Li Ang lightly tapped the tip of the Tyrant Halberd on the stone.
The tal blade tip made a crisp, pleasant sound when it touched the stone's surface.
"It seems that after the magical beast stole the stone, it swallowed it and has been preserving it until now."
Li Ang pondered for a mont, and then said slowly, "But, why?"
"Perhaps the stone itself has special properties other than just opening the Holy Mountain Gate?"
Wu Dai said calmly, "Like so heavenly materials and earthly treasures, consuming them can lead to the evolution of demons."
"Doesn't seem like it."
Li Ang shook his head, "This Shadow Monster, under the influence of Corpse Qi, has been in a state of hibernation with almost no tabolism, so its stomach naturally hasn't activated any digestive function.
Apart from so sticky bloodstains, there's no sign of corrosion on the stone's surface—even if it were a heavenly material and earthly treasure, wouldn't it still need digestion to take effect?
Unless this is radioactive material, which can cause mutations in creatures simply through radiation."
After advancing to Demigod, Li Ang's ability to use the Origin of Life and control his body reached a new level, gradually allowing him to sense the "feelings" of specific cells in a certain area.
Unlike the mysterious and obscure concept of "inner vision" in so-called Eastern mysticism, Li Ang felt that when he focused his consciousness and imrsed into his body,
it was like scanning his body with a microscope in great detail, being able to directly command cells in a region to rge, separate, differentiate, or even die.
This sense of control hasn't evolved to the level of regeneration from a single drop of blood or cellular unity,
but it's sufficient for his purposes,
manifesting on a macro level is that Li Ang can freely adjust his body, modifying it at a speed several tis faster than before. If his sensory and Physical Attributes increase further, there's potential for even more improvent.
At this mont, when Li Ang placed his palm above the stone, he felt no unusual sensation,
gradually reducing the distance until he completely touched the stone, yet there was also nothing unusual.
Just as Li Ang and Wu Dai were exploring the stone, the mountain of debris in the center of the room collapsed once more—with the loss of Corpse Qi support, a large amount of debris rapidly decayed into ash,
the entire slope seed to cave in from the middle, collapsing downwards, raising a foul-slling mist.
As the debris had essentially turned into fossils, Li Ang had no interest in collecting biological samples and instructed Wu Dai to take the stone while he continued to dissect the Shadow Monster's corpse.
"This body, it's peculiar..."
Li Ang observed the Shadow Monster's exposed tendons and flesh with a furrowed brow, "Its organs are as if cut from dozens of different creatures and then reassembled together."
"What do you an?"
Wu Dai asked with a frown, "Like Frankenstein's monster?"
Frankenstein is a classic science fiction novel by the nineteenth-century British female author Mary Shelley. Contrary to popular belief, Frankenstein is the biologist who created the creature from sewn-together corpses, which, in fact, does not have a real na.
"Kind of."
Li Ang nodded, "The origin of its organs is rather crude, not particularly powerful components.
But the thod of assembly is extrely sophisticated, with excellent coordination between organs, showing no signs of rejection, even far more perfect than biology could naturally select.
Its creator is very skilled, exceptionally so."
Wu Dai thought for a mont and asked, "Could it be that there is no creator, and it's just a unique type of creature?
I read in the Special Affairs Bureau's archives that there is a type of special demon that appears as a blind snake in its youth, growing by consuming other creatures to add various novel organs.
This ans each adult individual can have a drastically different body shape, except for the reproductive system,
because of their varying growth environnts and past hunting targets.
You can't predict from their appearance that they are the sa species."
"Is it a species unique to the Demon Prison?"
Li Ang raised an intrigued eyebrow but, not being part of the Special Affairs Bureau, felt it inappropriate to press further, so he casually remarked, "Probably not.
This Shadow Monster is likely artificially created, rather than an original species.
Because it lacks sothing down below."
Li Ang pointed between the Shadow Monster's legs, calmly added, "And there's no obvious reproductive system present on its body anywhere.
Unless it reproduces like King Piccolo, laying eggs through its mouth."
Wu Dai thought for a mont, "If it does have a creator,
how does its creator's thod of biological modification compare to yours?"
"The style is different; I'm more pragmatic, so long as it can run and jump. This magical beast's body, however, is much more refined. It looks clumsy and rough, but in reality is full of intricacies and artistic beauty."
Li Ang thought it through and replied honestly.
In fact, besides adjusting himself and the Brain Worm, the biological modification surgeries he perford for the Immaculate Furnace Shop's custors weren't actually perfect.
Anywhere from half a year to a decade or two later, those who underwent the surgeries might find issues in the integration between organs and body.
Or as the body ages, the organ components might absorb too much energy, leading to the user becoming more weakened,
or the organ components might not catch up with the modified body's strength level.
Just like how mobile phones don't need to be too durable, since users will get a new one in a few years anyway—easy to break, wear, and float in energy declines, that motivates users to keep buying new products—
as an unscrupulous manufacturer, Li Ang is well-versed in the fast consur goods industry's unwritten rules,
never truly giving 100% effort and dedication to custors' modification surgeries.
After all, a modification surgery only costs a few thousand Ga Coins, what more could you want, a bike as well,
and custors should be grateful when Professor Li performs their surgery.
"If we must compare, this magical beast's creator and I are on par in terms of biological modification."
Li Ang rubbed his palms, feeling an itch for a challenge and wanting to et the creator of this beast's body, "Hmm... considering the murals we saw at the entrance of the Underground Palace, perhaps this work could be the handiwork of this world's Necromancer."
"Uh... that..."
Standing not far off to the side, Ding Zhensi couldn't help but raise his hand, saying: "If this magical beast has a creator, and that creator is very powerful,
shouldn't the focus now be on figuring out who its creator is and what threat he might pose to us?
Why did he have the beast steal the Holy Mountain Gate Stone, and why not take the stone but instead have the beast swallow it and stay in the Underground Palace for fifty years?"
"Well..."
Li Ang casually said, "Too many possibilities, too little information, analyzing is aningless.
Maybe that Necromancer wants to emulate Yu the Great, making the hero teams of this world pass by their hos without entering.
Or maybe the creator isn't a Necromancer, but a Druid who once ca to this island, leaving seeds of love everywhere, with interests spanning a wide array,
and after a wild and chaotic party with multi-species beast beauties, fathered a hybrid baby Magical Beast,
then abandoned the baby and ran away, causing the latter to grow up with resentnt, deliberately lurking in the dungeon, waiting for its father's return to personally commit patricide."
?
How did you co up with a script for at least thirty episodes of a Western fantasy family drama in under a minute?
Ding Zhensi wanted to say sothing but stopped, suppressing his urge to make a witty remark with a bitter smile.
Just when the three of them were idly chatting, Hoenhem's voice ca through the walkie-talkie, "We have arrived."
Cre-eak—
The wooden door at the deepest part of the room was pushed open, and the other three teammates appeared in view.
David and Amber seed fine, their clothes weren't stained with dust,
whereas Hoenhem looked a bit more disheveled, with corrosive burn marks on the surface of his trench coat.
"The stone is in hand."
Li Ang nodded at the three teammates, his gaze focusing on the left side of Hoenhem's trench coat, "Eh? Where's the pouch?"
During the previous exploration of the underground palace, to prevent the pouch from emitting a scent that might disturb the lurking monsters, Hoenhem wrapped three pouches in specially made cloth,
tying them to one side of the trench coat, tasked with their safekeeping.
But now, only two pouches remained, the smallest one had vanished, whether lost or discarded.
"Used it."
A slight wry smile appeared on Hoenhem's face as he began to explain.
After encountering the black mist, he was teleported into a gigantic maze-like room filled with various traps.
Spikes, crossbow arrows, poison, flas, saw blades, dust, cold air...
Even though Hoenhem held the Book of Sand and mastered a lengthy list of spells, in a low magic-power environnt where conserving energy was necessary, he was still left disheveled.
Once he barely escaped the trap room, intending to reunite with David and Amber as soon as possible,
he was assaulted by a red-black sludge-like substance in another room.
The massive sludge, composed of nurous blood and broken limbs,
acted like both plant and animal, enormous in size, imnsely strong, and had absurdly high physical and spell resistance,
the magic Hoenhem cast upon it only splashed a bit of sludge, which regenerated in monts, causing insufficient damage—by common scenario missions, it would be more than adequate as a final boss.
In desperation, Hoenhem recalled the three sacks delivered by the three-ard freak Claude encountered in the forest.
The first sack, according to Claude, should be opened when encountering an evil filthy entity attack.
Cornered in the room by the blood flesh sludge, and unwilling to deplete too much magic or reveal all his cards prematurely, Hoenhem opened the first pouch,
resulting in an eruption of millions of lun-level radiant light from the pouch that scorched the sludge to a remaining central mass, which Hoenhem easily terminated before leaving the room and successfully reuniting with David and Amber.
"Based on the scene at the ti, the first pouch contained a consumable item,"
Hoenhem said slowly, "Last ti I saw a similar item at the in-ga shop, capable of unleashing light intensity and positive attribute energy rivaling a miniature sun in an extrely short ti."
"We later returned to that room for a closer look and found minute bloodwater seeping down from the gaps in the ceiling tiles."
David added, "Based on our route here, that room should be right below this one—perhaps the blood flesh sludge,
was generated under the influence of the residual mountain of carcasses in this room."
David surveyed the room, sharing his thoughts, which aligned with Li Ang's, believing this room was artificially arranged for accumulating Corpse Qi.
The group exchanged intelligence, then decided to withdraw from the underground palace.
According to Hoenhem and the others' recent exploration, within the entire underground palace, there should only be the Shadow Monster, and the blood flesh sludge residing in the room beneath the Shadow Monster, those two creatures,
besides that, no other living entities linger in the palace, all original Beasts' corpses turned into remnants of the mountain of carcasses.
The group braved the stench as they searched the room,
confirming that apart from the Shadow Monster's dwelling, there were no treasures worth scavenging in the entire underground palace,
whereupon they withdrew from the room, heading back toward the entrance they ca in from.
Notably, both the stone and the Shadow Monster's corpse were marked as [Task Items], unable to be stored in the inventory,
hence, the players contained the stone in a specially made container under David's care,
while Ding Zhensi utilized the Special Affairs Bureau's standard storage net (a technological creation debuted long ago, capable of flattening and compounding bulky items. Now it's evolved to the fifth generation),
compressing the corpse into a cube, coated with waterproof leak-proof insulating fabric, carrying it on the back of the Kui Ox cha.
The group set out in the direction of the villages.
Outside the village, an optical veiling was still in place. As Li Ang and the others approached the village entrance, the optical veil was deactivated by the village guards—the guards gave them looks of disbelief and amazent as they saw the players returning unscathed,
it took a while for them to react, rushing to escort the players back to report to the village chief, along the way, nurous villagers peeked through windows and doors, casting curious, astonished, and reverent looks toward Li Ang and the others.
This was expected, as according to the village chief and Ding Zhensi's scans, the villagers were naturally afflicted by a progeria condition, rarely living past thirty,
a hero team appearing in the village was probably sothing rembered from the generation before the last.
Li Ang calmly walked along the village streets, occasionally spurting a fountain of rainbow from his mouth to add a "Domineering Aura" special effect buff to himself,
soon arriving at the village chief's residence.
"Co in! Please co in, honored heroes!"
The white-haired village chief bead and invited the players into the house.
"We have brought the Holy Mountain Gate stone, this is the one, correct?"
Not wasting words, Hoenhem prompted David to open the container, placing the stone on the wooden table, "If there are no issues, could we trouble you to give us the key to the Holy Mountain now?"
"No problem, no problem. According to my ancestors' records, opening the gate isn't difficult, putting the stone back should suffice."
The village chief licked his lips while looking at the travel-worn players, hesitating as he spoke humbly, "But before that, I have an audacious request, I'm not sure if I should ntion it..."
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