Bright flashes of light followed by ear-splitting explosions continued to ring out in the surroundings while Hao Xuan was busy relishing the intoxicating sensation from having absorbed the golden spirit crystal.
The previous perceptions of emptiness and frailty that were running rampant across his body had disappeared altogether, replaced by a bloating sensation from having overindulged just a little too much.
At least his physical body was more or less back to normal, if not at full strength.
Hao Xuan stared at his hands in disbelief. They finally looked and felt like his own now and not those of a stranger.
This feeling of intensity that was so familiar yet so foreign at the same time, "I missed this" he couldn't help himself from mumbling out loud.
He could even feel some Qi rattling around inside his body. It was barely 5-6% of what he could have in total but it was still better than nothing at all.
'If I can find some more of these crystals, restoring my Qi won't be a problem!' he concluded thinking about the other pits around him.
He had tried absorbing the spiritual energy from the surroundings on two different occasions after entering the Pyramid but it was much harder for him now after creating the Chaos Law.
As soon as the energy entered the body, he would completely lose control over and it would go berserk, either running amok inside his body or dissipating outwards.
"AAAH!"
"ARGH! HOLD ON! Can you guys hear me?!"
Some screams followed by the sounds of even louder explosions came from nearby, sending tremors the ground and waking Hao Xuan from his stupor.
He peeked his head out of the pit and glanced around. Of the 16 barbarians that had entered the Pyramid including Burak, one had died by Hao Xuan's hands and from the looks of it, another one met the same fate.
Well, not exactly the same since his upper body completely evaporated, leaving only his legs behind that were still cemented onto the ground. Everything else was gone.
To the side Burak was already down on his knees, his shield was now half its original size and the part Hao Xuan was carrying was also full of cracks, on the verge of breaking down.
Instead of retreating to safety, he had even managed to find three other barbarians and give them cover without being able to see or hear anything, all the while dodging the random lightning strikes and the miasma.
This entire tract of land around Hao Xuan for as far as the eye could see was covered in a fast-moving yellow gas-like substance that sometimes resembled a liquid. It constantly changed forms while moving through the air at breakneck speeds.
It even passed through objects, leaving behind large messy marks where nothing living could take root. Some of the bigger barbarians including Isak that were unfortunate enough to come into direct contact with this substance looked sick and pale as ghosts, clutching the affected area in utter agony.
Hao Xuan extended his hand outside the pit and felt the temperature rise by tens of degrees, as did the radiation. A cloud of miasma passed by his hand.
The small meter on the bottom right side of his vision jumped from Level 1 to 8 at once.
A prickling sensation came with it but Hao Xuan was more focused on what was happening inside his body. The copious amounts of radiation that could kill normal individuals in a matter of minutes was a welcome source of nutrition for his starving physique.
Because after all, it was a type of energy too. The miasma was too concentrated and didn't seem as simple so he couldn't absorb it but the ambient radiation in the air wasn't exceedingly toxic to handle.
As long as Hao Xuan focused a portion of his mind on absorbing this fallout, it would not do him any harm, at least not in the short term.
Hao Xuan picked up what was left of Burak's shield and climbed out of the pit. The shield was made of internal energy brought into physical form by Burak so it was able to block the yellow miasma that could pass through ordinary matter.
Hao Xuan blocked as much of it as he could and absorbed the rest while moving towards Burak.
He tapped on the Barbarian Prince's shoulder, "Come with me…I will take you to safety!"
Burak who wasn't expecting Hao Xuan to return was obviously quite shocked at first but then he became angry.
"HUMAN! Why did you come back?!" Burak roared.
"I can help…your subordinates…and you. Trust me…come, I will guide you!"
As long as Burak was able to power the shield, Hao Xuan could move around the surface with 'relative' ease. It was much easier for him since he was still able to see.
Burak was conflicted at first but Hao Xuan convinced him fairly easily that this was the best solution.. He told him that he needed his shield and as long as he could maintain its shape and size, Hao Xuan will do his best to bring out all the remaining Barbarians.
