Vol 5 Chapter 107: Side Effects
"Mouse Immortal Physician isn't with me right now. We'll talk about it later." After thirty years of absence, these spirits didn't seem to miss him—they only missed the legendary gynecological mouse.
"Anything else to report?" Lin Jing asked.
"Yes—Xianlin City has a new city lord with formidable strength. He suddenly appeared and seized our ordinary Origin Source before we could react," Lady Nethersoil sighed when mentioning Xianlin City's new ruler.
"We were careless."
"But it's not critical. His sudden appearance caught everyone off guard since nobody knew of his existence. Now that the sect master has returned... Well, even without the sect master, Meteor Spirit Beast could suppress him next time."
"Just one ordinary Origin Source lost? No matter. We'll secure the next century-grade Premium Origin Source instead," Lin Jing said. "Tell me about this person."
Lady Nethersoil nodded: "His name is Wen Changge, wielder of Eternal Immortal Bone, descendant of Eternal Sovereign—one of the three alliance leaders of the Cultivation Alliance!"
"Eternal Sovereign's descendant?" Lin Jing frowned. Like Fishing Elder—Li Tianyi's master—Eternal Sovereign ranked among the alliance's three strongest cultivators. Unlike the solitary Fishing Elder who had neither sect nor family, Eternal Sovereign commanded an enormous clan.
This Eternal Sovereign also possessed Eternal Immortal Bone, though not as the original wielder. The bone's unique trait was its eternal inheritance. When its bearer approached death, the bone remained incorruptible—more enduring than even the Longevity Body. It preserved its previous owner's Dao essence, perfectly merging with direct descendants to become their Dao Bone.Through generations, the Wen family had relied on Eternal Immortal Bone. Each clan leader inherited predecessors' Dao essence, establishing an incomparably solid foundation. The current Eternal Sovereign was Wen family's latest inheritor, possessing terrifying power.
"Wen Changge inherited Eternal Immortal Bone? Did Eternal Sovereign die? Who killed him?" Lin Jing couldn't help asking.
"Not exactly," Lady Nethersoil explained. "Apparently Wen Changge was deeply favored. Eternal Sovereign forcibly extracted several fragments from over two hundred immortal bones to gift him."
"Though just fragments, they granted Wen Changge tremendous power—likely comparable to Sheng Kun's... What puzzles me is how Zhou Banxian persuaded him to come to the Origin Realm."
"Never mind him for now," Lin Jing decided. "Lady Nethersoil, notify any Heaven-Earth Sect members eager to escape the Origin Realm's constraints."
"I've brought beast taming cultivators this time—each has at least one contract slot available. We'll host a matching event to pair them up. It's time to initiate our plan."
"Excellent," Lady Nethersoil approved. "I'm fine personally, but many spirits keep asking when they can leave."
As one of the Origin Realm's top spirits, she faced no hardships. But lower-ranked spirits suffered under monopolized prime cultivation spots by early awakeners. Realm restrictions prevented breakthrough through diligent cultivation—trapping them eternally beneath their betters.
Their only hope was escaping to vaster, freer outside worlds.
After conveying the emperor's decree, Lady Nethersoil departed. Meanwhile, Wood-attribute Pine Leaf Mouse had been gathering Tianyuan Realm cultivators scattered across the Origin Realm through leaf-tracking, delivering them to Nether Earth.
The sect master didn't receive them personally, delegating to Senior Brother Ouyang. During Lin Jing's absence, Ouyang's bitter cultivation in the Origin Realm had advanced him to Nascent Soul Transformation's peak.
New arrivals must undergo similar tempering. Though their primary purpose was escorting spirits out, wasting the Origin Realm's unique cultivation environment—unavailable in Tianyuan Realm—would be foolish. Having them cultivate until reaching half-step Void Mystical Stage before departure offered maximum value.
Meanwhile, Lin Jing focused on more pressing matters. Secluding himself, he tested the power of "Dark Origin Source" synthesized by Wood-attribute Pine Leaf Mouse.
Three years later...
Lin Jing concluded each Dark Origin Source could generate one wisp of supreme-grade immortal energy annually. Over a millennium, this amounted to a thousand wisps—equivalent to ten premium Origin Sources.
The cost? Dark Origin Source consumed the Origin Realm's lifespan. Yet its exact consumption rate, methodology, and operational mechanisms remained incomprehensible.
Lin Jing speculated the drain wasn't catastrophic—he hadn't suffered realm karma backlash yet, and his carried realm fortune remained stable. The Origin Realm showed no signs of disturbance or counterattack.
Additionally, Yu Xun'er confirmed the First Ancient Emperor's newly created "Fortune Reversion Art" worked in the Origin Realm. Relieved, Lin Jing ordered synthesis of a second Dark Origin Source to accelerate supreme-grade immortal energy production.
These energies were prioritized for Dragon Carp, Ice Soul Gu, and Star Longevity Crane's cultivation—advancing them toward immortal-blooded status.
Time flashed by. A decade passed since Lin Jing's return. Using Dark Origin Source's resources to cultivate Time Dao made years feel like moments—until Lady Nethersoil's visit shocked him with elapsed time.
Her news sounded ominous.
"Sect master, disaster!"
That familiar "Sect master, disaster!"...
Emerging from seclusion, Lin Jing studied Lady Nethersoil. "What kind of disaster?"
"The century-grade... Premium Origin Source!"
"Has it appeared?" Lin Jing startled, having nearly forgotten. Though now self-sufficient in supreme-grade immortal energy, such rare treasures remained invaluable—if not for himself, then as gifts.
"No! Eleven years since the last Origin Source emerged, yet no century-grade Premium Origin Source has appeared. This has never happened before in the Origin Realm's history. Could... could the realm be malfunctioning?"
Lin Jing fell deep into thought. Had the Origin Realm stopped producing Origin Sources?
Oh no. Could this be Dark Origin Source's side effect?