The Wizard's Pursuit of Truth

Chapter 283: Chapter 181: Mutually Exclusive Rules, Tailor-Made Witchcraft Artifact

This was an unfathomable Abnormal Item.

The principles underlying the battle between the Deep Blue Great Wizard and the Level 6 Blood Wizard, Gendas, made Wang Ya feel insignificant.

The Rules were also something he could not comprehend.

However, Rules could be extracted and shattered into fragments. It was suspected that the Gendas Evil God had obtained one such Rule Fragment from the Level 6 Blood Wizard.

The Gendas Evil God’s Power was undeniable; its main body was definitely above the level of a Level 3 Wizard.

It roamed the Outer Space, and yet a mere fragment of its body that fell into the Wizard World was capable of wielding the Power of an Official Wizard.

According to the Eye of Truth’s analysis, there were five portions of the Evil God Origin in total. Combined, they accounted for roughly one percent of the main body’s total origin.

And that was after accounting for the attrition and loss from the spatial transition.

Wang Ya’s eyes glinted. A crazy idea surfaced in his mind. ‘When encountering the unknown, the fastest way to understand it is to test it.’

‘I’ll know if it’s a Rule, as I suspect, once I test it.’

‘When two interacting Rules collide, which one will take precedence?’

Wang Ya’s eyes burned with fervor; the thought was an unbearable itch.

‘Then I’ll give it a try.’

‘As for the cost of any side effects, there are plenty of ways to mitigate them.’

Of course, Wang Ya wasn’t so crazy as to test the unknown golden pocket watch against the unknown Rusted Iron Sword.

The Gendas Evil God had devoured a Rule Fragment, so its Evil God Origin was likely special because it, too, carried the power of that fragment.

‘What would happen if I stabbed the Rusted Iron Sword into the Evil God Origin?’

Wang Ya took a deep breath. The potential result was far too exciting.

Meanwhile, on the Altar deep beneath the Futu Kingdom, the dog-like metal statue that a blacksmith had repaired began to tremble inexplicably. The fleshy buds on its head whipped about in a frenzy.

The Gendas Evil God awoke from its slumber. It had been tormented by its previous pain and injuries. Now, it felt another inexplicable sensation—a chilling dread that arose from the depths of its soul.

Sharp, piercing barks echoed throughout the underground space, grating and vexatious.

Several royal priests, their minds already corrupted, scrambled to kneel before the canine statue. They kowtowed ceaselessly, praying for their god to appease its wrath.

The Gendas Evil God grew increasingly agitated. The sight of these mortals groveling only intensified its irritation. The fleshy buds on its head morphed into a long tongue, snatching one of the worshipers. It chewed, crushed the man’s bones, and swallowed him whole.

The remaining men kowtowed even more fervently, their bodies trembling uncontrollably.

The Gendas Evil God let out a small burp. After waiting for several hours with no further disturbances, it sank back into a deep slumber.

‘It must have been my imagination.’

…….

The monkey’s arms could no longer be healed with the Harak Phage. Wang Ya used the Shadow Slayer Blade to lop them both off. Soon, at the cost of some Biological Energy, two new arms grew back.

The Harak Phage could perfectly manipulate a biological organism, controlling its metabolism. If it willed hair to grow, it grew. If it willed hair to vanish, it fell out.

He gripped the Rusted Iron Sword again. As for the Evil God Origin, he used fresh meat to lure it, allowing it to devour and take over the tissue. Then, with a single, swift cut, he sliced off a piece.

SQUELCH!

The Rusted Iron Sword plunged into the living flesh now fused with the Evil God Origin.

To Wang Ya’s surprise, the living flesh remained alive. The Evil God Origin was a product of the Gendas Evil God’s fused Spiritual Power, soul, and flesh.

He had even considered the possibility that the living tissue would just die instantly.

He pulled a notebook from his sleeve. With a feather pen in hand, Wang Ya was struck by a surge of inspiration and began to write furiously.

[Experimental Results Regarding Rules]

[Details: Preliminary conclusion that Abnormal Items possess a ‘Rule’ by some definition. ‘Rules’ cannot influence one another; they can only cancel each other out.]

[Hypotheses: What is a Rule? How do Rules differ from one another? Do they have varying strengths? Can a Rule be resisted, or can only another Rule counter a Rule? Where do Rules originate, and why do Abnormal Items exist?!]

He closed the notebook. These were just the jottings from a burst of inspiration. Wang Ya likely wouldn’t delve into this field of research for a very long time.

The purpose of experimenting with the Effects of Abnormal Items was also to test for their side effects.

The side effects of the Rusted Iron Sword were obvious, but its Effect was also outstanding. It could play a decisive role when necessary.

However, Wang Ya had yet to discover any side effects from the golden pocket watch, even after using it himself two or three times.

…..

「Magic Plant Cultivation Stone Area.」

When Wang Ya’s figure materialized, he was taken aback by the changes in the area.

The metamorphosis of the Blood-sucking King Vine was somewhat unexpected. Not only had its physical form completely changed, but the very essence of its aura had undergone an evolutionary transformation.

It was pitch-black all over, with skin like a snake’s scales. The individual vines now resembled tentacles. Their tips still had small mouthparts, but they could now open wide, much like a snake about to swallow its prey.

As if sensing its master’s arrival, the Blood-sucking King Vine’s black tentacles surged toward Wang Ya. They affectionately prodded his body with their sensory tips, seeming exceptionally cautious.

Wang Ya reached out and grasped a vine to observe it more closely. He discovered that its mouthparts now contained fangs and venom glands like a snake, as well as rows of shark-like teeth.

He raised an eyebrow. ‘This mutation is too bizarre. Has it transformed from a plant into an animal? Or has it become a special hybrid species, a literal plant-animal?’

A RUSTLING, SLITHERING sound came from the depths of the stone area. A mass of black vines was spreading out, seemingly dragging something behind them.

A huge, black Flesh Embryo slowly emerged. Its surface was covered in uneven, rigid flesh marked with crevices and a network of fine blood vessels, creating a visceral, shocking sight.

THUMP-THUMP!

Wang Ya pursed his lips. ‘As expected, one can’t underestimate the evolutionary potential of living creatures. The Blood-sucking King Vine’s transformation isn’t following the path predicted by the Eye of Truth at all.’

If he had to describe it, only two words came to mind: “Utterly fantastical.”

Or maybe “grotesque and absurd”!!

‘I wonder what it will look like once its metamorphosis is complete.’

‘With its current appearance, it would be more than qualified to be a final boss in a horror movie.’

Wang Ya checked its vital signs again. They were quite stable and had increased by roughly a third.

Its current Biological Energy was roughly comparable to that of a High-tier Extraordinary Creature.

Its evolution seemed to be entering the final stage. The black Flesh Embryo was no longer soft; once it completely hardened, it would form an eggshell-like structure from which the creature would hatch.

The corner of Wang Ya’s mouth twitched. ‘What a chimera… from a plant to something like a viviparous mammal, and now it’s going to hatch from an egg.’ Wang Ya waved his hand, motioning for the Blood-sucking King Vine to return to its spot and complete its metamorphosis.

With a ripple from a Witch Array, his figure appeared outside the Illusory Dream Tower.

Kelan Wizard wasn’t in the Illusory Dream Tower; she was likely on the first floor of the Lower House Library, discussing matters concerning the Black Sun Ruins.

‘Given Senior Sister Kelan’s personality and her attitude toward me, there’s an eighty percent chance she’ll agree,’ Wang Ya thought.

‘I reckon she’d help me even if there were no benefits involved.’

‘But I still have to give her what’s owed.’

He had already discussed this point with Kaze Antuun.

When the time came, it would just be a matter of signing a new Wizard Contract.

Instead of heading to the Lower House Library first, Wang Ya went in the direction of the Divine Blood Tower.

His Power had now reached the level of a Level 3 Wizard Apprentice. It was time to cash in his opportunity to have a custom Witchcraft Artifact forged.

It would be forged by an Official Wizard—an Alchemy Wizard who was also a Mechanical Wizard, and one who was exceptionally skilled at creating Witchcraft Artifacts.

The Divine Blood Wizard’s skill was renowned throughout the Dark Land. He had even forged Ascension Witchcraft Artifact prototypes for many Official Wizards.

The Battlefield was also his handiwork. He was a Wizard who had existed in the Dark Land for an exceedingly long time.

Wang Ya looked forward to seeing what kind of Extraordinary Ability and form his own Extraordinary Witchcraft Artifact would possess.