In the night, Yuan Zhu raced through deserted streets. His body brimmed with stamina under the Uniform's enhancement, and he could sprint with complete abandon without feeling tired in the slightest.
"Why did you suddenly make me leave the team? How fun would it have been for everyone to raid the temple together? There were beauties for company, too. If danger showed up, the investigators could cover our retreat. As long as I ran faster than the other girls, danger would never catch me!"
Yuan Zhu's little calculations clicked away loudly. If he acted with the three girls and danger struck, the burden would be split among four people—only 25% of the pressure. Setting aside the Immortal Scripture as his trump card, as long as he ran fast enough, he would be safe enough. He might not outrun Meng Xiyue, but could he not outrun Mai Lili?
The Little Elf explained, "There is naturally a reason I had you act alone. As a kitty, it is time for you to learn how to cough up hairballs."
"???!"
Yuan Zhu stumbled and nearly fell. "What kind of dog nonsense are you spouting now? I don't lick my fur, so why would I cough up hairballs?"
"Fine, I was teasing you. There are two reasons for having you act alone. First, the Shadow Spiritual Qi stored in the BOSS Template has dropped too sharply and fallen below the warning threshold. So you must find somewhere deserted, activate Tiger Demon Form, and replenish your Shadow Power."
As a Game Sprite, reminding the user that their battery was low and they should replenish their mana in time was also an essential duty.
Yuan Zhu was puzzled. "That's not right, is it? I remember filling my Mana Bar before shutting down the BOSS Template. The Template has been on standby the whole time and barely used. How could it be low on energy?"
Then something occurred to him, and he said warily, "Damn it! Could the Great Wilderness Immortal Scripture be stealing power? Did it rise from the dead? How did it wake up so quickly? I need to find a way to kill it for good, or I won't be able to eat or sleep in peace."
The Little Elf hurriedly soothed him. "Boss, don't panic! That old fossil is lying flat as a pancake and can't threaten us. The energy depletion is your own problem."
"Impossible! Ever since I returned to my ordinary human body, I haven't been able to control even a shred of Shadow Power. How could it be depleted?"
The Little Elf said, "It's Universe Within the Belly. Dozens of aberrant demonic beasts with different pollution attributes are suppressed and contained within Universe Within the Belly. Merely suppressing them is an expenditure. What is more, Universe Within the Belly is gradually polluting, erasing, assimilating, and modifying them, trying to create new Chang Ghosts. In terms you understand, it's an 'abnormally power-hungry program'!"
"So that's how it is. How is the progress? Are those demonic beasts completely dead yet? Have they been refined?" Anticipation rose in Yuan Zhu's heart. Am I going to start herding my own Chang Ghosts too?
The Little Elf said, "It has only been a little over thirty hours. We are nowhere close. You were too greedy and swallowed more than forty in one gulp. Every one of them carries unique pollution properties. Shadow Power neither counters their attributes nor can analyze the essence of their pollution to find weaknesses and overcome them. It can only grind them away by brute force, which is terribly inefficient. Your demonic power is exhausted now, like a stomach stuffed with undigested food. Either keep replenishing demonic power and continue slowly grinding them down, or I suggest you simply spit them all out and make room in your stomach for new food!"
Yuan Zhu suddenly understood. "So this is what you meant by coughing up hairballs?"
"Doesn't it look the same? You are both felines, both ate filthy things that are hard to digest, and both choose to cough them back up. This is the great principle of heaven and earth. You are King of Meow Meow!"
To activate Tiger Demon Form, he truly needed to act alone and find somewhere hidden from sight to slowly replenish Shadow Power.
"Then what is the other reason? Why did you insist on this direction?"
He looked toward the route the Little Elf indicated. The farther he ran in that direction, the more oppressed his senses felt. It was a rejection and hostility aimed at all living things. It was the aura of Yellow Springs. It was where Vajra Temple stood.
The Little Elf said, "This also concerns the BOSS Template and the Chang Ghosts suffering indigestion. Through the data feedback from the Immortal Scripture, I determined that 'Yellow Springs Death Qi' has a restorative effect on the Tiger Demon Spiritual Root."
Yuan Zhu grasped the mystery at light speed. "Chang Ghosts, Yellow Springs?"
"That's right. More accurately, the death qi leaking from Yellow Springs is nutritious and valuable to an Aberrant Spiritual Root. The Tiger Demon's innate divine power, Tiger Chang, is inherently closely connected to the Netherworld and the underworld. Even your ultimate divine power, Mountain Lord Ghost Domain, requires you to claim a mountain as king in the mortal realm, command Chang Ghosts to connect the worlds of yin and yang, and forge your own Ghost Domain in the world of the living. At that time, you will not only be a Mountain God of the living world, but also a ghost deity of the Netherworld, feasting from both paths of yin and yang. If you establish your own City God temple, you can enjoy incense offerings in both realms, confer divine positions upon your little demon subordinates, and build a small faction of Yin Spirits that answers only to you."
"That sounds very Black Mountain Old Demon." Yuan Zhu was drawn in by the scene the Little Elf described. When the time comes, should I forcibly take a few stunning female ghosts as concubines to show off the Mountain Lord's status? The Little Elf said, "But here comes the problem. We did not transmigrate into the Cultivation Universe. The bloodline data recorded in the Aberrant Spiritual Root does not fit the rules of the Duling world. Even if the Tiger Demon Template has been initially cleansed through Shadow Power, and even if pollution has gradually adapted it to this universe, it is still not enough!"
"The bloodline divine powers driven by Shadow Power contain many unknown mutations and missing parts. For example, with the most complete Chang Ghosts, you can only strip out a prey's soul and preserve it in a form woven from shadows. But how to bind it to concepts such as 'death, the Netherworld, and the underworld,' absorb death qi to grow, and gain a means of contacting the Netherworld... all of that remains incomplete. Your Chang Gui Divine Power cannot accomplish it. Therefore, you need to absorb more Pollution Power to complete your divine powers and bloodline."
Yuan Zhu nodded in understanding.
He got it. His current BOSS Template retained the functions of killing prey, refining Tiger Changs, and creating Shadow Chang Ghosts with shadows as their vessel.
But these Shadow Chang Ghosts differed vastly from the original Chang Ghosts. Their ghost content was severely insufficient; they were merely another kind of soul body, with no connection whatsoever to the Netherworld. Yet the Tiger Demon's ultimate divine power was deeply tied to the concept of the Netherworld in the Immortal Dao Universe. It was obviously a classic villain route.
Therefore, the current pollution-mutated Tiger Demon also needed to explore and complete itself in that direction. Only then would it satisfy the yearning deep within its bloodline and become his correct path of evolution.
Originally, the Little Elf had intended to collect more different kinds of Pollution Energy, investigate their background stories, analyze their traits and attributes, then select one leaning toward the Netherworld for completion.
But there was no need now. The Yellow Springs Death Qi emerging in this Foam World perfectly matched her vision and pursuit of Netherworld attributes.
The Little Elf sighed. "I never expected this world to have Yellow Springs too. We are so lucky—this is so immortal-heroic! Perhaps this world's cultivation system can share underlying rules with the Immortal Scripture. Wonderful, we are saved!"
Yuan Zhu said, "As far as I know, every system in the Duling world corresponds to a Pollution Source. Once chosen, it is difficult to change. The Tiger Demon is now deeply fused with Shadow Pollution. If we rashly provoke Yellow Springs again, won't it develop split personalities? What if it breeds a 'Little Elf Number Two' with Yellow Springs Pollution at its core to compete with you for fatherly love?"
"???!" The Little Elf crashed for a moment.
I treat you like a brother, yet you want to be my dad?
"Don't worry. This is nowhere near absorbing a second kind of pollution. We are merely rubbing against Yellow Springs at its edges and borrowing a little death qi. We will use this pollution power to give the Chang Gui Divine Power controlled pollution rendering of 5%, 10%, 15%, completing it. It is like the Uniform on you. It is clearly power bestowed by Mao Mao King, yet doesn't it also need to absorb other Pollution Energy to condense a unique Seed Rank? Has Mao Mao King ever feared that her Uniform would be covered by other minor pollution? No, she is not afraid. She wants to harness other pollution!"
Yuan Zhu praised her, "I never thought I could absorb and digest other Pollution Energy like Mao Mao King."
The Little Elf immediately flattered and encouraged him. "That's right, you are the very best!"
After confirming that he had run far enough, Yuan Zhu gradually slowed from a sprint to a walk... His figure slowly vanished into the shadows cast by the houses, while the darkness beneath his feet churned irregularly like boiling water.
His figure slowly stretched... grew taller, larger... From walking upright, he gradually lowered himself onto all fours... At some point, a huge black tiger with hanging eyes strolled lazily toward Vajra Temple.
Clack clack clack clack!
The white Skeleton Snake tail shook its body, its bones clattering strangely against one another. It twisted as it stood on the Tiger Demon's back, its ruby eyes curiously scanning the surroundings and sharing its vision with its true body.
The original Mao Mao King Uniform was not stretched apart or torn to shreds. Instead, as the Tiger Demon transformed, it voluntarily slipped off its surface. It contracted into a ball, wove itself into a Bowknot, and hung around the neck of the jade-white Skeleton Snake tail.
In Tiger Demon Form, the Uniform's enhancement effect on Yuan Zhu was zero. Binding him only got in the way, so it was rejected by Shadow Power. Cruelly cast aside, the Uniform decisively threw itself into the arms of the bony Little Elf.
The Cat King wore magnificent fur, yet its snake tail was completely naked. What an injustice! Thus, the Little Elf inherited the Uniform, tied it around herself as a bow tie, and also hung a Bowknot on the Tiger Demon's tail. She would be a refined King of Meow Meow.
All of this came from the subconscious thoughts of the second host, so the Uniform chose to follow them.
After switching into Tiger Demon Form, Yuan Zhu's sensory system became entirely new. Not only did he gain night vision and thermal vision, he also acquired unique shadow vision, allowing him to see fissures hidden in the shadows on the ground. They were unusual pores connecting this Foam World to its Shadow Plane.
With only one glance, he saw that this small Foam World appeared independent, sealed, and stable, but was in truth riddled with holes.
Not only did starlight pierce through the barrier overhead and burrow into the world, but the fetal membrane of the earth below had also been gnawed hollow by Yellow Springs erosion, allowing endless death qi to seep in.
At that moment, as he walked through darkness, the Shadow World separated from reality by only a thin membrane was likewise exposed before his eyes, riddled with holes. With only the slightest exertion, he could pry open the pores in the shadows, slip inside, and travel and leap through shadows.
Yuan Zhu lightly activated Shadow Manipulation, stirring the seemingly pitch-black mass before him that was in fact an intricate structure of multiple layered and intertwined shadows. Then his Tiger Demon body began to change, wrapped and entwined in shadows, twisting and deforming until it finally became a pool of black liquid that spread over the ground, seeped in, and vanished.
As everyone knew, all kitties were made of water. Now, he transformed into liquid shadow and merged into another world.
Upon entering the world of shadows, there were no vivid colors in sight, only varying shades of black, white, and gray light and shadow, like an abstract, distorted comic world. Everything in reality had strange projections that intertwined and overlapped without logic.
Outside was clearly the neatly built Na Ye Buddhist Kingdom, yet within the Shadow Plane, it resembled a sharp shadow jungle growing atop the ruins of buildings.
Suddenly, a gust of wind passed through. Some floating, hazy pale-blue mist abruptly appeared in the air. Because it possessed color, it was especially eye-catching and glaring, utterly unique.
The blue vapor, faintly twisting and sometimes gathering, sometimes dispersing, conveyed information of coldness, deathly stillness, tranquility, souls... and more. The feeling was somewhat familiar. Where had he seen it before?
"Yellow Springs! This is vapor leaking from Yellow Springs! I know this scent—quick, inhale it! Don't let it drift away!"
The snake tail suddenly cried out, impatient to pounce on it, but the Tiger Demon body held it firmly in control and would not let the tail dart around wildly.
Yuan Zhu took a small step back, keeping his body from touching the beautiful yet harmless-looking mist, and asked, "How can you be sure it is Yellow Springs vapor? Since when did I know you recognized it? This vapor does indeed bear some resemblance to the pollution emitted by those corpse ghosts."
Yuan Zhu thought of the blood-red Kasaya Ghost face he had glimpsed in passing, as well as the Buddha Corpse Ghost that had brushed past him. The Buddhist Sect death qi on their bodies had less than twenty percent similarity to this blue mist.
It was difficult to imagine that this blue mist was the source of their Yellow Springs Power.
The Little Elf said, "That is because your human body is too weak. Your perception is inferior to the Immortal Scripture Firewall. The blood-red Kasaya Ghost and the Five-Armed Buddha Corpse Ghost both carried dense Yellow Springs Death Qi, though theirs differed from one another. With Yellow Springs as their foundation, they blended into their own distinct Buddhist systems and evolved unique new Yellow Springs Death Qi. I recorded them all. A comparison is enough to confirm that this is a purer, more primitive Yellow Springs Aura. I never expected it not to be yellow! Why call it Yellow Springs, then? Is this another ancient transmigrator's fault?"
"Are you sure I will be fine if I inhale this directly?"
The Tiger Demon stared hard at the dreamy blue mist and controlled a mass of shadows, weaving them into a hollow palm that gently stroked it. The mist shifted constantly and posed no threat whatsoever. Instead, it stirred up a greedy craving.
Just as the Little Elf had said, his Tiger Demon Body wanted to devour and absorb the mist. His instincts told him that this thing was nutritious and healthy. Eating it would help with digestion—of Chang Ghosts.
"Relax. At this level of Yellow Springs Aura, it absolutely is not polluting you—it is your Shadow Tiger Demon polluting it! Talking about pollution without considering the dose is just hooliganism. Absorb it, and you can add a new death micro-attribute to your transformed Shadow Power."
The longer he watched the mist, the harder it became to suppress the craving in his heart. "Let's do it!"
Huff... inhale...! The Tiger Demon exhaled a breath of turbid air, raised his head, aimed his nostrils at the blue mist, and took a deep breath—an epic lungful.
The moment the Yellow Springs mist entered his body, it was caught and absorbed by threads extending from the Aberrant Spiritual Root. Such a small amount of pollution could not shake the Firewall at all. It was neither purified nor expelled. Instead, the Chang Gui Divine Power treated it as food and digested it.
A data notification also appeared in Yuan Zhu's mind: completion progress, 1.3%.
"I need more!"
After the first mouthful of Yellow Springs mist had been absorbed, he confirmed that his Pollution Level had not risen by even 0.001%, and only then did he relax.
At the same time, the Tiger Demon's perception of Yellow Springs became clearer and sharper. Yellow Springs Death Qi had also become the second extraordinary energy, after Shadow Power, to be recognized and accepted by the Immortal Scripture rather than treated as pollution.
The Tiger Demon's instincts told him that as long as the concentration of Yellow Springs Pollution did not exceed a certain limit, it would not only avoid being eroded by pollution, but could also absorb small amounts of this thin Yellow Springs Aura to improve the quality of its demonic power.
But once Yellow Springs Pollution exceeded the critical point, he would still mutate and become polluted little by little from a Tiger Demon, just like the Kasaya Ghost and Buddha Corpse Ghost. In the end, he would shift into a Yellow Springs ghost, completely dying with another kind of pollution as his foundation.
Roar!
Deep in the Shadow World, there was not a single threat nearby. He controlled his shadows to spread in all directions, scanning like radar for pure, thin Yellow Springs mist. Before long, he caught a second cluster, then a third...
The fierce tiger pounced, shadows leaped, and his body vanished from one end of the Shadow World before emerging from another. The little snake launched a savage attack and swallowed the mist in one bite. The Tiger Demon's completion progress rose again to 3.4%.
As it continuously gathered and absorbed Yellow Springs Aura, the Shadow Power that had fallen below the warning line also recovered rapidly.
Yuan Zhu discovered that when he, in Tiger Demon Form, remained at night beneath the coverage of shadows, he did not need to actively do anything. His Aberrant Spiritual Root could passively draw Shadow Power from the shadows to replenish his Mana Bar.
If he slipped into the Shadow World, the recovery speed soared. Shadows from every direction actively poured backward into the Tiger Demon Body, offering it Shadow Power.
Furthermore, if he remained here for a long time, the upper limit of his BOSS Template's values would slowly rise. This meant...
The Little Elf said, "This is your potential. The Aberrant Spiritual Root is like a compressed package that has been squeezed dry, carrying only core bloodline data. You need to continuously absorb external nutrients—Shadow Power and Yellow Springs Aura—and it can grow and develop again, constantly breaking through its limits. We do not need to cultivate actively. As long as we sleep soundly, we can become stronger easily and comfortably! Because you are recovering, returning to your peak."
"This Foam World really does sound like a treasured land. A shattered Shadow World, no creatures competing with me for resources, endless shadows pouring into me... At this rate, how long before I return to my peak?"
The Little Elf said, "According to the Immortal Scripture database records, at your current rate of Shadow Power intake, you would need to remain here in Tiger Demon Form for fifteen or sixteen years. But there is a problem. The Tiger Demon only controls and manipulates shadows; it is not a shadow creature. Shadow Power corresponds to your Mana Bar. You still need to eat, hunt prey, and absorb nutrients, which corresponds to your Health Bar. This Foam World is overrun with mad beasts and tomato monks... Can you bring yourself to eat them? Also, if Yellow Springs Aura can drift into the Shadow World, then can Yellow Springs ghosts not enter as well? Perhaps they simply disdain this place for being too barren, which is why they have not come in."
"Fifteen years? That is far too long!"
Upon hearing that, Yuan Zhu completely abandoned the idea of cultivating in seclusion within the Foam Layer. If the Foam World had a Shadow Plane, there was no reason the real world would not have one too. Perhaps its Shadow Power was even more abundant? Once he returned to reality, he could find a chance to test it.
"Forget it. Keep gathering Yellow Springs Aura and complete the Tiger Demon Spiritual Root."
The snake tail said, "Go in this direction. It leads toward Vajra Temple, where Yellow Springs Death Qi is denser. We can count as 0.01 of a Yellow Springs life-form now. Firewall, Shadow Shell, and Yellow Springs affinity—three layers of protection. We can enter higher-concentration regions and extract denser aura."
"Let's go!"
The Tiger Demon body twisted into abstraction again. In a pouncing posture, it stretched into lines of shadow, merged into the mottled darkness, and moved swiftly.
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