[Chapter 253: The Hidden Treasure Trove]
The entrance to the cave was small, radiating a cold and ominous aura. Even standing at the threshold, Daniel could sense a majestic yet sinister vitality pulsing within.
"It's right inside."
Michael stopped in his tracks, his body trembling instinctively, unwilling to take another step forward.
Daniel scanned the surroundings. Through his Spiritual Perception Technique, he detected a layer of milky-white energy shrouding the cave's ceiling, but streaks of dark red twisted through it.
"You all stay outside," he instructed, stepping into the cave alone.
...
The interior was damp and dark. Following a strange, sweet fragrance, Daniel walked inward a few hundred feet before the space suddenly opened up.
It was a semi-natural stone chamber.
In the center hung a stalactite as white and clear as crystal. A drop of silver-gray liquid condensed at its tip. After several minutes, it fell into a stone pit below with a soft "plop."
A shallow pool of liquid had formed in the pit, emitting a faint fluorescence in the darkness.
From the shadows, Daniel sensed another cold and gloomy aura.
He stepped forward, and using the Earth energy, he cracked the stone crust on the surface open.
Beneath it lay twisted white bones, not scattered but inlaid and fused together. Ribs jutted from some skulls, spines and leg bones intertwined like grotesque braids.
Daniel let out a cold laugh.
Primordial Regenerative Marrow -- this was indeed the treasure he suspected.
This substance forms deep in the core of places steeped in extreme cold and darkness, condensing the earth's most primordial vitality.
For an Alchemst, it's a key ingredient in refining life-saving Elixirs. But these cultists, ignorant of proper methods, had turned it into a vile elixir for creating terrifying monsters.
They even made ordinary people drink it.
On the surface, it seemed like nothing more than two people merging into one. But true Fusion was never that simple.
Inside, bones were displaced, organs misaligned -- a chaotic, twisted mess.
"What a waste of a divine treasure," Daniel muttered.
He pulled out a dozen empty crystal bottles, guiding them with his magic.
The silver-gray liquid in the stone pit wriggled like slender little snakes, all sucked into the bottles.
As he collected the last drop, a dull, low roar echoed from the cave's depths.
A power steeped in decay was awakening from the darkness.
Daniel snorted coldly. "I was just wondering where to earn Merit points. Looks like there's a big catch here."
A cold wind swept through the Karst Cave, and light flickered wildly across the rocky walls.
Clatter... clatter...
Heavy sounds, accompanied by the friction of viscous liquid against stone, came from the shadows deep within the chamber.
Daniel narrowed his eyes, his Spiritual Sense surging forward like a tide.
Amid that dense vitality, dozens of twisted, chaotic consciousnesses intertwined -- layers of extreme pain and madness.
A massive lump of flesh wriggled slowly from the darkness.
It was a grotesque sight.
The monster stood over seven feet tall, its skin an unhealthy silver-gray, resembling forcibly kneaded clay.
Dozens of arms and legs of varying thickness and uneven length protruded haphazardly. Its bloated torso was dotted with dozens of eyes -- some on elbows, others on thighs.
More than a dozen heads sprouted from different parts of the body, their features long since distorted.
A huge slit in its abdomen housed two noses, greedily inhaling the lingering scent of the Primordial Regenerative Marrow in the air.
This was the ultimate form sought by the followers of the 'One Body Sect.'
Originally a guardian of the sect, this monster had continuously devoured sacrificed ordinary people and drained vast amounts of Primordial Regenerative Marrow, forcibly fusing flesh and bone into its own grotesque form.
The vitality of the Primordial Regenerative Marrow maintained its deformed existence, giving it near-immortal regenerative power.
Even if its limbs were severed, they reattached within moments.
"Water... thief... must... die..."
The dozen plus heads opened their mouths simultaneously, accompanied by dull sounds from flesh wounds on its thighs and shoulders.
Dozens of overlapping voices created an irritating cacophony.
"Growing into this monstrosity must have been quite the ordeal," Daniel sneered, pocketing the crystal bottles.
Roar!
The monster unleashed a violent roar.
Its dozen arms pushed off the ground like a giant silver-gray spider.
Carrying a foul-smelling gust, it charged at Daniel.
Its strength was immense, shattering stone slabs beneath its heavy steps.
Daniel didn't dodge, circulating the Celestial Thunder Body Enhancement to its limit. A faint glaze-like sheen appeared across his skin.
"Fuck off!" Daniel shouted, throwing a direct, no-frills punch.
Bang!
An incredibly powerful blow smashed into one of the monster's massive front limbs, thicker than a normal person's thigh.
The arm exploded into a cloud of blood mist, blood gushing from the wound.
But the next second, granulation sprouted, quickly knitting the injury shut. In the blink of an eye, the wound closed, and the bleeding stopped.
"Your vitality is strong enough, but you're still too weak."
Daniel's eyes turned cold as he stepped forward.
"Lend me the power of the land!"
Rumble!
The chamber floor exploded as Geomantic Energy burst forth, severing all four legs supporting the monster.
The beast slammed heavily to the ground, hissing furiously.
The granulation squirmed like tiny snakes, desperate to reconnect the severed limbs.
"Lightning!"
Daniel formed a hand seal. A bolt of lightning struck the flesh mass.
Roar!
A shrill scream echoed through the cave.
The creature twitched violently, its charred skin blistering from the strike. But moments later, the burnt skin flaked off, rapidly regenerating into silver-white flesh.
"Such strong vitality."
Roar...
Several of the monster's consciousnesses roared in unison.
The layered howls sounded like soul-rending demonic cries, reverberating in the cave.
Daniel frowned. "Are you the only one who can roar?"
"Suppress!"
A grand, solemn voice exploded inside the narrow cave, transforming into a physical shockwave.
It struck the monster's twisted consciousnesses.
All its eyes rolled back, the body convulsed violently, and the layered roars abruptly ceased.
Seizing the moment, Daniel reached toward the sky with his right hand.
A rope flickering with thunderous light appeared.
"Spirit Binding Rope, bind!"
The orange-red chain slithered like a living spirit snake, tightening around the monster's tangled arms and legs.
Lightning surged along the chain, making the silver-gray flesh sizzle.
"You... all... are... mine..."
The monster's body began to swell, straining to use the vitality of the Primordial Regenerative Marrow to force its way free.
Daniel shook his head, boredom flickering in his eyes.
He clenched his right hand, golden light condensing between his knuckles.
"Since you love Fusion so much, then turn to dust. Five Thunder Doctrine, Celestial Lightning!"
His fist slammed into the central head of the monster.
*****
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