New concept of the mysterious way to ascend to immortality

Chapter 129 Art is explosion!

A small sun formed of holy light slowly ignited, rose, expanded, exploded, and finally spread out within the [Cicada City]...

Transforming into a terrifying [First Holy Light Impact], it utterly destroyed the surrounding buildings, expanding in all directions in a hemispherical shockwave pattern. At the same time, it brought the blessing of [Holy Light (cough)] to the bubble world, ushering in a new era of gospel.

The [Holy Cough Explosion] came too fast. Even though the Heavenly Rank cultivators had already reacted and started to mobilize the power of the heavenly phenomena around them to construct a domain in an attempt to stop and imprison it, it was still a drop in the ocean and they were half a beat too late.

In the end, he only managed to intercept less than 1/5 of the sector impact of the 'hemispherical holy light shockwave'. As for the remaining 4/5 of the sector, he was powerless and could only watch helplessly as the holy light shockwave exploded, destroying buildings and releasing light and heat.

The vast, empty underground city was suddenly bathed in a milky white light. Many residents felt a burning, stinging pain in their eyes, followed by a brief loss of vision. Some of the weaker ones even suffered burns to their retinas, struggling to cover their bleeding eyes and letting out agonizing screams.

The Holy Light Explosion produces multiple effects. The first and foremost is the damage from the actual Holy Light attribute contamination.

The Holy Light's extreme exclusivity and purifying/destructive properties can be understood as a 'Holy Light version of a dirty bomb'. Now, exploding in Cicada City, it's like a miniature tactical nuclear bomb.

The explosion released shockwaves, intense heat, super rays, and holy light pollution, causing physical damage and destruction to the underground city.

Especially the [Holy Light Contamination], which they had never encountered before, was unfamiliar and incomprehensible, exceeding their cognitive scope, leaving them unable to cope or control it, and only able to endure it. Furthermore, because of the strength of the [Holy Light System], which is comparable to the [Kunlun Immortal Path], its quality is extremely high, making it very difficult to withstand.

This caught the Heavenly Realm cultivator completely off guard. His hastily arranged 'Prevent Spread True Qi Barrier' failed to effectively intercept the Holy Cough outbreak; instead, it burned through his insect nest barrier.

Secondly, the underground world is perpetually dark, relying entirely on a small number of bioluminescent fungi and insects for illumination. The indigenous people have adapted to the 'dim light and darkness' environment and evolved dark vision. Conversely, when faced with sudden bursts of bright light, they experience a painful shock that can cause instant blindness or even permanent disorientation.

Moreover, the true energy of the underground world comes from the development and utilization of the remaining 'root network' of the Immortal Tree.

Therefore, imported polluting energy like [Holy Light] has an extreme advantage in the underworld, suppressing local pollution in all aspects. The 'Holy Cough' pollution spread by the explosion not only destroyed and purified all heretical forces along its path, but also stimulated the uncontrolled rampage of local pollution.

As is widely known, one of the fundamental pillars of Insect City is the massive city defense array constructed from the roots of the Immortal Tree. Using the array knowledge system of the 'Kunlun Immortal Sect,' they restrain and tame the 'polluted spiritual energy' within the roots, forcibly absorbing it for their own use.

However, the violent impact of the 'Holy Light Explosion' burned a hole through this massive energy network. This destruction truly shook the very foundation of [Cicada City], subtly shattering its core.

Its severity is akin to drilling a hole in the foundation pillar of a skyscraper. It might not immediately cause the building to collapse, but it has already shaken its very foundation.

If similar acts of destruction are repeated dozens of times, they will inevitably leave irreparable damage, turning the building into a dangerous structure.

If burning a hole in the magic array network is a long-term injury, then stirring up the tamed, polluted spiritual energy with [Holy Light] to cause a riot is an immediate and devastating destruction.

In other words, Chancheng has built a 'natural gas pipeline network' to subdue the dangerous natural gas (polluting spiritual energy), allowing every household (Chancheng residents) to enter the gas punk era: lighting, boiling water, heating, and so on...

Now, after robbing the 'elixir vault,' the ruthless bandit Yuan Zhu not only doesn't flee, but escalates his actions by blowing up a gas station in the city and using [Holy Light] to ignite the leaking natural gas, triggering a larger-scale chain reaction...

This series of actions put the Heavenly Realm cultivator in a dilemma.

Now, two paths lie before us:

1. Continue to forcibly kill or arrest the 'Nightmare Demon (Yuan Zhu)', recover the stolen pills, and punish it.

2. We should repair the loopholes in the 'Root Array' as soon as possible to prevent the Holy Light pollution from spreading further and to curb the hidden harm it causes.

Before the other party could make a decision, Yuan Zhu acted first, helping him make the choice:

3. Abandoning the above two options forces you to face new challenges!
With a wave of his hand, Yuan Zhu summoned about 20 Shadow Demon Insects around him, which activated their Holy Cough Self-Destruct Programs and, under his control, rapidly moved in different directions of the dungeon, resembling a shower of petals, each going its own way, a final farewell.

Little Spicy Strip popped out, and a melancholic background music started playing on repeat in his head, as he personally sang: "Goodbye Dad, I'm setting sail tonight. Don't worry about me, I'll self-destruct and return to the cockroach kingdom!"

Shock! Shock! Shock!
The pupils of the Heavenly Rank cultivator, hidden beneath the 'masked helmet (insect helmet),' contracted violently!
...

The [Holy Cough Explosion] that Yuan Zhu unleashed earlier was the ultimate finishing move he had painstakingly devised while he was in seclusion in the [Shadow Dream Hole] cultivating (sound asleep) these past few days.

This is also the strongest one-time ultimate technique he has independently developed since attempting to break free from the [Boss Template]. Its power even surpasses the Tiger Demon's ordinary divine abilities.

Its basic principle is the 'mouse holy light ignition' experiment.

He repeatedly used 'polluted rats and frogs' to ignite holy light in the Diling, forming a basic understanding of 'biological holy light bombs and polluting fuel cells'.

By continuously enhancing the vitality, physical strength, pollution concentration, and soul quality of the 'fuel (biological bomb),' the effect of the burning [holy light] can be further amplified from different dimensions.

So, if all the holy light could be ignited and released in an instant (detonation), wouldn't that be the 'Supreme Holy Light Bomb'? And this is the basic principle of the [explosion]!

This principle is common knowledge; the difficulty lies in the fact that the more powerful the 'polluted monster,' the higher its resistance and repulsion to holy light. You can use more powerful holy light to wear it down and purify it until it dies, but it's very difficult to completely burn it in the instant it submits and turn it into a bomb.

The difficulties behind this are immense.

The ideal outcome would be to capture, seal, and imprison a 'super monster,' forcibly using it as fuel to continuously and steadily generate holy light, like an oil lamp.

Ultimately, they burn themselves out, squeezing out every last bit of value. In some ways, orthodox Holy Light monks are even more cruel and evil (like burning a candle in the sky), subjecting each other to insane torture without a quick death.

The ideal 'instantaneous detonation' requires completely subduing the demon, drawing the holy light into every inch of flesh and blood, perfectly blending it with life force, before it can ignite instantly and release terrifying holy light. If the holy light could be evenly and deeply distributed within the spirit, will, and soul, the power of the holy light explosion could be further enhanced. But just thinking about it makes one realize how difficult that would be.

However, all of this was trivial to the Tiger Demon. It willingly offered up its completely subservient Demonic Insects, preemptively injecting them into the Holy Cough, tempering its flesh and blood inch by inch, penetrating its soul, evenly mixing them, and then actively going into hibernation, waiting only for the ultimate sublimation—a [holy light version of a miniature nuclear explosion]!
The results were far better than Yuan Zhu and the Heavenly Rank cultivators had imagined.

...

These Shadow Demon Insects were first sourced from peak-level human-rank death row inmates, corrupted and refined into earth-rank demonized giant insects, and further sublimated into 4th-realm Shadow Demon Insects within the Shadow Dream Hole. Later, they followed the Tiger Demon to plunder the pill shop, feasting and further elevating their level.

At this point, the demonic insect has become an incredibly terrifying 'holy light bomb'.

When it releases all of its 'Holy Cough' at once, it unleashes a final attack far exceeding its own limits, much like the Heavenly Demon Disintegration Technique or the Eight Gates Formation being fully activated.

Yuan Zhu conservatively estimated that this explosion had reached the level of a full-force attack from a 'Heavenly Rank cultivator'.

The ultimate sublimation of a Shadow Demon Insect, which only occurs once in its lifetime, had such terrifying effects that not a trace of 'transcendent shadow pollution' or mutated tissue' remained. Even the 'unyielding pride' mixed with precious insect gold was turned into magic resistance fragments that scattered everywhere, killing and injuring many Earth-rank guards.

The sharp-eyed Yuan Zhu even spotted several sharp, twisted fragments of carapace embedded in the armor of a Heavenly Realm expert. Though they failed to penetrate the defenses, they left scratches on the opponent's 'armor'.

What's even more terrifying about this explosion is the residual pollution from the holy light, which floats in the air and spreads rapidly throughout Cicada City.

Based on his temporary control over the [Holy Cough], Yuan Zhu estimated that this wave of 'Holy Cough Particles' would remain in the air for 10 minutes before automatically burning out, being destroyed, and evaporating.

If it attaches to the lungs of the indigenous people during this period, it will also develop into a one-time 'Holy Cough Disease' (basic effect of the 【Holy Cough】 skill).

Fortunately, this disease has very low infectivity and duration, causing only temporary discomfort and unease. Due to excessive dilution, it cannot cause any organic damage; the discomfort lasts only for a period of time, typically lasting two hours before returning to normal.

but!but!
Yuan Zhu's [Holy Cough] possesses some of his unique holy light attributes: if you actively recharge and renew your subscription, my [Holy Cough Particles] will add time and refill your cup for free.

In other words, as long as the infected person actively replenishes their vitality and even lifespan, they can subjectively maintain the "Holy Cough" for an extended period. They burn themselves to gain a slight 'low-grade fever and excitement state'...

This self-harming behavior stems entirely from the victim's subjective will and can be stopped at any time. Therefore, the subsequent "Holy Cough" is no longer a "Holy Light Disease," but rather a choice made by the patient themselves. Just as the two siblings accepted "Holy Cough" and evolved the Holy Cough breathing method.

Once the nature of 'Burning Life' changes, the previously suspected illness, "Holy Cough," instantly reverses its stance, becoming "Holy Cough Blessing" (a blessing in the eyes of the Holy Light). This signifies that he has begun to accumulate good deeds, spread the "Way of the Holy Light," and has inspired users to spontaneously renew their subscriptions to maintain the Holy Light. His own Holy Light alignment attribute spontaneously shifts towards the positive, making him a righteous person!

By maintaining the "Holy Cough" with their lives, everyone will naturally receive corresponding benefits, such as being able to combat "miasma pollution" in the air, improving the efficiency of breathing techniques, and installing a "breathing purification filter" on the lungs, thereby conserving true qi and eliminating pollution from the body.

First, the "Miasma Riot" caused by the "Holy Cough Explosion" caused the Chan City magic array to malfunction temporarily; then, the "Holy Light Particles" caused the Holy Cough pollution, which caused widespread breathing difficulties and upper respiratory tract burns among nearby civilians.

Then, some clever individuals will surely notice: "Huh? This thing (Holy Cough Particles) seems to be able to suppress the miasma riots caused by the Holy Light Explosion?"
The 'Holy Cough' actually counteracts 'polluted spiritual energy'?!

This increase and decrease effectively weathered the 'miasma crisis'. Is there any better way to promote your product than through self-production and self-sales? It forces users to renew their Sheng Ke subscriptions on the spot. Having experienced the convenience of Sheng Ke, they will naturally choose to renew.

Even Yuan Zhu hadn't expected that the self-destruction of the Shadow Demon Insect's Holy Cough would become a propaganda tool for the illegal promotion and spread of [Holy Cough Particles] within Cicada City. It forces you to inhale highly toxic miasma after contracting the Holy Cough, and then provides free lung contamination checks to help you overcome the miasma crisis… From then on, you enter a super cultivation mode imbued with [Holy Cough], unable to extricate yourself, becoming a potential user (believer) of 'Holy Light'.

Those lucky ones who are further out and do not receive the "Holy Cough Pollution" have to endure more miasma, which pollutes the purity of their true qi, and they have to use qi threads to cleanse the pollution in their bodies.

Although Yuan Zhu couldn't comprehend all these changes in a short time, he witnessed the extraordinary power of the 'demon insect self-destruction,' which was truly awe-inspiring! He was then overjoyed. So he decisively sent the remaining demon insects away from their father (himself) and embarked on a long voyage... forcing the Heavenly Rank cultivator before him to make a choice.

The Heavenly Rank, who had taken over the [Cicada City Formation], naturally sensed the series of chain reactions that had occurred in that short instant. He then decisively began eliminating the 'demon insects' that were fleeing in different directions.

While the threat of the Nightmare Monster (Yuan Zhu) is terrifying, it is no longer the most important issue. The immediate priority is to stop its subsequent 'self-destruct attacks,' minimize the property damage to [Cicada City], and prevent the situation from escalating further.

So he used his 'Martial Arts Domain' to capture the five closest demonic insects, forcibly imprisoning them in mid-air, as if they were frozen in amber, unable to move. He then raised his hand and unleashed a True Qi longsword strike at the furthest demonic insect, slashing it down from mid-air, thinking he could prevent its self-destruction… but…
boom! ! !
A deafening roar. This strike acted like a fuse, igniting yet another small sun of holy light in the sky above Cicada City, mirroring the previous scene.

Beside the already unhealed 'root array hole,' another new burnt-through hole appeared, and the polluted miasma surged wildly once more. The people of Cicada City were fortunate; those who hadn't received the 'Holy Cough Particle Blessing' finally got to experience the feeling of 'breathing freely in polluted spiritual energy' for free. In a word, it was a bittersweet experience!
At the same time, two more Heavenly Realm experts arrived at lightning speed...

Yuan Zhu looked up, and after a moment's thought...

"No!"

"stop!"

Two sentences in his native language that he could understand reached his ears one after the other, but it was too late. The five shadow demonic insects, which were imprisoned by the martial arts domain, simultaneously launched the 'Fivefold Holy Cough Grand Chorus'.

Let Chancheng feel the blessing of the holy light!
Boom boom boom boom!
Five shadow demonic insects simultaneously self-destructed, their effects compounding exponentially—what a spectacular sight! This was no longer 1+1+…=5, but =25!

The five 'Coughing Holy Insects' along with the two holes burned through earlier briefly tore apart the 'city-protecting array' in the dungeon, creating a wound that could not be healed in the short term, and even a faint 'nightmare aura' was emanating from it.

The two Celestial Realm experts arrived with lightning speed and, as if struck by a sudden inspiration, joined forces to target Yuan Zhu, unleashing a combo attack for long-range sniping, attempting to force the heavily injured Yuan Zhu to retreat.

Their objective was not to surround and attack Yuan Zhu, but rather to join forces with the first Heavenly Realm members to suppress the 'Pollution Riot' in the underground city. They couldn't even stop the 'Holy Cough Particles' that were spreading wildly in the air.

In this wave, Yuan Zhu, the "self-destructing bandit," emerged victorious. This time, all the civilians in the city could receive a free "Holy Cough Particle" super gift pack.

(End of this chapter)