Digimon: I really didn't want to be the Digimon Emperor!

"Relax, it'll be over soon." Cheng Yuan'an stroked a trembling Wendymon as BlackGi-Oh's claws precisely pierced its Digicore.

Two hours later...

"Okay, the pollutant crystals have been mostly removed. Now you can rest well and wait for the pollutants and mutations to gradually dissipate."

"Thank you, thank you so much, Master Qilin! You truly are a master! My Wendy hasn't been this energetic in three years!"

A young animal trainer, holding his revitalized partner, was moved to tears, as if a light had been ignited within him, dispelling the gloom and giving him more hope for the future.

Seed of Light 2885 (+50)

During this time, Cheng Yuan had become accustomed to the increase in this value. The system was already able to read the Digimon's mental data. As Cheng Yuan helped the Digimon recover, he discovered that the value of the Seed of Light was also increasing, which gave him a deeper understanding of the cultivation of the Seed of Light.

Forging a Seed of Light is a painful process. A more effective way to increase the value of a Seed of Light is to help others find the light and bring it to them. Cheng Yuan has calculated that, on average, helping one person can increase the Seed of Light value by about 50 points.

The increase in light value was an unexpected bonus.

As more and more Digimon trainers' Digimon returned to normal, although they changed to the Shadow attribute, this did not prevent the Digimon from becoming more active and their combat power from increasing. The atmosphere of the entire settlement was completely renewed. Even Captain Feng, who had lost his Digimon, felt less gloomy and smiled when he saw the thriving situation in the settlement.

He would occasionally come over to greet Cheng Yuan before going about his business. Now that he no longer had a Digimon, he had voluntarily withdrawn from the settlement's management and was doing odd jobs at the very bottom of the settlement, but he had no complaints and was diligently contributing his strength.

"Commander Feng is actually very strong." Wang Zheng looked at the people carrying the heavy equipment and said, "He's really strong."

Cheng Yuan nodded. This kind of man wouldn't be easily defeated. Once he finds a Digimon that suits him again, he will become strong once more.

Another point worth mentioning is that Deputy Commander Zhou has yet to bring any Digimon for treatment.

It is said that his Digimon is Bloodwolf, a mature Virus species with high resistance to contamination. He was originally the second strongest in the community, but after the sacrifice of Captain Feng's Cyclopsmon, he is now the strongest.

For the past ten days or so, Cheng Yuan has been immersed in the massive project of treating Digimon. Thanks to Guan Yan's adorable Digimon, who can replenish its energy and condition from time to time using healing and support skills.

Dr. Zhao also activated the group's contaminated dark data artifacts to replenish BlackGatomon's energy.

Finally, on the evening of the 15th day, the last Digimon completed its treatment.

Cheng Yuan sat on the empty platform, looking at the Dark Warrior Spirit he had just received from Dr. Zhao, a look of surprise on his face.

This Dark Warrior's Soul is shaped like a black skeletal beast with three heads and seven blood-red eyes. It has a very evil appearance, and Cheng Yuan can sense the evil and chaotic dark energy and an evil will within it.

He immediately judged that this Dark Warrior's Soul could not be used by BlackGatomon. This power and will might corrupt and control BlackGatomon. After all, although BlackGatomon was resistant to chaotic dark power, it could not resist this evil will.

But he was different; he had a system that could block all attempts to seize his will.

But how do you use it? He doesn't have the Digivice from the fourth generation anime, so activating its power is a challenge.

"System, how do I activate the Warrior's Soul?"

[Ding! Answer the host's question. You can activate it through the Armored Tyrannosaurus Rex or through mental resonance contact, but the latter cannot activate the abilities of Dual Soul Evolution or Super Soul Evolution.]

"Spiritual resonance? How evil do I have to be to evoke its resonance? Does helping an old lady cross the street at a red light count?"

The system is not responding.

As Cheng Yuan continued to press for details about the system, such as whether he could add points, a voice suddenly came from behind him—

"Well, little Qilin, have you figured out any secrets?"

Cheng Yuan was startled and cursed himself for being careless. He had almost exposed his biggest secret by not knowing that someone was behind him while he was talking to the system.

He recognized the voice. Cheng Yuan became secretly alert, but turned around without showing any emotion.

Before me stood Deputy Commander Zhou, a strange smile on his pale face.

"Deputy Commander Zhou is here to enjoy the scenery too?" Cheng Yuan asked casually.

“I came here specifically to find you,” Deputy Regiment Commander Zhou said as he slowly approached.

"Find me?"

"As you already know, before I accidentally entered the Underworld, I was a member of the Hunters Guild—the Bloodblade Hunters Guild."

"Bloodblade Hunter Guild?" Cheng Yuan raised an eyebrow. "Never heard of it."

Cheng Yuan's knowledge of the Hunter Guild was limited to the fact that there were three digital hunters in the Digital Center, such as the one who forced Zhao Lu to buy his X antibody. He didn't have a good impression of digital hunters.

"Our Bloodblade Guild has been searching for a magical digital item. One of our members found in the ancient texts of the Time-Space Mystery that there is an evolutionary process that allows certain types of Digimon to inherit ancient digital power and evolve into another type of Digimon, possessing greater combat power than ordinary Digimon."

His gaze fell on the Dark Warrior's Soul in Cheng Yuan's hand.

"No wonder you've been working so hard to help treat the Digimon infection at the settlement. It seems that old man Zhao Jing gave you that prop."

"To allow Digimon to inherit ancient power and evolve? Is that what you mean?" It seems Vice Commander Zhou was unaware that the Fighter's Soul could even evolve a person into a Digimon. Cheng Yuan looked puzzled, wanting to see what he was really up to.

Tailmon jumped off his shoulder.

"I've never heard of such a magical tool. I just examined it, but I didn't figure anything out. Deputy Commander Zhou, do you know how to use it?"

"This is a secret of our Bloodblade Hunters Guild. If Brother Qilin is willing to join our guild and become a core member, we will naturally provide you with the instructions. At that time, with my strength and the reputation you have built up over the past half month, we will be able to become the leaders of the community."

Cheng Yuan didn't respond to him, but smiled faintly without saying a word.

It is said that ever since Captain Feng lost his Digimon, Vice Captain Zhou has been restless and wants to take up the mantle of the settlement, but the settlement's managers and middle-level managers do not support him. This Vice Captain Zhou is not a good person and has poor interpersonal relationships.

Cheng Yuan didn't know what the other party's intention was in saying all this. Was it a power struggle within the community, or did they genuinely want to become a force in the Land of the Dead?

But he had no intention of staying there for long, so naturally he didn't want to get involved.

Chapter 138 Heart-wrenching Pain!

“Vice-Commander Zhou, I have no interest in the Bloodblade Guild.” Cheng Yuan smiled politely, his fingers lightly stroking the surface of the Dark Warrior’s Soul. “I will figure out how to use this digital item myself. I’m a little tired from treating the Digimon today, so I’ll take my leave now.”

Deputy Regiment Commander Zhou narrowed his long eyes slightly, his pale face appearing uncertain in the dim light. He pursed his thin, blade-like lips and watched Cheng Yuan's departing figure gradually disappear down the steps of the high platform until it finally vanished around the corner.

Back in the stone house, Cheng Yuan solemnly placed the Dark Warrior's Soul on the stone table.

The three-headed skeletal beast statue's blood-red eyes gleamed eerily in the dim light, as if silently watching him.

"To make it resonate, and then make contact?" Cheng Yuan murmured to himself, a dark flower appearing in his right palm, while his left hand grasped the Soul of the Dark Warrior. He took a deep breath and slowly clasped his hands together—

"what--!"

A heart-wrenching scream suddenly erupted from inside the stone house. When Guan Yan, Wang Zheng, and the others rushed over, they found Cheng Yuan slumped on the ground, covered in sweat, his face as pale as paper.

"It's nothing, it's nothing," Cheng Yuan forced a smile, his voice trembling slightly, "I slipped and fell."

Only after confirming that Cheng Yuan was truly unharmed did they leave one after another. Once the footsteps had faded into the distance, Cheng Yuan finally let out a long sigh of relief, cold sweat trickling down his face.

Seeing the protagonists' agonizing expressions during weapon evolution in the anime, I initially thought it was just artistic exaggeration. Now, experiencing it firsthand, I understand that the digitized pain is simply excruciating—every cell in your body feels like it's being shattered and reassembled, your bones are twisted and deformed in the data stream, and your nerve endings feel like they're being pierced by thousands of steel needles simultaneously.

"Waaah..." The little dog rubbed its head against Cheng Yuan's hand with worry, its bright blue eyes filled with unease.

Cheng Yuan forced a smile and gently stroked its soft fur: "Don't worry, once I master this, I'll be able to fight alongside you."

Although the testing process was extremely painful, it at least verified a key point—the Bloodblade Hunter Guild, to which Vice Commander Zhou belonged, likely possessed some other special activation method. And for him, the Dark Flower was the best "key."

However, this presents a new problem: when evolving into Darkmon using Dark Warrior Soul, Puppymon cannot simultaneously maintain BlackGatomon form. A choice must be made between the two.

"But finding our way back is the most important thing." Cheng Yuan rubbed his still slightly aching shoulder and began packing his things.

The following morning, when Cheng Yuan announced that he was to set off to find his way back, the animal trainers in the settlement all showed expressions of reluctance.

They were worried that the young man who had given the community new hope would never return, and they also feared that he would face the dangers of the underworld alone.

Be careful!

"Remember to come back and pick us up once you find your way!"

"Take these provisions with you; they'll keep you hungry on the road..."

Their weathered faces were filled with concern. From their already meager reserves, they managed to scrape together all sorts of food—dried digital beast meat, bitter plant roots and stems, and even precious energy crystals.

Cheng Yuan thanked them one by one and carefully put away these tokens of appreciation. Although he still had emergency supplies stored in his blank chip, in the perilous Yellow Springs region, having more reserves meant having more chances of survival.

“Little Qilin.” Professor Zhao walked over, leaning on his cane, and took out a chip that was glowing faintly from his pocket. “This is the culmination of my life’s research. I hope you can take it with you. If you successfully return to the real world, please give it to the National Beast Tamer Research Institute of the Association.”

Cheng Yuan solemnly accepted the chip with both hands, his fingertips able to feel the residual warmth on it.

He knew that this thin piece of crystal likely contained a groundbreaking technology that would change the history of tamers—the technology to allow a Digivice to tether multiple Digimon. This weighty trust made him straighten his back.

"I will certainly live up to your expectations."

In the days leading up to his departure, Cheng Yuan had already consulted the beast tamers in the settlement in detail about survival techniques in the Yellow Springs region. At this moment, this knowledge clearly surfaced in his mind:

The known distribution of Digimon tribes, the periodic outbreaks of the Dark Tides, methods for identifying edible plants, and the locations of other settlements...

A special warning is issued regarding the Dark Tide. In the Underworld, Dark Tides occur every few days. In the areas covered by the Dark Tide, icy black clouds and blue lightning will rise. Humans cannot stay in the Dark Tide for long. Once caught in the Dark Tide, they must hide as deep as possible, in places where the Dark Tide has not penetrated.

Otherwise, over time, these fragments of death data will assimilate humans and Digimon into skeletal zombie-like beings.

Conversely, wild Digimon often appear when the Dark Tide is inactive, and they frequently attack humans, so be very careful.

Cheng Yuan inquired about many such pieces of information, and even, on a whim, asked about some details about the pale-faced, thin-lipped Deputy Regiment Commander Zhou.

Only then did I learn that Vice Leader Zhou had been recruited a few years ago. He was originally the vice president of the Bloodblade Hunter Guild, and often led hunters to various digital spaces to hunt Digimon. In addition to the quests on the Beast Tamer Quest Market, he would occasionally take on quests from the Beast Tamer Association.

After being sucked in, Bloodwolfmon's astonishing combat power allowed it to kill several powerful invading wild Digimon, making invaluable contributions to the settlement. Therefore, even though it was a hunter, it was recommended by Captain Feng to become the deputy captain of the settlement, specializing in teaching the tamers in the settlement how to train themselves and Digimon.

But recently he seems to have had a disagreement with Dr. Zhao and Commander Feng, and it seems he's demanding something from them.

Cheng Yuan became somewhat wary after hearing these words.

Today, we're seeing Cheng Yuan off. Deputy Regiment Commander Zhou couldn't come because he had some kind of mission to take care of.

The heavy metal door slowly closed behind him. Cheng Yuan took one last look at this gathering place where hope clung to amidst despair, then turned and stepped into the vast desert, still holding the little dog.

Guan Yan followed closely behind him, her eyes flashing with a complex light.

Cheng Yuan and Guan Yan, wearing cloaks and goggles, soon reached the boundary between the rocky area and the desert. Here, Zombiemon and the original Magnamon perished together. Because of Zombiemon's Zero cruise missile, a bomb crater with a diameter of tens of meters was left on the scene.

The charred sand radiated outwards. In the center of the crater, the massive remains of the original armored beast stood silently like an ancient fossil, its surface covered with cracks and burn marks. Even after several days, a faint smell of burning lingered in the air.

This death mark, created by the Zombiemon's "Zero Cruise Missile," silently tells the story of that tragic mutual destruction. Cheng Yuan unconsciously stopped in his tracks, and the image of Commander Feng, hunched over, carrying his lonely figure into the depths of the desert seemed to reappear before his eyes.

Cheng Yuan stood on top of the tortoise shell, gazing into the distance, searching for a route.

"Qilin, can I ask you a question?" Guan Yan suddenly spoke, her voice exceptionally clear amidst the howling sandstorm, "Are you a professional beast tamer?"

Cheng Yuan wiped the dust off his goggles and shook his head, saying, "Of course not, I'm still in high school."

“I think I’ve heard the name Qilin before,” Guan Yan frowned thoughtfully. “I’ve been thinking about it for a long time these past few days before I remembered. My mentor once mentioned it. At the National Digital Beast Evolution Research Institute, there was a project called Evolution Armor. The name Qilin caused a sensation at the research institute and even the operations department.”

Cheng Yuan didn't expect that the evolution of armor would have such a big impact. Moreover, if the fabricated identity of Qilin were to be revealed as some fabricated background of "reserve for the Twelve Divine Generals," wouldn't that be very embarrassing?

Cheng Yuan smiled slightly and said, "It's just a coincidence. I'm a pretty hardworking high school student who runs a little faster than the other students."

The two set off again, heading into the desert, and followed the map drawn by Commander Feng to their next destination.

"Let's go," he said softly, adjusting his goggles. "The road ahead is still long."

Chapter 139 Armor Evolution! The Dark Beast!

Following the map, Cheng Yuan trekked through the dark desert for most of the day before finally arriving at the "oasis" marked on the map.

Fortunately, there is no scorching sun here; otherwise, the high temperature and thirst would greatly increase the difficulty of their journey.

It's called an oasis, but it's really just a few clumps of tenacious, low-growing shrubs forming a sparse, dark green strip between the sand dunes.

This route is the result of experience gained by the tamers of the settlement through bloodshed—the fewest skulls marked on the map mean the lowest probability of encountering powerful Digimon.

This proved to be true. Although there were occasional appearances of Rookie Digimon along the way, they were all easily defeated and dealt with.

Most reassuringly, they never encountered any mature predators lurking behind the dunes.

Several clumps of low shrubs stubbornly took root in the sand, adding a rare touch of dark green to this deadly place.

Just as Cheng Yuan and Guan Yan were unpacking and preparing to rest, a figure suddenly appeared on the sand dune—Deputy Commander Zhou and his Blood Wolf beast blocked their way.

"What a coincidence, little Qilin." Deputy Commander Zhou had a meaningful smile on his pale face. The Blood Wolf Beast bared its teeth at his feet, its scarlet fur gleaming like metal in the sunlight.

This ferocious Digimon had bloodthirsty red eyes and sharp claws that dug deep into the sand.

Blood Wolf Beast

[Virus type? Monster type? Dark theme]

[Maturity Stage]

[Skills: Thrust Blade (Thousand Blades Piercing), Lone Wolf's Howl (Intimidating and Shocking), Life Drain (Absorbs Data Through Wounds), Blood Claw Tear]

[Introduction: A vampire-like beast born in the early days of the Digital World, it teleports through the network in the form of decomposed data, making it extremely difficult to capture. Its fangs can suck the blood of Digimon and steal their core data, causing the target's functions to cease. It often acts as an assassin for the Nightmare Legion, and its evolutionary chain is linked to the vampire family tree. 237]

After exchanging pleasantries, Deputy Commander Zhou extended an olive branch once again: "Join me. With your abilities and my strength, we can completely control the settlement."

He meticulously listed Commander Feng's "weakness" and Dr. Zhao's "indecisiveness," outlining a grand blueprint for unifying the surrounding communities.