Chapter 391: Twin Ghost Refining Technique

"Truth and lies form the core, with bewitchment as a supplement."

"It forms a stable triangle, but there's still a problem with it."

Qi Suian was dissecting Su Huayun. By now, his research on him had become extremely thorough. As a result, the Ghost Refining Technique was also on the verge of completion.

He had this "survivor protagonist" to thank for providing all sorts of data and samples. Otherwise, succeeding wouldn't have been nearly this easy.

However, this process had also brought Qi Suian a fair amount of trouble, with rebellions and assassination attempts cropping up from time to time.

The cause was Qi Suian's violent regime, but the ultimate goal was simply to create chaos and rescue Su Huayun.

It was a good idea, but the execution was terrible.

They died as fast as they came, completely unable to touch Qi Suian.

'The protagonist halo really is powerful.' Even with such bloody methods of suppression, people still rose in rebellion.

It was a good thing this didn't affect the construction of the array diagram. Otherwise, Qi Suian would have switched directly to massacre mode.

Fun and games were one thing, but messing with his interests was a line they shouldn't cross.

He couldn't care less whether the survivors rebelled or tried to assassinate him. The worst-case scenario was just another VIP seat in the Melting Furnace.

But if they touched his fundamental interests, it would mean a fight to the death.

"A language ghost and a text ghost would have been a better fit. Bewitchment is more like a cognate of lies, or perhaps a subordinate of language," Qi Suian muttered.

"The containment structure presents as a cross-shape, providing a system of mutual checks and balances."

"If you don't consider synergy, there aren't many requirements for the ghosts. But Su Huayun is a protagonist."

"So they definitely needed to be complementary. It's just that I pushed him too hard, so he ended up hastily choosing a bewitchment ghost."

'A pity I don't know the specifics of his innate ability.'

It wasn't for lack of trying to interrogate him, but the man was a protagonist, after all. He was so tight-lipped Qi Suian suspected even death couldn't break his resolve.

He eventually gave up, as he simply couldn't extract anything through interrogation.

He was completely unable to get a single shred of useful information out of the man.

"Alright, you're not of much use anymore."

"I'll just wait for the array diagram to be finished, and then I'll finish you," Qi Suian said, injecting Su Huayun with a large dose of anesthetic.

He also used various suppressants to reduce Su Huayun's physiological functions to their absolute minimum.

At the same time, he used a containment device formed from a massive structure of yang energy to keep all the ghosts in Su Huayun's body under control.

Even if he managed to wake up, he would be stripped of his Extraordinary abilities.

Then, Qi Suian tossed him into the Subspace Pocket.

This served as a form of insurance; even if Su Huayun woke up, he would be detected immediately.

Moreover, the pocket was not a suitable environment for normal life forms.

Su Huayun had mastered ghosts, but he was still human. He looked every bit the part, so how could he not be?

'There are few protagonists like me who would abandon their human identity, let alone their human form. Most would place great value on their status as a human.'

Qi Suian could only say he wished he had that kind of special treatment.

'Unfortunately, my own protagonist halo isn't nearly as invincible.'

"Just a bit more to go on the Twin Ghost Refining Technique. Barring any surprises, I should be able to finish it today." Qi Suian came to this conclusion after comparing the data in his head.

The so-called Twin Ghost Refining Technique was a new Cultivation Technique that Qi Suian had created using his own Seven Elements Refining Technique as a base, adding elements from the Ghost Control Technique, his own spiritual intent, and more.

It would allow him to further increase his own power.

As for the exact increase, excluding the power gained from refining ghosts, it would probably grant him an increase of 1 point to his base attributes.

However, since the Doomsday Game's attribute panel was corrupted, he wasn't entirely sure about the specifics of the data.

But he was certain of one thing: that single point represented an exponential increase in power. He would have to wait until he had refined a ghost to know the precise details.

Refining ghosts was the process of cultivation itself.

There were no levels or stages. Once a ghost was completely refined, the Cultivation Technique would be considered complete.

[New situation. Your attention is required.]

The AI brain suddenly spoke, giving Qi Suian a notification.

Qi Suian opened the report from the AI brain. Satellite projections had detected a powerful, spreading seismic source.

Tracking and surveying confirmed the epicenter was located deep underground.

'So the Green Tide Lord is about to hatch? No, that can't be right. How long has it been?' Qi Suian strongly suspected this was a ploy to save the protagonist.

It was supposed to take a month, but it's only been nine days. Why was it hatching now?

'This is perfectly normal. Back in the Profound World, if I had run into a similar situation while having home-field advantage, the Blood Moon itself might have had to intervene to save me.'

[The probability is extremely high. You should begin preparations immediately.]

[There is a ninety percent probability that the Green Tide Lord is a high-energy lifeform.]

[Before it hatches, your probability of victory is extremely high. Once it hatches, you may have to rely on your protagonist halo.]

The AI brain didn't believe Qi Suian would lose, but relying on his protagonist halo meant he would have to handle it himself.

When it came to combat, Qi Suian was no match for this Cyanobacteria from Outer Space.

"I'd like to prepare, but there's no time."

"Still, this is most likely an opportunity."

"I've been wondering how to fully develop the Ghost Monster Soul Seed in such a short time. The answer probably lies with this Green Tide Lord."

The rapid growth aspect of a protagonist's halo works in tandem with their immense luck. Since his Twin Ghost Refining Technique was nearing completion, it meant the efficiency of this rapid growth was about to be maxed out.

Otherwise, Qi Suian couldn't imagine what else on this entire Exhausted Planet could rapidly mature a metaphysical object like the Ghost Monster Soul Seed.

No sooner had Qi Suian finished his thought than he felt a faint tremor.

The vibrations were naturally dampened due to the immense distance.

Although the Green Tide Lord was in the planet's core, it had used some sort of technology to target a specific point on the surface for its release.

"Move a satellite over there. I want to see what's happening," Qi Suian ordered the AI brain, which directed a satellite drone to broadcast the feed.

They quickly located the energy release point. Massive quantities of alien Cyanobacteria were spewing from deep underground. A colossal burst of energy infused the Cyanobacteria, making them show high-concentration energy readings.

Upon landing, the alien Cyanobacteria began to divide and multiply, spreading out rapidly from the point of eruption.

At a glance, it looked like a massive, spreading glob of snot.

'Such strong energy-devouring properties, and even more terrifying is its ability to spread.'

'Analyzing the data trends, the Green Tide Lord isn't just hatching—it's being birthed. Right now, it's preparing its own delivery room.'

Qi Suian predicted the Green Tide Lord's intentions through a combination of visual observation and satellite data.

"AI Brain, move a Floating Cannon into position. Make a tentative attack," Qi Suian ordered.

He had to strike while the enemy was vulnerable.

Was he supposed to just sit back and watch the Green Tide Lord be birthed by this Exhausted Planet?

He would definitely be the one losing out in the end.

[Your foresight is commendable, but you have overlooked the Floating Cannon's speed.]

[Without the Tai Sui God to carry it, the Floating Cannon cannot reach the destination in time.]

The Floating Cannon had immense advantages in short-range flight and instantaneous acceleration—it was a weapon, after all.

But asking it to fly long distances was asking too much of a simple cannon.

[You could attack with an intercontinental missile from the strategic weapons system. The effect would far surpass that of a Floating Cannon.]

"A good idea, but not cost-effective," Qi Suian refused.

There were only three days left until the will of the Ghost World descended. The Green Tide Lord couldn't possibly be born today.

Tomorrow, at the earliest.

That meant he only had two days to deal with the Green Tide Lord, and that was the maximum estimate.

If he used an intercontinental missile just for a probe, what would he do in the next Doomsday World?

This was not necessary.

Besides, he was planning on using the Green Tide Lord as fuel. How could he possibly launch an ICBM at it?

"Pay close attention to the Green Tide Lord's situation."

"And prepare the highest concentration of the Mortality Serum for me."

"I need to accelerate the final stages of perfecting the Twin Ghost Refining Technique," said Qi Suian.

Speaking of things that had followed him from the Profound World and hadn't yet become obsolete, aside from the Profound Virus, the Mortality Serum was the most enduring.

It was, after all, a serum designed to enhance learning, research, and similar processes. Plus, since he himself was the raw material, he never had to worry about running out of ingredients when moving between worlds.

That was how the Mortality Serum had remained useful to Qi Suian all this time.

Unfortunately, because Qi Suian's power had increased so rapidly, both the effects and the side effects of the Mortality Serum had diminished significantly. It was no longer like the old days, when he practically had to "watch an ad to revive" after every use.

Thankfully, "diminished" didn't mean "ineffective." Since the reduction was relative to his new baseline, the serum's actual effects were now countless times stronger than they had been initially.

'I just need to squeeze every last drop of life from this entire planet. In two rotations, at most, I will be born.'

The Green Tide Lord's body was gradually taking on more detail, no longer the simple, well-defined silhouette it had been before.

'But what in the world is this level-three lifeform doing? Why is it controlling an entire planet of humans to build such a bizarre structure?'

It didn't quite understand. At first, it had assumed it was some kind of large-scale weapon designed specifically to target it.

But as construction progressed, it realized it wasn't a weapon, nor was it any kind of energy-generating device.

It was, instead, something utterly beyond its comprehension.

As a result, its sense of urgency grew more and more severe.

A known threat was manageable; one could prepare countermeasures in advance.

But this was completely incomprehensible. The other party was unlikely to be bluffing, which meant the most likely explanation was a massive technological disparity.

There was no knowledge of it even within its own racial archives.

This is what spurred it to prepare its birthing chamber ahead of schedule, to accelerate its own birth.

The unknown is the true source of fear.

Especially when it couldn't simply overwhelm the opponent with sheer firepower.

'According to my calculations, the construction is nearing its final stages. I should be able to make it in time.'

'Two rotations is too long. Tomorrow. It must be tomorrow!' The Green Tide Lord abruptly changed its mind.

'I absolutely cannot delay any longer. If I wait until the day after tomorrow, it might be too late.'

'I have to be one step ahead of that bizarre structure to save myself from the disaster that's sure to follow.'

It refused to entrust its life to fate, betting that the strange structure wasn't meant to be used against it.