The Ascension to Godhood Begins with the Blacklight Virus

The sound exploded deep within everyone's minds, echoing with countless overlapping sounds, like the hissing of a million insects inside their skulls, or like rusty gears grinding against each other. Within the green mist, the massive shadow's outline grew increasingly clear.

What emerged first was a limb, or rather, a clump of indescribable flesh. The main body was dark green, wet, and writhing flesh, covered by irregular, heavy armor that resembled both metal and a crab shell, with fluorescent green pus oozing from the seams. At the end of this limb was not a foot, but a deformed structure made of several thick bones twisted together, resembling a digging shovel or a battering ram. It landed heavily on the ground with a dull thud, seemingly shaking the entire room.

Then, a second, a third… a total of six such “legs” emerged, supporting a bloated torso that nearly reached the ceiling. This torso was even more absurd, resembling a mountain of flesh forcibly glued together a mass of tumors, proliferating organs, scrap metal, and scribbles. Ribs could be seen piercing the skin, with writhing vines wrapped around them; half a metal contraption resembling an old-fashioned steam boiler was embedded in the chest, its cracks spewing out sulfurous green smoke; several tentacles of varying thickness, with suckers or mouths at their ends, emerged from various parts of the body, swaying aimlessly.

Its head was an enlarged and distorted bird-beak gas mask, with two fist-sized, constantly dripping, ghastly green flames burning around its eye sockets. Beneath the mask, there was no mouth, only a mass of fleshy structures resembling insect mouthparts that opened and closed repeatedly, from which the androgynous reverberation noise emanated.

This is the garden keeper.

Its mere presence seemed to solidify the air with its oppressive aura. It wasn't a simple suppression of power; it was more like a pollution and erosion on an existential level. Cheng Song felt his skin tingle, a cold, stinging pain emanating from deep within his bones. With each breath, the inhaled green mist scraped against his trachea like fine needles. Even more absurd was the activity within his body—it wasn't the hunger of seeing food, but a mixture of trembling, rage, and a deeper, almost provocative, savage power from a higher, almost identical entity. He could sense that flowing within the Garden Guardian's body was the power of the "Seed of Corruption," originating from the same source as those corrupted zombies, but ten times purer, more concentrated, and stronger. It was "Source Blood," or at least something close to it. The virus within him went berserk: Eat it! It's delicious! It will make me stronger! But at the same time, it was warning: Danger! Be careful! Otherwise, you'll die!

"Retreat! Move closer to me! Form a circle!" The anvil's roar pulled Cheng Song back from the brink of losing his soul. Heavy breathing came from beneath the heavy warrior's visor, but his raised shield remained steady, though the shield's surface emitted a faint metallic hum under the invisible spiritual pressure. He withstood the most direct pressure.

Ah Qi did not retreat. She stood in front of Mi Tong and Ivan, the bloodstains on her moon-white outfit slowly being pushed away by an invisible force, revealing the smooth fabric beneath. A faint golden, water-like aura flowed around her, blocking the approaching green mist and spiritual pressure. Her eyes were as cold as ancient ice, fixed on the gardener. Her body lowered slightly, her arms, wrapped in silver-gray bracers, one in front of the other, assuming an ancient yet explosive starting stance, like a fully drawn bow, ready to be released.

The black robes of the man with the mysterious pupils fluttered wildly under the spiritual pressure, nearly pulling the hood off to reveal the lower half of his pale, sharply defined chin. He gripped his bone-white staff tightly, the black crystal at its tip gleaming brightly, spewing forth thick, inky shadows that formed a constantly fluctuating, flickering protective barrier around him and Ivan. Deep within his eerie green eyes, light flashed wildly, as if overclocking calculations. His voice, hoarse and urgent, rang out in the team channel: "Rank…B-, the contaminated core is in that iron lump in his chest! Soul fluctuations are a complete mess…at least seventeen painful consciousnesses have been forcibly mixed together! Beware of mental attacks!"

"Seventeen... players?" Iron Anvil's voice deepened.

"At least it used to be," Mi Tong said, panting.

Evan was slumped under the control panel, his glasses askew, his face as white as paper, his lips trembling. He looked at the terrifying park guard, then at the several vials of strangely colored potions in his hand, hesitating whether to throw them away or not, afraid of provoking the other party.

"What fresh fertilizer..." The gardener's voice, a mixture of metallic scraping and painful screams, rang out again. Six compound-eye-like, ghastly green flames swept over the crowd, finally settling firmly on Cheng Song. "As for you... little guy..."

Cheng Song's muscles tensed instantly, his right hand gripping the hilt of the dagger tightly, his knuckles turning white. The reaction within his body intensified; beneath the skin of his right arm, dark red lines began to bulge and throb uncontrollably, bringing a burning pain. He had to exert all his strength, combined with the medicinal power of the Soul-Cleansing Incense, to barely suppress it. He could smell the aura emanating from the Garden Guardian—an aura that was both extremely delicious and extremely deadly to him. Like a stray dog ​​that hadn't eaten for three days seeing a piece of Kobe beef smeared with deadly poison.

"Why...do you suppress it?" The gardener's voice carried an eerie sigh, like that of an elder caring for a younger person, but against the backdrop of countless echoes of pain, it only sounded chilling. "I can smell...the thin, chaotic...yet incomparably noble blood within you...even though it's polluted, weakened, bound by this pathetic body..."

Its voice drilled directly into Cheng Song's mind, carrying an irresistible allure: "Release it... let it breathe... let it devour... let it evolve... this is your true nature... this is the true blessing that the 'benevolent father' gives to us lost lambs!"

"Shut up!" Ah Qi suddenly shouted coldly, her voice not loud, but carrying a strange, soul-piercing chill that instantly extinguished the pervasive mental whispers. She stepped forward, blocking Cheng Song and the gardener's line of sight, even though she was as small as a figurine compared to the gardener. "A monster pieced together from a pile of rotting flesh, dares to talk about essence?"

The gardener's pale green gaze shifted to Ah Qi, the flame in his compound eyes flickering as if he were slightly intrigued, but mostly filled with a chilling sense of offense: "Body cultivator? A sturdy body... you're good material. Your pain will nourish even more abundant fruit."

Before the words were even finished, three slimy, dark purple tentacles, each tipped with a sucker, suddenly shot out from the gardener's bloated body! Swift as lightning, with a piercing shriek that tore through the air, they swept towards Ah Qi, the anvil, and—Evan in the corner!

"Shield parry!" the anvil roared, advancing instead of retreating. A layer of yellowish-brown light suddenly shone on the surface of the heavy shield as it actively met the coiling tentacles!

"Smack!" The tentacle slammed into the shield, the yellowish-brown light flashing violently. The anvil and shield were slammed back half a meter, the metal boots scraping the ground with a screeching sound, but he held on.

Facing the oncoming tentacles, Ah Qi neither retreated nor dodged. His right palm, wrapped with a silver-gray wrist guard, rose like a knife. Pale golden energy instantly condensed in his palm, transforming into a sharp energy that was almost invisible to the naked eye and as thin as a cicada's wing. He slashed down at the center of the tentacle!

"Swoosh—!" A teeth-grinding cutting sound. A deep gash was slashed open on the tough tentacle, and blackish-green slime spurted out, but it didn't break off. Instead, it suddenly contracted and wrapped around the tentacle even more violently.

The tentacle that was aimed at Ivan was blocked by an even thicker shadow barrier erected by the Secret Eye in time. The tentacle frantically pounded and tore at the shadow, black mist and slime splattering everywhere, and the barrier fluctuated violently.

The battle instantly intensified!

"Shadow Grip!" The Guardian's Staff flashed, and the shadows of the other supporting legs on the ground suddenly came to life, transforming into countless tiny black hands that gripped the legs tightly, trying to restrict its movement. But the Guardian merely shook the ground, and the tiny shadow hands shattered one by one.

"Evan! Get to work!" Iron Anvil roared, parrying the lashes and entanglements of the tentacles. His heavy shield already showed slight dents and signs of corrosion.

"I...I'm thinking!" Ivan frantically rummaged through the bottles and jars in his white lab coat, finally pulling out a fist-sized, ever-changing, seemingly alive crystal ball, which he then hurled at the gardener! "Try this! A mind-bending siphon bomb!"

The crystal ball arced through the air and exploded just above the gardener's head! There was no fire or loud bang, only a halo of seven-colored, distorted, and dizzying light spreading out, instantly enveloping the gardener's massive head.

The gardener's body jerked violently, its six compound eyes flickering and pulsating with flames, as if countless consciousnesses were battling and screaming within them. Its mixed voice transformed into a pure, chaotic roar, and the tentacled attacks momentarily became disordered and sluggish.

"A perfect opportunity!" Ah Qi's eyes flashed with a sharp light, and her body, which had been poised to strike, suddenly moved! Her moon-white figure transformed into a blurry streak of light, no longer moving in a straight line, but with a peculiar gait containing a strange rhythm, instantly bypassing the injured tentacle in front of her, and rushing straight towards the guardian's supporting limb that was closest to her and was being interfered with by the shadowy little hand! Her goal was clear—to disrupt its ability to move!

"Collapse of the mountain!"

With a sharp shout, her right fist, which had been gathering strength for a long time, was wrapped in a dense, almost tangible, pale golden energy. With an unstoppable, earth-shattering force, it slammed into the joint of the supporting leg!

"boom!!!"

A muffled thud, like thunder. At the joint of the keeper's thick supporting leg, the heavy carapace, along with the flesh beneath, suddenly caved inward, deformed, and then exploded! Blackish-green flesh mixed with metal fragments and broken bones flew wildly in all directions like shrapnel from a cannonball!

"roar--!!!"

The gardener let out a terrifying roar of pain and rage, her entire body swaying to one side from the pain of her broken leg. Ah Qi, having landed her blow, didn't hesitate, using the recoil to retreat rapidly, but a trickle of blood flowed from the corner of her mouth, and the silver-gray wrist guard on her right arm dimmed, revealing several fine cracks. That "Mountain Collapse" attack had also taken a heavy toll on her.

"Well done!" Iron Anvil perked up and seized the opportunity to swing the battering ram, smashing it hard against the base of another tentacle that was trying to attack Ah Qi, leaving it a bloody mess.

However, just when the team saw a glimmer of hope because of Ah Qi's outburst, a change of events occurred!

The keeper's head, which had been affected by the "Chaotic Mind Siphon Bomb," suddenly stopped screeching. Beneath the bird-beak mask, the insect mouthparts opened and closed wildly, emitting a sharp, high-pitched buzzing sound that seemed to pierce the soul! A mental shriek!

An invisible sound wave, mixed with a violent mental shock, swept outwards from the gardener like a tsunami! This was no longer a seductive whisper, but a pure, destructive mental attack!

"Ugh—!" The first to be hit, Mi Tong groaned, blood gushing from his seven orifices. He almost dropped his staff, the light from the black crystal at the tip of the staff dimmed, and the shadow shield he was maintaining shattered! He was like a man struck by a heavy hammer, flying backward and crashing into the control panel before slid down, his fate unknown.

Evan fared even worse; his eyes rolled back, he foamed at the mouth, and he passed out.

Although the anvil served as a human shield, the tactical helmet's filter offered limited protection against mental attacks. He let out a painful growl, his movements noticeably faltering, and the heavy shield's block created an opening.

Ah Qi's face paled, and the pale golden energy around her body fluctuated violently, like a candle in the wind. She groaned and staggered backward, clearly also affected by the impact.

And Cheng Song—

In the instant the mental scream erupted, he felt as if his brain was being pierced and churned by countless red-hot iron rods! This was followed by excruciating pain, but within this pain, the viral instinct within him, which had been suppressed, seemed to have been fatally provoked and stimulated, and went completely berserk!

The medicinal power of the Soul-Cleansing Incense was torn apart like an A4 sheet of paper under such a terrifying mental shock. The dark red lines that had been barely suppressed under the skin bulged, spread, and bulged instantly, like a ferocious beast that had been unleashed from its chains! The sleeve of his right arm was torn apart with a "rip," and the muscles under the skin writhed and expanded wildly, their color rapidly changing from flesh-colored to dark red, and then covered with a layer of flowing, seemingly living black substance. A tearing pain came from his fingertips, and his nails instantly grew longer, thicker, and sharper, gleaming with a metallic black light, like five small black blades.

"roar--!!!"

A low, inhuman roar, filled with savagery, hunger, and destructive intent, uncontrollably escaped from the depths of Cheng Song's throat. His pupils instantly contracted to needle size, and countless fine blood vessels crawled across the whites of his eyes. Deep within these blood vessels, a profound, chilling dark red light, like the embers of hell, suddenly ignited.

Murderous intent, mixed with the most primal appetite, erupted like a volcano, overwhelming his remaining rationality.

He looked up at the Garden Guardian, who was roaring in pain from his broken leg and whose breathing was a little disordered after unleashing his mental scream. At this moment, in his perception, which was heavily influenced by "instinct," the Garden Guardian was no longer a terrifying monster, but a huge appetizer exuding an incomparably tempting aroma.