1,200.]

  ?[Current EV: 1,717.]

  ?Jiang Chen stood up. He felt drunk on power. The influx of energy was so massive his vision blurred.

  ?He looked at his hands. They were trembling.

  ?"Sloppy," Apeiron noted, though the voice sounded satisfied, like a cat that had just eaten a canary. "Too much cartilage. But the lightning essence... acceptable."

  ?Jiang Chen looked down at the corpse of his tormentor. The man who had thrown him in a pit. The man who had bled him for months.

  ?He felt... empty.

  ?"Is that it?" Jiang Chen asked the silent room. "He's just dead?"

  ?"Death is the only truth," Apeiron replied. "Now, loot the room. The explosion killed the structural supports. This cave comes down in five minutes."

  ?Jiang Chen shook his head, clearing the haze.

  ?"Right," he said, stepping over the husk. "Time to get paid."