Chapter 406 - 5: Source Crystal

Soul Capturing Technique!

The immense Divine Soul Power, like a dagger, pierced into the Sea of Consciousness, forcefully rummaging through the man’s memories.

For a Golden Core Grandmaster, Soul-Capturing and Soul-Seizing was a trivial affair, cast with but a single flicker of Divine Thought.

However, the people of this world seemed rather peculiar. When Zhu Ju used the Soul Capturing Technique, he could feel a considerable amount of resistance.

It was like...

An invisible barrier was repelling the probing of his Divine Soul Power.

Fortunately, this force wasn’t too strong—still within the realm of what he could overcome. In an instant, a torrent of memories flooded his mind.

Safe City!

Genetic Potion!

Demon Hunting Team!

Commerce Association!

...

Just as Zhu Ju had expected, this world had indeed once been a civilization with extremely advanced technology.

It had even possessed highly developed off-world technology.

But for some unknown reason, things had changed.

Powerful and terrifying beings had suddenly descended, bringing disaster and plague, and destroying everything that came before. This had indirectly caused the entire world to change, with all sorts of bizarre anomalies appearing across the globe, encroaching on humanity’s living space.

Now, the survivors of that era lived in Safe Cities protected by powerful armaments, relying on the new world’s new technologies to survive.

"Ah!"

The man in Zhu Ju’s grip struggled desperately, letting out a furious roar as several phantasmal shadows suddenly shot out from the ground.

The shadows, sharp as swords, lunged forward.

Shadow Control Skill!

The new humans of this new world underwent genetic modification at birth, making their Physical Bodies far superior to those of the old humans.

After birth, taking a Genetic Potion created a minuscule chance of triggering a genetic mutation and gaining special abilities.

This man was one such case.

His special ability was shadow manipulation.

The shadows possessed an attack power rivaling that of solid objects. They were silent, traceless, and swift as lightning.

Relying on this ability, he had turned the tables and slain his opponents on several occasions. It was especially potent at night, where he was virtually unstoppable.

"TING..."

The sound of impact rang out.

Zhu Ju’s expression remained unchanged as he continued to sift through the man’s memories, as if he hadn’t even noticed the attacking shadows.

He continued until there were no new clues to be found.

"SPLAT!"

With a single squeeze of his hand, the man’s head exploded. The headless corpse swayed for a moment before collapsing to the ground.

"Evolution! Mutation!"

The people of this new world referred to methods such as Martial Arts Cultivation, Physical Body transformation, and genetic enhancement as "evolution."

Beings that had lost their humanity were referred to as Mutant Bodies.

Mutant Bodies were often extremely powerful, and the destruction of certain Safe Cities was even directly linked to them.

This Demon Hunting Squad had mistaken Zhu Ju for a Mutant Body, which was why they had attacked him so recklessly.

Zhu Ju stroked his chin.

’From my perspective, these so-called Mutant Bodies are simply Fallen Demons. But can technology cause one to fall into demonhood?’

After finishing off the remaining few, he raised a hand, and a ring flew out from one of the corpses.

A Storage Ring!

Similar to the storage pouches of the Main World, it contained a special space for storing items.

Using the knowledge from the retrieved memories to open the Storage Ring, he found some Exotic Beast Flesh, potions, and Source Crystals inside.

The Source Crystals were the same type of crystal Zhu Ju had obtained after killing the Human-Faced Spider.

They were the main ingredient for concocting Genetic Potions and could be sold for a high price in the Safe Cities.

This Demon Hunting Squad had been hired by a Commerce Association to venture into the wilds and hunt Exotic Beasts, their primary objective being to acquire Source Crystals.

The price of a Source Crystal varied depending on its size and color.

White Source Crystals, which aided in the evolution of the Physical Body, were the most common and thus commanded the lowest prices.

Black Source Crystals could increase one’s Spiritual Power. They were rarer, and their prices fluctuated wildly.

Increasing Spiritual Power could lead to the evolution of special abilities—like the shadow manipulation used by the man from before—but it could also cause one to lose control and go mad, hence the wild price fluctuations.

Furthermore, there was a type of Blue Source Crystal. These were extremely special, capable of making even inanimate objects evolve.

The principle behind it was unknown.

He dug a white Source Crystal from the nearby Thunder Rhinoceros corpse, placed the carcass into his storage pouch, and then, rather than rushing to explore the Otherworld, teleported back to the Main World.

*

*

*

Zhu Ju unfurled the Wind and Thunder Blade Wings from his back. Composed of over three hundred Flying Sabers, the wings gave a gentle flap. Amidst a crackle of lightning, he transformed into a blinding streak of electricity and shot into the distance.

Powered by his Golden Core, the might and speed of the Wind and Thunder Blade Wings were several times greater than when he was at the Dao Foundation stage.

He crossed miles in the blink of an eye.

「Several days later.」

Zhu Ju appeared in the skies above a Marketplace. After presenting his Immortal Alliance Token, he was led inside.

"KNOCK KNOCK..."

"Enter!"

The wooden door opened to reveal a white-haired old man.

"Senior."

Zhu Ju cupped his fist in salute.

The old man was Fang Zhong, a Mid-Stage Golden Core Cultivator who had once served as an Elder in the Celestial Yu Sect’s Pill Workshop.

When the Celestial Yu Sect had sealed its mountain to avoid the demonic calamity, he had chosen to remain outside.

The man was already over eight hundred years old. Had he not taken life-extending Elixirs, he would have long since reached the end of his lifespan.

"Zhu Ju!"

Fang Zhong looked up, a smile gracing his features.

"I always knew you would advance to the Golden Core stage, but I never imagined it would be this fast. My heartfelt congratulations."

"You flatter me, Senior."

"There’s no need to call me Senior. We are not of the same sect, so let’s address each other as Fellow Daoist, as is custom."

"This..."

Zhu Ju hesitated for a moment.

"Fellow Daoist Fang."

"Haha..." Fang Zhong chuckled, stroking his beard.

"Please, sit. Tell me, Fellow Daoist Zhu, what brings you here today?"

"Fellow Daoist." Zhu Ju sat down across from him and, with a flip of his hand, produced three Source Crystals, placing them on the table.

"Years ago, I happened to stumble into the Jade Void Cave Heaven and came across these items in a predecessor’s Heritage Mansion."

"They’re called Source Crystals. They contain a powerful energy, similar to a Demon Core, yet not quite the same. I was wondering if you knew of them, Fellow Daoist? Can the energy within be absorbed through Refinement? And are there any dangers in doing so?"

"Source Crystals?" Fang Zhong sat up straight.

He had lived for over eight hundred years and was exceptionally worldly and wise; very few things could still pique his interest.

He picked up a Source Crystal to examine it. After a moment, his expression gradually grew solemn. He then took out several Magical Treasures and used them to carefully inspect the three crystals.

After a long while.

Fang Zhong finally let out a long breath and stopped what he was doing.

"Incredible. To think that such a thing exists in the world..."

"Senior."

Zhu Ju began.

"Have you discovered something?"

"Yes," Fang Zhong said, lightly stroking his beard.

"Several thousand years ago, the Great Dao collapsed and the Immortal Gods vanished. We of later generations believe the most likely cause was that some unknown entity laced the Great Dao with a virulent poison. All who were tainted by it perished without exception."

"This Source Crystal..."

"...It contains a hint of the essence of Dao Poison, of Daoist Evil. It is an extremely faint trace, but it is there without a doubt."

Hm?

Zhu Ju’s expression tightened.

"This object contains powerful energy, and it can indeed be absorbed through Refinement," Fang Zhong said, picking up one of the crystals.

"However, there is a risk of falling into demonhood after the Refinement. Fortunately, with only three of them, the quantity is small enough that you need not worry."

Fallen Demon!

Zhu Ju stroked his chin.

’Refining Source Crystals carries the risk of falling into demonhood... Could this be how the Mutant Bodies from the Otherworld came to be?’

"Fellow Daoist, is there no way to solve this?"

"There is," Fang Zhong gave a surprisingly affirmative answer, shrugging as he spoke.

"Dao Poison itself cannot be purged—otherwise, the Immortals would not have died. But these Source Crystals only contain an extremely weak and diluted trace of it. Therefore, the Spirit Cleansing Spell should theoretically be able to remove it."

"The Spirit Cleansing Spell?" Zhu Ju’s eyes flickered.

"Theoretically?"

"The Spirit Cleansing Spell is actually related to the Jade Void Sect. It’s said to have been created by a powerful expert from that sect in a futile attempt to extract the virulent poison from the Great Dao. Unfortunately, he perished from the Dao Poison before he could bring the technique to Perfection, leaving only the current version to posterity," Fang Zhong explained.

"As you should know, Fellow Daoist, condensing a Nascent Soul requires one to merge with the Great Dao. Theoretically, anyone who reaches the Nascent Soul stage is doomed to die!"

"Then why is it that across the Righteous and Evil Dao, there are still three Nascent Soul cultivators?"

"The Spirit Cleansing Spell?" Zhu Ju’s eyes lit up.

"Precisely!" Fang Zhong nodded.

"It is all because of the Spirit Cleansing Spell."

"When one condenses a Nascent Soul, they can inscribe a Spirit Cleansing Array to resist the invasion of Dao Poison. After advancing, a Nascent Soul True Man becomes tainted with Dao Poison every time they use their power. That is why they immediately enter seclusion after a battle—to use the Spirit Cleansing Spell and wash the Dao Poison from their bodies. Only then can they act again."

So that was how it was!

Zhu Ju was suddenly enlightened.

"This is the Spirit Cleansing Spell." Fang Zhong took out a Jade Scroll and handed it to him. Seeing Zhu Ju’s puzzled expression, he smiled.

"This spell is useless to people like us, and it’s something every Late-Stage Golden Core Cultivator has mastered anyway. Since you have this opportunity, Fellow Daoist, I certainly won’t be stingy."

"But you must remember, Fellow Daoist, I cannot guarantee that the Spirit Cleansing Spell will truly be able to purge the Dao Poison from the Source Crystals."