A spatial gate opened, and Chen Xu stepped through, arriving inside the private lair of the Source of the Plague.
“Gurgle!”
Upon seeing Chen Xu, the Source of the Plague grew even more excited. The massive mountain of rotting flesh wriggled frantically, trying to shift closer to Chen Xu.
Chen Xu paid no attention to its movements; his gaze was locked onto a grayish-white crystal on the ground.
He gestured with his right hand, using his mental strength to pull the grayish-white crystal up into his palm.
Gripping the crystal between his right thumb and index finger, Chen Xu held it up to his eyes. He snapped his left fingers, igniting a small flame behind the crystal.
Through the flickering light, Chen Xu saw what looked like countless tiny organisms swimming inside the crystal. They possessed various shapes and swam in distinct patterns.
This discovery instantly piqued Chen Xu's interest.
In his soul perception, this grayish-white crystal was merely a mass of highly compressed necrotic aura. He had not expected such a surprise to be hidden within.
Chen Xu blew gently to extinguish the flame, resting the grayish-white crystal in his palm. He then looked at the Source of the Plague and asked,
“Source of the Plague, is this the new plague you have researched?”
“Gurgle, gurgle, gurgle-gurgle... (My Lord, yes. But they are not a plague; they are life!)”
“Life? Isn't that obvious? What plague isn't alive? Viruses, bacteria, and even fungi are all considered life.”
Under the transcendent civilization system, the study of microscopic organisms by transcendents was actually quite advanced. Quite a few works regarding viruses, bacteria, and fungi had even been produced in the Akhan world.
After all, this was an era where people could cultivate mental strength and possessed all kinds of unique pupils.
Microscopic organisms had long been thoroughly analyzed by transcendents.
“Gurgle, gurgle-gurgle... (My Lord, what I mean is that they are very special. Unlike other plagues, these little guys do not target anything. They are like life itself. Their existence is simply to manifest life, to...)”
As it spoke, the aura of the Source of the Plague suddenly began to shift. Under Chen Xu's dumbfounded gaze, it actually began to ascend—it was ascending to the Eternal Rank.
“What the hell!”
Chen Xu rarely swore, and his eyes were filled with utter bewilderment.
He did not understand how the Source of the Plague could suddenly ascend just by talking. Was this the legendary sudden enlightenment? The legendary attainment of the Dao in a single bound?
But that made no sense. The Source of the Plague had neither the enhancement of an Exquisite Heart nor any talent reinforcements related to comprehension. How could it suddenly achieve sudden enlightenment?
Could it be that in the entire Undead Dao Court, the one with the highest comprehension was this mountain of rotting flesh before him? This Source of the Plague?
Chen Xu could not accept this. He would rather believe that the Source of the Plague had eaten some strange snack brought in by the tower-climbers, which triggered the breakthrough.
He could not accept that the smartest entity in the vast Undead Dao Court was a mountain of flesh that bred plagues. Even if it had been Kunpeng, Chen Xu would not have been this resistant to the idea.
But reality was just that cruel. Not only did the Source of the Plague trigger the ascension all on its own, but the speed of its ascension was also incredibly fast.
Its aura surged rapidly, and before long, its presence and Dao principles stabilized.
The Dao principles mastered by the Source of the Plague shared the exact same origin as Chen Xu's—the necrotic Dao principles that represented ultimate vitality.
“Gurgle!”
Having completed its ascension and stepped into the Eternal Rank, the Source of the Plague dithered for a moment before letting out a joyful squeal. It began to wriggle frantically again, seemingly trying to take credit in front of Chen Xu.
Chen Xu temporarily split his attention, using the vision of the Element Overlord to glance at Flideng, who was still in the middle of his ascension, before offering his praise to the Source of the Plague.
“Source of the Plague, very well done. You didn't consume any resources and relied entirely on yourself to ascend to the Eternal Rank. Your future is highly promising, highly promising indeed!”
“Gurgle!”
Receiving Chen Xu's recognition made the Source of the Plague even more excited.
Chen Xu quickly raised his hand, suppressing the Source of the Plague's excitement.
“Don't be in such a rush to celebrate. First, tell me what this new plague of yours actually does. It can't possibly just be for understanding the Dao, can it? Can it help others comprehend the necrotic Dao principles? If so, that would be truly incredible.”
“Gurgle~”
The Source of the Plague wriggled its body, swaying from side to side to deny Chen Xu's guess.
Next, the Source of the Plague extended a tentacle and tapped a small bell behind it.
The bell chimed, and Yan Ruyu materialized from within.
“Lord Plague, what are your requirements this time? Which race of tower-climbers do you need now?”
“Oh! Master, you are here as well.”
Chen Xu nodded and gestured for Yan Ruyu to satisfy the Source of the Plague's request first.
Only then did Yan Ruyu sense that the Source of the Plague's aura had changed, becoming just as unfathomable as Sindragosa and Miracle.
“Gurgle~ Gurgle-gurgle~”
“Ten tower-climbers of different races, with their cultivation realms at the legendary-tier or preferably the mythic-tier. The size requirement ranges from small to large, covering all bases... Understood, no problem. I will transfer them over immediately.”
Soon, ten tower-climbers who met the Source of the Plague's requirements were teleported into its lair by Yan Ruyu's minor methods.
Before the tower-climbers could even react, the grayish-white crystal in Chen Xu's hand quietly shattered. The plague had escaped its cage.
“Ugh, what the hell? How did I get so unlucky to be teleported to a plague lair!”
“Huh? Brother Top Scholar. Oh! Brother Black Magic! Wait, how did all of us end up here!”
“Oh, Brother AAA, how do you still have time to climb the tower? Isn't Heaven preparing to launch the Great Expedition? Don't you need to prepare for it?”
“Heh, Brother Top Scholar, you think too highly of me. In such a massive business venture, there's no way a minor character like me would get to show my face. It'll definitely be the group leaders taking charge.”
The first tier of tower-climbers were still casually chatting, completely unaware of what kind of terrifying existence awaited them.
In the next instant, they also realized something was wrong. They quickly activated their internal defensive measures while warning the others present.
“Wait! We've been set up! That damn Tower Spirit is using us as guinea pigs for the Source of the Plague again!”
Rate on N.U.
