novelraw Chapter 337 Gene Bomb, Title Prefix
Chapter 337 Gene Bomb, Title Prefix
Chapter 337 Gene Bomb, Title Prefix
"how?"
The middle-aged man in blue stared at Ye Yang and asked.
"All void fungal cells have been eliminated."
Ye Yang answered, but his expression was somewhat puzzled.
"Hmm, isn't this a good thing? Why do you have such an expression, fellow Daoist?" Because Ye Yang's expression was so different from that after the first successful cure, the middle-aged man in blue couldn't help but ask.
"Uh, it's nothing. It's just that this time it went too smoothly. The Void Fungus's mutation and evolution intensity wasn't as high as before, and its resistance wasn't as fierce—it's like it deliberately let me eat it."
Ye Yang frowned as he spoke.
Actually, there's something else he didn't say: the reaction of the Void Fungus during the second treatment was actually a reaction of the "Void Fungus Cluster Consciousness".
Ye Yang had cultivated the original strain into a clone, so he naturally understood it very well.
Each fungal cell actually has a faint connection to the soul, so the method Ye Yang used on the first cured patient would also be known by the collective consciousness.
However, since the other party has scattered its cells all over the galaxy, it is theoretically impossible to monitor the status of every single cell in real time.
However, there are still ways to set up trigger reminders.
"If I were the one cultivating the void fungus, I certainly wouldn't want my work stolen by an enemy."
Ye Yang thought to himself:
"Therefore, I will set up an alarm in each of my spurred cells. Once it detects that some kind of fungus possesses similarly powerful evolutionary and adaptive capabilities, or even attempts to devour my cells, it will send an alarm to the main consciousness!"
"Next, I'll shift my focus. Once I've confirmed the situation, I'll use every means at my disposal to eliminate them!"
Ye Yang had just prepared to face the counterattack of the void fungus manipulated by the enemy's main consciousness.
Even if the opponent might unleash the power of a True Monarch, this is, after all, the Taiji Palace, with Gouchen Heavenly Venerable and other powerful beings in charge. Even if Ye Yang is no match for them, his life is unlikely to be in danger.
Gouchen Tianzun arranged for the treatment of patients in this Taiji Hall, probably partly to test his own abilities and see if he had truly mastered the power of the primordial bacteria.
On the other hand, it is also a way to fish.
However, the expected counterattack did not come; instead, the void fungi cooperated perfectly with Ye Yang's elimination.
"Either he senses this is a key area of the Immortal Alliance and dares not act rashly; or he has a bigger scheme."
Ye Yang became even more vigilant. Before treating the third person, he glanced back at the Taiji Hall clerk.
"The controller behind this void fungus should already know of my existence, but its reaction is quite negative," Ye Yang said.
The clerk smiled and said, "His Majesty has been watching us the whole time, so there's no need to worry."
17
Ye Yang nodded and began to let the mycelium penetrate into the third person's body to carry out the treatment.
"Given the life characteristics of primordial fungi, the means to quickly inflict severe damage or even kill them is through the soul!"
In the main world, there are only two ways to directly harm the soul: one is through attacks on the soul itself, and the other is through the erosion of the Great Dao.
"The erosion of the Great Dao poses no threat to me, especially with Gouchen Tianzun able to intervene and protect me at any time within the Taiji Palace. As for attacks on the divine soul—"
Ye Yang was even less worried about this.
Although each cell of the Void Fungus has a connection between its soul and spirit, this connection is so weak that it is difficult to do anything at the soul level with the help of a single cell!
Each cell is like a small water pipe, connecting the entire fungal community to its collective consciousness.
"A cell's water pipe" is very small, so that neither a divine soul attack coming from the other side nor a divine soul attack coming from this side can pass through this small water pipe.
Forcing it in will only cause the pipes to burst!
Only when countless cells form a macroscopic structure, especially a mimicry brain, can the power of the soul be effectively gathered and amplified.
It takes time for the Void Fungus to form a mimicry brain, and that time is enough for Ye Yang's hyphae to divide and surround it.
Without the amplification provided by the mimicry brain, the mycelium's spiritual power would be a thousand times weaker, posing no threat to Ye Yang whatsoever.
However, even though he was confident, Ye Yang still kept himself on high alert to deal with any possible counterattack.
The last of the three infected individuals was found in the body.
Ye Yang's hyphae are in a dormant state because he has reverse-transcribed the genes of the Void Fungus. Therefore, he can do everything that the Void Fungus can do, but he can do things that the Void Fungus may not be able to do.
Ye Yang can easily see through the disguise of the Void Fungus while the mycelium is growing, but he can also hide from the Void Fungus.
To some extent, Ye Yang has already surpassed his teacher.
"die!"
With a thought, Ye Yang instantly destroyed 90% of the Void Fungus in the last infected person's body with his sudden attack.
The last 10% remains — this is because each infected person has some special mutated void fungi in their body, which combine with the host's genes and undergo some mutations, resulting in all sorts of strange things.
The broad-spectrum eradication methods that Ye Yang devised for Void Fungi may not be effective against these special mutated cells.
But it doesn't matter. Most of the Void Fungi have been eliminated, and Ye Yang has gained the advantage in numbers. Just like the previous two times, he will use his overwhelming power to forcefully wipe out all the remaining Void Fungi cells!
First, it engulfs these mutated cells, reverse-transcribes their genes, and then matches or evolves genes specifically designed to kill them.
"Huh?" Ye Yang was suddenly taken aback.
Just now, the instant a specific killer gene was matched from the gene pool, the hyphae in the infected person mutated.
This was beyond his control; something seemed to be lurking deep within the genes of these mycelia, waiting for a key to unlock it and release something recorded within.
Moreover, this mutation is not limited to a small cluster of cells; it can even spread. Once the mutation is complete, a special substance is synthesized on the cell surface. This substance acts as a neurotransmitter, binding to sites on the surface of normal cells and triggering the dominance of certain recessive genes within normal cells.
Then, like a domino effect, the change spread wildly!
"Stop!" Ye Yang's ever-vigilant consciousness reacted immediately, trying to manipulate the mycelium to halt all these changes and make all abnormal genes recessive.
However, just as some snake venoms can paralyze nerves, those mutated cells also paralyzed Ye Yang's soul—although the effect was very small, it did block the transmission of Ye Yang's will.
Only then did he realize what had happened.
"It's not a soul attack or a corruption of the Great Dao, but a viral gene!"
"Or rather—a gene bomb! That guy deliberately implanted this triggerable gene into all the void fungal cells, and then after I devoured and reverse-transcribed it, all I needed was a key," to trigger this gene bomb!
Ye Yang knew that this hidden trick probably existed in the vast gene pool of the Void Fungus from the very beginning.
If you want to steal someone else's work, you must bear the corresponding price.
"Hmph, but the creator of this Void Fungus would never have imagined that before the Void Fungus was reverse-transcribed, my strain had already evolved, and the basic structure of life had been optimized. Cell activity, gene expression stability, and other aspects could not be easily affected."
The enemy has a backup plan, but how could Ye Yang not have one?
Since it is impossible to issue commands directly through soul connection, then we will transmit genetic commands directly through "contact"!
"All genes become recessive, and then they die."
Ye Yang directly contacts the hyphae emerging from the infected person's body surface, thereby issuing an apoptosis command, causing all the fungal cells in the person's body to die simultaneously.
Thus, this genetic attack, which could have caused some terrible consequences, was extinguished in the first place.
After observing nervously for a long time, Ye Yang finally breathed a sigh of relief when he saw that there was no further development.
"Fellow Daoist Minghong, how are you?"
The clerk standing by frowned and asked.
"It's nothing. The Void Fungus poisoned its own genes and tricked me. I'm fine now," Ye Yang said, opening his eyes.
But when you look at the last infected person, their whole body is covered with purple, fuzzy mycelium, which shows that things are very bad.
"Fellow Daoist Sha Qing's consciousness has abandoned his immortal body and left." The two True Immortals who had just been healed said while suppressing the zombie controlled by the Void Fungus.
"Huh?!" Ye Yang's eyelids twitched as he looked at the body covered in purple hair.
The other person was staring straight at him with those empty eyes, but said nothing.
However, the moment their eyes met, sensing the deep hostility beneath Ye Yang's calm gaze, the fungal zombie suddenly twisted its expression: "You're not?"
"You're not?! How can you not be! How could this possibly fail?!"
The next moment, a terrifying power of the Great Dao radiated outwards like a ray of light, causing all living matter in its path to distort and change.
Ye Yang went blind in an instant. Tentacles sprouted from his eyeballs and emerged from his eye sockets, his skin blistered and bulged, and his hair turned into fleshy, tentacle-like things.
The other two were also not doing well; their immortal bodies were also distorted and affected by this power of the Great Dao.
Only the clerk outside the restrictions was largely unaffected.
However, Ye Yang and his two companions reacted quickly. The two True Immortals immediately released their True Immortal Dao Domains to resist, while Ye Yang shifted his true intent and refined the mutated organs on his body back to their normal state.
Buzz~~
A metallic, trembling sound resonated in my mind.
This is not a real sound, but a sound of the Great Dao, which those of low spiritual level cannot even hear!
Looking again, the fungal zombie that had suddenly erupted and tried to attack had turned into countless tiny elementary particles, with something shimmering like a metallic luster within them.
The collective consciousness of the Void Fungus was annihilated by some being before it could truly launch its Great Dao attack.
"This is—" Ye Yang vaguely sensed something, knowing that it might be the remnant of some terrifying power.
Afterglow.
But perhaps this power was too profound and mysterious, Ye Yang could only glimpse a part of it, and could not even comprehend how terrifying its power truly was.
"His Majesty has made his move." The clerk standing outside the barrier showed a fleeting look of surprise. He then calmly said, "Fellow Daoist Minghong, please come back to the main hall with me."
When Ye Yang paid his respects to Gouchen Tianzun again, he noticed that this Tianzun, who was known for his killing and conquest, had an unusually gentle expression at this moment.
"Very good." Gouchen Tianzun laughed, "Next, I will help you ascend as soon as possible."
Ascend to heaven as soon as possible?
Ye Yang was taken aback. This meant—
"Although using poison to fight poison and bacteria to treat bacteria is a feasible strategy, it is too slow to take effect and cannot be allowed to continue in this tug-of-war."
With a wave of his hand, Gouchen Tianzun released a star map, with a massive void spanning billions of light-years right at its center.
"This is where we are." He pointed to a huge void, and the void continued to expand. A small point of light gradually became visible, and as it expanded, the shape of the Milky Way gradually appeared.
"We still need 7,000 galactic standard years, or 700 million years of external void time, before we can reach the outer edge of the Great Void and make contact with the first extragalactic galaxy."
Gouchen Tianzun drew a path in the void.
Looking at the star map, Ye Yang felt incredibly oppressed.
It's so spacious!
There isn't a single galaxy within a radius of hundreds of millions of light-years around the Milky Way; at most, there are a few scattered stars floating around.
If we don't take a detour, the nearest extragalactic galaxy ahead is actually 700 million light-years away!
The Milky Way is like a lone boat adrift on a boundless ocean.
If this lone boat capsizes, the people on board will be swallowed up in the unfathomable sea.
"However, for our entire human civilization, this is just a small challenge." Gouchen Tianzun's voice was calm, revealing no emotion.
He zoomed out on the star map, revealing the entire observable universe!
———Two——Three——Four——Five————A total of eight huge holes appeared before Ye Yang's eyes.
These eight are just the most obvious ones; in other corners of the universe, there are actually many more voids of varying sizes scattered throughout.
Gouchen Tianzun pointed out more than 100 red areas and said, "These are the [Void] that we have confirmed through observation of the universe."
"What?" Ye Yang was shocked. He knew that there were only a dozen or so large voids in the universe.
How can there be more than 100?
"The smallest cavity is 873 billion light-years away from us, and its smallest diameter is 1000 million light-years — of course, this is its size 873 billion years ago."
"Besides the large cavity we are in, the nearest large cavity is this one, which is 66 billion light-years away, with a minimum diameter of 23 billion light-years and a maximum diameter of 37 billion light-years."
"This is what it looked like 66 billion years ago."
"Over a period of millions of years, 4228 galaxies at the edge of this vast void have undergone anomalous movements. These galaxies have moved away from the expanding void along unnatural trajectories."
Ye Yang was somewhat surprised when he first heard about this.
The unusual movement of more than 4000 galaxies can only be attributed to human activity; perhaps a more powerful civilization exists there.
He understood what Gouchen Tianzun meant: "The existence of the void and alien civilizations will occupy all the remaining spacetime and material resources in the universe. Even if we escape this great void, we cannot stop, and time is running out."
"Yes," said Gouchen Tianzun. "66 billion years... oh no, it will take us an additional 7 billion years to fly out of the Great Void."
A billion years.
"7 million years from now, we may face a devastated galaxy emptied of resources, or a thriving starry sky within a vast void"—a powerful civilization, or a cluster of civilizations, that has developed for 73 billion years.
Gouchen Tianzun's eyes gradually sharpened, and his voice seemed to carry the chilling force of swords: "Before that, we must completely control the [Gate of All Heavens] and retrieve it from the Milky Way Black Hole. For this, the 'Age of All Heavens Plan' must be executed and cannot be interrupted!"
Ye Yang took a deep breath.
He understood that the [Gateway to the Heavens] was currently not entirely under his control. In this state, contact with a powerful super-civilization would almost certainly expose the existence of the [Gateway to the Heavens]!
It's hard to say what might happen then.
Moreover, humanity cannot simply retreat into a certain instance world and never emerge—because if other civilizations occupy the galactic core black hole and eventually control the [Gate of All Heavens], then the human civilization retreating into a certain instance world will only be lambs to the slaughter.
"I understand, but—Your Excellency, even if I have accumulated profound knowledge and can directly enter the Star Lord realm once I ascend, it will still be difficult for me to be a match for that Void Fungus Controller in a head-on confrontation," Ye Yang said.
"Of course, you won't be the one to launch the main attack." Gouchen Tianzun smiled. "You just need to hold on and not die."
Just as Ye Yang was wondering why Gouchen Tianzun was so confident in him, a familiar voice came from the side: "At that time, we will use the Star River Array Core to suppress your karma and soul, and your resistance to the Great Dao's erosion will increase a hundredfold."
Ye Yang was startled; this was the voice of the Supreme Emperor Heavenly Venerable that he had heard at the meeting before.
"Yes, the only weakness of this plan was probably the Dao heart of the person in the center, who would act as the bridge, which might not withstand a backlash. However, you are indeed a genius, with a Dao heart comparable to a True Lord. After understanding this from the Spirit of the Great Dao, we have no more concerns."
The illusory figure of Haotian Venerable appeared in the main hall at some unknown time.
"Greetings, esteemed Celestial Venerables." Ye Yang bowed respectfully upon seeing the other three Celestial Venerables descend in their projected forms.
At the same time, I understood.
It turned out that through the Great Dao Spirit in the Great Dao Tree Diagram, much of his own foundation had been clearly revealed to the leader of the Immortal Alliance.
"No need for formalities. If you can perform great deeds during this crisis, I can personally grant you the title of 'Savior from Suffering.'" The Savior of Suffering directly promised a great gift.
"The prefix 'rescue'?" Ye Yang was taken aback.
For those at the True Immortal level and beyond, a title or prefix is almost indispensable for advancing in the Great Dao.
This is equivalent to a certificate for "dividing the cake".
In today's immortal cultivation system, the great Dao of countless cultivators will have subtle repercussions on the areas where they live and cultivate.
The Star River Array also has the function of guiding and gathering the power of the Great Dao from countless cultivators, and then distributing it in a unified manner.
Call it faith or destiny—
This mysterious and profound power can actually be regarded as the power of the Great Dao of the "super-life form" of the Immortal Civilization.
Moreover, it is all-encompassing, carrying everything about the entire civilization.
Its most useful application is to enhance one's spiritual understanding.
To acquire this power, one must use a specific approach.
A person's reputation, the traces of their deeds in the history of civilization, etc., can all become this special entry point.
The prefix for the title is a fixed request format used when allocating titles in the Star River Array.
Furthermore, this prefix cannot be bestowed arbitrarily. If one's virtue does not match their position, then even if civilizational power is bestowed upon them, it will not be retained; instead, it will dissipate and be wasted, or even cause the opposite effect.
If Ye Yang could truly obtain this title of "Salvation"—as a hero who ends a large-scale crisis and clears obstacles for the "All-Heavens Era Plan"—the boost he would receive would be unimaginable.