CHAPTER 540: CHAPTER 447: NEW TENANT IN THE BEAST CAGE (6000)

Damn it, being bald is addictive.

Li Zheng raised his hand to touch his smooth, hairless head, feeling quite helpless.

This time, the side effect he triggered seemed even more severe than the one Zhan Zhouzhou experienced previously, leaving no hair follicles on his entire body, naturally preventing any hair growth.

If it weren’t for his physique being so much stronger now, his body would certainly develop various issues over time.

"Let’s not talk about these unhappy things. I’m going back to rest and fully recover my Genetic Force."

Li Zheng took out his activity ticket and said, "You guys can take this time to explore, just save two exploration chances for the next activity instance."

"Alright."

Phoenix Mountain and the others nodded in agreement. In fact, he and Yan Guang had already cleared two rooms in the morning before joining the activity instance with Li Zheng.

"See you later."

After speaking, Li Zheng used his activity ticket to return to the forest room.

As soon as he exited and steadied himself, he raised the Demon Blade in his hand and said expressionlessly, "Come clean, what exactly happened in the end? Why are you clinging to the Divine Power’s body and refusing to come out?"

’N-nothing really~’ the Bloodthirsty Demon Blade trembled weakly; ’The blade knows not what the master speaks of.’

Playing dumb, huh?

Li Zheng sneered, pointing to the extra patterns on the blade and asking, "Then tell me, what’s with these tentacle patterns? Why do they look almost identical to the Divine Power’s tentacle ability?"

’What tentacle patterns? The blade can’t see, the blade knows nothing!’ The Demon Blade quivered, trying to slip from Li Zheng’s grip.

Li Zheng tightened his grip, preventing it from escaping, and threatened, "If you don’t confess, I’ll decompose you!"

The decomposition function provided by the Terminal is the nemesis of such equipment and items, utterly suppressing them regardless of level or tier.

The Bloodthirsty Demon Blade submitted precisely because Li Zheng repeatedly threatened it with decomposition; otherwise, it would still be the fearless Demon Blade, not some humble ’blade’.

Hearing the familiar threat, the Bloodthirsty Demon Blade started trembling; ’No! Don’t decompose the blade! The blade will confess everything!’

"Speak!" Li Zheng’s tone carried an undeniable command.

’Uh... well...’ the Bloodthirsty Demon Blade stammered; ’Actually, there is something more nourishing than blood in that fellow’s body, but there is a certain risk when the blade absorbs it.’

"More nourishing than blood?" Li Zheng frowned and asked, "What is it?"

’Twisted Magic Crystal.’ The blade’s transmitted thought contained a hint of greed: ’That twisted creature had already condensed a Basic Level Twisted Magic Crystal! Although the purity was insufficient, having one appear in the Matrix is quite rare.’

"Twisted Magic Crystal?"

Li Zheng muttered to himself, recalling that last time when the blade controlled him, it mentioned ’twisted creatures’, referring to those mutations?

’That’s right, it’s the Twisted Magic Crystal!’ the blade’s thought transmitted; ’I don’t know why twisted creatures would appear in the Matrix, but encountering them is profitable, the blade saw no reason to let it go!’

Li Zheng squinted his eyes and asked, "So according to you, that Twisted Magic Crystal is quite valuable?"

The blade saw no ulterior motive and honestly replied, ’I wouldn’t say it’s highly valuable, but it’s quite rare to obtain in the Matrix.’

"Oh?"

A dangerous gleam flickered in Li Zheng’s squinted eyes: "So you made the decision yourself to consume a precious item?"

Only then did the blade realize, panicking: ’Don’t say it like that! Actually, after you reach the Outer City, this level of Twisted Magic Crystal is nothing special. Quite the contrary, if you had taken this, it would have been very dangerous!’

"Dangerous?"

Li Zheng’s expression turned cold, and he snorted, "Isn’t that just an excuse for your greed?"

’No, no, no! The blade speaks only the truth!’ The blade quivered more violently: ’Twisted Magic Crystals are solid forms of Twisted Energy, containing extremely dangerous... uh... what was it called? Oh right, radioactivity!’

’Normal creatures in contact with Twisted Energy for too long have a chance of becoming infected and turning into new twisted creatures!’

Radioactivity?

Li Zheng’s eyes widened as he blurted out, "Nuclear pollution? Did you damn well swallow a solid form of ’nuclear energy’ on your own?"

’Nuclear energy? Master, are you referring to nuclear radiation?’ the blade transmitted its thought: ’Twisted Energy is far more potent than nuclear radiation, to be precise, nuclear radiation is like a grandchild to Twisted Energy, its power not a fraction of Twisted Energy.

Even in the Outer City, when those old-timers handle Twisted Energy, they take thorough precautions to avoid becoming twisted creatures.’

"Really?" Li Zheng was skeptical.

’Of course, it’s true!’ the blade continued; ’It’s precisely because Twisted Energy is so dangerous to you that the blade made the decision to consume the Twisted Core, the blade is protecting you!’

"So, I’m supposed to thank you, huh?" Li Zheng said with a half-smile.

’It’s just what the blade should do, as long as you don’t blame the blade for acting on its own.’ the blade vibrated proudly twice.

"Then you mentioned earlier that absorbing Twisted Energy carries a certain danger for you, what is that about?" Li Zheng asked.

’Well...’ the blade hesitated for a moment: ’Because the purity of this Twisted Magic Crystal is too low, the blade might be mentally obscured for a period while absorbing it.’