New concept of the mysterious way to ascend to immortality

Chapter 113 I, Yu Jingzi, will bear the infamy!
In half an hour, the shop owner not only packed up his bedding and valuables into a backpack, but also took out a small portion of his savings (cash) and went to several nearby shops to buy dried insect meat, spiritual elixirs, and some spiritual plant seeds... He looked like he was about to run away after committing a crime.

When he returned to the shop with his bags, he surveyed every inch of the cavern with a reluctant, affectionate gaze and sighed, "Ah! Master, this shop is actually worth quite a bit. It's a shame you left it in such a hurry, without having the chance to sell it. Who knows who will take it over in the future? It's such a shame."

Hearing the shop owner's words about running away, the Tiger Demon raised his eyebrows. "Who said you can't come back? I asked you to raise funds and buy food, not to run away, but to support my business. Don't worry, you will only be away with me for a few days to receive secret training. After the training is completed, I will let you come back and establish a new trade relationship with [Cicada City] as my spokesperson. You only need to close your business for a few days, and in the future you won't have to buy 'Insect Slips', but new business."

"what?"

The shop owner was horrified. He'd assumed the dark creature was trying to convince him to sell his possessions, leave him to suffer hardship, and face a bleak future. He hadn't expected a chance to return. So, what exactly was this "secret training"? Was it legitimate? And it needed to be hidden from the eyes and ears of [Cicada City].

On the other side, the Tiger Demon also conceived the steps to create a "power" in a very short time.

It's actually quite simple: recruit a group of struggling indigenous people. Set up a shell company, provide them with basic food and water, and let them raise insects for you. It's simple and logical.

But he was unfamiliar with the place, had no power or influence, and this shell company was destined to remain small. The small amount of production was definitely not enough to meet Mao Mao Wang's needs.

Therefore, on this basis, we also need to control a group of local intermediaries similar to store owners, borrow their personal connections, and contact the small landlords and big city lords of [Chancheng] to carry out subsequent cooperation.

For example, he outsourced some of his insect farming business, became a middleman for Mao Mao Wang, profited from the difference, and promoted luxury children's clothing. He even became the agent for the "specialties" he smuggled from Duling, opening flagship stores in different insect cities.

Finally, they use this profit from the price difference to expand and cultivate their own shell companies, gradually transforming themselves, taking root locally, and growing into a local force that cannot be underestimated.

In this way, his "colonial company" had initially gained a foothold.

The above is just a purely commercial approach.

In this world filled with extraordinary powers, Yuan Zhu had greater advantages. For example, the [Holy Cough Breathing Technique] currently being tested on the siblings, and the feasibility of combining the [Shadow Dream Hole] with the [Mountain Monarch Domain] that he had inexplicably created.

If the former is successful, it will allow for the mass production of Holy Light-affinity 'Sacred Cough Refiners.' This significantly suppresses pollution from immortal zombie beards, iron poison, corrupted spiritual energy, and other sources, increasing survival rates. This will undoubtedly be a huge attraction for the lower classes. By promoting this brand, a large number of cheap laborers can be recruited.

If the latter succeeded, Yuan Zhu speculated that he might be able to create a low-profile version of the 'Disease Garden' in the underground world, forming his own [Shadow-Nightmare Garden] territory? This would allow him to establish a home turf, allowing him to live in peace and stability for a long time, evolving into a land-settling tiger.

Therefore, business talents like 'shop owners' must eventually return to [Chancheng] to maximize their value.

The reason why he was taken away now was just to avoid the eyes and ears of [Cicada City], brainwash him severely, control him more deeply, and force him to ask for information about [Cicada City] to further improve his main plan.

His brainwashing and control methods will inevitably utilize [Holy Light] and [Shadow], emitting powerful energy fluctuations. Therefore, this cannot be carried out in Insect City, but must be kept away. Once the interrogation and training are completed, and it is confirmed that the person is reliable and unable to turn the tables, it is not too late to release him.

After understanding this truth, the shop owner, who was filled with anxiety and confusion, relaxed and chose to accept his fate.

...

After repeated confirmation, the search team sent from the Lower Town had completed the search of the Central Town and ultimately returned empty-handed.

After a brief disturbance, [Chan City] did not announce to the outside world any shadow invasion or that a powerful True Qi master had gone missing in the core area of its main city.

Instead, they loudly announced that they had apprehended a long-standing gang of thieves in the Lower City and had brought them to justice! The panicked crowd gradually calmed down, praising our Worm City for being the safest and most orderly city in the world, and saying, "The Lord of the City will never be able to repay His kindness!"
On the other side, the real culprit who caused the riot wrapped up all the supplies and property purchased by the store owner with a snake's tail, and then released his minions to drag the store owner into the "shadow layer". He successfully hid in the shadows, bypassed the patrol team, and quickly came to the upper city.

The caves and grottoes on either side of the underground passageway dwindled, the inhabitants became sparsely distributed, and the forks leading 'upward' became more numerous. As the Tiger Demon ascended, the air he breathed grew increasingly turbid and earthy. The pure spiritual energy began to decline, while the odor of corruption, tinged with toxic pollution, began to increase.

Seeing that the surrounding tunnels were empty, the tiger demon leaped out of the shadows and threw the shop owner and his goods to the ground.

As it retreated into the shadows, it could sense that its closely connected [Shadow Dream Hole] was also suspended within its own 'shadow.' Whenever it desired, it could summon this black disc and actively open and close it.

Not only that, when the tiger demon uses shadow to touch the [Shadow Dream Hole], the three-dimensional projection in its brain can show the scene in the "shadow space".

...

The imprisoned True Qi cultivator wreaked havoc within the Shadow Dimension, unleashing the Qi within him to condense one powerful martial art after another, attacking the fluctuating "walls," hoping to break free and return to the underworld.

The result was very scary. These black barriers were vulnerable. His true Qi attack easily penetrated the wall and then disappeared, sinking into the nightmare without any response.

Any true Qi attack he released in the shadow space was like hitting a one-way permeable membrane, and was expelled from this space without causing any substantial damage.

So the Zhenqi monk immediately changed his strategy and used physical attacks to cause damage.

This time, the barrier of the Shadow Dimension was violently shaken, even cracking. The Tiger Demon, observing this from the outside, also attempted to manipulate the rules of the inner space through the Shadow Dream Hole.

It worked!
It actively allowed the chaotic and evil "nightmare pollution" from the outside world [nightmare layer] to penetrate in through the cracks in the wall that was broken by the other party.

At the same time, the Tiger Demon transformed the walls of the Shadow Dimension into one-way glass, a chaotic, distorted, and inaccessible space. From within, one could see into the indescribable Nightmare Dimension of the outside world, suffering both visual and mental pain and torment. The outside world, however, could not see into the pitch-black fog.

Then, many "dream creatures" that were drifting aimlessly in the nightmare also smelled the breath emitted by the monk, followed the smell all the way to the periphery of the "shadow space", and launched a violent attack on the barrier.

Suddenly, he looked directly at the monk in the [Nightmare Layer], tears of blood flowing from his eyes, and he let out a sharp explosion of pain. He covered his eyes with his hands and struggled in pain. At the same time, he also felt the crazy knocking of the nightmare creatures from the outside world, trying to break into the shadow space (shrimp cage) and eat frantically.

After realizing that his suicidal behavior could not only fail to save himself, but instead attracted terrible monsters from the outside world (nightmare), the True Qi monk had to calm down and recall many rumors about [Dream Hole].

Finally, he sat cross-legged in the shadow space, meditating to repair his injuries, silently waiting for the judgment from the tiger demon.

This desperate struggle not only consumed a large amount of true energy and attracted the attention of demons from the outside world, but the monk also discovered a terrifying reality: in this small, shadowy cell, there was no way to replenish spiritual energy.

He couldn't use the Breathing Technique to transform and refine his True Qi. He'd also long since consumed all the elixirs he carried, leaving him with nothing but empty pockets, waiting for death. He couldn't even wait for his judgment, his True Qi already depleted, and he was eaten by the unseen demons outside his cage?

...

The tiger demon in the outside world does have the ability to repel the "monk" and exile him to the [nightmare layer]; or open the one-way permeable membrane to allow the nightmare monsters from the outside world to drill into the "shrimp cage" and start a new round of fighting with the monk, consuming the opponent's true energy reserves and weakening his strength.

In addition, he can also touch the [Shadow Dream Hole] and transfer the supplies purchased by the store owner into it without opening it, and use it as a 'storage space'.

But doing so would simply aid the enemy and feed the weakened monks. That's why the Tiger Demon personally wrapped his tail around the supplies, transformed himself into a porter, and ran off carrying the large and small bags himself, completely lacking the agility of a Tiger King.

Now that he was far from the outskirts of [Cicada City], he could finally put aside his idol duties and let the shopkeeper carry the load himself. Realizing he had suddenly arrived at the edge of a dangerous, miasma-filled restricted area, the shopkeeper grew nervous and cautious. He glanced around suspiciously, maintaining a guarded posture, alert to any danger that might arise at any moment.

The tiger demon couldn't stand it any longer. "I'm the dignified Shadow Tiger King right beside you, why are you so scared? Do you look down on me?"

"Why is this so exaggerated?"

The shop owner, using his own experience surviving in the restricted area, double-checked that the area was temporarily safe before relaxing and explaining to the Tiger Demon, "Master, you may not be aware that this restricted area, 20km from the surface, carries numerous uncertain underground risks. These include, but are not limited to, sudden outbreaks of corrupting miasma, runaway nodular demon fetuses, rumbling earthquakes, demonic insect tidal waves, sneak attacks from demonized giant insects, and possessed warriors roaming the underworld."

According to the store owner, the most common tide of demonic insects is when various wild insects gnaw on the roots of contaminated slime fungi, causing pollution to explode and their life force to break through the limit, becoming even more filthy and crazy. They then lay eggs and reproduce in large numbers, gnaw on more highly toxic pollution, and the amount continues to accumulate, forming a terrifying tide of insects.

And in the underground Cicada City, he saw teams of civilians transporting "insects" to be burned. These were these wild demon insects that were highly toxic and polluted and had no use value.

As for the corrupt miasma, it is the result of the destruction of the Immortal Realm Tree for a hundred years, and the ground is then infiltrated by [Corrupted Iron Rain], a highly toxic and corrosive polluted liquid that soaks the roots. Those that do not have time to decompose naturally rot and ferment, and are compressed and accumulated.

Eventually, it will randomly pass through certain rotten roots as pipes and explode in underground tunnels, forming a huge poisonous miasma area, indiscriminately polluting and poisoning all humans and demon insects, forming a death zone.

As for the "root nodule demon fetuses," they were "human immortal puppets" forged by the Kunlun Earth Immortals when the Immortal Realm Tree was still alive. They were originally intended for self-defense, a cumulative force and a trump card. However, with the destruction of the Immortal Realm Tree, these "human immortal puppets" were contaminated by corrupted spiritual energy for centuries.

It can be understood as an old zongzi soaked in polluted spiritual energy (corpse qi) for a century. Once the seal is broken, it will seek out living creatures in the underground world to devour, killing them indiscriminately. It is the common enemy of the Nisheng Xianzong, the Insect City, and the Technician Alliance.

In addition, [Earth Rumbling] is a supernatural earthquake attack that penetrates the firewall of the "Fairyland Tree Roots" in the form of seismic waves, destroying the "passages and buildings" of the underground world and damaging magic arrays and root-bearing structures.

As for the "demonized giant insect," Yuan Zhu knew it well. Unlike the wild little demon insects, this creature was the result of a cultivator's internal pollution erupting out of control. The "Tao Seeds (insect eggs)" gained the upper hand, using their insect-like nature to attack humans, transforming their internal organs, muscles, and bones into a "life soup."

The 'veins and acupoints' extending from the Tao seed began to absorb human nutrients in reverse, similar to the metamorphosis of insects forming cocoons, and transformed from [human cocoons] back into the original 'insect' image.

These "demonized giant insects," perfectly capable of digesting a cultivator's entire essence, far surpass the boundaries of ordinary "spiritual insects and demonic insects," expanding to human proportions and inheriting the true qi and meridian structure within their bodies. Unable to cultivate cultivation techniques, they can instead devour vast quantities of polluted roots, instinctively activating their qi to remove the contamination, continuously growing and expanding, transforming into a terrifying single-bodied demonic scourge.

The five aforementioned disasters are the most common demonic disasters in the underworld. They aren't just terrifying legends, but real crises that erupt one after another right around us.

Just how common are they? Just like the droughts, floods, earthquakes, famines, and plagues of ancient times, they constantly erupt around the major [Insect Cities].

The "Forbidden Zone," formed by the corrupt miasma and the nodular demon fetuses, has long been unable to be cleared and is spreading. The once closely connected "Insect City and Immortal Sect" have been cut into isolated underground islands, severing all ties. Only the "Nomadic Families" of the [Technician Alliance] have the ability to cross the Forbidden Zone and establish trade connections.

Therefore, the underground people (insects) had to huddle together and surround the "insect cities" to survive. If they strayed too far from the upper city, they would be randomly hit by a combination of multiple crises, and the death rate would remain high.

So even though the two siblings lived in a barren marginal area, facing the possibility of death at any time, they were still so easily content. Because if they didn't live such a humble life, their death would only be faster and more miserable.

Tiger Demon: "What is a demon-possessed warrior? Why have I never heard of it?"

The shop owner recalled with a solemn expression, "A demon-possessed warrior is usually one whose inner Qi can no longer suppress the effects of the Immortal Zombie Whiskers, Iron Poison, and so on, making it impossible for them to continue their cultivation. To prolong their lives and gain greater strength to suppress the backlash within their bodies, they choose to leave the Insect City and, outside the Insect City's sphere of influence, they prey on civilians and other practitioners, using them to practice their skills."

"How do you practice?"

"They condense Qi threads, piercing the opponent's flesh and blood, digging out mature meridians and acupoints, and transplanting them into their own flesh and blood, forcibly suppressing and subduing the opponent, allowing the Dao seed and the alien meridians to balance each other. This method is extremely harmful, with strong rejection and serious side effects. But for demonic warriors who have already been possessed by demons or are desperate, it is nothing. Besides killing people to practice their skills, they also sell corpses to be eaten or to cultivate spiritual insects and spiritual medicines... They even form secret alliances with other insect cities to weaken hostile forces and continuously resell the corpses of cultivators."

Tiger Demon: "..."

Are the people here so low in quality? Why is the style becoming more and more demonic? Are there still insect cultivators secretly refining magical artifacts like the [Human Emperor Banner]?
This underground world is indeed chaotic and barbaric. If he catches this kind of "magic warrior", he can use him to train ghosts without any psychological burden.

Great! We've found the ingredients for the minions! Magical warriors sound hundreds of times more advanced than goblins.

"By the way, I haven't asked you what your name is yet?"

The shop owner quickly bowed and nodded to the giant tiger demon, saying, "Your Majesty, my name is Lu Yan."

This name is far superior to "Little Sister" and "Little Brother Jun"! The Tiger Demon then released his [Boss Template] and reverted to his human form with black kelp-like curls. The shadow uniform instantly covered his body, forming a closed racing suit that accentuated his tall, slender figure.

Seeing the pair of wine-red eyes hidden in the deep eye sockets, the shop owner was startled and thought to himself that it was indeed a demon!

Even his human form was eerie. He lacked the slightest trace of true Qi within him, nor did he possess the Yimu spiritual energy of the immortals of the Xian Sect. A monster, a great monster! Was he a filthy creature that had burrowed down from the surface? Or perhaps something from outside the Dream Hole?

"I'm your boss, my last name is Yuan Zhu. Take good care of these things. Stay here and don't wander around. I'll be back soon."

Shopkeeper Lu was puzzled: "Your Majesty, you...?"

"I'm going up one level to take care of a minor issue. If you're not afraid of death, you can come with me."

Shopkeeper Lu shook his head repeatedly: "No need, I'll stay here and stand guard for you."

Yuan Zhu was planning to deal with the cultivator within the Shadow Dream Hole, to see if he could subdue him. He'd recruit him as a lackey, and forge a great cause together! If he couldn't use an enemy of this strength, he'd have to endure the pain...

Xiao Latiao suddenly transformed into a malicious mouthpiece, shouting in his head: "Of course I'm going to refine him into a ghost!"

Yuan Zhu pretended to struggle and said hesitantly, "Isn't this... not a good idea?"

Latiaozi was shocked and said, "Huh? Boss, you're still too kind! Earth's excellent education shaped your conscience, but it also bound you. Your hesitation at this moment is like a white lotus mired in mud, untainted by dust, fully demonstrating your noble character. But this bubble world is not Earth. Jackals and demons are rampant, rituals and music are in ruins, and this is an evil world. In this filthy world filled with evil and sin, morality has become your greatest shackle!"

Latiao's words shocked Yuan Zhuhu: "This..."

The virtual image of the spicy white-haired girl had a gleam in its eyes: "Your Majesty, be wise! The King of Chu showed even a hint of weakness at the Hongmen Banquet, which led to his demise at the Wujiang River. Had Emperor Guangwu been confined by womanly kindness, how could he have rebuilt the Han Dynasty? A true dragon cannot bind its own scales and claws. You should abandon your bodhisattva's heart and, even for the sake of all living beings in this bubble world, transform him into a ghost and take the first step towards entrepreneurship!"

Yuan Zhu hesitated: "I..."

"Oh my, what are you hesitating about? Let the natives suffer, and I, Yu Jingzi, will bear the blame! It's all because of me, a treacherous minister, who has coerced and forced the king into moral blackmail! Just go ahead and do it."

"Hey..." Is this the correct way to use the elf? Balala Rainbow Nutritionist really understands people's hearts and is so cute!
Yuan Zhu sighed. Even though he was extremely reluctant, he had no choice but to sacrifice this cultivator to save the sentient beings of the underground world. He hoped that he would know the situation.

(End of this chapter)