The system is four years ahead of schedule, but Weird is still a cub.

Chapter 561 God Statue

Based solely on the striking similarity between the "Black Blood Crystal" and the "Strange Energy Silkworm," Shen Ge could not possibly let go of the Black Mountain Base and the strange organization behind it.

No matter what, we must find a way to obtain the formula for "Black Blood Crystal".

The "Hunter" organization is mass-producing these "energy batteries" containing "special" power in an extremely cruel and efficient manner.

And the monster king underground might be the main consumer of these "batteries".

The "Hunter" organization wanted to achieve the effect of Shen Lin controlling the "Big Whale" through this method; in other words, this was a new type of technology.

“Master, according to York’s description, the ‘green glowing liquid’ is the key catalyst. Based on the phenomena he described, such as ‘forced fusion’ and ‘imparting activity,’ we initially infer that it may be a high-strength ‘life-active catalyst’ or ‘psychic fusion agent,’ which is definitely not a technological product that this primitive tribal world could possess,” Xiao Qi added.

Shen Ge understood that there was definitely a strange organization from the fragmented world behind this, using the spatial rifts and primitive tribes of the fragmented world to carry out inhumane experiments and resource plunder.

As Shen Ge pondered, the car bumped and jolted into the area of ​​the dilapidated low walls of the Stone Forest Tribe.

The afterglow of the setting sun cast an ominous crimson hue over the ruins, and the faint, burnt smell of the energy corrupted by the demonic power still lingered in the air.

As the survivors disembarked, they were overcome with grief upon seeing their destroyed homes, and many women and children began to sob quietly.

Chief Elder Shi, supported by his clansmen, came forward. Upon seeing York and the many rescued clansmen, tears welled up in his cloudy old eyes, and he was too moved to speak.

"Chief!" York's voice choked with emotion. He put Xiaoya down and quickly stepped forward to help the old man.

"It's good that you're back, it's good that you're back!" Chief Shi gripped York's arm tightly, his gaze sweeping over Shen Ge with gratitude and awe.

"Thank you...the messenger of the gods...for saving my clan..." the old stone clan chief said, kneeling down before Shen Ge with York's help.

Shen Ge didn't exchange many pleasantries. His gaze went straight past the crowd and landed on the "god statue" standing on the table in the center of the tribal tent.

The afterglow of the setting sun shone on the rough, ancient body of the stone statue... carrying a hint of eeriness and gloom.

"Elder Chief," Shen Ge's voice was calm yet carried an undeniable penetrating power, interrupting the joy and sorrow of everyone who had survived the ordeal, and continued, "Regarding this statue of the celestial deity you worship, do you know its true origin? Or rather, who was the first to tell you that it could accept offerings and provide protection?"

Shen Ge did not directly reveal the "truth" that York had mentioned earlier to the old Shi clan chief. Instead, he wanted to test how much the old Shi clan chief actually knew.

Chief Shi was taken aback, seemingly not expecting Shen Ge to suddenly ask this. The excitement on his face faded, replaced by recollection and a hint of confusion.

"The statue of the celestial deity... has been passed down from our ancestors... for a very, very long time, so long that the tribe's records are already blurred."

The old chieftain spoke slowly, his voice carrying the vicissitudes of time: "Legend has it... that after a massive cataclysmic event, a divine object fell from the sky and landed in the place where the tribe's ancestors lived. The ancestors discovered that as long as they offered fragments of 'heavenly stones'—finded from the depths of the wasteland and emitting strange light—along with some eerie flesh and bones, the area around the stone statue would become 'clean,' and those terrifying monsters would not dare to approach..."

"As for who exactly discovered it first, the tribe's ancient parchment scrolls only mention a 'prophet.' That prophet appeared shortly after the statues descended, taught the ancestors how to make offerings, and prophesied that the statues would protect the tribe, and then disappeared... and never appeared again."

prophet?

Shen Ge's eyes narrowed slightly.

It's that same vague "legend" and the sudden appearance of a "guide" again.

This method is remarkably similar to the signs he encountered in other fragmented worlds, where he was being secretly manipulated by Shen Lin and the strange organization!
"Do you know that the so-called 'Fragments of the Gods' are actually man-made Black Blood Crystals? The Black Mountain Base is where this stuff is refined," Shen Ge asked calmly.

Chief Shi opened his mouth as if he wanted to say something, but hesitated for a moment. Finally, he sighed and said, "At first, I didn't know. It wasn't until York and the others escaped from the Black Mountain base and brought back some 'ore' that was abundant there, and those black blood crystals were different from the fragments of the gods we found, some of which were not even fully refined and still showed traces of human remains, that I learned the truth."

“Celestial Messenger, I… I know what you’re thinking, but you’ve forgotten that we don’t have your strength. In this desert teeming with strange creatures, we’ve finally found a divine artifact that can dispel the evil spirits for us. How can we not worship it?”

“Messenger of the gods, look at them…” Chief Shi said, turning to look at the survivors in the tribe. The apocalypse had left its mark on them, making them look like refugees who had experienced war.

Shen Ge sighed. He could understand from the perspective of the old Shi clan chief. Just like the ghost energy equipment was like a time bomb, it was very likely that the ghost energy would erode and kill the ghost warriors at a critical moment. But to deal with the ghosts, the ghost energy equipment had to be used.

"Are there still 'Fragments of the Gods' in the tribe? Where did you find these things before?" Shen Ge asked.

Chief Shi shook his head: "No, so for the past few months we have been searching for strange flesh and bones in the desert to offer as sacrifices. Because of this, the influence of the 'God Statue' has become smaller and smaller, and we have been forced to migrate many times until we encountered the 'Hunter'."

"As for the past... they were only occasionally found deep in the wasteland, near some sinkholes or fissures. They were very small, like gemstones. But they were extremely rare."

“Until… the ‘hunters’ came. They seemed to know where there were more and bigger ‘Black Blood Crystals.’ They traded food and weapons for us to help them dig… and then… it turned into kidnapping… and then York and his men brought back the ‘truth.’” The old man’s voice was filled with regret.

Upon hearing this, Shen Ge's gaze darkened. The clues were becoming increasingly clear.

An unidentified "god statue" and a suddenly appearing "prophet" guided the offering ceremony. The offering was a "black blood crystal" containing strange energy. The "hunter" organization knew exactly where the black blood crystal came from and even mastered the technology of artificial refining and "branding" its properties!
This is no coincidence!
The Celestial Statue, the Black Blood Crystal, the Spatial Rift, the Underground Ghost King, the "Hunter" Organization... they are all tightly bound together by an invisible, blood-soaked chain!
Since embarking on the path of a detective investigating strange phenomena, Shen Ge's most formidable opponent has been Shen Lin, who is also the mastermind behind the strange organizations in many fragmented worlds.

Even though Shen Ge won the battle against the "Great Whale" and successfully became a seventh-level Ghost King, he couldn't say for sure that he had killed Shen Lin.

Shen Ge walked up to the headless celestial statue, and his blood-stained tentacles quietly reached out, very carefully, like the most precise probes, gently touching the cold, rough base of the statue. Meanwhile, Xiao Qi began to conduct a comprehensive examination of the celestial statue.

At the same time, Shen Ge's supernatural perception was instantly amplified to the extreme, and with the help of the supernatural eye and the system's scan, he conducted the most comprehensive examination of the "God Statue".

A faint yet distinct sense of malevolent energy erosion, like ripples from a pebble thrown into stagnant water, traveled back along the blood-stained tentacles!
This resonance did not come from the statue itself, but... from deep within the statue!
More precisely, it comes from the eerie energy imprints left by countless black blood crystals that have accumulated over time and been "absorbed" into the stone statue.

They were like "battery residue" forcibly compressed and sealed inside the stone. Although the energy was weak, the strange energy fluctuations that were "branded" and had a similar "immobile" characteristic resonated faintly across space with the fragments in Shen Ge's hand and the aura of the buried ghost king deep underground.

"Good heavens, so this 'celestial statue' really is a signal receiver. It absorbs the eerie energy of the black blood crystal and then releases the eerie energy of the underground eerie king to dispel those low-level eerie creatures?"

Shen Ge felt something was off; he couldn't understand what the person behind creating this celestial statue was trying so hard to achieve.

At the same time, Shen Ge's eerie eyes penetrated the surface of the stone statue and, deep inside the statue, near the heart, "saw" a very faint yet unusually concentrated cloud of eerie black energy.

The eerie black mist, like a miniature core or a black tumor the size of a sesame seed, was absorbing the eerie energy originating from the black blood crystal from the surrounding space at an extremely slow, almost imperceptible speed.

This stone statue is not an inanimate object at all; it is a living, slowly operating storage device for eerie energy, a strange entity that hides its eerie aura very well!

This was only barely discovered by Shen Ge, who combined his Ghost Eye, his own Ghost Energy perception, Xiao Qi's scanning, and the system's scanning power—using four different detection methods!
This exaggerated method of concealment is miles ahead of those weirdos who could hide their eerie aura on the ghost plane back then!
"call."

Shen Ge took a deep breath. If it weren't for his trip to the Black Mountain Base making him realize that the Black Blood Crystal might be related to the Heavenly God Statue, and his thorough examination of the Heavenly God Statue upon returning to the Stone Forest Tribe, he might have been "deceived" by it.

Knowing that this celestial statue is actually a smaller version of a paranormal energy receiver, then the question arises—

Where does the energy it absorbs ultimately go? Does it nourish itself? Or... is it transported to the Demon King underground through some unknown means? Or... is it itself an "organ" or "node" of the Demon King, and what is the person behind it plotting through it?
"Master, we've detected extremely faint traces of energy conduits beneath the base connecting to the statue, pointing... deep underground. Although most of the structure has been destroyed by time and geological changes, a model of the energy flow can be established, pointing... towards the Black Mountain Mine!" Xiao Qi reported.

Shen Ge narrowed his eyes and pondered, "Just as I thought."

This seemingly primitive tribe's guardian deity is actually likely an "energy absorption stake" set up by the "Hunter" organization or the Ghost King. It slowly and continuously absorbs the eerie energy of the black blood crystals and strange flesh scattered on the wasteland by using the tribe's offerings.

Whether naturally occurring or deliberately scattered by hunters, the energy is delivered to the subterranean Ghost King through ancient underground conduits, serving as a replenishment source for its slumber or growth. This is a meticulously planned "Ghost Energy Farm" spanning countless years, using primitive beliefs as cover!
In other words, there is definitely more than one "god statue"!
"Captain Shen?" Camille's voice rang out from the side, filled with concern. She saw Shen Ge standing motionless in front of the stone statue for a long time, his expression solemn.

Shen Ge withdrew his rotten blood tentacles and senses, took a deep breath, and realized that things were clearly developing in the direction he least wanted to see.

If he's involved with a strange organization, or even Shen Lin who controls it, then it won't be so easy for him to take Cheng's mother and the others out of the multiple strange dimensions!

Shen Ge turned to look at the exhausted and shaken crowd, and at the ruins of the tribe.

"Camille, please cooperate with Uncle Cheng to make arrangements. We'll rest here for a day." Shen Ge really wanted to rest. His demonic energy was too depleted. Even though he knew the enemy might be the Demon King from underground, he wanted to wait until he was fully recovered before touching it.

"it is good!"

Camille responded and immediately went to discuss it with Uncle Cheng.

"Xiao Li, arrange manpower to reinforce the tribe's low walls and build simple defensive fortifications. Captain Camille, you are responsible for organizing manpower to clear a habitable area, distributing food and water, and prioritizing the wounded and women and children. York, you take a few tribesmen familiar with the terrain and set up sentries around the tribe to be on alert for 'hunters' or other strange creatures approaching."

To protect Cheng's mother, Uncle Cheng and the others established temporary bases twice in the multiple strange spaces and stayed there for more than half a year, so they were already very familiar with the process.

Uncle Cheng and Camille demonstrated excellent organizational skills, quickly calming the chaotic crowd and beginning to methodically clear the ruins, set up makeshift tents, and distribute supplies. Several larger bonfires were lit in the center of the tribe, dispelling the chill and fear of the night.

Shen Ge sat alone on a rock far from the crowd, with a wide view. He was still playing with the fragment of the black blood crystal covered in rotten blood in his hand, while his gaze pierced through the gap in the tribe's low wall and looked at the huge spatial rift in the distant sky.

The crack appeared even deeper and more eerie in the night, with the surging chaotic light within resembling a gaping maw ready to devour its prey.

As night deepened, the wind howled across the ruins of the Stone Forest tribe. The campfire flickered, illuminating the weary yet hopeful sleeping faces of the survivors.

Sitting in the distance, Shen Ge was like a rock blending into the night. His eerie eyes flickered with a faint red light in the darkness, silently monitoring the spatial rift in the distance and the seemingly calm but actually turbulent land beneath his feet.

"Captain Shen!"

(End of this chapter)