HBWnovel Chapter 224: Lv5 Energy, The Dharma Conch Reveals Itself!
Chapter 224: Lv5 Energy, The Dharma Conch Reveals Itself!
Like a whirlwind, a frenzied slaughter began in the water.The massive figure showed none of the clumsiness expected of such a size. Instead, he darted through the water like a whirlwind, brandishing two three-meter-long crab claw iron whips that whistled fiercely through the currents.
Every swing churned up swirling splashes and a bloodstorm.
There was no need to aim for weak points. If the ordinary Crab-men were even grazed by the iron whips, their carapaces would crack, leaving their flesh mangled. A direct hit to the head meant their brains would burst, killing them on the spot.
Splash.
The river water was constantly churned.
The azure water surface was quickly covered by a thick stench of blood. Patches of red bloomed from beneath the surface, spreading downstream with the current.
This scene looked exactly like a hack-and-slash moment in a Musou game. Even if a Crab-man occasionally slipped through the net and swung its pincers at him, Cheng Ye paid it no mind.
These ordinary attacks could not even break through the Obsidian Battle Armor, let alone the golden carapace and the Silver Dragon Fish Totem beneath it. At most, they could only trigger a faint silver glow from the totem to neutralize the impact, lacking even the force to make him take a single step back.
One hundred, three hundred, five hundred!
The net of crabs blockading the surface was finally torn wide open. Dense clusters of Crab-men corpses drifted away with the river, and the azure figures underwater visibly dwindled.
Cheng Ye surfaced, gasping for air. His nose and mouth were filled with the pungent scent of blood.
Most of the smell came from the Crab-men, but a small portion actually belonged to him.
Maintaining his five-meter giant form did not come without a cost. Aside from the toll he would have to pay after the Symbiotic State ended, his internal muscles and meridians were also bearing an immense burden. Amidst the intense slaughter, quite a few blood vessels had already suffered lacerations from the overload.
'If only I had a skill that could drain the enemy's life force...'
Cheng Ye thought to himself.
He could clearly feel his stamina rapidly draining, only holding on because the Wild Grass Totem over his heart continuously supplied him with life energy.
But calculating the time carefully, his giant form had already lasted for ten minutes, far exceeding his initial expectations.
To perform like this during such a fierce battle was already well beyond Cheng Ye's original estimates.
He turned his head toward the pier and noticed that Luo Kuke had also entered the water at some point. The man was hiding near the inlet, cautiously slaughtering any Crab-men that slipped past.
However, compared to Cheng Ye's wild abandon, Luo Kuke restrained his essence and specifically targeted those that were isolated.
His movements were cautious but inefficient. In those same ten minutes, he had killed fewer than fifty.
"Exhilarating!"
Cheng Ye could not help but shout. Compared to the Blazing Eagle Symbiotic State, the berserk strength provided by the Earth-Shrinking Giant Louse was much better for releasing his suppressed emotions.
The overcast sky, the underwater threats, and his worries about the future all vanished in this slaughter, leaving behind only an unrestrained sense of relief.
"Careful, the tentacles are coming!"
Just as Cheng Ye zoned out for a moment, Luo Kuke suddenly burst out from under the surface and let out a strange cry at him.
"Tentacles?"
Cheng Ye's gaze narrowed. He immediately dove back underwater, gripping his iron whips tightly.
Sure enough, the Demon Eye Sponge beneath the surface finally made its move. Hundreds of thick tentacles writhed like venomous snakes, shooting straight toward his position. They were so densely packed that they sealed off almost every avenue of escape.
Had it been before, Cheng Ye would have definitely used his accelerated energy to dash back to the pier for cover.
But now.
"Bring it on!" Far from being afraid, his will to fight surged even higher.
Screech!
A sharp, high-pitched eagle cry suddenly exploded in his ears.
His vision darkened violently, and the scene within his Spiritual Body Space clearly surfaced in his mind.
The Earth-Shrinking Giant Louse occupied most of the space, its entire body emitting a faint green glow. Meanwhile, the smaller section where Little Flame resided was now burning with a blazing fiery red, much like molten lava!
The two powers did not clash, nor did they merge into a muddy brown. Instead, they intertwined like two streams, forming a red-and-green energy rope that flowed along his stream of consciousness and poured into his body.
At his glabella, the Earth-Shrinking Giant Louse's totem shifted down slightly as a golden flame mark quietly emerged, settling right in the center of his brow.
Instantly, an even more peculiar power surged through his entire body. Faint fiery red patterns rippled across his golden carapace, and even the crab claw iron whips in his hands were imbued with a scorching heat.
"Die!"
Cheng Ye kicked hard against the water. Accelerated energy burst behind him, kicking up splashes several meters high.
Facing the thickest of the tentacles, which was nearly three meters in diameter, he neither dodged nor evaded. Riding his momentum, he smashed directly into it.
With a single explosive burst, he exerted all his strength.
Hum!
Seeing Cheng Ye charge forward, the eye on that tentacle suddenly flickered. A pale purple glow erupted instantly as all the surrounding tentacles closed ranks, weaving together into a translucent energy barrier that blocked Cheng Ye's path.
'Can it stop me?'
Boom!
Cheng Ye swung the iron whips with both hands, smashing them viciously against the barrier. The massive recoil force numbed the webbing between his thumbs and index fingers, nearly causing the crab claw iron whips to fly out of his grasp, yet that purple barrier remained perfectly still.
'Did it not break the defense?'
No.
The next second, a fiery red pattern flashed at the tips of the iron whips, and lava-like sparks landed on the barrier.
Even though they were underwater, a distinct sizzling sound echoed out, and a large hole was instantly burned through the barrier!
Through the gap, Cheng Ye clearly saw the ill-concealed extreme fear in that massive eye.
'Is this the Blazing Eagle's Killing Fire provided by Little Flame, along with the Earth Fire Power?'
A thought flashed through Cheng Ye's mind, but his physical movements did not pause for a fraction of a second. Like a swimming fish, he slipped through the breach. His colossal body leaned back slightly as he swung his arms in a full circle. The two iron whips, howling as they tore through the water, smashed straight into the eye!
Crack!
A crisp shattering sound rang out, like a sledgehammer smashing into glass—satisfying yet ear-piercing.
The enormous eye was pulverized on the spot. Dark green fluids splattered all over Cheng Ye, and the corresponding tentacle began to atrophy at a visible rate.
At the same time, an electric-like numbness traveled from his fingertips, as if he had absorbed some sort of energy from the eye.
But the current battle was too urgent. Cheng Ye had no time to check his interface, so he could only temporarily suppress his doubts.
"I'm not done yet!"
He twisted his body, using the residual momentum to lash his iron whip toward the eye of another nearby tentacle.
With another crack, the eye shattered, and the tentacle shriveled.
Yet, right in the interval where his old momentum had faded and his new strength had not yet surged, the surrounding tentacles suddenly moved!
A sudden, sharp pain flared up!
He looked down and was astonished to find that the Obsidian Battle Armor had split open, and even the golden carapace on his body showed a hairline crack.
But a second later, the eye of the offending tentacle exploded with a bang, actually shattered by the recoil force of his carapace.
'The Demon Eye Sponge also possesses this kind of lethal capability?'
Cheng Ye instantly reacted. Although his actual combat experience was not extensive, his battle intuition was completely unhindered.
'Is it trying to trade injuries with me using its tentacles?'
In just a split second, he assessed the current situation.
He let out a heavy breath, and his body suddenly began to shrink...
Five meters, three meters, one meter...
The Size-as-Desired ability was pushed to its absolute limits. The berserk strength rapidly faded away, replaced by an unbelievable agility.
Cheng Ye held his breath and fully activated his accelerated energy. His speed instantly skyrocketed past forty miles per hour, far exceeding his giant form, as he dodged to the side like a dark shadow.
Having lost the guidance of his essence, the attacking tentacles immediately lost their target. They hovered blankly in the water, beginning to search in all directions.
The underwater Crab-men also closed in, attempting to use their scent to pinpoint his location for the tentacles.
However.
"Give me the blade! The purple one!" Cheng Ye suddenly burst out of the water and shouted toward the shore.
"Catch!" Luo Kuke, who had already retreated to the bank, saw Cheng Ye's shrunken form and immediately understood. He grabbed the Purple Blade and threw it into the water with all his might.
Cheng Ye leaped up and smoothly caught the Purple Blade.
Although the blade was quite broad compared to his current size, its extremely light weight perfectly matched his speed.
Pushing his accelerated energy, his figure left behind an afterimage across the water surface, darting back and forth like a speedboat.
Crack, crack, crack...!
Amplified by his speed, the sharpness of the Purple Blade was pushed to its limits. With every slash, the eye of a tentacle was cleaved in two. Dark green fluid gushed out, and the tentacles subsequently withered.
In less than ten seconds, half of the hundreds of attacking tentacles were shredded. The water's surface became littered with a dense layer of eyeball remnants.
Even without opening his interface, Cheng Ye could guess that the information feed was probably exploding with notifications by now.
Just from killing so many tentacles, the trait progress regarding the Chamber Patterns was likely to experience another massive spike.
Unfortunately, human endurance had its limits. Just as dozens of tentacles were severed, even more surged up from below, densely packed like a writhing forest.
Cheng Ye no longer forced a direct confrontation. Tapping his toes lightly against the water's surface, his body launched like a cannonball, soaring seven or eight meters into the air before landing steadily on the pier.
Utilizing the nimbleness of his Miniature Form, he adjusted his balance mid-air. As he neared the ground, a soft step of his feet completely absorbed the impact force.
But the moment he found his footing, an intense wave of exhaustion washed over him.
Continuously switching between his giant and Miniature Forms had exhausted his accelerated energy. The Wild Grass Totem over his heart was operating at maximum capacity, pouring out life energy as if it cost nothing. Just these few short minutes of combat had likely drained a significant portion of his lifespan.
Fortunately, his life energy reserves were abundant enough, and he could fuse with an even stronger physique in the future. This bit of wear and tear was something he could endure.
"Inspector Cheng, are you alright?"
Luo Kuke hurried over. Seeing Cheng Ye leaning against the brick wall, his expression instantly shifted.
He saw that the Obsidian Battle Armor on Cheng Ye had changed as well. Multiple areas—his waist, legs, and back—had faded to a pale black, clearly indicating that the defensive power in those spots had been severely compromised.
Moreover, as the Obsidian Battle Armor peeled back, his skin flushed an unnatural crimson, looking as if it had been scorched by roaring flames, and white smoke continuously billowed from his entire body.
"I'm... I'm fine!" Cheng Ye panted heavily, his throat aching with dryness. An indescribable feeling of emptiness emanated from his limbs and bones. "Fetch me some nutrient paste, as much as you can!"
"Right, okay!"
Luo Kuke nodded hastily and sprinted toward the pier like he was flying, returning with a crate full of black-bagged nutrient paste.
Cheng Ye reached out, grabbed four bags, tore the seals open with his teeth, and tilted his head back, chugging them down.
The spicy paste slid down his throat, instantly bringing a trace of warmth.
In the Spiritual Body Space, the Earth-Shrinking Giant Louse faintly flickered, clearly absorbing this surge of energy as well.
Under Luo Kuke's dumbfounded gaze, he downed bag after bag, quickly emptying an entire crate of over forty bags of nutrient paste into his stomach.
"Do you need more?" Luo Kuke swallowed hard. Although he had never seen anyone consume so much nutrient paste, it made sense considering the energy consumption of the giant form.
If Cheng Ye collapsed from a lack of energy, leaving him all alone, it would be over for him.
"Yes, bring it all over!" Cheng Ye wiped his mouth, his voice still a bit weak.
"Wait here, I'll go fetch it right now." Luo Kuke scrambled off with unsteady steps.
Watching him leave, Cheng Ye finally looked down at his own body, and a tingling numbness instantly crept over his scalp.
His skin had turned blood red, and faint trails of blood vessels could be seen spreading beneath the surface. He did not even know how many blood vessels and muscles had suffered lacerations during the form switching.
'So switching between giant and miniature forms causes this much physical damage...'
Cheng Ye frowned. The sensation of tearing across his skin persisted, yet he did not feel much pain.
He figured it was not just the adrenaline; his enhanced physique also provided significant boosts to his endurance and vitality.
Staring at his blood-red arms, Cheng Ye calculated silently. He had not expected such hidden costs when alternating between his giant and miniature states.
To avoid damage, he had to consciously control the frequency of his form switching and his power output.
Once pushed past the limits, the result would be exactly like this—his entire body left half-crippled.
'I wonder if the trait for the Living Water Essence has been completely gathered?'
If this trait reached maximum value, he could exchange it for the essence. It would rapidly heal his lacerations and replenish the energy he had just exhausted, making it far more efficient than drinking nutrient paste.
Recalling the strange numbness that coursed through him after smashing the eyes, Cheng Ye summoned his interface with his intent.
The moment the pale blue light screen unfolded, dense rows of notifications completely flooded his vision.
There were hundreds of them, all notifications regarding "Trait Accumulation Value Increase."
Scanning through quickly, the trait values for the Chamber and Pass-Chamber Patterns had surged to 200%, hitting the cap and unable to accumulate any further.
To his pleasant surprise, the Command Chamber Patterns had skyrocketed to 70%. Just another 30% and he could exchange it for intel.
The Assimilation Chamber Patterns were also at 90%, only a single step away from maximum.
Even the Nature, Earth, and Water Chamber Patterns, which had progressed slowly before, had broken past the 30% mark.
'The Rule Eye and the Constraint Eye actually maxed out too?'
Cheng Ye's eyes instantly lit up.
When he smashed the Demon Eye Sponge's eyes earlier, he had guessed that these two traits would grow rapidly, but he did not expect them to shoot straight to the max!
In addition, the progress for the Living Water Essence had indeed surpassed the 100% milestone, reaching 104%.
Although the ordinary Crab-men yielded very little trait value, his recent slaughter had taken down nearly a thousand of them. Combined with several giant crabs and a few Fusion Entities whose heads had been smashed by his whips, the small amounts had accumulated until he actually had enough.
'If I didn't have enough infected bodies to farm for this trait, it would be too difficult—nearly impossible, unless I could directly kill the infection source without aiming for containment.'
Cheng Ye sighed mentally before feeling a bit conflicted. 'Unfortunately, the charging speed is only 60kw, and I still need to exchange for two keys to enter the Chamber. If I exchange for the Living Water Essence now, the remaining Recharge Value won't be enough to unlock the intel for those Chamber Patterns...'
He shook his head. While it felt like a pity, he knew that reaching this point already represented his utmost effort.
However, as his gaze shifted and landed on the encyclopedia icon, Cheng Ye's tense body suddenly stiffened. Startled, he immediately sat bolt upright.
"This... how is this possible?" Staring at the Recharge Value, Cheng Ye was completely dumbfounded.
Before entering the water, he only had a 32% Recharge Value. It had been less than half an hour, so at most, it should have charged by about 7%.
But...
100%?
He hastily tapped the Recharge Value icon with his intent, and lines of charging logs popped up:
[Dissipated energy detected. Initiating energy recovery via Host.]
[Current energy grade: Lv5 (Low-Grade Source Energy)]
[Recovery complete. Recharge Value increased by 3.5%.]
[Dissipated energy detected.]
[Cur...]
[Recovery complete. Recharge Value increased by 1.7%.]
[Detec...]
'Low-Grade Source Energy?'
'What is this?'
'It's actually a full two levels higher than electrical energy, reaching Lv5?'
Watching the numbers continuously jumping in the logs, Cheng Ye's initial astonishment slowly morphed into ecstasy.
He even felt like his body was no longer in pain, leaving only a surge of thrill and excitement erupting from the bottom of his heart.
'The eyes at the tips of the tentacles can actually increase the Recharge Value?'
'Could it be the runes behind the eyes? Once the runes shatter, they release dissipated energy that the Collector can absorb?'
It truly was a case of discovering a hidden village amidst the willows and flowers just when the mountains and rivers seemed to block the path ahead!
'It required absolutely no effort to obtain at all!'
'The Demon Eye Sponge's eyes provide Recharge Value, and the Recharge Value can be used to exchange for traits.'
'And the Living Water Essence can heal my injuries. Doesn't that mean...'
The encyclopedia page popped up, jumping to the Abyssal Water Cave Crab section. Fixing his gaze on the Living Water Essence, Cheng Ye silently commanded the exchange.
A standard item exchange only required a 25% Recharge Value, but this time, after a moment's thought, he pushed the invested Recharge Value all the way to maximum!
By throwing in a full 100% Recharge Value, he aimed to boost the quality of the Living Water Essence.
[Trait exchange successful!]
[Influenced by additional Recharge Value, the quality of the Living Water Essence has been improved.]
[Collector currently detected outside the Collector's usable range. The corresponding item will be obtained upon entering the range.]
"Not in range?"
Cheng Ye slapped his forehead. He quickly stood up, stumbling slightly as he made his way toward the truck.
He had only taken two steps when he saw Luo Kuke running back with a crate of nutrient paste, assuming Cheng Ye was too impatient to wait for the energy replenishment.
"It's fine, just help me over there," Cheng Ye waved his hand.
"Alright!" Luo Kuke immediately set the crate down, cautiously supported his arm, and helped him sit inside the truck. He then tore open the crate of nutrient paste and placed it in front of him. "If this isn't enough, I'll go grab more."
He had to admit, Luo Kuke's diligence as a third-stage Inspector was truly on point.
In the man's eyes, Cheng Ye could already see a trace of utter dependence, as if treating him as his sole pillar of support.
If Cheng Ye were to die now or suffer some mishap, Luo Kuke would likely suffer an absolute breakdown.
"You go rest for a while. The commotion from the battle was too loud, it probably terrified the residents in the camp. I'll go reassure them."
"Alright, sorry for the trouble."
"It's no trouble! Why would this be a trouble?" Luo Kuke quickly waved his hands, adding a worried reminder, "Get a good rest, when you go into the water later..."
"Don't worry, it won't affect anything."
Cheng Ye shook his head. Only then did Luo Kuke breathe a sigh of relief. He turned, stepped out of the truck, and gently closed the cargo doors.
The truck instantly fell silent. Cheng Ye extended his hand, and his Pendant appeared in his palm, faintly flickering.
The four slots were fully occupied: Angled Sea Star, Flying Wings, Perching Cauldron, and Living Water Essence.
Cheng Ye fetched a cup and silently willed the Living Water Essence to move into it.
The next second, a faint silver-blue liquid slowly flowed out from the void, quickly filling the bottom of the cup. It was roughly only fifty milliliters.
The Living Water Essence in the cup shimmered with a delicate halo, and a refreshing scent quietly drifted out.
The fragrance was exceptionally peculiar. It was not the fresh aroma of plants, nor the sweet scent of fruit. At first whiff, it resembled the bubbling fizz of an iced cola, carrying a crisp sweetness. Savoring it closely revealed the mellow warmth of orange soda, and taking a deep breath unveiled a faint milky scent. The rich layers of the aroma were surprisingly profound.
'Did it condense all my favorite flavors into this?'
Cheng Ye was stunned. After inhaling just two breaths of the fragrance, his throat uncontrollably tightened, and a severe dryness prickled the tip of his tongue.
Like parched earth, his limbs and bones transmitted an urgent craving, as if this cup of essence was sweet dew meant to nourish the soul. Simply drinking it would wash away all his fatigue and deficits.
At the same time, the Earth-Shrinking Giant Louse inside his Spiritual Body Space suddenly spiraled into a state of restlessness.
Cheng Ye immediately sank his intent into it. In the pitch-black space, even though the Earth-Shrinking Giant Louse was being suppressed in a corner by Little Flame, it was currently clawing madly at the spatial barriers with its six limbs. Its compound eyes gleamed with a greedy red glow, and its slender antennae quivered non-stop. Clearly, its primal instincts had been lured out by the aura of the Living Water Essence.
'The effect is this potent?'
Cheng Ye felt even more satisfied. Retracting his intent, he picked up the cup and drained the Living Water Essence inside in a single gulp.
As soon as the liquid hit his throat, a scalding hot current exploded down his esophagus, as if he had swallowed a compressed blazing sun, yet strangely, it did not burn at all.
The next second, a terrifying amount of life energy surged through his body like a flooding river bursting its banks. His meridians swelled slightly under the pressure, but a gentle, nourishing power quickly enveloped them, completely soothing any discomfort.
Cheng Ye instinctively looked down at his blood-red skin. He watched as the flesh squirmed and knitted together at a visible rate. The once-hideous crimson faded as rapidly as a receding tide. In just a few seconds, only smooth, flawless skin remained. Every trace of his torn muscles and ruptured blood vessels had vanished without a trace.
The originally depleted Wild Marsh Physique in his body, along with the starving Earth-Shrinking Giant Louse, were now being wildly nourished by this stream of Living Water Essence.
In roughly a dozen seconds, the dull ache in his chest completely dissipated. His previously limp limbs were refilled with explosive strength, and even his thoughts grew exceptionally sharp. The fatigue left behind from the battle felt as if it had never existed at all.
Yet the power of that Living Water Essence did not scatter. Instead, as if possessing a will of its own, it continued to circulate through his body, helping finalize the physiological modifications that the Earth-Shrinking Giant Louse had failed to complete.
The previously snapped muscle fibers reconnected, becoming far thicker and more resilient than before.
His blood vessels also seemed to have been remolded. Their inner walls emitted a faint golden sheen, with what looked like vague runes flashing within.
These alterations were supposed to require his body to continually supply life energy over a long period. Now, the Living Water Essence had filled in a significant portion of that gap all at once, accelerating the efficiency far beyond expectations.
It wasn't until the raging life energy inside him gradually settled down that Cheng Ye couldn't help but lick his lips.
That feeling of complete rejuvenation was something he hadn't experienced in far too long. To his even greater delight, he could clearly feel that this single fifty-milliliter cup of essence had somehow satisfied nearly a third of the Earth-Shrinking Giant Louse's energy demands.
'If I just have two more cups, won't I be able to directly complete the modification process and step into the strongest form?'
Reopening his personal status interface, he noted further changes in his attributes.
The Earth-Shrinking Giant Louse's growth value had indeed increased by 5%, reaching 48.67%.
At the same time, the Symbiotic State's Size-as-Desired ability had also seen a distinct improvement.
His maximum size had increased a bit more, reaching 5.5 meters, while his minimum size could shrink down to 67 centimeters. The margin of improvement was exactly 5%.
'As expected, this benign infection source can grow alongside my strength...'
Cheng Ye instantly understood, and his previous doubts regarding "losing forty years of lifespan" were cleared up.
No wonder there was such a severe price to pay. As the infection source's strength increased with the host, its demand for energy and life force would only grow larger.
If the nutrients and energy ingested by the human host could not keep up with its consumption, it would inversely drain the host's basic vitality, causing the body to gradually suffer from weakness.
The weaker the body became, the harder it would be to bear this consumption, ultimately spiraling into an inescapable dead loop: weakness leading to intensified consumption, which in turn caused even greater weakness.
Calculated based on a normal person's lifespan of 75 years old, subtracting forty years meant that after the age of 35, the body could no longer withstand the oppression of the Earth-Shrinking Giant Louse.
Furthermore, a portion of one's initial life energy had to be allocated to modify the body, allowing it to adapt to the power brought by the infection source.
Under these multiple layers of pressure, "losing forty years of lifespan" was already the most tactful way of phrasing it. Fundastically, it was more like using one's life as the cost in exchange for short-term, formidable combat power.
Confirming that his body had recovered to normal, he didn't linger. He quickly exited the truck and walked into the town.
The people from the Red Zone were still bickering with Garcia, but seeing him walk over with a normal expression, they instantly shut up.
The residents from the Blue Zone, who were being pacified by Wang Kang, had faces full of anxiety, but upon seeing him return, they all broke into smiles.
"What's going on?" Cheng Ye shot them a glance.
Wang Kang immediately caught on and spoke loudly, "Inspector Cheng, someone on the sentry tower just saw the river water surging, but they couldn't make out exactly what it was."
"Oh, it was just a few infected bodies. We've already dealt with them."
Cheng Ye said indifferently, his gaze sweeping across the crowd. "There are quite a few things in this river. Inspector Luo and I are having a bit of a competition, so it's inevitable that we'd make some noise."
'Some noise' was a massive understatement. The crashing sounds were like cannon fire, booming thunderously.
However, covered by the mental pollution, everyone subconsciously averted their eyes from anything dangerous, leaving them unable to see the Crab-men or his transformation into a giant entity.
This served as the best possible cover, completely removing any worry that the residents might discover his secrets.
Hearing that the two inspectors were competing, the residents quickly stopped trying to spectate, afraid that their side might lose.
The residents of the Red faction did not care about winning or losing; they just saw that all four inspectors were perfectly fine, so they set their minds at ease.
By the time he returned to the riverside, it was already three in the afternoon.
The net of crabs that had been torn open earlier had been completely plugged by fresh Crab-men. Dense clusters of azure bodies writhed underwater. Cheng Ye couldn't help but frown.
Just how much stockpile did the Demon Eye Sponge hide? Could it be that the three hundred thousand people who died in Yueye Shelter City had truly all been converted into infected bodies and stashed in the Rongdong beneath the Chamber?
Luo Kuke crouched on the bank, holding out his Obsidian Battle Armor to him. His tone carried a hint of profound emotion: "Ah, life. Having an experience like this makes it all worth it; I haven't lived in vain."
"Do you still have the guts to go back down later?" Cheng Ye casually asked as he took the armor.
"I do! Why wouldn't I?"
Luo Kuke laughed freely. "The shelter city is a gilded cage. When I stayed in there, my mind was entirely consumed by the thirst for power. It's only upon reaching the Wilderness that you truly understand the importance of strength."
"I'll be right back."
Cheng Ye nodded lightly, shrank his body, and put on the new Obsidian Battle Armor.
Shrunken down, the Obsidian Battle Armor possessed even greater defensive power and concealed his essence far more thoroughly, making him look like an inconspicuous black rock.
He calmly slipped through the gaps in the crab net, descending continuously until he reached the riverbed where the Demon Eye Sponge resided.
'With this charging speed, I wonder if it can match the future megawatt chargers?'
Cheng Ye pondered inwardly while the Purple Blade in his hand already slashed outward.
Crack!
The eye on a tentacle instantly burst, and the previously zeroed Recharge Value on his interface violently jumped by 2%.
The Demon Eye Sponge was immediately struck by shock and fury. All the tentacles lying flat against the riverbed shot upright, flailing frantically in the water, yet they couldn't even catch a shadow of Cheng Ye.
But this time, Cheng Ye did not float up to the surface. Instead, he quietly hid within the gaps between the tentacles.
Waiting until the tentacles began to retract due to their inability to find a target, he suddenly moved. Flashes of his blade blurred continuously.
More than a dozen eyes shattered simultaneously, dissolving into wisps of pale purple Low-Grade Source Energy that were automatically captured by the Collector.
5%, 10%...
Having never experienced such a relaxed, delightful, and simple charging experience, Cheng Ye felt somewhat dazed for a moment.
The Demon Eye Sponge could not see him at all, nor could it defend itself from every angle, leaving it completely vulnerable to his harvest.
Although the Crab-men it released formed a sort of "mosquito net," how could such a net possibly stop someone who was barely over sixty centimeters tall?
Nimblely weaving among the hideous Crab-men, Cheng Ye's expression remained perfectly calm as the Purple Blade in his hand continuously reaped the eyes from the tentacles.
It wasn't until the interface notified him that the Recharge Value was maxed out again that he finally stopped. He was in no rush to surface. Instead, he tapped the interface and swiftly exchanged the points for two pieces of intel.
Rule Eye, Constraint Eye.
He archived them for the time being, not in a hurry to review them. Looking at the zeroed Recharge Value, Cheng Ye resumed his assault.
Another several dozen tentacles were severed. The newly acquired Recharge Value was exchanged for the intel on the Assimilation Chamber Patterns and the Pass-Chamber Patterns.
Spending it with such reckless abandon, he had basically dismantled the Demon Eye Sponge's abilities in their entirety.
Even if the Research Institute were to take over, Cheng Ye believed that they wouldn't be able to study the Demon Eye Sponge this thoroughly for a very long time.
"Again!"
Losing two or three hundred out of over a thousand tentacles did not seem to make much of a visual difference on the surface.
Yet the purple glow underwater had clearly dimmed quite a bit, clearly showing that the Demon Eye Sponge had expended a significant amount of energy.
Another round of harvesting followed. From start to finish, he had fully replenished his energy four times, equivalent to 1,600 units.
Just as Cheng Ye prepared to unlock the intel for the Command Chamber Patterns he had just finished gathering, a sudden anomaly occurred.
All the extending and retracting tentacles violently snapped back all at once. Even the Crab-men blocking the surface poured through the earlier breach and scrambled to the riverbed, as if they had received orders to retreat.
'Is it... planning to curl up and hide?'
Cheng Ye was slightly stunned. He watched as the Demon Eye Sponge recalled all the Crab-men into the Chamber and then coiled its tentacles into a tight ball. It wrapped firmly around the central Chamber, forming an enormous purple sphere.
Rumble!
A deep purple barrier descended from above, completely encasing the sphere. It was several times more solid than the barrier woven by its tentacles earlier.
Cheng Ye attempted to activate the Blazing Eagle Symbiotic State. He enveloped the Purple Blade in Earth Fire Power and hacked at the barrier.
With a sizzling sound, the blade bounced right off the barrier, and the collision only caused the barrier's glow to shine even brighter.
Furthermore, when faced with the attack, the Demon Eye Sponge remained completely motionless, showing not the slightest intention of fighting back, almost as if it had fully admitted defeat.
"Interesting. Did it actually surrender?" Cheng Ye did not continue his attempts to break the defense. With a kick of his legs, his body shot upward, breaking through the water's surface.
Patter, patter...
A few raindrops tapped against his helmet. He looked up at the sky.
This rain, forecasted to arrive in the evening, was already showing its signs before 4:00 PM.
Dark clouds gathered, obscuring the sunlight and plunging the world into gloom.
As he climbed ashore from the inlet, Luo Kuke was leaning against the pier taking a nap, his head bobbing up and down.
Hearing the footsteps, Luo Kuke jerked his head up. His eyes were fraught with exhaustion, but upon seeing that the underwater Crab-men had vanished, his spirits instantly lifted. "Is it done?"
"More or less. Get ready. We can head into the water and enter the Chamber in a bit." Cheng Ye pulled off his helmet and shook off the droplets of water.
"Alright!"
Cheng Ye changed into a loose black combat uniform. As he walked toward the truck, he pondered to himself.
'I definitely need to get some clothes that can expand and shrink like the Obsidian Battle Armor. Otherwise, having to "streak" naked every time I end the Earth-Shrinking Giant Louse's Symbiotic State is far too embarrassing.'
Reaching the cargo hold, he took a sip of water, then tapped open the intel he had collected to review the information.
It was still the familiar blue sponge, just analyzed from a different angle.
After reviewing the intel on the Rule Eye and the Constraint Eye sequentially, Cheng Ye suddenly saw the light.
The so-called Rule Eye and Constraint Eye were not two separate eyeballs. They were the front and back sides of the Demon Eye Sponge's eye!
The front side was the Rule, governing the admission guidelines outside the Chamber.
Anyone wishing to enter the interior of the Chamber must satisfy the conditions set by the Rule Eye.
The back side was the Constraint, dictating the restrictive rules inside the Chamber.
Within the Chamber, aside from the rules enforced by the runes, the Demon Eye Sponge could also establish many of its own regulations.
For instance, the intel revealed that any creature bearing a Chamber Pattern could only remain on the Second Layer for a maximum of half a day.
After half a day, they were forced to leave and bring back more prey for it. They couldn't just loiter around inside.
'Rules for the outside, constraints for the inside. This setup is quite interesting.'
'If I can fully analyze these two abilities and establish a Chamber of my own, it would be equivalent to gaining a gatekeeper and a butler.'
Although the runes could still not be analyzed within the intel space, he wasn't far from a rank promotion.
Even after the Demon Eye Sponge was contained later, he could still extract and record these runes within the intel space to save for future use.
After finishing with the Rule and Constraint Eyes, Cheng Ye moved on to check the intel on the Assimilation Chamber Patterns and Pass-Chamber Patterns.
But as the intel for the Assimilation Chamber Patterns expanded, his expression immediately grew serious, and his consciousness involuntarily focused.
Perhaps because this trait was so rare and difficult to collect.
Unlike the previous blue sponge, the intel this time displayed the actual Demon Eye Sponge residing beneath the White Water River!
Whoosh.
As the scene began, a torrential downpour cascaded from the heavens. It was unknown what year this occurred.
The entirety of Dabo Town was submerged by floods, turning the surrounding areas into a massive marshland.
The perspective suddenly shifted to the distant river surface. Cheng Ye instantly held his breath. A massive, deep blue crab, easily six meters in size, was bobbing with the current, slowly drifting toward Dabo Town.
'Is this the Abyssal Water Cave Crab's true body?'
He quickly paused the projection, zooming in to observe it carefully.
Compared to the Crab-men Fusion Entities he had seen previously, although this Abyssal Water Cave Crab was massive, it appeared much more uniform and lacked the twisted, deformed flesh.
Its two stalk-like eyes were shut tight, clearly in a state of hibernation as it drifted helplessly downstream with the flood. Its back bore no disgusting growths—only round spots resembling a ladybug's shell, shimmering with a faint, ghostly glow.
However, just as the Abyssal Water Cave Crab floated past the pier, over a dozen sponge tentacles suddenly launched from beneath the water. Like ropes, they coiled around the crab's body, anchoring it firmly in place.
Following closely, several tentacles abruptly shattered, dissolving into countless living particles that swarmed densely over the Abyssal Water Cave Crab's carapace.
"Creak—"
The Abyssal Water Cave Crab violently wrenched its stalk eyes open, evidently startled awake. In a panic, it raised its three-meter-long pincers, trying to snip the tentacles apart.
But having just awoken from its hibernation period, its strength had not yet recovered. How could it possibly be a match for a Ruin-level infection source?
In mere minutes, the sponge particles completely smothered its entire body. Taking root and spreading across its carapace, they formed an array of spiraling Chamber Patterns.
Amidst the Abyssal Water Cave Crab's resentful creaking, the remaining sponge tentacles dragged it downward, sinking bit by bit until it completely vanished through a massive, gaping maw that had split open on the Chamber.
'Assimilation...'
'It directly transforms other infection sources into its own enforcers. Isn't this ability way too terrifying?'
Cheng Ye was inwardly horrified, but he also understood that this was the Demon Eye Sponge's method of survival.
By using "assimilation" to continuously absorb other infection sources and infected bodies, turning them into extensions of itself, it could employ these enforcers to establish defensive perimeters and capture prey. Furthermore, it could sacrifice them as meat shields when faced with danger.
Compared to other Ruin-level infection sources that dominated through sheer individual combat power, the Demon Eye Sponge clearly possessed superior group-combat capabilities, though its individual defense and attack power were relatively weaker in exchange.
'Then what about the Pass-Chamber Patterns?'
Cheng Ye proceeded to review the next piece of intel. The imagery indeed cut back to the familiar blue sponge, but this time, the display of the Pass-Chamber Patterns was exceptionally straightforward.
It turned out that they weren't transmitted directly through the Demon Eye Sponge's tentacles, but rather spread using the assimilated enforcers as proxies.
For example, the Chamber Patterns on the grayish-yellow Fishman natively possessed spreading capabilities. As long as it remained in close proximity to other fish species for a duration, the sponge particles on its skin would latch onto them, gradually taking shape into fresh Chamber Patterns.
The minuscule particles drifting around the blue sponge also served as "mediums." If any unknown fish species intruded, they would instantly be latched onto by these particles.
More crucially, this attachment wasn't merely meant to catch prey; it was primarily a process of screening for "enforcers."
After entering the Chamber, any Fishman that could not withstand the influence of the frenzied dance of the runes would simply be absorbed as food.
Conversely, those capable of withstanding the pressure and making it into the Second Layer would be assimilated into new enforcers, tasked with guarding the Chamber for the blue sponge and hunting down fresh targets.
'If the Demon Eye Sponge has a similar screening rune inside its body, what would it be?'
Cheng Ye stroked his chin thoughtfully, though he felt little panic inside.
Seeing as so many ordinary crab infected bodies were able to become enforcers, it meant the screening conditions couldn't be too strict. As long as one could weather the runic bombardment on the first layer, there was a high probability they could safely transition into the Second Layer.
Having figured this out, Cheng Ye simply expended another 50% of his Recharge Value to simultaneously unlock the intel for the Command Chamber Patterns.
Now, excluding Nature, Earth, and Water Affinity—the three traits evidently linked to the environment—the analytical rights to all the other Chamber Patterns were secured in his hands.
Shifting his gaze, the intel for the Command Chamber Patterns, exactly as expected, returned its focus to the Demon Eye Sponge.
As the intel space condensed into form, he had barely skimmed the scenery when he immediately hit the pause button.
"Finally, onto the main event!"
This time, the intel space was no longer an external body of water, but rather a dark and cramped area.
Drawing from his prior experience analyzing the blue sponge, Cheng Ye recognized it at a single glance—this was precisely the interior of the Demon Eye Sponge's Chamber!
The space was circular, with a diameter of roughly three hundred meters, matching the dimensions observed from the outside.
He rapidly scanned his surroundings. Soon, in positions analogous to those in the blue sponge, he discovered two levitating runes. In the very center of the Chamber, embedded deep, was a gargantuan rune that was half again as large as the other two. Unfortunately, the intel was temporarily incapable of decoding the runes' contents, leaving him unable to clearly see what exactly they represented.
Cheng Ye steadied his mind and pressed play to continue.
As expected, the Demon Eye Sponge's Chamber also featured a Second Layer, and its bottom layer connected directly to a Rongdong.
His perspective shadowed the dragged-in Abyssal Water Cave Crab, watching it slowly sink into the deeper layer of the Chamber, moving toward the entrance of the Rongdong.
Whoosh.
A sudden deflation sound echoed out. Cheng Ye sharply narrowed his eyes, actually suspecting that he might have seen wrong.
The Abyssal Water Cave Crab, with its massive six-meter frame, had barely entered the Second Layer's territory when its body shockingly began to shrink rapidly. In just a few seconds, it condensed to less than a meter in length. Compared to its former size, it looked exceptionally miniature.
'Hmm? It also has the ability to change its size?'
'No... could it be the Demon Eye Sponge's ability?'
Even as Cheng Ye pondered, the Abyssal Water Cave Crab in the footage plunged through the Second Layer's barrier with a loud "boom," plunging straight into the heart of the Rongdong.
The next second, a blinding burst of purple light abruptly erupted. Cheng Ye subconsciously narrowed his eyes. Once he adjusted to the glare, the sight before him left him utterly astounded.
The interior of the Rongdong was completely unlike the dark, narrow confines he had envisioned. Instead, it was like crossing over into a lush, primitive secret realm.
Emerald vines flourished everywhere, while soft moss blanketed the floor. The air was permeated with a fresh, grassy scent, devoid of even the slightest hint of the wasteland's desolation.
And right in the center of this space, a blue lake stretching hundreds of meters across came into clear view. The water was crystalline to the bottom and shimmered with a faint fluorescence.
Cheng Ye's gaze subconsciously drifted toward the lake's center. Yet, with merely a single glance, his eyes were cemented, utterly unable to turn away.
Because hovering in mid-air above the exact center of that lake, suspended ethereally, was a conch glowing entirely with a tranquil purple light.
Like a brilliant sun, the shell was laced with spiraling golden runes. With every breath-like flicker it made, delicate ripples coursed through the surrounding air.
That was the Myriad Command Earth Dharma Conch!