Chapter 249: Chapter 243: "I Am the Great Black Heaven Dragon?

Following Li Jiuyuan, Shi Ming finally set foot on the Da Yu and realized just how massive the wandering vessel could be.

Majestic! Magnificent!

With space larger and more efficiently utilized than the Twelve Stars, and a draconic aesthetic that far surpassed anything in Europe, this city on the sea was truly worthy of its designation as Number 002. This only made Shi Ming more curious. If a creation like this was ranked second, what kind of mystery surrounded the vessel designated Number 001?

After about 30 minutes, Shi Ming finally arrived at the Da Yu’s medical level.

"Minglong, this is my junior brother,"

After they exchanged greetings, Shi Ming saw the unconscious researcher.

His name was Lu Ping. At that moment, his veins were bulging all over his body, and his skin was covered in countless, densely packed, blood-red Nine-Strand Patterns. He lay in a strictly isolated observation room, covered in various patches and tubes.

Now that they were acquainted, they addressed each other more casually by name or title. Dr. Chongwen had also applied for and received five slices of the Sea-Rising Cherry Root to conduct a small-scale preliminary study.

If it proved effective, he could apply for more later.

Li Jiuyuan opened a glass container, which held five slices of the Sea-Rising Cherry Root.

The moment the container was opened, Shi Ming could feel a wild, unrestrained aura of destruction in the air.

But the others didn’t seem to notice.

They looked just like ordinary plant slices, but they contained a powerful destructive force. The instant the container was opened, this force resonated with the small amount of destructive power that Shi Ming had already mostly digested, causing the cells in his body to stir restlessly.

’What’s going on?’

’This didn’t happen last time. Is it because the quantity is larger this time? Is that why the attraction is stronger?’

’Let’s see how to help this researcher first!’

’Eye of the World, acquire intelligence!’

[BEEP... BEEP...]

[Compiling intelligence...]

[Searching. Confirming detailed coordinates... Search successful. Summarizing intelligence... Intelligence generated.] 𝕗𝐫𝚎𝗲𝘄𝐞𝕓𝐧𝕠𝘃𝕖𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝚖

[Erosion Sickness: Destruction.]

[An Awakened with a Physical Strength value below 100 who forcibly consumes the Sea-Rising Cherry Root or has prolonged contact with the Great Black Heaven Dragon will have their body eroded by the power of destruction. This causes a violent rejection reaction, manifesting as Nine-Strand Patterns on the skin that deepen over time. The individual will gradually lose their sanity and become a beast that knows only destruction. Fortunately, the afflicted Awakened before you immediately consumed the leaves and branches of a ’Snow-Crested Jade,’ and its powerful frost and life force have allowed him to temporarily resist the erosion from the source of destruction!]

[Methods to counteract Destruction Erosion Sickness:]

[1. Extraction. A being that controls the power of destruction forcibly extracts the chaotic aura of destruction from his body.]

[2. Rebirth. Consume the fruit of the Great Chun.]

[3. Suppression. Increase his Physical Strength value to over 100 to suppress the destructive power within the Sea-Rising Cherry Root, allowing for a slow recovery.]

The Eye of the World provided three solutions.

All of them seemed next to impossible. Shi Ming felt that this matter might be a bit more complicated than he had imagined.

Currently, the only being that controls the power of destruction was the Great Black Heaven Dragon.

’Ask it for help?’

’I’d probably get swatted to death.’

The fruit of the Great Chun was said to bring the dead back to life. Even if such a rare treasure existed, it would be a national strategic asset, not something that could be used lightly.

Raising his Physical Strength to 100 was even harder! How should he put it? Shi Ming had killed countless sea beasts just to raise his own Physical Strength to 185 points, and that was with the help of his Right Arm Red Pattern! It wasn’t something that could be achieved overnight. Even Quert from Europe had to activate "Invincible War God" multiple times just to break the 100-point threshold, and that effect was only temporary.

Difficult.

Too difficult!

As he was frowning in thought, Rong Bing noticed a new detail.

"Minglong, the Nine-Strand Pattern on your neck... does it seem a little darker than when you first arrived?"

"Hm?"

Shi Ming looked at himself. It was a little darker, but not by much.

"Are you feeling any discomfort?"

Chongwen asked.

"Nothing abnormal, Doctor. It might be resonating with the aura from Lu Ping’s body. May I take a closer look at the patterns on him?"

"Be careful."

Chongwen nodded, his right hand reaching for the switch on the observation room’s isolation door, and opened the heavy protective barrier.

Shi Ming stepped into the observation room.

The moment the isolation barrier opened, he felt a strange sensation. The destructive aura inside him, left over from when he had eaten the Sea-Rising Cherry Root, began to stir restlessly.

It felt like a general encountering his scattered, wandering soldiers!

[1+1+1=?]

[Unbelievable!]

[Thanks to you once invading the dream of the Great Black Heaven Dragon, deeply roleplaying a Holy Hall-level Sea Beast, being tainted by the Great Black Heaven Dragon’s habits and aura, having consumed a piece of the Sea-Rising Cherry Root, and also having used its signature skill "Nine-Headed Sanctuary"!]

[The rootless, ownerless energy of destruction here has instinctively mistaken you for the master of destruction!]

[Perhaps you are already a mini-version of the Great Black Heaven Dragon!]

[At least, that is the case symbolically. This is the so-called "Law of Similarity." This rootless, ownerless energy of destruction is desperate to return to your body!]

[Perhaps you could try to extract the destructive energy from this poor Awakened’s body?]

If a being was the master of the Great Black Heaven Dragon’s dream, possessed a destructive aura, and had also released the skill Nine-Headed Sanctuary,

then, according to the Law of Similarity, there was a 99% chance that it was, in fact, the Great Black Heaven Dragon!

’With all three elements present, the stray destructive energy has mistaken me for the master of destruction?’

’In that case, doesn’t this mean I’ve coincidentally met the first condition for healing the researcher?’

Following his intuition, Shi Ming extended his right hand.

He touched the crimson patterns on the young researcher’s body.

WHOOSH—

He felt a powerful electric shock!

Numbing! Rushing! Crashing!

A powerful, stimulating, and impactful destructive force surged into his body, one wave after another. It was like frenzied American shoppers fighting over a Black Friday deal, or the rushing waters of a bursting dam. In an instant, Shi Ming felt an overwhelming rush, ten, even twenty times more intense than what he’d felt when he first swallowed the remnants of the Sea-Rising Cherry Root.

’Looks like the amount this guy swallowed was much, much more than those few flimsy root remnants I had!’

In just a moment, he became a little unsteady on his feet.

Even with his powerful self-control, he nearly fell to the ground.

Chongwen and the others noticed something was wrong and immediately rushed over.

"Young man, are you alright?"

"I’m fine. Just a little dizzy."

He straightened up and looked inward, examining his own body.

The Nine-Strand Pattern, which had previously faded, had now become a wild, unrestrained scarlet.

Meanwhile, the researcher on the hospital bed was breathing much more evenly. The terrifying Nine-Strand Pattern on his body faded significantly in a matter of seconds. It was as if the patterns had been transferred from his body to Shi Ming’s, where they were extremely compressed, manifesting only as that single scarlet mark.

"This... is truly incomprehensible."

Rong Bing was also stunned.

He had been planning to activate his "Royal Hegemony" today, force himself to swallow a slice, and lead by example as a true guinea pig.

But it seemed things had taken an unexpected turn.

’This Minglong... not only does he have an antibody,’

’he can also act as a vacuum cleaner?’

As the others stared, dumbfounded, Li Jiuyuan noticed a new change.

"Teacher, these slices of the Sea-Rising Cherry Root we just applied for... they’ve withered."

"???"

Shi Ming was also taken aback.

’Wait, this shouldn’t have anything to do with me, right?’

’Are they really mistaking me for the Great Black Heaven Dragon?’