Chapter 46: Evolution! Yellow Springs Tiger Demon
In the night, Yuan Zhu ran along the empty streets. His body was filled with stamina under the uniform’s blessing, and the unrestrained sprint didn’t feel tiring at all.
“Why suddenly make me leave the team? It would be so fun to raid the temple together with everyone, and with beautiful girls by my side. If we encounter danger, the investigator can cover the retreat. As long as I run faster than the other girls, danger will never catch up to me!”
Yuan Zhu’s little abacus was clattering loudly. If he acted with the three girls and encountered danger, it would be shared among four people, 25% pressure. Leaving aside the Immortal Scripture trump card, he just needed to run fast enough to be safe. Could he not outrun Meng Xiyue, or not outrun Mai Lili?
The Game Sprite explained, “I had you act alone for a reason. As a Kitten, it’s also time to learn to spit up hairballs.”
“???”
Yuan Zhu stumbled, nearly falling: “What nonsense are you saying? I don’t groom myself, so what hairball would I spit up!”
“Alright, just teasing you. There are two reasons for having you act alone. First, the Shadow Spiritual Energy reserves in the Boss Template have dropped too much, below the alert value. So you must find a place with no one around, activate the Tiger Demon Stance, and replenish a round of Shadow Power.”
As a Game Sprite, reminding the user “low battery, please recharge mana in time” was also an essential duty.
Yuan Zhu felt puzzled: “That doesn’t seem right? I remember closing the Boss Template after filling the mana bar. It’s been in standby mode without much use, how could it run out of energy?”
Suddenly, he thought of something and alerted: “Damn it! Could it be the Great Desolation Immortal Scripture stealing power? Did it come back to life? How did it wake up so fast? I need to find a way to kill it completely! Otherwise, I won’t be able to eat or sleep in peace.”
The Game Sprite quickly soothed: “Boss, don’t panic! The Old Man is lying there flat, no threat to us. Energy depletion is your own issue.”
“Impossible! After reverting to human form, I couldn’t control even a bit of Shadow Power. How could it be depleted?”
Game Sprite: “It’s the Universe Within The Belly. The Universe Within The Belly is suppressing and containing dozens of mutated demonic creatures with different pollution attributes. Just suppressing them is a huge consumption. Moreover, the Universe Within The Belly is gradually polluting, eroding, assimilating, and transforming them, trying to create new Ghost Companions. It’s what you understand as an ‘abnormally power-consuming program’!”
“I see. How’s the progress? Are this group of demonic creatures dead through and through? Any refined? Yuan Zhu felt a bit of anticipation in his heart. Am I going to herd my own Ghost Companions too?”
Game Sprite: “Only 30-something hours, far from enough. You’re too greedy, swallowing over 40 in one go. Each carries unique pollution traits. Shadow Power has no attribute advantage and can’t analyze their pollution essence to find and exploit weaknesses. It can only crudely grind them down forcefully, very inefficient. Your demonic power is now depleted, like indigestion in the stomach. Either keep replenishing demonic power and continue the inefficient digestion; or I suggest, just spit them all out, free up space in the belly to eat new food!”
Yuan Zhu realized: “So this is the hairball spitting you mentioned?”
“Doesn’t it resemble? Both are feline animals, both ate indigestible junk, choose to spit it out—this is the principle of heaven and earth. You’re the Mimi King after all!”
To activate Tiger Demon Stance indeed required acting alone, finding a hidden place to slowly replenish Shadow Power.
“So what’s the other reason? Why choose this direction specifically?”
He looked at the route pointed by the Game Sprite. The more he ran in this direction, the more suppressed his senses became. It was a rejection and hostility toward all living things, the aura of Yellow Springs, the location of Vajra Temple.
Game Sprite: “This relates again to the Boss Template and the indigestion of the Ghost Companions. Through data feedback from the Immortal Scripture, I determined that Yellow Springs Death Qi has a completing effect on the Tiger Demon Spiritual Root.”
Yuan Zhu instantly grasped the mystery: “Ghost Companion, Yellow Springs?”
“Yes. Precisely, the death qi scattered from Yellow Springs is nutritious and valuable for mutated spiritual roots. The Tiger Demon’s innate divine ability Tiger Companion is inherently closely linked to the underworld and netherworld. Even your ultimate divine ability Mountain Lord Ghost Realm requires dominating a mountain in the human world as king, driving Ghost Companions to connect the Yin-Yang Realms, forging your own ghost realm in the yang world. At that time, not only the mountain god of the yang world, but also the ghost god of the yin world, dominating both yin and yang paths. If establishing a private City God Temple, you can enjoy incense offerings from both Yin-Yang Realms, confer divine positions on subordinate little demons, building a separatist little team of yin gods.”
“Sounds just like the black mountain old demon.” Yuan Zhu was attracted by the scene described by the Game Sprite. At that time, would he forcibly take a few stunning female ghosts as concubines to highlight the Mountain Lord’s style?
Game Sprite: “But here’s the problem. We didn’t transmigrate to the Immortal Path Universe. The bloodline data recorded in the Mutated Spiritual Root doesn’t fit the Du Ling World rules. Even though the Tiger Demon Template has been preliminarily whitened through Shadow Power, and pollution is gradually adapting to the current universe. But it’s still not enough!”
“Bloodline supernatural abilities driven by Shadow Power have massive unknown mutations and deficiencies. For example, the most complete Ghost Companion—you can only strip the prey’s soul and shape it with shadows for preservation. But how to bind it to concepts like ‘death, underworld, netherworld’, absorb death qi for growth, obtain access to the underworld… these are all in a deficient state. Your Ghost Companion Divine Ability can’t do it. So, need to intake more Power of Pollution to complete the supernatural ability and bloodline.”
Yuan Zhu nodded to show understanding.
Got it. His Boss Template currently retained the function to kill prey, refine Tiger Companions, and create ‘Shadow Ghost Companions’ carried by shadows.
But this Shadow Ghost Companion was vastly different from the original Ghost Companion. Severely lacking in ghost content, just an alternative soul body, with no connection to the underworld and netherworld. While the Tiger Demon’s ultimate divine ability was closely tied to the Immortal Path Universe’s ‘underworld concept’, clearly a classic villain path.
Therefore, the current Pollution Mutated Version Tiger Demon also needed to explore completion in this direction to match the deep bloodline desire, and it was his correct evolution method.
Originally, the Game Sprite planned to collect more types of ‘polluting energy’, investigate their background stories, analyze traits and attributes, to select a type biased toward ‘underworld’ for completion.
But now no need. The Yellow Springs Death Qi emerging in this Bubble World perfectly matched her vision and pursuit for underworld attributes.
The Game Sprite sighed: “Didn’t expect this world to also have Yellow Springs. So lucky, so xianxia! Perhaps this world’s cultivation system can share underlying rules with the Immortal Scripture. Great, we’re saved!”
Yuan Zhu: “As far as I know, every system in the Du Ling World corresponds to a pollution root. Once selected, hard to change. The Tiger Demon is now deeply fused with Shadow pollution. If rashly provoking Yellow Springs, won’t it cause mental split? What if it breeds a ‘Game Sprite No.2’ centered on Yellow Springs pollution to compete with you for paternal love?”
“???” The Game Sprite glitched for a moment.
I treat you as a brother, yet you want to be my dad?
“Don’t worry, this degree is far from taking in a second pollution. We’re just rubbing against Yellow Springs death qi on the periphery. Use this pollution power for 5%, 10%, 15% controllable pollution rendering on the Ghost Companion Divine Ability to achieve completion. Just like the uniform on you—clearly power granted by Mao Mao King, doesn’t it also need to absorb other polluting energy to condense unique seeds? Does Mao Mao King fear her uniform being covered by other little pollutions? No, she wants to harness other pollutions!”
Yuan Zhu praised: “Didn’t expect I could also digest and absorb other polluting energy like Mao Mao King.”
The Game Sprite quickly flattered and encouraged: “Exactly, you’re the best!”
…
After confirming the running distance was far enough, Yuan Zhu’s steps gradually slowed, from sprinting to walking… his figure gradually blending into the shadows cast by buildings, the darkness underfoot boiling like water, rolling irregularly.
His figure stretched longer… taller, bigger… from initial upright walking to gradually quadrupedal crawling… at some point, a massive black dangling-eye fierce tiger lazily strolled toward the direction of Vajra Temple.
Crack crack crack crack!
The white skeleton snake tail shook its body, emitting bone-joint collision sounds, twisting its body to stand on the Tiger Demon’s back, its red Gem eyes curiously looking around, sharing vision with the main body.
The original ‘Mao Mao King uniform’ wasn’t torn or burst, but with the Tiger Demon transformation, it proactively shed from the body surface. Contracting into a ball, weaving itself into a bow tie, hanging on the neck of the white jade skeleton snake tail.
In Tiger Demon Stance, the uniform’s blessing effect on Yuan Zhu was 0. Bound to the body, it was obstructive, so rejected by Shadow Power. The pitifully squeezed-out uniform decisively threw itself into the bony little sprite’s arms.
Cat King had luxurious fur, but Snake Tail was completely bare—what injustice? So the Game Sprite inherited the uniform, tying a bow tie on itself, and conveniently hanging a bow tie on the Tiger Demon’s tail. Becoming a refined Mimi King.
All this was the subconscious idea of the No.2 host, so the uniform chose to follow.
After switching to Tiger Demon Form, Yuan Zhu’s sensory system was renewed. Not only gaining night vision, thermal vision, etc., but also unique shadow vision, able to see cracks hidden in ground shadows—those were unique pores connecting to this Bubble World’s ‘Shadow Layer (dimension)’.
Just a glance, he observed that this Bubble Small World seemed independent, sealed, stable, but was actually full of holes.
Not only starlight piercing the barrier into the world from the sky above; the earth’s membrane below was also eroded and hollowed by Yellow Springs, infinite death qi seeping in.
At this moment, walking in the darkness, the Shadow World separated from the present world by a thin membrane was also full of holes exposed before his eyes. It only needed slight force to fiddle open shadow pores, escape into them, shuttle and leap in the shadows.
Yuan Zhu slightly activated Shadow Manipulation, fiddling the seemingly pitch-black mass ahead, actually a precisely structured shadow of multi-layer stacked weaving. Then, his Tiger Demon body began changing, wrapped and entwined by shadows, twisting and deforming, ultimately turning into a pool of black liquid, spreading on the ground, infiltrating and merging, disappearing.
As everyone knows, kittens are made of water. Now, he turned into liquid shadow, merging into another world.
Entering the shadow world, everything in sight lacked vibrant colors, all different degrees of black, white, grey light and shadow, like an abstract twisted comic world. Everything in the present world had strange projections, interwoven and stacked illogically.
Clearly outside was the orderly Na Ye Buddhist Kingdom buildings, but in the Shadow Layer, it was like a sharp shadow jungle growing on building ruins.
Suddenly, a wind blew. In the air, some floating, hazy, blurry pale blue mist abruptly appeared. Because of the color, it was particularly eye-catching and unique.
This faintly wriggling blue water mist, sometimes gathering sometimes dispersing, transmitted outward cold, deathly silence, tranquility, soul… and other information. This feeling was somewhat familiar—seen it somewhere?
“Yellow Springs! This is water vapor scattered from Yellow Springs! I recognize this smell, quickly absorb it! Don’t let it float away!”
The snake tail suddenly cried out in surprise, impatiently wanting to pounce, but firmly controlled by the Tiger Demon body, not letting the tail rampage out of control.
Yuan Zhu slightly retreated, not letting his body contact that beautiful and harmless-looking mist, while asking: “How do you confirm it’s Yellow Springs water vapor? How do I not know you recognize it? This mist indeed has some similarity to the pollution emitted by those Corpse Ghosts.”
Yuan Zhu thought of the glimpsed Blood Kesa Ghost Face, and the passing Buddha Corpse Ghost. The Buddhist Death Qi on them had less than 20% similarity to this blue mist.
Hard to imagine, this blue mist was the source of their Yellow Springs power.
Game Sprite: “That’s because your human body is too weak, perception inferior to the Immortal Scripture Firewall. The blood Kesa Ghost and five-armed Buddha Corpse Ghost both carry rich Yellow Springs Death Qi, yet different. They take Yellow Springs as foundation, incorporating their respective Buddhist Systems, evolving unique new Yellow Springs Death Qi, all recorded by me. Just compare, and it’s confirmed—this is purer, more primal Yellow Springs Aura. Unexpectedly not yellow! Why call it Yellow Springs? Another pot from ancient transmigrators?”
“You sure it’s fine for me to directly absorb this?”
The Tiger Demon stared fiercely at the mesmerizing blue mist, controlling a mass of shadow woven into a hollow palm, gently stroking. The mist constantly changed, bringing no threat, instead arousing greedy desire.
As the Game Sprite said, his Tiger Demon Body very much wanted to devour and absorb the mist. Intuition told him this was nutritious, healthy. Eating it would aid digestion (Ghost Companions).
“Rest assured, this degree of Yellow Springs Aura absolutely won’t pollute you—instead, your Shadow Tiger Demon is polluting it! Talking pollution without dosage is hooliganism. Devour and absorb it to add a new death micro-attribute to your Shadow Power.”
The more he watched the mist, the more unstoppable the desire in his heart: “Do it!”
Whoosh… inhale…!
The Tiger Demon exhaled turbid qi, raised its head aiming nostrils at the blue mist, deeply inhaling, epic lungful.
Yellow Springs Mist just entered the body, instantly captured and absorbed by threads from the mutated spiritual root. Slight pollution couldn’t shake the firewall. Neither purified nor expelled, instead digested and absorbed by the Ghost Companion Divine Ability as food.
In Yuan Zhu’s mind also popped up the data prompt Completion Progress 1.3%.
“I need more!”
With the first mouthful of Yellow Springs Mist absorbed, he confirmed his Pollution Degree didn’t rise even 0.001%, then relaxed.
At the same time, the Tiger Demon’s perception of Yellow Springs became clearer and sharper. Yellow Springs Death Qi became, after Shadow, the second extraordinary energy recognized and accepted by the Immortal Scripture, not pollution.
The Tiger Demon’s intuition told him, when Yellow Springs Pollution concentration doesn’t exceed a certain limit, not only won’t be eroded by pollution, but can absorb small amounts of this thin Yellow Springs Aura, converting to improve demonic power quality.
But if Yellow Springs Pollution exceeds the critical point, he would still, like ‘Kesa Ghost, Buddha Corpse Ghost’, gradually mutate and pollute from Tiger Demon, ultimately deviating into Yellow Springs Ghostly Creature. Thoroughly dying with another pollution as foundation.
“Roar!”
Deep in the Shadow World, no threats around, he controlled his shadows to spread in all directions like radar, scanning for pure and thin Yellow Springs Mist, quickly capturing the second, third…
Fierce tiger pounce, shadow leap—he vanished from one end of the Shadow World, emerging from the other. Snake Snake violently struck, swallowing the mist in one gulp, Tiger Demon completion progress rising again to 3.4%.
As it continuously collected and absorbed Yellow Springs Aura, the Shadow Power that had fallen below alert also rapidly recovered.
Yuan Zhu discovered, when he (Tiger Demon Stance) was in the night, within shadow coverage, without actively doing anything, his mutated spiritual root could passively draw ‘Shadow Power’ from shadows to replenish the mana bar.
If escaping into the Shadow World, recovery speed exploded, shadows from all directions actively pouring into the Tiger Demon Body, offering Shadow Power.
And if staying here long-term, his Boss Template stat upper limits would slowly rise. This represented…
Game Sprite: “This is your potential. Mutated Spiritual Root is like a dehydrated compressed package carrying only core bloodline data. Need you to continuously intake external nutrients (Shadow Power, Yellow Springs Aura) to regrow and develop, continuously breaking upper limits. We don’t need active cultivation—just sleep big, and you’ll easily and comfortably get stronger! Because you’re recovering, returning to the peak.”
“Sounds like this Bubble World is a treasure land. The broken Shadow World has no creatures competing for resources, endless shadows pouring in… at this speed, how long to return to peak?”
Game Sprite: “According to Immortal Scripture Database records, at current shadow intake speed, you’d need to occupy this place in Tiger Demon Form for 15-16 years. But there’s a problem: Tiger Demon only controls and manipulates shadows, not a shadow creature, corresponding to mana bar. So you still need to eat, hunt prey to absorb nutrients—this corresponds to health bar. This Bubble World is rampant with mad beasts, Tomato Monks… can you stomach them? Also, if Yellow Springs Aura can drift into Shadow World, can Yellow Springs Ghostly Creatures not enter? They might disdain it as barren.”
“15 years? That’s way too long!”
Hearing this, Yuan Zhu completely dismissed the idea of secluded cultivation in the Bubble Layer. Bubble World has Shadow Layer, so Real World surely has one too—perhaps Shadow Power is even stronger? Upon returning to present world, could find opportunity to try.
“Forget it, continue collecting Yellow Springs Aura to perfect Tiger Demon Spiritual Root.”
Snake Tail: “Go this direction, this side corresponds to Vajra Temple, that side has denser Yellow Springs Death Qi. We’re now 0.01 Yellow Springs Lives—Firewall + Shadow Shell + Yellow Springs Affinity triple protection, can go to high concentration areas to extract denser aura.”
“Go!”
Tiger Demon body abstracted and twisted again, stretching into shadow lines in a flying pounce posture, merging into mottled dark shadows, moving quickly.
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