Translator: AnubisTL
Time flew by, and dozens of seasons passed.
The sky of the Purgatory Sulfur Plane remained crimson, and the energy circulation of the Incense Divine Path expanded at a steady pace.
The effort to improve the aptitude of Anker's descendants had gone smoothly, and Jieming had earned ten million low-tier military merit with little effort.
After that, Jieming devoted most of his energy to exploring the mysteries of space.
In the laboratory, Jieming's eyes burned with intensity as he stared at the strange creature fixed to the runic experimental table—a mutant spider snake, its entire body carved from colorless crystal.
This was the rare specimen he had painstakingly collected from the Sky Isle Plane in his early years.
His frantic cramming of spatial knowledge over the past few decades had finally given him the confidence to safely dissect and study this spatial creature.
Today, his research seemed to have reached a critical breakthrough.
He carefully used a specialized alchemy scalpel to remove a small, crystal-clear fragment of its outer shell.
The glow of the "Universal Eye" spell flowed through his eyes in layers, as countless streams of minute data and information swept over the fragment's structure like a waterfall.
"I never would have thought..." Jieming muttered, his voice thick with excitement. "The core function of this thing isn't to enhance spatial abilities, but to... stabilize space!"
This discovery overturned his long-held hypothesis.
He had always assumed that the mutant spider snake's ability to hide within the spatial mezzanine relied on its crystal carapace to mask or refract spatial fluctuations.
However, the actual analysis revealed that the carapace's true purpose was to form an incredibly minute, stable spatial anchor—like a ship's anchor in a storm—ensuring that the microscopic space the spider snake occupied wouldn't collapse while it traversed or hid within the void.
So, where did the invisibility come from?
Jieming's gaze shifted to the internal structure exposed after he removed the carapace.
Unlike ordinary arthropods, what lay beneath the crystal shell wasn't soft muscle tissue, but a layer of an incredibly complex, translucent, web-like membrane structure, resembling biological fascia.
In his perception, it was these seemingly fragile membranes that were continuously emitting subtle yet active spatial fluctuations.
Fortunately, he had already advanced to a third-tier wizard. Combined with the Universal Eye's acute sensitivity to spatial fluctuations, he was able to detect this network of fascia, which otherwise looked as inconspicuous as blood vessels.
"The secret lies here..." Jieming held his breath and concentrated, attempting to mimic the unique energy conduction pattern of this reticular membrane.
He meticulously constructed a delicate network of mental power, simulating the nodes and circuits of that fascial membrane.
Buzz!!
The moment he succeeded in the simulation, the spatial energy within the laboratory suddenly became wildly turbulent. Invisible ripples distorted the light, emitting a low hum.
Prepared for this, Jieming immediately activated the energy suppression devices around the laboratory. A powerful force field descended instantly, forcibly smoothing out the spatial chaos that was on the verge of spiraling out of control.
"That was close... but also... so powerful!" Jieming's heart pounded with lingering fear, yet he was also immensely exhilarated.
The fact that a mere preliminary imitation could trigger such a degree of energy turmoil proved its immense potential.
Next came the tedious and precise work of screening.
Relying on his solid foundation of spatial knowledge, he began to analyze and identify, one by one, which specific energy circuit combinations within that complex reticular structure were effectively dominating the spatial interference effect.
Then, he attempted to compare, combine, and optimize these naturally formed biological rune circuits with the standard spatial runes of the wizard system.
After countless failures, adjustments, and retries...
Days later, in the center of the laboratory, Jieming's expression was solemn.
He focused his mind, carefully channeling his mental power toward an alloy target inscribed with multiple layers of protective runes.
The moment the spell was completed, an invisible force field of distortion erupted from his fingertips.
The space around the target seemed to warp like a piece of clay being kneaded by an unseen hand, causing light to bend and fracture.
The alloy target underwent a silent, drastic transformation. Its surface was instantly marred by irregular dents and tears, as if it had been ripped apart from multiple directions by an invisible, colossal force—yet no sound of metal tearing was heard.
"Success... Space Distortion!" A wild joy ignited in Jieming's eyes.
He conducted several more tests, and the results were even more gratifying.
This new spell, which he named "Space Distortion," possessed an exceptionally exaggerated effect.
Unless the target had specialized spatial resistance, its own energy strength would need to reach at least the sixth-tier level to even attempt to resist such a direct spatial tear.
However, the drawbacks were equally obvious.
This spell was extremely unstable, like a giant stone thrown into a still lake, sending ripples spreading uncontrollably.
If the external energy environment was already chaotic, or if the spellcasting was heavily interfered with, the range and intensity of the space distortion could expand drastically, potentially even backfiring on the caster. It was a dangerous double-edged sword.
"Stability... It's always a problem of stability." Jieming calmed down, his gaze returning to the crystal carapace fragments on the experimental platform. "So that's why this creature grew such a shell..."
He immediately threw himself into researching the source of the crystal carapace's space-stabilizing ability, attempting to find a way to combine the seemingly contradictory properties of "stability" and "distortion."
Once the stability issue was resolved, this spell would become a new weapon in his arsenal.
Just as he was completely immersed in perfecting the new spell, a faint but impossible-to-ignore tremor pulsed through the soul contract's connection, originating from the core region of the distant Purgatory Sulfur Plane.
"Hmm?!" Jieming raised his head alertly, focusing his senses.
The Black Giants... Something seems to have happened?
Jieming's brow furrowed slightly as he temporarily set aside his research.
With a thought, Jieming summoned one of the Black Giant Commanders through the link of their soul contract.
Soon, the teleportation formation in the corner of the laboratory lit up, and a massive figure materialized. Though its size had been reduced, it still stood three meters tall, its body pitch-black and radiating a contradictory aura of both icy cold and scorching heat.
This Black Giant Commander had been one of the members who followed Jieming to the "Justice" plane. Although he had not been put to use, Jieming's internal space had protected him from being affected when Jieming died.
"Sovereign," the Black Giant Commander bowed deeply, his voice low and respectful.
Jieming immediately questioned him about the unusual activity within the clan.
The Black Giant Commander seemed to have anticipated the question and replied steadily, "Reporting to the Sovereign, I have already conducted a preliminary investigation. It seems that because the clan's population has reached a certain critical point, the convergence of life's spiritual opportunities has undergone a qualitative change. According to the feedback from the 'Incense Divine Path' system established by the Sovereign, as well as the vague will spontaneously emerging within the clan... it appears that the first generation of 'Priests' is about to be naturally born within our race."
(End of the Chapter)
---------------------------
📖 You are reading [206] Chapters behind with [82] Free Chapters available on site.
🔥 Read up to Chapter [590] now, only on ᴄɪɴᴅᴇʀᴛʟ.ᴄᴏᴍ.
📚 Read upto [13,700+] Chapters on Site with [10,800+] Free Chapters!
🎉 NEW BOOK LAUNCHED 🎉
Read [The Apocalypse Survival Supplier] on 𝕡𝕒𝕥𝕣𝕖𝕠𝕟@𝔸𝕟𝕦𝕓𝕚𝕤𝕋𝕃 and 𝕔𝕚𝕟𝕕𝕖𝕣𝕥𝕝.𝕔𝕠𝕞
---------------------------