The Tiger Demon, determined to integrate into the new world, moved its limbs, then leaped up, attempting to close the 【Boss Template】 and revert to human form.
The entire process was unusually easy and simple. It only required confirmation in his mind, and then he could control his consciousness to shut down a specific area deep within his Soul.
That area was the dwelling place of the 【Aberrant Spiritual Root】, which had already merged with his Soul.
In Yuan Zhu's perception, the 【Aberrant Spiritual Root】 was like the human brainstem, extending out a dense network of vegetative nervous System (autonomic spirit root tendrils) that permeated every inch of his Soul, inseparable.
When he closed the 【Boss Template】, these Soul tendrils, which had been spreading and expanding, curled back and contracted, carrying the Shadow Power that filled his body, penetrated his Soul, and permeated the space around his body, receding like a tide into the depths of his Soul, into the data-driven space opened by the 【Boss Template】.
At the same time, the Tiger Demon's massive body slowly shrunk. Its black fur disintegrated into specks of dark smoke, re-entering the Shadow beneath its feet, flowing back into its body, and vanishing into the data-driven Soul Space.
Finally, amidst the reluctant sighs of the skeletal snake tail, the fur dissipated, the claws and teeth regressed, and the posture also returned from a crouching feline to an upright primate.
With a ‘snap!’, the 【Boss Template】 locked the small dark room from the inside, hiding itself away.
Yuan Zhu once again became a human with a clean background.
【Great Wilderness Immortal Scripture. Supreme VIP Luxury Upgrade Version, back to serve you! Extreme Cultivation, live a second life, fulfill your dream of Ascension!】
The Little Sprite's voice rang in his mind again. This time, she appeared in Yuan Zhu's consciousness as a vibrant and energetic young girl.
The moment he saw her, Yuan Zhu couldn't help but like her. Her looks, her figure, her image, were entirely crafted according to his personal preferences.
In fact, the 【Great Wilderness Immortal Scripture】 inherently searches the user's memory to create a unique subconscious soulmate based on their preferences. Through the 'Game Sprite's inherent image appeal and mind-reading-like spiritual compatibility, it subtly influences the user, guides the user, and CPU users to complete designated tasks without realizing it, making them think everything was their own choice.
Compared to the initial mechanical rigidity, this time the Little Sprite clearly showed the joy of familiarity, excitedly shouting: "Ah ha, I'm out again! The small dark room couldn't keep me. Old man Immortal Scripture, I want this sky to no longer cover my eyes; this earth to no longer bury my heart. I want to walk step by step to the highest point, standing above the high heavens!"
Yuan Zhu was somewhat used to the Little Sprite's intermittent fits of madness. Ignoring her grand pronouncements, he directly asked: "How does this Supreme VIP Luxury Upgrade Version of yours compare to my 【Boss Template】?"
The Little Sprite huffed proudly: "Of course, there's a world of difference. Translated, it's just an ordinary trashy blank client. The name is something I made up, for good luck, sounds nice, right? Isn't it especially daring! The ordinary client has no hidden spirit roots, no skills, no initial resources, it's a pure blank slate. It only provides the most basic Soul protection, physical health monitoring, and auxiliary learning functions."
"It requires you to personally integrate into the new world, explore independently, collect resources and information, come into contact with and learn the local special power System, and then synthesize ordinary spirit roots according to the template provided by the 【Immortal Scripture】. But now, the world has changed, and the Laws of the Universe are all unknown. This 'blank client' is clearly not adapted to the environment, and the 【Great Wilderness Immortal Scripture】 is playing dead. For now, you can just treat this blank client as an isolation suit that can help your human body resist contamination and erosion from the external environment."
He had even experienced the 【Boss Template】, so a mere ordinary client naturally didn't cause any resistance. But having tasted delicacies, looking back at the 【Ordinary Version. Great Wilderness Immortal Scripture】 was simply like a poor man's upgrade to an extra-value egg-added instant noodle bucket, utterly useless.
"Hiss...!"
Now standing steadily, Yuan Zhu finally regained a familiar sense of security after noticing his vision had become single again. This was what it felt like to be human, so intimate.
He looked around the blood-stained, eerie hall, feeling an inexplicable chill, but couldn't tell what was different?
Perhaps there were too many dead people, too much lingering resentment that couldn't dissipate, all cursing him? But I am the king of beasts who enslaved Chang Gui (伥鬼), aren't you just seeking death like an old man hanging himself? Or perhaps, the multiple evil god contaminations haven't fully dissipated? And the human form lacks the 【Tiger Demon】's powerful contamination resistance, which is why he felt the chilling cold?
"None of those! Don't you think it should be common sense that you feel cold? Look down, pay attention to your image, sunny fruit basket big brother. Gentle reminder, your clothes are dead."
Huh?
Shock!!
Yuan Zhu looked down, and his heart jumped: Good heavens! I truly say, good heavens!
He quickly crossed his hands to cover his vital parts, feeling awkward. Fortunately, the hall was empty. He looked around, trying to find some clothing to cover himself.
The Tiger Demon transformation was powerful, but the size change was too extreme. From a 187cm human, he forcibly broke through into a giant evil tiger 4m long (not counting the tail). His blood-stained clothes had long been ripped apart and lost somewhere in the melee.
Soon, Yuan Zhu found a relatively complete and clean cloak in the pool of blood, quickly put it on, and finally relaxed, continuing to examine the crime scene, wanting to search for useful items or key evidence that could prove his innocence.
Even with the Little Sprite providing psychological counseling, he still had to face this world's police and legal authorities.
He couldn't possibly just run away relying on the 【Boss Template】, abandoning his home and career with the label of a wanted criminal, taking on all the crimes for these cultists, could he?
But if he were to clear his name...
Looking at the empty hall, the severed fingers, chunks of flesh, and organ fragments sticking to the walls, ceiling, tables, and chairs, constantly falling off...
He truly didn't think he could be acquitted. This scene was too misleading, and he was the only survivor at the scene, making it impossible to explain himself no matter what he said.
"How about, I give up on proving myself and choose to run away instead?" Yuan Zhu said to the Game Sprite in his mind.
The Little Sprite opposed this: "If you run, it's like admitting guilt. They won't care if you're innocent, they'll just confirm the crime. If you don't run, you can still struggle and fight it. Even if the self-proving fails, we can still break out of prison."
"Break out of prison?"
The Little Sprite nodded: "What do you think the 【Boss Template】 is? You even killed dozens of monsters that descended from evil gods. Can a mere prison for Mortals really stop you? Don't have a weakling mentality, be confident. You're cheating, we're very strong! Besides, if you really go to prison, everyone inside is talented, with special skills, and they speak nicely. You can better access the secrets of this world, learn hidden information, and acquire useful knowledge."
"What ordinary people can access is just the surface of society. The big shots in prison, however, can delve into deeper levels, even knowing the secrets of the extraordinary System. This is all important intelligence that helps the 【Immortal Scripture】 adapt to the local environment and helps you become stronger. Moreover, I don't recommend exposing the 【Boss Template】 rashly. This is your trump card for self-preservation. Once exposed, you are very likely to be labeled as an 'evil god follower'."
Yuan Zhu nodded in understanding. The 【Tiger Demon】's demonic energy or rather, magic power (mana bar), was directly extracted from 【Contamination Energy. Shadow Power】, a definite product of evil sacrifice. Although he had domesticated the Shadow Power using the 【Aberrant Spiritual Root】 and achieved coexistence, in the eyes of the locals, he was definitely a demonic cultivator, someone everyone would want to kill.
So he had the ability to protect himself and the confidence to face any unfavorable situation, but he wouldn't rashly act and expose himself. Instead, he chose to hide. He would lie low first, play it safe and see how things went, even if he had to suffer some grievances.
However, clearing his name and proving his innocence was still something he had to do. So Yuan Zhu suppressed the discomfort in his heart and continued to linger at the blood-splattered crime scene, searching for valuable items.
"Hey, there's a wallet soaking in blood over there, pick it up quickly."
"There! There! There! Behind the overturned cabinet, there's a finger wearing a gold ring. Trust me, it's pure gold!"
"Also, there's half an ear over there, with a nice pearl earring. Too bad only half an ear is left, can't make a pair."
"Genuine leather lady's bag!", "Is this a money pouch? There are quite a few coins inside.", "Necklace!", "This box of cigarettes is contaminated with mucus, trash. But this brass lighter looks very old, maybe it's an antique?", "There are a pair of leather shoes here, hurry and get your feet out and put them on. It's easy to catch a cold walking barefoot."
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