Chapter 86: Hunting Trap, Sacrificial Legacy
Yuan Zhu continued deeper for another ten-plus minutes, seeing the surrounding environment become increasingly exaggerated, with more and more fluorescent fungi, gradually taking on the flavor of DND’s Underdark, before he stopped his steps and began recalling methods for hunting goblins.
First, he took out several cans of chemical reagents from his backpack, mixed them together, stirred and shook them evenly, releasing an indescribable smell. It wasn’t very pleasant, but it couldn’t be called a stench either; instead, it was mixed with the pungent smell of low-quality food seasonings.
This was a scent euphoria agent designed and developed targeting the goblin physiological structure. When goblins smell it, they become very excited, very happy, very joyful; their brains stimulate some kind of happiness hormone, while also stimulating appetite.
It’s said that even pouring it on poop, goblins will approach with a conflicted and incredulous expression, smear some on their finger, and fall into the dilemma of whether it’s poop-flavored chocolate or chocolate-flavored poop, but ultimately can’t help stretching out their sinful tongue tip.
As for goblins with decent intelligence, will they become wary and vigilant of such low-end traps after suffering a loss? The answer is no. Humans always repeat the same mistakes; how much better can goblins be than humans?
Moreover, this is from the extremely evil humans, designed targeting their physiological structure, an irresistible physiological temptation, just like kittens unable to refuse the additives in little spicy sticks.
Rationality tells them this is dangerous. But instinct constantly bewitches and numbs them.
After shaking the synthesized agent evenly, Yuan Zhu took out a bottle of baijiu and poured it in as well. This was the final step; adding alcohol could further amplify the chemical stimulation, while also spreading and diffusing more quickly.
Bang!
The shadow uniform extended two black ropes, throwing the two sewer mice he had casually killed along the way onto the ground, cutting open a wound in their abdomens, and pouring the prepared lure agent over them.
Chemical reagents, low-quality industrial alcohol, fresh blood and flesh—once mixed, they released an ultimate temptation irresistible to goblins. Yuan Zhu frowned, extinguished the lantern, and retreated backward.
After pulling back a distance, he quietly waited in the darkness.
Soon, rustling sounds came from the sewer, as some underground crawlers and even mice were lured by the smell, emerging one after another to surround and gnaw on the two dead mice. One of them even tried to drag the food away to enjoy alone back at its nest.
Yuan Zhu took out a slingshot from his backpack and aimed at the mouse trying to drag away the food in the darkness.
Snap!
A muffled sound, the steel pellet burst the eyeball and drilled into the brain. The mouse went from dragging food to convulsing on the ground, quickly joining the feast. Completing the transformation from diner to ingredient.
Snap! Snap!
He repeated the operation, increasing the goblin-luring food from two portions to five. Those bugs that only ate buffet-style and never took it away fell into a carnival, smearing the chemical reagents everywhere, further expanding the scent temptation.
The trap volatilized for about 10 minutes, during which Yuan Zhu cumulatively killed several large sewer mice. Their blood mixed with the prepared alcohol lure agent, bursting forth a strong goblin-targeted scent, finally attracting a fearless green-skinned one driven by instinct.
Strange, piercing whispers echoed in the pitch-black sewer. Yuan Zhu fully restrained his aura, perfectly concealed in the darkness thanks to the shadow uniform, without leaking any sense of presence.
At this moment, through his goggles, he vaguely made out several goblins lingering not far away.
They clearly smelled the food scent and became excited under the euphoria agent stimulation, but at the same time worried it might be some kind of trap, appearing hesitant.
In the end, they picked out the weakest cannon fodder and kicked it forward, making it go test by dying.
This brave goblin at first shrank back unwillingly. But the closer it got to the food emanating the low-quality industrial alcohol scent, the more the pleasurable sensation in its brain stimulated its nerves, making it show a dazed expression, even unable to resist dancing and twisting around, cackling wildly.
It kept approaching, using a sharpened wooden stick to poke open a large centipede, then piercing a mouse with the spear tip and bringing it to its face. After several tests confirming no traps, it mustered courage, picked up the mouse, sniffed it lightly under its nose, then showed a face of intoxication. Unable to suppress its inner desire any longer, it began gobbling it down.
This goblin ate more and more greedily, more and more addicted, until finally disregarding everything, dropping its weapon, kneeling on the ground and tearing viciously with its teeth. Its devouring appearance made the other watching goblins feel indignant and tormented.
They fought against the temptation from the evil chemical reagents with rationality and will, struggling with their inner desire and primal instincts. At the same time, they watched the cannon fodder’s actions and fate, confirming no danger multiple times before finally unable to hold back, chittering and charging forward, first beating the cannon fodder with fists and feet to snatch the mangled mouse from its mouth. Then they swarmed up to scramble for the other tasty mice.
Yuan Zhu counted; there were about ten or so. He couldn’t catch them all just relying on the uniform.
To refine ghost companions, it was best to keep them alive. Moreover, ordinary goblins were too weak; though their souls had spirituality, they still needed a round of physical body reinforcement to serve as base material. Thus, various messy tests were inevitable, and there would be losses in the experimentation process, so the more caught, the better.
“Boss, activate [Boss Form]. With Tiger Demon out, all will be captured.”
Yuan Zhu thought about it and decided to activate Tiger Demon Stance. So he controlled the uniform to protect his backpack well; the shadow on the ground came alive, wrapping and swallowing his true body. Then his body twisted bit by bit, and a black fierce tiger silently appeared in the sewer, coldly staring at the group of goblins lost in carnival.
This was his first time using Tiger Demon’s power in Du Ling Star’s real world, immediately giving him a brand new feeling.
Completely different from activating Tiger Demon inside the haunted house; for the first time, he felt the suppression from the world, and the power it could exert was weaker.
At the same time, Du Ling Star’s [Shadow Dimension] laws were very strict; in Tiger Demon’s eyes, it could connect with the shadows underfoot, but couldn’t escape into the Shadow Dimension.
It could only briefly merge into shadows, borrowing the Shadow Layer to complete stealth, concealment, shadow escape… yet unable to truly enter the [Shadow Dimension]. Du Ling’s Shadow World refused to open its gates to it, this shadow (quasi) Demon God.
Additionally, Tiger Demon’s strength perhaps only slightly exceeded the limit of ordinary transcendents. Thus, it only felt suppressed, without being rejected by the world or the impulse to ascend. Instead, after contacting the sewer’s ‘Shadow Layer’, it experienced a sinking, collapsing sensation.
Because [Tiger Demon]’s shadow power was excessive, in the real physical world, its limbs stepped steadily on the hard floor, able to freely exert force to run.
But in the transcendent perception belonging to shadow power, its mass pressed the ground (Shadow Layer) downward in a depression, with every step causing the shadows to sink and collapse.
Yuan Zhu had a premonition that if Tiger Demon’s shadow energy continued to strengthen, this downward collapsing sensation would intensify. Until breaking through the critical point of reality, it would completely ‘sink down’, falling from the real world into the Shadow Layer? Or Spirit Layer?
“So, this is the essence of [Ascension]? The world’s rejection makes individuals exceeding power (pollution) limits enter the world’s ‘inner side’?”
In Tiger Demon’s perception, the Inner World or Spirit Layer was the destination of ‘sinking, collapsing’ from the shadow perspective. [Ascension] for Tiger Demon was perhaps falling into the world’s deeper, more internal layers.
So [Spirit Layer]’s Second Ascension was perhaps further falling downward into [Nightmare Bubble Layer]?
Where there is inner, there is outer. The ascension target toward the Inner World is [Spirit Layer]; then the ‘external ascension’ toward Du Ling Star, could it be the [Sea of Consciousness] represented by the Moon?
At this moment, he suddenly recalled mythology stories from Earth’s hometown. At the opening of chaos, it divided into clear and turbid qi. The light rose to become heaven, supporting the thirty-three heavens; the turbid descended to become earth, opening the underworld.
So was [Spirit Layer] and even deeper, more distant [Bubble Layer] part of Du Ling’s turbid qi worldview? While Moon’s [Sea of Consciousness] and Plant Race-occupied [Star Realm] were Du Ling’s clear qi system?
Merely from Tiger Demon’s current performance, it at most touched the ‘fur’ of ‘ascension’, having the sinking collapsing sensation, still far from true ascension (falling into) Spirit Realm. As for reverse ascension to Sea of Consciousness? Even less clue.
While Tiger Demon attempted to interact and explore Du Ling Star through [Shadow Layer], on the other side, the goblins were eating wildly. Under the chemical reagent assault, they completely ignored surrounding dangers, each holding up shattered mice high, covering their faces and bodies in blood, falling into carnival.
Tiger Demon felt it was about time; if delayed further, who knows what spicy-eye things they would do.
Just as it prepared to strike and close the net, a faint, if-any sound suddenly came to its ears. This sound was very distant, easy to overlook if not careful. But it pierced straight into the mind, as if someone was quietly whispering something in his spirit world, hard to ignore.
Could he have attracted the attention of some sleeping evil spirit deep in the sewer, silently calling to him?
Tiger Demon couldn’t help shivering; this was all too possible!
He had been inexplicably summoned down by evil god sacrifice, encountered space splicing on the way home, pulled into Space of Gods while using the toilet, and even exorcising a demon led to stumbling into Disease Garden.
This wasn’t him being unlucky; purely Du Ling’s environment was harsh, riddled with crises everywhere. Crises so abundant that anyone could continuously encounter them until pitted to death.
Yuan Zhu paused the hunting, suspiciously asking: “Snake Snake, can you hear it?”
Snake Tail responded: “Yes, but this isn’t a real sound.”
Tiger Demon nodded in agreement: “Right, I suspect this sewer hides some spirit-type demonic creature manufacturing illusions.”
Snake Tail shook its head, denying: “Don’t scare yourself. I discovered this is a spirit-level mystical connection, with the anchor point directed at you. Boss, your soul strength in Human Stance is too weak to receive it. Conversely, in Tiger Demon Stance, your soul expands with a massive foundation increase, allowing reception of this information again. You’re like a signal base station receiving info sent by other mobile phones.”
Tiger Demon closed its eyes to sense the faint information, puzzled retort: “No, why didn’t I hear these in the haunted house?”
“Because the haunted house is an independent and sealed space. Though based on reality, there’s a membrane separating it from reality, so couldn’t hear. I suspect these spirit connections relate to that sacrifice ritual back then!” Little Spicy Stick flipped through Yuan Zhu’s recent experiences and boldly speculated.
Tiger Demon also seriously recalled, then eyes lit up: “I remember now; I was treated as sacrifice then, followed by ‘shadow pollution’ possession. Then, I seemed to become some kind of anchor point, not only connecting numerous evil spirits, but also establishing links with all believers at the scene!”
Little Spicy Stick said: “You not only established connections with all believers at the scene, but also with every member of [White Feather Wish Association] across entire Running City. In Earth Christianity terms, when you were sacrificed, it was equivalent to the Son of God suffering, becoming the channel for believers to communicate with deities.”
“Thus you connect upward to all evil spirits, while downward also to all believers, becoming the anchor point of that ritual. Though the ritual ended, evil spirits fled, core believers all died, spat by you into Vajra Temple’s pond… but those peripheral members who didn’t make it to the sacrifice still maintain mystical connections with you. You are naturally their High-Ranking!”
