Chapter Twenty-Nine: The Imprint of Leaves and Liquid

"What did you say? Your name is Li Xue? How old are you this year?" While questioning the four survivors, a young girl caught Shen Lie's attention; the name she gave was exactly the same as the daughter mentioned in the woman's diary from the inn.

"Sixteen," the girl replied. The dagger that had been plunged into her chest had already been pulled out, and after being bandaged, her face was as pale as a ghost, her voice weak to the extreme.

"Did your family used to have a black cat, just an ordinary house cat, black in color?" Shen Lie pressed further.

A glimmer of hope suddenly shone in the girl's dull eyes. She looked at Shen Lie with anticipation. "Brother, did you see my mother? Little Black is always by her side!"

Little Black? Shen Lie recalled the image of that large black cat and couldn't help but twitch at the corner of his mouth. He shook his head, stood up, and sighed, "Live well, young lady. In these times, the greatest fortune is simply to survive."

The girl was quick-witted; as soon as Shen Lie finished speaking, she understood. The light in her eyes faded again. Shen Lie sighed internally, turned to instruct one of Li Cheng's men to take good care of her, and then left the supermarket.

After Shen Lie’s request, Li Cheng had decided to move the base to Qi Family Supermarket, but the people in the compound had not all relocated yet, and there were still many things to transfer.

Shen Lie returned to his room in the compound. He intended to use the white flower first—danger lurked everywhere in this world, and increasing his strength as soon as possible was essential.

Zhang Jing still followed closely by his side. By now, she had become his all-purpose assistant, handling everything except sharing his bed. After he returned, she stood guard outside his door.

Having had previous experience, Shen Lie made a few preparations, then took the white flower from the box. He inhaled its fragrance, then sent each petal into his mouth one by one.

The petals melted instantly. A cool sensation coursed through his body, once again being absorbed by the mark in his Niwan Palace. Thanks to the previous infusion of energy, the mark’s damaged state had already improved. This time, as he consumed the fourth petal, the mark suddenly shone brightly, radiating light that illuminated his Niwan Palace completely. If there had been anyone else in the room, they would have noticed a faint black halo emanating from Shen Lie's head, making him look truly peculiar.

Unaware of the abnormality in his body, Shen Lie’s attention was wholly absorbed by the mark. The brilliance it emitted quickly faded, then transformed into a remarkably strange shape: neither round nor flat, resembling a black leaf etched with intricate patterns, from which a peculiar energy pulsed.

He also noticed that the original red line within the mark had vanished, replaced by a drop of dark red liquid, hanging on the leaf like a dewdrop.

Such abstract changes were beyond Shen Lie’s current comprehension. All he could do was study it slowly; whether it was good or bad would depend on luck. Judging by the situation, however, it seemed mostly beneficial.

A glint flashed in Shen Lie’s eyes. The black spear appeared in his hand, and he willed the mark’s energy to activate. The patterns on the spear immediately lit up, enveloping it in a shroud of black light.

This delighted Shen Lie immensely. He vividly remembered that during his battle with Xiao Gang, it was precisely this power that caused the spear to radiate light, allowing him to kill Xiao Gang effortlessly. Yet after returning, he found that this power was beyond his control; he could not summon it at will.

Now, it seemed the reason he couldn’t wield this power was either the lack of energy stored in his brow or the mark’s insufficient recovery. With both issues resolved, the power flowed freely.

After experimenting with the force, Shen Lie realized that aside from empowering the black spear, it had no other uses. But he was not disappointed—the black spear was his trump card. Without it, he would have died countless times already. Any enhancement to the spear meant an improvement in his own strength.

Having understood the mark’s energy, Shen Lie turned his attention to the drop of dark red liquid. This was definitely not the same as the drop found beneath the Golden Hall; its color and aura were vastly different, so he did not fear being possessed again. However, its strange appearance troubled him, and he could not rest until he figured it out.

"Could it be a manifestation of liquefied energy?" Shen Lie speculated for a long time but failed to determine its origin. He suspected it was the product of increased energy within the mark, but something felt off. Unable to resolve it, he decided to leave it for another day.

Two petals remained from the white flower. Shen Lie considered saving them for later, but fearing they might not keep, he abandoned the idea and placed another petal in his mouth.

A refreshing energy formed within him, and the mark in his Niwan Palace immediately stirred. Shen Lie was about to guide the energy into his Niwan Palace as before when a new idea suddenly struck him.

The moment it appeared, he forcibly severed the connection to the mark and began directing the energy into his bloodstream, just as he had when using the Phantom Mushroom.

Indeed, since the mark now had enough energy to empower the black spear, there was no need to waste more. His intention was to let his body absorb the energy, hoping to increase his internal paranormal energy—the true source of his power and his most urgent need.

With the Niwan Palace sealed, the energy from the petal lost its way and began to rampage through his body, eventually merging with his original paranormal energy.

The instant the two energies met, they erupted like dry wood meeting a raging fire. The white flower’s energy acted like an amplifier, catalyzing Shen Lie’s paranormal energy to soar, forming a torrent of energy in moments—its effect dozens of times greater than the Phantom Mushroom!

This phenomenon nearly drove Shen Lie wild with joy, but he soon realized the energy was too violent, utterly uncontrollable, and impossible to use or absorb. If this continued, he would burst apart in mere moments!

"What now?" Shen Lie panicked, blaming himself for his recklessness. But what was done was done; worrying was useless, and he had to find a solution quickly.

After a while—just when Shen Lie felt he could no longer hold out—a sudden inspiration struck him. Without hesitation, he employed the Boiling Blood Technique, using its method to fuse the raging energy.

"There’s hope!"

Once he activated the Boiling Blood Technique, Shen Lie felt the wild energy begin to tame, gradually absorbed by his blood. During this process, his right hand turned a pale gold, rapidly spreading upwards. In less than half a minute, it covered most of his body, and soon his entire form was suffused with this color, making him look like a golden man from afar.

Shen Lie did not notice the change, nor would he have cared if he had, for at the exact moment his body was fully covered in pale gold, he sensed a fundamental transformation within himself—indescribable, as if his very essence had ascended.

Moreover, he discovered a faint, swirling vortex inside his body, flickering in and out of existence, its presence elusive yet definite. With the appearance of this vortex, his paranormal energy ceased to increase, no matter how much more energy entered—it all vanished into the vortex. An understanding dawned on him: this vortex was a barrier, and unless he broke through it, his paranormal energy could never increase further.

With no guidance, everything had to be explored alone. Shen Lie had no idea what the vortex was, nor how to break it. Gritting his teeth, he placed the last petal in his mouth and let his paranormal energy erupt once more, a powerful torrent surging toward the vortex.

The energy was too sharp and intense for Shen Lie’s body to bear, as if he were being torn apart, waves of pain crashing over his nerves.

He felt he was about to explode, but he saw the vortex trembling as well. Knowing that withdrawing the energy would end the pain, he nevertheless endured, clenching his teeth.

"Ah! Ah, ah, ah, ah! Open!"

Shen Lie finally could not bear it, shouting aloud, his eyes bloodshot. He pushed harder, accelerating the assault. The flickering vortex suddenly blazed, bursting forth with dazzling light that transformed into countless stars, scattering throughout his body.

In an instant, the pain vanished, and Shen Lie regained clarity.