Chapter 276: Bloodline Inheritance
The Tiger Demon was positioned at the center palace, lying with eyes closed on the floor where ‘Stone Blood Vessels’ were wantonly expanding and proliferating, enjoying the brand new ‘Shadow Spiritual Energy (Death Qi version)’ inside the ‘Nine Palaces Formation’ that was constantly growing and one body with the [Shadow System].
It took a deep breath, and after a large amount of ‘Death Qi’ was added to the surrounding air, the [Yin Spirit Spiritual Energy] with an even smoother and cooler taste drilled into its seven orifices, wandered around the lungs, was quickly refined, integrated into the blood oxygen, and nourished the whole body of the [Tiger Demon].
He only felt that his [Ghost Companion Supernatural Ability], which in the past could operate normally just by relying on [Shadow Pollution], was like eating only rice and noodles for every meal, providing the necessary nutrients to survive.
But at this moment, after breathing in the [Shadow Spiritual Energy] mixed with Death Qi, this feeling was like meat, eggs, milk, vegetables, and fruits all coming back! Various essential vitamins that the human body cannot synthesize were fully ingested.
This had a miraculous effect on the growth and development of the [Boss Template], making it more balanced and healthy.
“Wonderful!”
The Tiger Demon lay on the cold floor, its pure yang body not sensing the slightest dampness or chill. What it felt was only relaxation and comfort, couldn’t help propping up its upper body for a ‘Kitten Stretch’.
As the ‘Stone Blood Vessels’ proliferating from the [Worm Pillar] transported and circulated the [Shadow Pollution] flowing inside throughout the entire Cave Dwelling, these [Shadow Spiritual Energies] gradually fused with the hall, endowing it with new vitality, becoming an extension of the [Tiger Demon]’s will, an ‘external limb’ outside its body.
That sense of control arose naturally. It was already the substantive master of this [Cave Dwelling], but limited to this limited space of just a few dozen square meters.
…
The Tiger Demon’s greatest feeling at this moment was that its thumbnail-sized ‘Nine Palaces Magic Array’; was completely different from the feeling of opening the ‘Shadow Domain’ in the [Eclosion World] back then.
In the Bubble World, it was suddenly hijacked in reverse by the abruptly obtained [Shadow Dream Hole], and under the call, temptation, urging, and coercion of the ‘Bubble World Will’, it downwardly compatible from a high-dimensional perspective.
It very easily opened the [Shadow Domain].
This time, the Tiger Demon lost the blessing of the [Shadow Dream Hole], and no World Will appeared. This mountain range had higher ‘Pollution Concentration and Death Qi’ aside, with no positive help whatsoever.
From beginning to end, it received no external assistance, nor was it affected by any external interference. Entirely by its own efforts, it selected the site, then placed the [Insect Pillar Town Stone] to set up the array, and the Domain’s opening speed was also very slow.
When the ‘Stone Blood Vessel Root Tendril Networks’ covering the inside of the Cave Dwelling expanded to 60㎡, the maximum radiation area of the ‘Nine Palaces Formation’ gradually reached its limit. There was no infinite expansion, spreading across the entire mountain peak, being instantly refined by the [Shadow Tiger Demon].
One part input, one part harvest. The Tiger Demon quickly figured out that the effective area of its [Nine Palaces-1 Formation] should be around eighty-eight 64㎡.
To further expand the territory range, more [Town Stones] needed to be invested to recharge and expand the Magic Array. When enough ‘Pillar Man Sacrifices’ refined by the Tiger Demon triggered qualitative changes on both sides, it could permanently change the territory’s attributes, gradually transforming from [Formation] in quality to [Mountain Lord’s Domain] → [Blessed Land] → [Grotto-Heaven] → and then communicating the Yin-Yang Realms, carving out a territory.
Although this process was laborious and slow, every inch of the mountain body covered by the [Insect Pillar Town Stone]’s radiation now grew ‘Root Tendrils’ inside, connected to the Tiger Demon like limbs, 100% under its control and influence.
This down-to-earth feeling of struggling inch by inch with blood and sweat; was completely different from the feeling of rapidly succeeding the [Shadow Domain] in the Underground World back then.
The latter was more like a puppet, with no sense of participation, no real power, easily sidelined, only taking dividends; whereas the current shabby and rundown small Cave Dwelling was under its absolute control! It was sacred and inviolable private property.
This sense of security and fulfillment was like even if the Heavenly Court dispatched 100,000 Heavenly Soldiers and Generals, they couldn’t collect a single cent of tax from my one-third of an acre of land. Even the God of Heaven had no right to take the ownership of this land (this mountain) from my hands.
Of the [Shadow Domain] in the [Eclosion World], how much truly belonged to itself?
Now looking back and carefully comparing the feelings of the two kinds of [Domain Masters]. It vaguely judged that its ownership of the [Eclosion World Shadow Domain] had fallen below 40%.
Its greatest contribution was providing the World Will with a design template for the [Shadow Domain]; the World Will borrowed its hand to add [Shadow System, Nightmare System (Dream Hole), Insect Cultivation System (Worm Pillar), Kunlun Immortal Path (Root Network)].
This time returning to the [Eclosion World] again. Yuan Zhu realized that the [Domain] was gradually being sidelined and replaced by the Captain.
This was not the Captain’s subjective doing, but rather that he himself could no longer provide new value to the ‘Bubble World’; in contrast, the Captain brought more ‘new systems and new technology’, greatly optimizing the [Domain] and bringing more turning points to the [Eclosion World].
Thus, the ‘Heaven’s Mandate’ of the Bubble World began to favor the other party.
But the current [Mountain Lord’s Domain] was completely different, with traces of only the [Tiger Demon] from beginning to end. Created from zero, absolute control, layout and customization as desired.
Want to do it however, do it however.
…
When the eight [Worm Pillars] were almost burned out, the ‘Phase 0 Foundation Project’ of the [Mountain Lord’s Domain] also came to an end.
The Tiger Demon comfortably yawned and reopened its eyes.
Without the higher-dimensional ‘infinite energy’ assistance like the [Shadow Dream Hole], its [Domain] opening progress was destined to be slow, entirely relying on core materials like the [Domain Town Stone].
Each [Insect Pillar Town Stone] was like a self-powered [Battery + Charging Station].
First, it contained the ‘Pollution System’ and ‘Life Energy’ from the [Shadow Magic Worm] before its life. Once inserted into the ground to construct and set up the Magic Array, it was immediately activated, instantly undergoing ultimate sublimation, erupting all its accumulated potential.
Thus, the lower body of the [Worm Pillar] meandered and proliferated a large number of ‘Stone Blood Vessel Root Tendril Networks’. This was their once-in-a-lifetime outbreak, releasing the life force and flesh accumulated by the [Shadow Magic Worm] outward to infect and parasitize the mountain body.
Eight [Worm Pillars] was not a large number, and the Formation effect was average. Comparing to a villa or mansion, it was at most opening a rough shell of a ‘bathroom’ in the Cave Dwelling.
But its appearance represented the starting point of the [Mountain Lord’s Domain], officially beginning construction. Going forward, as long as the Tiger Demon continuously transported and inserted [Worm Pillars], it could open living rooms, bedrooms… making the [Domain] scale larger and larger, ultimately qualitatively transforming into [Mountain Lord/Mountain God].
According to the knowledge continuously stimulated from the Bloodline Inheritance (Mutated Spiritual Root), it only needed to transport another 36 [Worm Pillars] from the [Haunted House], using the concept of [Thirty-Six Heavenly Stems] to reinforce and upgrade the [Nine Palaces-1], to open a low-spec version of the [Mountain Lord’s Domain], i.e., Phase 1 project.
Further on, it only needed to transport another 72 [Worm Pillars], completing the superposition of [Seventy-Two Earthly Branches] for secondary expansion, and linking with the [Thirty-Six Heavenly Stems] to form the [Heavenly Stems and Earthly Branches Bureau], allowing the [Domain] to be thoroughly perfected. Absorbing the local ‘Pollution Energy’ of the mountain range to form a complete ‘Spiritual Energy’ cycle, gradually nurturing [Spirit Veins]. I.e., Phase 2 project.
The current Phase 0 stage was just a rough single private room; by Phase 1, it was equivalent to an ordinary residence with its own water and electricity system; Phase 2’s [Domain] was like a small standalone house, highly integrated with groundwater resources and the surrounding environment, qualified to impact the [Mountain Lord] position.
But Phase 2 was still not the limit. In the Tiger Demon’s ‘Bloodline Inheritance’, the true [Mountain Lord’s Domain] needed to be built by piling up endless corpses (sacrifices). The [Town Stones] required enormous quality and quantity regardless.
Ultimately, sacrificing itself with countless ‘Sacrifices’, countless corpses (Town Stones) penetrating the Yin-Yang Realms, single-handedly opening a ‘Grotto-Heaven Realm’, becoming a genuine [Earth God Mountain God]. (Low-spec [Lord of Mount Tai])
…
When the eight [Worm Pillars] were completely burned out, and using the newly formed ‘Magic Array’ began reversely drawing ‘Death Qi’ from the surrounding greater environment, utilizing the basic functions of the [Shadow Insect Pillar] to extract pollution from the [Shadow Layer], automatically recovering magic and recharging.
Today’s ‘opening work’ was thoroughly complete. The [Worm Pillars] entered dormancy maintenance state, beginning to maintain this small Cave Dwelling.
The Tiger Demon crawled up from the ground, condensing a large hand with [Shadow Power], grabbing the [White Bone Scholar] sitting at the end of the [Cave Dwelling] over in one go.
‘Splat!’ With a sound, it threw the ‘Skeleton Lich’ clad in a wizard robe into the center of the [Nine Palaces-1], directly mobilizing the Magic Array power to suppress it!
The Tiger Demon was not sure if the [White Bone Scholar] still had the potential to come back to life? What if the inheritance account left on the [Moon] had a back hand, perceiving its arrangements in the Human World, being thoroughly polluted and occupied by the Tiger Demon… suddenly activating some back doors remotely, making this corpse move and wreak havoc would be bad.
So it suppressed the [Lich] corpse and marinated it with [Shadow Spiritual Energy].
It (the Tiger Demon) clearly felt that this [Lich Corpse] itself was also a high-quality ‘Polluted Material (Heavenly Material and Earthly Treasure)’, with quality higher than [Kunlun Immortal Zombie, Knight Armor].
With its current realm strength, it couldn’t even ‘Ghost Companion Refinement’ this skeleton. So using the [Domain Prototype] to pre-process the ingredient with pollution immersion was also preparing for a rainy day.
The Tiger Demon suddenly spoke: “Eh? I gained another portion of Mountain Lord cultivation knowledge from the [Mutated Spiritual Root].”
After the Tiger Demon formally lay in the sand in the Cave Dwelling of [Yin Mountain], taking the first step of the [Domain]. The [Mutated Spiritual Root] continuously surged with a large amount of bloodline knowledge from the ‘Tiger Demon’ growth and cultivation back then.
Allowing it to self-teach a large amount of Magic Array knowledge from the [Immortal Cultivation Universe], as well as the ‘Corpse Ritual Refinement Method’ unique to Tiger Demons.
In the Tiger Demon’s Bloodline Inheritance, it particularly emphasized hunting cultivators and demonic monsters with Magic Power, preserving their ‘corpses’ as intact as possible, to refine into [Formation Bases (Town Stones)] for opening the Magic Array.
Probably because the Tiger Demon was an evil path without inheritance or Dao Lineage, lacking channels to obtain refining materials. Thus, its approach was very wild, never using its own ‘Tiger Demon’ organs (teeth, claws, tail) for refining; instead targeting other demonic monsters, entering the path with ‘whole corpses’, refining into [Formation Bases].
After this set of operations became increasingly proficient, it began frequently striking at human evil cultivators. Refining into [Town Stones], also acting for heaven, accumulating merits. Then piling up the [Mountain Lord’s Domain] with countless corpses, evil energy overwhelming and Death Qi surging, piercing the Yin-Yang Realms, commanding a million troops, carving out the Underworld.
Thus, this Bloodline Inheritance passed to it a large amount of knowledge on selecting materials, processing, and tempering [Pillar Man Town Stones].
Particularly pointing out: The ‘Spiritual Root Attributes, Cultivation, Talent Potential, Cultivation Technique’ of the [Pillar Man] before life, after being refined into [Town Stone] post-death, would endow the [Domain] with unique additional attributes.
Therefore, unifying the [Pillar Man] attributes as much as possible could maximize the excavation of the [Domain]’s additional potential.
Simply put, after the Tiger Demon broke through to [Mountain Lord] and had some strength, it joined other Demon Kings to secretly assault an ‘Evil Cultivator Sword Sect’, engaging in black-on-black.
The Tiger Demon and other Demon Kings divided the spoils, specifically selecting a large number of demon cultivator corpses who refined ‘White Bone Flying Swords’ before life, bringing them back to the lair to refine into [Pillar Men].
Not only that, it also brought back the corresponding ‘Demonic Path Sword Cultivation Technique’ and some living captives. Thereafter, the Mountain Lord first refined the survivors into [Ghost Companions]. Then arranged Ghost Companions to scour for death-row prisoners everywhere, teaching [Demonic Path Sword Technique] for cultivation, recycling and utilizing upon slight achievement.
After one set of operations, its [Mountain Lord’s Domain] gradually gained additional [Sword Cultivator Attributes]. Within the Earth Veins inside the Domain, materials like ‘Skeleton Sword Embryos’ began to grow, used for transactions with other cultivation sects.
In the Bloodline Inheritance, content regarding the specific [Demonic Path Sword Cultivation Techniques] collected by the Tiger Demon before life was blank, long deleted as garbage information by the [Immortal Scripture].
But the corresponding concepts, it inherited well. Adapting to local conditions, reopening the [Mountain Lord’s Domain] on Du Ling Star, it was best to select [Pillar Men] of the same ‘Pollution System’ from the beginning.
For example, if starting by making a large batch of [Holy Light System Ability Users] into [Pillar Men], then the future [Mountain Lord’s Domain] would, under the big framework of the [Shadow System], nurture and derive a large number of Heavenly Materials and Earthly Treasures with ‘Holy Light Shadow Attributes’?
This seemed somewhat like the [Disease Garden] that produced ‘Disease System Crops’.
Similarly, if Yuan Zhu had not gone to the [Eclosion World], but early chose [Disease Pollution Demonic Creatures] as Town Stones, then unifying the ‘Town Stone’ materials could maximize the unique ‘Disease Pollution Attributes’.
If during array setup, a large number of messy and chaotic [Town Stones] were used for expansion.
The benefit was that the [Domain] could more easily compatible various ‘external Pollution Energies’. The drawback was that it couldn’t excavate any unique ‘additional attributes’ at all, and the [Domain] itself had no extra characteristics.
…
The Tiger Demon now also realized that its own territory, entering the path with [Worm Pillars], carried the potential characteristics of ‘Insect System, Kunlun, Knight’ three-in-one (free gift).
Since the [Town Stones] were mainly ‘Insect System Pollution (Magic Worms)’, the ‘Kunlun’ plant attributes were not obvious, causing these Mutated Tissues to proliferate like general ‘Stone Blood Vessels’, endowing the entire stone hall with a flesh-and-blood living texture.
This was the characteristic of [Shadow Pollution Alienated Mutated Tissue], somewhat like an inorganic version of a fungal blanket, somewhat like blood tissue evolved ‘Blood Vessels’, also inheriting plant root tendril characteristics, rooting and spreading into the rock layers, extracting ‘Death Aura’.
As for the attached characteristics of ‘Insect System, Kunlun System, Knight System’, the current stage’s ‘rough single private room’ was too weak to manifest. Next, it needed to persistently use [Worm Pillars] to expand, to gradually excavate and show them.
Snake Snake: “The [Shadow Domain] of the [Eclosion World] is truly a Blessed Land, we must ruthlessly parasitize on the Captain, hug the thigh tightly, crazily suck blood, get a large number of free ‘Worm Pillars’ from the [Shadow Domain]!”
Tiger Demon: “Long live the Captain! Good people are safe for life! Bless the [Mao Mao King]’s business in the [Eclosion World] to grow big and strong, glorious again!”
