New concept of the mysterious way to ascend to immortality

Chapter 124: The Materialized Henchmen, the Road to a Brute Force
Three hours passed in a flash. Yuan Zhu, who was having a great time playing with his spicy snack in the small "Cockroach Village", suddenly heard a "ding!" sound in his ears, as if the microwave had finished heating, reminding him to eat.

Manipulating the gray mist around him, he rubbed out a straight wooden tube with his bare hands. Just as he was about to challenge the boss, La Tiaozi saw Yuan Zhu suddenly froze and asked in confusion, "Lao Da, what's wrong with you? Did you lose connection?"

As she spoke, she leaned forward with a suspicious look on her face, wanting to poke her boss's nostrils with the wooden pipe in her hand.

Snapped!
Yuan Zhu slapped her head and said, "Super Henchman is done! Let's return to reality."

With that, he closed [Cockroach Country] and returned to the Tiger Demon's true form with Xiao La Tiao. A pair of dark golden pupils opened within the pitch-black [Shadow Dream Hole], and then he sensed that this body had become even stronger.

The mana value has increased by more than 1/3 compared to when it first arrived. The health bar has also increased a lot, but overall it is not as good as the blue bar, and the health volume has begun to decline.

This was due to the Tiger Demon not eating for a long time, and consuming a large amount of vitality to fill the hole in the flesh and blood growth and strengthening. A simple meal of easily digestible high-energy food, swallowed by [Stomach Universe], would solve the problem.

Then, he shifted his gaze to the corner of the [Shadow Space]. At this time, a huge [Rhinoceros Beetle], completely black and reflecting a metallic glow, was lying on the ground. It restrained its aura and looked like a visible but intangible "ghost assassin", quietly staring at him.

The new generation of [Emperor (Earth) Level. Demonic Insect Minions] is freshly released!
Just a glance and the basic data of this [Shadow Demon Bug] came to mind. It was about the size of a three-wheeled motorcycle.

The main body is made from the powerful [Earth-level. Human Cocoon], and unlike the eggplant-headed ghost that can change its shape at will and also do liquid shadow pollution, this demon insect has a hard and heavy "super exoskeleton". It carries the shadow attribute, but cannot be transformed into a shadow, and always maintains a solid material structure.

The tiger demon beckoned his finger, and the shadow demon worm crawled in front of it to accept the inspection of its master.

The talent [Claw] was activated, and the sharp bone claws scratched across the black exoskeleton, making a harsh noise and leaving four deep scratches.

The first feeling the tiger demon had was 'solidity', as if it was cutting metal with its tiger claws.

Then, it suddenly unleashed its full strength, slamming down with a heavy skeletal claw from above, slamming heavily into the rhinoceros beetle's back and flattening the shadow demon insect. It felt like hitting a lump of iron, with a distinct sense of compression and cushioning.

Looking down, the demon worm was just a mass of black asphalt deep within the pores of its exoskeleton, its bones cracked and bleeding, but its overall structure hadn't collapsed or broken. Instead, its internal injuries had rapidly healed, becoming solid and strong again.

"hard!"

Then, it let the rhinoceros beetle charge at it. With a loud bang, the tiger demon's claws pressed against its horns. However, the rhinoceros beetle's sudden burst of brute force pushed it back two steps before it regained its balance.

What a strength!
After a brief inspection, the Tiger Demon confirmed that the Shadow Demon Worm was a brand new "demon," a mixture of 70% Super Shadow Contamination and 30% Super Shadow Exoskeleton.

To be precise, a mere shadow contamination couldn't completely refine a complete 'Earth-Rank Demonized Giant Worm'. The finished ghost still had a solid 'bone structure' inside it that couldn't be refined.

This prevented the Shadow Demon Worm from twisting and deforming as freely as the Eggplant-Headed Ghost, transforming into liquid and seeping into cracks. It always maintained the form and structure of a Demonized Giant Worm, more like a Physical Ghost.

On the one hand, this highlights that [Power of Shadow] is as weak as ever. The same unit cannot beat [Holy Light], and now it cannot refine [Earth-level. Demon Worm]. But on the other hand, it also proves that the Shadow Demon Worm is quite capable. It can withstand the refining of [Shadow Dream Hole. Ghost Formula] throughout the whole process. Even though it has become a ghost, it still retains 30% of its unyielding pride!
...

After simply recording the data of the 'Rhinoceros Beetle', Yuan Zhu bound it to a [Insect Pillar], then brought out the Shadow Dream Hole and summoned Commander Zuo who was working hard to formulate a 'plan'.

Seeing the restrained aura of the rhinoceros beetle, Commander Zuo was slightly surprised: "What is this...?"

Yuan Zhu: "Emperor-level Shadow Demon Bug, I need you to test its strength. Wait, I will transfer its control to you. From today on, it will be your battle pet, and the training costs will be paid by your [Insect Pillar]."

After transferring the right to use the [Unicorn Emperor] to the other party, Yuan Zhu began to have wild thoughts. He wondered if after refining Commander Zuo into a ghost, he could breed a [Emperor-level Demonic Insect]?
Meanwhile, Commander Zuo, having gained control of the Rhinoceros Beetle, was also excited. This was his first time operating a demonized giant insect. This technology had always been in the hands of the Nomadic Family. No one had ever heard of any insect city possessing the ability to control a demonized giant insect.

Based on this method alone, he determined that the [Shadow Realm] was qualified to build a city!
The prerequisite is that after being discovered by the "nomadic family", they can withstand the other party's fierce counterattack and extermination; as well as the subsequent greedy plundering of other insect cities.

boom! Boom boom!

He thought so in his mind, but his hands did not slow down at all. He raised his hand and condensed strands of Qi, and a fist of true Qi condensed outside his body, which hit the "Shadow Demon Bug" and was easily dispelled by its resistance.

Commander Zuo then continuously increased the intensity of his attacks, displaying one True Qi martial art after another, each imbued with a slightly fantasy-inspired aesthetic. The special effects were magnificent and beautiful. The giant shadow insect on the other side also charged forward, demonstrating its strong True Qi resistance. It then condensed a vast mass of shadow tissue (razor-sharp tentacles) with extraordinary resilience around its body, launching a primitive and brutal counterattack.

After a seemingly intense but measured fight, the Shadow Demon Worm was completely defeated. However, neither Yuan Zhu nor Commander Zuo felt disappointed. Instead, they nodded secretly, thinking that it had performed well.

The Shadow Demon Worm's basic indicators of strength, defense, and resistance were exceptional. It was confirmed that within its unrefined 'Shadow's Unyielding Pride', trace amounts of [Insect Gold] remained, combined with its organic exoskeleton, resulting in formidable defense, resistance, and resistance to true Qi...

If the demon worm's interior is seriously injured and the True Qi threads penetrate its body, causing it to explode, it will trigger the digital pollution properties of the [Ghost], allowing it to quickly repair itself. The [Ghost] does not suffer fatal injuries and has transcended the realm of living beings. It can continuously use "Transcendent Pollution" to repair itself until the "Digital Shadow Pollution" is exhausted.

As for their flaws, they have completely lost the intelligence that humans should have, only possess insect-level hunting instincts, and do not understand tactical application.

All the 'true Qi' in the body disappeared, leaving only the 'power of shadow' as a replacement, making it impossible to use the profound and mysterious true Qi martial arts.

Commander Zuo explained, "The demonized giant insects themselves don't know how to use martial arts. They rely on their powerful bodies. The more demonic insects they hunt and feed on, including demonic insects, monks, and their own kind, the larger their bodies become, the higher their resistance becomes, and they also awaken special talents."

In their introduction, the demonized giant insect leaned more towards the "Insect System" description, primitive and incompetent, a throwback to its ancestors, devoid of any technical content. True Qi martial arts are a derivative of the Knight System's combat martial arts, based on the Kunlun System's meridians, acupoints, and True Qi. "How strong is it?"

Commander Zuo mentally estimated, "Earth Rank 2, with strength exceeding 60 acupoints. Its weaknesses are obvious. If I can control more than five of them, combined with a small confinement formation, I can confidently surround and kill those of the same rank! My Lord, I suggest selecting high-value 'Insect Cultivators' for refining, such as Dao Seeds with flight capabilities, or those with agility... Furthermore, if you can master the 'Nomadic Clan' insect control techniques, you can further unleash their power."

If we could refine a group of flying giant demonized insects, such as bees, mosquitoes, dragonflies... or shadow mantises... these agile demonic insects would unleash even greater destructive power.

"Don't worry, take it one step at a time. As long as there are sacrifices, the [Shadow Dream Hole] can continue to be produced..."

Yuan Zhu was quite satisfied with the 'Shadow Demon Worm', and could clearly feel the space it occupied for the [Ghost] magical power.

The four eggplant-headed ghosts didn't put any pressure on the Tiger Demon. But if it were replaced with [Shadow Demon Bugs], he felt that the Tiger Demon could control about 20 of them before reaching its limit.

As for the Shadow Domain, you can only store around 50 (maximum burst). Once this is achieved, the shadow power converted from the domain's plunder will reach a balance with the consumption of the demon insects, making it impossible to promote other projects.

Finally, a batch of "magic insects" can be given to employees at their own expense to further increase the total force. In other words, once the [Shadow Realm] enters its aggressive mode, it can quickly generate a significant number of troops?
This finally gave him a sense of security. However, while the Shadow Demon Bug's stats looked impressive on paper, its overall capabilities were significantly inferior to those of the Eggplant-Headed Ghost.

The eggplant ghosts in their family are intelligent, famous, and can grow [Shadow Eggplants], whose fruits can create [Brain Eggplants], with numerous byproducts. The intertwined vines can create simplified magic circles, and can also pollute and erode large areas of land.

In short, he is very creative and has a bit of an IQ disorder.

In contrast, this shadow demon worm cannot transform and is very stupid.

Yuan Zhu stared at the Dark Rhinoceros Beetle and suddenly asked, "What special value do the demonized giant insects in the underground world generally have?"

Zuo Fan: "The demonized giant insects feed on wild demon insects, constantly absorbing and accumulating iron poison. As a result, the content of [Insect Gold] in their exoskeletons is extremely high, making them a natural material for refining magical weapons. Once killed, their corpses can be used to cultivate high-level spiritual herbs. In addition, the nomadic family has mastered a technology that can refine 'giant insects' into vehicles. They can isolate external pollution, dig tunnels underground to pass through restricted areas, and even use giant demon insects in battle."

"The cauldron in the Alchemy Room is also forged from the carcasses of demonized giant insects. Furthermore, the method of [Armor Forging] is also related to demonized giant insects. For example, if I want to break through to the 'Heavenly Stage', I need to find a living 'Cicada Demonized Giant Insect' and find a way to implant my own [Insect Armor] into its body, completely draining it of its essence and imbuing it with a soul. The stronger the sacrificed demon insect, the greater the potential for armor forging."

Yuan Zhu, who had originally been somewhat disdainful of the Shadow Demon Bug, suddenly changed his expression and became friendly towards the One-Horned Emperor. It turned out he wasn't a waste; his [Unyielding Pride] was his true essence.

My dear, my dear, this is a 'road to riches'!
"I'll take it for a physical examination first and return it to you later."

Commander Zuo naturally had no objection: "Please do as you wish, sir."

"Prepare well. If nothing unexpected happens, you will have five more [Shadow Demon Bugs] to fight for me!"

Zuo Fan immediately promised: "I will lead them to clean up the threats around the camp, harvest enough pollutants, and fill the [Shadow Dream Hole] to maintain the growth and expansion of the camp."

...

Returning to the bedroom, he carefully examined the Shadow Demon Worm again and discovered that the body of the [Giant Worm. Henchman] could be divided into three parts:

First up is the unshakeable "Unyielding Pride," which holds the highest gold content. A car-like steel frame, comprising 30% of the structure, is sturdy and heavy, retaining its intact "insect exoskeleton structure" and imbued with insect gold.

Next in line is standard Henchman raw material, digitized shadow contamination, which accounts for 50%. If separated individually, it can be refined into Memory Bars or fill in other Henchman missing pieces.

Finally, the [Tao Seeds, Meridians, and Acupoints], this portion of the insectoid biological tissue, completely lost its original properties after being refined by the [Ghost], transforming into a mass of deformed and mutated tissue, which accounts for 20%. This tissue, spread throughout the interior of the "exoskeleton shell," enhances the demonic insect's strength and toughness, and is the source of its "power."

Now, this part of the "alienated tissue" is spread throughout the body of the demon insect like a grid, adhering to the bones and having the effect of conducting shadow pollution. Yuan Zhu discovered that this mass of "alienated tissue" is the same as the "ghostly wetware".

If the 'demon worm' is split, this group of [alienated tissue] can be transplanted into other minions, giving them the powerful endurance, strength, and toughness of the [rhinoceros beetle]... much stronger than the 'eyeballs, throats, hearts...' absorbed by the four Eggplant Brothers.

This mass of [Alienated Tissue] contains the potential to regenerate into a [Meridian System], granting the minions the ability to cultivate and refine Qi...

Release the 'Rhinoceros Beetle' again and let it automatically return to the vicinity of the [Insect Pillar] to find its owner.

Yuan Zhu, carrying the second offering, entered the Shadow Dream Hole once again, feeling incredibly excited. He had a new goal and direction to strive for: "I've mastered a simple technique for preparing local specialty raw materials. I can extract three materials: [Unyielding Pride, Original Spiritual Roots, and Digital Shadow Pollution]. Now, I need more technical books and insect slips to enrich my database. Then, leveraging the convenience of the Shadow Domain, I'll embark on deeper scientific research..."

Latiao: "This is the correct way to open the [Great Wilderness Immortal Scripture]! Boss, you have embarked on a smooth path."

"But that's not enough. Unyielding Pride can forge giant Gundam vehicles, cauldrons, super flowerpots, and even armor... All of these technologies are in the hands of the Technicians' Alliance. I want to snatch them away!"

Latiao advised: "Take it one step at a time. We are just getting started. There is no need to rush."

"I lack so much, from people to supplies, from technology to... I can't wait to start a war. Build up troops, plunder, build up troops again, and plunder again, to make up for my shortcomings and embark on a virtuous cycle."

(End of this chapter)