Chapter 60: 2nd Body Refinement!

Chapter 60: Chapter 60: 2nd Body Refinement!

Chen Shang snapped back to reality. The consciousness before him was nothing more than a parasite bred from the dregs of Divine Power. It hadn’t even scratched the surface of true Divine Power, only capable of controlling a few vines to put up a false front.

As Huowa’s flames swept across, the vines retreated in defeat. The emerald branches snapped and broke one after another amidst the crimson blaze.

The consciousness grew increasingly desperate. Its Spirit fluctuations shifted from anger to panic, and then from panic to sheer chaos. Like a wild beast trapped in a cage, it slammed frantically against the walls, unable to find an escape.

Chen Shang raised Natural Fury, pouring the last bit of Energy into the Magic Staff. The Gemstone lit up with a blinding golden brilliance. A thick, golden beam of light shot from the tip of the staff, blasting directly into the struggling vines. The vines let out a silent shriek before being reduced to ashes in the golden light.

Chen Shang finally stood before the shattered, ancient throne. Its material was peculiar, engraved with strange patterns that were likely prayers written in the Ancient Elf Language. This item held significant value, though its exact composition would need to be determined using professional equipment.

Opening the Space Book, Chen Shang carefully collected all the fragments. Some were as large as washbasins, while others were as small as fingernails. He even scooped up the surrounding dirt into the Space Book, terrified of missing a single piece.

When his Spiritual Power touched the most intact part of the throne’s base, a speck of golden light darted out from within. Following his Spiritual Power, it shot into his mind at an unbelievable speed.

"Hahaha... You fell for it, boy! Did you really think you could destroy me? Become my vessel!" The voice of that consciousness exploded within his Sea of Consciousness, laced with wild ecstasy.

Chen Shang, however, did not panic.

Inside his Sea of Consciousness, the walnut-sized Crystal Core lit up. Pale golden light radiated outward, rising like a miniature sun within his mind. The Crystal Core began to spin like an activated high-speed centrifuge. A massive suction force slowly dragged the invading consciousness in, pulling it into the Crystal Core’s range where it was crushed, obliterated, and finally digested.

"No—impossible—how could you—"

The voice of the consciousness grew weaker and more fragmented, completely vanishing a few breaths later. Peace returned to the Sea of Consciousness. The Crystal Core stopped spinning and hovered quietly in place, shining just a fraction brighter than before.

Chen Shang shook his head. It was truly so adorably naive that it didn’t even know how to play dead. Well, that worked out fine—it had likely provided him with the nutritional equivalent of a Potion.

With no more obstacles in his way, Chen Shang used his Spiritual Power to probe the throne’s base. Just as he expected, a Power pierced his consciousness like a needle. It was sharp, carrying an inviolable majesty.

At the same time, his body also felt the intimidation. The oppressive weight seeped out from the residual Divine Power, pressing down on every inch of his body. It felt as if an invisible Giant was looking down upon him from above.

This was a Divine Spirit. Even in death, even with its Divine Kingdom shattered, and even with only a single trace of residual Divine Power left, it could still make the body of a First Level Apprentice feel instinctive terror. If someone could harness it, this minuscule amount would be enough to obliterate Chen Shang, leaving not even ashes behind.

Chen Shang took a deep breath, suppressing the fear. He safely stored all the Throne Fragments, led the Huluwas in cleaning up the aftermath, and retraced his steps.

Returning to the laboratory in the High Tower, Chen Shang took the Throne Fragments out of the Space Book one by one and laid them out on the experimental bench.

There were fifty-three pieces in total, varying in size. He categorized them according to the strength of their auras, labeled them, and stored them in a dedicated storage cabinet. After that, he sat in his chair and stared at the research data regarding Divine Power on the Crystal Plate, pondering for a long time.

The residual Divine Power could not only repair Zhong Kui’s Soul Core, but it also had many other wondrous uses—such as helping him undergo a second round of Body Refinement. The path of Body Refinement he had chosen relied on external stimuli to unlock his physical potential. Dragon Blood could do the job, and this residual Divine Power would be even more effective.

"I need to extract the Divine Power first and prepare adequate defenses," he thought. "Otherwise, with my own strength, I’ll just be crushed by the Divine Power!"

Having figured out his plan, Chen Shang took the most intact base piece of the throne out of the storage cabinet, placed it on the Recording Platform, and began to work.

Twenty hourglass cycles later, Chen Shang had everything ready. The Divine Power had been extracted from the throne base. There was only a single trace of it, as faint as morning mist, but even this tiny sliver was enough to eradicate any non-divine creature.

Therefore, Chen Shang sat cross-legged right in the center of the laboratory, surrounded by densely packed Rune Arrays. Pale golden streaks of light spread from the floor to the walls, and then to the ceiling, covering him entirely like an inverted bowl. Energy from the High Tower poured in through the Rune Array, acting to suppress the might of the residual Divine Power. This sliver of Divine Power was incredibly overbearing—far more so than the Dragon Blood from before.

It attempted to burrow into Chen Shang’s body and become one with him. It wasn’t an act of possession, but rather an assimilation. If it succeeded, Chen Shang would no longer be a pure human. He would transform into a half-human, half-divine entity. His strength would skyrocket, his lifespan would increase, and he might even master some Divine Arts. However, the price would be losing a part of his very self.

"You want me to degenerate into a Divine Spirit, too?" Chen Shang sneered. In the Endless Star Sea, very few beings looked down upon the Pantheon path, but Wizards were absolutely one of them.

The High Tower’s Rune Array was operating frantically. Every time the Divine Power tried to erode deeper, the Rune Array would emit a shockwave, jolting the Divine Power right out of his flesh and blood. Gritting his teeth, Chen Shang persisted in cycling the Body Forging Rune, using this stimulation to force his body to evolve into a superior form.

The process lasted for an unknown amount of time. Luna Xiya crouched to the side, standing guard. Her mycelium swayed gently with the fluctuations of the Divine Power. The vibrations emitted by the Elf Divine Power were a rare source of nourishment for a Plant Type lifeform like her.

Yilu periodically sprawled by the doorway, poking half its head out to stare unblinking at Chen Shang with its big eyes. It didn’t understand what was happening, but its keen perception told it that the good Giant who had saved it was undergoing some kind of metamorphosis.

Chen Shang’s body was indeed changing. It wasn’t a violent mutation, but a gradual transformation from the inside out. His bodily tissues were being reforged, rearranged, and restructured. Stale blood seeped from his pores while his bone marrow continuously produced fresh blood, which then flowed throughout his entire body, carrying immense Power. It seemed as though some newborn strength was slowly awakening within him, elevating his whole being and making him more vigorous and well-rounded.

Twenty-four hourglass cycles later, Chen Shang stood up. With a slight clench of his fist, he felt a massive amount of Power surging through his muscles. It felt as if every inch of his body was brimming with explosive might, giving him the illusion that a single punch could shatter anything in front of him.

"Boss, you seem to have gotten more handsome again!" the Golden Crow darted in, staring blankly at Chen Shang for a moment.

"I haven’t gotten more handsome; I’ve evolved," Chen Shang said, in an excellent mood. He draped a robe over his shoulders and prepared for the next phase of his work.