New concept of the mysterious way to ascend to immortality

Chapter 268 The Turbid World of Spirits, the Misty Hell

Tiger Demon, who knew nothing about 'feng shui', readily believed Little Tail's nonsense and, like a reckless black dump truck, charged wildly through the misty mountains and forests.

While charging forward in a frenzy, it also unleashed the immense [Shadow Pollution] accumulated within its body.

He directly activated his [Innate Divine Power: Shadow Manipulation], magnifying his own shadow dozens of times before shrinking it into thin, long 'shadow tentacles'.

The total amount of shadow that the Tiger Demon could control was now manifested as hundreds of thousand-meter-long shadow tentacles, radiating outwards from itself as the center.

Tiger Demon only needs to identify the direction and focus on charging forward. Wherever he goes, a 'circular' detector scans the terrain.

After the data is collected and aggregated by 'Snake', it is immediately used to create a 3D terrain using the [Data-Driven Soul Program]. Then, it is filtered and compared according to the 'Feng Shui Formula' recorded in the [BOSS Template].

The result was that the ideal was very promising, but reality was not as wonderful as the snake had imagined.

Tiger Demon ran around like a madman for half an hour, even slightly out of breath, but Snake only collected a lot of 'Misty Mountain Range terrain' data and did not find the ideal location for 'establishing a residence'.

It's not that there's a problem with the bloodline inheritance of the [abnormal spiritual root]. In fact, there are two locations in the vast mountainous area that the tiger demon ran through that match the records in the inheritance.

However, when the Tiger Demon arrived at the two locations, he found them to be unremarkable, even less so than some of the 'polluted depressions' he had passed by.

Therefore, it can be concluded that feng shui knowledge from another [Immortal Universe] is not applicable to [Duling Planet]. It may have value, but it is not suitable for the local environment and still needs to be modified to adapt to the local rules.

The skeletal snake-tail drooped its head in disappointment, rubbing its sharp, grating skeletal body (spine) against the tiger demon's back fur, massaging and relieving its boss's itch while grooming its fur. At the same time, it lamented to itself, "What a pity! This method doesn't work. I have failed to live up to Your Majesty's expectations."

Because the "tiger's head and snake's tail" are essentially one entity, the small head on the tail side naturally understands the tiger demon's itch and pleasure points, making its massage skills instantly maxed out.

However, Yuan Zhu allowed 'Snake' to settle in the snake's tail (head), and it only monitored the snake on a daily basis, rarely taking over control of the snake's tail when not in combat. Therefore, there was no situation where the snake was petting itself (like a cat), instantly maximizing the user experience!
The tiger demon felt incredibly comfortable, as the little tail tickled its itch. It couldn't help but admire the thoughtful service this "little tail" provided, so much emotional value.

She had no intention of being disappointed or dissatisfied at all, but the woman took the initiative to apologize and provided excellent service, so she couldn't stay angry: "It's not your fault. I actually had some new insights when I was using the 'Shadow Tentacles' to search the mountain just now."

The tiger demon explained that while it was traversing the mountains and forests, it had released hundreds of shadow tentacles, each a kilometer long. These 'shadow tentacles' were too scattered to have any real combat power, but they helped the tiger demon expand its [perception attribute], acting like probes to detect the surrounding situation.

Under the [Shadow Perception], it is exceptionally sensitive to the 'pollution situation' in the nearby mountains and forests.

Within the Misty Mountains, even in an ordinary area, there exist over a hundred types of 'polluting energy,' some thin and some thick. They have no source, existing in a semi-dormant, helpless state, randomly mixing together. Some float in the air, some adhere to the soil, some dissolve in streams and pools, and some parasitize plants and animals…

Just like the Ganges River in India, it encompasses everything and incorporates the periodic table of elements.

While he senses the pollution, he can naturally distinguish and judge the types that are beneficial or attractive to him (the Tiger Demon).

For example, although the Misty Mountains rarely see sunlight, the shady side of any mountain range naturally has a higher concentration of "shade pollution" than the sunny side. Therefore, the Tiger Demon instinctively prefers the shady side of the mountains.

Similarly, during his search of the mountains, Tiger Demon discovered that the 'polluted mixture' in the mountains was not uniform, and some areas had a faint 'aura of the underworld', which made Tiger Demon feel particularly comfortable and happy.

After all, shadows are everywhere, but the Yellow Springs are rare. The Yellow Springs aura it found was rootless and without origin, just one or two wisps, probably from the self-decomposition of dead animals, wandering in the mountains, and finally settling in an area similar to the 'Yin Sha Land', where it was completely absorbed by the Tiger Demon.

The snake's tail bristled again: "Your Majesty, do you mean to let go of your inhibitions, follow your most primal instincts, and find a place that makes you feel comfortable and happy to be your lair?"

Tiger Demon: "That's right! The Shadow Tiger Demon can naturally choose the most suitable territory to open up the Shadow Domain based on intuition."

Snake: "That would be a huge undertaking."

Tiger Demon shook his head: "No, while I was patrolling the mountains just now, I sensed quite a few 'polluted life forms' in this deep forest. According to the rules of the food chain, I can trace them back to one 'top predator' after another. As long as they're not out of their minds, the top predators in these areas must be occupying 'energy-rich' territories. I just need to find these territories, try them out one by one, and choose the one that feels most comfortable to me!"

Snake: "How do you intend to trace back? Is it due to the hunting talent of the [Tiger Demon]?"

Tiger Demon: "First, capture a group of 'polluting creatures' and force them to lead the way!"

Snake: "I'm not optimistic. I've heard that all sorts of monsters and demons exist on [Duling Star], but there are no [demon races]. The number of native polluted creatures is huge, but their intelligence is generally low, and there's no such thing as them transforming into humans. I don't think the 'beast' you captured is intelligent enough to be a guide."

"Just give it a try."

The tiger demon sprang into action again. This time, it didn't run wildly, but instead released several 'shadow tentacles' to search for 'contamination traces' on the living creature.

A discovery was made quickly: "Over here!"

The tiger demon tiptoed forward, relaxed, and followed behind the slowly moving (escaping) contaminated individual.

Wherever it passed, the once noisy and bustling forests fell into a deathly silence. It was quite like the grandeur of "when the mountain lord goes out, all the beasts fall silent."

"This feeling is just like coming home."

So far, the Tiger Demon has found that it has not encountered any creature that dares to challenge it.

It clearly sensed that the grass it brushed past and the branches overhead were crawling with countless blood-sucking leeches. They multiplied wildly in the damp environment, instinctively sensing heat sources, and then indiscriminately attaching themselves to their hosts.

As a result, no matter if it was a leech that was everywhere, a blood-sucking mosquito, or other ticks, fleas, or any other insect, none of them dared to land on it.

The Tiger Demon arrogantly said, "What a bunch of useless trash! Even given the chance, you're still no match. Is this the Grandmaster realm where 'not a feather can be added, not a fly can land'?" "Could it be that the [Shadow Pollution] you emit is too strong? Those insects dare not land on us, otherwise, excessive pollution intake would only lead to death. Besides, your fur is so thick, and your skin so tough, they can't even penetrate it to suck blood!"

The snake's tail then stood upright, crookedly, like a meerkat standing guard, sticking straight up behind the Tiger Demon's rear end, like a warning cobra.

She turned the skull-like snake head back and forth, looking around. This behavior, where the body and tail seemed to have their own agendas, completely disregarded the principle that felines rely on their tails for balance.

Snake Tail seemed like a pampered young lady, traveling in her own private prison. Admiring the serene mountain scenery, she would occasionally adjust the focus through her ruby-like eye to take beautiful photos or record short videos, then upload them to her "WeChat Moments" to share with her boss.

Tiger Demon tilted his head: "??? Do you have some serious illness? Am I blind?"

Soon, the tiger demon caught up with the 'polluted creature' that wasn't fleeing very fast. The shadow beneath its feet automatically shot out, entangled and bound the creature in the blink of an eye, and dragged it back to its front.

"Squeak!"

A terrified scream rang out as Yuan Zhu saw a grayish-white rabbit struggling frantically, kicking and struggling wildly. Although it was as big as a basketball, it was still too weak for the Tiger Demon, and the 'polluted aura' on its body was very faint.

The tiger demon merely released a slight intimidation, and the fear of survival instantly suppressed the rage and madness brought on by the 'contamination and erosion'. Even without much reason, the gray-furred rabbit remained stiff and motionless, wisely choosing its moment.

It then untied the 'shadow tentacles' and instead bound the rabbit's limbs, suspending it in the air to observe it carefully.

Well, this rabbit looked like it had been exposed to nuclear radiation; it was terrifying and incongruous. One of its eyes was pitch black, while the other was enormous, with a human-like structure and bloodshot whites. When it stared at the tiger demon, that huge 'humanoid eye' revealed a pseudo-human terror mixed with an uncontrollable madness.

Furthermore, its body was not only enormous, but also filled with exaggerated muscle structures beneath its skin. The Tiger Demon smelled the familiar [Frog-type Contamination] from within its body. However, the rabbit's 'power modification' was incomplete, purely a natural mutation and evolution after being contaminated, resulting in an exceptionally disproportionate body and severely deformed muscle development.

Finally, from its abdomen, a human arm, about the thickness of a little finger, grew out—a 'left hand'. This tiny left hand was not corrupted or modified by the 'power contamination'; on the contrary, it was very flexible, merely clinging to its fur. If the tiger demon hadn't been observing closely, it might have even missed it.

"What kind of monster is this?!"

Despite its vast experience, the Tiger Demon was startled by this 'muscle rabbit'. Its twisted nature was extremely high, but its 'poisoning intensity' was not high; in some ways, it could even be considered an ordinary wild beast.

The tiger demon tried to communicate with it, but after several attempts, it gave up completely. This thing's mind, or rather its consciousness, had gone completely mad, far worse than that of an ordinary wild beast. Moreover, the 'corruption abilities' it possessed were extremely complex, with 'power corruption' being the most potent.

Ultimately, the Tiger Demon's assessment was: "Trash!" It didn't even qualify to be used, recycled, or refined. Even feeding it to [Inner Universe] was deemed too unclean, lacking sufficient 'pollution purity'.

With a slap, the muscular rabbit whose 'eyes' displeased the tiger was smashed, and the tiger demon continued its search for other 'polluted creatures'.

It was quickly discovered that there were no clean animals in the Misty Mountains. Even the most ordinary wild animals were more or less tainted with 'polluted odors', but the 'polluted erosion' was suppressed by the organism's own vitality and remained in a latent period without erupting.

Those animals with excessively high "deviation" that couldn't be controlled exhibited bizarre and varied "contaminated states." Instead of weakening and dying, they became even stronger, but their behavior patterns lost all logic, becoming frenzied and eccentric. There were herbivorous wolves, carnivorous plants…

With a mindset of 'scientific research and geographical exploration', it began to delve into the ecosystem of the Misty Mountains, wanting to use its 'Earth science logic' from its previous life to get to know the future mountain king's new home and familiarize itself with its environment.

As expected, the Tiger Demon continuously extracted and captured all sorts of 'polluted life forms' from beneath the soil and inside towering trees.

Various common animals, from moles and squirrels to wild boars, frogs, and lizards, all bear obvious or subtle 'pollution characteristics'.

The most numerous and obvious examples can be divided into several categories: for example, the abnormally swollen muscles that clearly reveal "frog-like pollution" are present. In many animals, the muscles in some limbs or organs are exceptionally developed, but this does not bring any positive improvement.

【Misty Mountains】The area is humid and warm with a constant temperature year-round, resulting in an overpopulation of 'frogs'. With such a large population, 'frog-type contaminated individuals' are easily born randomly, then spread internally, and are eaten by predators, thus spreading 'frog-type contamination'.

Secondly, Yuan Zhu sensed a sharp aura emanating from the numerous 'contaminated lives'. It was similar to Lü Rang's 'sword energy,' yet also somewhat different.

Such polluted life forms cannot unleash any 'sword energy' and cannot even be categorized into the [Sword Immortal System].

From the perspective of a sword immortal, these polluted creatures might have value in being hunted and used as offerings for swords. Perhaps a small number of exceptionally superior polluted creatures are even qualified to produce materials for forging flying swords?

The third common type of contamination is the "Buddha face." On the backs of many ordinary frogs, where muscles are not well-developed, a cystic bulge resembling a "compassionate face" will appear beneath the smooth skin. The stronger the contamination, the clearer the outline of the Buddha face.

Tiger Demon curiously dissected the back of a 'Buddha-faced frog', only to find that there was no 'Buddha maggot' at all. The 'fake Buddha cocoon' under the Buddha face was just a fake empty shell.

What's even more interesting is that the second type of mutated creatures, whose bodies are contaminated with 'sword energy,' have a particular fondness for hunting small animals with Buddha-like faces growing on their bodies.

Conversely, large carnivorous animals with dense 'Buddha tumors' growing on their bodies will also actively hunt down weaker 'sword energy contaminated' creatures.

In addition to these three common types of contaminated animals, Yuan Zhu also discovered contaminated animals with numerous festering wounds on their bodies, inside which crawling flesh and gore resided; organisms covered in parasitic plants; and contaminated organisms with old, rusty mechanical structures inside their bodies, fused with vital organs such as the heart…

When it calmed down and began to carefully observe the ordinary 'beasts' that were much weaker than itself, it discovered that the 'polluted animals' in the Misty Mountains were all kinds of strange and diverse.

The ecosystem within the Misty Mountains, whether animals or plants, does not actively accept the enhancement of extraordinary power to obtain a complete 'extraordinary system' path and transform into 'extraordinary life'.

They are simply victims of the 'pollution curse,' passively distorted and demonized. There is no system to speak of, only side effects. Moreover, once infected, dozens of polluting energies mix and erupt, ultimately randomly piecing together a 'creative new form' that neither the 'source of pollution' nor the 'source of pollution' understands or cares about.

These 'extraordinary pollutants' do not make them stronger; instead, they become a burden, erupting, raging, and evolving randomly in the unnoticed depths of the forest. As they feed on each other, excrete, migrate, and reproduce, they spread all sorts of 'creative new pollution' far and wide.

Tiger Demon: "Now I finally believe that [Duling Star] is a giant cesspool. Every area of ​​non-human settlements is a living hell where countless pollutants intertwine, ferment, spread, and infect each other."

(End of this chapter)