Chapter 495: One Slash's Battle (3/10, Autumn Subscription)

"Ghost Spirit Root? What is a Ghost Spirit Root? A strange Spirit Root? You're researching Spirit Roots?"

"No, we're restoring the effects of the 【Ghost Spirit Root】. I only heard it from others. They say that as long as you possess the 【Ghost Spirit Root】, you can simultaneously wield the power of both the strange and humans! But the 【Ghost Spirit Root】 is only a legend, so we're walking the path of legend to create a new legend!"

The more Qing Chen spoke, the more excited he became, like a salesman on stimulants, his whole body brimming with energy. It seemed the notion of creating a legend greatly appealed to him.

As for Fang Yue, he frowned in thought.

Ghost Spirit Root…

That time, after taking the 【Fierce Yuan Pill】 and unleashing his potential, Fang Yue's eyes had turned pitch-black and bled black tears, exhibiting a strange-ification phenomenon.

But he could still consciously control his own body. Although he felt nothing at the time, perhaps the strange aspect was simply too weak, so the boost wasn't obvious—in reality, there was a boost?

At the time, Fang Yue had wondered whether he had some kind of strange Spirit Root, and even asked Ni Dongmei, only to be told it was a problem with the potential-unleashing pill—that the 【Ghost Element】 in the compounded medicinal ingredients had exceeded the standard, which was why he'd ended up like that.

So Fang Yue had completely given up on the fantasy of having a Spirit Root.

But now, hearing Qing Chen bring up the term 【Ghost Spirit Root】, Fang Yue's mind immediately became active. Recalling the situation back then, he began to harbor some doubt about Ni Dongmei's words…

He took out the 【Hai Jiao Pill】 from his embrace, a contemplative glint flashing in his eyes.

"Should I test it…"

After thinking for a while, Fang Yue slowly put the pill away.

He couldn't waste it here. A pill meant for life-or-death moments was best saved for life-or-death moments; when the time came, he could also verify his hypothesis.

Moreover, even if there was no chance to use it at Feng Huang Ju Dian, he could wait until he returned to Qingsi County and use it once he was safe.

Also… regarding the Ghost Spirit Root, Qing Chen didn't know, but Lord Han… should know something, right?

Back then, after being lectured by Ni Dongmei, Fang Yue had completely believed her words.

And on top of that, not long after returning to Gu Yue Cun, he learned of the Wu Yu tribe's impending attack, so he had no way to concern himself with anything else.

By the time Gu Yue Cun was destroyed, Fang Yue had long forgotten the matter.

Had Qing Chen not brought up the 【Ghost Spirit Root】, Fang Yue—who didn't even know the name or concept—would never have thought of any Ghost Spirit Root, no matter how much he heard about the merging of the strange and humans.

Fang Yue pressed for more details, and only then learned that the experimental subjects the Phoenix Organization had developed here were all actually moving in the direction of the 【Ghost Spirit Root】.

Qing Chen even speculated with longing, saying the Phoenix Organization's ultimate goal might be to create an entirely new being possessing effects similar to the Ghost Spirit Root—a fusion of human and strange—to comprehensively raise humanity's floor and ceiling, wholly surpass the strange, save humanity, and change the world!

Looking at it this way, it wasn't without reason that such a dark organization could hop around under Qing Guo's nose for so long, and even thrive.

Perhaps those noble higher-ups of Qing Guo all support the Phoenix Organization!

What do the lives and deaths of villagers matter to them? As long as the Phoenix Organization succeeds, if everyone is like a dragon, even black can be washed white!

For a moment, Fang Yue's expression became uncertain.

What the future held, he didn't know. But as for what the Phoenix Organization was doing right now, these methods—they deserved no good end.

Evil is evil. No matter how grand the ideal, if the actions are evil, then it is evil! The spiritual core cannot change the fact of committing evil deeds!

Let alone anything about everyone being like a dragon—that was merely Qing Chen's rosy speculation. Fang Yue suspected that if the Phoenix Organization truly researched a human-strange fusion being, the first thing they'd do would be to crown themselves emperor and unify the world.

Or sell it at a high price to Qing Guo's higher-ups and the rich, widening the gap between rich and poor, forming a special environment.

Then…

Those at the top would all be mutated human-strange fusion beings.

Those at the bottom would still be the old bodies of before.

As long as you had money and resources, you could go to their Phoenix Organization "company" to buy the technology and modify your body.

Mm… this is very cyber, this is very punk, this is a perfect magical realism.

While Fang Yue was thinking all sorts of things, Prison Cell No. 1 up ahead was already not far away.

A tightly shut iron door, with two guards standing at the entrance.

Seeing it was Qing Chen bringing Fang Yue over, they showed puzzled expressions and glanced at Fang Yue a couple more times, but held no hostility.

"Qing Chen, what are you here for?"

"Uh… my friend and I are here to visit a prisoner."

"Friend? Visit a prisoner? Do you have a permit?"

Qing Chen didn't seem skilled at lying; his forehead was covered in fine sweat, and he kept glancing at Fang Yue.

"Um, Lord Tu sent me here. He only gave me a verbal pass, not a permit…"

Fang Yue didn't ask who Lord Tu was, but clearly that name made both guards tense up.

They hesitated for a moment, then ultimately shook their heads.

"No, without a permit… mmgh?!"

Before the speaking guard could finish, a hand suddenly shot out, clamped around his neck, lifted him up, and slammed him backward.

Thud!!

Pain shot through the back of his head, his whole vision spun. By the time that person released him, he collapsed straight onto the ground, his consciousness gradually fading.

At the very end of his awareness, he saw the other guard lying on the ground—the corpse with blood streaming from the back of his head and eyes wide in terror—and the crisp sound of the iron door being pushed open and two sets of footsteps echoing back in the corridor behind the iron door…

"Why did you kill them?"

"If I don't kill them, how do we get in?"

"I-I would've figured something out…"

"Too much trouble."

Fang Yue walked in front, Qing Chen followed cautiously behind.

Only now did he finally realize that after today's incident, there was no way he could stay with the Phoenix Organization any longer.

"Then I can only throw in with Ye Ge, but Ye Ge doesn't look like he has much money either, no way to support me continuing my research…"

"What are you muttering about?"

"N-nothing!"

Qing Chen hurriedly caught up with Fang Yue.

In reality, the matter of Fang Yue breaking into the Underground Stronghold had already been spread by the servants of Ning Mansion who had fled in together.

It's just that the spread of information takes time.

That's why, in the early morning, someone brought people to first delay Fang Yue's advance and restrict his range of movement.

And the result was that the early-morning turncoat, along with every single one of the men he brought, was wiped out.

"I heard Ye Ge say he's only at the post-Heaven First-rate Realm… So the guards watching the prison cells were actually this strong??"

That was what the early-morning turncoat was thinking, but when he saw the warden of Prison Cell No. 1 charge over with a test subject, only for Fang Yue to flash a burst of firelight, raise his blade, and slash both of them dead in a single cut, the early-morning turncoat silently shut his mouth.

Clearly, it wasn't that the post-Heaven First-rate Realm was this strong — it was that Fang Yue's strength was this strong!

What the—? Ye Ge really is only at the post-Heaven First-rate Realm?

The early-morning turncoat replayed the scene from moments ago in his mind.

A fierce old man of the same realm, charging over alongside a test subject wielding a strange, eerie power.

The result: Fang Yue whipped up a violent gust of pressure, forming a fire tornado that swept the warden and the test subject up together, then slashed both of them clean in half at the waist with a single cut — sliced in two — and ended the fight.

(End of chapter)