Chapter 217

Su Lin stood frozen in place, his mind filled with classic phrases: "The Mystery has revived within me," "The Primordial has revived within me," "The Mystery and the Primordial have both revived within me."

"I didn't want to say anything more—can't we just part ways amicably!?"

The humanoid figure wrapped in a dark cloak, radiating light, resembled a chick straining to break free from its shell, or a man trapped and struggling desperately, both hands pressing against the cracks in the Jin Dan, trying to squeeze out from within.

With his movements, the cracks in the Jin Dan grew wider and wider.

The Jin Dan within his dantian was riddled with cracks of all sizes, yet constantly repairing itself, as if a wave of heat surged through him, agitating his spirit.

The Jin Dan, always accompanied by celestial harmonies, now emitted an utterly sacred radiance; that ethereal sound even resonated outward from Su Lin's physical body!

Even wearing the Tianhe Battle Robe, he could not help but feel a flicker of fear.

This was an anomaly occurring inside his body! Though he wore the Tianhe Battle Robe gifted by the Garish Noble, who claimed it was the "version answer," this scene was horrifying!

"Stop!"

The moment Su Lin thought this, the cloaked little figure truly halted.

He lifted his head; though his face was indistinct, Su Lin sensed a distinctly anthropomorphic sense of "confusion" emanating from him.

At that very moment, Su Lin realized his consciousness had shifted into this little figure, while the figure itself possessed no consciousness—only instincts…

"Is this my Nascent Soul?"

He seemed to control every aspect of it, and this Nascent Soul perfectly merged with his soul; a vast torrent of soul power flowed from the Nascent Soul—once it shattered the Jin Dan, his flesh, bones, and sinews would be nourished…

Snap—!

The cloaked little figure lightly slapped himself, and Su Lin's consciousness transferred to this Nascent Soul; he detected no hidden consciousness within.

"This…" Su Lin still couldn't believe it, but he hadn't used the 【One-Time Fusion Evolution Device】 for over an hour—logically, it shouldn't have caused any effect.

"Is this really my Nascent Soul?"

The Nascent Soul stage is the cultivation step where the practitioner manifests their spirit as an infant, condensing their past Dao, gathering their essence, qi, and spirit, and ascending to the Central Palace to seek their true nature and refine their spirit.

"What the hell! Whose Nascent Soul looks like this!?"

Su Lin clutched his head and looked up at the sky—there wasn't even a Lei Jie in sight. Anyone unaware would think the neighboring Old Mystery and the Primordial had fallen in love after killing each other, and left him a baby before departing!

I only fused with them once—how did the child turn out like this…

That doesn't make sense! During the fusion, everyone knew what those two were thinking—they should've done nothing, been unable to do anything, and simply vanished.

At most, they merely prevented me from acting upon other Outer Gods—or warned that if I did, I'd fuse with them for over an hour, even twenty-four hours. If that happened, I wouldn't be surprised—but now…

Could it be the knowledge about how the world operates?!

No, that doesn't fit either! At that time, I was one with them—my breakthrough meant their breakthrough too. Could this Nascent Soul be a remnant left behind by me during that fused state…

【For use by the Eternal Gods' flowers】

【Who told you to be so complex? You're not an Eternal God—you can't provide sufficient energy sources.】

Su Lin, the Eternal God, suddenly remembered this device was meant for Eternal Gods—he wasn't one. Had the creator never considered that a Jin Dan cultivator might use this item and ascend to Nascent Soul during its use?

With the situation still unclear, Su Lin had no choice but to leave the Nascent Soul stuck on the Jin Dan, waiting to study it further before letting it emerge.

"Sss… insane." Su Lin sucked in a sharp breath and decided to return the Source Fortress and the Chaos Sea first—oh, wait, he didn't even need to return them.

The moment the fusion ended, the Chaos Sea and the Source Fortress slipped from his control and returned to Miss Kelaien and Adam's possession.

Just as Su Lin was about to send a message to Miss Kelaien, another disturbance erupted in his dantian—suddenly, countless ethereal light feathers appeared beside him.

Su Lin urgently turned his inner gaze inward—only to see the six-winged white shadow, which had remained utterly motionless and which he'd assumed was just decoration, suddenly stood up from its meditative posture!?

Isn't that the manifestation of the Jin Dan's power? I specifically had someone research this!

The six light wings behind him emitted a hazy glow, melting like wax as they merged into a single mass.

This transformation didn't last long; soon the glow dimmed, and a figure emerged—clearer in face than before, bearing Su Lin's contours—with eight feather-like wings formed from residual light particles behind him…

This figure was more than twice the size of the previous one, and far more solid.

In Su Lin's stunned expression, the figure turned toward the Jin Dan behind it, floated above the cloaked little figure lodged in the Jin Dan, grabbed it, and began pulling it outward.

"Wait—!"

Unlike the suspected Nascent Soul cloaked figure, this transformation happened too fast—and this figure paid no heed to Su Lin's calls, acting entirely on its own as it tugged at the cloaked figure.

His eight light wings suddenly elongated and fused into the Jin Dan, riddled with cracks—and in the next instant…

The Jin Dan shattered into fragments, and the cloaked figure was freed.

A surge of spiritual essence rose from the dantian; Su Lin closed his eyes, steadied his trembling body, and absorbed the power of the Nascent Soul's retrograde transformation—his bones, spiritual awareness, and internal organs underwent a qualitative change.

Yet Su Lin felt no joy from his realm breakthrough; instead, worried, he watched as the eight-winged figure kicked the cloaked Nascent Soul in the back, sending it flying to the edge of the dantian.

Su Lin immediately felt a slight disturbance in his soul—not injury, just a shockwave.

Then, the figure sat cross-legged again; the shattered Jin Dan fragments, under its guidance, reassembled into their original shape, and as light streamed through them, the cracks on the Jin Dan rapidly sealed shut…

After completing this, the eight-winged figure once again faded into vapor, leaving behind only the two additional light wings and the Jin Dan, now flawless.

That white-gold, perfectly round Jin Dan now underwent further change—the faint golden hue gradually faded, becoming purer and purer.

???

"Are you kidding me!?"

As if in response to Su Lin, the kicked-away Nascent Soul drifted back toward the Jin Dan.

And the light-winged figure rose again—this time, it seized the Jin Dan, cradled it in its arms, and hurled it with full force.

Thud!

Su Lin's soul trembled again—the cloaked figure was blasted away by the Jin Dan's impact.

Thump… thump… thump…

The Jin Dan bounced back like a basketball; each bounce sent a ripple of light through Su Lin's physical body.

"Hey… cut it out already!"

When Su Lin wasn't controlling the cloaked figure, this Nascent Soul acted on instinct—after being flung away by the Jin Dan's strike, it still rose stubbornly and crawled back toward its original position.

Boom!

The light-winged figure began hitting the Jin Dan, actually playing basketball?! No! Why is there a Iron Mountain Lean move in basketball?!

When the cloaked figure drew near within a certain range, he spun the Jin Dan once on his fingertip, then hurled it to strike the cloaked figure.

After being struck repeatedly, the cloaked figure seemed stimulated—its cloak writhed, and the light on its face grew brighter.

"Holy shit, stop hitting each other!"

Su Lin's head was utterly foggy; this transformation exceeded his understanding entirely.

The Jin Dan singing was already strange enough…

Why can a shattered Jin Dan repair itself?

Why does the Nascent Soul look like the old creep next door?

Why does my Jin Dan seem to be fighting the Nascent Soul?

Su Lin directly took control of the Nascent Soul while restraining the Jin Dan, separating the two and bringing the Nascent Soul to the Middle Palace.

The Jin Dan faintly emitted resistance, as if rejecting the Nascent Soul…

"Didn't you give birth to it?!"

Su Lin scratched his head, his hairstyle now a mess—he simply couldn't understand what was going on.

"Stay calm, Su Lin. Stay calm in the face of trouble. Where's Gu Tianwang? Do something!"

"Where's the promised side effect of Nascent Soul stage?!"

This doesn't make sense—it's all wrong!

"I cultivate the Immortal Dao, right?"

"Yes, I practice Immortal Dao cultivation techniques!"

Becoming an Immortal and founding a lineage was his ideal pursuit—what did an ideal Immortal look like…?

Su Lin carefully recalled: probably white teeth, red lips, white hair and youthful face, robes fluttering, mist swirling as he swung his sword to question the Dao, one thought and his Soul would exit his body to slay enemies a thousand li away.

What the hell are these two things inside me? Where do they have anything to do with Immortal cultivation?!

Touching-sword? Ancient God exiting the body? Or does someone recite the Dao Sutra while he recites the Seven Chapters of the Mystery Lord?

No! Don't even think about it! Studying abroad in the Western Divine Realm was already the limit—don't stitch everything together!

Just as Su Lin was lost in deep thought, unable to find an answer, he suddenly felt these things weren't so important after all.

The Dao is natural; why force stillness? Act without desire, and you'll naturally be at ease.

Su Lin's expression gradually softened; his entire demeanor relaxed into tranquility.

"So even side effects have delays?" Su Lin sighed helplessly, but it wasn't really a severe side effect.

At this stage, it merely suppresses one desire at random, and external emotional stimuli are reduced—barely causing ripples.

It's like installing an emotional valve, but how to open it, close it, or how long it lasts—completely uncontrollable.

Tired. When the bridge reaches the boat's head, it naturally straightens—there'll always be a way. Right now, I might as well just lie down.

"Su Lin." Miss Kelaien's voice sounded from behind.

Turning around, Miss Kelaien and Lu Mingfei's figures gradually solidified; Zhong Li was being carried on Lu Mingfei's back, still asleep.

Su Lin smiled gently and asked, "Where are Adam and Amon?"

"They've left the Land of the Forsaken Gods." Miss Kelaien felt something strange about Su Lin now, "the Weird and the Primordial…"

"They've fallen back into slumber. We'll talk about it later—let's leave first." Su Lin's expression was calm.

"Alright." Miss Kelaien nodded and exchanged a glance with Lu Mingfei.

Lu Mingfei shook his head, thinking to himself that Miss Kelaien was really reckless—how dare he act against this OP bastard now…?

Su Lin claimed the matter was resolved and that the Weird and the Primordial had returned to slumber, but who knew if his ultimate form had truly ended—or if he could fuse and evolve again?

Come to think of it, could this guy still cross into other worlds? He even summoned Digital Monsters.

If that move called "Epoch Restart" ever hit him, he'd be in serious trouble.

Miss Kelaien nodded—yes, Lu Mingfei had also sensed something odd about Su Lin now, perhaps due to the fusion…

He thought the same as Lu Mingfei: don't stir the pot yet, observe first.

…

…

Three days had passed since the events in the Land of the Forsaken Gods ended.

Under the orders of Mr. Yuzhe, the residents of the Silver City and all city-states returned home to pack their belongings (mainly sealed artifacts and extraordinary traits).

Though the Land of the Forsaken Gods was now free of corruption, it was barren—a vast desert unsuitable for long-term habitation.

Within a week at the earliest, no later than three months, all city-states would relocate entirely to Bayam beyond the Land of the Forsaken Gods.

Housing and supplies for so many people were a problem, but fortunately, the True Gods' Churches unanimously decided to offer humanitarian aid—no deity voted against it, and even tacitly permitted the Silver Hand and the newly emerged Yuzhe Sect to operate openly.

Had it not been for the fear of wasting a resurrection opportunity, Miss Kelaien had considered using Su Lin's name to demand military funding from the True Gods' Churches.

Amon's true body, perhaps out of caution toward Su Lin or for some other scheme, made no further moves during this period.

Adam, due to unstable fusion, had entered a new round of formal confrontation with his humanized self deep within the Land of the Forsaken Gods, but he would soon return.

Southern Continent, headquarters of the Silver Hand Church.

Teaching area for priests and holy knights.

"Mr. Amon, your method of using this spell is incorrect." Su Lin sat upright, a calm smile on his lips, his eyes as pure as a child's as he gazed at Amon.

"The correct method uses a prism composed of light elements as an anchor—your approach is too clever, hindering true study and research of the spell."

Currently, Su Lin was instructing Amon's severed fragment on the theory of Holy Light spells.

"I still prefer you call me Anduin." Amon adjusted his monocle on his right eye and said, "Aren't you acting a bit strange lately?"

"Am I? Thank you for your concern—I'm perfectly normal now." Su Lin smiled warmly. "Alright, class, this is my final lecture. May the seed of Holy Light grow strong within your hearts."

At the very back of the auditorium classroom, Lu Mingfei and Miss Kelaien sat on a bench, lost in thought.

"How disgusting," Lu Mingfei said, pointing at Su Lin on the podium. "He's so proper it makes me sick."

"You can't put it that way," Miss Kelaien thought for a moment, then said.

"Although his change really is huge — going by his old habits, you'd expect him to be cracking jokes and stirring up trouble, but now he just gives lectures to his students every day."

"Early to bed, early to rise, a regular routine — he doesn't even eat deception meals anymore."

"Every day, aside from teaching, the only thing he does is drink tea with Zhongli and discuss matters of cultivation."

When Miss Kelaien said this, his expression hadn't changed, but there was something odd in his eyes. He had heard that the cultivation method Su Lin had practiced before had some side effects, but he hadn't expected it would cause a change like this in a person.

"Fine, that's true."

Miss Kelaien recalled that the night before last, Su Lin had asked him if he had any lewd pictures — the details in between, never mind.

In the end, Su Lin only said that his lust had been thoroughly suppressed.

The moment he thought of this, Miss Kelaien felt deeply guilty. The man had helped him with so much, contributed so much to this world, and from now on could only live like a monk.

"I give up." Lu Mingfei hung his head, a little dejected. "Let the past be the past — come with me to the City of Calamity, and we'll change back."

"No, we can't give up on rescuing Su Lin." Miss Kelaien's gaze grew firm. "There must be some other way to bring back the humanity that's fading from him!"

"No, the 'give up' I meant was something else entirely."

"I thought you invited me over because this world was already more or less safe, and you wanted me to come hang out," Yi Leina said, the corner of her mouth twitching, her gaze fixed on a maid outfit in her hands, while Song Shuhang beside her gave a thumbs-up with an encouraging look.

"Your brains are all wired wrong! Why do you want me to put on a maid outfit?!" Yi Leina hurled a black-and-white maid dress onto the floor. "Anyone would do for this sort of thing, right?!"

"You're a Faceless One, aren't you! You've already turned into Elain before — why not just take my appearance!"

Yi Leina pointed at Miss Kelaien and said seriously, "I hereby grant you the right to use my likeness!"

While surfing the web, Yi Leina had picked up a new term from a video by the outlaw Zhang San.

"No, originally I just wanted everyone to come brainstorm a bit — after all, Bai Zunzhe's research on cultivation methods is very strong," Miss Kelaien said, keeping his expression under control, looking perfectly composed.

"But later, based on Lu Mingfei's analysis — as a homebody, even though Su Lin said that out loud before, he actually has your poster hanging in his room!"

"All you need to do is put this on, walk past him once, and see his reaction! Maybe it can awaken the lustful humanity inside him."

Song Shuhang nodded from the side and said.

"In order to save that God of Light who has made such tremendous contributions to this world, please, Miss Yi Leina!"

"Pfft-haha, sorry, couldn't hold it in."

Song Shuhang's face straightened at once, because Miss Yi Leina's gaze toward him had already turned somewhat unfriendly.

"Consider this a commission," Miss Kelaien said dead seriously. "I'll pay you!"

With things said to this point, Yi Leina could only nod helplessly.

"Fine," she crossed her arms over her chest, flicked her hair, and said, "let me show you the charm of a beautiful girl."

"Hello, Yi Leina — you've come over here to play too?" Su Lin said, sitting at a pinewood desk, lifting a drip-bag cup, and taking a sip of black tea.

"Aren't you cold dressed like that? Even though the Southern Continent has a tropical climate, it's still January."

"I don't recommend you all linger here too long — after all, the Outer Gods haven't all been dealt with."

"You ask if there's anything else I want to say?" Su Lin's expression was a little puzzled. He looked Yi Leina up and down, then said as if suddenly understanding.

"That outfit looks pretty nice."

A moment later.

Miss Kelaien and Lu Mingfei stared at the teleportation gate that had closed after Yi Leina's departure, then turned their gaze toward Bai Zunzhe over there.

"Bai Zunzhe can't fit into clothes of this size, right?" Song Shuhang said, scratching his head.

"Sigh." King Dou Dou let out a breath, leapt down from Song Shuhang's shoulder, and shook his head as if disappointed in him. "You — always causing trouble again."

This attribute of Song Shuhang's was as terrifying as an instinct — it simply couldn't be fixed.

Bai Zunzhe took out a disposable meteor flying sword. Song Shuhang fell silent for a moment, the color draining from his eyes, and asked, "Can I owe you for now?"

"Sure — after all, this world isn't exactly safe," Bai Zunzhe said with a slight smile, every movement of his carrying an indescribable charm.

'This is far more terrifying than a witch,' Miss Kelaien thought to himself. This kind of charm didn't distinguish between man or woman, or race — everyone would be drawn to it.

"Then, let's study that cultivation method." Bai Zunzhe said, "Where is Mr. Zhongli? Perhaps we could exchange some ideas."

5,400 characters — I'm running out of time, so I'll post this chapter first. There's one more chapter; come see it tomorrow morning.

(End of this chapter)