Chapter Twenty-Nine: The Leaf Mark and the Liquid

“What did you say? Your name is Li Xue? How old are you?” As he questioned the four survivors, a young girl caught Shen Lie’s attention. The name she gave was identical to the one recorded as the daughter’s name in the woman’s diary at the inn.

“Sixteen.” The dagger in the girl’s chest had already been extracted, and after being bandaged, her face was deathly pale, her voice frail and weak.

“Did your family used to keep a black cat? A house cat, black in color?” Shen Lie pressed further for confirmation.

A flicker of hope lit up in the girl’s otherwise lifeless eyes as she gazed at Shen Lie with anticipation. “Big brother, did you see my mother? Little Black has always stayed by my mother’s side!”

Little Black? The image of the large black cat surfaced in Shen Lie’s mind, making the corner of his mouth twitch involuntarily. He shook his head and stood up, sighing. “Live well, young lady. In these times, surviving is fortune enough.”

The girl was clever, and as soon as Shen Lie spoke, she understood. The spark in her eyes quickly faded again. With a sigh in his heart, Shen Lie turned and instructed one of Li Cheng’s men to take good care of the girl before leaving the supermarket.

Having applied to Shen Lie, Li Cheng had already decided to relocate the base to the Qi Family Supermarket. However, the people in the compound had not yet fully moved, and many belongings remained to be shifted.

Shen Lie returned to his room in the compound. He intended to use the white flower first; with danger lurking everywhere in this world, increasing his strength as soon as possible was of utmost importance.

Zhang Jing was still by his side. By now, she had become his all-purpose assistant, handling everything except sharing his bed. After returning, she stood guard outside his room.

With previous experience, Shen Lie made a few preparations, took the white flower from its box, inhaled its fragrance, and then placed the petals in his mouth one by one.

The petals melted instantly, a cool sensation coursing through his body and once again being absorbed by the mark in his Mud Pill Palace. The energy replenishment last time had already improved the mark’s damaged state. This time, when the fourth petal was consumed, the mark suddenly shone brightly, illuminating the entire space within. If there had been anyone else in the room, they would have seen a faint black halo radiating above Shen Lie’s head—an odd and striking sight.

Unaware of his body’s strange state, Shen Lie’s entire focus was drawn to the mark. The brilliance it emitted soon faded, morphing into a peculiar shape—not quite round, not quite flat—resembling a black leaf etched with intricate patterns, radiating a unique energy.

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

Such an abstract transformation was beyond what Shen Lie could comprehend. All he could do was study it slowly and leave the rest to fate. Judging by the current situation, the change seemed far more positive than negative.

A flash of thought, and the black spear appeared in his hand. Focusing his mind, Shen Lie channeled the energy from the mark, causing the patterns on the spear to light up, shrouding the weapon in a layer of black light.

This delighted Shen Lie immensely. He remembered clearly that, in his battle with Xiao Gang, it was this very power that activated the spear’s radiance, allowing him to kill Xiao Gang with ease. However, after returning, he found himself unable to control this power at will. He had tried to use it, but failed.

Now, it seemed the reason he couldn't harness the power before was due to insufficient energy stored in the mark at his brow, or perhaps the mark itself hadn’t recovered. With both issues now resolved, he could wield the power as he wished.

After experimenting for a while, Shen Lie found that apart from activating the black spear, the power had no other effects. He wasn’t disappointed though—the black spear was his trump card, the one thing that had saved his life countless times. Strengthening it meant strengthening himself.

Having grasped the effect of the mark’s power, Shen Lie turned his attention to the drop of dark red liquid. This liquid was certainly not the one from beneath the Golden Hall—its color and aura were completely different—so he wasn’t afraid of being possessed again. Still, its strange appearance unsettled him.

“Could it be a manifestation of energy turning liquid?” Puzzling over it for some time, Shen Lie began to suspect the liquid was a condensed product of increased energy within the mark, though something about it didn’t quite fit. Unable to figure it out, he decided to leave the matter for another day.

Two petals of the white flower remained. At first, Shen Lie considered saving them for later, but uncertain if the flower might lose its potency over time, he abandoned the idea and put another petal in his mouth.

A refreshing energy formed within him, stirring the mark in the Mud Pill Palace. Just as he was about to guide the current into the mark as before, a new idea flashed through his mind.

The thought had scarcely arisen when he abruptly severed contact with the mark at his brow, instead directing the flow into his bloodstream, just as he did when using the Phantom Mushroom.

That’s right—since the mark’s energy was already sufficient to activate the black spear, there was no need to waste more. Shen Lie wanted to see if his body could absorb the energy and increase his internal power; after all, this inner energy was the true source of his strength, and what he needed most now.

With the Mud Pill Palace sealed, the energy from the petal lost its direction, rampaging through his body until it converged with the existing alien energy within him.

The moment the two energies touched, they erupted like dry grass meeting a blazing fire. The white flower’s energy acted as a catalyst, causing Shen Lie’s internal power to skyrocket, flooding through him in a torrent—is effect was dozens of times stronger than that of the Phantom Mushroom!

Shen Lie was almost ecstatic, but soon realized the surge was far too wild to control, let alone utilize or absorb. At this rate, he would burst apart at any moment!

What to do? Shen Lie began to panic, blaming himself for his recklessness. But what was done was done; he had to think fast.

Moments passed. Just as Shen Lie was about to collapse, a spark of inspiration struck. Without hesitation, he activated the Boiling Blood Technique, using its method to fuse and harness the raging energy.

“It’s working!”

As the Boiling Blood Technique circulated, the wild energies gradually tamed, being absorbed bit by bit into his blood. During the process, his right hand turned a pale gold, the color quickly spreading until, in less than half a minute, it covered most of his body. In the end, his entire body gleamed with the golden hue, as if he’d become a man of gold.

Shen Lie didn’t notice the transformation. Even if he had, he’d have had no time to care—for as the golden color suffused his body, he sensed a profound change, an indescribable elevation as though his very existence had ascended to a higher level.

Moreover, he discovered a faint, hazy vortex forming within him—sometimes visible, sometimes not, but unmistakably present. With the vortex’s emergence, the expansion of his inner power ceased; no matter how much energy flooded in, it vanished into the vortex. He realized with sudden clarity that this vortex was a barrier; unless it was broken, his internal power would never increase again.

With no one to guide him, Shen Lie could only proceed by trial and error. He had no idea what the vortex was, nor how to break it. Hardening his resolve, he put the final petal of the white flower in his mouth, unleashing another surge of energy that crashed into the vortex like a furious tide.

The energy was so sharp and fierce, his body could barely withstand it, as if he were being torn apart. Waves of searing pain assaulted his nerves.

Shen Lie felt as though his body was on the verge of exploding, but at the same time, he sensed the vortex beginning to waver. He knew that withdrawing would end the pain, but he gritted his teeth and pressed on.

“Ah! Ahhh! Open for me!”

Unable to bear it any longer, Shen Lie shouted, eyes bloodshot. Harnessing this final burst of strength, he redoubled his assault. The flickering vortex suddenly blazed with light, then burst forth in radiant splendor. The light transformed into shimmering stardust, scattering throughout his body.

In an instant, the pain vanished, and Shen Lie was filled with newfound clarity.