Chapter 213: Shadow Knight Order
“Now, take stock of the harvest.”
Tiger Demon stepped aside, clearing the middle of the attic, and looked down at the five ‘items’ messily placed on the ground.
First, the ‘Worm Pillar’ refined from the Shadow Magic Worm had no surprises; it had succeeded countless times in the Underground World, and this time was no exception.
It had already mastered rich refinement experience. The only flaw was the lack of Shadow Dream Hole to assist itself, making it unable to fully automate batch refinement. Relying solely on one Tiger Demon for pure manual refinement, the efficiency was extremely low.
Next was the somewhat worn Black Armor.
On the eve of Yuan Zhu’s return from his last mission, he (Tiger Demon Stance) successfully captured and devoured a lone Knight System Undead on the Surface.
Now, after this Death Knight was digested by Universe Within The Belly, it failed to refine any high-end Ghost Companion. Likewise, it did not extract any semi-finished products like Shadow System Pollution Crystal.
The Worn Armor before him was more accurately one that had been roughly stripped of its original mark by the Tiger Demon, then reinjected with 20% Shadow Pollution for marking, and reluctantly refined into a Knight System Armor.
Tiger Demon extended a claw and pawed back and forth over the metal armor, sensing the extremely familiar Shadow Pollution content inside, producing continuous metallic clashing sounds.
“So, does this count as a success?”
The huge snake head hanging from the ceiling spoke, replying in a crisp girl’s voice: “From the perspective of Ghost Companion Divine Ability, it is naturally a failure. You didn’t refine any ‘trash-level supernatural pollution’ and even spent a lot of energy and time. But from the perspective of my innate divine ability Universe Within The Belly, there is still a harvest. Equivalent to you refining a piece of Supernatural Equipment.”
“This armor is still a standard Knight System Pollutant. According to the ‘armor’ feedback information, any human who equips it can activate the Knight System Trial. Once passed, they can take up this Supernatural System. The difference is that Universe Within The Belly washed away the original Undead Knights mark and imprinted the Tiger Demon’s personal mark, separating it from the former knight order.”
Tiger Demon pondered: “This is quite clever.”
It had just encountered multiple Knight System members in Taixi City (True Knight A Miao, fake knight Zhou Chu), and even comprehended a half-finished Holy Light Knight Breathing Technique itself.
Now refining such a Shadow Knight Armor was exactly what it wanted. It personally had no interest in taking up the Knight System. But using this worn armor to cultivate a Shadow Knight of its own, and teach Steel Breathing Method, it did have some ideas.
Tiger Demon asked: “Do you think, starting with this Shadow Knight Armor, is it possible for me to build a brand new Shadow Knight Order?”
In his mind, he thought of Zhou Chu who bewitched children in Insect City, trying to create a Child Labor Knight Order; and the apocalyptic Undead Knights ravaging the Surface.
So, could he also raise a Shadow Knight Order named after Tiger Demon to serve as his vanguard?
Snake Tail: “Theoretically feasible, as long as you continuously supply resources to help the first Knight Commander grow stronger. Then help the other party create more Shadow Armors to cultivate more members… But the core of a Shadow Knight Order is always the Knight Order, not the Shadow. So, you understand.”
“What do I understand?”
Snake Snake: “Once the Knight Order fully forms and grows big, all your investments can only be converted into ‘shares’, making you a small shareholder. The more perfect and powerful the Knight Order structure, the more it can turn around and stab you, breaking free from control and severing ties with you. Escaping the Tiger Demon’s demonic claws.”
Tiger Demon nodded to show understanding; only direct-line ‘pollutants’ under Boss Template control counted as safe and reliable private property.
This Knight Armor stamped with some Shadow labels was fundamentally another Pollution System. It was just forcibly eroded by 20% by the Tiger Demon, unable to be fully digested and absorbed.
“A bit of a letdown.” Tiger Demon was not satisfied with this armor, then had a thought and proposed a new idea: “Then tell me, if I refine an excellent ‘humanoid Ghost Companion’, teach it Steel Breathing Method, and then equip it with armor, could I cultivate a Boss Template exclusive Ghost Companion Knight? And use this to intervene in the Knight System.”
Snake Snake praised: “Very clever idea, 100% feasible! But according to my Immortal Scripture analysis, it’s not cost-effective.”
“Based on your personal experience, the Ghost Companion divine ability showed a control limit when controlling Shadow Magic Worm. Tiger Demon cannot infinitely cultivate and control Ghost Companions. The stronger the strength and higher the pollution quality of Ghost Companions under Tiger Demon’s domination, the greater the quota they occupy in Ghost Companion Divine Ability, and the fewer the number that can be controlled.”
“From this, it is known that while Ghost Companion Knight can be formed, the share it occupies is definitely not low, far exceeding Shadow Magic Worm. Then as the ‘Ghost Companion Knight’ continues to grow and get stronger, the pressure on Ghost Companion Divine Ability will increase. Once forming a Knight Order, it not only requires more resources to create new armors, but also to refine more new Ghost Companion Knights. The pressure on Ghost Companion surges… then ‘boom’! It explodes. You won’t be able to endure it.”
“Especially the Knight System, which is a pollution system that relies on numbers to thrive. Ghost Companion Divine Ability cannot bear so many knights. Once the numbers are insufficient, this system’s potential shrinks and loses value. However, if releasing the numbers, Ghost Companion will eventually be overwhelmed, allowing a large number of out-of-control ‘Ghost Companion Knights’ to exist, ultimately leading to Legion Power being reactivated, reforming as Knight System Pollution, and breaking free from the Boss Template’s shackles.”
“Therefore, the conclusion is: not cost-effective, not recommended.”
Tiger Demon: “Does it have such poor compatibility with me?”
Snake Demon: “Not to that extent. If not insisting on forcibly claiming it as your own, it can still serve as a wonderful protective dao method. You can invest and operate it on Anti-Law.”
Tiger Demon agreed: “Indeed, this Shadow Armor can be used for loans. Holding the Origin Armor, cultivate a First Generation Ghost Companion Legion Commander, then loan it out as a loan to a suitable target to help them establish a Knight Order, and I become the behind-the-scenes majority shareholder.”
Snake Demon: “For this, you can consult Miao Miao. Use forming a ‘Shadow Knight Club’ as an excuse to proactively harass A Miao and forcibly strike up a conversation. Whether the investment succeeds or not doesn’t matter; building a relationship with Sister Miao is already a win!”
“Genius!”
Tiger Demon then looked at the third item, a mass of pitch-black mixed with purple-red ‘flesh and meridian tissue’ mixture.
A standard Shadow System Supernatural Pollution biological tissue. It looked no different from the ‘polluted tissue’ refined by Demonic Giant Insect, except this portion had more exaggerated volume, weight, and pollution concentration.
This Pollution Source came from a complete Earth Rank 7th Realm orthodox Insectoid Race Qi Refiner’s remains in a Cicada City spirit medicine planting base.
Originally, this corpse was spoils of war from a conflict outbreak between another Insect City and Cicada City, dying in battle. It should have been sent for Corpse Seed, but was stolen by Commander Zuo and given as a gift to Yuan Zhu.
Yuan Zhu sent it into Universe Within The Belly for refinement, originally intending to reverse-refine a portion of Shadow System meridian tissue from a ‘low-rank cultivator’ to transplant into ‘Ghost Companion’ or ‘Goblin’ bodies, deriving a Shadow System cultivation technique.
The result now showed it was all delusion. Whether Qi Refiner or Demonic Giant Insect, what could be refined was this kind of Insect System Supernatural Tissue.
The only difference was that the Shadow tissue from magic worms leaned toward physique, power, and defense enhancements; while the Shadow tissue from Qi Refiner leaned more toward ‘energy transmission, neural reflexes, speed coordination’.
Because the Qi Refining System itself was a Frankenstein monster, Insect Pollution forcibly scamming Kunlun and Knight System to cobble together ‘meridians and Qi refining’. But ‘meridians’ came from Kunlun Spiritual Root, and ‘Qi refining’ from breathing method.
Now after decomposition and refinement by Universe Within The Belly, it immediately reverted to original form, becoming a wriggling mass of Insect System Shadow Supernatural Tissue. It possessed no possibility of ‘meridians’ or ‘cultivation upgrade’.
Tiger Demon: “Snake Snake, what value do you think this thing has?”
Snake Demon: “I provide two reference directions. First, these Insect System Supernatural Tissues, though unable to serve as ‘meridians or spiritual roots’, can still reinforce and enhance the bodily tissue strength of ‘Goblins or Ghost Companions’. So, consider incorporating them into Path of Strength, to enhance the innate muscle strength of ‘muscle body refinement path’.”
“Second direction, our Shadow Pollution could forcibly scam Kunlun Immortal Path like Insect Pollution, replacing spiritual roots and insect egg dao seeds to develop a third Shadow Meridian, recreating your ‘Shadow Cultivation’ dream. But this path has little relation to Insect System Pollution Tissue.”
Tossing this large mass of Insect System Shadow Pollution Tissue aside, Tiger Demon looked at the fourth item, an ancient and decaying corpse with an internally solid iron-plate-like resistance against Shadow Pollution erosion.
Tiger Demon manipulated countless shadow tentacles, groping over this corpse, continuously drilling into the body through the seven orifices for exploration and study, finally exclaiming in wonder.
“This is the first time since my debut that I’ve encountered something that failed to refine!”
The ancient corpse before him was one that Yuan Zhu grabbed from a demonic tree tumor in a forbidden area during a Pollution Root Tendril attack while heading to the Surface.
Originating from before the Great Destruction era in Bubble World, a Kunlun Immortal Path leftover ‘Human Immortal Zombie’. After death, it was devoured by similarly pollution-demonicized ‘World Tree Root’, injected with Immortal Zombie Tendrils, and refined into a orthodox Kunlun System Immortal Path Pollution Zombie.
Thus, the ‘supernatural powers’ in its body were both ancient and orthodox yet particularly polluted. Merely the pollution intensity of a orthodox Kunlun Human Immortal was already beyond what the current Boss Template (Shadow Pollution) could scam.
So even after being swallowed by Universe Within The Belly and refined as Ghost Companion for so long, nothing was refined out. It was even inferior to that Shadow Armor, which at least refined the equipment and stamped its own label.
Tiger Demon watched the rotting body surface where clinging Shadow Pollution clawed ferociously yet remained powerless to penetrate inside, unable to conquer the Immortal Zombie physical body, feeling extremely helpless.
“This zombie…”
Snake Demon: “How about selling it? This aged cured meat has too high density; we can’t chew it. Doesn’t mean no one in Space of Gods is interested? There must be professionals who match.”
Tiger Demon nodded: “Sell!”
It now realized that Ghost Companion + Universe Within The Belly was not omnipotent. In the field of Ghost Companion Refinement, Tiger Demon should still pick soft persimmons. Better not to scam old-brand pollution systems.
It even suspected that encountering powerful Holy Light Cultivator or Buddhism high monks, it similarly couldn’t refine high-quality soul crystals or Buddha Cocoons.
Finally, a coiled and huddled mass of Shadow Root Tendril clump constantly whipping branches. Its origin was similar to the Immortal Zombie; it was an authentic Activated Root Tendril captured in a pollution zone on the way to the Surface.
Because its age was not as long as the Kunlun Ancient Corpse, absorbing too much Iron Poison and Immortal Zombie Tendrils to reach an indestructible Vajra state. Thus this mass possessing Immortal Realm Tree Root characteristics as Demonic Root Tendril was forcibly refined into a special pollutant with 30% Pollution Attribute, 70% Corrupted Root Tendril.
Snake Demon spoke to introduce: “It doesn’t count as a Ghost Companion. But it’s also not ordinary Supernatural Pollution Tissue; more like a ‘Shadow Demonic Creature’ with a subordinate relationship to Tiger Demon. Specific functions: it can devour and absorb ‘Shadow Pollution, rotting flesh, humus layer’, root and expand in soil, perform hunting, guarding, attacking… Additionally, the biggest feature is releasing Shadow Miasma. Or rather, in Kunlun System eyes, an extremely heretical ‘decaying demonic qi (spiritual energy)’.”
Tiger Demon immediately thought of the Kunlun Spiritual Root planted on the uppermost floating island in Taixi City: “So, this thing is actually a pollution-demonicized ‘Kunlun Mutation Spiritual Root’?”
Snake Snake: “Yes, but it doesn’t reach ‘spiritual root’ level. In Bubble World, the Root Network pervasive in the Underground World is qualified to match Kunlun Spiritual Root. Our mass of Shadow Root Tendril can release corrupting miasma with ‘Shadow attribute’, which can be confined in enclosed spaces to create an environment suitable for Insect Cultivator production.”
Qi Refiners have harsh environmental requirements; once leaving Bubble World, their scammed-and-stitched System completely fails. But if the outside can also provide deadly poison ‘miasma (spiritual energy)’, then Insect Cultivators can struggle a bit more.
Tiger Demon shook his head in denial: “Insect Cultivator System is not viable; continuously scamming Knight and Kunlun, no need to construct such doomsday environment outside at high cost. This thing has little value!”
He had already given up replicating Qi Refining System or Shadow Qi Refining version, so this mass of Shadow Demonic Root Tendril’s value plummeted.
Snake Snake: “Then consider using it as a ‘root’, grafting it onto our Shadow Tomato network for a more powerful ‘nutrient intake engine’. Linking with the Starlight Reception Ritual I conceived before.”
In Tiger Demon’s mind appeared a scene: below the soil, a mass of frantically wriggling berserk root tendrils devouring corpses, rotting meat, kitchen waste; nourishing the Shadow Eggplant Vines parasitically controlling Eggplant Goblins on the surface, letting them work at full health; atop, eggplant seedlings bursting from skulls, receiving starlight irradiation for photosynthesis, producing more Shadow Eggplants.
Yuan Zhu commanding batches of workers to pour barrels of swill collected from Running City Food Street onto the ground. Thus more frenzied ‘root tendrils’ drill out, frantically absorbing the kitchen waste that restaurants pay to clear.
Tiger Demon: “How did it circle back to the Cleaning Company’s old path?”
Snake Snake: “Others pay cleaning fees and provide free ‘fertilizer’. We earn double; what’s there to complain about?!”
