Chapter Fourteen: The Golden Transmutation Ability

Shen Lie also saw the flower. It was a species he had never encountered before, the whole blossom the size of a bowl, pure white and flawless, crystalline and translucent, exuding a faint, refreshing fragrance as the gentle breeze swept over the water’s surface.

“Ah, this is...!”

A wisp of the scent slipped into Shen Lie’s nostrils, causing his body to tremble and a fierce shout to erupt in his heart.

Back in the underground chamber beneath the golden palace, two drops of liquid had entered his brow. He now knew those were two drops of essence blood: the golden one left behind by the golden skeleton, the black one attached to the short black spear by its master, presumably intended to suppress the golden skeleton.

Those two droplets of blood had struggled against each other for untold years. When Shen Lie drank the golden liquid, he seemed to have disrupted some ancient balance. Both the golden and black blood attempted to seize control of him, but ultimately, they injured each other, and their residual spiritual will vanished entirely.

Even so, both drops of essence blood entered his body. The golden blood immediately diffused throughout his body upon entering his brow, causing physical changes and allowing him to retrieve the cultivation method for the Boiling Blood Technique from its lingering memories, which greatly benefited him.

The black essence blood, however, remained in his brow, lodged in the so-called “Mud Pill Palace,” forming a broken imprint that Shen Lie could sense clearly but could neither expel nor use—a persistent source of worry.

Just now, the fragrance from the white flower caused the black imprint in his brow to stir slightly. Though the reaction was minor, it astonished him, stirring a desire to seize the flower for experimentation.

But reason prevailed. No matter how alluring the white flower, Shen Lie stayed motionless, watching as the blossom floated with the current to the front of the white spider.

At that moment, the white spider suddenly leapt, its whole body soaring into the air. Maintaining a gliding posture, it “flew” above the flower, snatching it in its jaws.

The process was seamless, almost graceful, yet the beauty was shattered by the blood river’s surging waters. As the spider seized the flower, the previously placid river suddenly erupted in fury, as if provoked!

The water shot up, forming a column that, under Shen Lie’s stunned gaze, shaped itself into a gaping maw and snapped toward the white spider. Nearby waters aided the attack, countless droplets splashing forth, turning the area around the spider into a haze of red mist.

Shen Lie could not guess why the river reacted this way, but he had no doubt of the mist’s destructive power. The crimson “mouth” was particularly chilling, as if the spider would perish in the next instant.

Yet the white spider seemed unfazed, showing neither fear nor emitting a terrified screech. Its body flashed with white light and vanished from its previous spot, reappearing on the bank where it had been resting. It shook its claws triumphantly and departed under Shen Lie’s watchful gaze.

The river returned to calm. Shen Lie tightened his fist, realizing that the appearance of this white spider had shifted his understanding of the spider monsters. He’d assumed that strength was determined by size, but clearly, that was not the case. The white spider had just demonstrated a teleportation-like ability, whereas all the spiders he had previously encountered attacked with blade-like energy.

Different attack methods were one thing, but teleportation clearly suppressed his brute force approach, making these creatures far more dangerous to him.

He wondered if the spider hadn’t crossed the river because it couldn’t or simply chose not to. Regardless, Shen Lie did not wish to linger by the river any longer. After waiting a while to ensure the white spider had gone, he rose again to search for a possible crossing.

The river cut through the entire town. Upon reaching its end, Shen Lie found it flowed into vast fields of medicinal plants and so he retraced his steps to search the other side.

During his search, Shen Lie found a map and some documents in a government office, finally learning he was in Dongfeng Town, Meng City, southern Qingshan Province. It was neither far nor near from his hometown, Songling City—about three to four hundred li. Before the apocalypse, that would have been a two or three hour drive, but now it felt as distant as the ends of the earth.

He abandoned thoughts of returning home. If he could leave this town, he planned to head south, partly to search for his cousin Wen Wan’s family in Liaoning Province, and also because the capital lay to the south—if any place had strong defenses, surely it was the administrative center of the nation.

Shen Lie had no ambitions to dominate the apocalypse, nor sought the thrill of overpowering others. He simply wished for a stable place to live in peace and, if possible, protect his loved ones and friends. Thus, his current goal was Yangcheng, the provincial capital, to first find his cousin.

Persistence paid off. While evading danger, Shen Lie finally found a relatively narrow bend in the river before sunset. Here, the river was just over two meters wide. If the woman had crossed the river anywhere, it must have been here.

Shen Lie carefully inspected the riverbank. The red river water was eerie, but as long as he didn’t touch it, it wouldn’t attack. After a while, he was nearly certain of the spot, for he found a red sneaker stuck in a muddy patch near the bank. Its owner must have fled in haste, leaving the shoe behind. Shen Lie had seen the same model, a red sneaker, in the woman’s room—also a single shoe.

A two-meter leap was easy for most people; the woman managed it, and Shen Lie could do so effortlessly. Yet he was not impulsive. After observing, he retreated behind a landscape tree further from the bank.

This tree had not mutated—not all animals and plants had changed. Shen Lie crouched beneath its branches, the darkening sky rendering his silhouette even more indistinct.

As the sun set and the moon rose, Shen Lie faced his first night since returning to Earth.

He noticed the moonlight was unusually bright. Whether it was just tonight or a change since the apocalypse, the moon now appeared almost twice its former size. Its white glow was tinged with a faint crimson, making the entire world feel more oppressive.

The world grew ever stranger. Shen Lie had no idea what had become of Earth in the three months he’d been gone. Though he’d gained much in the other realm, he’d lost touch with the world’s current state. Still, what he gained far outweighed what he lost, and he had no regrets—only a determination to gradually make up for what was missing.

Sleepiness crept in, but Shen Lie knew he could not sleep. In this small town, terror lurked everywhere; if he wanted to survive, vigilance was essential.

Unable to sleep, he began cultivating the Boiling Blood Technique, clutching the yellow crystal he’d obtained. Shen Lie closed his eyes and activated the method.

The Boiling Blood Technique was merely the most basic cultivation method mastered by the golden skeleton. Simple in function, it absorbed the energy of crystals, guided it into the body to make the blood boil, fusing the crystal’s power with his blood to enhance his abilities.

Though simple, Shen Lie knew he could never have mastered it without the residual memories from the golden blood. Even spiritual introspection was not something easily achieved. He had to admit his luck was quite good.

As the crystal’s energy was absorbed, Shen Lie’s body turned red, his face like a cooked prawn, steam rising from him.

His expression twisted in pain; each cultivation session was an ordeal. Especially when the crystal’s energy was purified and fused with his blood—it felt as if countless ants gnawed at his nerves. But he would never give up. The peaceful era was gone; it was obvious that overwhelming power was vital for survival. To live longer and better, his strength must continually grow.

With several experiences from the other world, Shen Lie’s tolerance for pain had increased greatly. Besides, this time the crystal’s energy was limited, and in moments, it was exhausted. He opened his eyes and exhaled softly.

He looked at his right hand. With a thought, his entire palm turned a faint golden hue. He nodded in satisfaction. Though the crystal’s energy was small, it had increased the degree of his golden transformation, boosting his strength, agility, and perception. He was content.

He called this energy, which could transform his body into gold, “golden power”—undoubtedly inherited from the golden blood, possibly related to the golden liquid he drank, all tied to the golden skeleton.

He didn’t know what caused the big black cat to mutate, but believed his own mutation was due to the golden skeleton—perhaps the black blood played a role, but so far, the golden blood was most significant. With only a palm-sized area transformed, he had gained such power. What would happen if his entire arm, or even his whole body, turned to gold? The thought was exhilarating.