New concept of the mysterious way to ascend to immortality

Chapter 112: To achieve great things, recruit employees

Seeing the shop owner's cheeks and skin covered with black capillary lines, a large number of [Shadow Eggplants] spread and grew in the flesh in the form of leaf veins. In about 1 minute, they completed a cycle following the body circulation and began to spread along the capillary network.

On the other side of the head, [Brain Eggplant] also quickly conquered the city, crawling all over the periphery of the cerebral cortex and slowly infiltrating into the inside.

At this moment, the Tiger Demon relied on the two great magical powers of [Ghost Manipulation and Shadow Control] to control the three sets of skills remotely: [Shadow Eggplant] to control the body, [Brain Eggplant] to control the mind, and [Soul Memory] to load the artificial intelligence program to steal and usurp the right to use this body.

The 'suit effect' was activated, and the owner stood up with a crooked swaying body, like a Hawking who had lost his ability to move, trying to stand up and toast to an important person.

His facial features were crooked, his eyes and mouth were tilted, drool was flowing out, and he mumbled incoherently and made a strange sound: "Gee gee gee——!"

Seeing this scene of cerebral palsy and hemiplegia, the Tiger Demon immediately turned his head and stared at his tail: "I actually contracted the programming project of [Artificial Mental Illness] to you! Is this how you repay me? Do you think you are worthy of my high expectations?"

The snake's tail was too shy to meet the tiger demon's gaze, and it spoke weakly, "My lord, listen to my explanation. I directly replicated the behavior patterns of the four minions and recorded them in their [Soul Memory]. While the initial performance is unsatisfactory, don't be angry, sir. This is only the 1.0 prototype. The [brain] atop his head possesses powerful deep thinking and learning capabilities, comparable to a super [CPU + GPU]. With more training and debugging, it will automatically optimize the current program, allowing it to grow and evolve! Even though he has suffered a stroke and is now paralyzed, as long as he can walk, he will walk more steadily and smoothly!"

Tiger Demon was also a layman in this area: "I'll trust you for once."

"Don't worry, Boss, I won't let you down!"

Focusing his attention on the 'hemiplegic idiot' again, the Tiger Demon tried to drive the [Shadow Eggplant Leaf Veins] to deeply erode this body, but failed at the Dantian position and was strongly counterattacked by the [True Qi].

This person wasn't just any ordinary Duling citizen; their body was clean, untouched by the deep erosion of the polluted system, like a blank canvas perfect for painting. The shopkeeper before them had already cultivated their Qi Refining Technique to the Earth Level, a considerable strength.

The twelve meridians throughout the body, the true Qi roams spontaneously, and when faced with the tentative erosion of the 'shadow eggplant' that has escaped from the blood vessels, it immediately fights back.

When the Tiger Demon tried to suppress, control, and cover the 'True Qi System' with [Shadow Pollution], he got bad news: he couldn't eat it!

It could use the [Three-Piece Set of Henchmen] to sever the shopkeeper's control over the True Qi system, putting it into standby mode. However, the limited quality of the Henchmen Wetware couldn't support the True Qi system, forcing them to coexist with it while constantly consuming Shadow Power.

This was also related to the fact that Earth-level warriors were incredibly powerful, far surpassing the worthless little goblins. If the goblins he refined were all [Species-level] minions, and they came to molest the shop owner, I'm afraid it would be a completely different scene.
Fortunately, his 'Ghost Suit' was not weak either, and although he could not perfectly integrate into it and transform into a 'quasi-humanoid ghost', he could still take the initiative, forcibly control this body, and transform it into a puppet.

Just like the two siblings, they have three control methods: [Singing Insects, Infant Insects, and Mantis Insects], which control their lives and deaths. Moreover, they are threatened by the endless [Immortal Zombie Whiskers] that cannot be cut off.

Today, the "Ghost Suit" left behind by the Tiger Demon has become a similar, though more advanced, means of controlling life. [Brain Eggplant + Shadow Eggplant] not only controls life and death, but also controls thoughts and physical actions, shutting down the thinking system and severing motor nerves at any time.

On the contrary, [Shadow Eggplant and Brain Eggplant] can also be used to enhance the opponent's thinking ability, physical fitness, and shadow affinity... It can also be used as a "biological intelligence device" for secret monitoring, reading the host's physical intelligence in the background, and discovering the secrets of unknown extraordinary pollution.

So the Tiger Demon chose to take advantage of the situation. Even though he knew that he could not perfectly control this body, he still controlled the [Shadow Eggplant] to consume it crazily, spreading throughout the capillaries of the body, constantly provoking and invading the dormant [True Qi System], reading intelligence and recording feedback.

...

For the next five minutes, the Tiger Demon continuously channeled shadow power into the 'wetware suit', allowing the [Shadow Eggplant] to scan the body and successfully read the biological structure of the [Insect Egg Seed - Twelve Meridians] in the other party's body.

The information about [True Qi] was not obtained, but the actual existence of the 'Tao Seed (insect egg)' was clearly captured and recorded, and the twelve meridian tissues that sprouted from the Tao Seed were also recorded.

This is a set of strange biological tissues similar to 'blood vessels, nerves, and lymph'. It is silver in color, has extremely strong energy (true qi) conduction and storage effects, and has extremely high resistance and rejection to shadows.

"Yinchu Siting. He's truly a professional spy tool. He's good at everything, but he's the best at stealing secrets!"

The Tiger Demon was pleased with the first battle of the [Ghost Trio] set. It was understandable that the three-in-one couldn't defeat the [Earth-level Insect Cultivator], given the vast difference in rank. However, being able to scan and read the [Tao Seed-Meridian System] was a pleasant surprise.

As the roots of the [Shadow Eggplant] frantically probed and scanned the flesh and blood, the [Brain Eggplant] also started to work frantically, unleashing the computing power of the [CPU+GPU] to construct the read data into a 'biological meridian model' and upload it into the [Shadow Memory (+ Hard Drive)].

Eventually, it was transformed from liquid into a 'prismatic crystal rod', which was pulled out from the temple by the Tiger Demon, recycled as a USB flash drive, and the data was entered into the [Boss Template].

...

After completing a preliminary scan of the shopkeeper using the three-piece set, the Tiger Demon reinserted the Shadow Memory into his brain. He then disabled his five senses and thinking abilities, but also shut down his speech system.

The shop owner, who originally had dull eyes, stiff movements and hemiplegia, regained consciousness in an instant, seamlessly switching from a state of muscle stiffness to a state of fear. He stared at the huge dark tiger head in front of him with a horrified expression, and was terrified in his heart.

What kind of monster was this?! It looked so terrifying and terrifying?! He had never heard of it before.

In the underground world, there were no animals other than insects. The black tiger was completely beyond his imagination and cognition. Therefore, the sudden sight of such a majestic and terrifying tiger head staring back at him caused him to panic, his mind going blank for a moment.

call……!
A breath of yellow spring air blew on his face, and the [brain eggplant] on his head lifted up, making him feel refreshed.

The Tiger Demon then spoke, "Don't be nervous. You are mine now. Your body, your brain, even your thoughts and soul, are all under my control. So stay calm and don't act rashly. Understand? From now on, I will return you to freedom. And you must listen to my instructions and cooperate. I will monitor your thoughts to determine if you are lying or pretending to obey."

Hearing the Tiger Demon speak, the shopkeeper was both frightened and timid. Knowing the true meaning of the times, he nodded quickly to show his understanding.

"very good!"

The Tiger Demon released the control of [Brain Eggplant + Shadow Eggplant] over the owner's body, allowing the [Artificial Idiot Program] to enter the background mode, monitoring the other party's every move, while optimizing its own movement program to replicate and plagiarize.

Compared to loading the intelligent program of the 'Eggplant Head Ghost', the behavior pattern of the original owner of the copycat is of course more reliable.

...

After regaining control of his body, the shop owner simply moved the "Qi" in his body slightly to travel through the meridians throughout his body, and he was able to understand his situation.

He sensed the 'Shadow Eggplant Leaf Veins' filling his blood vessels. While they didn't affect blood circulation at all, they were deeply embedded in his body, making them difficult to remove. They were no worse than the advanced stage of the 'Immortal Zombie Whiskers'.

He even suspected that this was a form of control by the Immortal Sect. This was a variant of the [Immortal Zombie Beard], an unknown demonic being attempting to transform itself into a "puppet Taoist soldier"!
Because the plant properties displayed by [Shadow Eggplant] are so similar to the [Kunlun Immortal Technique]. Except for not using 'spiritual energy', in the eyes of the other party, they are basically the same thing!
Soon, the shop owner discovered a bun-like ornament on his head (a brain eggplant), which had also split into countless roots and was parasitic on his brain, which made him even more desperate. Although he had inexplicably become a little smarter and more intelligent, he was still discouraged and completely lost the idea of resistance.

Facing the tiger demon that controlled his life and death, he chose to bow his head: "I wonder what instructions this Immortal... Lord has? I will cooperate unconditionally."

The Tiger Demon looked at the simple shelves and said, "Unlock these shelves. I want to learn the knowledge inside."

"This..." The shop owner looked a bit embarrassed, but when he thought about his life being held by the tiger demon, he had to reluctantly remove the restriction. The tiger demon was displeased: "Why do you look so stupid? It's just reading a book. Other wealth will decrease after sharing, but knowledge will only double."

The shopkeeper sighed, "Your Majesty, you may not know this, but once these 'insect scrolls' are read with your spirit, they will be destroyed and cannot be resold. These insect scrolls are one-time items, purchased from the [Technician Alliance], and are extremely rare."

"Is there such a thing?"

The tiger demon was slightly surprised, but his hands did not stop moving. Shadow tentacles emerged from under his feet, rolling the insect scrolls in the grid back. Then they were swallowed up one by one by the snake's tail, wrapped and digested with shadows, and forcibly scanned and read with the [Digital Soul].

Even if she didn't understand the 'Chonglu' language, she could still record it and quickly complete the comparison and translation through the established 'local language library', which included a large amount of local common sense and basic knowledge.

In just 20 minutes, the Tiger Demon mastered four different types of advanced [Source Qi Breathing Techniques], three martial arts moves that even he could use, and a matching [True Qi Heart Method] that he couldn't activate.

In addition, some basic knowledge on cultivating spiritual herbs; knowledge on distinguishing and cooking mushrooms, mosses, and slime molds; a large number of tips on how to get rich by raising insects (40%); and the extraction and preparation of medicinal materials and insect shells (25%)... continue to emerge, enriching the database of [Immortal Scriptures].

The amount of useless knowledge was increasing rapidly, all of it basic, but it was invaluable to the siblings. For Yuan Zhu, it was also valuable, allowing him to gain a deeper understanding of this bubble world.

The Tiger Demon couldn't help but sigh: "The water in this world is a bit deep."

Snake Tail: "Indeed! I didn't expect this bubble world to be so complex. The hidden depths are indeed quite impressive. I think it's worth exploring further. Boss, I suddenly have a bold idea. Should I share it with you?"

"Say!"

Xiao La Tiao habitually snarled, "Ever since you created the [Dream Shadow Hole] with your bare hands, the ultimate magical power [Mountain Monarch Domain], which had been gray and inactive in the [Boss Template], suddenly lit up. From the information I've read, this [Dream Shadow Hole] can serve as the core foundation for developing the 'Mountain Monarch Domain.' I think you might consider establishing a 'private business' worthwhile in this world."

"This way, you can become a downstream raw material supplier for [Mao Mao Wang], control a group of indigenous people to raise insects for you, and start a company. You can also use the power you've built to continuously absorb resources from the underground world. Finally, with a base, you can use the smuggling channels of [Happy House] to bring in goods in bulk from Running City and sell them in this desolate world... making money from the locals!"

Xiao Latiao's comment was just a casual one, but Hu Mo took it very seriously. He was optimistic about the consumer market in the "underground world."

This apocalyptic world is so barren that even clean water doesn't exist. The siblings' diet consists of insects, mushrooms, moss, and the sap of the inverted tree, which is filled with "immortal zombie whiskers."

If they could smuggle clean drinking water, beverages, and food in large quantities from the Overworld, they could make a killing. Cheap rice, flour, and oil, once brought over, would become luxuries.

While the underground world is harsh, it is not short of valuable resources, including exotic magical instruments and formations, as well as the 'elixirs' inherited from the Kunlun Immortal Dao.

From the [Insect Slips] he read, it can be seen that the "elixir system" of the underground insect city is unprecedentedly prosperous, and the cultivators in the central city generally take elixirs to practice, which is exactly the same as the Kunlun immortal method of "refining qi and taking medicine".

In the underground world, the bottom layer uses life (true qi) to feed a large number of "spiritual insects" that can be used as medicine and eat the roots of the immortal world trees, and cultivates many "spiritual herbs" with various special methods.

Although the recipe for the pill is bizarre and the raw materials are either insects or cordyceps, the refining method is "authentic Kunlun". The types of pills are complicated and the effects are varied. Obtaining Du Ling is also hard currency.

This resource alone was worth Yuan Zhu's careful cultivation and long-term operation. Furthermore, there were all sorts of insect artifacts and formation materials available at incredibly low prices, and the difference alone would be enough to make him a killing.

In addition, this underground world is indeed a holy place for raising insects, which meets the needs of [Furry King].

Instead of cooperating with the local indigenous people, letting them make a profit from the price difference and taking a small dividend for themselves, it would be better to turn against Tiangang, control a group of indigenous people by themselves, set up a raw material company, become a farmer, become a downstream supplier of [Happy Home], and earn more.

As for how to register a company? Xiao La Tiao has already provided a feasible solution: [Shadow Dream Hole + Tiger Law Domain]!
Once they settle in the underground world, they can continue to absorb more resources from this world, cultivate their power, raise and refine minions on a large scale, and produce minion hardware... They can control more indigenous people and increase their overall strength in a snowball-like manner.

This was the path the [Great Wilderness Immortal Scripture] was supposed to take after invading the [Immortal Universe]. He simply placed the expansion site in the 'bubble layer', away from dangerous spirits.

Finally, Yuan Zhu had another guess, that is, would the [Mountain King Domain] cultivated with the [Shadow Dream Hole] carry the attributes of [Nightmare]?
He had entered dreams in Running many times, escaping into the [Nightmare Layer, Huangliang Township]. If this [Shadow Dream Hole] could connect with [Huangliang Township] through the connection of the Nightmare Layer, it would establish a 'Nightmare Path'.

Wouldn't he have achieved the goal of the [Nightmare School], bypassing the [Paradise of the Gods], taking the nightmare path directly, crossing the [Nightmare Bubble Layer] and reaching the underground world, completing the transportation and smuggling of supplies?

For a moment, a large number of possible operations flashed through his mind one by one, and Tiger Demon felt that this matter had great potential.

...

Then it looked at its tail, communicating with its mind: "I need to confirm first, is [Mountain Jun Law Domain] a one-time magical power? After I settle down here, will it affect my return to Duling and open up [Law Domain] again?"

"Of course it won't affect us. Even a cunning rabbit has three burrows, so what mountain king wouldn't have three or four? Even the Bull Demon King bought his first house in the Banana Cave on Cuiyun Mountain, married, and had children; and then he kept a Jade-Faced Fox as his concubine in the Moyun Cave on Jilei Mountain. Boss, you're worried about the [Mountain King's Domain] connecting the Yin and Yang realms, making him a mountain god in the Yang world and a ghost king in the underworld, right? Just treat this 'Domain' here as a backup base, resource production point, and branch office, and you'll be all set. Don't forget, you still have the [Great Wilderness Immortal Scripture Server] to deploy! Wherever the [Immortal Scripture Server] is installed, that's your base."

The Tiger Demon pondered for a moment, then suddenly had an idea: "With this experience, after returning to the spirit realm, can we also incorporate the [Disease Garden] into the 'Tiger No. 2 Domain'?"

"You can, but I don't recommend it. Not to mention whether you'll continue to be suppressed while you're in the spirit realm, unable to activate this magical power. Once you use the [Domain] to swallow up and cover the garden, it will leave traces of your karma. If the victim follows the clues and kills you, how will you escape? I don't want to lose my great boss at such a young age. If you die, I'm truly dead."

"Right."

After clearing out all the valuable insect scrolls in the shop, the Tiger Demon looked at the heartbroken shopkeeper, who was choking with grief, and spoke in a comforting voice, "Don't be sad, at least you saved your life. Not only that, I see that you are a man of wits and a wise man, so I will grant you a chance. Follow me from now on. I wanted to kill you, but I am determined to accomplish my mission and lack capable personnel, so I will give you a chance. What valuable items do you have in your shop? Do you have any family or friends around? Tell me everything, and I will take you away."

The shop owner became even more desperate after hearing this. He originally thought he was just being robbed, but he didn't expect that he would lose money as well.

Just as he was trying to think of ways to save himself, the roots in his brain began to twist, and a wave of hazy mental invasion (digital soul pollution) spread and overlapped in his spiritual world, putting him in a state where his 'thought and consciousness' were actively open and observable.

The Tiger Demon even shared this perspective with the store owner, who immediately realized that he was being observed. His every move and every little thought were fully exposed and could not be hidden.

This feeling of despair and powerlessness at having his mind read instantly made him lose all hope. He stopped struggling and chose to accept his fate: "I don't have any relatives, but I still have some valuable items in the store. I'll go pick them up now."

"Do you have money? Go out and buy some more food and take it away later."

The Tiger Demon half-activated his [Brain Eggplant and Soul Memory] and gave them to the other party to use, making him more intelligent and aware that he was being monitored at all times.

After completing all this, the Tiger Demon withdrew the shadow power that permeated the store and chose to escape into the 'shadow layer' again.

(End of this chapter)