Chapter 269: Exploring The Mountains
Through 【Shadow Manipulation】, the Tiger Demon scraped the mountain forest three feet deep, continuously scraping out all sorts of bizarre small animals and grotesque plants from the soil, bushes, and streams.
Although it had yet to find any ‘advanced polluted life’ or land qualified to become a ‘Blessed Land’, it was still an eye-opener. It felt it was even more exciting than visiting a zoo, with nothing but ‘miracles of life’ in sight, and could only marvel at the wondrous craftsmanship of nature.
“However… I can understand why there’s so much 【Frog-Type Pollution】 in these mountains, since Running belongs to the blessed land of the 【Frog God】. But what’s with all these frequent 【Sword Dao】 and 【Buddhism】 pollutions?”
After meticulously searching the area, the Tiger Demon analyzed all the ‘polluted animals’ it had captured, stored the pollution information into the database of the 【Great Desolation Immortal Scripture】, and gradually compiled a 【Misty Mountains Pollution Energy List】 to help him analyze and understand the pollution composition of Du Ling Star.
Through the analysis of the 【Immortal Scripture】, it was clear that in this mountainous region where Running was located, the influence of the 【Frog God】 was the strongest. At the same time, it was likely due to multiple factors such as the ‘Frog-Type Pollution’ being relatively stable and friendly, with a low threshold…
Below 【Frog-Type】, however, 【Sword Dao, Buddhism】 pollution was the most common. The other mainstream powers of pollution were not absent, but 【Sword, Buddhism】 suppressed them, keeping them in a latent state, unable to manifest.
At this moment, the Tiger Demon slapped to death with one claw an adult wild boar whose skull had an embedded ‘metal core’ that was gradually fusing with its flesh and brain tissue, and which was undergoing ‘metallic pollution’ to its skeletal structure.
Next, the Tiger Demon’s nostrils sprayed out several sharp wind blades, skinning and deboning this six-legged wild boar. It first dug out the core emanating ‘Alchemy aura’ and discarded it; then cleaned out the internal organs. Finally, it swallowed all the heavy metal polluted Alchemy pork chops and pork as dessert, eating them clean.
…
The current 【Tiger Demon】 was no longer the clueless little garbage that had just arrived knowing nothing. Gradually integrating into Du Ling Star, she no longer rejected, hostility, or guarded against the ubiquitous ‘polluting energy’.
Viewing the various 【pollutions】 from the perspective of local customs:
Where was there any ‘pollution, mutation, corruption, entering the demonic path’? They were all just various ‘high-energy nutritional substances’.
It was just that some suited one’s constitution and were easier to absorb, belonging to nutritional substances. Others did not suit, manifesting as deadly poison or side effects, so they were discarded.
One couldn’t say that just because humans couldn’t digest or absorb petroleum, nuclear fuel, and couldn’t recharge to replenish stamina, it meant 【petroleum, nuclear substances, coal】 had no value, right?
On Du Ling, the various 【Pollution Roots】 could actually be seen as natural laws, energy systems, and minor Heavenly Daos. They coexisted, influencing each other, forming this ‘super polluted world’.
Because pollution was everywhere, it ceased to be pollution, and was instead viewed as various ‘brand new energy sources and nutritional substances’.
With its current identity as a ‘high-energy pollution aggregate’, the 【Tiger Demon】 was also at the upper level of the food chain in the 【Misty Mountains】. The ‘polluted creatures’ it scavenged and captured were all lowly little garbage.
The ‘polluting energy’ they carried and nurtured posed no threat to the Tiger Demon at all. In its eyes, there was nothing it couldn’t digest; it was just that some ‘polluted life’ instinctively repelled and disgusted it (extremely incompatible with ‘Shadow’), so it didn’t take them.
The remaining polluted creatures, like this wild boar deeply eroded by ‘Alchemy Pollution’, with heavy metal overload and brain tissue structure gradually ‘mechanizing’. For Yuan Zhu in human stance, it was inedible, undigestible deadly poison.
But in the Tiger Demon’s eyes, it became a nutritious feast rich in ‘mysterious trace heavy metal elements’. Eat it and digest it with 【Universe Within The Belly】. The 【Immortal Scripture】 could obtain a data sample of ‘Alchemy polluted beast’; the Tiger Demon could try absorbing unknown pollution; even if undigestible, it could be expelled as poop.
Or, pass on this ‘Alchemy Pollution’ as an 【educational assistance fund】 through 【Anti-Law】 to poor half-blood orc students, aiding their supernatural dreams.
(Orc five brothers: “Boss, we’re on the 【Power Path】, all muscle and no brains! What do you mean always forcing us with useless ‘garbage pollution’ to raise our debt ceiling?”)
After eating all the heavy metal overloaded pork, the Tiger Demon discarded the internal organs, pigskin, and skeleton in the woods and continued its journey to find the ‘Mountain Lord Cave Dwelling’.
However, as it became more familiar with the surrounding environment, the intelligence on captured and collected ‘polluted creatures’ grew richer. The 【Tiger Demon】’s enthusiasm waned, its lazy pace neither fast nor slow as it advanced, beginning to appreciate the scenery deep in the 【Misty Mountains】.
Amidst the deep barren mountains, with a natural landscape that was indescribably wonderful, it truly had the ambiance of an immortal blessed land.
The Tiger Demon shook its massive body and began climbing yet another strange peak blocking its path, while complaining:
“Snake Snake, tell me, in this mountain forest, the number and variety of rodents and mushrooms are also extremely abundant. How come fellow 【Mandates】 ‘Ratty’ and ‘Ah Gu’ have so little presence? I can’t even perceive their pollution traces. The remaining 9 of the Twelve Mandates also have so little presence. Spider, fish, moth, sheep, peach, crow, melon… where are they all?”
As Yuan Zhu’s knowledge reserve grew richer and his understanding of supernatural knowledge deepened, he finally realized in hindsight that this 【Twelve Mandates system】 was quite interesting.
The twelve 【Mandates】 were completely unrelated to each other, from different 【Pollution Systems】. Yet they were forced to go into business, debut as a group, forming a 【large foundational platform】 encompassing ‘twelve pollution roots’.
Treated as a supreme 【Heavenly Dao rule】, installed in the underlying logic of 【Du Ling Star】, freely open to all intelligent life.
Among them, his own 【Holy Church Faction】’s 【Archangel King. Great Moth】 also endorsed a 【Mandate】 position. Occupying 【July】, called 【Cocoon Month】, presiding over the mysticism concept of 【Rebirth Secret】.
Regardless of origin or individual strength, when the Twelve Mandates appeared as mysticism concepts like 【years, months, mandates】, they were all seen as ‘free symbols of supernatural power’.
Mortals could query information like ‘Heavenly Stems and Earthly Branches’, use divination and inference skills to calculate auspicious days, and borrow the rank of 【Mandates】 to wield supernatural power. Set up supernatural rituals, for divination of fortune, misfortune, marriage, funerals…
Unlike Earth, where there was no mystical power and it was incorporated into feudal superstition.
On 【Du Ling】, the Twelve Mandates really worked. But because the threshold was too low and completely free, it was like 【Xunlei】 that anyone could register for, with extremely slow download speeds.
For supernatural beings, this complex ‘foundational system’ of 【Mandates】 involving multiple 【Pollution Roots】 required an additional VIP subscription to truly unlock its value.
Among the many 【Mandates】, 【Melon】 was also an acquaintance of Yuan Zhu. The essential element ‘Pumpkin Ash’ for his 【Beaker Power】 originated from the 【Star Realm Pumpkin】 of the external universe.
Additionally, behind Mandate 【Peach】 was the 【Peach of Immortality Mother Plant】, the root of all methods in 【Kunlun Immortal Path】, bearing the Elixir of Immortality fruit 【Peach of Immortality】, which could be seen as the origin of ‘orthodox Immortal Path’.
However, in the 【Misty Mountains】, the presence of 【Mandates】 was all very weak.
Snake Snake continuously sorted the various ‘deadly poison garbage foods’ that the 【Tiger Demon】 kept swallowing, categorizing and marking them as different ‘missions’ to contain in the 【Universe Within The Belly】 for slow digestion and absorption later.
With the massive ‘food samples’, plus the frenzied knowledge cramming over the past few months, Snake Snake pieced together a conclusion from scattered clues: “Boss, I think I’ve discovered something? It can answer your doubts.”
The Tiger Demon, purely venting without expecting an answer, was stunned and asked curiously: “You can answer?”
“Of course! Back when we entered the 【Little Xihong Realm】 and encountered 【Buddha Tomato】, Zhou Chu mentioned that the West Coast Federation, led by Taixi, had promoted several rounds of ‘anti-Buddhism movements’. That means in the past, the 【Buddhist System】 was one of the orthodox religions on the West Coast, and was ultimately suppressed and expelled for some reason.”
“Additionally, 【Sword Cultivators】 seem to be the West Coast Federation’s recognized ‘military cultivation system’, so there must be a large number of official sword cultivators with voracious demand for cultivation resources. So I have reason to guess that the ‘Buddhist pollution traces’ in these mountains are remnants from the once prevalent Buddhism pollution.”
“Just like nuclear wastewater discharged into the sea—even if the ‘nuclear island’ is completely shut down with no more wastewater discharged, the past emissions won’t disappear; they’ll dilute and spread, causing permanent environmental pollution, leaving strange traces that are hard to eradicate. As for ‘Sword Dao Pollution’, such a massive official legion naturally needs ample cultivation resources.”
“This vast and resource-rich 【Misty Mountains】 allows 【Sword Dao Pollution】 to proliferate unchecked, ignoring it to spread and cross-pollute. Then periodically enter the mountains to harvest these ‘Sword Dao polluted lives’—they’re natural infinite renewable sword cultivator resources!”
After hearing Snake Snake’s analysis, the Tiger Demon approved, as it aligned perfectly with his three views: “So, I can also spread and create my own 【Shadow Pollution resources】 in the mountains?”
Hearing this, Snake Snake immediately controlled the ‘Shadow Bowtie (Uniform)’ hanging on the skeleton snake’s neck, transforming it into a black simple line drawing little hand + feather fan.
Imitating Zhuge Kongming once more, it laughed: “What’s so difficult about that? Your Majesty doesn’t even need to actively do it. As long as while wandering these mountains, you can’t hold it in and poop a big one. Then this feces brewed by you, a ‘Shadow Pollution aggregate’, would be, for the ordinary animals in this mountain range, an innately fatal Shadow Pollution Source!”
“In your eyes, it’s just indigestible, valueless: garbage, excrement, impurities… But ordinary creatures in the mountains that get tainted by this lump of ‘Shadow Pollution’ and luckily don’t die will naturally transform, eroded and twisted by Shadow Pollution, just like other creatures tainted by multiple pollutions. They’ll embark on the path of mutation and become pre-prepared meals for the ‘Shadow System’!”
“Thirty percent die from weakness unable to withstand it (the poop is poisonous!), thirty percent weaken from malignant twisting mutation, thirty percent succeed in mutating but don’t evolve. Ultimately, there’s always that ten percent who, tainted by multiple pollutions, luckily forge a new path, undergo benign mutation, and stand out, qualifying as cannon fodder little demons for 【Mountain Lord】 to join your Cave Dwelling.”
Tiger Demon: “……”
It sounded so lowbrow, but upon careful thought, it was quite reasonable. The Tiger Demon casually spreading a bit of pollution was indeed ‘Emperor Flowing Pulp’ that could change the fate of local ordinary creatures!
In the Earth version of Journey to the West, the little white dragon once said: “If I pass water and urinate, the fish that eat it become dragons. If I pass over mountains and urinate, the mountain grass that tastes it turns into lingzhi, picked by immortal attendants for longevity. How could I lightly discard it in this mundane place?”
By the same logic, the 【Shadow Tiger Demon】’s prestige was enough to play a low-spec little white dragon. Tigers habitually mark territory by peeing, and they eat so much every day—randomly XX anywhere was perfectly reasonable too, right?
Snake Snake: “You’re just used to ordinary human life, with no awareness as a top-tier ‘Pollution Source’. From the Security Bureau’s perspective, the 【Shadow Tiger Demon】 is a walking ‘Forbidden Pollution Source’. You’ve already defeated 99% of Du Ling Star’s humans—you should be an exiled Shadow Demon God in the 【Spirit Layer】!”
Just as the Tiger Demon and its tail were happily chatting, enjoying the emotional value from Snake Snake, faint cries for help came from the distant mountaintop shrouded in clouds and mist: “Help… help! Come save me quick…”
The voice was elderly and hoarse, weak and feeble, like a dying old man mustering all his strength for a final shout. Quite infectious.
But the problem was, how could this threadbare cry for help continue nonstop without pause? Such abundant stamina! Also, isn’t your rescue location a bit too high up? Which old person can climb such a high and treacherous peak?
There were just too many unreasonable aspects, instead piquing the 【Tiger Demon】’s curiosity, so it decided to go check it out.
Snake Snake said vigilantly: “Could it be a trap?”
Tiger Demon: “Do I need to ask? Obviously it’s a trap! Just not even trying, too insulting to intelligence!”
Snake Snake retorted: “Could it be deliberately set at this level? Normally, people deep into the 【Misty Mountains】 reaching here would have their spirit and reason long polluted by the ‘mist’ beyond recognition, unable to think straight, only deserving this level of call. Once attracted, it’s hard to think seriously and they’re tricked straight up!”
Tiger Demon nodded: “Makes sense!”
Not to mention ordinary people, even those ordinary ability users below 【Seed】 who weren’t adept in ‘spirit, will’ domains would be drawn over by the cry upon reaching here.
“With your analysis, I’m even more interested!”
Snake Snake: “Your Majesty, be careful!”
Having been in the mountains so long without encountering a single ‘polluted monster’ threatening its safety, the Tiger Demon boldly transformed into a wriggling shadow mass, darting up the steep peak like a gliding shadow rapidly ascending. It finally vanished into the clouds shrouding the peak.
The Tiger Demon followed the cries rapidly onward, the shouts growing louder and clearer, until it passed through a patch of extremely low-visibility mist and saw, on a flat mountain ridge, a massive tree.
The cries for help came from the other side of the tree.
“Weird!” Snake Snake muttered.
Not to mention the Tiger Demon itself—even she, a skeleton snake with nothing but bones and no brain, sensed no ‘high-energy reaction’ from this big tree.
The Tiger Demon approached warily, suddenly catching whiffs of a sickly sweet anesthetic scent at its nose tip. But this dosage was weaker to him than medicated oil.
When it reached the other side of the tree, it saw only a wooden withered old face embedded in the trunk surface, with hollow eyes and a mouth slowly intoning in stiff imitation of human speech: “Help… help…!”
Pedestrians or curious animals attracted by the cries would usually inhale these anesthetic gases, faint and die, then be absorbed and digested as fertilizer by this big tree.
After clearly seeing the old face’s appearance, the Tiger Demon exclaimed: “Another Buddhism pollution product?!”
