Chapter 893: The Earth's Blessing

"The Earth's Blessing can make the land fertile within a three-hundred-kilometer radius, increase water flow, enhance the tendency for life to reproduce, and prevent any unfavorable environmental conditions from stopping life from bearing offspring—only reducing quantity and frequency..."

"The Earth's Blessing can randomly cause the land within a three-hundred-kilometer radius to become barren, eliminate crop yields, and cause plants to wither; unless the barren effect ends, this land will never again become fertile. This can be suppressed by abilities similar to those of an Angelic Purification tier, limiting the barrenness to a very small area and preventing its spread..."

"If actively used, the Earth's Blessing can cause all life within a thirty-kilometer radius to rapidly decay until death; abilities in similar domains will gradually wither and weaken as well. Non-living dead entering this domain will swiftly return to the earth..."

"The Earth's Blessing can also blanket a fifty-kilometer area with various deadly toxins and grow extraordinary plants beneficial to itself. Similarly, it can tame all animals within this region lacking higher intelligence, and intensify the tendency for every extraordinary individual to lose control..."

"Through touch, the Earth's Blessing can create individual puppets from soil, plants, magma, ores, and metals, granting them limited life and power. The strongest puppets do not exceed Sequence 3; the maximum number of semi-divine puppets is nine..."

"The Earth's Blessing can reshape the environment to make even the Abyss habitable for humans..."

"The wielder of the Earth's Blessing will truly become one with the land, forests, waterways, mountains, and ores within its range, and can use them to traverse—each with varying speeds..."

"Each time struck by the Earth's Blessing, one must endure the trial of losing control and the trial of death; failure results in either immediate loss of control or direct death..."

"The Earth's Blessing can temporarily transform the wielder into a mythic being, but the wielder must endure the mystical knowledge and insane impulses brought by that mythic form..."

"The Earth's Blessing can endow the wielder with all female characteristics..."

"Life that contacts the Earth's Blessing will either be fully healed of all injuries and diseases, or die instantly—no divination can predict which outcome will occur. According to prophecy, females bearing the Oumibela bloodline who have suffered betrayal by direct relatives will never experience instant death..."

"Those who do not meet these conditions, even if fortunate enough to receive healing, cannot use the Earth's Blessing for more than one minute afterward, or they will lose control or die..."

"Those who meet the conditions will still suffer other negative effects..."

"Anyone who learns the above information, if lacking divinity, will very likely conceive within a short time, carrying an unknown creature..."

"Note: Except for the prophecy portion, all descriptions are based on the experiences, lessons, and knowledge of the Silver City."

After reading the data on the Earth's Blessing, Lu Mi finally understood why only a woman bearing the Oumibela bloodline who had suffered betrayal by direct relatives could touch, pick up, and briefly use this '0'-class relic—anyone else was simply gambling with their life, unless they had no other way to heal their injuries and illnesses, or faced a crisis beyond normal resolution, no one would dare attempt it.

"But it is truly powerful—no wonder it's a '0'-class relic. And if used briefly, the negative effects aren't entirely unbearable—just need to suppress the barrenness and guard against enemies turning into even more terrifying spirits after death..." Lu Mi muttered silently to himself, then focused on the most critical part.

It was the section describing Oumibela's arrival at Silver City seeking sacrifice.

According to the 'Magician' lady's account, at this time Oumibela had already had her identity and fate stolen; the people of Silver City could not possibly know the female giant before them was the 'Goddess of Harvest' Oumibela.

Yet the records clearly stated that the residents of Silver City knew without doubt that it was Oumibela—never once doubting or raising any objection.

They regarded it as an unquestionable fact, reflected in the records by only two brief sentences, merely describing how Oumibela arrived at Silver City on foot.

Lu Mi lifted his head and gazed at Mr. Sun, seated against the wall, and asked thoughtfully:

"What form did the 'Goddess of Harvest' Oumibela take when she walked to Silver City?"

He recalled earlier records mentioning that Oumibela had descended upon Silver City multiple times, primarily appearing in two forms—one symbolizing harvest and reproduction, the other representing barrenness and death.

This made Lu Mi suspect whether Oumibela had two identities: the one whose fate was stolen was 'Harvest and Reproduction,' while the one who came to Silver City seeking sacrifice was 'Barrenness and Death.'

Mr. Sun shook his head:

"There was no record of it."

Lu Mi propped his cheek in his hand and fell into silent thought:

"Given her demand that Silver City sacrifice half its people, she clearly aligns more with the 'Barrenness and Death' form..."

"But if the 'Harvest and Reproduction' form was severely damaged, it might also seek life to restore itself..."

"Moreover, two forms can be understood—but how could two identities be concentrated in one person? Could it be that the 'Goddess of Harvest' Oumibela once stole another Oumibela's identity and fate? But she isn't of the 'Thief' path, nor is there any legend suggesting she possesses such an artifact..."

After careful consideration, Lu Mi stood up and said:

"I want to touch the Earth's Blessing."

To see what resonance the Oumibela bloodline brings, what information it reveals.

Mr. Sun, Derrick Berg, rose as well:

"Alright."

Dressed in a simple white robe, he walked steadily ahead, entering the circular tower through the second-floor passage, then descended through a deep, dark dungeon until reaching a pair of heavy stone doors.

Behind the stone doors lay a moss-covered staircase descending downward, faint glimmers of dawn-like light emerging from below, offering slight visibility.

Lu Mi noticed the walls on both sides of the stairs were damp, as if seeping droplets, and clumps of hair-like black plants had sprouted from the cracks, hanging down.

The deeper they descended, the brighter the dawn-like light became; wet walls and hair-like black plants gave rise to mushrooms of various colors, golden wheat ears, and distinctive black-faced grass, while the spiritual energy in the air grew increasingly lively and vigorous.

Lu Mi's heart stirred gradually, as if returning to his mother's embrace, or reclaiming his former self.

He heard the sound of flowing blood—seemingly from within his own body, yet also originating from the bottom of the stairs.

"It really is Oumibela... the Formless Son truly is Oumibela..." Lu Mi murmured, calming his state.

His hair was slowly growing inch by inch beneath his cloak; his skin became finer, more elastic.

After descending further, Lu Mi saw sunlight—coming from Mr. Sun.

Pure, warm, sacred golden light rapidly filled the space, forcing the forces of barrenness and death to retreat to the edges.

Seeing this scene, Lu Mi instinctively recalled the 'Witch's' 'Disease' and 'Plague':

"Within such a solar domain, most mystical pathogens would perish swiftly; only a few ordinary pathogens might survive..."

Finally, Mr. Sun, Derrick Berg, and Lu Mi reached a large chamber filled with faint dawn-like glimmers.

The air here carried the scent of soil, grass, and flowers; the ceiling, floor, and walls were covered with those hair-like black strands, sprouting all manner of plants and mushrooms.

In the center of the room, brown soil was piled high, atop which stood a withered, massive tree trunk.

The trunk was nearly touching the ceiling, seven or eight meters tall, requiring three or four people to encircle it; most of its bark had peeled away, leaving the remainder a gray-brown hue.

Its core had hollowed out; the wood exposed to Lu Mi and Mr. Sun was uneven—protruding and recessed—forming the silhouette of a human-like figure without legs.

The figure used the trunk's branches as arms; its face was grotesquely twisted, its eyes replaced by two enormous crimson flowers.

Within its wooden texture, faint threads of crimson blood shimmered.

"This is the Earth's Blessing." The sacred sunlight created by Mr. Sun merged with the dawn-like glimmers in the room.

Lu Mi felt his blood stirring, sensing an unusually intimate, bloodline-based connection with the withered trunk.

The two were one.

Lu Mi felt summoned, stepping forward unconsciously; his plain, clean face glowed faintly under the mingled light of sun and dawn.

One step, two steps, three steps... he reached the top of the brown soil pile, standing before the withered giant trunk.

Mr. Sun, Derrick Berg, did not stop her.

Lu Mi took a breath, adjusted his state, prepared to activate the 'Mirror Double,' then extended his right hand—well-proportioned, fingers long—toward the withered trunk, where threads of blood seeped out.

The instant his fingers touched the dull wood, a scene flashed into his mind:

The sky was hazy, shrouded in dark mist; a colossal, sky-supporting silhouette appeared ahead, its back a blurred outline of a strange figure...

The scene vanished instantly, replaced by utter darkness, profound, silent stillness.

After an indeterminate time, a faint, agonized wail emerged from the darkness and silence:

"My child, Oumibela..."

"My child, Oumibela..."

Lu Mi abruptly broke free from the vision, as if forcibly pushed away from the Earth's Blessing by an invisible force.

He immediately felt a sharp pain in his right shoulder, cool like moonlight.

It was the contract mark of the 'Pus-Rotted Hand' activated—but produced no effect, no 'teleportation' or 'blink.'

(End of Chapter)