52: Chapter 52 A Triumphant Return! Tower Soul Surges, Sand Control Divine Skill!

Lin Feng found a leeward depression in a sand dune in the desert and sat down.

The yellow sand was scorching hot from the sun; he could feel the heat even through his pants.

But he couldn't worry about that now.

"Process the essence blood first."

Lin Feng pulled out dozens of liquid storage bags from his wanxiang ring and lined them up on the sand.

Dark red scorpion essence blood, green-glowing snake blood, earthy yellow Sandman essence blood...

Large and small, with qualities ranging from F-rank to B-rank, totaling about two to three hundred units.

"A grand Fusion of 100,000 mana... let's see what good stuff comes out."

Lin Feng rubbed his hands together, his eyes shining.

He held his hands together in a hollow gesture, palms facing the liquid storage bags on the ground.

"Talent—Fusion!"

Hum—

A faint golden light surged from his palms, enveloping all the liquid storage bags.

The Talent interface in his mind flashed wildly.

[Detected mergeable items: Desert Venomous Scorpion Essence Blood (F-rank) x127, Desert Earth Snake Essence Blood (E-rank) x68, Mutated Scorpion King Essence Blood (B-rank) x1, Sandman Essence Blood (D-rank) x43, Enhanced Python King Essence Blood (B-rank) x1]

[Essence Blood Fusion]

[Suggested consumption: 50,000-150,000 mana]

[Fusion Direction: Purification, Sublimation]

"Go straight to 100,000!"

Lin Feng gritted his teeth and chose to inject the maximum amount.

Anyway, he had the golden tower soul's blessing, a mana limit of 100,000, and a fast recovery speed; he could afford the cost!

Hum—

The golden light in his palms suddenly skyrocketed!

The liquid storage bags on the ground floated up one by one and burst in mid-air!

Essence blood of various colors mixed together like a tipped-over paint palette.

But soon, under the effect of the Fusion Talent, they began to rotate, compress, and purify!

Impurities were removed, and the essence was retained.

The color gradually shifted from a jumble to a unified... dark gold?

Lin Feng's eyes widened.

He saw the mass of mixed essence blood continuously shrinking within the golden light.

From the size of a basketball to a soccer ball, then to the size of a fist...

Finally, it condensed into a single drop!

Just one drop!

But this one drop emitted terrifying energy fluctuations!

Fine blood-red threads moved within the dark gold liquid under the sunlight; inside, it seemed as if life was pulsating, and golden patterns even surfaced on its exterior.

Plop.

That drop of essence blood fell into a special crystal bottle Lin Feng had prepared in advance.

The bottle sank slightly; he almost failed to catch it.

[Obtained: Ancient Earth Blood (S-rank)]

[Quality: Gold]

[Effect: Can be used for Physique tempering below Legendary rank; chance to awaken Earth-related Talent skills]

[Usage Requirements: Physique over 200, Earth Element Affinity over 80%]

[Description: Top-tier essence blood formed by fusing hundreds of desert creature essences, containing a trace of the ancient Earth Law]

"S-rank! Gold quality!"

Lin Feng's hands were shaking.

He carefully cradled the crystal bottle, observing the drop of dark gold blood through its walls.

The blood flowed slowly inside the bottle, sometimes condensing into the shape of a scorpion, sometimes turning into a python, and sometimes taking the form of a Sandman.

It was as if the Souls of those creatures were sealed within.

"This thing... is too precious."

Lin Feng swallowed hard.

S-rank essence blood!

It simply couldn't be bought on the market!

Even if it were available, it would be at an astronomical price, and often there was no supply regardless of the price!

"I'll find that old man as soon as I get out; he'll definitely know how to use it."

Lin Feng put the crystal bottle into the deepest part of his wanxiang ring, placing it in a corner alone and even wrapping it in several pieces of clothing for fear of it breaking.

After processing the essence blood, he checked his mana.

[Current mana: 110,000/110,000]

"Only 10,000 left; recovery speed... it'll take about five hours to refill."

Lin Feng calculated the time.

It was around two in the afternoon in the Secret Realm.

By the time his mana refilled, it would be around seven in the evening.

"Perfect, I can organize my other gains during this time."

He leaned against the sand dune, closed his eyes, and sank his consciousness into the wanxiang ring.

Things were piled up like a small mountain inside the ring.

Various monster Materials: scorpion shells, snake skins, snake galls, poison glands, bone spurs...

Equipment: over a dozen blue-quality Leather Armor pieces, bracers, boots, and several purple individual pieces.

Skill books: the "Darkness Domain" book dropped by the Sandman earlier, plus a few white and green trash skill books.

Special items: flame essence, Lava Crystals, Water Element Crystals, Shadow Cores...

"Too many Materials; it'll be a hassle to take them out and sell them. Might as well... fuse them directly!"

Lin Feng opened his eyes, revealing a sly smile.

This was the most incredible thing about the Fusion Talent—it could turn trash into treasure and scattered pieces into a whole!

"I'll get to work once my mana is full."

He found a comfortable position and began to meditate for recovery.

Time passed minute by minute.

The desert sun slowly tilted westward from overhead.

The temperature began to drop, and the wind became a bit cooler.

With his eyes closed, Lin Feng could feel the surrounding Earth Element energy automatically gathering toward him.

The heart of the earth in his arms grew slightly warm, helping him accelerate the absorption.

"This holy artifact... is really useful."

He felt delighted.

...

Five hours later.

Lin Feng opened his eyes.

The sky had already darkened; the desert starlight was exceptionally clear, and the Milky Way spanned the sky like a glowing ribbon.

He checked his attribute panel.

"Full!"

Lin Feng leaped up and stretched his somewhat stiff body.

"Time to get to work!"

He dumped all the Materials from the wanxiang ring out in one go.

Clatter—

A small mountain instantly piled up on the sand.

Scorpion shells were piled up, snake skins were stacked, and various crystals sparkled.

"Except for the Shadow Core... fuse everything else!"

Lin Feng picked out the pigeon-egg-sized darkness demon core and set it aside.

This was a gold-tier material and couldn't be fused haphazardly.

For the rest, he spread his hands.

"Talent—Fusion!"

Buzz!!!

This time, the golden light was even more dazzling than before!

All 100,000 mana was injected!

Rumble—

The mountain of Materials on the ground began to vibrate!

Scorpion shells melted, snake skins dissolved, and crystals sublimated...

All Materials decomposed into the most primitive energy particles within the golden light, then recombined, condensed, and sublimated!

Lin Feng could feel his Mental Energy being consumed at a frantic rate.

Fine beads of sweat broke out on his forehead.

But he gritted his teeth and persevered.

There were too many Materials being fused this time, and their qualities were uneven.

They ranged from white to purple, and the types were even more varied.

The Fusion difficulty was several times higher than that of the essence blood just now!

"Form for me... now!"

Lin Feng let out a low growl, pushing in the last bit of mana!

Hum—

The golden light skyrocketed to its limit!

The blinding light illuminated a hundred-meter radius, making even the starlit sky pale in comparison.

Three seconds later.

The light slowly receded.

On the sand, an... egg appeared?

No, was it a crystal?

Not that either...

Lin Feng walked closer and was stunned.

It was a fist-sized, irregular... metal block emitting rainbow light?

Its surface was as smooth as a mirror, and inside, it seemed as if liquid was flowing, with colors constantly changing.

It felt as warm as jade to the touch, yet it carried the cool sensation of metal.

[Myriad Manifestations Essence Gold (Gold Material)]

[Quality: Gold]

[Usage: Equipment forging, item crafting, special enhancement]

[Effect: Perfectly compatible with any attribute; significantly enhances the quality of the finished product]

[Description: A universal material formed by fusing hundreds of material essences, containing a trace of the Power of Creation]

"Gold material! Universal compatibility!"

Lin Feng's eyes went wide.

This thing was even more precious than a single-attribute gold material!

Because it could be used for anything!

Forging weapons? Yes!

Crafting armor? Yes!

Enhancing equipment? Yes!

It could even be used to refine special items!

"I've hit the jackpot..."

Lin Feng cradled the Myriad Manifestations Essence Gold, unable to put it down.

But soon, he made a decision.

"golden tower soul, it's time to eat."

He placed the Myriad Manifestations Essence Gold on the ground.

Then, he pulled out the heart of the earth—the holy artifact of the sha clan—from his bosom.

He also picked up the darkness demon core.

He placed the three items side by side.

The heart of the earth was earthy yellow and heavy, the darkness demon core was pitch black and profound, and the Myriad Manifestations Essence Gold shimmered with rainbow light.

"golden tower soul, come out for a feast!"

Lin Feng sank his consciousness into his Sea of Consciousness and called for the tower soul.

Hum—

Deep within his Sea of Consciousness, the small golden pagoda trembled slightly.

In the next moment, three beams of golden light shot out from between Lin Feng's eyebrows, precisely enveloping the three treasures on the ground.

The heart of the earth floated up first.

It trembled slightly in the golden light as if struggling—holy artifacts had spirits; even if the artifact spirit had perished, its instinct still resisted.

But the golden tower soul's devouring power was too overbearing.

With a twist of the golden light, the heart of the earth "cracked," and fissures appeared on its surface.

Then, it turned into a pure earthy-yellow torrent and was sucked into the space between Lin Feng's eyebrows.

Next was the darkness demon core.

This gold-tier material dropped by a Domain Lord Level monster was equally vulnerable before the golden light.

Pop!

The demon core burst, turning into a pitch-black energy stream that was also sucked in.

Finally, the Myriad Manifestations Essence Gold.

The rainbow light swirled within the golden light, attempting to resist.

But after only two seconds, it obediently turned into a rainbow energy stream and merged into the golden light.

Three streams of energy—one earthy yellow, one pitch black, and one rainbow-colored.

Under the golden tower soul's devouring, they were forcibly fused, refined, and absorbed!

Lin Feng could feel the small golden pagoda in his Sea of Consciousness growing at a rate visible to the naked eye!

The pagoda's body grew a bit taller.

From a phantom of nine floors, it became nine and a half?

No, a phantom of the tenth floor was starting to emerge!

Although it was still very blurry, it definitely existed!

The golden light on the pagoda's body became more solid, and the runes on its surface changed from dim to clear.

The pressure emitted by the entire golden tower soul was more than twice as strong as before!

[golden tower soul Growth Progress: 12/100]

[Effect Update: Max Health +220,000, Max mana +220,000]

[New Effect: Earth Control (Elementary)]

[Earth Control (Elementary): Can control sand and soil within a hundred-meter radius, changing their form at will; mana consumption depends on the scale of control]

[Description: An ability obtained after devouring the holy artifact of the sha clan; control range and intensity can increase as the golden tower soul grows]

"120,000 added to both Health and mana?!"

Lin Feng gasped.

Previously, the golden tower soul added 100,000; now it had more than doubled!

His total Health went from 110,000 to 230,000!

His total mana also went from 110,000 to 230,000!

"This improvement... is too terrifying!"

Lin Feng was so excited his whole body trembled.

What did 230,000 Health mean?

Explorers of the same level, even if they put everything into Physique, would have three or four thousand Health at most!

He had nearly a hundred times more than others!

Even if he just stood there and let them hit him, he could exhaust them to death!

And 230,000 mana...

He would never have to be stingy with his ultimate moves again!

He could blast them however he wanted!

"And a new ability... Earth Control?"

Lin Feng looked at the sand beneath his feet.

With a thought.

Swish—

The sand within a ten-meter radius suddenly began to flow!

As if it had come to life, it gathered, stacked, and shaped itself by his feet...

In just three seconds, a "sand sculpture" that looked exactly like Lin Feng and was made entirely of sand stood up!

"Holy cow..."

Lin Feng walked around the sand sculpture.

The features were clear, the clothing textures were simulated, and even the scepter of sand in its hand was lifelike.

It just had dull eyes and no spirit.

"Move a bit?"

Lin Feng's mind moved again.

The sand sculpture took a step and began to walk on the sand.

The movements were a bit stiff, but it was indeed walking.

"Attack?"

The sand sculpture raised the scepter of sand in its hand and swung it toward a nearby rock.

Thud!

A shallow pit was smashed into the surface of the rock.

It wasn't very powerful, roughly equivalent to a normal person's full-strength strike.

But Lin Feng was already very satisfied.

"This is only Elementary control. When the golden tower soul grows to Advanced, will I be able to control rocks, soil, or even... the entire earth?"

The more he thought, the more excited he became.

This ability was too practical!

In future fights, a casual move could summon sandstorms, quicksand, ground spikes...

He wouldn't even have to show his face to take people down!

"Oh right, I should prepare some sand to carry with me."

Lin Feng thought of places without sand.

Like in cities, in Dungeons, or on the Void Realm barriers...

He couldn't go looking for it every time, right?

He pulled out the largest Storage Pouch from the wanxiang ring.

This bag was captured from the Sandman earlier; it had a space of about ten cubic meters, which was more than enough to hold sand.

"Fill it up!"

Lin Feng controlled the sand, making it pour into the Storage Pouch like flowing water.

Ten cubic meters might not sound like much, but it could hold over a dozen tons of sand!

Once it was full, the bag was heavy; Lin Feng had trouble even lifting it.

"In future fights, I'll throw a handful of sand first..."

He had already begun to devise various tactics in his mind.

Throwing sand to blind eyes.

Using sand to entangle an enemy's feet.

Controlling sand to form a shield.

Or even... stuffing sand into an enemy's mouth, nose, and ears...

"Hehe, a perfect tool for dirty tricks."

Lin Feng chuckled mischievously and put the Storage Pouch away.

Then, he looked at the final gain—the S-rank pet egg.

The dark gold shell, the star-like light spots, the faint heartbeat...

"Should I hatch it now?"

Lin Feng hesitated.

He remembered the artifact spirit's schemes.

That old fox—even the three trials were fake. Could there be a problem with this pet egg too?

"What if some monster hatches, or if the artifact spirit left a backhand inside the egg..."

Lin Feng shuddered.

Being a target of Possession once was scary enough; he didn't want a second time.

"Better wait until I'm out."

"I'll ask Zhao Tianhai or go to the Explorers Guild to have it appraised."

"Better safe than sorry."

Lin Feng put the pet egg away again.

At this point, all gains had been processed.

Essence blood fused into S-rank, stored.

Materials fused into Myriad Manifestations Essence Gold, fed to the tower soul.

golden tower soul grew to 12/100, obtained sand control ability.

A bag full of sand, ready for use.

pet egg temporarily not hatched, awaiting appraisal.

"I've done what needs to be done and taken what needs to be taken."

Lin Feng stood up and brushed the sand off his clothes.

He looked around at the desert.

In over three days, he had gone from a level 10 rookie to level 16, with skyrocketing attributes and a full harvest.

He had almost been possessed and then luckily counter-killed his opponent.

The experience could be described as full of ups and downs.

"Time to go out."

Lin Feng pulled out the jade talisman from his bosom—the Emergency Escape Talisman.

Zhao Tianhai had given it to him; crushing it would instantly pull him out of the Secret Realm.

He gripped the jade talisman and took a deep breath.

Scenes from before he entered flashed through his mind.

Zhao Tianhai's instructions.

The speed at which Liu Ruyan changed her face.

Wang Hao's mocking countenance.

And Chen Lin's words, "Wait for me for three years"...

"Outside, there's still a bunch of things waiting."

A smile curled on the corner of Lin Feng's mouth.

He exerted force and crushed the jade talisman.

Crack—

The jade talisman turned into bits of white light, enveloping him.

[Do you confirm your departure from the Secret Realm "Desert Golden Sea"?]

[After confirmation, you will be teleported to the entrance]

"Confirm."

Lin Feng said softly.

Hum—

The white light skyrocketed.

His body felt the familiar sensation of weightlessness.

The desert scenery before his eyes began to blur, distort, and dissipate...

Finally, it turned into a pure white.