Chapter 36: A Ruthless Kill

The Tree of Life was the "god" that organization sought to cultivate—the one true deity meant to rule over all totem creatures. Building a web spanning the globe was merely one of its myriad abilities; as the sole true god, it would command the essence of every living thing, including totems. Its greatest function was to assist in mastering totems, enabling its wielder to control five times, even ten times, more totems than usual!

Ordinarily, a typical Spirit Binder could own one primary totem and two or three auxiliary ones. Those with extraordinary talent might manage up to five auxiliaries. Yet, with this treasure, even the most mediocre Spirit Binder could wield more than twenty totems!

In the late stages of the war, that organization used this divine artifact to command a terrifying army of totems, unleashing massive beast hordes to confront the other two factions alone, until a handful of protagonists rose to power and ultimately crushed them.

Now, this precious artifact had come into his possession. Stranger still, the modulator had instantly granted him mastery over its use, allowing him to successfully transform an ordinary beast into a "half-totem."

With an eighty percent success rate, he used his last remaining evolution point without hesitation. With odds so high, if he wasn’t willing to gamble, he might as well stretch out his neck and let someone else finish him off!

Infused with the evolution point, the once adorable little lizard abruptly morphed into a ferocious monster, its shape somewhat reminiscent of a Komodo dragon. Yet its jaws bore the sharp teeth of a crocodile, and its body was covered in densely packed black scales that gleamed with a metallic chill under the fluorescent light.

“How is this possible!” Neil’s eyes widened, unable to believe that an ordinary beast could swell so monstrously in an instant.

It was absurd—a beast evolving in mere seconds? What kind of heaven-defying treasure was this!

“Ah, this really is a treasure,” Charles remarked, stroking the giant lizard’s head.

The enormous, menacing creature acted like a spoiled puppy, lowering its head to nuzzle his hand, its thick tail swaying energetically, thumping against tree trunks with resounding crashes.

Charles stood, his face twisted in a chilling smile. “Neil, this artifact seems quite impressive. Would you care to try it yourself?”

“No, thank you. I’ll go look for my sister,” Neil replied, immediately realizing Charles intended to silence him. Without a second thought, he turned and fled.

This totem had clearly completed its evolution—Neil stood no chance. To stay would mean certain death.

“Stay, wouldn’t it be better together?” Charles would never allow him to escape. If Neil managed to get away and spread the word, it would bring fatal calamity upon him.

Given the Tree of Life’s child seed’s extraordinary utility, countless people would covet it, attracting not only second-tier but even ultimate third-tier Spirit Binders—such a thing was hardly rare.

He watched Neil’s retreating figure and coldly issued his command: “Activate the ability!”

The giant lizard promptly spun around, a faint gray-white glow flickering about its head, and its massive bulk suddenly lunged forward, crashing headlong into Neil.

“Innate Ability—Savage Charge!”

Boom!

Neil was sent flying, tossed like a rag doll several meters before smashing into a tree.

The gray-white guardian spirit light around him shattered instantly, unable to withstand the brutal impact, leaving him badly injured.

“Savage Charge: Komodo dragons move slowly, but when hunting, they can gather all their strength to unleash a high-speed charge, crippling their prey in one blow!”

This was how the White Spirit interface described the lizard’s ability, allowing Charles to understand its powers immediately and launch the most effective assault.

Neil’s shoulder perched a colorful little bird, which screamed and swooped onto the giant lizard’s head, its sharp claws trying to tear at the scales.

Yet the thick scales were impenetrable—the bird nearly got bitten, lost a handful of feathers, and scrambled away to Neil’s side.

The balance of power had shifted in an instant. Charles strolled over calmly, smiling. “Brother, why are you hiding from me? Can’t we talk it through?”

“Charles, you and I have no grievance—why must you do this to me?” Neil’s lips bled, his face pale as paper, despair filling his eyes as the monstrous creature approached.

“Tsk, tsk. Weren’t you just trying to kill me a moment ago? Villains always die because they talk too much…” Charles grinned, his words bewildering Neil, then mercilessly ordered the giant lizard to pounce.

“My secret cannot be revealed to anyone. You’ll have to die for me!”

“Stop right there!”

Just then, a roar echoed from afar, another enormous, savage creature charging furiously toward them.

But Charles didn’t look back—he resolutely commanded the giant lizard forward. This man had to die, no matter who intervened!

If Neil escaped, his secret would be exposed—something he would never allow, even if it meant opposing the “protagonist.”

Whizz!

Suddenly, Charles heard a sharp whistle. A massive stone hurtled through the air, smashing into the giant lizard’s head, nearly knocking it over.

Charles turned, seeing the savage beast rear up, the stone clearly thrown by it, its strength astonishing.

No wonder it was destined to become the most violent divine beast in the future—even freshly evolved, its power far surpassed ordinary totems.

Realizing the opponent’s totem was much stronger than his own, Charles dared not hesitate. He willed the slightly dazed giant lizard to finish the fight quickly.

But fate was unkind. A butterfly, the size of a face basin, fluttered over, sprinkling shimmering light—beautiful, yet laced with deadly poison.

The giant lizard wavered, lacking a guardian spirit’s protection. However, its poison resistance was immense, having fed on poisonous insects; after evolution, this resistance grew even more formidable.

It shook off the effects almost instantly, then lunged and bit the approaching purple-winged butterfly, crushing it and swallowing it whole!

A pale white glow streamed from the lizard’s body, and Charles’s attribute bar showed his evolution points increase from 0.5 to 2.8!

With the primary totem slain, Cathy in the distance spat a mouthful of blood and collapsed, suffering severe mental trauma.

“Stop right now!” Roddy shouted angrily from afar.

Neil cried out desperately, “Roddy, he stole the organization’s treasure—it can make totems evolve instantly…”

But he never finished his sentence, as the giant lizard bit down on his head, crushing it in its jaws.