New concept of the mysterious way to ascend to immortality

Chapter 157 The Innately Evil Holy Light Imp

After saying goodbye to her senior, Yuan Zhu saw that it was only a little past 10 o'clock, and there was still a long time before lunch. So she changed direction and headed towards the small chapel in the college.

The church remained deserted today, with only the temple priest in the main hall, bowing and chanting before the tablet of the "Lord of the Yellow Emperor." The gentle echoes, transformed by the power of holy light, reverberated throughout the church, creating a subtle effect of spiritual influence that compels people to convert.

He was also a practitioner of holy light cultivation, so he easily blocked out the call. At the same time, his mental state was purified and cleansed by the echo of holy power, becoming refreshed and relaxed.

That old man has some skills.

Hearing footsteps, the old man finished his daily prayers and turned to see Yuan Zhu's distinctive dark red eyes and disheveled hair. Then, the old man quickly recalled what had happened not long ago.

"Huh?... It's you. I recognize you; you recently had a [Stigmata] imprinted on me. What brings you here today? Have you finally saved up enough money to choose a [Secret Stigmata] that suits you?"

He was quite impressed with Yuan Zhu, and from the first glance, he felt that the young man was a talented person. Moreover, he used their unique 'Yellow Heaven Lineage' sacrificial ceremony to complete the [Holy Mark Imprint], which gave him a natural affinity with the faction.

Based on the timeline, the other party has been on the Path of Holy Light for less than a month. This amount of time is enough for a novice to become familiar with the manipulation of 'Holy Light' and understand the advancement methods of this system.

It's time to determine the first [Holy Seal].

It seems this handsome young man must have compared prices and visited other factions' sanctuaries in Runing, witnessing the rubbish of their [Holy Seals]. He must have finally realized that their [Taihuangdao] lineage is the best and most precious in Runing.

The old man smiled with satisfaction: "You have good taste!"

"...?"

Yuan Zhu gave an awkward but polite smile, then extracted a small amount of holy light from the soul crystal, subtly stimulating the [Sanctuary] to release a holy fluctuation. This counteracted the other 'holy power aftershocks' lingering around the church, a small display of skill.

"Uh?!"

Suddenly, the old man's eyes widened, his expression one of near choking, and he stared intently at Yuan Zhu, exclaiming in astonishment, "You...? This...!"

He strode forward with incredible speed, exceeding his years, until he reached Yuan Zhu. Simultaneously, he formed a hand seal with one hand, flicking his wide sleeve at Yuan Zhu, creating a resounding boom in the air.

An invisible wave swept across his body, but Yuan Zhu felt no discomfort. The old man, however, was overjoyed: "How long has it been? You've already mastered [Seal Forging]? You've even... begun to condense [Soul Crystals]. Genius, a genius indeed!"

The temple keeper had a look of delighted anticipation, wishing he could stretch out his hands and thoroughly examine the other person from head to toe, testing their inherent qualities.

Fortunately, he remained rational, and the "Huang Tiandao" was already a thing of the past.

So he quickly stopped, but still had a kind smile on his face, stroking his beard and nodding to show his approval: "Not bad, not bad! You are dignified and imposing, and your heroic spirit is just like mine when I was young."

"...?!"

Yuan Zhu: You old fool, what nonsense are you spouting? Go look in the mirror.

He inwardly scoffed, but still feigned modesty, saying, "Senior, you flatter me. I was just lucky to have encountered some fortuitous events and managed to use [Holy Light] to continuously purify the pollution and collect the embers, which barely allowed me to complete the [Imprinting]."

The old man, with a mixture of satisfaction and regret, pressed on, "To be able to complete the [Seal Forging] in such a short time is enough to prove your talent. What a pity... What did you choose for your first [Sacred Seal]? How long was it? Where did you get it from? If I had known you had such good fortune, I should have directly joined my [Taihuang Sacred Path] back then."

"【Shelter】, 7 o'clock, have you heard of it?"

“A Sanctuary?” The old man recalled for a moment, then became happy again. “Excellent! This Holy Seal is of very high quality and has rare attributes. It can be used for Foundation Establishment. Moreover, it does not belong to any other faction and is still destined for my Taihuang Path. Young man, what brings you here this time? Are you preparing for the second Holy Seal?”

Hearing this, Yuan Zhu also felt it was time to consult the Second Holy Seal. It wasn't necessarily necessary to choose the [Taihuang Path], but listening to the advice of senior figures couldn't hurt.

He nodded and said, "That's part of the reason. But I've come to visit today to ask about the confusion in my heart."

"You have only been on the path for a short time, yet you have already achieved the [Seal Forging] in one step. Although you are exceptionally talented and have encountered extraordinary opportunities, your foundation is insufficient, making it like a castle in the air. If you don't understand something, you should ask more questions. I suggest you spend some time in seclusion, learning from those ascetic practitioners, doing more basic cultivation, and igniting yourself to illuminate others. This kind of cultivation can not only forge your holy light but also refine your soul."

Yuan Zhu: "I have learned a lot. Senior, during my cultivation, I used my life to ignite the Holy Light to purify the corrupted demons, and then absorbed the remnants of souls to forge an imprint. In the process of forging the imprint, I finally gave birth to a 'Holy Light Skill'."

The temple priest explained that this was normal: "When a novice in the Holy Seal cultivates the Holy Light, if they purify a large number of 'polluted monsters' of the same type, there is a chance that they will extract 'polluted law fragments' from a large number of soul ember fragments. These fragments can then be absorbed and digested by the [Holy Light], allowing them to comprehend new exclusive Holy Light skills."

"As you grow stronger and multiple Soul Crystals condense within your soul, you can slice individual Soul Crystals. The number of slices you can cut from a Soul Crystal is equal to the number of Soul Crystals you have. And each thin slice of Soul Crystal is a Holy Seal imprinted with a 'skill'. If you forge a seal with a Sanctuary, your Soul Crystal will inevitably be able to cut out a Sanctuary, but it can also cut out a 'Holy Light Skill' that you comprehend on your own, which you can then bestow upon other 'Holy Monks'."

Is the [Holy Seal] a slice of the [Soul Crystal]? So, my future self could also cut souls to create [Holy Cough] and [Holy Breath] to sell to others. Would this allow other holy cultivators' souls to be inherently tainted with my 'soul traces,' becoming subordinate to me? Would I create my own faction?
The temple keeper urged, "What is the source of your confusion?"

Yuan Zhu: "The skill I learned through [Seal Forging] was clearly a 'Divine Blessing,' but after being bestowed upon believers, it was purified by the 'Holy Light Baptism' of other priests? I can't understand it, and I can't accept it! [Divine Blessing] should be strengthened when it encounters Holy Light purification. How come it was erased when it was my turn? Is this reasonable?!"

The old temple keeper was also confused by Yuan Zhu's description: "Wait a minute, let me sort this out. First of all, the phenomenon you described is definitely unreasonable in theory. But specific situations require specific analysis. I... can think of three possibilities."

Yuan Zhu was astonished; there were actually three possibilities?

"Which three?"

The temple keeper said, “First, the ability you comprehended was a curse, not a blessing, which is why it was purified by the Holy Light. Second, both your Holy Light and Holy Seal have fallen, leading you down the path of corruption. Third, perhaps it's because there are two opposing factions of Holy Light whose Holy Lights are clashing and canceling each other out.”

"First, let's rule out the possibility of [Fallen Seal]. Although your Holy Light quality is not pure enough, your Holy attribute is still very strong. Second, your [Seal Forging] is in its initial stage, and the Holy Seal does not belong to one of the 'Eight Holy Kings,' so there is no possibility of offsetting it."

The implication is that Yuan Zhu's achievements in the Holy Light system are still very low. A sanctuary without any faction affiliation cannot attract any targeting or confrontation from any side.

Yuan Zhu bristled and retorted, "So, the ability I comprehended wasn't [Blessing] but [Curse]? How is that possible?!"

He certainly couldn't accept that his [Holy Cough Blessing] was a curse. His first seal had consecutively given birth to two skills, compatible and progressively enhancing each other. Only with the blessing and strengthening of his lungs by [Holy Cough] could he subsequently acquire [Holy Breath/Divine Breath].

As for the so-called "holy cough," it is said to parasitize the lungs like a chronic disease, slowly consuming the life force of others. Therefore, it is evil.

Then let me ask you!

In the Holy Light system, is there any operation that doesn't burn the life force of believers? Tell me!

A: Absolutely not! All Holy Light operations, whether performed by the caster, the victim receiving the Holy Light, or even the life-giving physical batteries, all involve burning life force.

Therefore, the claim that the slow burning of life force by the Holy Cough equals a curse is invalid!

Because all [Holy Skills] are burning life force, either intensely or slowly.

The old temple keeper remained remarkably calm, yet with a hint of anticipation, and said, "Release your [blessing] and let me see."

"it is good!"

Yuan Zhu didn't hold back and unleashed a [Holy Cough] at the old man. Unfortunately, before the [Holy Cough Particles] could penetrate into the old man's lungs, they were repelled by the 'Holy Light' within his body, compressed into a ball, and held in his palm for sensing and detection.

Old man: "Hmm... it feels a bit strange. This 'holy light fluctuation' seems familiar. Which kind of pollution did you purify? What kind of embers did you absorb?"

"It is a 'disease-type' polluted monster, characterized by distorted flesh and blood, complete vitality, and a constant release of various infectious diseases, while also giving 'disease organs' extraordinary power to transform."

"【Disease-related】? Indeed, several disease contamination incidents have occurred within the 【Spirit Realm Layer】 behind Running. Wait...? That's not right! I've seen many holy monks specializing in 【Disease-related】, and their 【Imprinting】 and holy light are completely different in nature from your 【Blessing】!"

Yuan Zhu: "How is it different?"

"Other cultivators who hunt and eliminate disease-related monsters and collect their soul embers will have their Holy Light and even their [Holy Seals] develop specific restraining attributes and skills. Simply put, if I use [Holy Light] to extensively eliminate disease-related monsters like 'hemorrhagic fever', then my Holy Light will naturally carry the attribute of 'suppressing and curing 'hemorrhagic fever', and even skills that restrain this type of disease contamination."

The old man's gaze toward Yuan Zhu turned strange: "Almost all holy cultivators are like this. After exterminating a certain kind of pollution and absorbing its embers, they will evolve holy light and skills that counteract that pollution. But you... that's strange. Your [Holy Cough] is not a curse, but it has not evolved in the direction of 'disease control' either. Instead, it actively embraces and merges into the disease, dragging the [Holy Light] along with it to become diseased and harmless."

The old temple keeper had never seen such a prodigy. [Holy Light] is a power of idealism, but it shouldn't be this sinister.

After eliminating a large number of 'disease contaminants' and absorbing the embers, Holy Light should theoretically become a suitable 'vaccine'. But this guy's Holy Light directly became a 'Holy Light version of disease'.

It inherits the attributes of disease, yet displays the benevolence of holy light, as if forcing a prostitute to reform. Let this 'disease' undergo a transformation, shining brightly within the ranks of holy light, continuing to infect more patients and benefit society.

Let the holy light travel through the patient's body in the form of disease, performing holy healing... It's hard to say whether it's purification or disease. It's more sacred and righteous than the morbidity of traditional holy light, but more so than the pollution of disease.

Yuan Zhu: "Is my situation normal?"

The temple keeper urged, "This is bizarre, extremely bizarre, but it doesn't quite qualify as 'falling into the wrong path.' This indicates that you're not thinking clearly. Be extremely careful in your future spiritual practice, and don't easily stray onto the evil path of 'falling into the wrong path.'"

Yuan Zhu: "So, my [Holy Blessing] will still be erased by other [Holy Lights]?"

The old temple keeper remained silent: "Your situation is somewhat special. Perhaps... you could try a 'reverse sanctification curse skill'? If [Blessing] is erased, then your [Holy Curse] cannot be purified by holy light; instead, it will become stronger the more it is purified. Your confusion perplexes me as well... Now let's talk about your second seal. Would you consider joining [Tai Zodiac]?"

Yuan Zhu was not satisfied with the old man's answer, but there was nothing he could do.

Little Spicy Strip: "Boss, you're truly a born evil Holy Light brat! The Holy Light, which should have evolved into a 'miracle drug/vaccine/disease-specific attack,' has been cultivated by you to merge with disease, become disease, and transcend disease! If this old man hadn't explained, I wouldn't have thought there was anything wrong with [Holy Cough]! But now, looking at it again, everything about [Holy Cough] is off, it exudes an eerie aura. How could you be so evil, corrupting even [Holy Light]!"

【Happy Home】Not only does it have an evil but righteous older sister, but also a naturally evil but holy older brother.

Yuan Zhu refused to respond to the spicy snack and looked at the old man: "What are the benefits of the second Holy Seal choosing the [Taihuangdao] lineage? What will be the consequences if it doesn't choose the [Eight Holy Kings] faction?"

The old man said, "After you condensed the Soul Crystal, you should have felt that incomparably vast power, right? It seemed to be everywhere, constantly calling your name, attracting the Soul Crystal, wanting to form a deeper connection with it?"

"Yes, what is it?"

The temple keeper said, "That is the extraordinary source of the [Holy Light Power]. To explain it using the [Yellow Heaven System], it is the supreme [Holy Light Heavenly Dao]. This primordial source is spread throughout the world in the form of a [Network]. The [Soul Crystal] is the node that can sense the [Holy Light Network] and connect to it."

"On this most original, grandest, and most fundamental [Holy Light Network Dao (Heavenly Dao)], the Eight Holy Kings each built their own 'Holy Light Network Dao System'. If you choose the Holy Seal of [Taihuang Dao] as your second seal, you will experience the [Minor Heavenly Dao] belonging to the 'Taihuang Dao Master'."

With the temple keeper's explanation, Yuan Zhu quickly grasped the difference between the two.

The primordial 'Great Source of Holy Light' is the most vast and powerful, the root of all [Holy Light]. Although it is the largest, it is like an internet platform combined with a space satellite signal network. When distributed equally among each 'Soul Crystal Cultivator,' it's like 1GB of data—slow speed, small data allowance; but the signal is omnipresent, enabling communication anywhere.

Choosing the 【Eight Holy Kings】 system is equivalent to establishing your own 'communications company' on the 【Holy Light Platform】, which allows you to enjoy 2G network speeds and more data. However, the factions among the Eight Holy Kings are opposed to each other, and each has different territories, so the signal range is greatly reduced.

Furthermore, Yuan Zhu, as a wild 'cultivator,' has no factional imprint on him. The [Sanctuary] is a 'holy seal' passed down by wild angels, which can only connect to the most expansive, yet weakest, [Holy Light Root Network].

If he doesn't join the 'Eight Major Camps' and chooses to align himself with the "Wild Angels," he will enjoy stronger 3G data, but the coverage will be narrower and the service packages will be simpler.

Going it alone and establishing your own 'Sanctuary Faction' is like building a private signal station in a small city. Within the station's range, you can enjoy top-tier bandwidth, but once you leave the territory, the bandwidth shrinks drastically and becomes weaker.

Therefore, joining the faction of a certain [Angel King] allows you to enjoy a large number of benefits within the 'Higher Holy Light Faction'. It's much better than going it alone.

After much deliberation, Yuan Zhu decided not to join the [Taihuangdao]. He had finally managed to regain his innocence, and even sensed numerous potential 'Holy Cough Patients' connecting with his own holy light in [Insect City].

He certainly didn't want to miss this hard-won 'solo flight opportunity,' so he verbally said he'd think it over and then left the church. He decided to check the [House of Happiness] to see if the exchange list had been updated with any new [Holy Seals].
(End of this chapter)