Chapter 5: Joyous Mushroom
Chapter 5: Joyous Mushroom
When he received the kill notification, Li Si was completely relieved. He had gambled correctly.
This Alien Tree was more powerful than the Anomalous Weeds. Although it caused him 0.01% Alienation Contamination Degree, he also gained 50 portions of Gray Firewood.
After killing just one more, he could activate the Fate Forge and refine one portion of Gray Fortune.
Suppressing his excitement, Li Si looked at the corpse of the Alien Tree. The Demon Slaying Thorn’s power was immense. It created flames over two meters high, burning most of its branches and roots away. All that remained was a trunk over two meters long.
“Junior Brother, put me down. This Aberrant Wood Husk can be eaten.”
Senior Sister Jiang suddenly spoke. Li Si nodded and stepped forward to help carry the Alien Tree’s corpse. It weighed around fifty jin. As soon as he touched it with his hand, information instantly appeared.
“Obtained adult Aberrant Wood Husk. Alienation Contamination Degree 27%. Edible.”
“Senior Sister, does this taste good?”
Li Si asked deliberately.
“Taste good?”
Senior Sister Jiang seemed to think of something, shaking her head with a bitter smile. Then she took out a small cloth pouch and easily put this Aberrant Wood Husk inside. It was very Cultivator-like.
“These Evil Entities are all mutated from flowers, grass, and trees polluted by the Evil God’s power. So what do you think there is to expect in terms of taste?”
“It’s just that the pollution toxicity of these Evil Entities is not high, so they can barely be used to fill our stomachs. Also, if boiled using special methods, they can restore a large amount of Magic Power after consumption. But Junior Brother, that’s not the main point. The non-avoidable pollution toxicity is the most deadly.”
“You…”
Senior Sister Jiang stopped here, hesitating to speak further. In the end, she just let out a faint sigh. What good would saying it do? Could anything be changed?
Her Master was one of the world’s most powerful Immortals a thousand years ago. Yet, faced with the Evil God’s invasion, he was still powerless. After leading the Floating Cloud Sect’s hundreds of thousands of disciples in battle for centuries, he ultimately lost everything.
Since then, she no longer personally contacted Evil Spirits or Evil Entities, avoiding the accumulation of pollution toxicity. Relying on her profound cultivation base, she could sustain herself indefinitely.
For three hundred years, Ji Chang, Xu Shen, and she were responsible for external matters.
Ji Chang and Xu Shen had long guessed the truth. They always held back in everything. Only she was foolish, not realizing until she lost a leg and had only a dozen years of lifespan left.
As for youths like Sigouzi, to put it nicely, they were recruited as outer sect disciples of the Floating Cloud Sect. To put it bluntly, they were puppets to block disasters.
She couldn’t change anything. All she could do was ensure these children, kept in the dark and still dreaming of cultivation, didn’t go hungry.
Li Si didn’t know what Senior Sister Jiang was thinking. After tidying up, he carried her on his back again and headed towards the river where they fetched water.
Along the way, he occasionally encountered some Anomalous Weeds. He didn’t let any escape, killing them all.
Senior Sister Jiang no longer stopped him, but she also didn’t speak anymore.
Thus, they travelled over ten li to the river. Li Si had already killed five Anomalous Weeds and one Alien Tree. Although his Alienation Contamination Degree rapidly accumulated to 0.065%, he successfully gathered one hundred and six portions of Gray Firewood.
“Junior Brother, put me down. Wait here.”
When they were still a few hundred meters from the river, Senior Sister Jiang directed Li Si to hide behind a hill.
“Although there are no Evil Spirits in this river, the water often hides some fallen Demon Men. Also, those Evil God Cultists occasionally like to ambush here.”
Saying this, Senior Sister Jiang took out that Divine Concealment Talisman and slapped it onto herself. Instantly, a faint light enveloped her, and her entire figure disappeared.
“Don’t act rashly, and don’t raise your head to look. Remember what I said, guard your true heart firmly.”
Senior Sister Jiang’s voice sounded again. Li Si quickly nodded. Then he saw marks from a walking stick on the ground moving away quickly and silently.
After waiting a while, he quickly focused his mind, summoned the Fate Forge, and refined that one hundred portions of Gray Firewood.
The whole process wasn’t complicated. Only one streak of Dao Flame flickered inside the Fate Forge. Immediately, a unique feeling enveloped Li Si’s heart. Checking the remnant scroll’s information, there was indeed one additional portion of Gray Fortune on it.
Regarding this portion of Gray Fortune, more detailed information quickly appeared on the remnant scroll.
“Consuming one portion of Gray Fortune can instantly provide 1000 points of Magic Power.”
“Consuming one portion of Gray Fortune can increase Bloodline and Bone Evolution Progress by 0.1%, and simultaneously reduce Alienation Contamination Degree by 1%.”
“Consuming one portion of Gray Fortune can increase the cultivation progress of the Dao method ‘Heaven-Turning Scripture’ by 0.1%, and increase the Magic Power upper limit by 10 points (already modified).”
“Consuming one portion of Gray Fortune can increase the power of the Dao Technique ‘Demon Slaying Thorn’ by 100%.”
“Consuming one portion of Gray Fortune can increase the power of the Dao Technique ‘Evil-Warding Curse’ by 100%.”
“Friendly reminder: If your own Fate is zero, lacking Fate’s protection, you will enter a state of Heavenly Human’s Five Decays. That is, your body will age to sixty years old within one month. In this state, the chance of encountering Evil Entities greatly increases.”
—
After reading this information, Li Si was overjoyed. This was indeed the correct way to open things.
This Fate was truly terrifying. Even the lowest-level Gray Fortune could be exchanged for 1000 points of Magic Power.
Fate could also be used for cultivation, but the cost was too high. For his Heaven-Turning Scripture to break through to the second level, he needed to accumulate at least one thousand portions of Gray Fortune.
Additionally, Fate could be used to increase Bloodline and Bone Evolution Progress, thereby reducing Alienation Contamination Degree. This was also very important. After all, this world was messed up by that so-called Evil God. Even looking at the Dark Mist, or eating food, accumulated Alienation Contamination Degree. Over time, even a normal person would turn into a monster.
“Then–”
Li Si thought briefly and finally decided to upgrade the Dao Technique ‘Demon Slaying Thorn’. After all, it doubled the power. At critical moments, it would help him secure kills. As for defense, he could use Evil-Warding Talismans instead.
As for the Alienation Contamination Degree, it hadn’t reached a life-threatening level yet.
In a single thought, that bit of Gray Fortune Li Si just refined was consumed. Immediately, the Dao Technique Demon Slaying Thorn was upgraded.
Demon Slaying Thorn: Consumes 20 points of Magic Power. Can attack any target within twenty paces. Can also enchant this Dao Technique onto an object, possessing 80% of its power.
—
“Comfortable!”
Instantly, Li Si’s sense of security greatly increased. The joy in his heart was simply indescribable. He wished he could shout and yell to vent it.
Just as he was too excited to contain himself, a line of information suddenly appeared, instantly shattering his ecstatic mood. Then he felt completely unwell.
“Alienation Contamination Degree +0.1%.”
“You have been targeted by the Evil Entity Joyous Mushroom.”
Li Si inwardly cursed his misfortune. Who would have thought that just because he felt a bit happy after strengthening the Dao Technique Demon Slaying Thorn, it actually attracted disaster.
He really wanted to check where that Joyous Mushroom was. But remembering Senior Sister Jiang’s warning, he could only suppress the panic in his heart. He didn’t look around, trying his best to calm his mind and think of nothing.
But things were clearly not that simple. Within a few seconds, Li Si was shocked to find a small red mushroom growing on his arm.
The moment the Little Mushroom appeared, an uncontrollable ecstasy swept over him. It was like marrying a goddess, having a son, becoming the top scholar, and becoming a martial arts master all at once.
Accompanied by this irresistible joy, he even truly felt he saw a shyly smiling goddess, saw…
“Alienation Contamination Degree +0.1%”
A line of information appeared coldly, instantly shattering all illusions and rescuing Li Si. He quickly guarded his true heart again, not daring to let his mind wander at all.
But, the next second, another small red mushroom grew on his arm.
Then, irresistible ecstasy and happiness surged like a tide. Wow, I actually married ten goddesses…
“Alienation Contamination Degree +0.1%”
The cold information appeared just in time, successfully interrupting Li Si’s untold story with the goddesses.
But it was useless, because a third bright red Little Mushroom grew out from his arm again. It was so delicate and lovely, red with a hint of white, fragrant and pleasant. In short, Li Si fell without a doubt again.
This time, wow, I actually married a hundred goddesses…
“Alienation Contamination Degree +0.1%”
Li Si instantly sobered up. He decisively consumed his last portion of Gray Fortune, strengthening it onto the Evil-Warding Curse. Because he had already realized that relying solely on guarding his true heart was useless. As for using the Dao Technique Demon Slaying Thorn, don’t joke around. That Joyous Mushroom was growing on his arm. It might even be an illusion, perhaps trying to lure him into cutting off his own right arm.
Then, what if that Blissful Mushroom grew out from his right hand again?
Physical attack was useless, so he could only strengthen the Evil-Warding Curse!
Thankfully, he had some understanding of this strengthening process before. Seizing the one second of clarity, he successfully strengthened the Evil-Warding Curse. But before he could release it, a fourth red Little Mushroom bloomed on his arm like a gentle bride in red from the Jiangnan water towns. He could even see that breathtakingly beautiful red lip under the little red umbrella…
“Alienation Contamination Degree +0.2%”
The contamination doubled. This was the consequence of lacking Fate’s protection.
But–
Boom!
The moment he regained clarity, Li Si released the strengthened Evil-Warding Curse without hesitation. An invisible Evil-Warding Aura erupted violently, making the four red Little Mushrooms sway precariously.
Was it actually ineffective?
No, it was effective, just still insufficient.
But that’s okay!
“Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!”
Li Si released four Evil-Warding Curses in one breath. His Magic Power had long recovered to 100 points, just enough to release five Evil-Warding Curses. This kind of Dao Technique could be cast instantly repeatedly as long as he had Magic Power.
Finally, under such bombardment, those four Blissful Mushrooms were completely torn apart and vanished without a trace. Li Si collapsed to the ground, utterly exhausted.
“Aberrant Corruption +0.5%”
“Slayed Evil Entity Joyous Mushroom. Obtained one hundred portions of Gray Firewood!”