382: Chapter 382 Ice and Fire Spiritual Roots

[Five strands of Origin vital essence were forcibly extracted, gathering above her head into five clearly colored, slowly rotating light orbs the size of a fist.]

[As the vital essence left her body, Zhong Linger's aura visibly withered, her skin lost its luster, and the light in her eyes quickly dimmed.]

[You raised your hand and pointed; the "five elements vital essence" slowly sank, merging into the five grooves within the array patterns and beginning to blend with the "creation divine nectar."]

[Finally, you took out the jade box obtained from Langgan Pavilion—the world origin!]

[With a solemn expression, you used a secret method to guide this strand of precious power of the Origin into the core hub of the grand array.]

[With the three core Materials in place, the entire grand array shook violently!]

[The dark-golden array patterns shone brilliantly, intertwining with the gentle white light of the creation divine nectar, the five-colored radiance of the five elements vital essence, and the ten-colored glow of the world origin, forming a chaotic and mysterious force field that completely enveloped Zhong Linger.]

[The array's power began to operate, acting like a precise furnace that started to refine, purify, and transform all the energy within the array.]

[The third step, also the most crucial and dangerous one—Spirit Seizing.]

[Your target was the Ice-Fire Twin True Spiritual Root inside Zhong Linger's body!]

[Your hands formed the most complex and ancient seals recorded in the "Heaven-Seizing Creation Technique," and your mouth uttered obscure syllables.]

[As each syllable fell, it caused the power of the grand array to vibrate violently.]

["Capture!"]

[You pointed your fingers toward Zhong Linger in the array and made a grasping motion!]

["Hum—!!!"]

[The array's light suddenly retracted, all the radiance collapsing inward and pouring entirely into Zhong Linger's body!]

[Her body twitched violently, her face showing an expression of extreme pain, and fine streaks of blood began to seep from her seven orifices.]

[In your Divine Sense, you could see—the power of the grand array, like countless fine tentacles, reached deep into Zhong Linger's Dantian, firmly locking onto the two revolving masses of Spiritual Root Origin—the Ice Spiritual Root and the Fire Spiritual Root.]

["Strip!"]

[You let out a low shout, and your hand seals changed.]

[The array's power transformed into two invisible forces, beginning to tear and strip the two masses of Spiritual Root Origin from Zhong Linger's body bit by bit, like a precise surgery!]

[This process was slow and painful; even though Zhong Linger's consciousness was dormant, her body still twitched and resisted instinctively.]

[At the site of the Stripping, her Dantian Qi Sea began to show fine cracks, and her life force drained away rapidly.]

[But the life force of the "creation divine nectar" in the array immediately surged forward, repairing the damage and maintaining her last thread of life—]

[This was a requirement of the secret technique; the host must still have a trace of Life Qi at the moment the Spiritual Root leaves the body, otherwise the Spiritual Root Origin would dissipate with them.]

[An unknown amount of time passed.]

["Snap..."]

[A very faint sound, like something snapping, echoed in your Divine Sense.]

[The two masses of radiance were finally completely stripped away!]

[They hovered above Zhong Linger's Dantian, trembling slightly.]

[Fine beads of sweat broke out on your forehead, and your Divine Soul power was heavily consumed.]

[Without a moment's pause, you took a deep breath, and your hand seals changed again!]

[The fourth step, Root Planting.]

[You opened your mouth and took a sharp breath!]

[The two stripped masses of Ice-Fire Spiritual Root Origin turned into two streaks of light, one blue and one red, and following your lead, they plunged directly into your mouth!]

[The moment the Spiritual Root Origin entered your body, an extreme pain of bone-chilling cold and body-incinerating heat swept through you like a tsunami!]

[This was the foreign Origin clashing and being rejected most violently by your original, dim, and weak Mortal Grade Spirit Root!]

[You groaned, a trickle of blood overflowing from the corner of your mouth, but your eyes were as sharp as blades.]

["Suppress!"]

[You frantically circulated the Fusion secret method recorded in the "Heaven-Seizing Creation Technique," mobilizing the buffer and Fusion already prepared within your body—composed of "creation divine nectar" and part of the "world origin"—to forcibly envelop and suppress these two violent masses of Spiritual Root Origin.]

[At the same time, you began to guide them toward the dim Mortal Grade Spirit Root deep in your Dantian.]

[It wasn't you devouring them, nor they devouring you.]

[Instead, under the mediation of the life-giving creation power of the "creation divine nectar" and the supreme Law aura of the "world origin" that encompasses all things and evolves all creation, a forced Fusion and transformation took place!]

[Your Dantian seemed to turn into the Chaos before the heavens and earth were opened.]

[Violent energy conflicts erupted within your body; your Meridians were repeatedly tempered and torn by ice and fire, then quickly repaired by the power of creation.]

[Time passed bit by bit.]

[In the Immortal Cave, there was only the low hum of the grand array operating and your occasional uncontrollable groans of pain.]

[Finally...]

[An unknown amount of time passed.]

[The violently clashing energies inside your body began to slowly calm and blend.]

[Deep in your Dantian, the dim Spiritual Root had long since vanished.]

[In its place was a slowly rotating mass, within which the intertwining flows of icy blue and fiery red could be faintly seen, yet they were perfectly integrated—the Ice-Fire True Spiritual Root!]

[You slowly opened your eyes; a sharp light flashed through them before returning to their usual depth.]

[Success.]

[You immediately used your Divine Sense to inspect your interior.]

[Inside, the newly fused Ice-Fire True Spiritual Root was like a newly awakened cub, slowly but steadily absorbing and exhaling the Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi; every rotation brought a completely different, vital perception.]

[You let out a long breath of turbid air, which condensed into a white mist in the chilly Immortal Cave before slowly dispersing.]

[Compared to your former Mortal Grade Spirit Root, this was like heaven and earth.]

["Finally, I've succeeded!"]

["I'm finally no longer a piece of trash!"]

[You had never been this excited and thrilled.]

[After calming your emotions, you looked toward the center of the grand array.]

[There, only a withered body remained, looking as if all moisture and life force had been drained away.]

[Zhong Linger lay quietly, her skin clinging to her bones, showing a grayish, waxy yellow color; her eye sockets were deep, her lips parched, and her once beautiful face was now filled with deathly silence.]

[Now, she was just a withered corpse, rapidly growing cold and about to turn completely stiff.]

["Sigh, in this dog-eat-dog world, you can't blame me."]

["I couldn't just pick anyone, could I?" ]

["After all, you did cause my death once."]

[Whether Zhong Linger was right or wrong, you didn't want to judge.]

[In this world, what is right? What is wrong? It's hard to say clearly.]

[Only the strong are respected.]

[Survival is the only truth.]

[You raised your hand, and a spark of True Fire flickered from your fingertip, landing on that withered body.]

[The flames burned silently, not fiercely, but with a sense of purification.]