New concept of the mysterious way to ascend to immortality

Chapter 121 [Shadow Domain]
The painful and sharp chirping of insects erupted in the 'shadow space'.

A giant, pitch-black mantis continued to make desperate screams, like a cuckoo crying blood or a monkey wailing, and at the same time fell into a state of rage, rushing around in the limited shadow space, breaking its solid shell and causing it to bleed, but it still rushed forward madly without feeling any pain.

Elsewhere, the Tiger Demon, also within the Shadow Dream Hole, carved out a small observation room within the shadowy space, hid within it, and observed silently. It was like building a dark wall in a bedroom of a certain size, hiding in a secret compartment, and secretly observing the occupant's madness.

The skull snake head came forward, looked at the mantis madly banging its head against the wall, and asked doubtfully, "This doesn't seem to be the same as 'Ghost Refining'?"

Tiger Demon: "I input the Human Pillar Refining Method (Procedure) from the Mountain King's Domain into the Shadow Dream Hole. Now, this shadow space has replaced the Abdomen's Universe, directly drawing on the Shadow Dream Hole's own energy to help me efficiently refine the Human Pillar. Naturally, it's different from the digestion and processing of the Abdomen's Universe."

Xiao La Tiao thought about it and agreed, "That makes sense! The [Stomach Universe] is more like our special stomach, primarily responsible for digestion and absorption of nutrients, with the minions as a byproduct. This [Shadow Dream Hole] is different. It's the product of a collaboration between the Tiger Demon and the Bubble World, so the refining method is naturally completely different."

The Tiger Demon nodded. "Right. Compared to a stomach, I think the [Shadow Dream Hole] is more like an appliance, like a pressure cooker. Furthermore, the status of the 'Shadow Dream Hole' is very high, equivalent to a local Heavenly Realm expert taking action, with the power of the world blessing and accelerating. I can sense that the 'task progress' is very fast. It only takes 30 minutes to completely refine an ordinary death row prisoner."

In his eyes, the [Shadow Dream Hole] was a pressure cooker. The two baskets of demonic insect carcasses were fuel, the condemned prisoners were food. Closing the Shadow Dream Hole was like closing the valve on a pressure cooker. Leveraging the pressure differential between the [Nightmare Layer] and the bubble world, he continued to simmer fiercely, using the "power of heaven and earth" to quickly refine a [Human Pillar].

It has been 20 minutes since he 'lit the fire'.

It witnessed with its own eyes the closure of the [Shadow Dream Hole], as two baskets of demon insect carcasses were crushed into mud under the pressure of the 'shadow space', simultaneously emitting a dense, polluted energy. This energy was fatal to insect cultivators.

Originally, these demonic insects should have been dumped directly into the Nightmare Layer in exchange for feeding back energy to process the condemned prisoners. However, the Tiger Demon intervened and chose to let the fans eat them first.

Thus, a torrent of polluted energy poured into the unconscious condemned man. A mere native monk could not withstand this wave of good fortune. More pollution simply passed through his body, dissipating and leaking out, then penetrating the shadow barrier (the permeable membrane) and discharging into the Nightmare Dimension.

However, it was this wave of pollution initiation that further distorted and alienated the unconscious death row prisoner, causing the "insect pollution" in his body to run wild, and the endless power of pollution impacted the [Tao Seed].

I can't eat it, I simply can't eat it! [Tao Seed] means being force-fed until vomiting, the inner Qi completely demonized, the meridians distorted, and proliferating wildly... Then 99.99% of the pollution passed through the intestines, leaving behind a body whose quality was forcibly upgraded.

While the Tiger Demon was plucking feathers from passing geese and dumping garbage, he never forgot to improve the quality of the 'Human Pillar' on the spot.

When massive amounts of pollution were transported to the Nightmare Dimension, the [Shadow Dream Hole] became fully operational, replicating Commander Zuo's previous upgrade mode.

But this time, the death row prisoner was in a passive position. After the Tiger Demon input the [Human Pillar Refining Formula], the Shadow Dream Hole simultaneously extracted the shadow pollution of the shadow layer + the feedback ability of the nightmare layer, and both processed and refined the demonized death row prisoner.

In just 10 minutes, the opponent experienced the transformation from human cocoon to demonization and human pillar refining.

Then, a 'Shadow Demonic Worm' whose quality broke through to the [Earth Realm] took the lead in sucking out the blood, flesh and essence, breaking out of the human cocoon, and screaming and struggling in despair and pain in the further [Hundred Times Accelerated Refining], repeatedly hitting the wall to commit suicide to vent the pain.

Soon, the giant mantis, enveloped in shadow pollution, could no longer struggle, its body slowly stiffening and hardening. More shadow pollution penetrated its ruptured exoskeleton, repairing it, and then nightmare energy was absorbed into its body, continuing its transformation and processing.

...

Half an hour later, the Shadow Dream Hole was opened, and the Tiger Demon used its bony snake tail to fold up a black Mantis Stone and returned to the room. With a rumbling sound, the dark mantis crushed the floor tiles and sank deep into the mud, steady as a rock, poised to devour anyone it could.

Yuan Zhu then returned to his human form and began examining the pitch-black, metallic-shimmering Mantis Stone. He tapped it lightly with his knuckles, and it resonated with a metallic, grinding sound. Was it actually solid?!
"Is this a [Jinzhu]? It's not a demon! It looks more like the stone guards placed on either side of a gate."

Because the demonized mantis absorbed a great deal of demonic insect contamination during its lifetime, its exoskeleton appears to be made of a bio-alloy. Now, the "Human Pillar Stone" has inherited the same properties, making it incredibly strong and indestructible.

Except for being a little black in color, the rest of the creature is lifelike, ferocious and terrifying, with hunting and killing movements. It also emits a strong and vicious smell of "insect pollution", which is primitive and brutal, not like a dead thing.

Xiao Latiao: "Boss, we should call it the [Insect Pillar] now. But using the 'Suppression Stone' to set up the formation is reasonable and very scientific. Now that it's mixed with metal elements, it's tougher and more durable. Awesome!"

Yuan Zhu walked forward, opened his arms and hugged the 'black mantis insect pillar', and lifted it up with force. It was very heavy, and it felt like 200kg.

After putting the [Insect Pillar] back and taking two steps back, he was surprised to find that the air around the stone was slightly distorted, connecting with the [Shadow Dream Hole] behind him and echoing it from a distance.

It's like a metal part being attracted by a strong magnet, wanting to be sucked in. It's only because of its own weight of 200kg that it remains motionless.

"This is... the breath of nightmare!"

After being refined by shadows, the [Insect Pillar] naturally contains a rich [Shadow Pollution and Insect Pollution]. Now, if you look closely, you can still see the distortion on its surface, similar to the evaporation of air. This is the effect of nightmare.

Latiao analyzed: "The [Shadow Dream Hole] can extract energy from the Nightmare Layer, so it's not surprising that this [Insect Pillar] carries the Nightmare attribute."

"I believe I've successfully refined it this time. This thing has a very high 'technical content'."

Yuan Zhu patted the Mantis Stone's head, very satisfied with it. Although he had accidentally transformed a condemned prisoner into an Insect Stone, the value of the [Insect Pillar] was very high.

He forcibly elevated a mere human-level death row inmate to the undesirable height of the [Earth Rank]. He even forged a frail human body into a hardened, resistant demonic insect form! He was truly a prodigy in the "Weapon (Corpse) World."

Although it was refined using the [Shadow Dream Hole], the [Insect Pillar], like the [Minion], is closely connected to the [Tiger Demon] and is 100% controlled by it without any compulsion.

And one thing that makes it stronger than the [Ghost] is that it won't disappear even if you remove the Tiger Demon form. Furthermore, this thing does meet the prerequisites for the [Mountain Jun Law Domain].

"The plan was a success! With just a simple command, no active effort is required. With just two baskets of magic insect fuel, the [Shadow Dream Hole] can transform waste into treasure and automatically refine [Human Pillars]. The only restriction is that you must stay within the [Shadow Dream Hole] the entire time."

Yuan Zhu discovered that in order for the Shadow Dream Hole to spontaneously refine the Human Pillar, the Tiger Demon had to remain in the Shadow Space the entire time, acting as a system program and directing the process. Without it providing the Mountain Monarch Domain + Minion Talent, the Shadow Dream Hole would be useless.

He is the core soul of refining the [Human Pillar]! Therefore, this 'Insect Pillar Stone' is all due to his efforts and credit.

The good news is, the Tiger Demon isn't staying there in vain. The [Shadow Dream Hole] not only contains the Nightmare Dimension, but also resides within the [Shadow Layer], transforming into a high-powered vacuum cleaner, extracting shadow pollution and strengthening the Tiger Demon itself. Latiao: "Boss, just think of it as training. Just crawl in and get some sleep. I'll take command and refine all the remaining [Insect Pillars] for you."

"If Heaven had not given me, Yu Jingzi, the Way of Weapons would have been dark forever!" "That's right! Like my boss, I'm a peerless genius in the 'Weapon Refining/(Corpse) Circle'!"

Yuan Zhu nodded: "Then let's begin. I will demonstrate the unprecedented [Dream Refining] skills! I will strive to refine 6 [Human Pillars] within 12 hours. Today will be the day for the great achievement of the Mountain King's Dharma Realm!"

Xiao Latiao was eager to try: "I'll help you!" My king and I chopped down 11 human pillars together.

Yuan Zhu went out again, took out more human-level death row prisoners from the dungeon, and moved the "demon insect corpses" piled up in the warehouse into the bedroom one basket at a time, and then entered the retreat mode.

……

Half a day later, Yuan Zhu pushed the door open again, looking high-spirited and energetic.

This is simply a perfect training experience. Just by drilling into the [Shadow Dream Hole], the Tiger Demon can use the power of the [Gate] to extract shadows and become stronger; at the same time, by borrowing the pressure difference of the nightmare world, it can automatically refine the [Human Pillar].

He dared not use the power fed back by the Shadow Dream Hole himself, so he had it all held by the Human Pillars. He only absorbed the safest and most reliable "shadow power." If there was ever a future conflict with the "World Will," all legal responsibility would fall on the Human Pillars.

Finally, five different black cicada larvae and talismans appeared in Yuan Zhu's room, along with three adult cicadas, a mantis, two cockroaches, and a dragonfly larva...a total of 12 [Insect Pillars and Stabilizers].

Each one was refined from a living demonic insect. Yuan Zhu sensed the interior of the stone, revealing a detailed and realistic insect-like biological structure, completely unrelated to humans. It was a super-insect through and through. It didn't have twelve meridians, but it did have a similar meridian structure.

"Boss, you are wise and mighty! You have taken a mere human-grade sacrifice and transformed it into an Earth-grade [Insect Pillar], raising the range and power of the 'Tiger Domain' by a notable level. You are truly a gifted genius, a blessing to Insect City, and a lifesaver!"

Yuan Zhu waved his hand: "Be low-key! Be humble! It's just an empty reputation."

When he walked out of the room again, Commander Zuo was the first to approach him and asked excitedly, "Did you succeed?"

Yuan Zhu nodded reservedly: "It's in the bedroom, you can move out. The next step is to choose the location of the magic circle. Determine the most central one and place the [Shadow Dream Hole]. Then, with this as the core, determine the maximum perception distance, arrange the twelve [Human Pillars] to determine the range of the magic field, and then open up the magic field!"

Zuo Fan asked curiously, "Master, what are the requirements for choosing this location?"

Yuan Zhu: "It's not that particular. Originally, to set up the [Dharma Domain], one needed to select famous mountains and rivers, calculate Feng Shui and the direction of the earth veins, and choose a node with a strong spiritual vein. Then, around this 'Spirit Eye', 12 [Human Pillars] were nailed down to intercept the spiritual energy and activate the formation. Eventually, the Dharma Domain was nurtured bit by bit."

"Now everything has changed. We've reversed the Tiangang and first possessed the most central [Shadow Dream Hole]. It's the perfect 'Spirit Eye Core'. No divination or calculations are needed; simply placing [Insect Pillars and Suppressing Stones] around it will activate the Domain. All we need now is to select a core location and place the [Dream Hole]. Once it's fixed, it can no longer be moved."

Commander Zuo nodded, understanding Yuan Zhu's intention. Now that the Dream Hole was confirmed to be the core, everything became simple and clear. He suggested, "Let's choose the location within this cavity where the Immortal Tree's roots are most densely packed as the core. In the future, the Dream Hole Domain will expand outward from this core, better able to extract the 'corrupted spiritual energy' and then purify it using the Tubeworm Array."

Yuan Zhu nodded, controlled the shadow uniform and grabbed the [Dream Hole] beside him, and said to Commander Zuo: "Okay, you lead the way. Let's place the [Shadow Dream Hole] first, and then determine the location of the [Insect Pillar]."

Thus, the two first found the area with the highest concentration of Immortal Tree Roots and fixed the [Shadow Dream Hole] in the air 30cm above the ground. This setup made it easier to open the door and enter the [Shadow Space] for training or refining equipment (Insect Pillar).

After completing this step, Commander Zuo energetically carried one 'Insect Pillar Stone' after another, and ran around under Yuan Zhu's command, constantly sensing the optimal signal distance between the [Insect Pillar] and the [Shadow Dream Hole].

Think of the Shadow Dream Hole as a signal base station, and each Insect Pillar as a WiFi connection. The farther the better, the better. According to feedback from the Mountain Jun Law Realm, after the city is built, each Insect Pillar will become a secondary signal base station, further expanding the range.

In this way, Yuan Zhu took Commander Zuo to walk through the underground cavity and placed 12 "insect pillars and stone guards" in different positions, which not only wrapped up the camp, but also completely covered the limited underground cavity.

When everything was arranged, Yuan Zhu once again entered the [Shadow Dream Hole] and activated the Tiger Demon Form. Using the ready-made [Dream Hole] as the core, he activated the [Tiger Domain].

The shadow spiritual energy in the tiger demon's body quickly flowed back into the [Shadow Dream Hole], and then quickly connected to the 12 [Insect Pillars]. A magic array based on "shadow pollution" expanded in the underground cavity, forming a shadow bubble that covered an area with a diameter of 1km.

This time, the [Shadow Dream Hole's] pollution extraction range also overlapped with the scale of the 'Mountain Monarch's Domain'. No longer needing to manually drop demonic insect debris into the dream hole, it could automatically extract all the pollution within the 'Domain'. This included, but was not limited to: spiritual energy, polluted miasma, wild demonic insects crawling in the mud, slime molds and mushrooms clinging to the stone walls...

The Shadow Dream Hole is the engine, and the Tiger Domain is the supporting structure. Combined, they operate autonomously. The Tiger Demon can use the Shadow Dream Hole to adjust all the rules within the domain.

At the same time, the "Tiger Domain" in the [Boss Template] also distorted, changing to the [Shadow Domain]. The original Tiger Demon's ability to connect the Yin and Yang realms now connected the [Shadow] and [Reality].

As for the current world's [Shadow (Dream Hole) Domain], it has been changed to communicate between the real world and the nightmare dimension + shadow dimension.

...

Without Yuan Zhu's reminder, Zuo Fan and Lu Yan, who were in the Dharma Domain, felt at the same time that the surrounding environment had changed dramatically.

The 'Shadow Eggplant and Brain Eggplant' in their bodies sent out extremely comfortable feedback, and the efficiency of [Shadow Breathing] was passively increased by 30%.

A faint shadowy aura emerged from the air, and its concentration began to increase. In this wilderness, outside the Insect City's radiation range, the polluted miasma in the air quickly dissipated, drawn away by the Dream Hole and fed back into the unknown energy channel formed by the Shadow Dream Hole and the twelve Insect Pillars.

Zuo Fan felt that even without entering the Shadow Space, he could still capture the "power from beyond the heavens" for cultivation. This feeling was very similar to the "large magic circle" laid out in the Insect City.

Only the two siblings showed a lukewarm reaction to the appearance of the Shadow Realm. The slowly rising shadow power in the air neither made them feel comfortable nor uncomfortable.

Because [Holy Cough True Qi] violently kills low-concentration shadow spiritual energy. Because the intensity of [Holy Light] is at least five times that of [Shadow].

The disappearance of the polluted spiritual energy made their breathing much easier, and they felt that the surrounding environment had become better.

(End of this chapter)