Chapter 620
The remnants of the shadow faded, radiating a gentle, warm yellow glow. Its surface shimmered with light, and merely gazing at the fragment seemed to calm the heart.
"You can try to communicate with the 'seed' fragment like the other 'cohabitants' do," Lei Mei Dai Si said, looking at Xia Er. "Use the ability form you first showed me."
Xia Er nodded, extending her hand to directly touch the fragment. It felt warm in her palm, like holding a piece of heated jade.
In the next moment, the potion within Xia Er began to switch, and the archive of the "Judger" started to envelop her body. A heavy sensation settled in her chest, and her hair curled slightly as if scorched by flames.
At that moment, the "uniqueness" in Xia Er's hand began to change.
A faint crackling sound surged in her mind. It wasn't the complete interference of delirious whispers but rather a comprehensible yearning—though it was merely an illusion, Xia Er couldn't grasp the language that surfaced in her thoughts.
The originally warm yellow fragment was quickly tainted by a dark hue, and Xia Er's palm began to feel a burning heat, as if it were being scorched.
The black flames intensified, raging as if they sought to break free from Xia Er's grip, fiercely scorching her palm, and the flames began to creep up her arm.
Lei Mei Dai Si and He Ka Te watched the scene with bated breath, especially Lei Mei Dai Si, who focused intently on the flames' movement. The moment the flames crossed Xia Er's shoulder, she would immediately halt the cohabitation ritual to prevent Xia Er from being harmed by rejection.
This won't do... A flicker of disappointment crossed Lei Mei Dai Si's eyes as she began to contemplate alternative methods.
Communication...
Xia Er attempted to focus, just as she had when communicating with the system, silently repeating in her mind.
"Can you hear me?"
For a brief moment, the black flames spreading from Xia Er's hand seemed to freeze in time, pausing completely, even the flickering of the flames appeared to be stuck.
In the next second, the black flames that had been advancing toward Xia Er's shoulder rapidly retracted, all rushing back into the fragment, which began to emit a warm yellow glow once more.
Moreover, the wounds that had been scorched in her hand suddenly lost all pain, as if that sensation had been "replaced," reminiscent of the "Suffering Monk's" ability to "replace wounds."
"Hmm?" Lei Mei Dai Si voiced her confusion.
She exchanged glances with He Ka Te, both reflecting uncertainty and a hint of shock in each other's eyes.
"Is it over?" Sa Da Na blinked, asking, "Is this... the end?"
Though Sa Da Na's knowledge didn't match that of Lei Mei Dai Si and He Ka Te, she understood that communication with the "seed" was a process of destruction followed by rebirth.
In this process, the Ascendant's body would vanish as if destroyed, only to be reformed under the influence of the "seed's" power.
Most Ascendants rejected by the "seed" would either dissipate or go mad, tainted by uncontrollable forces.
Although the fragment Xia Er attempted to communicate with was merely a remnant, merging with it was no simple task...
Most high-ranking individuals within the tower gained powers comparable to those of "cohabitants" through the fusion of fragments.
This method, unlike directly merging with a complete "seed," wouldn't destroy the body, but the process of the fragment entering the body remained excruciating, often resulting in partial transformation by the fragment.
The advantage of this approach was that it allowed one to gain the "seed's" power without the need for faith, but the downside was clear: to further enhance one's strength, one would need to continue merging with more "seeds."
Once the number of merged "seeds" increased, their thoughts would unconsciously synchronize with the seeds. When the proportion of "seeds" reached a certain level, it would be indistinguishable from a "cohabitant," even leading them to collect faith under the influence of the "seed."
However, in Xia Er's case, they had never encountered anything like it in any books or records...
Swoosh—
Under everyone's gaze, the fragment embedded itself into Xia Er's palm, revealing only a portion of its diamond-shaped protrusion.
The previously scorched wounds began to rapidly scab over, glowing with a bright yellow light, ultimately forming a sigil that spread outward along the path of the burns.
In the next moment, as if responding to Xia Er's thoughts, the bright yellow shard in her palm transformed into a pitch-black piece. Xia Er felt a strange power and memory sealed within her mind...
She sensed that a portion of her memories had been unlocked—those concerning the "Suffering Monk," the "Avenger," and the "Judger." The powers she had already consumed through potions had undergone a qualitative change.
As for the remaining powers, perhaps she would need to drink the corresponding potions to complete the necessary replication rituals...
Gently clenching her right hand, she felt no foreign sensation or discomfort; the fragment seemed as if it had always belonged to her hand, and using it felt effortless.
"Is it over?" Xia Er looked up, glancing at the stunned faces of the others, and asked, "Did I succeed or fail?"
"Do you feel anything?" Lei Mei Dai Si couldn't help but inquire.
"Is there any pain in your body? What about your mind?" He Ka Te also couldn't contain herself, eager to jot down all the information she had observed. She pressed on, "How do you feel about the 'seed'?"
He Ka Te's inquiry about the witch's feelings toward the seed was to determine whether the seed was attempting to "induce" her, coaxing her to merge with more "seeds" and collect faith.
"Nothing," Xia Er shook her head, looking down at the shard in her hand. "It feels... quite well-behaved?"
Yes, Xia Er sensed the "emotion" of the "uniqueness." This was the first time she had felt such a thing from it.
Well-behaved?
Lei Mei Dai Si, He Ka Te, and Sa Da Na exchanged bewildered glances: "?"
Has the witch finally lost her mind?
---
Chapter 317: Returning to Reality (6143 words)
"Incredible..."
After confirming that the seed fragment had indeed merged perfectly with the witch, He Ka Te let out a sigh of amazement.
Originally, Lei Mei Dai Si had called her over to ensure that if the witch's fusion failed, she could help separate the fragment and save her life.
They had even prepared to spend over half a month attempting the separation process...
But the reality was that from the moment they began to the end, if they excluded the time spent explaining, it hadn't even taken a minute...
"Can we proceed to the next step?" Xia Er asked, looking at Lei Mei Dai Si and He Ka Te.
"No," Lei Mei Dai Si shook her head. "Let's observe for a few more days to see if you experience any discomfort or other symptoms."
Though Lei Mei Dai Si was eager to see what would happen if she continued with her plans, given how smoothly things had gone, she chose to play it safe.
There was no rush in the next few days, and Xia Er nodded in agreement with Lei Mei Dai Si's suggestion.
In the following days, Xia Er and He Ka Te mostly stayed in Lei Mei Dai Si's laboratory.
While helping Xia Er deconstruct the powers of the "Recorder" and "Fictionalist" into potions and searching for material ratios, they also kept a close watch on her.
Meanwhile, Sa Da Na began scouting for experimental locations.
There were many wastelands and camps of wanderers surrounding the tower, all potential sites for establishing faith.
After several rounds of exploration, Sa Da Na settled on an unexpectedly fitting camp—the Abyssal Ruins Camp.
This place already had a certain level of faith and goodwill toward the "Cocoon of Light," and they were the most receptive to beliefs related to it.
With Xia Er and the witch's endorsement, most people in the Abyssal Ruins Camp would likely agree to accept the new faith of "Salvation."
However, when Sa Da Na actually approached them, she found things weren't quite as she had imagined.
The Abyssal Ruins Camp retained several fragments of the "Cocoon of Light," each belonging to different faiths, dividing the camp into several factions.
The largest faction was the Candlelight Path, inherited from the "God of the Dead Star," led by the village chief. Due to the uniqueness of the God of the Dead Star, the village chief would never allow this faith to be abandoned, and the other factions had their own reasons for holding on.
Faced with setbacks, Sa Da Na ultimately chose to venture further afield, seeking out those truly suffering without the protection of faith; they would be the better providers of belief.
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