90: Chapter 90 Purification

Sunday, 6 AM. Sunlight shone into the Secret Base.

Chen Zhen sat cross-legged in the center of the Eight-Talisman Chain Array, with that dark red fragment placed before him.

A night had passed; the blood-colored patterns on the fragment had faded slightly, but they were still clearly visible.

He reached out, his fingertips touching the surface of the fragment.

A surge of violent, chaotic intent instantly flooded in.

Killing intent, greed, madness—like countless hands trying to drag him into the abyss.

He withdrew his hand, his expression calm.

This level of mental corruption was useless against him.

The spirit bead in his Dantian, which had fused two fragments, rotated slowly. With a gentle vibration of Stellar Energy, those invading thoughts vanished into thin air.

[star core fragment (Contaminated Version)]

[Corruption Level: 67%]

[Purification Progress: 0%]

67% corruption. It needed purification.

He took out that stack of blank Talisman paper from his Storage Space and began to draw Talismans.

Not an Attack Talisman, nor a defensive one, but a special Talisman recorded in the talisman scripture—a Purification Talisman.

Mixing ink with anshen flower powder and infusing it with Stellar Energy, he drew stroke by stroke, completing it in one go.

The first Purification Talisman was placed on the fragment.

The blood-colored patterns on the fragment's surface trembled slightly and faded a bit.

[Corruption Level: 67% → 65%]

Effective.

Chen Zhen continued to draw. The second, the third, the fourth...

He drew twenty Purification Talismans in one breath and placed them all on the fragment.

The blood-colored patterns on the surface of the fragment trembled wildly, as if enraged, and the blood-red light flared intensely.

But as the twenty Purification Talismans exerted their power simultaneously, the pale golden light intertwined with the blood-red light, canceling each other out.

Three minutes later, the blood-red light retreated in defeat.

[Corruption Level: 65% → 45%]

Chen Zhen nodded in satisfaction.

At this rate, with forty more Talismans, he could completely purify it.

He picked up his brush and continued to draw.

At 8 AM, a faint sound of something breaking through the air came from outside the Secret Base.

Chen Zhen looked up, though his brush didn't stop. The door pushed open, and Yun Xi walked in.

She stood at the doorway, her gaze sweeping over the walls covered in Talismans, the six pots of spirit plants, and the Eight-Talisman Chain Array, finally landing on Chen Zhen.

"You're still alive," she said.

Chen Zhen didn't look up and continued to draw Talismans.

"You don't seem surprised that I came."

Yun Xi walked in, sat down opposite him, and looked at the fragment covered in Talismans.

"Contaminated version?" she asked.

"Yeah."

"What's the level?"

"45%."

Yun Xi was silent for a few seconds.

"Do you know how hard this thing is to purify?" she asked. "I have someone at Qi Refining Level 6 on my side who took half a month to purify a fragment with 30% corruption, and they almost suffered a backlash."

Chen Zhen finished the last stroke and placed the newly drawn Purification Talisman onto the fragment.

[Corruption Level: 45% → 43%]

"I didn't take half a month," he said.

Yun Xi stared at the fragment for a long time.

Then she smiled.

"No wonder you were able to survive."

She took a small booklet from her robes and threw it to Chen Zhen. Chen Zhen caught it and opened it.

Inside were Hand-drawing maps and some annotations. It was similar to the one he had before, but more detailed.

"This is the location and status of all currently known fragment holders," Yun Xi said. "Red represents The Out-of-Controls, yellow represents neutral, and green represents cooperative."

Chen Zhen glanced at it. There were eighteen dots, now only sixteen left—three were dead, adding the one he had just killed.

There were only three green ones: Yun Xi herself, one at Changbai Mountain, and another at Wuyi Mountain.

There were seven yellow ones, scattered across the country. There were six red ones. Five of them were ordinary The Out-of-Controls, and there was one more...

Chen Zhen stared at the dot at Kunlun Mountain. That dot wasn't red; it was black.

"What is this?"

Yun Xi was silent for two seconds.

"That isn't one of The Out-of-Controls," she said. "That is the Source."

The Source.

"Are all the corrupted fragments related to him?"

Yun Xi nodded.

"He has a special fragment in his hand that can contaminate other fragments. Those he targets either die or turn into those things that are neither human nor ghost."

She looked at Chen Zhen.

"The one you killed last night was sent by him."

Chen Zhen put away the booklet.

"Where is he?"

Yun Xi shook her head.

"I don't know. But his range of contamination is expanding. Three months ago, he could only affect five hundred kilometers; now, he can affect up to two thousand kilometers away."

She paused.

"If this continues, all fragment holders will have to die, or become his Puppet."

Chen Zhen was silent for a few seconds.

"You want me to help you deal with him?"

Yun Xi looked at him.

"Not help," she said. "It's cooperation. You and me, plus those two at Changbai Mountain and Wuyi Mountain, together."

Chen Zhen didn't answer.

He picked up the fragment and placed three more Purification Talismans on it.

[Corruption Level: 43% → 38%]

Yun Xi stared at the fragment, her eyes complex.

"This purification speed of yours..." She paused. "Who exactly are you?"

Chen Zhen looked up at her.

"The same as you, a fragment holder."

Yun Xi shook her head.

"That's not right. I've seen over a dozen fragment holders, and none of them are like this. The aura on you... is different."

Chen Zhen didn't answer. He put the fragment away and stood up.

"When do we make a move?"

Yun Xi was stunned for a moment.

"You agree?"

Chen Zhen looked at her.

"That thing he sent almost wrecked my home."

He paused.

"I don't like it when others wreck my home."

Yun Xi looked at him for three seconds, then smiled.

"In three days, gather at Changbai Mountain."

She stood up and walked to the door.

"By the way, your little apprentice, their talent is indeed not bad. Teach them well; they can be of use in the future."

With a flash of light, she disappeared.

Chen Zhen stood where he was, looking at the fragment in his hand.

Three days. Changbai Mountain. The Source.

He walked back to the center of the array and sat cross-legged.

He took out the fragment and continued to purify it. One after another.

[Corruption Level: 38% → 35% → 32% → 28%]

At 12 PM, the last Purification Talisman was placed. The fragment shook violently, the blood-red light dissipated completely, and it returned to its normal dark blue color.

[Purification Complete]

[Obtained: Pure star core fragment × 1]

[Can be fused, or used to track the Source]

Chen Zhen looked at the clean fragment and was silent for a few seconds.

Then he put it into his Storage Space. No Fusion. Keep it. Use it to track the Source.

He stood up and walked to the window.

Outside, the sunlight was just right, and the sky was very blue.

In three days, Changbai Mountain. The Source.

He took a deep breath, turned around, and walked back to the center of the array.

Continue to Cultivate. In three days, whatever growth he could get, he would take.