Chapter Fourteen: The Power of Transmutation into Gold

Shen Lie also saw the flower; it was a variety he had never encountered before. The bloom was the size of a bowl, immaculate and crystal clear, exuding a faint fragrance as the gentle breeze caressed the water’s surface.

“Ah, this is—!”

A wisp of aroma slipped into Shen Lie’s nostrils, sending a tremor through his body and making him cry out in astonishment within his heart.

Back beneath the golden hall, two drops of liquid had entered his brow. He now understood these drops were actually two drops of essence blood: the golden one left behind by the golden skeleton, and the black one infused into the short black spear by its former owner, presumably to suppress the golden skeleton. These two drops had battled for countless years within him; his act of drinking the golden liquid seemed to break some long-standing balance. Both the golden and black blood tried to seize him, but ultimately both were exhausted, their lingering spiritual wills dissipating entirely.

Yet, even so, the two drops of essence blood entered his body. The golden blood, upon entering his brow, quickly merged with his bloodstream, altering his body and yielding the cultivation method for the Blood Boil Technique from its residual memories—a tremendous boon for him. The black essence blood, however, remained lodged in his brow, forming a severely damaged mark in the so-called Niwan Palace. He could sense it clearly, but was powerless to expel or use it; it was a source of constant worry.

Just now, the fragrance drifting from the white flower caused the black mark in his brow to stir ever so slightly. Though the reaction was faint, it startled him, filling him with a desire to seize the flower and experiment with it.

Nevertheless, Shen Lie’s rationality prevailed. No matter how alluring the white flower was, he remained motionless, watching as it floated gently with the current toward the white spider.

At that moment, the white spider suddenly leapt, its body soaring into the air, gliding gracefully above the flower. It snatched the bloom in its mouth with ease.

The entire process was so fluid that Shen Lie felt a sense of beauty in the spectacle. Yet, this beauty was immediately shattered by the surging waters of the blood-red river. As soon as the spider seized the flower, the previously tranquil river erupted as if provoked, sending up a column of water that formed, before Shen Lie’s stunned gaze, the shape of a mouth, snapping at the white spider. The surrounding waters joined in, countless droplets splashing and transforming the area around the spider into a red mist.

Shen Lie could not fathom why the river reacted so violently, but he had no doubt about the danger of that red mist. The crimson ‘mouth’ was even more terrifying, and it seemed the white spider would meet its doom in the next instant.

Yet the white spider appeared unfazed, betraying no hint of fear or panic. Its body flashed with a white light and vanished from its original spot, reappearing at the riverbank where it had once lain. It shook its claws triumphantly and, under Shen Lie’s watchful eyes, wandered away.

The river returned to calm. Shen Lie, tense, clenched his fists. The appearance of the white spider had upended his assumptions about the spider monsters; he had believed their strength was determined by size, but now he saw otherwise. The white spider had just displayed a teleportation-like ability, whereas all the spiders he had previously encountered relied solely on blade attacks.

Different attack methods were not necessarily a problem, but teleportation was clearly a suppressive threat to someone like him, whose power was more physical. If he were to face such an opponent, it would be exceedingly difficult to deal with, increasing the danger he faced here.

Whether the white spider hadn’t crossed the river because it couldn’t or simply didn’t want to, Shen Lie did not care to linger on this side any longer. After waiting a while to ensure the spider had departed, he stood and began searching for a possible crossing point.

The river ran through the entire town. At its end, Shen Lie found it flowing into a vast medicinal field, so he retraced his steps to search the other side.

During his search, Shen Lie found a map and some documents in a room belonging to an administrative department, finally learning that he was in Dongfeng Town, south of Meng City in Qingshan Province. It was neither near nor far from his hometown, Songling City—about three or four hundred li away. In the pre-apocalyptic world, the drive would have taken two or three hours, but now it was as distant as the ends of the earth.

He abandoned any thought of returning home; if he could leave this town, he would head south. On one hand, he could go to Liaoning Province to look for his cousin Wen Wan and her family; on the other, the capital lay to the south, and its defensive strength would surely be the greatest, since it was the administrative center of the country.

Shen Lie had no ambitions to dominate in this apocalypse, nor did he seek the thrill of bullying the weak. He simply wanted a stable place to live quietly in these perilous times, preferably somewhere he could protect his loved ones and friends. His current goal was the provincial capital, Yangcheng, in Liaoning, to find his cousin first.

Persistence paid off. Shen Lie continued searching while avoiding danger, and by sunset, he found a relatively narrow bend in the river. Here, the water was only a little over two meters wide. If the woman he’d seen crossed the river somewhere, it must have been here.

Still, Shen Lie carefully examined the riverbank. Though the blood-red water was bizarre, it would not attack unless disturbed. After a while, he was almost certain of the spot, for he found a red sneaker trapped in a muddy patch near the bank. Its owner must have fled in a hurry, leaving the shoe behind, and Shen Lie had seen the same style—red, and also a single shoe—in the woman’s room.

A distance of just over two meters could be easily jumped by most people; the woman managed it, and Shen Lie could do so effortlessly. Yet he was not impulsive. After observing the area, he retreated behind a scenic tree at the edge of the bank.

This scenic tree had not mutated; not all animals and plants had. Shen Lie crouched beneath it as dusk deepened, hiding his shadow ever more obscurely.

As the sun set and the moon rose, Shen Lie welcomed his first night back on Earth.

He suddenly noticed the moon above was exceptionally bright. Whether it was unique to tonight or had been so since the apocalypse began, he could not say, but now the moon was nearly twice its former size, its pale glow tinged with a subtle crimson, making the world feel ever more oppressive.

The world grew stranger still, and Shen Lie had no idea what Earth had become in the three months he’d been gone. Though he gained much in the other world, he had lost touch with information here; still, what he gained far exceeded what he lost, and he had no regrets—only the resolve to make up for it in time.

Sleepiness washed over him, but Shen Lie knew he must not sleep. This small town harbored many terrors, and if he wished to survive, he had to remain vigilant at all times.

Since sleep was out of the question, Shen Lie began cultivating the Blood Boil Technique, grasping the yellow crystal he’d obtained. He closed his eyes and activated the method.

The Blood Boil Technique was likely only the most basic practice mastered by the golden skeleton, for the method was very simple: its function was to absorb the energy from a crystal, guide it into the body, make the blood boil, and fuse the energy into the bloodstream, thus enhancing his own abilities.

Though simple, Shen Lie realized he would not have mastered it without the memory residue from the golden blood; inner spiritual sight was not something easily achieved. He had to admit his luck was good.

As the crystal’s energy was absorbed, his body turned red, his face like a cooked shrimp, steam rising from his skin.

He wore a pained expression; every cultivation was an ordeal, especially as the crystal’s energy was refined and fused with his blood—it felt like thousands of ants gnawing at his nerves. Still, he would never give up. This was no longer a peaceful era; it was obvious that great strength was vital for survival. To live longer and better, his power must keep growing.

Thanks to his experiences in the other world, Shen Lie’s tolerance for pain was high, and this time the crystal’s energy was scant. Within moments, it was completely depleted; he opened his eyes and exhaled softly.

He looked at his right hand and, with a thought, his palm turned a pale golden hue. Satisfied, he nodded; though the crystal’s energy was limited, it increased the degree of his golden transformation, enhancing his strength, agility, and even perception, leaving him content.

He called this ability, which allowed his body to turn golden, Golden Power—a legacy from the golden blood, perhaps also related to the golden liquid he drank, all tied to the golden skeleton.

Shen Lie didn’t know what triggered the mutation in the giant black cat, but he believed his own transformation was due to the golden skeleton, and possibly to the drop of black blood. For now, though, the golden blood seemed most potent. With just a palm-sized area transformed, he possessed such strength—what if his entire arm were golden? His whole body? The thought alone filled him with excitement.