New concept of the mysterious way to ascend to immortality

Chapter 128 Let the world feel the [Holy Cough]!

Anyone who has committed robbery before knows that you get used to it after a few tries. The anxiety and nervousness during the first crime stems more from the fear of the unknown.

However, once you bravely take the first step towards success, you will find that the difficulties are not as great as you imagined. As long as you dare to think, act, fight, and strive, you can grow bigger and stronger and achieve glory.

In the end, he became a ruthless bandit, was beaten to a pulp by the iron fist of justice, and in the instant before his death, his life flashed before his eyes, letting out a cry of unwillingness: "It turns out that all of this was an illusion! Obeying the law, loving life, and working hard to get rich are the only true paths!"

At this point, the Tiger Demon is in the second stage of illusion.

As it rapidly emptied a cargo area, becoming increasingly familiar with the looting process, it watched as the pills inside the [Shadow Dream Hole] piled up into a small mountain. Stimulated by the ever-increasing wealth (your pills +20 bottles, +15 bottles…), the Tiger Demon entered a state of frenzy, unwilling to stop.

At this moment, the specific value of each bottle of pills was no longer important. What it enjoyed more was the thrill and sense of accomplishment from robbing the pill storehouse of Chan City. What could be more exciting than the victim setting up a trap outside the house and then frantically banging on the door?

His first crime was already at a high level, starting with 5 stars in GTA. The sense of satisfaction was indescribable, and his adrenaline was surging.

Especially when it attacks the second warehouse, the looting skills, efficiency, teamwork... all improve visibly, no longer as awkward as at the beginning.

After several rounds of oppression, the Eggplant Demons had evolved into skilled workers. They could now plunder efficiently and spontaneously without the Tiger Demons needing to force them. The Shadow Demon Insects, on the other hand, rampaged through the area, actively clearing paths and using their connection to insect-type pills to search for high-value pills… making the Tiger Demons' looting even more convenient.

Finally, despite Little Spicy Strips' constant urging of the boss to run away quickly, she still dutifully visualized the data, such as "new revenue, space occupancy rate, and the improvement and reduction of team crime efficiency," giving Tiger Demon a sense of being in control and clearly knowing that his personal wealth was increasing every second, thus providing ample emotional value.

Despite being at their wits' end, surrounded, imprisoned, and trapped in a net of misfortune, seemingly facing certain death.

But she still dutifully provided emotional support to her boss, helping to maintain his mental well-being and persevering through adversity.

"Boss, stop now! There are high-level cultivators outside. And an extremely powerful aura is rapidly approaching and has taken over the magic array near the 'Pill Room'. If the magic array was previously operating automatically and then manually inputting commands, now it's being infused with a soul and controlled by the pilot himself."

The Tiger Demon remained completely absorbed in using its Shadow Claw to dismantle layers of shelves, engrossed in efficient looting, unmoved by external distractions. This all-out focus led to an unprecedented spiritual elevation, allowing it to enter a state of 'flow'.

At that moment, it realized the ultimate beauty that comes from being extremely focused on something you love. Only genuine passion can bring about achievements that transcend miracles.

"I get it! I genuinely enjoy getting things for free!"

Spicy Strips tried to dissuade him: "I like it too, but things aren't right. You said you wanted to play it safe."

Tiger Demon: "Don't panic, the [Shadow Space] isn't full yet. Once this is done, there might not be another chance. So we absolutely can't let ourselves regret it for the rest of our lives!"

"When you are caught singing 'Tears Behind Bars,' you will truly regret it for the rest of your life."

Tiger Demon remained unmoved: "I will attack with the [Super Space Cutting Stance]! You control the 'Shadow Demon Insect' to devour the pills, and I will control the 'Eggplant Ghost' to carry out the final harvest."

The more it used the 'Shadow Space Claw' to kill, the more proficient it became. As the shadow beneath its feet spread rampantly throughout the alchemy room, the tiger demon also exerted a slight erosion effect on the 'magic array' of this enclosed space.

This level of erosion isn't enough to seize control, and it's even difficult to disrupt the array's operation. However, it can allow it to perceive the overall operational flow of the array…

Even now, with a massive will descending and taking over the magic array, connecting it to the [Cicada City] super magic array network and mobilizing enormous energy, the 'shadow pollution' inside the pill room cannot be dispelled in the short term.

Taking advantage of this erosion, the Tiger Demon began to unleash its ultimate attack indiscriminately, combining [Spatial Slicing] and [Wind Summoning] to release a violent 'Shadow Space Blade Storm' around its body, cutting and destroying all the root seals on the nearby shelves.

Then, under the infusion of the [Shadow Dream Hole], the Eggplant Demon erupted, spraying out countless black vines to plunder the pills over the largest possible area and drag them into the shadow of the Tiger Demon; another group of Shadow Demon Insects, under the control of Spicy Strips, scattered and devoured the pills that had not been harvested in time and were scattered all over the ground.

Shadowy tentacles sprouted from their bodies, either picking up scattered pill bottles from the ground or scavenging from shelves that the tiger demons hadn't had time to harvest. They then put the bottles, along with the pills, into their mouths, chewed them up, and swallowed them, stimulating the growth of the 'meridian mutation tissue' within their bodies. Their true qi rapidly erupted, and their bodies swelled slightly.

The Tiger Demon rampaged ahead, wielding bone claws instead of swords, summoning gusts of eerie wind to wreak havoc; the Eggplant-Headed Demon, acting as the Tiger's henchman, followed closely behind, feasting on its leftovers and plundering its wealth; the Demonic Insects lingered at the back, consuming the scraps; and the remaining remnants, too small to be properly gathered, were all swept into the [Shadow Dream Hole] and sent to the Nightmare Layer to nourish it...

Little Spicy Strip first praised, "Your Majesty's methods are becoming more and more professional!" Then, pessimistically, "Unfortunately, a Heavenly Rank cultivator has descended directly above us and is breaking through the defensive formation. We're already in the trap; it's time to surrender!"

"ridiculous!"

Tiger Demon chuckled: "I will launch a second attack using the [Super Space Slicing Stance], so get ready to reap the rewards!"

Spicy Strips exclaimed in shock, "But the [Shadow Dream Hole] is already full! How can we harvest any more? Boss, take my advice and let's go back. We have no way out. We've already made a killing this time. Giving up [Pastoral Village] won't be a loss."

"Foolish! The [Shadow Dream Hole] is full, but I still have the [Inner Universe]. I'll peel the shell, you eat!"

Inside the pill room, the Tiger Demon fought its way through three storage areas. Facing the last shelf, it unleashed an even more ferocious 'Shadow Space Storm,' slicing through all the surrounding shelves and smashing the pill bottles along with them. The final round of frenzied buying had begun…

The shelves in reality remained intact in form, but as a semi-transparent, shadowy giant python rose from the ground, it swept and spiraled upwards like a madman, twisting and colliding everywhere... These seemingly intact shelves instantly collapsed into countless fragments, and the pill bottles made from insect shells also shattered, scattering pills all over the sky, and for a moment the aroma was overwhelming.

"Suck……"

The Shadow Serpent Demon also unleashed its [Inner Universe] technique, swallowing everything it came into contact with, including the broken root seals.

Unlike the 'polluted demons' that were difficult to digest in the past, this time the pills, although belonging to a different 'True Qi system', were specially refined to be easily digested by cultivators. Therefore, the level of pollution was very low, and even the shadow-attribute tiger demons could easily digest them.

It's simply a matter of mismatched expertise; the large amount of pure 'insect-type spiritual energy' lacks a matching [meridian system] for refining and absorption. However, this energy is a nutrient of a beneficial nature, and it was absorbed by the tiger demon's digestive system.

The specific difference is that, just like fresh blood plasma that could originally be injected into blood vessels is now being used as nutrition and absorbed by the intestines, indirectly replenishing blood, thus reducing efficiency.

The tiger demon, unleashing a shadow storm, danced wildly in the pill room, destroying everything in its path and releasing all the pills. The snake demon opened its massive jaws to devour the storm; four eggplant demons wildly stretched out their vines, grabbing pills and tossing them into black eggplant heads covered in eyeballs; numerous shadow demonic insects scrambled for the pills within the shadow storm; the shadow beneath their feet connected to the [Shadow Dream Hole], beginning to communicate with the Nightmare Dimension and activating a high-powered vacuuming mode…

This batch not only filled up the storage space but also ate their fill and fed the pets. Following the Tiger Demon King, the cougar eats nine meals a day!

boom!
Several attempts by external forces to descend and take over the 'defense array' have been hampered by the [Shadow Dream Hole] embedded (stuck) inside the array, preventing them from intervening smoothly.

In particular, while committing his crimes, Tiger Demon generously fed some of the 'elixirs' he couldn't steal to [Shadow Dream Hole].

This allowed the [Shadow Dream Hole], which had been significantly damaged and weakened after being separated from the Shadow Domain, to receive wave after wave of nourishment. Relying directly on the resources of Cicada City, the damage was recovered, and even exceeded expectations.

The most significant effect was that the [Shadow Dream Hole] severely disrupted the operation of the magic array, accelerating the Tiger Demon's erosion and infiltration of the alchemy room. Specifically, it can be understood as creating a 'closed-loop local signal interference network' of different frequency bands within the super signal network of Cicada City, disrupting the original operation of the magic array.

Left with no other choice, Tianjie, who had been ordered to suppress the upheaval, simply abandoned the magic array of the pill room and directly used [Cicada City] as a backing to draw upon and gather powerful energy to cleave the square building in two with a single strike.

Then, a rich aura of medicinal pills exploded outwards along with the shadow storm... The tiger demons and their accomplices could no longer consume the pills that [Shadow Dream Hole] could not absorb in time. They were shattered into dust by the shadow storm and spread throughout the dungeon, mixed with the shadow pollution.

The rich aura of cinnabar in the air excited all the residents, causing them to take uncontrollable deep breaths, their true qi rapidly increasing, and becoming tainted with a faint layer of shadow pollution.

This pollution is nothing, it has no power to shake their 'True Qi System', but it allows people to hear the call from the 'Cockroach Village' far from the world in their dreams.

It was a pleasant surprise.

Unaware of the crisis, but keenly sensing the 'shadow pollution' remaining in the pill energy, the Heavenly Rank cultivator immediately thought of the 'Nightmare Invasion Incident' that briefly broke out in the Lower City a few days ago.

The 'Nightmare Monster' with only shadow attributes reappeared and precisely attacked the alchemy room.

At this moment, a cultivator from the Heavenly Realm, dressed in armor that gleamed with a metallic sheen, possessing both the aesthetic appeal of Eastern armor and the characteristics of an insect exoskeleton, resembling a 'fantasy version of Kamen Rider,' stood in the void, gazing at the completely ransacked alchemy room, enraged and his blood pressure soared.

With a swift chop, countless strands of Qi condensed behind the 'masked cultivator,' transforming into a giant blade. Infused with fire-attribute nightmare energy, it slashed towards the Tiger Demon at breakneck speed, imbuing the Tiger Demon's mind with a world-destroying aura that locked onto the Tiger Demon's will, making it impossible for him to dodge.

"what?"

The mysterious feeling of 'qi lock' astonished the Tiger Demon. It wasn't a physical aiming; it was incredibly subtle and cleverly utilized the power of the [Nightmare Layer]—a dream connection.

The target was selected, captured, and anchored through nightmares, but unfortunately, the opponent lacked the necessary power and core strength to be eliminated in the mortal world with a single blow, directly striking the soul through the 'dream'.

"It's Meng Kong!"

Tiger Demon's eyes lit up. If the opponent possessed their own [Dream Hole], perhaps this strike could be unleashed from a dream? Killing without a trace. But now…

Faced with an inescapable attack, Tiger Demon grabbed the [Shadow Dream Hole] beside him and spun it at high speed, aiming it at the flaming True Qi Greatsword that was falling from the sky and launching it out.

[Shadow Dream Hole] spun rapidly and collided with the True Qi Giant Blade. The immense energy contained within the Dream Hole immediately erupted, detonating the True Qi contained within the blade in mid-air. The violent flame impact and explosion did not knock [Shadow Dream Hole] away.

As the Tiger Demon's thoughts shifted, the black dream hole took root in mid-air, remaining unmoved and as solid as a rock in the face of the explosion of true qi. Then, as the Tiger Demon's thoughts changed again, it returned to its side.

Unfortunately, this explosion caused all the energy fed back from the Nightmare Layer to dissipate completely, escaping into the air with the True Qi and never to be recovered.

"Tsk, that's a bit of a waste."

【Shadow Dream Hole】is not a weapon. It's just that it's being operated, and it's somewhat like using a tablet as a flying tool. While a tablet can certainly be used to smash people, it has other uses, and it would be a waste to use it for that.

Looking at the armored cultivator in mid-air, who seemed to merge with the heavens and earth and whose every move could summon the natural power within a thousand-meter radius, Spicy Strip sighed, "Oh dear, what should we do now? Once the [Shadow Dream Hole] is connected to the [Nightmare Layer], we can certainly intercept the pills through the 'Shadow Space,' but if the Dream Hole receives, guides, and unleashes the opponent's attack, then the pills inside the Dream Hole will also be destroyed."

The [Dream Hole] is currently filled with medicinal resources. If it is activated to absorb attacks, it will destroy the medicinal resources inside. If it is closed and used for defense, it will accelerate the damage to the [Dream Hole], and its defensive area is limited to a mere 1.7 meters in diameter, making it largely ineffective.

Facing the Heavenly Rank Armored cultivator who further amplified his domain with the [Cicada City] formation, Yuan Zhu revoked the [Tiger Demon Stance]. His shadow uniform enveloped his entire body, and he wore a gas mask and night vision goggles to cover his face. Dozens of rapidly multiplying 'Shadow Demon Insects' remained by his side.

Upon seeing the unfamiliar 'Tiger Demon' suddenly transform into human form, the Heavenly Rank cultivator was startled. Was this an intelligent shadow demon?! And that black circle that resembled a 'Dream Hole'—although it displayed the ability to communicate with the 'Nightmare Layer' (in a deactivated state), the dense nightmare aura emanating from it made it unmistakably a 'Dream Hole'!
A portable 'Dream Hole'? A humanoid Nightmare Monster with intelligence? What a terrifying combination! This means that this monster can communicate with the Nightmare World in the Underworld at any time, summoning more monsters to invade the world.

He seemed to see a completely new 'natural disaster' being born in this apocalyptic world.

Has this world truly entered the Dharma-ending Age? Is this world truly heading towards death and destruction? So, not only are the original natural disasters not being eliminated but are intensifying, and new natural disasters are constantly forming... Is the only way to escape all of this to shatter the void and ascend in a dream?
The cultivator, his mind in turmoil, resolved to destroy the demon. He used his martial arts to communicate with heaven and earth, using his armor as a vessel and his own heart to represent the will of heaven, thus unlocking a power called "Heavenly Position".

At the same time, Yuan Zhu commanded a firefly-like 'demon insect' to fly at high speed toward the armored cultivator in mid-air.

"Mere demonic insects!"

Although its internal aura was completely different from that of the 'Demonized Giant Insect', it could tell that the strange demonic insect was only around the fifth level of the Earth Realm, posing no threat to it and could be destroyed with a flick of its wrist.

Just as he used his domain to capture and implode the demonic insect, Yuan Zhu remotely detonated the vengeful spirit.

[Boundless Holy Light Coughs Out!]
In the instant before its death, the Shadow Demon Worm burst forth with extreme light. Its originally dim eyes and dark shell gaps emitted dazzling light, and its originally glowing tail transformed into a dazzling white miniature sun.

Amidst an extremely agonizing scream, it exploded with a deafening roar, like a super flash bomb, releasing boundless light and heat into the dim underground world.

The pollution was caused by a 'Holy Light Pollution' erupting in the sky above Cicada City. Its severity was similar to Yuan Zhu's initial arrival, when he indiscriminately released 'illumination spells' in the underground passages, burning and purifying countless roots and moss, triggering the ensuing 'pollution outbreak'...

What he sought at this moment was not the destructive power of the 'demon insect's' holy light self-destruction, but rather the series of 'holy light pollution negative effects' that followed.

(End of this chapter)