Steel torrents pioneering a different world

Chapter 122 The Elf, a Treasure Trove! The Purifying Mantra! (10,000 words, please subscribe)
He waved the instrument at Annie, pressed a button, and a translated voice came out.

"Hello! Friend, we mean no harm!"

He spoke in standard Mandarin, his voice clear.

The instrument then emitted a series of short, strange syllables, which were the language of the savage tribe.

The wariness in Annies' eyes instantly turned into slight surprise.

She couldn't understand modern human Mandarin, but the savage sounds coming from the magic device were clearly the apostles of these evil gods imitating the ancient language of the northern savages!
These bandits somehow learned the language of the northern barbarians without even realizing it?

Did they establish a cooperative relationship with the savages?
Despicable humans, untrustworthy barbarians.

This is a shameful betrayal of the entire world!
After a brief moment of shock came a surge of anger.

"A lackey of the evil god! A shameless executioner! A despicable..."

She cursed in the Elvish language of the North.

But this time, her voice trembled slightly, almost uncontrollably.

Immediately afterward, before Gong Pengfei could respond, a long string of savage language, interspersed with intonation and rhythm, poured from her mouth like a song: "...The flames will burn the lackeys of the God of Light, and burn the traitors and you all together..."

He spoke very fast, with intense emotion, and his voice sounded both beautiful and sharp.

Inside the command center, the linguists instantly erupted in excitement.

"Record it! Quick! Record it all!"

An elderly professor was so excited that his face turned red.

"The language is wrong. She spoke a savage language, and then another language. This should be pure Elvish, right?"

"Yes, the language has a strong intonation and rhythm, it's definitely not the primitive language of a savage tribe! Haha, the grammatical structure... it's perfect!"

The translator was completely rendered speechless by this long string of language, only able to capture a few scattered syllables similar to "death," "flame," and "destruction," which were randomly combined and made no sense.

Gong Pengfei patiently waited for her to finish cursing, remaining motionless throughout the entire process, like a man entering a state of sagehood.

Only when Annie was panting with excitement, her chest heaving violently, and the green light in her eyes brightening, did he slowly make a new move.

He slowly took a printed picture from the bag he had placed there and faced the elf with the front side facing him.

This time, it was the iron plate that Zhao Chong and his group had recently obtained in exchange for a bottle of cola.

Looking at the image of the roaring human breaking free of his chains, and the icon behind him, the female elf gritted her teeth and glared fiercely at Gong Pengfei. When he greeted her with a smile, she simply closed her eyes.

Gong Pengfei breathed a sigh of relief.

It seems the forces behind the iron plaque are not on good terms with the female elf.

Gong Pengfei then tapped on the alloy cage.

The female elf glanced at him, then turned her head away.

Gong Pengfei took out the stun gun he had brought with him and then tapped it on the cage.

The female elf Anise looked at the electric baton, her throat moved slightly, and she leaned back.

She had clearly been harmed by stun guns before!
Seeing the female elf looking at him with malice, Gong Pengfei smiled apologetically at her and then took out another picture.

It was a cartoon drawing with bright colors.

On the left side of the image are countless elves with pointed ears and silver hair, their homeland ablaze, their faces filled with grief and despair as they charge forward, swords raised high.

On the right side of the screen, a group of cartoon humans in combat suits are scratching their helmets, with a row of large question marks floating above their heads.

Their expressions were not ferocious, nor greedy, but utterly bewildered and confused.

Annie understood this.

Staring at the painting, at the image that should represent his people, and then at the scene of the sacred tree being consumed by flames, the anger in his eyes almost burst forth.

But when her gaze fell on the group of comically drawn, bewildered humans on the right, her overwhelming hatred seemed to have hit an invisible wall, getting stuck there.

What does it mean?
Why are the apostles of the evil god showing me these things?
Gong Pengfei then showed some more pictures.

That was another scene: elves, humans from another world, dragons, griffins, flying serpents, and various other races from another world wielding swords and hacking and slashing at humans.

Upon seeing this, Annies fell silent and blinked.

Why would they show themselves this?

After a long silence, the female elf spoke in the language of the savages: "The messengers of the evil god and the children of the evil god all deserve it!"

"Serves you right?"

Although her words were harsh and full of malice, her tone was noticeably lighter than before.

Gong Pengfei didn't give her much time to process her emotions. In the instant she was stunned, he took out a new picture.

This time, it's still cartoon style.

But it's a highly cartoonish scene—

The ferocious swarm of insects surged in like a tsunami, then was burned, and the rotting undead, mixed with the wind and snow, were shattered into pieces.

In the distance, the magma dragon, its wings spread and casting a huge shadow, lay motionless, its head severed.

Before these monsters, humanity's position was pitifully small; the light of artillery fire and explosions was like a firefly of despair.

The perspective of cartoons is that of humans as victims.

The human soldiers in the picture do not have the greed of plunder on their faces, but only the shock and confusion of facing the apocalypse.

Then came decisiveness and fury.

Annies's breathing quickened when she saw this.

Then, she let out a short, sneer and uttered two words in broken Common: "You fickle apostles of evil gods, trying to use the weak to express your innocence? How laughable! I, being so wise, will never be fooled."

In her view, this was nothing more than the clown's excuse, an evil tactic to win her over and corrupt her.

As Gong Pengfei listened to the female elf's words coming through the translator, his bright eyes swept over her, and a slight smile appeared on his lips.

Annies got goosebumps when Gong Pengfei swept over her.

She always felt like the other person could see right through her.

In the command post, Brigade Commander Man nearly crushed the teacup in his hand: "Her replies were all curses; this little devil is quite arrogant!"

"Old Man, I reckon the other person could be your grandmother."

"Bullshit!"

Su Mingjin smiled and said, "The other party's expression changes a lot, arrogant... that's right, it means she understood the information we gave her, but she's very confused!"

"I'm more interested in knowing whether Gong Pengfei will hit a nerve when he gives the other party the information later."

On the screen, Gong Pengfei remained unmoved by her mockery, simply calmly changing to the next set of pictures.

Unlike before, this time the photos are very realistic.

Battlefield footage captured by drones.

The first photo shows the solidified, broken body of a magma dragon.

The second photo shows a giant tree whose trunk has been torn open by some force, leaving a huge gash. The charred wound is still emitting smoke, and the tree's crown, which resembles a human face, is now broken and damaged, as if it is enduring immense pain, showcasing the brutal power of humanity.

This is the sacred tree of the elves, an extension of the Mother Goddess's will!

"Om-"

Annie's mind went completely blank for a moment.

It was a feeling more excruciating than being cut by a knife.

No wonder... no wonder the Mother Goddess's call became so weak. It turns out they... they are just like the people of the South, daring to destroy and desecrate the sacred tree!

A chilling killing intent exploded from her, and the temperature in the cell seemed to drop several degrees.

She stared intently at Gong Pengfei, her green eyes filled with anger, followed by pure, undisguised murderous intent.

If looks could kill, Gong Pengfei would have been torn to pieces.

But he just watched her quietly, letting the chilling feeling wash over his helmet.

zizi~
Upon noticing the electromagnetic interference, Gong Pengfei felt a sense of unreality, followed by a very weak electrical stimulation in his neck and back.

The weak electric current caused Gong Pengfei pain, but at the same time, the surge of current brought Gong Pengfei's thoughts back to normal.

In the command center, the data monitor's voice trembled slightly: "The enemy's peak mental impact has increased again; this time it's a record-breaking achievement!"

"Report: Gong Pengfei's brainwave signal fluctuated, but has now returned to normal. The helmet is working properly. The interference device that uses electrical stimulation and signal shielding has achieved its design purpose, but it does not seem to be completely immune to mental shocks!"

Commander Man stared at the screen, unable to even utter a sound this time, only muttering, "This kid is risking his life, he's really not afraid of death."

Everyone at the command center was busy gathering intelligence, analyzing Annie's micro-expressions, and collecting shielding helmets and modified "electric stimulation wake-up devices."

Inside the interrogation room, Gong Pengfei waited until Annie's murderous intent reached its peak, her breathing became erratic, she saw hallucinations, and then, after recovering from the pain, she slowly held up the two new pictures side by side.

One picture represents the end of the world.

The corpses of elves and humans lay intertwined on the scorched earth.

The Elf's Face Tree has been completely destroyed, its roots severed.

Human-made steel creations were reduced to burning remains.

The entire scene, the entire world, seemed to consist only of death and ashes.

The other one is of a new student.

The children of elves and the children of humans are climbing together a steel watchtower that is now covered with vines.

At the top of the tower, an elven girl is smiling as she hands a glowing fruit to a human boy.

Under the sunlight, smiles radiated from the faces of people of different races.

This is a picture full of vitality, harmony and love.

After doing all this, Gong Pengfei finally spoke again, without any emotion.

"We don't understand why you would suffer such heavy casualties to attack us."

He first pointed to the apocalyptic image, then laid out more cartoon drawings of destroyed human-faced trees on the ground, one by one.

The scorched earth, the broken sacred tree, and the intertwined corpses of elves and humans.

"But we know that if you continue to fight us, the future of your people will be in great danger!"

His fingers traced across the photos of destruction, finally landing heavily on the one depicting the complete annihilation of the elven race.

"This is the only outcome if we continue fighting."

Then he moved his hand away, pointing to the vibrant, peaceful image.

"And this is what we consider to be another possibility."

After saying that, he neatly stacked all the photos in his hand, along with the previous pictures documenting human families, pets, and city life, on the ground in front of him, and gently pushed them towards Annie in the cage.

The photograph glided across the smooth ground and stopped in front of Annie's cage.

After doing all this, he waved to the soldiers behind him.

The soldier immediately stepped forward and used a key to unlock the shackles on his feet.

A soft "click" sounded particularly clear in the deathly silent interrogation room.

Gong Pengfei stood up, casually brushed the dust off his pants, didn't even glance at Annie again, turned and left without looking back.

The door opened, then closed again.

In the interrogation room, only Annie remained.

The murderous intent in her eyes hadn't faded when she was thrown into turmoil by immense confusion and shock. Her gaze was fixed on the stack of photos, especially the top two—one of hell, the other of heaven.

That drastically different future was like two invisible hands, one gripping her throat, the other tearing at her heart.

Inside the command center, however, the atmosphere was rather strange!
"They're leaving already? That's it?! They only talked for a few minutes, what can they possibly deduce?"

“But I believe Gong Pengfei has obtained an important clue!” Su Mingjin held her teacup and slowly blew on it.
-

Gong Pengfei stepped out of the isolation room and took a deep breath of fresh air, only then did he feel the dizziness caused by the mental shock dissipate somewhat.

Without taking a break, he rushed straight into the monitoring room.

"Old Li, tell headquarters we need to analyze the elf's body language. Cut out the five-minute video of my conversation with her, and go through it frame by frame!"

"Roger that!"

Inside the monitoring room, Gong Pengfei and his psychological analysis team immediately got to work.

Forty-five minutes later, a freshly completed analysis report was placed in front of Gong Pengfei.

He took the report to the command post.

All the commanders were present, clearly staying up all night waiting for the results.

"how?"

"Report!" Gong Pengfei handed over the report and projected the key information onto the big screen. "This is the information our team just compiled."

Su Mingjin did not take the report, indicating that he should speak directly.

"This female elf's mindset is unstable; she possesses great potential for breakthrough!"

"Project the sprite's analysis onto the big screen scar."

"it is good!"

Gong Pengfei projected the video onto the huge conference room screen, pausing it on the frame where the female elf Annis's murderous intent was at its peak.

"We've always thought of elves as the peaceful and benevolent race depicted in movies and TV shows, but now it seems we were completely wrong."

His voice echoed in the quiet conference room, carrying a hint of weariness and coldness from his recent trip to the front lines.

"Based on this contact and the biologist's autopsy report on the elf's corpse, I have several basic judgments."

Gong Pengfei held up one finger.

"First, the previous autopsy report on the elves mentioned the discovery of undigested light-bearing flowers and fruits, as well as animal remains, which basically confirms that elves are not entirely vegetarian. This means that they engage in killing."

“They have fears, beliefs, families, and even tribal or national structures that we are familiar with. They are not otherworldly gods, but intelligent beings with flesh and blood, emotions and desires, just like us. This is a good thing; where there are desires, there is a way out.”

A low murmur arose in the conference room, and many people's furrowed brows relaxed slightly.

Having weaknesses means being vulnerable to exploitation.

“Second,” Gong Pengfei switched to a different image, the one of the destroyed human-faced tree, “the elves’ worship of the red-leafed, white-barked human-faced tree must have reached the level of fanatical faith. I showed her photos of the corpses of my own kind, and she was furious… but I showed her this…”

He pointed to Annie's green eyes on the screen, eyes that seemed to be spewing out real flames.

"She wanted to devour me alive. I could feel the peak of my mental shock at that moment. I suspect these trees are one of the root causes of our conflict with the world! As for the specific relationship, that's for social science and biology experts to figure out."

An elderly professor with gray hair pushed up his glasses: "Human and nature worship, or totem worship, was common in early civilizations. But the female elf's intense emotional reaction suggests that the trees were their life, or a vessel of their faith, or a manifestation of the deity being blasphemed."

"The professor is right!"

“Third,” Gong Pengfei magnified Annies’s subtle expression when she saw the iron plate, “her reaction to the force that created the iron plate was strange. It wasn’t hatred, but more like… alienation and wariness. I speculate that the force behind the iron plate and the elves are not allied! But if the undead and the elves can cooperate, who knows if they might cooperate to fight us in the future.”

He finished speaking in one breath, picked up the water glass on the table, and took a big gulp, his Adam's apple bobbing.

"This female elf is young and naive, making her a good starting point. But her malice towards us is ingrained, and any form of goodwill or negotiation at this stage is like casting pearls before swine."

Gong Pengfei put down his water glass, making a soft "thump" sound.

“We have no other leads, so the chances of continuing the investigation are slim. I don’t think our previous plans to show goodwill and negotiate diligently are feasible.”

"General Manager Su, comrades, my analysis is complete."

clap clap-

Su Mingjin led the applause, which was enthusiastic but brief.

"Very good!" Su Mingjin gestured for everyone to quiet down. "Comrade Gong Pengfei's analysis has cleared away a layer of fog for us. Let's share our thoughts. What should our next move be?"

One of the operations staff officers immediately stood up and pointed to the northern area on the sand table.

"Since the undead and elves have joined forces, we can't just sit here and wait to die. The elves have complex emotions, so we can wear them down slowly. But the undead Scourge in the north are just a bunch of hateful creatures, and mindless skeletons. There's no point in talking to them. I suggest we intensify our efforts to wipe them out in the north!"

He declared passionately, "The balance between the icy and forested areas has already been broken, so let's shatter it even further! Let's directly target the areas where the blizzards are gathering and send the Weapons of Truth up there for a massive attack! It'll be a perfect opportunity to test the power of our weapons in this other world!"

"I agree!" said another logistics department head. "The north is freezing cold, and while resources may be plentiful, the living conditions are too harsh. Losing them wouldn't be a big deal. After completely eliminating the undead, we can make the surrounding area a secure rear base. We can attack or defend as needed!"

"What about exploring the green lands to the south? Every few years, the savage chieftain Jinhe sends merchants north to trade. This could be an opportunity."

“Yes! We can’t keep pretending to be blind and deaf.” Su Mingjin tapped the table and made a decision. “We can form a special operations team, prepare our local specialties, such as canned goods, sugar, and refined salt, and go to contact those merchants. We’ll extract information about the Green Land from them!”

A young analyst wearing glasses added, "Mr. Li, we are visitors from another world. Any advanced civilization's first reaction to us will inevitably be vigilance and hostility. In this world, even the undead and elves can join forces. We must prepare for the worst-case scenario of being besieged by the whole world."

"Everyone's analysis makes sense!"

Su Mingjin's gaze swept across the entire room, finally landing on Gong Pengfei.

"We should prepare contingency plans in advance to deal with the possible arrival of human merchants from the other world in the south. As for the elves, we will proceed according to Gong Pengfei's plan."

"We will continue to maintain military pressure on the Elven race and find ways to break through in interrogations. In subsequent battles, we must fight them hard enough to inflict pain, and in negotiations, we must let them know that we have the strength to overturn the table at any time and to destroy the enemy."

“What if they remain stubborn?” someone asked.

A cold, hard smile appeared on Su Mingjin's lips.

"Then let them continue to savor the taste of the steel storm until they are willing to sit down and talk properly, or... until we no longer need to talk to them."

The atmosphere in the meeting room instantly turned tense.

New operational plans, intelligence gathering plans, and diplomatic contact plans were quickly compiled and improved.

The entire command center was like a high-speed war machine, with each person becoming a precise cog in it.

Hours later, a top-secret plan, the culmination of countless efforts, was sent to the modern world via quantum communication and placed on Li Weiguo's desk.
-

The biological and materials analysis laboratory not far from the front-line command post was brightly lit.

The atmosphere here was far more fervent than the slow-paced interrogation of the female elf captive.

"Old Shi, come and see this!"

Professor Chen, the head of the biology group, a small old man with half-gray hair and thick glasses, was pointing at a set of data on the holographic projection, his face flushed with excitement.

Zhao Jiaqi, who had previously analyzed the alien plants, also joined in.

Shi Weihua approached wearing glasses: "What is this?"

"The body structure of elves is simply the epitome of perfect life after evolutionary theory!" Professor Chen's voice trembled. "Look, their cells are extremely similar to ours. It's very likely that there is no reproductive isolation between us and them!"

The moment this conclusion was reached, the entire laboratory fell silent for a moment, before erupting into even louder discussions.

"These are completely different species, aren't they? Won't they have reproductive isolation?"

"Isn't that a bit ridiculous?"

"Whether it has reproductive isolation needs to be tested, but that's not what I'm talking about."

Professor Chen switched the screen, showing a cross-sectional view of the elf's fur.

"Their hair is a natural solar panel! It can absorb light energy and perform energy conversion similar to photosynthesis, directly replenishing the body's needs. Although the efficiency is not high, it is enough to explain why they eat so little yet have such good endurance. If we can figure out how to do this and master the ability of organisms to absorb light radiation, it will definitely allow us to evolve into a stronger space race!"

Professor Shi Weihua went even further, pointing to the screen and asking, "Have you found any clues from analyzing their internal organs?"

"We are still analyzing it, but the opponent is physically very strong, especially in terms of sensory and physical systems."

The scene then switched again, displaying a detailed structural diagram of the elf's ears and eyeballs.

"Their ears are as sensitive as radar. While they may not be able to hear everything, their ability to locate enemies by sound in the forest is absolutely top-notch. Their eyes are even more impressive, capable of capturing the spectrum invisible to humans, and their dynamic visual perception is more than 2.5 times that of humans!"

"No wonder they brought so many arrows," a military representative in charge of weapons analysis said in a deep voice.

“Yes, but powerful organs are also their most vulnerable points.” Professor Chen’s lips curled into a sly smile. “The more intricate the structure, the more vulnerable it is. Although they are stronger than us, our weapons are more powerful.”

"A single high-frequency sonic bomb can instantly deafen them. A single stun bomb can temporarily blind their proud eyes. They are the product of organic life, but they have not evolved a perfect coping mechanism."

"And we want to capture an elite elf archer alive? It's simple, just make him deaf and blind first."

The eyes of the military personnel present lit up.

This report clearly outlines the enemy's fatal weaknesses.

"This is just a tactical application."

Professor Chen took a deep breath, his tone becoming extremely solemn.

"The biological structure of the Elf organs is invaluable to us. If we can completely decipher their genetic code, we can selectively cultivate and enhance these organs for implantation into our warriors in the future."

"If we succeed, our soldiers will also have elf-like eyesight and hearing! Because the enemy's body structure is very stable, we only need to strengthen ourselves according to their model, which will save us a lot of trouble!"

"hiss……"

Gasps of astonishment echoed throughout the laboratory.

If elves possess so many values, they could be a new catalyst for species evolution!
They need more elves!!!

“There are even more outrageous ones.” Professor Chen seemed to enjoy the shock of the crowd as he pulled up a comparison chart of muscles and bones.

"Elves' muscle fibers are arranged much more tightly than ours, which allows them to unleash amazing power despite their slender physique."

"Their red muscle and dermal tissue even contain trace amounts of photosynthetic pigment cells, which can continuously obtain energy from sunlight to sustain long-term combat."

"Don't be fooled by the fact that their bone density is only two-thirds that of ours; their strength is much greater. The internal honeycomb structure allows them to disperse 60% of the impact force when they jump from a height. They have tremendous explosive power!"

"The most terrifying thing is their neural reaction speed, which is nearly three times faster than ours! In a melee combat, by the time our soldiers' brains give the order to pull the trigger, the elves have already completed the entire set of actions of dodging, drawing their bows, and aiming."

There was dead silence in the laboratory.

These data, when combined, depict a near-perfect biological weapon.

Professor Chen smiled slightly at the solemn expressions on everyone's faces and changed the subject: "They are natural-born super soldiers, but now, they are our... upgrade packs."

“Every advantage they possess is written into their genes. Given enough time, we can install this upgrade package into every one of our soldiers, even every single one of them!”

As soon as he finished speaking, the atmosphere in the entire laboratory instantly shifted from solemn to enthusiastic!

Indeed, discovering that the enemy is powerful is certainly alarming.

But if we can turn the enemy's strength into our own, that would be a tremendous opportunity!

From this perspective, these spirits are all experience packs for humans to understand the world and enhance themselves!
“Oh, right,” Professor Shi Weihua suddenly remembered something, and he looked at Professor Chen, “did you analyze any other findings in their digestive systems when you were dissecting the corpses?”

"You've hit the nail on the head!" Professor Chen's expression became mysterious again. "They've analyzed all of those things!"

He pulled up the last image, which showed tiny, oddly structured particles.

"This is a fruit from a tree in another world, a fruit from a plant that we have never collected in this world, but have seen before."

Professor Chen lowered his voice and said slowly and deliberately, "After analysis, this fruit itself provides very little energy, but it has a peculiar effect... It can act like a catalyst, greatly enhancing the efficiency of energy absorption by elves' fur."

"The sample structure of this fruit is 99% similar to the face tree sample collected previously."

"I strongly suspect that the Elven race is highly bound to those trees!"

"That's not something we need to consider!" Shi Weihua said with a smile. "Our current task is to find out how the elven race controls magic through their organs!"

Upon hearing this, Professor Chen's gaze fell upon the elf's head, which had been sliced ​​open layer by layer.

That was an older, female elf.

Although the other person is dead, she must have been a very beautiful woman who perfectly fits human aesthetic standards in life.

Unfortunately, the scientists were hard-hearted at this moment, and the elf's head was almost completely dismembered.

The heads of elves are very different from those of humans. Because of their absorption and conversion of light energy, their cerebral cortex is stronger and more resistant to impact. At the same time, their pineal gland is also exceptionally large.

Everyone believes that the pineal gland in the elf's brain is the key organ for humans to understand the workings of magic.

Unfortunately, the warriors, including Xiao Zhou, fought too fiercely earlier, and although the elves collected a complete set of specimens, the quantity was not large. Experimental supplies were severely lacking.

When Xiao Zhou and his friends returned to collect the elf specimens again, all the fragmented corpses had disappeared.

Humans speculate that it was transformed into an undead!
-

The path of scientific research is long and arduous, and so is the exploration of magic and Taoist arts.

Early the next morning, more than ten kilometers away from headquarters, at the site where the magma dragon fell.

The scorched earth was a scene of utter desolation, and the air was filled with a strange smell of sulfur and cooled lava.

Wang Hu, along with a squad of soldiers, were highly vigilantly spread out around the area, guns pointed outwards, providing cover for the two men in the center.

"Senior brother, can you feel it?" Master Zhou held a modified compass, the needle spinning wildly inside, unable to find any direction. "The compass has malfunctioned again!"

Master Chen ignored his complaints. He closed his eyes, put two fingers together, and slowly ran them through the air in front of him, carefully sensing something.

After a long while, he opened his eyes and shook his head: "I can't tell at all which ones can be used by us."

"Sigh." Master Zhou plopped down on a relatively clean rock. "Layman Deng is recuperating in the back, but with just a few words, he assigned us this arduous task."

"Stop complaining." Master Chen glanced at him. "Layman Deng said that soon, fellow practitioners from all schools and sects will be coming. If we can't make something of ourselves, we won't even get a taste of the soup when those old Taoist priests arrive."

Upon hearing this, Master Zhou's face immediately turned bitter.

As the saying goes, rivals are enemies. When the major sects from Longhu Mountain, Qingcheng Mountain, and Maoshan come, it will definitely make the Taoists even more competitive and eager to show off their abilities.

"They don't even give us a chance to rest!"

“Junior brother, seizing the initiative is always the way to go! Don’t complain too much.” Master Chen’s tone became a bit more serious. “This time it’s not bad. The higher-ups gave a strict order that none of those bald heads are allowed to come. This is a golden opportunity!”

“That’s true.” Master Zhou finally smiled. “It saves them from coming and chanting ‘Amitabha’ all day long, which is annoying. But to be honest, some ascetic monks in Buddhism are truly skilled.”

“Even if you’re capable, it’s useless. The higher-ups can’t find those old monks hiding in the deep mountains who don’t care about worldly affairs.” Master Chen paused, looking towards the headquarters. “I just don’t know how the biologists are doing. I heard they’ve gotten their hands on a few elf heads and are slicing them up every day to study them. I wonder if they can provide us with any ideas or help.”

“They are scientists, they focus on data. We are practitioners of metaphysics, we focus on fate.” Master Zhou sighed, just about to say something more.

"Master Chen, Master Zhou! Come quickly!"

Not far away, the engineer in charge of the excavation suddenly shouted, his voice filled with barely suppressed excitement.

The two perked up and immediately ran over.

Wang Hu was seen kneeling beside a shallow pit that had just been dug.

At the bottom of the pit, large quantities of bright red crystals, some as large as corn kernels and others no bigger than sesame seeds, were embedded in the solidified black rock.

The crystals were densely packed, completely different from the black rock.

When illuminated by the sun, a faint red light flickers, like a breathing heart.

The surrounding air became hot because of it.

"This is……"

Master Chen's pupils contracted, and he cautiously reached out his hand. Before he could even touch the crystal, he felt a scorching current rushing towards him.

He dared not be careless, so he took out the detector. Seeing the beeping warning sound, Master Zhou and Master Chen exchanged a glance, both seeing ecstasy in each other's eyes.

Looks like we've really found it!

Deng Dakang was right; these were probably the key factors that caused the magma dragon to frequently revive and unleash its power.

It's unclear whether these things can significantly enhance their spellcasting effectiveness.

"Wang Hu, junior brother, prepare to set up the altar. I need to draw some talismans to see the effect!"

Everyone was quite skilled at this, having brought various spellcasting tools with them before coming here.

The altar was quickly set up.

Without hesitation, Master Chen took out a small stone mortar from his tool bag. He picked up a few red crystals, each about the size of a corn kernel, and dropped them into the mortar.

Master Chen began grinding the crystal. He had thought it was incredibly hard, but with a little effort, it turned into a fine, crimson powder that perfectly blended with the blood, becoming a viscous, special powder that shimmered with tiny red specks.

"Wang Hu, prepare the blood."

"Yes!" Wang Hu answered crisply, quickly pulling up his sleeve to reveal his thick arm and the indwelling needle inserted into his vein.

His comrade next to him took out a disposable IV tube and connected it to the indwelling needle.

Under the influence of gravity and vascular pressure, bright red blood gushed out of the dropper and dripped into the mortar.

Master Zhou approached with the magic detector, looking at it curiously.

As soon as Wang Hu's blood came into contact with the red crystalline powder, it made a soft "sizzling" sound and emitted a wisp of white smoke with a sulfurous smell.

The crystal powder and blood blended together, and surprisingly, it emitted a faint red light, as if it had been infused with life.

"Senior brother, the energy reaction is so strong!" The detector in Master Zhou's hand started alarming again.

Master Chen ignored him, laid the specially made talisman paper on the flat stone slab, took a deep breath, and dipped the talisman brush into the strange red crystal powder.

What he wanted to draw was the most basic purification mantra.

This mantra is easy to learn from the beginning and aims to calm the mind, concentrate the spirit, and dispel distracting thoughts. Those with great supernatural powers can also use it to exorcise evil spirits and prevent them from corrupting the mind.

These kinds of incantations should be as simple as drinking water for Master Chen now.

This time, he felt completely different while making it!
The moment the pen tip touched the ground, it was as if a surge of energy flowed into his body through the pen shaft. Instead of consuming his energy and strength as before, it was like a warm current that invigorated him!
"The Supreme Star Platform, ever-responsive..."

As the incantation was chanted, the runes were written in one go, and a faint light flowed across the talisman paper before finally taking shape.

When the final stroke was completed, a pure and peaceful aura spread out, dispelling some of the surrounding heat and the burning desire in Master Chen's heart.

Become!

Master Chen slowly exhaled a breath of stale air, his face showing undisguised astonishment.

He looked at the talisman he had drawn, then at his hands, and felt that his energy and spirit were in excellent condition.

"Senior brother, are you alright?" Master Zhou stared in disbelief. "This talisman seems to have worked?"

"It's done." Master Chen suppressed his excitement and handed the talisman to Wang Hu. "Here, try it on."

Wang Hu solemnly accepted the talisman. It felt warm and smooth to the touch, completely unlike the previous burning sensation. He did as instructed and hung it around his neck, keeping it close to his body.

The next second, Wang Hu's body trembled slightly.

As a soldier who has been in constant combat recently, his nerves are always on edge and he is in a high state of alert. Without any rotation, he is already very tired.

But the moment the talisman touched his body, an indescribable cool sensation swept over his entire body, cleansing every limb and bone.

As the tense muscles relaxed, the chaotic thoughts in my mind became orderly, and the whole world seemed to become clear.

"Master..." Wang Hu's tone was tinged with shock, "I feel... I can stand guard here for three days and three nights without closing my eyes, and my energy is better than if I had slept for ten hours! Can this talisman be used continuously?"

"It doesn't need to be activated. Whether it can be used for a long time still needs to be tested!" Master Zhou snatched the detector and scanned it on the talisman on Wang Hu's body. The pointer instantly spiked. "Senior brother, the energy reading of the talisman is more than ten times stronger than our previous talismans!"

A glint of light flashed in Master Chen's eyes.

He understood! These red crystals were definitely a special source of magical particle energy, the best catalyst for combining magic and Taoist arts!

"Haha, good, good!" Master Chen made a quick decision. "Everyone, let's continue grinding the red crystal powder. I'll make one for each of you."

For the next two hours, Master Chen worked like a tireless machine, drawing one cleansing mantra after another.

With the blessing of the fire crystal powder, his speed and quality of drawing talismans far exceeded those of the past. He drew a total of thirty-six talismans, each one shining with spiritual light and of extraordinary quality.

Master Zhou, who was helping to tidy up, was grinning from ear to ear: "Senior brother, what a skill! Who will dare to say that our Taoist sect has declined now? We can pull out this stack of talismans and use them as bricks to hit people!"

Master Chen rolled his eyes at him, then distributed the talismans he had drawn to the soldiers on guard.

"Two Taoist priests, should we dig out these red crystals first?" an engineer asked. "These are treasures!"

"Dig! We must dig!" Master Chen nodded and pondered, "This substance is formed by the fusion of the body of a magma dragon and the energy of volcanic veins. Let's call it 'Dragon Fire Crystal Ore'! Let's dig some out first and have the scientists at headquarters analyze its composition."

The soldiers immediately grabbed their tools and began digging with great enthusiasm. They held the two Taoist priests in high esteem and refused to let the elderly priests do any work, politely inviting them to rest aside.

Watching the soldiers busily at work, Master Zhou whispered to Master Chen, "Senior brother, do you think that extinct volcano might have something like this too?"

“Without exploration, there is no right to speak.” Master Chen shook his head, but his gaze became profound. “Once we’re done here, we’ll go there ourselves.”

He paused, weighed the dozen or so talismans remaining in his hand, a meaningful smile appeared on his lips, and his gaze drifted towards the direction of headquarters.

"Junior brother, take these treasures and go find someone."

"Where are you going, senior brother?"

"Go and see our noble elven captive. I want to test this talisman myself to see if it works on her!"

(End of this chapter)