The two of them continued to move forward, destroying all the altars along the way, whether they were contaminated or not.
Ning Yu extracted the Soul Gems from each one, converting and absorbing them into attribute points and Akashic Power.
Their progress was surprisingly smooth, even suspiciously so, as there were no pursuers to stop them as they had expected.
Unconsciously, they had already traveled far from their starting point. The underground passages branched out in all directions, resembling a vast energy transportation network.
Further ahead, a larger square area appeared on the map, and the structure of the surrounding passages began to grow more complex.
"We might have reached some kind of hub or central location," Ning Yu remarked.
The two of them hid in the shadows, and Ning Yu took out some bread, strawberry milk, and other snacks from her system space, handing a portion to Shen Yiyue.
"Should we split up and explore in different directions?" Shen Yiyue suggested, thinking that dividing their paths would speed up the destruction of the altars and their exploration.
"No, let's not set up such a dangerous flag," Ning Yu firmly refused. In scenarios like this, splitting up would almost certainly lead to one of them encountering danger, and being too far away to rescue each other.
Such plotlines were all too common in movies and TV shows.
"Got it," Shen Yiyue said softly, leaning her head on Ning Yu's shoulder, enjoying the brief moment of peace in the darkness.
Ning Yu also fell silent. In the darkness, they couldn’t see each other clearly, but they could feel each other’s presence and warmth.
"Ah!!!"
A sudden scream shattered the silence, and the two immediately put away their food and stood up.
They could tell it was a human voice.
But there were no numbered altars in the square area ahead, which made them curious about what was happening.
"Let’s go there. There seems to be a ventilation duct," Ning Yu said.
As they approached the area, the facilities became more numerous. Ning Yu pointed to a mesh-covered vent above and fired a grappling hook toward it.
Shen Yiyue followed closely behind. Ning Yu lifted the vent cover, jumped up, and then pulled Shen Yiyue in with one hand before replacing the cover.
After the scream, there was no other sound, and everything seemed to return to silence.
They moved forward through the ventilation duct, peering down through each vent they passed.
Below was something resembling a factory, with various mechanical facilities of different shapes and sizes. Glowing liquid flowed between them.
Following the flow of the liquid to the far end, they saw a tall cylindrical device.
At its center were two finger-like probes pointing inward.
All the liquid converged into the device, and the tips of the probes emitted a faint blue light, as if engraving something.
Soon, a glowing orb was formed in the center, as if being 3D-printed by the probes.
The moment it took shape, two pyramid-shaped pentahedrons descended from the top and bottom of the cylindrical device.
The base of each pentahedron was hollow, mirroring each other as they assembled into an octahedron, perfectly enclosing the glowing orb.
Now Ning Yu and Shen Yiyue understood—this was one of the factories where Soul Gems were assembled.
But where did the energy come from?
With this question in mind, they continued moving closer to the source of the scream.
A pool of crimson blood slowly seeped out from under the door of a sealed room, immediately catching Ning Yu's attention.
"There," she signaled to Shen Yiyue.
The two observed the layout of the ventilation ducts and moved to the one above the sealed room.
As they got closer, they faintly heard muffled cries.
It was the sound of someone struggling with their mouth gagged.
"Are there survivors trapped down there?"
Through the vent, they saw the situation in the room below.
A dozen or so people, dressed in tattered clothes, were tightly bound and thrown into a corner of the room, like lambs waiting for slaughter.
They seemed to be suffering from some kind of torment, trembling all over, their pained moans muffled by the white cloths covering their mouths.
In another corner of the room stood more than a dozen armed soldiers, guarding a square tent draped with black cloth.
Every so often, one of the bound individuals was dragged by the soldiers and thrown into the tent.
From inside came muffled wails, screams, and the sickening sound of tearing flesh.
A pool of blood near the door suggested that someone had tried to escape and was killed there.
Undoubtedly, they had failed, and the scream must have come from that.
After a while, a hooded zombie was led out. From its clothes, it was clear that this was the same unfortunate person who had been dragged in earlier.
A large bite mark had been torn into its body, which had already shriveled significantly, as if something had drained it dry.
Even so, it seemed to have some other value to be exploited.
A soldier used a specialized tool to drag it away like livestock, taking it somewhere else.
"Why are they doing this?" Shen Yiyue couldn’t help but frown at the scene.
"I think those people on the ground might all be Awakened," Ning Yu pointed to the remaining individuals on the floor.
Each of them had a collar-like device tightly clamped around their necks.
"Maybe that’s what’s suppressing their abilities."
"This is probably the true source of the Soul Gems," Ning Yu had a growing suspicion.
The soldiers below weren’t dragging anyone into the tent at the moment. Instead, two of them entered and led out a partially cybernetically enhanced Glutton.
Its mouth was smeared with blood, clearly the one that had bitten the poor soul and turned them into a zombie.
It was different from ordinary Gluttons, not just because of its cybernetic parts, but because its entire body was covered in strange crystalline growths.
These crystals were embedded in its flesh, almost as if they had grown out of its skin, creating a deeply unsettling visual.
Now under control, the Glutton walked out of the tent in a stiff, unnatural manner, the crystals seemingly hindering its movement.
By now, Ning Yu had figured out what was happening here.
The so-called Soul Gems were likely being created through this gruesome process.
This Glutton that was being led away would probably soon become part of the energy flowing through the luminous pathways outside, eventually being forged into a Soul Gem.
nd fell into a coma while saving his younger sister from an out-of-control car. He became a vegetable. No one knew that his consciousness had crossed into a world of cultivation. Over the course of sixty years, he began as the lowest kind of mine slave, struggling to survive amid mountains of corpses and seas of blood. By sheer chance, he eventually obtained the complete memories of a fallen Immortal King. Alchemy, medicine, formations, feng shui, physiognomy, artifact forging… Every great inheritance of the cultivation world was now his. But when he opened his eyes again, he discovered that ten full years had passed in the modern world. To pay for his treatment, his father had sold the family’s shop and house, leaving himself covered in lasting injuries and illness. His mother had cared for him day and night, and more than half of her hair had already turned white. His younger sister, who had been only fifteen back then, was now twenty-five. To help repay the family’s debts, she had been forced to lower her head and put on a smiling face in places of glittering lights and endless revelry. Only then did Chen Xuan understand that what he had lost was not merely ten years. He had lost the life his entire family was meant to have. The good news was that he had brought back the memories of an Immortal King’s entire lifetime. The bad news was that his soul had returned alone—his cultivation had not come with him. Spiritual energy was scarce, resources were depleted, and the modern world still had firearms, surveillance, capital, and laws. If he wanted to protect his family, break free from everyone’s control, and become truly invincible beneath the heavens, he would have to start all over again.
agon king storylines. At the start, I obtained the "Ultimate Lackey System" - the more I act as a lackey, the stronger I become. What else could I do? I chose to become the personal henchman of the ultimate villain, Su Muwan. I provoke all sorts of chosen ones, snatch away their opportunities, and commit every evil deed imaginable. You ask who's behind me? Hmph! You're not worthy of knowing my lady's name! ...... ....... I am Su Muwan, the eldest daughter of the Su family. Since childhood, I've possessed extraordinary talent in martial arts, which led to my arrogant and domineering personality in my past life. I was even foolish enough to repeatedly challenge those favored by heaven, ultimately resulting in a tragic death. In this life, I must behave and absolutely cannot walk the same path again!! However... SLAP!! "So you're the Dragon King, huh?!" When I saw my little lackey swagger over and viciously slap the Dragon King who was hiding his identity, I felt my heart sink. Su Muwan's suspended heart finally died as she watched Qin Luo, her utterly loyal lackey, standing before her. She fainted on the spot from shock. Heaven is determined to destroy me!! (Pure love 1v1, light-hearted, no angst, single female lead, villain, reincarnation, lackey)
for mindless slaughter, this isn't for you.] My name is Ye Shu, and I'm a transmigrator. It seems I'm supposed to be the protagonist, but that feels pretty unlikely. This world has been invaded by a system. The antagonists on the other side have suddenly become pure, flawless saints. The female leads have been force-fed the so-called "original plot," making them think they've been reborn. Now, everyone thinks I'm scum. Including the old lady in my ring. And here I am, in the Monster Beast Mountain Range, braising pork. To put my situation in perspective— It's as if, the moment Xiao Yan stepped into the Monster Beast Mountain Range, the Soul Emperor already knew he would become the Flame Emperor, and Yao Lao had been turned to the enemy's side. I have nothing right now. Oh wait, that's not true. I do have a white-haired loli child-bride who's the Heavenly Dao, and her only skill is acting cute. So, tell me guys... what are my chances of making it to the end?
s + Rent Collection Wealth】 At the start, he inherited a rundown house in the urban village from his grandfather. The house had no tenants, but the moment he was diagnosed with a terminal illness, a self-proclaimed empress from the Tianxuan Continent arrived as his first tenant. Ye Chuan soon discovered that with every new tenant moving in, not only did he receive massive daily payments, but he also obtained unique items related to their backgrounds. 【Acquired Bai Qianshuang’s related item: Tiger Strength Pill—dramatically enhances physical power!】 【Acquired Bai Qianshuang’s related item: Deer Blood Pill—significantly boosts vitality!】 …… From that day on, all sorts of bizarre tenants began appearing in the house: the empress from Tianxuan Continent, an apocalyptic sorceress from the Magic Realm, a mysterious scientific girl who fell through a spacetime rift… Every single day, he received strange, powerful items and endless money. Then one day, he suddenly realized—he had become invincible. Enough, enough! Stop giving me more!
