Chapter 214: Mercury Pours into His Bones.
Chapter 214: Mercury Pours into His Bones.
Chapter 214: Mercury Pouring into His Bones.
What is divine contamination?
—The essence of power, authority, and knowledge is contamination.
When higher-level forces rush down, it's like the vast ocean being forcibly poured into a narrow container, splitting open countless cracks; these fissures spread like a spider web through the flesh and soul of those at a lower level, altering their essence, twisting and reshaping them into unfamiliar forms.
Can this ever-growing jungle be contaminated?
If Yi Fengchu uses his shadow as a medium to infuse the essence of his true form into the jungle, allowing its roots to absorb the toxic growth of higher-level contamination...
Could the principles upheld by this shadow space, the foundation upon which it develops, be distorted and shaken?
Yi Fengchu thought happily, why not give it a try.
"Close your eyes first."
Yi Fengchu said to No. 1, "Before I tell you, don't listen, don't look, don't think."
In the mystical world, ignorance and blindness are effective shields against contamination.
"As you command, sir!"
No. 1 complied promptly.
She folded her wings, hopped a few times on the ground, then buried her head under her feathers, curling up into a small round ball, motionless.
In the next moment, from the center of the boy's shadow outline, a bright silver light suddenly shone.
A radiance, like the North Star, rose in the dark forest, spreading across the pitch-black surface of the shadows like cracks, ultimately forming a slender, soon-to-open door.
Relying on his own shadow, Yi Fengchu slowly pushed open this door.
In an instant, a sea of light poured through the cracks of the door, casting the child-like shadow into silver, then spreading further to clash violently with the jungle.
The dark woods began to sway and flicker, their outlines alternating between clarity and blur, like a malfunctioning old television displaying a picture marred by white dots and chaotic black lines, as if it could plunge into darkness at any moment.
Buzz... buzz buzz...
Intermittent sounds echoed around, akin to the unstable current of an old TV, or the sound of some rule gradually shattering and collapsing.
The silver light, starting from near and extending far, gradually devoured the shadows. Beneath the glow, long, winding snake shadows could be seen moving, emitting low, hoarse hisses, as if whispering indescribable murmurs.
Listen, rustle rustle—
It is the snakes climbing up the pale tree trunks,
It is the snakes weaving through the coiled roots beneath the earth,
It is the snakes resting among the lush branches, whispering secrets to the jungle...
They covered the deep black earth and the faint tree shadows, like an endless snowfall, transforming the space from pure darkness to pristine silver.
At the same time, the black script above began to disintegrate.
The characters broke down into countless tiny black particles, floating in the air like a black mist, eager to inscribe new order in this space.
Gradually, the jungle began to breathe—
Every tree, every leaf, their breathing rhythm synchronized with the silver shadow of the boy, a gentle and steady cadence as if connected to an immensely vast heart, pulsing and pumping blood in perfect harmony.
Amidst the pollution's "assimilation," this jungle seemed to transform into part of the serpent's shadow...
Into a part of the great being's body.
The pale trunks standing in the darkness, once adorned with twisted patterns resembling human faces, now came alive, wriggling like tiny serpents, morphing into countless Möbius rings and other symbols closely linked to the domain of "Fate";
On the lush canopies, the edges of the leaves gradually sharpened, their color washed from deep black to silver, with tiny snake eyes sprouting along the veins. As they swayed in the wind, they resembled both the sharp, crescent moons adorning the trees and countless snakes lurking in the shadows cast by the moving leaves, poised to strike their prey.
Mutation and assimilation.
Order and reorganization.
In the violent collision, black and silver ebbed and flowed against each other.
After a moment, No. 1 heard Yi Fengchu’s instruction: “You can open your eyes now.”
Her head emerged from under her wings, and No. 1 opened her beady eyes, blinking in disbelief.
She saw the ground covered in snow-like purity, trees with branches and leaves that seemed crafted from pure silver, and a distant line of silver waves, the dazzling light spreading endlessly toward the horizon.
From their current position, a cold and bright metallic hue spread out, like melted, flowing silver, covering the world of shadows.
It was beautiful... but also dangerous.
Letting out a drawn-out "Wow" in awe, No. 1 hopped a bit, feeling somewhat uncomfortable, with some of her fine, soft down fluffing up.
The silver forest now felt far more dangerous to her than before...
It's as if we could be swallowed whole by some dangerous creature at any moment!
Number One couldn't help but shrink his neck, and when he looked up, he noticed the black text that restricted their movements had changed into a line of flashing gibberish:
[Act...%@#$&]
[Status Abnormal]
The little bird instantly forgot its fear, flying around happily and exclaiming, "Sir, you're amazing! Let's go now!"
"Cluck, I can already sense the aura of the contamination source."
Number One, mid-sentence, swallowed oddly, "It smells so good, like a great tonic from the Shadow Domain. No wonder it has revitalized so many shadows... There must also be foreign shadow realm creatures that have entered; they all want to possess that power..."
Yi Fengchu, listening to Number One's description, could roughly imagine how this "scent" would attract shadow creatures, much like how a black goat attracts him.
However, this was not good news.
With foreign shadow realm creatures eyeing the prize, it meant that Li Yin, who is closely linked to the contamination source, might be in danger...
"Let's go."
Yi Fengchu gestured for Number One to lead the way and took a step forward.
...
In another corner of the jungle, Li Yin crouched with her knees hugged, hiding deep in the thick undergrowth beneath a tree root.
Her chest heaved violently, showing signs of oxygen deprivation after intense exertion, but she clamped her hand tightly over her mouth, not daring to make a sound, only managing to breathe silently, her face flushed red from the effort.
The moment Li Yin encountered the "rabbit," she began to flee with all her might.
This monster, with features of a wild hare, moved and leaped at incredible speeds, far beyond what an ordinary person could match. Fortunately, Wild Rose guided Li Yin at every turn, helping her nimbly weave through the dense shadows of the trees, using the terrain to shake off the "rabbit."
Even after a brief escape, Li Yin did not let her guard down.
She knew well that safety was only temporary… as long as the "rabbit" continued its relentless pursuit, the only outcome for her would be blood-soaked rabbit fur.
After all, how could human endurance and speed ever compare to those of a monster?
Li Yin made a quick decision, disregarding the script's instructions, and instead found a secluded spot to hide quietly.
Recalling carefully, Li Yin noticed that when the "rabbit" first appeared, it had clearly twitched its ears and turned its head, but its crimson eyes had not moved…
This observation led to a bold hypothesis in her mind.
Li Yin decided to take a gamble—
Betting that the "rabbit" relied on sound to locate its prey;
Betting that it wasn't so advanced as to detect heartbeats and breathing.
When the "rabbit" reappeared within sight, Li Yin held her breath and watched it approach without blinking.
The deformed shadow drew closer, the fierce red glow of its eyes like a harbinger of death, making Li Yin's heart race to the point of bursting, her body frozen in place, unable to move.
As the monster approached to within a few steps of where Li Yin was hiding, a rustling from the distant underbrush caught the "rabbit's" attention, causing it to twitch its long ears and turn toward the sound.
Li Yin felt a sudden release of tension, tears welling up in her eyes.
It turned out she had made the right bet!
At the same time, Li Yin felt a lingering fear. If she had blindly continued running, even with Wild Rose's help, she would have found it hard to escape—“Rabbit” could always track her by the sound of her footsteps and the vibrations on the ground. Only by remaining still could she elude the monster’s pursuit...
"Let's go while it's not paying attention!"
Wild Rose hooked Li Yin's hair with its stem and whispered urgently.
Unbeknownst to Li Yin, her jet-black tresses had gradually taken on a golden hue, and the rose, nestled in the sunlit color, appeared even more lustrous and vibrant. Li Yin couldn’t see the changes at the back of her head.
Wild Rose chattered on:
"Hurry up and move into the next scene; perhaps the monster will disappear with the change in setting, and you can seek the knight’s help!"
"I think ‘Rabbit’ might be one of the evil wizard’s creations! These dark figures love conducting unethical and malevolent experiments... Maybe the wizard crossbred a human and a rabbit to create a new species?"
Li Yin suddenly interrupted: "Why do you keep urging me forward?"
"Why..." Wild Rose let out a short laugh, "Because the rose is the loyal companion of the heroine, guiding you along the way!"
Li Yin pressed her lips together and fell silent.
She suddenly realized that from the beginning, the rose had only promised to be “the loyal companion of the heroine/Matilda”... not Li Yin herself.
Wild Rose must be a staunch supporter of the script.
It was eagerly pushing her toward the conclusion, making her abandon her original name and identity to truly become “Matilda.”
Li Yin even began to suspect whether the appearance of “Rabbit” might have something to do with Wild Rose.
With the threat of the monster, Li Yin would inevitably fall into a state of panic and helplessness; and in her most critical moment, who could she instinctively rely on?
— Only the wild rose that had repeatedly guided her and helped her shake off the "rabbits."
The more she obeyed the wild rose, the more Li Yin might unconsciously grow accustomed to this obedience until she could no longer do without it.
Li Yin felt a chill in her limbs, and she reminded herself once again:
In this dangerous jungle, no assistance comes without a price.
All companions or enemies, in essence, are demanding something from her...
At that moment, the wild rose suddenly burst out in a terrified scream.
"Ah—The jungle! The rules of the jungle have been broken!"
Li Yin looked up and was amazed to see a streak of bright dawn light rising above the distant forest.
No, it was more than just dawn.
The radiance was far more brilliant than the morning light, suddenly illuminating the sky and casting a silver glow over the dark branches, as if frost had fallen, or as if the brush of a celestial being had quietly painted the scene.
"There, there is a terrifying creature, far beyond your imagination... Let's flee quickly, Matilda!"
The wild rose urged, "You should listen to me, just as you have countless times before..."
But Li Yin paid no heed, resolutely moving toward the direction where the light shone.
For a moment, she did not even care whether what awaited her ahead was salvation or an even more fearsome monster.
Li Yin thought that even if she were to die, she would rather die in the light than in an unknown dark jungle!
Li Yin ran with all her might.
The wind, carrying the curses of wild roses, swept past her ears as she trampled through the tangled weeds, leaped over the coiling vines on the ground, and brushed aside the dark branches hanging beside her, heading towards the source of the light.
Heavy footsteps sounded behind her again; it was "Rabbit" reacquiring her trail, its robust and deformed body bounding and crawling swiftly.
But Li Yin's mind was consumed by a single thought—
Run!
See who runs faster, her or death!
The light spot in Li Yin's eyes grew larger, until it filled her entire field of vision, creating an illusion that she was running through a sea of silver light.
"Li Yin."
At the end of the sea of light, a somewhat youthful voice called out her name.
Exhausted, Li Yin lifted her gaze and saw a child radiating a soft, silvery glow, like the moon descending into the jungle.
Mercury seemed to have formed His bones, and moonlight had forged His skin, dispelling all darkness and shadows around Him, emanating a serene light that gave an indescribable sense of safety.
"It's okay now," Yi Fengchu said softly, soothing her.