425: Reviving spiritual energy, a gift from a lost civilization

Yang Dian flicked his finger, and with a sense of ritual, took out a knife, fork, and plate from his storage ring. He trimmed the irregular parts of the Heavenly Dao Ghost, shaping it into a perfectly round sphere before swallowing and speaking:

"What's impossible about it?"

"A ghost god, in the end, isn't it just a collection of information?"

"True Spirits gather information to give birth to Souls, which then become ghost gods."

"As long as I know how you exist and find a way to contain your information, dealing with you is incredibly simple."

"And what's this about being immortal and indestructible, coexisting with Huaxia Civilization, and Rebirth in the ruins of civilization?"

"What, did you watch too much anime and manga when collecting Earth's information, and become so chuunibyou?"

After complaining about the Heavenly Dao Ghost, Yang Dian took out a pair of chopsticks and picked up a slippery piece of Heavenly Dao rare treasure, putting it into his mouth.

"Hmm, as unappetizing as ever."

As Yang Dian ate the purplish-red gelatinous rare treasure cut from the Heavenly Dao Ghost, experiencing the bittersweet lives of others, the Dimension Butterfly also flew to the star core, its trembling wings constantly urging Yang Dian.

Giving the Dimension Butterfly a 'don't rush' look, Yang Dian reached out and patted the Heavenly Dao Ghost, which he had trimmed into a perfectly spherical, highly elastic ball. He asked curiously:

"Speaking of which, you're so weak, how dare you covet Earth and initiate a Dimension Fold on it?"

Red light quickly flickered deep within the sphere. A moment later, the Heavenly Dao Ghost chose to follow its instincts:

"Your existence is beyond my expectation."

"Earth is merely a world where Qi Revival has only occurred for a little over ten years; a monster like you shouldn't appear there."

"After learning of your existence, I already concealed my information and actively withdrew from your world, but I didn't expect you to still find me."

Yang Dian quickly finished the gelatinous rare treasure cut from the Heavenly Dao Ghost, then tilted his head, scrutinizing the Heavenly Dao Ghost:

"So, you created the Strange Game and released a large number of strangenesses onto Earth to stall for time, hoping to last until the Dimension Fold ended?"

"But I've already locked onto this planet's coordinates. Even if you manage to stall until the Dimension Fold ends, can't I just make Earth actively initiate a Dimension Fold on this planet?"

"What's the point of doing that?"

The Heavenly Dao Ghost froze for a moment, then its body began to surge in a somewhat collapsed manner:

"Impossible!"

"The Qi Revival on your planet has only been for a little over 10 years. How could you possibly have gained the means to control a planet and make it actively initiate a Dimension Fold?"

"Did you obtain a gift from a lost civilization?"

Yang Dian's pupils contracted slightly.

"A gift from a lost civilization?"

"Qi Revival?"

"Why do you say Qi Revival?"

"Revival implies it existed before."

"So, Earth had an ancient Spiritual Qi civilization?"

"How did the ancient Spiritual Qi civilization disappear?"

"And how do you know all of this?"

The Heavenly Dao Ghost seemed to realize its slip of the tongue and immediately began playing dead.

Yang Dian asked several times but couldn't get anything out of it, so he simply gave the Dimension Butterfly a look.

The Dimension Butterfly understood, and countless golden threads appeared out of thin air, weaving the Heavenly Dao Ghost into a cocoon.

After completely Sealing the Heavenly Dao Ghost, Yang Dian looked at the star core, which was emitting friendly emotions towards him.

"It seems I've been mistaken for a savior."

Muttering, Yang Dian placed his hand on the star core.

Five-colored light flowed around his fingertips, and a soft "crack" sound followed from the star core.

Some of the star core's instinctive emotions instantly vanished, and a trace of regret appeared on Yang Dian's face.

"But, I am the great Devil King of destruction~"

Amidst his lament, the brilliant star core shattered into countless pieces.

The Dimension Butterfly flapped its wings, extended its limbs, grasped the largest star core, and, carrying the completely Sealed Heavenly Dao Ghost, flew back into Yang Dian's glabella Subspace.

Yang Dian, meanwhile, waved his hand, collecting the remaining star core fragments, and turned his gaze to a large golden light cluster that appeared before him, now exposed without its outer shell.

"I wonder how much Origin energy these Origin energies can provide me..."

...Cultivate knows no years, and the cycle of sixty years passes unnoticed.

After an unknown period of Cultivating, Yang Dian, immersed in devouring the star core's Origin energy and occasionally cutting off a piece of Heavenly Dao rare treasure to taste, sensed something and reached for his phone.

【Brother, the semi-finals of the martial arts competition are the day after tomorrow. I might lose. Are you coming to cheer me on?】

Yang Dian glanced at Yang Lele's message, then at the dwindling star core Origin in his palm, now only the size of a watermelon.

"This much Origin is still enough to boost my energy by over 3 million."

Is 3 million energy a lot?

Certainly, it is.

For an ordinary person, it could elevate their strength to the Star-Patrolling Realm.

However, for Yang Dian, this amount of energy was too little.

It was only the amount he could accumulate in just over a month.

"Still, I have to blame the Heavenly Dao Ghost."

"If it hadn't continuously eroded the star core for decades, consuming a large amount of star core energy, the energy I could have obtained might have increased tenfold."

"But this Heavenly Dao Ghost, it's really a good thing~"

In his contemplation, he opened his long-unseen panel and took a look.

——

Dragon Claw Hand:

Traits: Reverse-Growth Dragon Scales, Earth-Splitting, Sky-Tearing, Sui Kong (Shattering Space)

Progress: 15 million / □ □ □ □ □ 1.3%

Heaven and Man Unity Skill:

Traits: Unity of Man and Nature, Innate Body, Magnetic Field Manipulation, Mastery of Five Elements

Progress: 25 million / □ □ □ □ □ 2.176‱

Star Gazing Art:

Traits: Star Guardian of the Spiritual Platform, Will Follows Heart, Divine Sense Connects Heaven and Earth, Control Objects with Spirit, Danger, Malice, Life, Weakness Perception, Spirit stationed

Progress: 15 million / □ □ □ □ □ 0.21%

Soul: 99,617.

Energy: 353.75 million (increasing by 99,617 points daily)

——

The Heavenly Dao Ghost had already been mostly eaten by Yang Dian, and Yang Dian's Soul strength, nourished by the Heavenly Dao Ghost, was nearing 100,000.

Initially, Yang Dian thought that after eating the Heavenly Dao Ghost, his Soul strength would at least reach the million-level.

But clearly, he had overthought it.

The Soul has 'drug resistance'.

After consuming the Heavenly Dao Ghost, the essence of Soul enhancement is to experience the joys and sorrows of other people's lives, and after empathy, the Soul undergoes sublimation, becoming more resilient and powerful.

The more one experiences, the less empathy one feels, and naturally, the less improvement one gains.

Once, a finger-sized piece of Heavenly Dao rare treasure could boost Yang Dian's Soul strength by over a thousand.

Now?

At most, it increases by about ten points.

Yang Dian had a feeling that relying solely on eating the Heavenly Dao Ghost, his Soul strength would peak at 100,000.

"But 100,000 Soul strength is still quite a lot."

"An increase of 100,000 energy per day is equivalent to 25 heaven and earth treasures. A year is 36.5 million energy, equivalent to over 9,000 heaven and earth treasures."

"Compared to before eating the Heavenly Dao Ghost, it's an increase of nearly..."

"Uh, 250 times?"

"Why does it feel like the Heavenly Dao Ghost is cursing me?"

Casually cutting off a piece of Heavenly Dao rare treasure and putting it into his mouth, while savoring the joys and sorrows of others, Yang Dian also casually sent a message back to Yang Lele:

【It's already very good to make it to the semi-finals. I'll come back later to help you analyze a couple of rounds and see if I can help you reach the finals.】

Putting away his phone, Yang Dian stretched and looked at the Heavenly Dao Ghost, which looked like a bullied child, and spoke again:

"Surrender, and tell me everything you know."

"Or be treated as food."

"Choose for yourself."

The Heavenly Dao Ghost gurgled twice:

"I can tell you everything I know, but you must let me go."

"Without freedom, I'd rather die."

Yang Dian couldn't help but chuckle:

"Let you go? I can't bear to."

"Let you die? I can bear even less."

"You'd better just obediently follow me."

He casually dug out a fist-sized piece of star core Origin and threw it onto the Heavenly Dao Ghost. Watching it instinctively devour the star core energy, Yang Dian asked curiously:

"By the way, after you become stronger, can your ability to nourish the Soul improve?"

"If it doesn't improve soon, you'll be of no use to me, except for certain information I don't know."

The Heavenly Dao Ghost remained silent, merely exuding a sense of sorrow.