Chapter 268 - 162: Appraising the Bloodthirsty Vine King! Off-the-Charts Extraordinary Stats! Stone Claw Eagle in Imminent Danger?

Chapter 268: Chapter 162: Appraising the Bloodthirsty Vine King! Off-the-Charts Extraordinary Stats! Stone Claw Eagle in Imminent Danger?

Chen Chong’s eyes narrowed.

Just as the intel suggested, the Bloodthirsty Vine King was an A+ Class Extraordinary Creature.

What surprised him even more was that this Bloodthirsty Vine King wasn’t an Innate Extraordinary, but an Acquired Extraordinary that had evolved from an extremely common, low-level plant.

Its evolutionary path was both arduous and inspirational.

Relying on the adaptability it had honed at the bottom of the food chain, it had accumulated power bit by bit, constantly transforming until it finally became one of the most terrifying Extraordinary Creatures in this Primitive Jungle.

It possessed a total of six abilities: besides the known Consumption, Parasite, and Split Body Control, it also had Regeneration, Infinite Adaptation, and Power Perception.

And these six abilities were perfectly aligned with its nature.

Parasite and Consumption worked in tandem, continuously draining energy from its hosts.

’Regeneration most likely refers to the self-repair of its vines.’

While this was an ability most plants and insects possessed, it was especially valuable in an Extraordinary Creature.

’Infinite Adaptation... that must be the environmental adaptability it honed as a low-level lifeform before it evolved. Now, that ability has evolved along with it, becoming its trump card.’

’Split Body Control is self-explanatory.’

’And Power Perception is the core ability that allows it to remain deep underground, yet still sense lifeforms on the outside and parasitize them.’

’It’s also because of this ability that it can precisely locate its prey, even sensing the positions of the Unihorn Catfish, the Blood-tooth Python, and the Stone Claw Eagle.’

As Chen Chong carefully analyzed these six abilities, he discovered an astonishing fact.

Aside from Consumption and Parasite, which were B-Level, Regeneration, Infinite Adaptation, Split Body Control, and Power Perception were all A-Level abilities!

Chen Chong was deeply shaken.

He had only acquired a handful of A-Level abilities in the past half a month, yet the Bloodthirsty Vine King possessed four.

’If I could slay it and claim one of them, wouldn’t my own strength ascend to a whole new level?’

’But could a monster like this really be slain as easily as the Unihorn Catfish and the Blood-tooth Python?’

After reviewing the Bloodthirsty Vine King’s information and abilities, Chen Chong’s confidence wavered.

’Good thing the Bloodthirsty Vine King is rooted deep underground. Although its vines can extend to the outside world, their power is surely diminished.’

’If it could move its entire body around like an animal, the Unihorn Catfish and Blood-tooth Python would have vanished from this Primitive Jungle long ago. Only an aerial Extraordinary Creature like the Stone Claw Eagle would remain unaffected...’

’Compared to the vines inside its hosts, the main body is the true monster.’

’Though it can’t move, its countless vines writhe like tentacles, making it hundreds of times more formidable than other Extraordinary Creatures.’

’No wonder it’s an A+ Class Extraordinary Creature, one that’s even on the verge of reaching S-Class.’

But among all these abilities, the most terrifying had to be Infinite Adaptation.

It was using this ability to constantly adapt to the Stone Claw Eagle.

Once it fully adapted, it would be able to parasitize the eagle, devour its power, and break through to S-Class.

Chen Chong knew that no matter how much he dreaded the Bloodthirsty Vine King, slaying it was a matter of utmost urgency.

Otherwise, by the time it finished evolving, it would be too late...

But to slay such a powerful foe, the information from his Identification Skill was far from enough. He had to understand everything about it, and ideally, find a weakness.

So, Chen Chong decided to get a little closer to observe its main body and the surrounding environment more carefully.

He reached out and picked up the Tiger Striped Dog.

This was to prevent the Tiger Striped Dog, intimidated by the Vine King’s oppressive aura, from making any sudden moves and jumping out of the barrier.

Cradling the Tiger Striped Dog, Chen Chong used the invisibility granted by his Green Crystal Bracelet to slowly approach the Vine King’s main body.

The barrier concealed all auras, faint sounds, and even the light from his Lighting Stone. The Bloodthirsty Vine King didn’t notice a thing.

It had no idea that a human intruder was right beside it.

Countless vines continued to writhe slowly through the air and across the ground like tentacles.

Chen Chong carefully avoided the vines, and several times, they brushed right past his face.

He could feel the Green Crystal Bracelet continuously draining his Spiritual Power, but he couldn’t afford to worry about that now.

’Without this Extraordinary Artifact, there’s no way I could observe the Vine King up close.’

’Thankfully, my rapid recovery ability is keeping the drain to a minimum.’

As he drew closer and looked more carefully, Chen Chong suddenly discovered a startling sight.

The Bloodthirsty Vine King’s countless vines were all stretching in the same direction.

Some of the vines were even pulled taut, as if they were fighting against something.

A thought suddenly struck Chen Chong, and he headed in that direction.

A few minutes later, he reached the far end of the rock wall.

The rock wall before him was hundreds of meters high and wide, completely covered in a density of vines that far surpassed any other area.

In the center of the rock wall was a relatively shallow cave.

By the faint light of his Lighting Stone, he could just barely make out the scene inside, where a massive creature was trapped.

The vines that occasionally retracted from the cave, along with the glint of passing feathers, revealed that the trapped creature was none other than the Stone Claw Eagle, which had been missing for so long!

The Stone Claw Eagle was already in a precarious situation.

It could only rely on the narrow cave, using its abilities to barely contend with the Bloodthirsty Vines.

But the vines had completely sealed off the area, leaving it with no path of retreat.

No wonder the intel had said it could only hold out for a while. The longer this went on, the greater the chance of it being parasitized by the Vine King, and it was only a matter of time before its power was completely devoured.

Chen Chong took a moment to compose himself, then used his Identification Skill on the Stone Claw Eagle in the cave.

Soon, information about the Stone Claw Eagle appeared in his mind...

[Name: Avian · Stone Claw Eagle]

[Type: Extraordinary Creature]

[Rating: A+]

[Abilities: Rapid Speed, Replenish with Stone, Rock Body Transformation, Plant Digestion]

[Description: An Extraordinary Creature with a natural affinity for rock. It can consume rock as food and possesses a pair of sharp stone claws capable of crushing almost any object. These claws are its proudest weapon and the most vital part of its body. The more rock it devours, the harder and sharper its claws become. Its thick feathers provide it with formidable defense. This combination of offense and defense made it the aerial sovereign of the outer jungle. However, it is now grievously wounded. Despite being able to recover quickly by eating rock, it is suffering from the Bloodthirsty Vine King’s relentless harassment, and its rate of recovery cannot keep pace with the damage it is taking...]

Chen Chong was slightly surprised.

’I never thought the Stone Claw Eagle could eat rock, much less that its claws would grow harder the more rock it consumed.’

Suddenly, a thought flashed through Chen Chong’s mind.

’The stone claws are the eagle’s core feature. If I were to throw them into the Extraordinary Forging Furnace...’

’...what kind of Extraordinary Artifact would be created?’

Chen Chong gave a self-deprecating smile and continued reading.

The Stone Claw Eagle possessed four abilities. When he saw "Rapid Speed" and "Rock Body Transformation," he froze.

’Rapid Speed is Ning Yu’s ability, while Rock Body Transformation is my own.’

’Why does the Stone Claw Eagle have them?’

’Does this mean the same ability can be possessed by more than one being?’

Chen Chong performed a deeper Identification on the Stone Claw Eagle’s four abilities and was surprised to discover that aside from Plant Digestion, which was an acquired ability, the other three were all its Talent Abilities.

In other words, they were inherent to an Innate Extraordinary Creature like it.

Chen Chong had a sudden realization. ’So my Rock Body Transformation ability came from the Stone Claw Eagle.’

’Recalling the first time I saw the Stone Claw Eagle on that barren mountain, it’s no wonder it was so fast.’

’When Ning Yu uses Rapid Speed, she suffers from leg injuries as a side effect, but the Stone Claw Eagle is different.’

’Its pair of sharp rock claws completely negates the side effect, allowing it to use the ability without a second thought...’

The Plant Digestion ability was similar in principle to Replenish with Stone.

Replenish with Stone involved devouring rock as food, absorbing its energy to replenish itself.

Plant Digestion, on the other hand, allowed the Stone Claw Eagle to specifically digest plants, not only letting it use them as food but also giving it a strong counter-effect against them.

It could ignore plants that were poisonous or had their own defense mechanisms.

No wonder the grievously wounded Stone Claw Eagle could survive for so long at the bottom of this abyss while facing the monstrous Bloodthirsty Vine King.

’It must be relying on the endless supply of surrounding rock, coupled with the Bloodthirsty Vine King’s inherent nature as a plant.’

’The Stone Claw Eagle has been using these two abilities to constantly restore its energy and repair its injuries. That’s the only way it can barely contend with the Vine King.’

As he thought of this, Chen Chong noticed that the cave housing the Stone Claw Eagle and the surrounding rock walls bore clear marks of being carved and broken apart—the eagle’s handiwork, no doubt.

But even with these two abilities...

...its recovery speed was nowhere near fast enough to keep up with the worsening of its injuries from the Bloodthirsty Vine King’s attacks.

What’s more, the Bloodthirsty Vine King had its Infinite Adaptation ability. It was constantly adjusting, adapting to the Stone Claw Eagle’s attack patterns and power level.

Once it fully adapted, even a completely healed Stone Claw Eagle would likely be powerless to stop it from being parasitized.

Ultimately, it would be reduced to just another part of the Vine King’s power...

...