Chapter 89 - 88: Focus, Treacherous Undercurrents

Wang Ya entered the laboratory and activated the various Wizard Instruments. After injecting a nutrient solution into the cultivation pod, he began to measure its contents.

Inside the red metal ring were thirteen Gundas’ Dogs and a single arm made of flesh buds.

The mysterious heart was the most important item. Even though the space within the Witchcraft Artifact was in a relatively static state, microscopic movement still occurred. There was no telling whether something related to an Evil God could remain active inside.

If it triggered a chain reaction, things would get complicated.

Wang Ya had isolated it in a containment pod beforehand. When he removed it from the Witchcraft Artifact, the crimson heart was still beating. Its flesh-bud tentacles drooped, appearing somewhat listless.

THUMP THUMP!

Even through the containment pod, the sound reached Wang Ya’s ears—faint, but rhythmic.

His expression suddenly changed. He bit the tip of his tongue. The sharp pain and metallic taste of blood were followed by a burst of Spiritual Power, which erupted from him like an invisible wind, sweeping in all directions.

The flesh-bud tentacles on the Crimson Heart in the cultivation pod began to thrash wildly. Horrifying maws formed on the fleshy orb’s surface and began ramming against the high-strength glass.

’Incredible. To maintain such astounding vitality without any nutritional intake or a host... it’s even developed its own instinctual consciousness.’

Wang Ya stared blankly at the Crimson Heart in his hands, completely captivated. A fervent desire for knowledge burned in his eyes.

’What are the principles behind it? What is its structure? How is this even possible?’

’That heartbeat was an illusion. To save itself, the Crimson Heart must have emitted some kind of wave that affected my Spirit, causing me to experience auditory and visual hallucinations.’

’It’s just a heart! It has no brain, no other organs!’

Wang Ya took a deep breath, suppressing the urge to dissect it and satisfy his curiosity.

His current state and skill level were not yet sufficient to conduct a proper Wizard Experiment.

Studying the Gundas’ Dogs might be feasible, but attempting to work with flesh suspected to be from an Evil God’s actual body was far beyond his capabilities.

The level was simply too high. Even analyzing it with the Eye of Truth was proving exceptionally difficult.

He needed more knowledge related to Biological Cultivation, as well as proper experimental safeguards.

After all, unlike the previous Extraordinary Bloodlines and Extraordinary Creatures he had worked with, these were far more dangerous.

Both the Gundas’ Dogs and the Crimson Heart possessed inherently dangerous Traits. The slightest mistake could result in a backlash against the operator.

Wang Ya brought one eye close to observe. The Crimson Heart’s maws pressed against the glass, trying to attack. It had rows of shark-like teeth, and inside, a bizarre tongue composed of flesh buds split into countless forks that stuck to the glass, secreting mucus.

"What a beautiful creation," Wang Ya couldn’t help but murmur. "Such ultimate beauty." He had never seen such a perfect being.

Even Harak’s evolution was a far cry from this, riddled with too many weaknesses and flaws.

From devouring flesh and soul, to regenerating tissue, to corrosive assimilation and enhancement—all of its Special Abilities were complementary, each reaching an unimaginable level.

’If I could extract all these Traits and apply them to myself, or to Harak...’

Wang Ya took a deep breath as an experimental plan began to form in his mind.

But before that, he needed to make the preliminary preparations for the Wizard Experiment.

He placed the thirteen Gundas’ Dogs into cultivation-isolation pods, where life-monitoring devices would track them constantly.

The Gundas’ Dogs were incredibly tenacious. None had died, and with the intake of the nutrient solution, they gradually regained some of their vitality.

However, the nutrient solution could only keep them alive; even moving was extremely difficult for them.

The grotesque, dog-like bodies floated in the pods’ liquid, occasionally bumping against the glass walls. Their squirming flesh buds looked like a dense, horrifying mass of tiny worms.

Wang Ya had done this intentionally. He didn’t need highly unstable test subjects. Maintaining their basic vital functions was enough.

As for the Crimson Heart and the flesh-bud arm, he had no intention of placing them in a cultivation pod, let alone providing them with nutrient solution.

They were too dangerous, too full of unknowns. The consequences were unpredictable.

At the very least, he wouldn’t touch the Crimson Heart or the flesh-bud arm until he had thoroughly studied the Gundas’ Dogs.

Such caution was not unwarranted.

Lying on the large bed in the break room, Wang Ya closed his eyes and immediately fell into a deep sleep.

He was utterly exhausted. Just managing to process the experimental materials had pushed him to his absolute limit.

...

"An Evil God incident occurred in the Demon Dragon Territory. It even alerted the Official Wizards. I heard they held a small meeting about it."

"It’s the real deal. The Wizards in the Upper House probably all know by now, but the news is traveling slowly. In another day or two, it’ll be all over the Dark Land."

"You’ve got to be kidding me. Something straight out of the old texts actually happened in real life? We’re talking about a legendary Evil God here!"

Inside the Night Night Night tavern, a Wizard had, for once, started a discussion. Many others joined in, a stark contrast to the usual cold atmosphere where everyone quietly savored their wine alone.

The topic of discussion made the eavesdropping Wizards’ expressions shift with shock.

The information was explosive. The news of an Evil God incident and the Official Wizards holding a collective meeting was enough to send shockwaves through them.

"And get this, they say it was a Wizard from our own Dark Lower House who discovered the Evil God incident, got personally involved, and even gathered solid intelligence." The Wizard who spoke couldn’t hide the awe on his face. "Most importantly, he made it out completely unscathed—barely a scratch on him."

"That’s just absurd. Are you sure it wasn’t one of the veteran Wizards from the Upper House? A Wizard from the Lower House... with the Power of a Level 2 Wizard Apprentice... surviving an Evil God incident and getting out in one piece..."

In the dim light of the hall, the Wizards couldn’t see each other’s faces clearly, but it was obvious their expressions were stiff with shock.

It felt unreal for a true story like this to happen so close to home, right in their midst.

They subconsciously put themselves in that person’s shoes. Could they have done the same?

Nearly every Wizard in the Dark Land knew about Evil Gods. The severity of the topic was emphasized at every level.

Not a single Wizard present was confident they could have escaped unscathed.

"Who is he?" a figure asked from a corner, then insisted, "He can’t possibly be a nobody. He has to be a veteran Wizard from the Lower House at least, maybe even one undergoing his promotion assessment."

The figure couldn’t help but take a gulp of the Wizard’s Wine before him. His messy hair was greasy, clearly unwashed for days, but his eyes shone with anticipation.

’This is a very important piece of information. An Evil God incident, a mysterious expert from the Lower House... a story like that would capture anyone’s attention.’ He was extremely curious himself, a thoughtful look in his eyes.

’I know pretty much all of the new apprentices.’

’But I don’t know many of the older ones...’