Beyond the Apocalypse
Chapter 701: New base

Chapter 701: New base

Fang’s lack of wisdom meant he was currently incapable of cultivating in the traditional sense. He could only rely on his innate talent to grow stronger, which placed a natural cap on the speed and extent of his growth.

While this limitation was somewhat disappointing, Vlad didn’t let it sour his outlook. Instead, he smiled, choosing to focus on the bright side.

They had a powerful ally on their side—one who had already proven himself a valuable force on the battlefield. Even if it would take time for Fang to develop true intelligence, his raw might and beastly instincts were more than enough to make him a devastating asset in the battles to come.

"Understood," Vlad said, turning to the small yellow cat. "Then continue deepening your bond with him. There’s no point in forcing cultivation before he develops sentience. Focus on nurturing his potential and give him all the nourishment he needs to grow strong."

Jormungandr nodded firmly, already formulating a long-term plan for the T-Rex’s development. He understood his role clearly and had every intention of guiding Fang to his full potential.

With that, and all matters finally resolved, Vlad waved his hand. A silent gesture of dismissal. The three Sky Seed Depravitas—Jormungandr, Ouroboros, and Fafnir—nodded respectfully and left the room without further words.

Alone at last, Vlad exhaled and steadied his breathing. It was time to focus inward once more.

"A.I. Chip," he said calmly, "scan me."

Immediately, the robotic voice echoed in his mind:

[Host stats have risen exponentially due to evolution into a True Depravita. The previous baseline is no longer effective for accurate measurement. Does the host approve the use of the True Depravita baseline for recalculating stats?]

A glint of understanding flickered in Vlad’s eyes. Once values reached a certain magnitude, they lost practical context. Saying his strength was four hundred times that of a Level 1 warrior meant little. Claiming it was six hundred times stronger wasn’t much more informative.

What mattered now was relativity—and the True Depravita baseline provided the ideal point of reference.

True Depravitas were beings born into the Legendary Realm. Using them as the measuring stick made far more sense now that he had become one himself.

"Go ahead," Vlad responded with a nod.

[Beep! Scanning the Host...

Name: Vlad Xaos

Race: True Depravita

Class: Depravita

Level (Energy): 20 → 21

Level (Body): 22

Lineage: Endless Horizon Monarch (Legendary Tier)

Life Level: High Legend Tier

...

Stats:

Strength: 0.6

Agility: 0.3

Vitality: 0.9

Energy Pool (Depravita Aura): 0.3

Soul Force: 1.0

...

Seal of Sin: Skin of Wrath

...

Racial Skills:

– Will of Wrath

– Eyes of Wrath

...

Bloodline Ability:

– Sphere of Spatial Domain

...

Gift:

– Samsara Typhoon]

A thoughtful, pleased smile formed on Vlad’s face as he reviewed the results. Before the recalibration, his stats had been in the hundreds. Now, none of them reached even a full 1.0 point.

For some, that might have been a hit to the ego—but Vlad understood the context. His energy pool and body hadn’t yet broken into the Legendary tier, still lingering just below the threshold.

A True Depravita was born in the Legendary Realm. He had ascended into it, but hadn’t yet completed the physical transformation. It made sense his body hadn’t yet reached the base level expected of a native-born being of such rank.

And yet, the news was far from disappointing.

His Life Level had leaped from Sage to High Legend, skipping two entire ranks. That alone was proof of his immense growth. More importantly, his Soul Force had reached the 1.0 mark, aligning him with the baseline of a True Depravita in soul quality.

That milestone came with a multitude of benefits—but most notably, it meant there was now nothing blocking his progression into the Legendary Realm aside from time and cultivation.

"My body is already on the verge of breaking through," Vlad murmured, eyes glowing with determination. "If I stay focused and push myself, I’ll achieve a Legendary Body within a month."

That kind of advancement would significantly shift the balance of future battles. With an enhanced body forged at the Legendary tier, the battles would tilt further in their favor.

Shifting his gaze to the miscellaneous section of the scan, Vlad noted a key detail: he was no longer classified as a hybrid. He was a full-fledged Depravita now—his transformation complete.

But perhaps the most telling change was the disappearance of his former class title: Demon Soul Master.

"The Demon Soul and my Sage Abilities... they were consumed by the Depravita Star when it forged my Seal of Sin," Vlad muttered. "I had already planned to evolve past them, so it doesn’t matter much."

His voice held no regret. He had shed what he needed to, and the path forward was clear.

After a brief moment of silence, Vlad waved his hand and summoned his legendary runic pen along with an assortment of high-grade runic crafting materials.

"It’s time to forge the Legendary Demon Cage."

With his soul force now strengthened and his energy pool refined into pure Depravita Aura, he was finally ready. This was a crucial breakthrough he had postponed for too long. He intended to complete the forging before the arrival of the six Legendary Demon Souls Elder Damian had promised.

Fully prepared to immerse himself in the delicate and intricate work ahead, Vlad began arranging his materials—when suddenly, his senses alerted him.

Three presences.

Approaching his residence, their footsteps confident, their auras familiar—but not welcome.

This wasn’t the return of the Sky Seed Depravitas.

No, this was a different trio entirely. One with whom Vlad shared a complicated and rather sour history.

Valeria. Scipius. Cato.

He sighed, lowering the runic pen.

While they had technically fought alongside him as part of the Korokor Stronghold’s forces, there had never been warmth between them. Their alliance was born out of necessity, not friendship. Especially after what had happened during the Dino People Secret Plane incident, and how the women had attempted to use the Legend of the Zanis Family to end his