Symbiotic Fungal Armor

"A spirit or a supernatural being?"

Hearing the answer echoing in his heart, Xu Yuan lowered his eyes and murmured.

He had just read in the Jade Slip that she had stopped Tang and Su from conducting experiments on living people, and he had assumed that Luo Xiran and Xu Xinyao were the same kind of people.

The researchers were kind-hearted, but they never expected the other party to be so ruthless.

Be ruthless to the enemy, but even more ruthless to yourself.

He cultivated his own Will Soul into a magical essence and infused it into the Blood God Stone, inducing the other three saints to fight each other for the body of the Strange Ghost. Finally, he ambushed the winner among the three, taking the spoils from the Underground Palace to reinforce the besieged Heavenly Oversight Pavilion on the surface.

Unfortunately, there was more than one ruthless person.

Tang Wan'er, Su Luochen, and even the original Strange Ghost were all ruthless individuals. In the chaotic battle, they used all their methods, and the final result was that everyone perished together.

Tang Wan'er and Su Luochen died and their souls vanished. The original Strange Ghost forgot its true self and was trapped for ten thousand years. The Blood God Stone, which Luo Xiran inhabiting, was split in two and could no longer be gathered to control the Strange Ghost.

The Blood Nest Disaster that Little White mentioned back then was probably this farce, instigated by four saints, that had no winners.

Hearing his murmur, Luo Xiran assumed he didn't understand and explained:

"Spiritual beings and spirits can be born spontaneously in the world, but they can also be artificially created. Using Evil Dao methods, one can refine a person's Will Soul into a vessel. It is understandable that you are unaware of this."

"I know," Xu Yuan said, snapping back to reality.

"."

The gentle female voice paused for a moment, then hesitated before saying, "This Evil Method of refining the soul into a weapon was a secret art passed down only by the Demon Artifact Sect."

Xu Yuan let out a soft chuckle:

"What secret technique? This method of refining spiritual essences and monsters is already commonplace in the outside world."

Luo Xiran paused for a moment, then her voice carried a hint of solemnity:

"So, does that mean the outside world is currently overrun by demonic cults?"

Xu Yuan sighed:

"Sister, ten thousand years have passed outside."

Luo Xiran's gentle voice carried a hint of surprise:

"Ten thousand years?"

Xu Yuan chuckled softly, "You have no concept of time inside this Blood God Stone?"

"I have been asleep all along, so naturally I am unaware."

Luo Xiran silent for a moment, then her voice carried a hint of melancholy. "In ten thousand years, the outside world must have undergone tremendous changes."

"Indeed, the world has changed dramatically."

Xu Yuan sighed, "The Evil Dao Secret Method that everyone condemned back then are now life-extending methods permitted by the imperial court, and many wealthy merchants are flocking to them."

"Methods to prolong life?"

Luo Xiran asked in bewilderment, "This Evil Dao secret technique can shatter the Will Soul of the victim, and if one is not careful, one will die and one's soul will perish. How can anyone be willing to become a weapon spirit?"

"I told you it's been ten thousand years, and the process technology is much more advanced now, so it's completely painless."

Xu Yuan rolled his eyes and casually explained, "Of course, their lifespan won't be as long as it was back then. The spirits and monsters refined now might dissipate in ten years if they aren't maintained."

Luo Xiran been isolated for ten thousand years; an ancient relic is an ancient relic.

As it has evolved, the technique of refining souls into weapons, while still complex, is no longer considered too difficult and is even quite common within the Great Yan Empire today.

Every year, many dying cultivators, wealthy old men from the local area, and well-known local worthies flock to this path.

As long as the high moral standards of etiquette and morality are met, local officials will report to the imperial envoy, who will review the report and then submit it to the Astronomical Directorate for final verification. This will allow the dying person to be transformed into a spirit or monster, thus prolonging their life in another way.

The Mountain God Temple, the city City God in the City God Temple, and the Stone Buddha in the Buddhist hall all originated from this.

This can be considered one of the means by which the Great Yan Dynasty maintains its local rule, because the most powerful of these spiritual spirits and monsters can even be compared to those who have achieved the Body Fusion.

In order to reduce the burden on the Astronomical Directorate, these spirits and monsters were sent to protect the peace of the region.

Of course, even well-intentioned government decrees cannot withstand the temptations of reality.

Previously, Xu Yuan had read in the Prime Minister's Mansion's internal records that the entire process of the Astronomical Directorate's refining of spiritual spirits and monsters was not clean from beginning to end.

There might be one or two true local worthies each year, but the vast majority of these positions are simply sold off by people below.

There's so much money to be made from this.

All people are ordinary, and the older they get, the closer they feel to death, and the more fearful they become.

The super-rich of the past were all frantically researching ways to prolong their lives, and people in this life are naturally no exception.

In this despair, the Great Yan Dynasty's system of refining spiritual spirits and monsters became the only straw for these people to cling to.

In order to continue living, they are willing to spend a lot of money.

As a result, this policy, which was once only open to local gentry and elders, has now essentially become an annual auction extravaganza for local officials.

The items up for auction are these slots that have been cultivated into spirits and monsters.

The emperor and his father knew this better than anyone else, but neither of them had any intention of taking any action.

Simply put, they gave too much.

Refining spirit essences and monsters each year is a huge public welfare expenditure, which the Great Yan simply cannot afford given its current dire financial situation.

There's nothing new under the sun. The limits on how much profit each official can make and how much they have to give in exchange for bribes have already been set.

If you cross that line and are discovered, your entire family will be wiped out.

The Great Yan Dynasty only needs to provide the technology, and it can use the money of local wealthy merchants to forge bodies, thus protecting the peace of the region with the souls of these merchants.

And what about the wealthy merchant who was transformed into a spirit or monster?

Moreover, if you want to continue living, the Astronomical Directorate must protect and nourish your spirit, which is another considerable source of revenue.

Under such distorted government policies,

Officials embezzled money, the imperial court gained more revenue, and merchants lived longer.

Yes, a world where no one gets hurt has been achieved.

"Soul Condensation Imp"

Luo Xiran's soft voice interrupted Xu Yuan's thoughts, "The outside world must have changed a lot, right?"

Soul Condensation Imp

Xu Yuan clicked his tongue at the form of address and transmitted his Will Soul: "Miss Luo, now is not the time to talk about this. You don't want to stay in this Underground Palace forever, do you?"

"That's true."

Luo Xiran's heart stirred with emotion. "Soul Condensation little devil, you just said that a saint is chasing you?"

"Yes, there's another Strange Ghost up there trying to turn me into one of her kind."

As he spoke, Xu Yuan simply and clearly explained the current situation to his new personal assistant.

After listening carefully to the story,

Luo Xiran calm and gentle, tinged with approval:

"You, a mere Soul Condensation brat, have actually managed to maneuver between the Sage and 'Qi' for so long. Not bad."

It's that Soul Condensation Imp again.

"Soul Condensation is already very powerful."

Xu Yuan muttered to himself, clicked his tongue lightly, and said:

"And can we stop talking nonsense? Is there any other way to get out?"

The exit in the secret chamber does lead out, but the sanctified Barbarian King could also use that path to catch up with them.

Now that he had a female companion, and this companion was also the "chief engineer" of this Underground Palace, he wanted to find a better solution through her.

Luo Xiran was silent for a moment, then said:

You should call me senior.

"Huh?" Xu Yuan was stunned for a moment.

Luo Xiran's gentle voice was very serious:

"I am the Saint Venerable of the Heavenly Oversight Pavilion. I can see that you are of extraordinary status, but according to etiquette, regardless of your cultivation level or age, you should address me as 'senior' and use respectful language. What kind of decorum is this, acting so presumptuously?"

"." Xu Yuan.

Old Man Luo seems perfectly normal, but his sister seems to have some kind of mental problem.

What era are we living in, and we still care about these things?

After a moment of silence, Xu Yuan suddenly spoke:

According to etiquette and seniority, I am of the same generation as you.

"?"

"Old Man Luo and I are close friends despite our age difference. As his sister, I should also be your brother."

"." Luo Xiran.

After a few moments of silence, Luo Xiran didn't bring it up again, and said calmly:

"Enough. Society has collapsed. I am now the spirit of the Blood God Stone. I can control the Fungal Armor within you to devour your life essence, and I can also manipulate the Underground Palace's grand formation."

Seeing that the other person had stopped having an attack, Xu Yuan immediately asked:

"Simply put, I'll first absorb the life essence in this blood pool to become stronger, and then use the power of the great formation to fight that saint?"

"You really think highly of yourself."

"." Xu Yuan.

Luo Xiran a light snort, speaking very quickly:

"We absorbed the life essence of the Blood Pool to deal with 'Qi'. According to your description, her strength has probably declined due to the battles of that year. Although she no longer possesses the might of a saint, we absolutely cannot allow a primordial Strange Ghost to escape, otherwise the Strange Ghost calamity may be repeated in this world."

Xu Yuan's tone was somewhat disappointed:

"So in the end, we still have to escape through the path in the secret chamber below?"

"Of course not, the formation can help us escape."

Luo Xiran spoke, she suddenly added, "But you'd better be prepared first."

What does that mean?

Before Xu Yuan could finish speaking, the Strange Ghost body suddenly gave him an instinctive sense of crisis.

Rumble!!!!

A violent tremor spread outwards from where Xu Yuan stood, and the entire blood pool suddenly began to boil, with the life essence accumulated over ten thousand years surging infinitely into his body.

As the life force continued to pour in, Xu Yuan's consciousness began to be impacted in an instant, and the hazy feeling of consciousness that had been present in the cave quickly surfaced in his mind.

Xu Yuan's body went out of control and he half-knelt on the ground, one hand supporting himself on the ground, the other hand covering his head, his fingers almost digging into his brain, gritting his teeth:

What are you doing?

Luo Xiran's voice was gentle and calm:

"I am manipulating the Fungal Armor to absorb life essence. As the host of the Fungal Armor, you will also be modified to some extent, but don't worry."

As she spoke, Xu Yuan lost control of his body once again.

She sat cross-legged on the ground in a very feminine manner, and took out a jade bottle from her Blood Jade Glazed Robe. She opened the bottle cap and gulped down the seemingly living liquid inside in two large gulps.

Luo Xiran's pleasant, melodious voice was neither hurried nor slow:

"Life Source is not necessarily a bad thing for our human race. As long as the dosage is controlled to a certain extent, it is possible to achieve immortality that matches the physical body."

Before the medicine had fully taken effect, Xu Yuan forced himself to stabilize his chaotic consciousness and struggled to ask:

"Why haven't I seen this in your Jade Slip?"

"Because this is just my conjecture, and it hasn't been confirmed yet. If those sects hadn't been so short-sighted in attacking my Heavenly Oversight Pavilion, perhaps the lifespan of cultivators ten thousand years from now would have already exceeded the limit set back then."

Hearing Luo Xiran's regretful voice, Xu Yuan cursed inwardly, gritting his teeth:

"So, you're saying I've become your guinea pig?"

"Vulgar."

Her voice was soft, then turned with a hint of a smile:

"Don't worry, once the Fungal Armor enters your body, it will coexist with the Strange Ghost. Once you die, the Fungal Armor will also quickly perish. In other words, Xi Ran and you, his 'brother,' are now symbiotically one."

When talking about her elder brother, Luo Xiran emphasized the word.

Hearing this, Xu Yuan gritted his teeth in frustration.

The sage is indeed not deceiving me; it is only women and petty men who are difficult to deal with.

A dignified Saint Venerable of the Heavenly Oversight Pavilion, yet so petty.

Damn it, a real man can bend and stretch; I'll just have to bear with it for now.

Once we get back to the Imperial Capital's Prime Minister's Mansion the capital, I'll show you what cruelty truly means.

Lost in thought, Xu Yuan suppressed his surging instincts and quickly transmitted his Will Soul:

"Coco, isn't your true form the Blood God Stone?"

"Huh? No way, 'brother,' you're a Soul Condensation expert, how could you not see that? Although my true form is the Blood God Stone, it's already bound to the Fungal Armor within your body."

Luo Xiran's voice carried a faint chuckle, "Moreover, the Strange Ghost have been extinct for ten thousand years now, and only primordial Strange Ghost can cultivate creep. Naturally, Xiran cannot find a second one to inhabit."

As they spoke,

Xu Yuan's previously blurred consciousness was suddenly enveloped by a cool sensation, constantly washing away the instinctive desires that his life source brought to his Strange Ghost body.

Sensing this change, Xu Yuan felt slightly more at ease.

It seems the antidote is working.

"Oh, right, brother, there's one more thing."

Just as she was thinking this, Luo Xiran, who was manipulating the Fungal Armor to devour life essence, suddenly spoke up again.

Xu Yuan replied with a smile through his Will Soul, somewhat annoyed, "We're siblings, so let's just speak our minds."

Luo Xiran gave a soft "hmm" and chuckled:

"The Reverse Fate Liquid and the Source of Fate may cause some pain when they work together. Remember to bear with it. Brother, as a Soul Condensation expert, you won't be unable to endure this pain, will you?"

The words were finished.

"Boom!"

A sudden explosion rang in Xu Yuan's mind.

Immediately, a sharp pain emanating from the depths of his Will Soul spread from his sea of consciousness, rapidly reaching his limbs and bones.

It hurts, it hurts so much!

Like a tidal wave, it spread out from the sea of consciousness in waves!

"Soul Condensation Imp, you must hold on. If you lose consciousness, the Strange Ghost transformation will quickly erode your mind."

Amid Xu Yuan's anguish, the teasing laughter in Luo Xiran's voice vanished, replaced by a hint of solemnity:

"This step is necessary. Otherwise, even if the Reverse Fate Liquid I developed can transform your body back into a human, with your current Soul Condensation cultivation level, these Fungal Armor have seeped into your body will instantly drain you dry the moment you transform back into a human."

Upon hearing this, Xu Yuan suddenly forced a smile:

"What? You're not calling me brother anymore?"

"."

Luo Xiran silent for a moment, with a hint of surprise:

"You can still talk?"

Xu Yuan rolled his eyes, enduring the excruciating pain, and gritted his teeth as he grinned maliciously:

"I've endured this pain hundreds of times before."