Chapter 117: Respective Progress
Time passed quickly. After Commander Zuo returned to Cicada City first to pave the way for him, Yuan Zhu entered low-energy consumption mode and lived a peaceful life of freeloading, waiting for death, and tinkering with small research projects.
In fact, the mission had already been completed more than halfway at this point. With Commander Zuo opening the way for him, the raw material supply for Mao Mao King was undoubtedly guaranteed to succeed; it was just a matter of scale.
The reason he didn’t leave was entirely out of a responsible attitude. He wanted to personally witness the first batch of caterpillars hatch, spin silk, form cocoons, and lay eggs, completing one full cycle. Then sign labor contracts with the natives, organize a Farming Company, and wait for the Captain to come for inspection.
Of course, during this period, he would further explore the Underground World, unearth valuable resources; and complete a series of ‘private work’ arrangements. He would do his utmost to perfect and strengthen his own Supernatural System, grasping both Shadow and Holy Light.
Currently, Yuan Zhu had two experimental control projects on hand, namely:
Group A: Younger Brother’s Holy Cough Breathing Technique, and the Shop Owner’s Shadow Qi Refining Technique
Group B: The interference of Holy Light and Shadow on the incubation of ‘Mao Shi Worm Eggs’, contrasted with the differences in True Qi insect nurturing.
In addition, he planned to conduct two independent experiments, namely:
Group C: Creating Mountain Lord’s Domain centered on Shadow Dream Hole, and exploring the secrets behind Dream Hole.
Group D: Qi Refiner’s Ghost Companion refinement.
Once these four experiments were completed, the maturation of Mao Mao King’s bugs would be the day he succeeded and retreated, returning to Du Ling.
“Boss is mighty! Science is the primary productive force; this is the correct way to open the Immortal Scripture.”
Amid Little Spicy Stick’s daily mental massage (flattery), he completed his mental recharge and arrived full of fighting spirit at a vast Underground Space.
At this time, Younger Brother was practicing a set of Insect City Martial Arts. The Shop Owner Lu Yan, who had been forcibly detained by Yuan Zhu, was sitting cross-legged on the ground breathing and exhaling, readjusting his cardiopulmonary function; while also distractedly giving pointers to Younger Brother from time to time, pointing out his errors in qi circulation.
Little Girl clutched a strip of bug meat in one hand, laboriously tearing and chewing it; while holding the metal sheet storing insect eggs in the other hand, nurturing and hatching them with True Qi. She watched Younger Brother with concerned eyes, afraid that something would go wrong in his cultivation and damage his foundation.
“Cough cough cough…”
A fist technique had just reached halfway when Younger Brother’s aura suddenly became disordered, True Qi reversed, and he coughed violently, his face flushing red. But fortunately, he quickly suppressed the discomfort, using unique rhythmic rapid breathing to calm the disorder.
Little Girl rushed forward with her short legs, looking up at Younger Brother who was like a middle school student, standing on tiptoes to wipe his sweat, and asked: “Little Brother, are you okay?”
Cicada Little Brother, whose complexion had returned to rosy, felt the warmth (Holy Cough) in his chest and shook his head: “Don’t worry, I’m fine.”
“Pfft!”
At this moment, the Shop Owner who was meditating and breathing nearby suddenly spat out a mist of black blood, then slowly said: “Little girl, don’t worry. Your younger brother’s condition is very normal. The True Qi attribute in his body has undergone a qualitative change due to the mutation in his lungs. Therefore, the entire Meridian System is affected throughout; it has to be completely reconfigured. So the Breathing Method and Qi Threads operation routes will spontaneously change—this is very normal and will dissipate after some time.”
“Moreover, your younger brother’s talent is truly exceptional. Every condition only appears once, and he can instinctively suppress the price to the minimum, then adjust it to optimal without repeating the mistake. Unlike me—my meridians have long since solidified, and now I have to forcibly alter them, damaging my foundation, meridians reversing, True Qi imbalanced, coughing blood nonstop. I haven’t died yet—how could your younger brother have any problems?”
By the end, Lu Yan’s tone was both sour and jealous. He truly hadn’t expected that a mere 8-year-old slum kid could surpass him instinctively in the cultivation domain? (Yuan Zhu: Who’s to say otherwise?)
Yuan Zhu had now arrived at the cultivation site, checking the growth of his ‘crops’, and upon hearing Lu Yan’s complaints, he spoke up:
“If you’re with me, you have to show your loyalty. Besides, I’ve gradually transferred ownership of Shadow Eggplant to you—haven’t you felt the direct improvements it brings you? Mere meridian reversal is nothing. With me providing you Dream Hole, reaching the Heavenly Realm isn’t just a matter of time? I’ve already inquired—your Qi Refining lineage has a Casting Armor Secret Technique after reaching ‘Heavenly Realm’ for a ‘Heavenly Human Transformation, feathering into immortality.’ No matter how severe the injuries, disabilities, or foundation damage, it can all be repaired anew.”
Seeing Yuan Zhu appear, all three stopped what they were doing and came forward to greet him.
Lu Yan was even ‘grateful’ and said: “My Lord, I was just complaining casually. I’ve already personally felt the benefits brought by this ‘Shadow Secret Method.’ Shadow Eggplant Tendrils permeate the bloodline and don’t directly conflict with the meridians; instead, they bring a brand new energy ‘Shadow Power.’ Now, I’m trying to incorporate ‘Shadow Power’ into the ‘True Qi’ of the Breathing Method’s inhalation and exhalation, refining a portion of ‘Shadow True Qi.'”
“This process is painful and will cause the Dao Seed and entire body’s meridians to undergo abnormal mutations. But as long as I endure this ordeal, I have a premonition that my own Dao Seed will undergo a transformation (cancerous mutation). This is ‘pseudo-Innate Realm’! Invincible at the same tier. Even if the whole body is filled with mutations and hidden dangers (cancerous tissues), as long as I step into the Heavenly Realm for Casting Armor Feathering, I can reshape the Dao Body. All of this is thanks to My Lord! I can never repay My Lord’s kindness!”
Despite his extreme unwillingness inwardly, under Yuan Zhu’s coercion and inducements, Lu Yan had no choice but to let the Eggplant Tendrils proliferate and grow wildly in his blood vessels, generating Shadow Power (Pollution ↑30%). This caused the True Qi System dominated by Qi Refining to no longer be Pure (dropped to 70%), and the painstakingly refined ‘True Qi’ was polluted and distorted by Shadow Power.
Good news: Yuan Zhu had granted him control over Shadow Eggplant. The other party effectively possessed two Power Systems.
Bad news: Yuan Zhu didn’t understand the ritual for Three-Phase Power, and a single practitioner could only cultivate one System. The Shop Owner once went berserk from Pollution Overload, System Conflict, teetering on the brink of death.
Good news: Shadow Pollution was under Tiger Demon’s control. With both sides cooperating, Tiger Demon kept the intensity of ‘Shadow Pollution’ from increasing, giving the Shop Owner a chance to breathe and successfully merging the two Systems. Ultimately, they produced a hybrid version of ‘Shadow True Qi’ that was anything but Pure, barely clinging to life.
Bad news: Lu Yan’s internal True Qi was severely polluted, entering the Demonic Path, meridians reversing, beyond salvation. But the Qi Refining System itself was a Frankenstein’s monster—local natives also harbored all sorts of poisons, with multiple pollutions coexisting.
In the end, Tiger Demon used great Magic Power to defy the heavens and extend life, forcibly connecting Shadow Eggplant into the other’s Dao Seed System as a Built-in Plugin, and deeply polluting and twisting the entire meridians and True Qi, producing ‘Shadow True Qi, mutated meridians, Mutation Dao Seed.’
It had to be said that the compatibility of the True Qi System was unexpectedly powerful, forcibly absorbing and fusing ‘Shadow Pollution,’ enabling forced operation, causing the Shop Owner to come back from the dead, though his meridians would periodically go haywire, spewing black blood madly, then stumblingly repairing themselves to continue running.
With Tiger Demon’s strong support, the Shop Owner had ample ‘Shadow Power (Eggplant Juice Plasma)’ for trial and error. Every update, patch, and optimization of his body… was recorded by Brain Eggplant and stored in the Shadow Memory Stick.
What Yuan Zhu now desired most was for the Shop Owner to reorganize the Shadow Pollution version of the Meridian Qi Refining System once before dying, allowing him to grasp a complete operational path for ‘Shadow Qi Refining Technique’ as reference.
Then load this thing into the soul program of ‘Eggplant Head Ghost’—wouldn’t all future Ghost Companions be able to cultivate immortality?
…
Seeing the Shop Owner pale as gold paper and breathing faintly, Yuan Zhu showed a sunny warm guy’s smile and asked with concern: “How are you feeling?”
“Pfft!” Lu Yan spat another mouthful of black blood, feeling his breathing much smoother. Countless black root tendril patterns writhed and twisted under his skin, delivering powerful Tomato Juice Plasma to replenish vitality, bringing him back to life again.
“I have not failed Your Excellency’s trust. I have already reshaped three meridians, and I’m growing more adapted to the ‘Shadow Qi Threads’ in my body. I feel that if I persist, the efficiency will continuously improve and accelerate.”
“Very good, keep up the effort!” Yuan Zhu encouragingly patted his shoulder and motivated him: “I’ve monitored your body through Brain Eggplant, and I’ve also discussed Heavenly Human Transformation with Commander Zuo. Your current condition looks like foundation damage with numerous irreversible hidden injuries. In reality, you’re half-step Innate; entering the Heavenly Realm will be incomparably smooth in the future. And after Shadow Eggplant permeates your entire flesh and blood, the Immortal Zombie Tendrils will be thoroughly eradicated.”
Through Brain Eggplant’s full-body monitoring of the advanced White Mouse, and the ‘advanced cultivation knowledge’ obtained from previous talks with Zuo Fan, Yuan Zhu gained a deep understanding of Qi Refining Technique.
The Underground World’s Insect Cultivators were a group of super Frankenstein’s monsters. The Qi Refining System was also a product of splicing three Pollution Systems, yet it broke free from numerous pollution constraints, standing unique.
Local humans’ physical bodies had been enslaved by Kunlun Immortal Sect since ancient times, with dense ‘Spiritual Root Pollution’ remaining in their bloodlines. Thus, after the Dao Seed entered the body, insect eggs would spontaneously grow along the traces of Spiritual Root Pollution, forming the Kunlun System’s distinctive ‘Meridian System.’
Next was Insect System Pollution. The Underground World had vast quantities of ‘Insect Eggs (Pollution),’ but no corresponding Pollution System (cultivation method). The Immortal Sect merely cultivated Spirit Insects, using ‘Spirit Insect materials’ to refine Ritual Implements and Pills. Eventually, they were obtained by natives, replacing Spiritual Root and implanted into flesh, growing ‘heterogeneous meridians’.’
Finally, the Breathing Method—this thing was neither Kunlun System nor Insect Egg System, but originated from one of the Surface’s Demonic Calamities: the Undead Knight Order.
…
A century ago, an Otherworld Knight Order descended upon the Bubble World, launching a hunting operation against Kunlun Earth Immortals.
Ultimately, the Immortal Realm Tree was felled, and the Knight Order achieved a great victory. However, it also left behind massive knight corpses and wreckage, while the world was shattered and left incomplete. With the World Tree’s destruction, polluted aura from the Bubble Layer invaded, plunging the world into an apocalypse.
Due to the environment’s sudden drastic deterioration, the surviving natives migrated underground to survive.
Those dead and abandoned knight remains, twisted by pollution, rose again in the form of the Undead Knights. They have no intelligence and cannot think, driven only by killing instincts, endlessly carrying out a century of slaughter on the surface, constantly devouring the living to grow their scale.
Ultimately, their aimless wandering and indiscriminate killing on the surface formed one of the heavenly calamities, the Undead Iron Cavalry; the Undead Knights continuously spread metal pollution, mixing into the atmosphere and infiltrating underground in the form of the demonic calamity Corrosive Iron Rain, corroding the Immortal World Tree Root Tendrils; at the same time, during their movements, the legion trampled the earth with Legion Power, transmitting vibrations to the Underground World and forming the heavenly calamity Ground Quake.
These three heavenly calamities are all remnants of pollution left by the Knight Order that once invaded the Bubble World, persisting to this day.
The natives with invincible tolerance obtained the Breathing Method from lone Undead Iron Cavalry on the surface, using it to strengthen their bodies and operate the Corrupt Spiritual Energy released by the (polluted) Immortal World Tree Root Tendrils within them.
Ultimately, Qi Refiners fused Insect Pollution into a Dao Seed with their bodies afflicted by Spiritual Root Pollution, operating the Knight Breathing Technique to refine polluting energy in their meridians, creating the primitive Qi Refining Technique.
Therefore, the Armor Casting after the Heavenly Realm once again followed the mutated Knight Path, forging Insect Armor and using it as a chrysalis for the physical body inside to undergo transformation (Insect System change).
Thus, the Qi Refining Technique has nothing to do with Kunlun Immortal Methods everywhere; it is a product of Knight + Insect. But from beginning to end, it utilizes raw materials like spiritual energy and spiritual roots… it is an independent product of the mixture of three pollutions.
It is said that when Qi Refiners reach Heaven Rank, they will spontaneously open the Heaven and Earth Bridge, continuing to draw new Power from Beyond the Heavens (fourth unknown pollution) from the Nightmare Layer outside the Dream Hole, to temper Innate Primordial Qi, deeply mutating the Dao Seed.
Since they can tolerate so much, adding Shadow is no problem at all. It merely advances the step of Innate Primordial Qi by one and limits it to Shadow.
Sure enough, the Shop Owner survived smoothly… greatly delighting Yuan Zhu!
……
While Yuan Zhu was training his newly acquired Earth-Tier Qi Refiner, the teammates at the other end of the Underground World were not idle either, each frantically stirring up trouble.
In Centipede City, the Black Butcher Huo Tuoluo, who draws his blade and kills indiscriminately at the slightest disagreement, due to his silent and reticent nature unwilling to communicate or talk, just mindlessly slaughtering the weaklings of the Upper City District, quickly attracted the security squad.
Unlike the relatively peaceful Cicada City, Centipede City is a city of demonic cultivators, not only cooperating with the Reverse Life Immortal Sect but also renowned for bloody artifact refining and producing deadly poison materials.
Upon discovering the dark-skinned one indiscriminately killing, they immediately treated him as some kind of black flesh lingzhi manifestation and launched a chase and battle.
Huo Tuoluo relied on his racial talent (skin color) to stealth frantically in the tunnels, using his uniform to conceal his aura, excelling in the stealth domain only slightly inferior to Yuan Zhu.
He not only attacked and slaughtered innocent civilians without reason but also engaged in some frenzied and bloody art display, like a BT murderer, always posing victims in special shapes, as if completing some kind of sacrifice?
Ultimately, after several consecutive escapes, the hunting team was upgraded to an Earth-Tier Hunting Squad, successfully capturing him and imprisoning him in the heavenly prison.
Happy Home Squad, first member captured!
After being caught, Huo Tuoluo still did not use his return permission, allowing the hunters to drag him into the dungeon for a series of brutal torture and interrogation, his eyes bloodthirsty yet resolute, seemingly undergoing some special cultivation?
…
Unlike the Black Butcher who actively provoked Insect City, assaulted Insect City, and indiscriminately killed innocents…, Meng Xiyue in Cao Ling City transformed into an otherworld exchange ambassador, deliberately throwing herself into the net.
She first made a high-profile appearance, attracting the Insect City’s guards. Then she showed off her combat prowess, using her unique mechanics model to fight a Earth-Tier Qi Refiner to a draw. After some mutual promotion, she proactively stopped and surrendered, allowing a group to surround her and take her to the Lower Urban Area, where she was summoned by the City Lord.
Then she revealed her true intentions, transforming into a Mao Mao King salesperson, taking out a luxury children’s fashion magazine from her backpack and starting to pitch clothes to the City Lord.
This abstract behavior was naturally deemed a provocation. Fortunately, Meng Xiyue remained calm in the face of danger and began proactively displaying her talents as a university student, expressing willingness to sell knowledge from the otherworld to help Cao Ling City live a happier and more advanced life.
“I know soil improvement! I know efficient breeding! I know composting! I can make glass, gunpowder, I can brew alcohol! City Lord, I am very useful. I am willing to sell my homeland’s precious knowledge to assist you in dominating the Underground World! I have a boss behind me; she is a Deity who can provide you with abundant supplies, arms, medicine… to help you conquer other insect cities! I also know the Kunlun Immortal Sect; they are the Blessed Earth Immortals who once ruled the surface. I can help you decipher the cultivation information left by the immortal sect! I am a genius university student. Do you know the value of a university student? We can talk; everything can be negotiated! I can also love Cao Ling City!”
Happy Home Squad, second member captured!
…
Ying Huo City
Investigator Lady Zhou Chu had no intention of doing the mission at all. She directly ignored the mission from the Mao Mao King. After personally witnessing the barrenness of the Underground World and the harsh struggles of the insect city’s Lower Urban Area residents, her saintly heart instantly flared up, and she began executing her sense of justice.
The domineering young lady kidnapped a group of starving and poorly clothed poor kids, then blasted two Demonic Giant Insects with her strength, revealing her Knight Armor, completely igniting the fear in the kids’ hearts.
What is the scariest story in this world? Naturally, the Undead Iron Cavalry!
The culprits of world destruction, the culprits who felled the Immortal Realm Tree, continuously slaughtering for a century, triggering Corrosive Iron Rain + Ground Quake. All the world’s suffering stems from this cavalry.
Thus, in the kids’ hearts, Zhou Chu’s terror level skyrocketed to MAX. Because in this world, no one has ever heard of iron cavalry that can speak, possesses consciousness, and has invaded below the Immortal World Tree Root Network?!
Too terrifying! The Undead Knights have become sentient and invaded the Underground World! Doomsday, the real doomsday!
Completely unaware of this, Zhou Chu kidnapped a group of kids nearly scared insane and began forcing them to cultivate the Pale Law with her, firmly believing that only the Law can save this irredeemable underground demon’s den!
Only the Law can bring new hope to these kids.
Utterly disregarding the inner thoughts of these kids nearly scared silly: The demon king who destroys the world has personally appeared, forcing them to cultivate the demon king’s power. Despair, utter despair! We are actually the murderers about to destroy our own home with our own hands! Is it still not too late to suicide by eating poisonous mushrooms now?
