Chickens

His clothes were torn, but still wearable. Better than going naked.

After washing them in the river, he pulled them straight on. Unfortunately, his underwear was completely gone, but with Heart Light protecting his body now, he no longer had to worry about anything pinching his balls.

He found a random spot to sit down, took out the Parchment, and wrote:

Lin Shan: [How much lifespan do I have left?]

Parchment: [Remaining lifespan: two hundred years.]

Well, damn. Not only had the curse been lifted, but his balance had been topped up too. He wasn't sure whether it was a top-up or a reset. If it was a reset, what a waste of the forty-odd unused years in his old account.

Lin Shan: [Is the lifespan added to my original lifespan?]

Parchment: [Payment of one month of lifespan required.]

Lin Shan: [Pay.]

He chose to pay without hesitation. This question was important; it would determine his next moves.

Parchment: [No. Successfully taking a sequence potion is equivalent to gaining a new life. Different lifespans are granted according to the sequence ability mastered. The Heart Light Sequence grants two hundred years of lifespan. This lifespan represents only the duration of the soul's existence and does not guarantee survival for that duration.]

"So lifespan is bound to the soul." Lin Shan felt his collection of strange knowledge growing again.

More importantly, he had learned something crucial-lifespan wasn't added to his original remaining years, but reset outright. It was equivalent to being born anew.

He put those thoughts aside and continued writing on the Parchment:

Lin Shan: [The camp's location.]

Parchment: [Payment of one month of lifespan required.]

Lin Shan: [Pay.]

The writing on the Parchment vanished, turning into two points of light with a tiny annotation beside them: "70 km."

Dawn had yet to break, and the Blood Moon still hung overhead. Even though Lin Shan had now attained Transcendence, he didn't dare travel through the ash fog in the dead of night. Surviving the previous two times had been pure luck.

He waited silently for the red moon to retreat. Only after the sun rose did Lin Shan set off, opting to run outright. He planned to reach camp before nightfall.

The wilderness looked very different from when he had come. The weather had cooled, and the wild fruit that had once been everywhere on the roadside trees had all rotted on the ground. Even the leaves had begun to yellow and fall.

"Is winter coming? Looks like this world has four seasons too. I just don't know how long each one lasts..."

"Summer had only just begun when I came here, and now it's almost winter. By Earth's calendar, I must have spent at least half a year in the Purple Soul Flower Forest!"

"I never imagined so much time would pass in what felt like closing my eyes for a moment. I wonder how things are at camp..."

Enveloped in a faint, shimmering glow, Lin Shan raced toward the camp, steering clear of any beasts or supernatural horrors he encountered along the way. After attaining Transcendence, using his blood as lamp oil could now give him a visibility range of four hundred meters!

Whenever a supernatural horror was nearby, entering the area covered by its supernatural influence brought a chill. Using this trick, he successfully avoided two unknown horrors along the way.

Even if a horror tried to attack him, as long as it wasn't excessively terrifying, he could now hold it off briefly and seize a chance to escape.

As for fighting supernatural horrors... he had no plans to do that yet, and probably lacked the strength anyway. He had never forgotten the Parchment's earlier claim that they could neither die nor be destroyed. When faced with a mindless, undying, and extremely troublesome horror, the best approach was to avoid it.

After jogging for over four hours, he was only slightly out of breath. With thirty kilometers still to go, Lin Shan decided to rest before continuing.

"What's that?" He suddenly spotted several creatures nearby that looked both familiar and unfamiliar.

"Chickens!"

Lin Shan swallowed, and his empty stomach began urging him on.

They really were chickens, only far larger than those on Earth. Standing upright, they were fully half a person's height, and a faint spiritual glow shone over their bodies. These were transcendent chickens!

There were nine in all. Without further hesitation, Lin Shan charged straight at them, lantern in hand.

Rather than dodge when they saw Lin Shan charging, the chickens bravely spread their wings and tried to peck him. Heart Light streamed out of his body, forming a pale golden protective barrier. Their beaks actually punched little holes in it, though those holes were quickly repaired.

Then Lin Shan drove a fist wrapped in pale golden light into a chicken's head, sending it flying over ten meters. It hit the ground and didn't get up again.

The other chickens seemed to realize they couldn't beat Lin Shan and took to their heels. With only one chicken caught, how could he let them have their way? The pale golden light around his body condensed into a giant hand, which slapped unconscious a chicken that hadn't gotten far.

The golden light formed by Heart Light could leave his body to attack, but attacking that way meant giving up his own defenses. He could only use it as circumstances allowed.

Seeing the other chickens flapping their wings and fleeing into the distance, Lin Shan stood where he was, holding the Red Lantern. The next second, pale red flames ignited over the chicken closest to him. Within seconds, it collapsed and lay still.

The other chickens had already escaped the Red Lantern's range, and Lin Shan didn't pursue them. They were clearly faster than him, so he couldn't catch them anyway. Besides, three were enough. He could eat one and take two back to see if he could raise them for eggs...

He walked over and picked up the chicken that had burned to death. Half of it was already charred; a few more seconds of burning would probably have reduced the whole thing to charcoal.

Though this chicken was a transcendent creature too, it was definitely among the weakest. Even Lin Shan, who had only just attained Transcendence, could deal with it easily. He wondered how transcendent strength was classified.

When in doubt, ask the Parchment.

Lin Shan: [Classifications of transcendent strength.]

Parchment: [Payment of one month of lifespan required.]

Lin Shan: [Pay.]

Parchment: [Sequence Nine through Sequence One constitute nine tiers of life. There is no inherent distinction in strength within the same sequence; strength depends on how abilities are used. Supernatural horrors are an exception. Their abilities transcend the constraints of the laws, making them the strongest within their current sequence. However, even supernatural horrors find it difficult to affect creatures of higher sequences across the sequence divide. Below Sequence Nine are pseudo-transcendent creatures, which have mutated under supernatural influence. They are the weakest transcendent beings.]

"Those chickens must have been pseudo-transcendent. No wonder they were so weak," Lin Shan muttered after reading the information.

At the same time, he felt relieved that he hadn't gone out of his way to provoke any supernatural horrors. According to the Parchment, every one of them was invincible within its own sequence.

He tore off a piece of chicken and popped it into his mouth. As he chewed, Lin Shan's eyes lit up. Delicious!

The chicken was half a person's height and weighed nearly twenty jin. Although Lin Shan's appetite had noticeably increased after attaining Transcendence, eating just the unburned half left him so stuffed he didn't want to move. This was the fullest he had eaten since arriving in this other world.

After his hearty meal, Lin Shan looked at the two unconscious chickens on the ground. They happened to be a rooster and a hen. Not only could they provide eggs, but perhaps they could produce chicks too.

First, he twisted a grass rope and tied the two chickens' feet together. Then he found a wooden pole and slung them over his shoulder. Carrying the large red lantern in his right hand, he continued on his way, leaving only a scattering of bones behind.

Along the way, he narrowly but safely evaded an attack by a supernatural horror, leaving just one kilometer to his destination. The chickens slung behind him woke up twice during the journey, and each time Lin Shan slapped them unconscious again.