Chapter 123: Life Gene Level—1810 Times!
Mustard Seed Divine Mountain?
A supreme treasure?
Jiang Zhe didn't care much. With the Hunyuan Umbrella and the Blood Transforming Divine Blade in his hands, he could even look down on the Star Tower, the main weapon of a God King.
This confidence came from a speculation he held deep inside.
At first glance, the true power of the Hunyuan Umbrella and the Blood Transforming Divine Blade might not be obvious.
But let's make a hypothetical comparison.
—If, as in countless infinite-stream novels from his past life, the myriad worlds truly existed, then there should also be a way to compare cultivation levels across them.
After all, he had already transmigrated into a book—what else could be impossible?
When talking about the Star Tower as the main weapon of a God King, naturally, one must start from the realm of God Kings.
A God King, often mockingly called as common as weeds in the universe, stood at the top tier by mastering the "Ultimate Dao."
Beyond that was the Hunyuan Lord, characterized by existing simultaneously in the past, present, and future—unchanging and eternal.
With just these two features, one could roughly match them to well-known realms in the "Perfect World System."
God King — Immortal King
Hunyuan Lord — Immortal Emperor
Some cultivation traits between these stages also aligned.
It's widely known that the "Honghuang (Great Desolation) System" was rather chaotic—its highs reached incredibly lofty peaks, while its lows could be abysmally weak.
Still, it could be roughly aligned with:
God King — Immortal King — Immortal Golden Immortal
Hunyuan Lord — Immortal Emperor — Da Luo Golden Immortal
Using the "Perfect World System" as a comparison helped make combat power clearer, since that world was famed for its battles.
Through this comparison, the standing of the Star Tower as a God King's main weapon was obvious.
The most famous aspect of the "Honghuang System" was its treasures.
Having powerful treasures made it easy to battle across levels. A Golden Immortal stripped of their treasures could easily be defeated.
This made the value of the Hunyuan Umbrella and the Blood Transforming Divine Blade very clear.
Even in the hands of a Golden Immortal, their effects would still be remarkable.
The former once captured the guard treasure of the Twelve Golden Immortals;
The latter's blood poison was terrifyingly potent.
So whether it was the Star Tower, the Hunyuan Umbrella, or the Blood Transforming Divine Blade, their tiers were all plainly evident.
Yet both Jiang Zhe and Luo Feng faced the same problem: their cultivation was too low to draw out the full power of these super weapons.
Inside the Mustard Seed Divine Mountain's temple…
Jiang Zhe collected his thoughts and, following a subtle connection, looked toward the highest point of the hall.
Atop a golden altar with ninety-nine steps lay a golden cocoon over three meters tall. Its surface was covered with blood-red secret patterns, like surging tides of blood.
One could still make out its original form—it had been a golden Jie Mu egg.
After being refined by a great being proficient in the laws of life, it had become:
A proto-embryo, a biological weapon type — the Nether Blood Egg!
Upon completing the ownership recognition, Jiang Zhe received inherited information detailing it.
A proto-embryo was an unformed treasure that could have secret patterns infused into it, growing alongside its master, becoming the most compatible treasure.
The Nether Blood Egg had all of these traits perfectly.
Additionally, it was born with an innate secret pattern diagram—details for later.
The Nether Blood Egg was excellent in every way but had one troubling flaw.
Because of its nature as a biological weapon, its master's control over it wasn't absolute.
The "spirit" born within the Blood Egg had considerable autonomy.
After all, Zerg, Jie Mu eggs, and World Beasts were all similar types of lifeforms.
From how Zerg Queens and World Beast Kings ruled absolutely, one could see how crucial the "spirit" in a Jie Mu egg was.
If Jiang Zhe were a True God, he could of course completely suppress the Nether Blood Egg, infuse it with his own secret techniques to form secret pattern diagrams, and gradually strengthen their connection.
This hidden danger would then naturally disappear.
But Jiang Zhe knew that in his current state, he couldn't subdue the "Blood Shadow," and in the future, she would never allow him to engrave secret patterns onto her.
After all, the "Blood Shadow" still hoped that once they returned to the Origin Continent, they'd part ways.
To her, these bumpkins from the Original Universe were beneath notice—why would she let one brand secret patterns on her to destroy her proto-embryo state?
As she'd said before, their relationship was more like collaborators.
After recognizing ownership, it should've been a master-slave contract.
But due to the special mechanism of the Nether Blood Egg, it was almost forcibly turned into an equal contract.
Jiang Zhe didn't want to wait until the True God stage to fall out with the "Blood Shadow." He wanted the Nether Blood Egg completely under his control now.
He had big secrets—he couldn't allow a potential traitor by his side.
At first, Jiang Zhe even thought about canceling the contract and running away.
But within the inheritance information, he found a much deeper—and extremely harsh—method of recognizing ownership.
It was called—"Symbiosis."
Upon studying it, Jiang Zhe was astonished. He realized he could treat the Nether Blood Egg like the symbiote "Venom" from Marvel comics.
After establishing a symbiotic relationship, it would be like pushing the host to undergo a life leap.
The "Blood Shadow" naturally also had this inherited information. She knew of this deeper ownership method, but had never worried, because no sane person would ever do it.
In fact, if Jiang Zhe dared, she'd be the first to approve.
—Originally she still showed him some courtesy, treating him as a partner. But if he offered himself up like this? If he chose symbiosis, to become her puppet?
Great! Excellent! Wonderful!
Such ambition! Such awareness!
"This supreme treasure, can I claim it?"
Jiang Zhe asked "Blood Shadow" in his mind.
"Can you even recognize ownership of a supreme treasure?"
Jiang Zhe didn't answer. A bronze orb flew from his chest and transformed into a female doll by his side.
"Peak World Lord?"
"Yes. Then let her claim it. It's just a little toy I casually refined, mainly for hiding my tracks. Now it's all yours."
That's right—this supreme treasure was refined by the Nether Blood Egg.
If not for the Nether Blood Egg's powerful logistical capabilities, the Lord of All Saints probably wouldn't have dared to separate from the human race to go independent.
It wasn't that shocking.
Among the 322 treasures of the Duandong River lineage, there was even a ship that could mass-produce supreme treasures.
Oriana's clone poured world power into the Mustard Seed Divine Mountain, quickly imprinting it and completing the initial recognition.
Of course, recognizing ownership was one thing—being able to use it was another.
Still, it meant that, as Jiang Zhe wished, he now controlled the Mustard Seed Divine Mountain and could understand its details.
"Master, this is a top-tier supreme treasure."
Jiang Zhe was surprised.
This was a treasure that would drive Universe Masters mad. Even the Thousand Treasure River used by Chaos City Lord was only at this level.
He couldn't help but ask:
"Anna, what category is it?"
"It should count as a palace-type treasure. But some of its secondary effects also place it under spiritual force and concealment types."
Jiang Zhe blinked and recalled the information Oriana had shared.
It was a mountain-type treasure with internal space—obviously a palace type.
As for concealment, the Nether Blood Egg had relied on it to evade detection by the Virtual Universe Company.
And the spiritual force aspect—at the summit of the Mustard Seed Divine Mountain were five mobile stones known as the Five-Colored Peaks. They had suppressive power and could be used by spirit masters as thought weapons.
In short, it was miscellaneous but not refined.
Its value should be upper-mid among top-tier supreme treasures.
Jiang Zhe glanced again at the Nether Blood Egg on the altar, then left the Mustard Seed Divine Mountain.
Throughout, he never approached the Nether Blood Egg or revealed any unusual intentions.
In an underground cave…
Jiang Zhe surveyed the surroundings, then looked at the palm-sized mountain held by Oriana's clone.
It was conical, covered in intricate grooves, with golden, green, red, blue, and yellow peaks that were especially eye-catching.
This was the Mustard Seed Divine Mountain.
"A nice harvest," Jiang Zhe nodded with satisfaction.
"Put it inside the Hunyuan Umbrella for now. We'll wait for your main body."
"Yes, Master," Oriana's clone responded,
"The main body will enter the Ancient God Continent in 17 seconds to escort you away."
"I know."
Just then, another cool female voice sounded in Jiang Zhe's mind.
"Master, go outside and recover some puppets. Once you use spiritual force to claim them, I'll organize them into a squad to protect you."
It was the "Blood Shadow."
Jiang Zhe's mouth twitched.
With the Nether Blood Egg's nature, you think I'd give you "military command"?
Today it's just troops—tomorrow it'd be:
"How dare you speak to Us that way!"
He comforted her:
"Wait a bit. We'll go out once Oriana arrives."
Speak of the devil—she arrived.
In less than half a minute, Oriana found this underground cave.
Jiang Zhe took her inside the umbrella's inner space, then into the Mustard Seed Divine Mountain.
Layers upon layers of protection—just in case.
"What are you doing?"
The cool female voice finally sensed something off.
Ever since entering this special space, she'd found her connection to the outside world severed. Only Jiang Zhe could still communicate with her mentally.
The pair climbed the altar to stand before the three-meter blood-patterned golden cocoon.
Jiang Zhe no longer hid anything.
"Let's do the deeper ownership recognition—let's form a 'symbiotic' relationship."
Silence.
For a long while, the cool voice spoke again.
"Are you serious? You should know what that means for me. Someone as cautious as you—do you really dare hand me the reins?"
Jiang Zhe simply said:
"Come. Form a symbiosis. Truly live—and cast off the identity of a mere weapon."
Silence again.
Inside the Nether Blood Egg, the "spirit" was weighing the pros and cons.
Jiang Zhe's proposal—she deeply desired it.
Who wouldn't want to control their own fate, to have their own body, instead of being a subordinate unable to steer their destiny?
She didn't sense any trap.
What tricks could a rabbit pull before a tiger?
"You must at least break through to World Lord. I need a stable internal world."
"No need for that."
Jiang Zhe activated his inner world—the "Thunder Prison Realm." A dark purple rhombus mark appeared on his chest.
The cool voice immediately understood and questioned:
"Such a fragile internal world—how could it possibly bear my power?"
Jiang Zhe ignored her. He pressed the Blood Egg to his chest, activated the Thunder Prison Realm, and triggered the hidden "symbiosis" option within the Blood Egg.
The second, deeper ownership process began.
It was like treating the Nether Blood Egg as a Marvel symbiote—Venom.
Jiang Zhe's current move was to become its host.
The great being who refined this clearly had ambitions—why just wield a weapon, when you could merge it into yourself?
Because of a "trapdoor" left during its creation…
As soon as the Blood Egg entered the Thunder Prison Realm, it turned into golden-red mist that quickly filled the entire space, which was nine kilometers on each side.
Jiang Zhe felt the mark on his chest breathe, swallowing up wisps of mist. Each time, his inner world expanded.
10 kilometers!
20 kilometers!
30 kilometers…
The Thunder Prison Realm kept growing, the golden-red mist thinning out.
Meanwhile, blood rain fell inside, forming pools on the dark purple ground—a nascent blood sea.
It progressed far more smoothly than Jiang Zhe expected.
And just like when refining thunder treasures, special energies flowed back into Jiang Zhe's body.
Was he about to break through to Domain Lord?
No—these energies didn't raise his cultivation realm. Instead, they lit up "stars" inside him.
"My life gene level…"
Jiang Zhe gasped.
Just now, a 23rd "star" lit up in his body—his life gene level reached 23 times!
The Thunder Prison Realm was devouring the Jie Mu Egg's life energy, raising his life gene level!
Jiang Zhe had never imagined that the Life Blueprint could be cultivated this way.
—It was like how Luo Feng's Mosha clone devoured the Space Heart.
He quickly steadied his mind, visualizing the fourth 181-point star diagram.
He guided the energy into forming more "stars."
The "Blood Shadow," trapped inside the Thunder Prison Realm and cooperating for the symbiosis, didn't notice what was happening outside.
She still dreamed of using this "intimate" relationship to twist Jiang Zhe's will and turn him into her puppet—so she could seize control.
The Thunder Prison Realm kept expanding.
In the blink of an eye, its side length exceeded 10,000 kilometers, nearly able to fit Earth inside.
20,000 kilometers!
50,000 kilometers!
500,000 kilometers!
1 million kilometers!
Meanwhile, Jiang Zhe's life gene level soared.
30 times!
90 times!
181 times!
After completing the fourth star diagram with 181 stars, the Thunder Prison Realm still drew in power.
He began cultivating the fifth diagram.
No new stars appeared—rather, the existing ones brightened, stabilizing and glowing like suns.
182 times!
200 times!
900 times!
A rapid dual breakthrough!
Feeling the surging power within, Jiang Zhe was terrified he might explode like a firework.
Finally, his life gene level stabilized at 1810 times!
He had perfected the Life Blueprint.
The Thunder Prison Realm stopped channeling energy outward, focusing on expanding itself.
Its side reached 30 million kilometers, with a vast blood sea below—stunning to behold.
40 million kilometers…
60 million kilometers…
100 million kilometers!
The blood mist overhead completely dispersed. The entire world stopped growing, and the blood sea calmed.
Jiang Zhe and the Nether Blood Egg had formed their symbiotic bond.
And their real contest of wills was only just beginning…
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