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Chapter 205

Refining the Demon Seed as Nourishment

Not long ago, the silver-haired demon youth had been exceedingly arrogant, his gaze cold and ruthless. Yet even though he had fled some distance, his body split cleanly in two, toppling to either side. "Ah..." His divine soul let out an anguished cry. His cleaved mouth still hung slightly agape, but no sound came forth. Shortly before, he had cleaved Su Junlin in two with his gleaming saber. Never had he imagined that he would soon experience this same agony and despair himself. His blood-soaked silver hair was drenched. Across both halves of his body, the two half-faces with their single eyes were filled with sheer terror. After a few choked gasps, he died. "Good riddance!" Gan Jincheng shouted excitedly from behind. His eyes were rimmed with red. He and Su Junlin had been close friends, yet he had been forced to watch him die, completely powerless to intervene. When Qin Ming swung his saber, it severed not only the flesh; the blazing, sun-like saber light cleaved the divine soul as well, leaving the silver-haired youth without the slightest chance of survival. "He cut him down... so quickly?!" Xiao Yaqin felt as if she were dreaming. Their five teams had faced these four demon youths here, only to suffer dead and wounded until their lines were completely shattered. That clash had been exceptionally brutal, and lingering fear still gripped her heart. Now she fully understood why Xin Youdao had so earnestly recommended this person to join their squad. Such skill was more than enough to shepherd and protect them. Across from them, the atmosphere was entirely different. The three demon youths were all tall and imposing, their expressions now thoroughly grim. Their companion had been hacked to death so swiftly and cleanly. "Fourth Brother!" they growled. The startling pools of blood on the ground cast a frost over their faces, exposing stark killing intent. Not long ago, they had butchered the human teams like cattle and sheep, yet in the blink of an eye, one of their own brothers had fallen. "You will join him in the grave!" the black-haired youth leading them declared, his gaze chilling enough to freeze over as he stared at the slender figure ahead as if looking at a dead man. The village was not small, paved with bluestone along its streets and flanked by rows of blue-brick, grey-tiled houses. Yet there were no residents; these were not houses of the real world. "Brother, why did you beat me to it!" Xiao Wu complained, somewhat disgruntled. He had already spoken up and announced he would attack, only for Brother Ming to charge right in. Behind them, Xiao Yaqin, Gan Jincheng, and the others were at a loss for words. When they had clashed with this pack of demons, it had been perilously grueling, yet these two were squabbling over who got to fight first? On the demons' side, the three youths wasted no more words on empty threats, instead responding with action. Amid metallic clatter, their armor vibrated like dragon scales. The black-haired youth stepped forward to take matters into his own hands. Nearly two meters tall, he made the ground crack beneath his tread, demonic qi swirling around him in an oppressive haze. Flanking him to the left and right, the blond youth and the grey-haired youth advanced as well. The three bore down together, killing intent billowing outward like three looming demon peaks. Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh! From behind, the demons perched on the rooftops leaped down. Some had bloodied shoulders or had been pierced by arrows, but none were dead. These demons were all in the second realm, true elites among their kind. Now they offered no words, intent solely on slaying their human foes, having already realized that the youth with the five-colored saber was especially dangerous. "Kill!" the leading black-haired youth roared. The horde of demons surged forward together, powerfully built and wielding terrifying strength. Some gripped long spears, others brandished greataxes, and still others carried spiked maces—each ferociously imposing. "Come on!" Xiao Wu yelled, charging forward barehanded. Qin Ming shot forward like an arrow from a drawn bow, surrounded by shifting five-colored mist. In an instant, his foot blasted the earth apart as he crashed ahead like lightning, unleashing his full might. "Attack together! Slay them!" Xin Youdao followed close behind. Liu Hanya, Jiang Ruoli, Xiao Yaqin, and Gan Jincheng did not hesitate either, all pressing forward. Since they had possessed the courage to stay, it was to lend aid; they had anticipated a bloody battle from the start. The black-haired youth gestured, directing the two demon youths beside him to intercept Xiao Wu and Qin Ming, while he rushed toward his earlier opponents, intending to slaughter them swiftly to avoid interference. At the same time, the demons behind him roared as they closed in. Qin Ming realized the danger. Gan Jincheng and the others behind him were already injured; if they clashed with the black-haired youth now, they would hardly escape death. With a resounding clang, he parried his opponent's heavy spear, five-colored light bursting forth. Slashing repeatedly to drive the demon back, he moved to intercept the black-haired youth. "Roar! Die!" A wolf-headed demon with a human body, standing over three meters tall and monstrously brawny, had earlier been shot through by Qin Ming's iron arrows. Now he swung a massive, heavy iron club straight down at him. Water vapor swirled as wind and thunder surged. Qin Ming blasted lightning toward the black-haired youth's back while his five-colored saber, wrapped in crackling electricity, met the wolf-headed demon. To his foe's horror, a single strike sheared the heavy iron club in two. Lightning surged along the weapon, electrocuting the wolf demon until every hair on his head stood on end, wrenching a wretched scream from him. Yet he was a second-realm demon after all; thick-skinned and tough-fleshed, he endured the blow without collapsing, while the blond youth beside him thrust forward with his spear to support him. With a whoosh, the black-haired youth swept his hand back to shatter the lightning, instantly spinning around to smash his spiked mace down at Qin Ming. In this split second, the demons and Qin Ming's group moved like lightning, clashing and colliding in rapid succession. The air filled with the snapping of weapons, lightning, fire, and hazy azure radiance as both sides fought with everything they had. Gan Jincheng groaned, while half of Xiao Yaqin's body was stained with blood. Though they had not engaged the three fiercest demon youths in the brief skirmish, their injuries had multiplied, leaving them swaying on their feet. Xiao Wu erupted with power, forcing his opponent back to come to their aid. The exhausted Xin Youdao gasped for breath, also retreating to support their companions. Qin Ming held the formidable enemies at bay, preventing them from advancing. He met the spiked mace head-on with his five-colored saber while thrusting his left fist toward the wolf-headed demon charging at him once more. Amid swirling clouds and billowing five-colored mist, his fist radiated an exceptionally brilliant glow. A bolt of thunder erupted, punching through the three-meter-tall wolf demon's protective demonic qi and blasting right through his torso. The wolf demon was ferocious. Bathed in blood, he cast aside his broken club and lunged forward with razor-sharp claws aimed at the youth. Yet the moment his palm-leaf-sized paw met Qin Ming's fist, it shattered inch by inch. As heavenly light force poured in like blazing sunlight, his entire arm blew apart, followed by half of his body. With a bloodcurdling shriek, the mangled remains of his body collapsed to the ground, dead beyond doubt. Earth qi surged beneath Qin Ming's feet, causing him to seem to float as he rose off the ground. With a swift whoosh, he leaped free of the encirclement and temporarily pulled back. With that, the two camps separated once more. Among the three demon youths, the grey-haired one bled profusely from his shoulder, having nearly been torn apart by Xiao Wu's rainbow light. Furthermore, Wu Yaozu had slain another demon while rescuing his allies. Gan Jincheng and Xiao Yaqin had suffered fresh wounds, but nothing fatal, whereas the demons had left two corpses behind. Qin Ming sheathed his saber and stood still, remarking, "Quite strong!" This was his genuine thought and impression. After all, having gained insight into the new silk book method, his heavenly light force had grown even more formidable, marking an obvious leap in his combat strength. Under such circumstances, when he had gone all out to kill, the enemy had still managed to trade several head-on blows with him—an extraordinary feat. Yet to the ears of others, his words carried an entirely different flavor. *Is that supposed to be praise?* Gan Jincheng wondered in disbelief. Divine radiance danced in Jiang Ruoli's beautiful eyes as she looked at his back. She sensed that this unfathomable youth was genuinely marveling at them, so why did it feel dripping with mockery? Xin Youdao understood full well that Qin Ming's cultivation had progressed yet again, making him even more frightening than when he had clashed with Ling Yu. The five-colored saber that once drifted like smoke had grown increasingly solid. On the demons' side, aside from the three youths, only a bull demon and an eagle demon remained. Though reduced to just five members, they were all established in the second realm and remained a formidable force. Their eyes were hostile. They had suffered a severe setback this time, losing companions one after another, and the two newcomers were each more troublesome than the last. Xiao Wu spoke up: "What's the fun in a messy brawl? Let the wounded step back, and we'll duel one-on-one. In the end, it'll come down to a decisive showdown between us anyway!" Then, fixing his gaze on the other side, he said, "Grey-hair, do you dare keep fighting me?" Blood dripped from the grey-haired youth's shoulder. He tipped back and drank a jar of golden blood, causing the wound to knit together at a pace visible to the naked eye, his physical condition surging to an unprecedented peak. Then he looked toward the black-haired youth. "Eldest Brother, something isn't right today. Let me engage him in earnest first to gauge just how strong they are. You act according to how things unfold." His tone turning icy, the grey-haired youth glared at Xiao Wu. "Baldy, no matter what, you will never leave this secret realm alive. Unless seniors come in to guide you out, death is your only certainty!" Xiao Wu was caught completely off guard. He touched his head, then flew into a rage. It was just a short crop of hair, yet someone had the nerve to slander him like that? In an instant, he and the grey-haired youth clashed in battle. The grey-haired youth was ferocious. Wielding a giant axe with astonishing might, his axe light flashed with thunderous roars. As the scion of a high-tier outlier who had walked the second realm for over two years, his cultivation ran deep. Yet the rainbow light between Xiao Wu's hands crackled like lightning, capable of meeting the giant axe head-on while deflecting its force. He was fully capable of contending against this dreadful second-realm demon. "The demons renowned across the plateau are nothing more than this," Xiao Wu mocked. Moments later, his rainbow light boiled over; every palm strike he delivered unleashed beams of rainbow radiance inscribed with runes. The giant axe was pierced through and shattered, sending the grey-haired youth stumbling backward. Without hesitation, the black-haired youth crushed a blood crystal in his hand. Instantly, a blinding crimson glow shot high into the sky, lingering without dispersing. At the same time, he charged toward Xiao Wu, and the blond youth beside him surged forward as well, spear in hand. Qin Ming realized the danger. Gan Jincheng and the others behind him were already injured; if they clashed with the black-haired youth now, they would hardly escape death. With a resounding clang, he parried his opponent's heavy spear, five-colored light bursting forth. Slashing repeatedly to drive the demon back, he moved to intercept the black-haired youth. "Roar! Die!" A wolf-headed demon with a human body, standing over three meters tall and monstrously brawny, had earlier been shot through by Qin Ming's iron arrows. Now he swung a massive, heavy iron club straight down at him. Water vapor swirled as wind and thunder surged. Qin Ming blasted lightning toward the black-haired youth's back while his five-colored saber, wrapped in crackling electricity, met the wolf-headed demon. To his foe's horror, a single strike sheared the heavy iron club in two. Lightning surged along the weapon, electrocuting the wolf demon until every hair on his head stood on end, wrenching a wretched scream from him. Yet he was a second-realm demon after all; thick-skinned and tough-fleshed, he endured the blow without collapsing, while the blond youth beside him thrust forward with his spear to support him. With a whoosh, the black-haired youth swept his hand back to shatter the lightning, instantly spinning around to smash his spiked mace down at Qin Ming. In this split second, the demons and Qin Ming's group moved like lightning, clashing and colliding in rapid succession. The air filled with the snapping of weapons, lightning, fire, and hazy azure radiance as both sides fought with everything they had. Gan Jincheng groaned, while half of Xiao Yaqin's body was stained with blood. Though they had not engaged the three fiercest demon youths in the brief skirmish, their injuries had multiplied, leaving them swaying on their feet. The black-haired youth sneered, "Did you understand? That's right, I said it deliberately for your ears. After all, those people are my rivals too. When you cross paths with them, no matter who dies, the outcome works out fine for me." As for now, he still held an overbearing demeanor; he merely sensed that the situation had turned unfavorable and had swallowed his pride to signal his competitors in this area ahead of time. "Come! It's not yet decided who will die here!" he roared. By this point, Qin Ming and Xiao Wu spoke no more. Facing formidable second-realm foes, both pushed their strength to the peak. In an instant, a streak of rainbow light resembled a sword unsheathed, relentlessly cleaving forward. "Ah..." The heavily injured grey-robed youth screamed as a large chunk of flesh was shorn from his right arm, baring the bone beneath. At the same time, Qin Ming seemed like a five-colored divine wheel soaring across the sky. His fist radiated blinding brilliance, and his five-colored saber was soul-chilling as he intercepted the other two opponents on his own. "Go help Third Brother!" the black-haired youth barked, wielding his spiked mace against Qin Ming while ordering the blond youth to assist on the other flank. Instantly, chaos erupted once more as five figures flashed past, exchanging lightning-fast blows. Xin Youdao watched with undivided attention, deeply moved. This was a true clash of masters; he had to step into the second realm as soon as possible. Liu Hanya, Gan Jincheng, and the others were shaken to their core. The four demon youths had routed several of their squads, yet now two youths were holding off the three demon prodigies alone. The contrast sent huge waves crashing through their hearts. Qin Ming found that the black-haired youth was indeed formidable, fully worthy of being someone with a chance of becoming a demon seed. He exchanged relentless blows with Qin Ming, his spiked mace thick with black light as it swept through the air again and again. Qin Ming did not even know how many Outer Sages he had slain by now, yet the demon youth before him was a tough nut to crack, an exceptionally capable combatant. Even so, while fighting this youth, he managed to pin down the blond youth at the same time. "Ah..." On the other side, Xiao Wu's opponent screamed again as Xiao Wu's rainbow light tore one of his arms clean off, sending blood gushing forth. The black-haired youth's spiked mace erupted like a black sun, attempting to blast Qin Ming back so he could personally charge over to save him. Beside him, the spear-wielding blond demon also roared, doing everything he could to break free of Qin Ming's attack radius and dash over. "You aren't going anywhere!" Qin Ming's sun-like fist light carried adhesive force, latching onto both of their weapons and pulling them toward himself. With a wet squelch, Xiao Wu struck home; the rainbow light shot forth like a divine sword, cleaving his one-armed foe diagonally across the shoulder. At the same moment, Qin Ming ceased using his heavenly light force for binding; releasing both opponents, he struck with lethal force. As Xiao Wu drew near, Qin Ming's fist light shattered the blond youth's spear, and his five-colored saber plunged straight into the demon's chest. On the other side, the black-haired youth was shocked and furious. He was briefly intercepted by Xiao Wu, only to see yet another companion on the verge of death. With an enraged roar, he charged. Qin Ming did not bother with a finishing blow, turning instead to meet him. Xiao Wu closed the distance instantly and clashed with the blond youth. The wound in the latter's chest was already pierced through from front to back, his heart pierced by the five-colored saber. The moment he exerted strength, blood spurted wildly from his chest. Squelch! Xiao Wu severed his head, ending his life completely. The black-haired youth howled. He wished nothing more than to execute Qin Ming on the spot, but he knew with certainty that he could not overcome this human youth. He had exerted his utmost strength, yet had still fallen into a disadvantage. Qin Ming remained expressionless. Several bloody corpses of human youths lay on the ground; belonging to opposing factions, no amount of resentment on the demon's part mattered. Slaying him was the only course! The black-haired youth shouted to the bull demon and eagle demon nearby: "Hurry and flee!" "Where do you think you're going!" Xiao Wu charged toward them. Qin Ming swung his saber repeatedly, his fist light streaking across the air like lightning. In mere moments, he and the black-robed youth clashed nearly a hundred times until the spiked mace was blasted to smithereens. Moreover, his fist radiance repeatedly shattered the other's demonic qi, severely damaging his physical body. With another punch, Qin Ming knocked the black-haired youth flying. His chest caved in, multiple bones fractured, and he crashed onto the ground. Nearby, the eagle demon spread its wings and surged toward the high sky. Temporarily turning away from the black-haired youth, Qin Ming drew his bow and unleashed arrows. Amid continuous thuds, none of his shots missed; even ordinary iron arrows, backed by sufficient power, punched straight through his target. Then he hurled a spear. With a thud, it pinned the eagle demon dead in midair. In the distance, Xiao Wu also decapitated the bull demon. Suddenly, an unexpected change occurred: the black-haired youth silently transformed, turning into a black-furred ferocious beast with a tiger's head, a bird's body, dragon claws, and bat wings. Like black lightning, he shot into the sky. High-tier outliers could maintain human form even after death, just like the previous three demon youths. Now, the black-haired youth had voluntarily reverted to his true form in an attempt to flee. Qin Ming retrieved spears from the ground and hurled them consecutively. Two clearly pierced him, causing his body to wobble violently as he nearly lost balance and plummeted a distance. Yet he stabilized himself and ascended once more. "He's getting away!" Xiao Wu groaned in frustration, feeling they had blundered and should have teamed up earlier to finish the black-haired youth off. Behind them, Jiang Ruoli, Liu Hanya, and the others paled. For the strongest young demon to escape would be catastrophic. Qin Ming unslung his large silver bow, drew out jade iron arrows, and aimed them into the night sky, releasing them in rapid succession. Terrifying beams of light pierced the night like comets, shooting from the ground into the heavens. These jade iron arrows could carry Qin Ming's heavenly light with them! With a wet thud, blood splattered across the night sky. The black-haired youth let out a muffled groan; despite dodging at top speed, he had still been struck. Moreover, no matter how he mobilized his demonic qi to resist the arrows embedded in his flesh, they still inflicted terrifying wounds, the heavenly light threatening to tear him apart. Thud! Thud! Qin Ming loosed arrow after arrow. After five shots, the black beast plummeted from the night sky, trailing a shower of blood. "Ah..." he roared in utter indignation. He couldn't even escape like this? He should have had an eighty percent chance of getting away, yet he had been critically injured and shot down. He reverted to human form, his body shrinking back, retaining only his black bat wings. At the same time, he produced a jar of golden medicinal fluid and poured it into his mouth. In an instant, his aura skyrocketed, and the wounds across his body began to disappear. He beat his wings anew, seeking to vanish into the sky. This time, Qin Ming did not even use his bow. While the demon had been falling rapidly, Qin Ming had already leaped onto a rooftop, and the demon was now barely ten-odd meters above the ground. Now, just as the black-haired youth stabilized himself and flapped his wings to flee, he discovered that the human youth had sprinted across the rooftops and leaped high into the air, arriving right before him. With a sharp hiss, the five-colored divine wheel around Qin Ming vanished as all of his five-colored heavenly light force converged into the long saber in his hand, cleaving toward midair. No matter how the demonic qi inside the black-haired youth surged, he could not stop the strike. He was already wounded, and the golden fluid could not immediately heal his internal organs, which had been battered earlier by Qin Ming's fist light. Despair washed over him now. Roaring, he blocked with his wings and dragon claws. With a wet slash, blood rained down. The black-robed youth was severed at the waist by the five-colored saber, his wings shattered as blood sprayed across the sky. His body split into two halves and tumbled toward the ground. Qin Ming drifted down, earth qi rising beneath him as if carrying him aloft, allowing him to alight silently upon the ground. "Never would I have thought... that I'd end up like this. But even if you kill me, you won't survive either," the black-haired youth gasped, consumed by bitter indignation. He was actually going to die such a miserable death at the hands of a human boy. Earth qi surged beneath Qin Ming's feet as he retrieved his jade iron arrows with metallic chimes. Clearly, the black-haired youth could not survive; having been cleaved at the waist, his life force was draining away rapidly. Qin Ming's fist glowed, dazzling like the blazing sun. Worried that some remnant of the demon's divine soul might linger, he prepared to use his unique heavenly light force to eliminate any future trouble once and for all. "Heh, fine. I am indeed going to die, but you can wait for your death as well." Desperate, the black-haired youth gasped out in his final moments: "The fragmented 'gift'... is yours! Haha, just wait for the others to come knocking!" Inside his body, a black light thrashed violently; with his life force waning, he could no longer suppress it. With a boom, Qin Ming punched out, blasting the black-haired youth to pieces and ending his life entirely. Yet that black light flew out without dissipating, shooting straight toward Qin Ming. "Hm?" He swung his five-colored saber downward, cleaving it apart. However, it swiftly reassembled and continued flying toward him. Qin Ming dodged at top speed, but it clung to him like a shadow. Even when he blasted it apart with his sun-like heavenly light force, it coalesced again, persistently entangling him until it sank into his flesh. "What's going on?" Xiao Wu fretted anxiously, but could do nothing; his earlier attempt to guide the black light away with his rainbow radiance had failed completely. Xin Youdao looked grave. "I never imagined the competition for the demon seed among the demons would be so complicated. Rumors say that demons who show promise of becoming a demon seed receive certain 'gifts' in advance—things like what we just saw. Whoever kills them will have that gift transferred onto them." The one who ultimately became the demon seed would naturally receive numerous "gifts." Liu Hanya said, "Some say this gift is actually the residual essence left behind by former demon seeds who perished, also known as a fragmented demon seed." Based in the Kunling territory and being a senior from the previous cohort, she naturally understood this plateau and had heard of such matters. Liu Hanya cautioned, "Within the same territory, others bearing fragmented demon seeds will sense it and can track us down here!" This was dreadfully bad news. Not long ago, the black-haired youth had released a sky-piercing crimson beacon to summon help from the other contenders. Coupled with the aura resonance of the fragmented demon seed, formidable enemies were certain to be drawn here. "Can you conceal it?" Xin Youdao asked. Those contenders, much like the black-haired youth earlier, would usually suppress it with all their might to keep others from sensing the demon seed and prevent rivals from coming to hunt them. "Not for now!" Qin Ming frowned. Circulating his heavenly light force to extract and refine it, he felt that he could wear it away, but it would require an exceedingly long time. In the process, it was actually corroding his flesh. Those titled demon seeds on the demonic path were equivalent to near-immortal seeds on the immortal path—both supremely formidable figures. "We must leave here quickly!" Jiang Ruoli urged. Even stronger demon teams might appear before long. The human senior elders pioneering the plateau had recently secured parts of the territory, completely unaware that several demon youth squads competing for the demon seed title lingered within this secret realm, lurking in concealment. Gan Jincheng, Xiao Yaqin, and the others swiftly gathered healing medicines from the fallen peers on the ground, pouring them into their mouths. In the village, there were luminous granaries, but their contents had been devoured clean by the black-haired youth. Presumably, those were the fortunes of this place, carrying a certain chance of mutating demon bloodlines. In the short term, that peculiar grain could not reappear, requiring several years of accumulation before producing more. Speeding through the dense forest, Qin Ming's skin suddenly split open without warning, bathed in fresh blood. "Is the demon seed wreaking havoc?!" Xiao Wu asked with concern. Qin Ming frowned. He was expelling the demon seed. His peerless heavenly light force could indeed refine this demon seed, but progress was slow, requiring time to grind it down, and his flesh was tearing apart in the process. "All of you should leave. Don't follow me; other demon seeds might come hunting soon!" Qin Ming said to Xin Youdao and the others. Xin Youdao shook his head. "Our injuries have largely recovered. No matter what, we can still lend a hand!" "Indeed. If we were to abandon you now, what kind of people would we be? You came to save us; how could we just walk away?" Jiang Ruoli chimed in. The others echoed her, saying they would help him fend off any other demons. At that critical juncture earlier, these youths had had the chance to flee, yet they had turned back in the end. They truly had a sense of honor and the hot-blooded spirit of youth. At this moment, Qin Ming's skin burst open repeatedly, leaving him a mangled, bloody sight that was terrifying to behold. "Brother!" Xiao Wu clenched his fists, powerless to help. With demons liable to attack at any second and Qin Ming in such dire straits, the atmosphere grew heavy and suffocating. "Hm?!" Just as Qin Ming was expelling the demon seed and his flesh was tearing apart, a peculiar art stirred unexpectedly, astonishing him. It was the Dragon Snake Scripture, now remarkably active! After sensing it carefully, he smiled and said, "It's not a bad thing. Let those demon seeds come as they please!" Refining the demon seed with his heavenly light force as his flesh ruptured mirrored the scene depicted in the Dragon Snake Scripture: for a mortal snake to transform into a dragon, tribulation was inevitable—flesh must break, and life must pave the way before one could hope to cross the heavenly chasm and elevate one's level of existence. Qin Ming realized that it wasn't his own body that needed to shatter to achieve this metamorphosis; rather, as he refined the demon seed, the Dragon Snake Art stirred of its own accord, seeking to absorb it and turn it into nourishment. "From snake to dragon." He pondered. The Dragon Snake Scripture might have originated from demons, but humans could cultivate it as well. Therefore, once he crushed and refined this demon seed, he could turn it to his own use. As time passed, he discovered that his Dragon Snake force was growing stronger! "How wondrous!" Qin Ming was amazed. In the past, any force method required absorbing heavenly light to grow rapidly. Now, it was entirely possible that he wouldn't need heavenly light at all to cultivate the Dragon Snake Scripture to great attainment! He even wondered whether his ninth Newborn transformation could rely on his own metamorphosis to cross that hurdle and complete his most crucial nirvana.