New concept of the mysterious way to ascend to immortality

Chapter 140 [Forging the Seal]

Yuan Zhu stood beneath a shattered starry sky, with the remnants of skyscrapers rising to the height of withered trees beside him, and more than 20 subordinates kneeling on the ground in prayer before him.

He lacked the Dao Seed and forcibly simulated a 'pseudo-breathing method' using the [Holy Cough], which was extremely taxing on his mental and physical strength (spontaneous combustion), yielding minimal benefits. So he simply stopped.

He took a primitive molluskaloid worm that had already 'emerged from its cocoon' from the hands of the Moon Worshipers and examined it closely.

The moon-worship ceremony continues... If it is not interrupted by any accidents, it can last for several hours.

'Moon Worship' sounds impressive, but it's actually quite simple to do and has no barriers to entry. All you need to do is set up a temporary magic circle and establish a connection with the 'withered tree'.

It can then use the dead wood as a receiver to draw in moonlight, integrate it with true qi, temper the spirit, and enhance one's foundation.

If it weren't for the harsh surface environment, severe pollution, and rampant natural disasters, the underground world's path to the surface would be fraught with difficulties and dangers, resulting in a persistently high mortality rate.

Otherwise, performing a 'moon worship' once a month would be quite nice. It has no side effects and can accelerate your growth, even improve your aptitude.

Yuan Zhu suddenly felt that if a stable 'surface passage' could be opened, perhaps [Baiyue] could be turned into a territory benefit: a training program for gifted children.

In fact, there are similar services in the lower city, where strong individuals are arranged to protect the 'second generation of insects' and regularly go to the surface to observe the moon to accelerate their cultivation progress.

Dispelling the jumbled thoughts in his mind, he continued to examine the 'crystal silk cocoon' in his hand, which resembled a work of art.

The emerging mites, *Mucor*, now have two possible paths:
Option 1 is to leave it alone, allowing it to metamorphose and develop within the cocoon. Eventually, it will transform into a crystal moth or butterfly, and then produce eggs that are more native to the local culture (close to true qi).

This process continues for several rounds, involving 'hatching, feeding, moon worship, and egg laying'.

【Mao's worm】may be deeply assimilated by the local 'True Qi (insect system) pollution system' and gradually evolve towards the direction of local 'insects'.

Even more! It can give birth to the 'Mao Clan. Primitive Dao Seed', which can then be implanted into the bodies of the indigenous people, giving rise to the meridian system and creating the true Qi retinue belonging to the [Mao Mao King]: the [Mao Clan]!
At that time, the quality of 'insect silk' may undergo a transformation and leap forward. But it will require time and effort to cultivate and guide it.

Yuan Zhu's high regard for the [Shadow Yuan Clan Insect] and his dedication to cultivating it were undoubtedly motivated by a desire to replicate the [Yuan Clan. Yanglazi Dao Seed].

If successful, the [Yuan Lazi Dao Seed + Source Qi Breathing Method] can be loaded into the bodies of all [Chang Gui] as the core hardware of the [Shadow System Cultivation Technique (Soul Program)].

This will give the already trashy, hopeless, and hopeless 'Changgui Goblin and Eggplant-Headed Ghost' a chance to become 'dragons,' practice skills, upgrade their breathing techniques, and shatter the void.'

In this way, his role as the "Tiger King," who acted as an accomplice to the tyrant, only gave him a semblance of the dignity of a demon king.

As for the second option, it is to immediately crush the molting 'Mao' worm' inside the cocoon, recycle this 'crystal silk cocoon' as a raw material for children's clothing needed by [Mao Mao Wang], collect it on a large scale, and submit it to the company to complete the main quest!
Seeing that there were still a large number of 'Mao' insects queuing up to be 'enhanced by the moon worshippers' of his 20 subordinates, and that he didn't need one more, Yuan Zhu immediately exerted force with his fingertips and crushed the crystal cocoon in his hand.

A springy, cool texture came from my fingertips, and inside the callus, I heard a crisp cracking sound like a thin potato chip being crushed.

He attempted to use his mental perception to sense the changes within the cocoon, only to discover that the 'Mao' worm' was unprecedentedly fragile during its metamorphosis, crumbling at the slightest touch. The tiny fragments instantly liquefied, seeping into the outer 'crystal silk cocoon,' further enhancing the quality of these crystal threads and granting them a kind of serene mental attribute enhancement.

As the 'crystal silk cocoon' grew increasingly ethereal, exhibiting a faint and indistinct quality, Yuan Zhu suddenly found this [caterpillar] quite interesting. The 'spiritual qualities' and 'semi-ethereal' nature it (the cocoon silk) displayed at this moment were not entirely due to the moonlight, but rather stemmed more from the inherent characteristics of the 'egg' itself.

Then, he thought of the one-time semi-ethereal shadow threads of the [Shadow Yuan Clan Insect], which were somewhat similar to the permanently existing 'Crystal Threads' at this moment. Even the 'Aura of the Underworld' carried in his shadow could, to some extent, replace the soul attributes in [Moonlight].

He felt that his own "shadow pollution" seemed to complement the "moonlight" in some ways.

"Hey!"

Yuan Zhu suddenly raised his hand and patted the subordinate closest to him, interrupting the other's 'moon worship cultivation'.

The other person stopped breathing, opened his eyes, and looked at Yuan Zhu: "My lord, what are your orders?"

"Pause the incubation and strengthening of these caterpillars, and focus on incubating these insects first."

Having said that, he tossed out several [Yuan's Caterpillar. Shadow Moth Larvae (Yuan Lazi)] that were naturally drawn to him. He wanted to let them hatch first, to see if they could emerge from their cocoons.

"Ok!"

The employee readily accepted the order, using his Qi to gather the four 'Shadow Moth Larvae' into his palm. He then continued to close his eyes and breathe deeply, infusing the true Qi, which was infused with moonlight, into the body of the [Yuan's Insect].

Yuan Zhu was also distracted by his observation. As a result, the worm covered in sharp, poisonous hairs did absorb the 'nutrients', but it showed no urge to spin a cocoon. Instead, it swelled up slightly.
Through the feedback from this 'poisonous caterpillar', he realized that the caterpillar contaminated by his own shadow did not intend to 'cocoon', but instead continued to accumulate 'insect-based contamination' and develop into larger, longer, and more poisonous hairs.

Furthermore, with enhancement, there are two different directions of mutation:
If it leans towards 'True Qi Pollution', then it will break free from 'Shadow Pollution' and evolve into a localized 'insect', eventually giving birth to 'Shadow-type attribute' 'insect egg. Dao seed'.

If it leans towards 'Shadow Contamination', it will become further shadowed, taking on an insect-like body, escaping the insect world, and becoming a shadow creature, becoming even more intimate with the Tiger Demon. It might even transform into a Tiger Demon's kin if it devours and absorbs large amounts of 'Data-Driven Shadow Contamination'.

In the former case, the Yuan's Worm will gradually lose control and become uncontrollable. In the latter case, it will revert to the old path of shadow species, completely losing the potential of the Qi Refining System.

...

The moon-worshiping ceremony lasted for several hours, and all the insect eggs he brought with him for this mission had hatched and received the enhancement of moonlight.

All the 'caterpillars' that had reached their growth limit spun cocoons, while the later batches of caterpillars that hadn't yet reached their growth limit absorbed moonlight and released their hidden restrictions. After being brought back to the underground world, they were still able to successfully reach their growth limit, then spin cocoons, molt, and lay eggs.

Thus, Yuan Zhu crushed half of the 'crystal cocoons' as a stress-relieving toy, harvesting a batch of 'mental-type silkworm cocoons,' which he planned to take back to [Happy Home] to complete the mission. The other half, naturally, was reserved for breeding and egg production, continuing the next round of breeding. Moreover, the hatched 'cocoons' wouldn't disappear, and could still be used to complete the mission. However, these cocoons, without the 'caterpillars' being crushed beforehand to absorb the essence, would be of slightly lower quality.

...

During the ritual, a small number of 'single-type demonic giant insects' capable of surviving in the harsh surface environment were also attracted by the moonlight condensed from the dead wood and moved in different directions.

Since Qi cultivators can absorb moonlight to enhance their spiritual essence, and can also help spirit insects enhance their spiritual essence, then 'demon insects' born from human cocoons can naturally absorb moonlight even better.

As a result, on the surface of the world, one by one, the sleeping demonic insects awoke and crawled toward the nearest 'dead wood remains'.

From a distance, Yuan Zhu observed four demonic insects approaching little by little from different directions.

The largest of them, bigger than a tour bus and resembling a small, moving hill, was a cricket that wasn't very agile.

Its body was so large that its enormous abdomen was dragged across the Gobi Desert by gravity, severely hindering its movement. As a result, this giant, fat cricket could hardly jump, and instead, a thick, hard shell had grown on its body.

It's not just this one; all the other mutated giant insects, regardless of species, are developing towards a 'heavy exoskeleton'. This is likely related to the 'Knight-type (metal) pollution' that permeates the surface environment.

Even the smallest lone demonic insect was the size of a van, much larger than the 'Shadow Demonic Insects (minor fish)' he had bred.

To prevent his subordinates' training from being interrupted, Yuan Zhu naturally took matters into his own hands. He first engaged the largest demonic insect in his [Tiger Demon Form].

In this round of battle, he did not choose to kill them all or engage in a head-on confrontation, trading blows for injuries. Instead, his tactics were very cunning, focusing on maneuvering and using a dozen or so demonic insects to harass and gang up on them, using human intelligence to bully the weak demonic insects.

Outnumbered, bullying the weak, harassing from a distance, and repeatedly testing the upgraded [Tiger Demon's Divine Power]. Spatial Severing Claw, Shadow Swamp Collapse (Shadow Manipulation), Shadow Tentacle Entanglement (Shadow Manipulation), Demonic Insect Swarm (Chang Gui), Wind Summoning (Pure Atmosphere Group), Snake Demon Strangulation, Whipping, and Biting...

In the end, he successfully used a 'Coughing Insect' to severely injure the insect, which had limited intelligence and a simple, dull behavior pattern. Several large holes were opened in the gaps of its abdominal shell, where it was close to the ground, and dark green organs and blood flowed all over the ground.

He himself emerged unscathed, having meticulously refined the ashes from the self-destruction of the 'Shadow Demon Insect'. This was a world of difference compared to the tension and awkwardness he displayed during his initial assault on [Cicada City]. It possessed a shameful composure, like someone beating up a mentally challenged child.

Driven by excruciating pain and the threat of death, the giant worm decisively detoured, avoiding the withered tree and instead digging a hole underground to escape, leaving behind a large pool of flesh and blood mixed with pheromones.

Then, he used the Tiger Demon, whose strength was close to the [Heavenly Rank], to dispel, force back, and devour the threatening demonic giant insect; finally, he switched back to human form and used the [1st Seal. Holy Light], which was infinitely close to the Great Perfection, to fight the weakest van-class demonic insect.

Then came another round of evenly matched and exhilarating beatings of the children!
He calmly faced the native mutated giant insects, unleashing a variety of his self-created 'Holy Light Techniques' in turn:
[Holy Cough Blessing (Adhesive Erosion), Upper Respiratory Tract Holy Light Infection (Proliferation), Lung Purification (High-Temperature Carbonization), Divine Force Field Seal, Cube Implosion (Refining)... Scrambled Breath. Great Blessing (Mental Shock)!]

This [Holy Light] truly lives up to its reputation as a supreme art of the mind. As long as it conforms to the basic properties of Holy Light and the attributes of [Sanctuary], his exclusive Holy Light can manifest at will.

As the [Imprint] process is about to end, his holy light, influenced by the [Sanctuary], exhibits the qualities of 'solidity' and 'space,' and can be condensed into a one-time force field barrier, making it excellent in areas such as defense, shielding and isolation, and sealing.

In addition, there is the 'basic life burning, purification and repulsion' that all Holy Light possesses. And during the forging process, after absorbing diseases and insect-related contamination, there is the 'viscous, biological erosion, and parasitism' that arise; and the 'breathing technique knowledge' which has limited use (ineffective knowledge, requires the [Tao Seed] to cooperate)'.

Even the most pathetic and useless breathing technique was developed into a 'mental shock' by him. Through the instinctive mental shock of saturation 'special breathing', he disrupted the victim's breathing rhythm.

In other words, uncontrollably performing disordered "Holy Cough Breathing" not only disrupts the normal breathing rhythm but also triggers a rampage of Holy Cough pollution in the respiratory system, leading to side stitches, asthma, pneumothorax, coughing up blood, etc.

Yuan Zhu preferred to call it [Spell Interruption]! His [Breathing Technique: Mental Impact] even had a special attack effect on the cultivators of Insect City.

By using the [Holy Cough Breathing Technique] to impact, interfere with, and disrupt the original rhythm of the [Insect-Type Breathing Technique], the opponent's true qi circulation can be disrupted to a certain extent, thereby gaining an opportunity to fight.

The reverse application of the Holy Cough Breathing Method can be combined with Holy Cough Particles to cultivate potential Holy Cough True Qi users.

Against this mutated giant insect, the 'Breathing Technique Impact' has limited effect because the insect lacks lungs and relies entirely on 'stomata' on its exoskeleton for breathing. Similarly, using the Holy Cough Breathing Great Blessing in reverse is still ineffective against the insect, as it lacks a 'meridian system'.

However, Yuan Zhu's other [Holy Light Techniques] were still very effective, and after repeated attacks, they severely injured the demonic insects.

Subsequently, he did not hesitate to burn the 'Shadow Demon Insect (Shadow Battery)' to extract a continuous stream of [Holy Light] for his own use, and combined with his own small sacrifice (burning his life), he successfully used the [Holy Light Force Field Barrier] to completely refine the demon insect.

For the next three hours until dawn, his 'Moon Worship Area' was not attacked by any more demonic insects. This was because the outer area of ​​the ritual was evenly covered with the entrails, blood, and other remains of demonic insects, and as the pheromones spread, the other weak demonic insects all avoided it.

Yuan Zhu sat cross-legged, maintaining the shrinking 'Holy Light Barrier' throughout, continuously drawing fresh 'Demon Insect Ashes' from it to complete the final [Imprinting].

Three hours passed in the blink of an eye, and his [Sanctuary. Holy Seal] reached its peak. Its quality directly exceeded the original limit (7 marks), reaching a new 8 marks. It was only one step away from the known highest level of [Holy Seal], 9 marks.

For beginners in the Holy Light faction, the 8th level of Holy Seal is already the highest level. In any 'Sanctuary School', it would be considered a core Holy Seal, and it is never taught to outsiders.

As the [Sanctuary] was completed, his spirit and soul were further integrated with the [Holy Light], and he felt his soul being sublimated, with faint crystals condensing from the depths of his soul.

My mental strength and resilience have both been enhanced. In addition, the crystallization of my soul has been extremely intense, and the [Holy Seal. Sanctuary] has become a gateway for connecting and communicating with my soul.

Now, as long as he obtains more 'soul ash', he can forcibly melt and purify it through the [Holy Seal], absorb the [soul essence] that is no weaker than 'moonlight', and then condense a [space-type soul crystal].

Even before the 'Soul Crystal' had fully formed, he sensed that a cubic, exclusive space would be created within it. This was the core attribute that the 'Sanctuary' itself should possess.

His soul had already been influenced by the [Sanctuary], giving rise to corresponding 'spatial attribute characteristics'. He also sensed in advance that a 'virtual' cubic space had appeared within his soul, waiting for the Soul Crystal to fully materialize and solidify it.

(End of this chapter)