World Force continued pouring into the small island in droves, nearly shattering it to pieces. If it wasn't for Tang Lingzi's Divine Power, the place would've already fallen to the surface.
Damien stood in the air, his body being invaded by the World Force in an extremely chaotic manner. If it wasn't for his Void Physique regulating the incoming energy and making it more compatible with him, Damien's body would've long exploded.
And because the Void Physique made Damien's intake limit nigh-infinite, the World Force vortex swirling around him only continued to increase in size.
'Hoo…this is…'
Even though he looked unconscious, Damien's mind was still working at full power. Along with the World Force, he was receiving countless insights about various things.
That's right. There was no need for Damien to remain clueless about everything anymore. Since he was connected with Yun, a World Core that had been alive for tens of thousands of years, he had access to a massive library of knowledge.
If he were to remain ignorant even after having access to this level of information, it would be his own fault for being too stupid to understand his abilities.
And because he was finally able to realize his idiocy, the first thing Damien did was enter that library and begin taking in all the relevant information it held.
Disregarding most history-related facts and things that would only affect the Cloud Plane, Damien absorbed everything from information on the previous Great War to battles of experts which he could watch to gain insight. Most of all, though, he focused on general knowledge about the wider universe.
His knowledge of the Sectors, the Abyss, even the Heavenly World that was only mentioned in rumors, all of it increased exponentially. And at the same time…
[Your Legend has been greatly advanced.]
[Your Legend has been greatly advanced.]
[You have acquired the title, [Heaven's Wrath] through spreading your Legend.]
[You have received Partial Acknowledgment.]
A flurry of system notifications flashed across his vision. Although Damien was still unaware of what a Legend signified, he could understand the latter two notifications.
He could feel the power coursing through his body after receiving the Heaven's Wrath title. His lightning had been strengthened by manyfold. As for the final notification…
The World Force vortex encasing Damien's body slowly diminished until no trace of it remained in the atmosphere. Damien's floating body also descended to the ground.
"Phew…" Tang Lingzi sighed in relief. Luckily, her little paradise didn't get destroyed. But, the circumstance she just witnessed was far too odd to just let go.
"What have you done?" She questioned in a small voice. It seemed like all her dignity and playfulness vanished. Neither of the personalities she had previously shown Damien were in front of him right now.
Instead, Tang Lingzi was completely subservient.
Damien looked at this new version of her curiously. He couldn't understand why this Demigod would act anywhere close to subservient to him, who was far weaker than her.
He looked into Tang Lingzi's eyes and finally noticed something off. Her gaze wasn't necessarily focused on him, it was more like she was enamored with just his presence.
The thought suddenly clicked in Damien's mind.
World Force was a strange energy that wasn't mana at all, but at the same time was like the purest kind of mana. Even though it differed from Divine Power, it was an energy on a similar or even greater level.
And just now he had been baptized in that energy. His overflowing aura wasn't something anyone could resist, at least not while they were on the Cloud Plane.
'But that doesn't mean I'm invincible.' Damien thought as he retracted his aura. 'It shouldn't be hard for Tang Lingzi to break out of this state if she tries, no matter how much World Force I can utilize, my control will still be reflective of my own abilities. Subduing a Demigod is still far away.'
But unlike what he expected, Tang Lingzi didn't immediately break out of her dazed state. Instead, she stared at him with a hungry look in her eyes. Out of nowhere, two fox ears and nine tails appeared on her body.
Damien raised his brow in confusion. "What was that for?"
He already knew Tang Lingzi wasn't human, since she often referred to humans by their species name, but he didn't know why she suddenly showed her ears and tail. There was no point to it.
Tang Lingzi's eyes finally cleared up after hearing his question. "Hm? Oh, this? It's just something that happens when I get too excited. Don't mind it."
Tang Lingzi returned her attention to Damien's body and slowly crept forward. "Not only were you able to receive a Partial Baptism with such weak strength, you were able to overcome it and take 100% of what it had to offer. This body is incredibly special…"
Her words trailed off, a hint of drool dripping down her chin and falling in between her voluptuous breasts. Although the sight would've been seductive in any other situation, Damien couldn't feel the slightest bit of arousal.
'She will devour me.' He thought instantly. And he wasn't talking sexually at all. No, Tang Lingzi's eyes looked like she was going to cut him open and devour all his secrets. That wasn't the expression of a woman, but that of a mad scientist.
'I need to leave expeditiously.'
Damien backed away from the voracious Tang Lingzi slowly, spreading his awareness as he did so. The second he did, he smiled widely.
"Well then, Sister Lingzi, I hope to see you again later!"
His body began to disappear. Due to the World Force Baptism from earlier, the defenses that trapped him on the island had weakened considerably.
Seeing his movements, Tang Lingzi's eyes cleared up. "Wait! Where are you going?!"
Damien rolled his eyes. "Didn't I already tell you? I'm a busy man making big moves. I don't have time to sit here idly. Anyway, I'll be going now. Tell your cute disciple I said hi!"
As his final word fell, Damien's body completely vanished from the floating island. Left alone, Tang Lingzi blankly stared into space.
And out of nowhere, she broke out into a fit of giggles.
"This kid…is quite interesting." She spoke to herself with a mysterious smile. "And he dares tease me? How audacious."
Even though she sounded offended, her smile never left her face. And with that same smile, she turned around and continued talking.
"My cute disciple, did you hear him? Why didn't you respond to his greetings?"
The bushes rustled in response to her words. The shadows they cast on the ground coagulated and formed the figure of a woman.
"Master…how can I face him like this? I'm afraid he won't see me the same way anymore."
Tang Lingzi rolled her eyes. "You always say the same thing, but have you really committed any crime against him? Haa…you are far too stubborn."
The black-haired woman shook her head. "Even so, I cannot face him right now. Perhaps one day…"
Her gaze shifted to the horizon, looking in the direction that Damien most likely teleported.
As for her thoughts as she did so? They were only known to her.
