Ultragene Warlord

onsuming all that quality metal.
By now, except for the leader of the rock giants, all the other rock giants had sharp, thorny protrusions growing from their bodies like porcupines.

Zhang Lie asked the leader of the rock giants, “Why is it that your entire tribe seems to have evolved but you?”

The rock giant grumbled, “What do you mean, I haven't evolved? Don't you see the metallic sheen on my body?”

“Honestly, I can't really tell.”

The rock giant sighed.
“My first evolution took quite a lot of energy and resources, so I'll need even more to achieve a second evolution.
We rock giants aren't like bugs who can metamorphosize at will.”

“Can your tribe return to their original appearance?”

“They'll gradually return to that form if they don't consume anything for a prolonged period of time,” Yu Huantian replied, landing on the rock giant's head.

Within the rock forest, the rock spirits had been forced to hibernate for prolonged periods of time, and their bodies had all returned to their basal rock form.

“Get off my head, little bird!” The rock giant tried to capture Yu Huantian, who darted agilely away.

Zhang Lie huffed.
“So your transformation is just becoming fat?”

The rock giant shook its head.
“We grow stronger with every transformation as well, but other species don't get stronger when they become fat.”

As they chatted, they approached the sura capital.
Zhang Lie encouraged everyone, “Once we destroy this capital, this raid will be over!”

“Yes, Governor!” the troops chorused.

Zhang Lie noticed an old sura making his way to the top of the city walls.

“Invaders, why do you attack the kingdom of Xuechi? What have the sura done to you?” the Xuechi elder called out.

“We come from Renhuang!” the rock giant boomed back.

Yu Huantian shouted angrily, “You're asking us how we've offended you? It's because of you that our celebration in Renhuang was interrupted halfway through!”

The elder of Xuechi clearly didn't know what city Renhuang was, nor how it connected to the sura king's raid against the humans who had killed Xueju.

To his knowledge, the humans surely couldn't be leading such a huge and varied group of forces; the humans in their ranks were surely nothing but cannon fodder or emergency food.

The elder of Xuechi infused genetic energy into his voice and shouted, “I don't know what exactly happened, but I'll apologize on behalf of Xuechi.”

Yu Huantian snorted and likewise infused genetic energy into his voice.
He called back, “If apologies were meaningful, what's the point of having fists?”

Upon seeing that the invaders were unwilling to back down, the elder changed his tact.
“I don't know where you came from, but don't forget that this is a sura kingdom, the territory of a sura king! Once our king returns, you'll all be dead!”

Yu Huantian called back, “Do you really not know? Your king was the one who attacked Renhuang!”

Li Feng laughed coldly.
“And if you're still unaware, let me inform you that your so-called king has already been killed by the governor of Renhuang.”

Upon hearing that pronouncement, the sura fighters in the city began to chatter to each other.

“His highness is dead?”

“No wonder we haven't seen him even though the kingdom's in peril!”

“In that case, who's going to stop these invaders?!”