Chapter 148 - 108: Divine Artifact Distribution and Golden Crow Phase 2 Modification Project

Chapter 148: Chapter 108: Divine Artifact Distribution and Golden Crow Phase 2 Modification Project

The Cyan Bird Face’s voice came from the direction of the Heart of Fire, shrill and laced with panic. "You want to cultivate a creature? Then you can just use my consciousness! I can sign a contract with you! Don’t use that stupid bird!

"My consciousness contains my cultivation experience, my secret techniques—I can pass them all on to you..."

Chen Shang didn’t even look at it, his mouth twitching slightly. He would have to be crazy to choose this guy.

The Golden Crow had followed him after signing a contract witnessed by the Plane Will. Its loyalty was guaranteed. As for this Cyan Bird Face, it had been entangled with the Heart of Fire for over a thousand years and had colluded with the Wind Elemental Lord. Not a single part of it was trustworthy.

He didn’t speak, but the Golden Crow couldn’t tolerate it. It flew up from Surtr’s shoulder and hovered in front of the Cyan Bird Face. Its feathers puffed up into a ball, and its three claws kicked wildly in the air. Once it opened its beak, it couldn’t stop.

"Who are you calling a stupid bird? You’re the stupid bird! Your whole family is full of stupid birds! You’re just a piece of trash pinned inside a fireball for a thousand years—what gives you the right to call me a stupid bird?

"Look at yourself! You don’t even have a body, just a face, and you dare to look down on me?

"Your cultivation experience? Your secret techniques? You cultivated for a thousand years just to end up like this? Pinned to the wall by my boss, unable to move? And you have the nerve to brag about it!"

The Cyan Bird Face tried to interject, but the Golden Crow spoke even faster, switching between seven or eight different languages. It switched from Wizard Common Language to Ancient Dragon Language, then to Elf Language, and then to Giant Language. Some were languages Chen Shang hadn’t even heard of, mixed with plenty of dialects filled with glottal stops and trills. In the end, it was cursing and gesturing wildly.

Surtr froze, tilting its massive head from side to side. Its dark gold eyes were filled with confusion. It had never seen the Golden Crow act like this before.

The pale gold light of the Heart of Fire flickered rapidly a few times before stabilizing. It couldn’t understand the words, but it knew it was swearing, so it chose to remain silent while cheering the Golden Crow on in its heart. Watching this guy, who had eroded it for over a thousand years, get ruthlessly chewed out was incredibly satisfying!

Chen Shang waited for the Golden Crow to finish a round of cursing before reaching out and plucking it from the air, pressing it onto his shoulder. "That’s enough. Save some energy. You’ll need it during the experiment."

The Golden Crow panted heavily, its chest heaving violently. A flame of the Samadhi True Flame even flickered at the tip of its beak. It glared at the Cyan Bird Face, still wanting more.

The Cyan Bird Face went quiet. It didn’t speak anymore, but its face twisted, the corners of its mouth turning down as if it were holding something back—or waiting for something.

Chen Shang didn’t give it another chance. He walked up to the control console, deactivated the Rune Array of the Elemental Chamber, and stored the Heart of Fire in his Second Spring.

"Let’s go back to my laboratory. I’ll help you deal with it."

The temperature in the room dropped from scorching hot to pleasantly warm. He pushed the door open. Surtr followed close behind, and the Golden Crow squatted on Surtr’s shoulder, still muttering something under its breath.

Back at the Starfall Laboratory, Chen Shang cleared out a small room next to the Recording Chamber. He did some simple modifications using heat-insulating materials and settled the Heart of Fire inside.

The concentration of Fire Elements here was far inferior to the Elemental Chamber, but the Heart of Fire didn’t complain. It knew this was only a temporary location, and it still wanted to listen to the Golden Crow recount the experiences of its predecessors.

Chen Shang opened the Celestial Net and began searching for methods to destroy spiritual will. He needed to shatter the Cyan Bird Face’s will and peel away those useful Spiritual Power Fragments from the impurities. After searching for a long time, he found a Potion mentioned in a research paper called a "Spiritual Dissolver."

This substance wasn’t exactly a poison; rather, it was a catalyst that loosened spiritual will. It would corrode the structure of spiritual will like acid, making an originally solid will frail and brittle. Then, using Spiritual Power to manipulate it, the will would shatter into countless tiny fragments. The size of the fragments could be adjusted by controlling the dosage of the Potion and the corrosion time.

The price was not cheap. A small bottle cost eight thousand Wizard Coins. Gritting his teeth, Chen Shang bought a bottle. He also bought a few bottles of Spiritual Purity Cleanser from the same store.

He needed to clear the impurities from his own Sea of Consciousness. Furthermore, no matter how many fragments the Golden Crow could digest, the remaining impurities had to be cleared out as well. If spiritual impurities were not cleared, their long-term accumulation would pollute the Sea of Consciousness. In mild cases, one’s Spiritual Power would stagnate; in severe cases, it would cause hallucinations or even schizophrenia.

The few bottles of Cleanser cost him another two thousand-plus coins.

Chen Shang stored the Potions in his Space Book and entered the room where the Heart of Fire was settled. The Heart of Fire hovered in the center of the room. Its pale gold light was dim but stable, like a lamp with its brightness turned down. The Cyan Bird Face was embedded in the surface of the sphere of light, its eyes tightly shut, as if it was accumulating power for something.

The Golden Crow jumped down from Surtr’s shoulder and landed in Chen Shang’s outstretched palm. Its three claws gripped his fingers as it tilted its head to look at him.

"Boss, when do we start?"

Chen Shang looked at the three-legged raven in his palm. It had been several years since he picked it up from the talent market, and it had followed him ever since. The Golden Crow had gone from a bird that only knew how to squawk to one that could stably use Fire Control and memorize Runes. It could be said that it had put in a lot of hard work.

Not to mention anything else, just the seven or eight languages it used to curse out the Cyan Bird Face earlier—it had learned every single one of them itself. Wizard Common Language was the foundation, but Ancient Dragon Language, Elf Language, Giant Language, and the like were all spoken by Half-Plane creatures that Chen Shang could come into contact with. This guy was also working hard behind the scenes, terrified of holding him back.

"No rush. Let’s stabilize our conditions first."

The Golden Crow puffed out its chest, bringing its three claws together. "Boss, I’m always ready!"

Chen Shang shook his head. "I meant adjusting my condition, too."

He returned to the Recording Chamber and took out a bottle of Spiritual Purity Cleanser. The pale blue liquid sloshed gently inside the bottle. He unscrewed the cap, tilted his head back, and downed it.

The moment the Potion slid down his throat, a cool sensation welled up from the depths of his Sea of Consciousness, flowing along the intricate lines of his Crystal Core. The chaotic, distracting thoughts absorbed from the ancient memory fragments were swept away, manifesting as fine, gray specks of light that precipitated out of his Spiritual Force Field.