New concept of the mysterious way to ascend to immortality

Chapter 94: Meeting the Sword Master Again (Subscribe)

Yuan Zhu persevered in the Garden of Disease for four hours, repeating the cycle of 'Holy Light Mowing + Refining Seals + Tiger Demon Healing' until he was mentally exhausted and his [Boss Template] gradually depleted his life force.

With the Latiao decryption, he also understood the true nature of this [Boss Template]. It looked like a digital cultivation plug-in, but in fact it was a genuine [Tiger Demon Spiritual Root (Bloodline)] transplant.

Therefore, his [Boss Template] does not have the infinite mana and mana recovery mechanism in the game. All of this follows the pseudo-equivalent exchange, and there can be output only if there is intake.

Mana (the blue bar) is easily obtained through Shadow Aura. Once you activate Tiger Devil Stance, you can passively draw from your own shadow. Health, on the other hand, comes from eating. Digesting and absorbing high-energy food from the material world, blood food, organic matter, low-level pollution sources, and so on.

The magical power of [The World in the Belly] is not only capable of high-end operations such as constructing the [Inner World], refining minions, and superimposing the power of a world, but also has down-to-earth basic functions such as overload swallowing, slow digestion and absorption, nutrient intake, and strengthening the body.

In order to help the human posture recover quickly, the tiger demon ordered the little spicy strip (snake demon) to devour a large amount of "disease-contaminated crops". Now it is barely suppressed by the [Universe in the Belly], and the digestive system is facing unprecedented challenges.

"Boss, please stop making me eat junk. These disease-causing pollutants are extremely difficult to digest. The progress of the seven goblins' [Ghost Refining Task] has been significantly delayed, from 7 hours to a week!"

"Do you want me to spit it out? Tiger demons need to eat too. No matter how bad these diseased crops are, they are still high-energy (polluted) crops. How much ordinary food do I need to eat to replenish my energy consumption?"

His [Boss Template] is far from reaching its peak now. As long as he activates the Tiger Demon Stance to passively absorb the power of shadows, he can automatically practice and expand his health and mana bars to reach a higher level and a stronger form. This is the qualification given to him by his bloodline (spiritual roots).

However, in order to take care of his practice in human form, every time he entered the Tiger Demon form, instead of becoming stronger, he continuously consumed the red and blue bars to restore health for his human form, infuse shadow pollution into his minions to suppress disease pollution, and even fell to the point of eating diseased crops to fill his stomach.

In other words, the rapid advancement of the Holy Light in human form was entirely based on the exploitation and oppression of the Shadow Tiger Demon. He was using the stagnation or even slight loss of his Shadow cultivation in exchange for the lightning-fast casting of the Holy Seal.

Good news: The [Sanctuary] Seal, after being continuously forged with the Ashes of Disease, has been upgraded to level 5. I've completed most of the Level 1 training, and my strength has increased significantly.

According to his understanding from the "Holy Light Manual", after an ordinary Holy Light monk is branded with the Holy Mark, it often takes 3-5 years of practice before he can forge the first [Holy Seal] and be promoted to the first level.

Even some wild Holy Light monks lacking inheritance, or deacons in remote areas, often burn their entire lives without knowing what the [Holy Seal] is. They burn their Holy Light for a lifetime, honing its strength and purity to extremely high levels, saving countless civilians... and then disappear.

Thanks to the dedication of these saints who burned their all, the reputation and image of the [Holy Church] among the people have been greatly improved. Yuan Zhu even suspected that the [Holy Church] was deliberately spreading only the [Holy Mark] among the people without providing the [Holy Seal].

...

"Boss, you have to practice scientifically and not over-exert yourself on the Tiger Demon. The 'Disease Contamination' risk index is a bit high. I'm worried that the [Stomachic Universe] will accumulate too much, and instead of being digested, it will break through the firewall and in turn contaminate the Tiger Demon's deformed spiritual roots."

Yuan Zhu pondered for a moment and suddenly had an idea: "I have a solution! Give Tiger Demon some stomach-strengthening and digestion-promoting tablets to speed up the digestion and suppression of the 'disease crops'."

After saying that, he took out glass jars from his bag. Inside were rats with bloodshot eyes, coughing up blood violently.

The last time I captured the goblins, I didn't use them. Yuan Zhu has been raising them as [Holy Light Batteries]. Swallowing them with a [Holy Cough], the rat's fate is in my hands.

Relying on the suppression of the 'Holy Cough Pollution' within their bodies, they withstood the garden's disease. Though coughing up blood, they remained alive. Even breathing the diseased air, their flesh rapidly deformed and contaminated, bursting with morbid vitality. Their bodies grew larger, their vitality more vigorous, their pollution more intense, and their holy light burned longer and more vigorously. From then on, they killed to protect life, a perfect righteous cycle!

Even Shushu could redeem his polluted sins and ascend to the Holy Temple after being burned by the Holy Light. (Shushu: Thank you so much! Without you, I wouldn't have been so polluted!)

Yuan Zhu was now using the [Stigmata] to manipulate the Holy Cough disease in their bodies, increasing its intensity to the maximum. However, a scene from the game where he detonated the C4 via remote control suddenly surfaced in his mind. The sense of déjà vu was too strong!

The rats' eyes emitted a blood-white, creepy holy light, and they coughed up pieces of glowing, hot, dirty blood, as if they were about to transform into 'rat meat holy light bombs' and ascend to the temple for self-sacrifice.

Yuan Zhu quickly threw the rat meat grenades, each containing a rapidly increasing concentration of "holy light", high into the sky. The next second, he seamlessly switched to the tiger demon form and swung his snake tail behind him.

A jade skeleton snake burrowed into the ground, followed closely by a huge, pitch-black snake demon. It rose straight up from the shadows below the flower field and swallowed the dozen or so holy light bombs in one gulp.

With a grunt, he swallowed it all.

At this time, inside the [Abstract Universe], a large number of diseased crops intertwined into a difficult-to-shake 'disease pollution source', launching a counterattack within the Abstract Universe, resisting compression, decomposition and digestion, and even had the energy to release pollution in reverse, creating various uncontrolled riots.

Suddenly, a 'stomach-strengthening and digestion-digesting tablet' with holy light emitting from its eyes and screaming fell into the [Abdomen's Universe Space]. The next second, a holy cough burst out, and the body exploded. The holy light radiated from the abdomen targeting the disease pollution, shining in all directions, severely damaging the disease pollution while also destroying the space of [Abdomen's Universe].

Although both [Holy Light] and [Shadow] belonged to Yuan Zhu, they were not harmonious. Now that they met, they were filled with jealousy. Especially [Holy Light], with its extreme and domineering exclusivity, it would not tolerate any pollution in its presence.

Unfortunately, the Rat's bomb was limited in power, and they were playing away from home. When the Holy Cough incinerated everything within the Rat, the released Holy Light radiation failed to shake the Abdomen, instead dragging the disease and contamination along with it, resulting in a mutual destruction.

"belch!"

The Skeleton Snake Tail let out a strange cry and continued, "It worked! I feel much better in my stomach. It's just that this 'Holy Light Digestive Tablet' is a bit of a waste of energy. Perhaps next time I feed the Tiger Demon garbage, I can use [Holy Light] to weaken the diseased crops in advance?"

Yuan Zhu switched back to his human form and nodded thoughtfully: "That's fine."

If the human form becomes stronger by sucking the blood of the tiger demon, then it is the obligation to clean the food (highly poisonous) for the tiger demon before feeding it.

Latiao: "Boss, I have an idea. Perhaps we could raise a large number of extremely fertile 'Rats and Frogs', then use pollution sources to upgrade and strengthen them, making high-quality rations to feed your [Tiger Demon] for nutritional supplements. If you're worried about the pollution of the same attribute being too strong, we can use 'Holy Light' and 'Disease' in a 1:1 ratio to hedge, and eat them together for a richer nutrition."

Yuan Zhu: "Why not just use 'Shadow Pollution' to make these rations? If we can even upgrade the feed formula and breeding methods, we can cultivate more than just rations, but also the raw materials for the minions."

Everything is back to the starting point. What he is researching now is how to mass-produce the minions stably.

What Yuan Zhu had wanted from the beginning was a method to mass-produce ghost minions. Didn't the original Tiger Demon create ghost minions so that they could find more food and feed themselves?
If you have a large number of minions, you can open a "Shadow Ration Factory." Large numbers of minions enter the garden to harvest fodder, raise rats to feed the diseased crops, suppress them with Holy Cough, and marinate them with Shadow Pollution...

Each one is not only a top-level 'holy light battery', but also high-quality tiger demon rations, and can quickly tap into the resources of the disease garden.

I imagine the Mountain King of the Immortal Realm lives a similar life, right? He commands a group of minions who manage and feed the little demons for him, sending him a batch every day for his enjoyment.

"Today's training is over. Let's go to the flower and bird market to buy some small animals to give the tiger demon a snack."

Yuan Zhu discovered that, despite the lack of goblins for experiments, he could still use ordinary animals to study the pollution of "shadow, holy light, and disease." Exploring the properties of these pollutants, and then, after the experiments were complete, throwing them all into the [Abdomen] to be broken down into nutrients, was a fascinating endeavor.

...

Time passed quickly and it was afternoon. Yuan Zhu bought a batch of unwanted wolverines from a group of hunters at a low price at the flower and bird market, and then bought two cheap deer with broken legs.

During the conversation, I learned that the Misty Mountains are vast and rich in resources. Hunters with extraordinary powers often go into the mountains to hunt. Goats, deer, wolves, bears... are all very common beasts, and even extraordinary creatures appear.

There's no such thing as a "hunting ban" or "fishing ban" in this world. Hunting, therefore, is a bloody, thrilling, and truly manly sport, highly dangerous yet beloved. It shares the same world with the "Angler."

Well, Running is rich in rivers, swamps, and ponds, all of which are home to dangerous factors such as crocodiles, piranhas, violent octopuses, and fishmen. Many anglers have died in accidents, but everyone still enjoys fishing.

After processing this batch of wild game, Yuan Zhu saw that there was still time and the distance was not far, so he followed the address left by Lu Rang and found the Shamatte boy who was practicing at home.

After meeting again, he found that Lu Rang had changed greatly in both appearance and temperament, and it could even be said that he was reborn, which was refreshing.

The nose ring, lip studs, and other frivolous accessories were now all removed, leaving only a sapphire stud in her left ear. This was actually quite normal. Running has been renowned for its gemstone crafting since its founding. Locals, influenced by this from a young age, are quite common for men to wear earrings and rings, as long as they're not too risqué.

In addition to removing his nose ring and lip studs, he also removed his dazzling rainbow comb. In order to clean up his act, he shaved his head to show his determination.

He also discarded the wasteland-style leather jacket with spiked steel nails and changed into a very energetic white and green sportswear. He instantly evolved from an energetic young man into a sporty gym student.

He also carried a straight black cloth bag on his back, which contained his most important food belongings, pipe wrenches and flying swords!

The thought of this energetic young man in front of him being a Sword Immortal made Yuan Zhu feel strange. The profession of Sword Immortal suddenly seemed so low-key.

"Brother Yuan! I haven't seen you for a few days. I didn't expect you to come see me. What a surprise. I wonder if you have any instructions?"

Lu Rang was highly conscious, and his sudden acquisition of extraordinary powers didn't lead him to become arrogant and dismissive of Yuan Zhu. On the contrary, he always remembered his position as the elder brother and the younger brother, and his attitude was sincere and upright.

"I saw your message on Happy Home. Since I'm free today, I came to check out your address. Here's 2 yuan. Consider it compensation for the Bodhisattva's arm you gave me last time. You left so quickly that you forgot to take the Bodhisattva's arm with you. I've already exchanged it, so I can only give you cash."

"Ah?!" Lu Rang was stunned and quickly waved his hands to refuse. "No, no, no, I can't accept it. No merit, no reward. This is too expensive!"

Yuan Zhu looked nonchalant and advised, "Zhou Chu and Meng Xi have already taken it, so there's no need to be embarrassed."

Lu Rang, on the other hand, was extremely serious. "If I had been there and everyone had taken it, I would have naturally given it an arm. But since I missed it, forget it. Brother Yuan, I'm embarrassed to take it if you compensate me separately. It's too weird. Besides, I'm not an ordinary person anymore and I'm not short of money."

He was impressed by the other party's performance, so Yuan Zhu did not force him to do anything. Instead, he asked curiously, "How have you been lately? You seem to be much more confident."

"At first, I just stayed at home, diligently practicing and refining my flying sword. During my training, I accumulated many problems that I couldn't solve. So I used a coin to enter the Happy House, hoping to seek advice from the captain. I met no one except a mechanical maid. Fortunately, the maid knew a lot and answered many of my questions. She also gave me two letters. One for Zhou Chu and one for Meng Xiyue."

"Sister Zhou Chu's letter instructed me to report my situation to the Running Security Bureau and register. When I went, the officials didn't force me to reveal the origin of the [Sword Cultivation System]. Instead, after undergoing testing, they issued me a certificate and invited me to become a Running 'Honorary Investigator.'"

You actually have a certificate? How come I, a dignified Holy Light monk, don't have a certificate or ordination certificate?
Yuan Zhu asked doubtfully, "What is an honorary investigator?"

"It's an optional part-time job. I can proactively select missions of limited difficulty and accompany the investigators on their missions, assisting them in capturing or clearing out dangerous contaminated creatures and distorted monsters. It's not only a way to hone my skills, but also safe and secure, with good pay. I can also contribute to Running's public security. Finally, I'll receive a gray wolfhound upon joining. Super impressive!"

It turned out to be an auxiliary police officer who brought his own food. Yuan Zhu suddenly realized that he wasn't interested in the 'grey wolfhound' Lu Rang had mentioned, let alone the auxiliary police. Working for the Security Bureau was no match for the joy of starting his own business.

Instead, his gaze was focused on the cloth bag on Lu Rang's back.

After noticing Yuan Zhu's gaze, Lu Rang puffed out his chest proudly, and asked eagerly, "Brother Yuan, what's wrong?"

Yuan Zhu narrowed his eyes and looked at the other person's ten bandaged fingers. It was obvious that he had paid a heavy price for sacrificing the sword.

When he thought about the other party cutting his finger with a blade and smearing the blood on the pipe wrench inch by inch from the wound, his scalp tingled. It felt even more perverted than the [Holy Light] burning his vitality.

Although releasing the holy light is tragic, the pain is only momentary, and may even lead to self-paralysis over time.

But the [Sword Immortal] is different. It may not cause serious loss of life, but it is pursuing real pain, and it is an extreme pain that is continuous and increasingly intense. It is really perverted!

He would never choose the path of Sword Cultivation even if he was beaten to death. I'm afraid that all the top sword masters are crazy, right?
Yuan Zhu then said, "You've been training for a week, right? How was your sword ritual? Why don't you show me your skills?"

This was exactly what Lu Rang wanted. He nodded eagerly and agreed, "Okay! Then I'll show you how ugly I am."

Yuan Zhu interrupted: "Wait, let's find a place where there is no one. We can't perform here."

Lu Rang nodded repeatedly. "I know there's an abandoned site nearby. Let's go there. By the way, Brother Yuan, which system did you choose?"

"Holy Light."

"Holy Light?! The Holy Temple?" Lu Rang was surprised. He had heard of the Holy Temple. Although he hadn't included the Great Moth in his annual faith menu, he knew about the Holy Temple's promotion and even had an introduction in the textbooks.

"Yes, it is the Holy Light under the [Holy Temple] system."

Lu Rang asked in confusion, "I heard this system is very costly and requires lives to be consumed. Why did you choose this?"

Yuan Zhu's face was filled with holiness and compassion: "Because [Holy Light] is of the greatest help to the team, I want to contribute to our team."

Upon hearing this, Lu Rang was instantly moved, and felt inwardly that Yuan Zhu was indeed Du Ling's good brother!

His young mind was deeply shocked at this moment. Originally, he thought that such people only existed in novels, but he didn't expect to see a real person with his own eyes!

The two of them came to the abandoned site that Lu Rang mentioned. It was a dilapidated bungalow with only a few children chasing and playing inside.

They found a quiet place and Lu Rang couldn't wait to show it off.

He made a sword-pointing motion with his right hand and swung it upward to the right. The pipe wrench wrapped in the cloth bag behind him flew out with a clang.

It hit the big tree beside it straight away.

"Crack..." The thick branch was instantly severed, and with a clang, it fell to the ground. The pipe wrench, manipulated by an invisible force, slowly floated back.

"The impact force is good, but why is it in a straight line?" Yuan Zhu found that whether the 'pipe wrench was unsheathed' or returned, it was moving in a straight line, and it was a bit clumsy.

Lu Rang scratched his head. "I haven't mastered the skill of controlling the flying sword yet. Right now, I mostly use the pipe wrench in hand, swinging it to attack, which can add sword energy. That move just now was mainly to give you a surprise."

He was still a lagging "Sword Master"? He couldn't even fly or control a sword?
"Come, strike here with your sword and let me feel the sharpness of your sword!"

A barrier of holy light appeared before Lu Rang, leaving him stunned. "Wow! Brother Yuan, what is this? Is it holy light? It feels so sacred and warm! But for some reason, I instinctively want to get closer, but a chilling chill spreads through my heart."

"It's perfectly normal. You've heard of moths flying into a flame, right? This holy light looks sacred, but its essence is pollution. It's tempting you to come closer, burning your soul and life. Don't hesitate, strike down, show me your strength!"

"drink!"

Lu Rang roared, concentrated his attention, gripped the pipe wrench tightly with both hands, and slashed down with his sword.

This time, the seemingly bulky pipe wrench was coated in a layer of sharp sword energy, and a heavy, invisible sword energy slashed out. The barrier of the slash crackled, leaving a mark that then faded away.

"This..." Lu Rang never expected that his confident attack could not break through this transparent wall of light.

"Not bad, don't slack off or get discouraged, my strength is beyond your imagination." Yuan Zhu patted his shoulder and said, "Come on, I'll treat you to dinner."

(End of this chapter)