Mutagen-Chapter 1189: Amalgamated Contraption, Combining Techniques and Technologies to Wake Up the Ethereal Phoenix
Day 379 - 3:06 PM - Mountain Base, Mount Malabito, General Nakar, Province of Quezon
Mark, with the box in his hands, walked out of the workshop, prompting Feng Zhiruo to follow hurriedly.
The things Feng Zhiruo had just heard from Mark shocked her to the core. She never expected that the Elder she followed as her Master and secondary parent was the actual cause of the destruction of her village and the death of her real family. Worse, she was the reason for it.
It was suffocating. Although it all happened long ago and the pain had already subsided, Feng Zhiruo still felt like crying her heart out.
However, as if he had known about it, Mark did not let her linger around those painful thoughts. No. He definitely knew, and that was why he was pretty much dragging her around at the moment.
The sorrow and self-pity inside her heart suddenly went away, replaced by confusion and curiosity. It was what Feng Zhiruo felt as she followed behind Mark. Although he was walking in front of her without turning his gaze behind, she could tell that he was looking at her.
Feng Zhiruo tightly clutched the notebook in her hands. Mark was currently showing her the door, and this notebook was the key. It was her turning point.
While in deep thoughts, Feng Zhiruo noticed Mark stop. She then saw him looking to the right, prompting her to also look in the same direction.
It was the training area south of Mark’s house.
There, Mei was with their daughters, along with Amisha and Elise. Aephelia was also there with the girls. They were watching the training session of the base’s combatants.
Mark frowned. Some of the men training seemed too enthusiastic and were trying to show off. The reason was quite apparent, of course.
All of a sudden, the movement of those men became clumsy. It was as if all of them suddenly caught chills in their spines. Some of the audience could not help but burst out laughing at the synchronized failure.
Worst for those guys, the target of their showing off had already stopped paying attention to them.
Balancing the box in one hand, Mark waved to Mei and the girls, who noticed him and Feng Zhiruo passing by.
With a last wave and a smile, Mark nodded to Feng Zhiruo over his shoulder, telling her to continue following.
Along the way, something, no, someone suddenly plopped down on Mark’s left shoulder.
It was Amihan. She had nothing to do, so she decided to see what her Master was going to do. Well, that was one reason. There seemed to be another thing, but she could not seem to have the courage to say. In any case, after the fight with the Night Goddess and the Deities of the [Auraboros], Amihan seemed to be sulking for some reason.
Of course, Mark had a vague idea what it was about. After all, Amihan sulks even more under Azra’s presence. It was likely because the newcomer, Azra, overtook Amihan in status after being a contracted [Spirit] under Mark.
From what Mark learned and knew, he could also have a contract with Amihan, who was both an [Elemental] and a [Spirit]. However, at first, they lacked the timing and reason to do so, since being in contract also meant some restrictions. Then, it became more unlikely after they found out that Amihan was a fragment of the Goddess of the Wind. Worse, there was the event in Indonesia where Mark was injured by Amihan’s [Magical Energy] after they made a joint attack against the horde of [Infected Birds].
Mark returning to them with a contracted [Spirit] at that time might have been quite a blow to Amihan, who had nearly always been by Mark’s side for almost a year now.
Unfortunately, there was nothing Mark could do about it. After all, there was also a matter of affinity, and he definitely had no affinity with [Wind Attribute Energy]. He could only stick to using the [Wind Manipulation Mental Crystal] and Ignis every time he needed to use wind attacks.
With those thoughts in his head, Mark brought Feng Zhiruo and Amihan to their destination, the base of the Night Everred Pure Spirit Tree.
"Chiyo."
Mark called out, and a hole in space opened.
It was a portal to the subspace inside the Pure Spirit Tree.
However, the moment the three entered the subspace, Mark felt a heavy blow to his gut. Well, it was only heavy for a split second before the source of the impact passed through his body, pushing out something else.
"Ah?!"
Azra, surprised after being pushed out of Mark’s body, exclaimed in protest.
And the culprit was a ball of light. To be exact, it was the manifestation of the Night Everred Pure Spirit Tree, Chiyo.
Now, the two were floating up high inside the subspace.
"Haah..." Mark sighed. "Even Chiyo is sulking, huh?"
Technically, Pure Spirit Trees were also [Spirits]. In this regard, Chiyo was Mark’s first contracted [Spirit]. She must be really annoyed to find out that Mark had a new contracted [Spirit], especially one who could enter his body at will.
Sensing the annoyance and fighting intent of the ball of light in front of her, Azra also prepared to fight back.
"I’ll get angry if you two start fighting. Get down here, both of you."
The tone of Mark’s voice made the two shiver. The two seemed to give each other one last look before following his order.
Now, the two floated on opposite sides of Mark’s body, not wanting to be outdone by the other. Of course, Amihan was also there, not giving up Mark’s shoulder.
Feng Zhiruo watched the scene unfold with a bitter smile. Even though Mark was powerful, he still had troubles that were hard to solve.
Of course, Mark would not be able to work if they kept doing this. As such, he ordered the three [Spirits] to stay at the side so he could start working.
Mark then chose a particular location. It was far from the area where they built the structures in this subspace. And this location was one of the two forbidden places inside this subspace.
In this location, an orb was floating mid-air. It was an orb covered in flames with a core that looked like lava. The orb, which emitted heat over a great distance, was surrounded by magical pillars as if sealing it in place.
This orb was the [Caorthannach’s Core] Mark received from Diwata Danaya. It was here because Chiyo’s subspace was the only place this could be safely stored.
And now, this uselessly powerful thing would finally have a use.
Not too close but not too far from the core, Mark began taking things out of the box he carried. From inside the box, he took out several two-foot-long metal sticks that continuously emitted a faint light, as well as jars and bottles containing different powders and liquids. Mark also drew several red-colored crystals from the [PsyCrystal]. With the materials ready, he began working while the four watched nearby.
It took Mark more than half an hour to finish the initial contraption. However, he began tweaking the contraption on the spot, adjusting positions and changing some parts, which caused the entire thing to eat up nearly two hours of work.
Everything Mark did barely made sense to the four who were watching. Nonetheless, they were curious, since at every part he finished, they clearly felt the changing flow of energy in the surroundings.
And as Mark put in the final piece...
WOOOM!!!
A howling sound accompanied by a strong shockwave spread throughout the subspace.
The entire contraption was roaring, ready to fulfill its purpose.
But what contraption was this?
That was the first thing Feng Zhiruo had in mind as she saw the final form of the contraption.
Feng Zhiruo had heard of many things that were being used in [Immortal Cultivation Methods]. Some were artificial formations, while some were natural contraptions.
However, what lay in front of her seemed to be neither. It looked like a formation, yet it felt it was not. And since they saw Mark create it, it should be artificial, yet it felt natural while looking artificial. It was confusing due to the conflict of sight and feeling.
As for what it looked like, there was a formation or magic circle on the floor, created using the contents of the jars and bottles. The metal sticks were now vertically embedded following the outer line of the circle. The red crystals floated nearly half a meter over each stick.
"Zhiruo."
Mark suddenly called.
"Y-yes?!"
Feng Zhiruo responded with a fluster.
Mark did not mind her reaction and asked while looking at the notebook she was holding.
"Have you memorized the contents of the notebook?"
"Yes! I did! I also rechecked several times, so I’m sure."
Feng Zhiruo began calming down as she answered.
"Then, sit at the center and circulate that technique a few times as a test."
Mark spoke while pointing at the empty area at the center of the contraption.
While a little nervous, Feng Zhiruo did not hesitate to follow Mark’s instructions. She entered the contraction and felt the temperature rise. However, the heat did not feel uncomfortable.
Feng Zhiruo sat cross-legged at the center of the contraption. And following Mark’s instructions, she mediated using the contents of the notebook. The breathing, circulation of energy, and other instructions, she followed everything to a T.
As Feng Zhiruo’s meditation began, the temperature began rising higher. Even the three [Spirits] could not help but retreat from the intense heat.
On the other hand, Mark did not budge from his position. He was monitoring the entire contraption, making sure nothing was wrong.
WOOOOM!!!
Another roar and another shockwave, and fire began emerging from the metal sticks, spreading on the markings on the floor. This time, the intense energy was already visible to the naked eye. The metal sticks were the conductor and controller as the [Fire Attribute Crystals] began sucking the energy from the [Caorthannach’s Core] like crazy.
As the [Demonic Fire Energy] enter the crystals, they become purified. The energy were then transmitted from the crystal to the formation on the floor through the metal sticks. Lastly, the formation, which was a combination of a [Cultivation Formation] and [Ancient Magic Circles], ensured the energy flow towards the central area of the contraption.
[Alchemic Conversion], [Cultivation Formation], [Ancient Magic Circles], and [Crystal Converters]. It was a contraption made with the combination various ancient and alien technologies.
"Hmmm..." Mark observed keenly. "Looks like I was right to make the last minute revisions."
While Mark was working on the contraption, he made some revisions while glancing at Feng Zhiruo. After all, this experiment would be a life or death situation for her if things went wrong. And Mark, who became able to see the likely death of the people in front of him, made use of this ability to tweak the entire thing.
Right now, Feng Zhiruo did not look black and white in his eyes. The color that indicated someone’s passing. In fact, she seemed to be shining brightly at this moment, with her colors extremely vivid. It was the first time he had seen this, but since it was the opposite of the color of death, then it was the best situation for Feng Zhiruo.
Feng Zhiruo continued to meditate as the flames in the formation crept closer to her. And soon enough, the flames enveloped her body.
However, while Feng Zhiruo felt the extreme heat and she seemed to be burning, she looked fine.
But then...
"COUGH!!!"
Feng Zhiruo felt a sudden outburst from within her body forcing her to cough out something clogging her throat.
But as she realized the taste in her mouth, she became sure. Feng Zhiruo coughed out a large clump of blood.
"Don’t panic and continue! That’s black blood you spat out!"
Before Feng Zhiruo lose her concentration, she heard Mark’s voice.
Black blood. It was the contaminants within her blood and body. She now realized that the flames and the heat were purifying her.
Feng Zhiruo followed Mark’s instruction and continued meditating. Unknown to her, she had already entered several states of deep meditation, where she lost the sense of time, self, and the surroundings, while the heat of the flames around her became a source of satisfaction and bliss.
Sensing Feng Zhiruo enter that state, Mark smiled. He then turned his back and decided to leave her. Of course, while not forgetting to leave some clothes.
Not seeing but sensing? Yes, Mark stopped looking from when Feng Zhiruo spat out blood. The flames might become nourishment to her body, but surely not her clothes. Feng Zhiruo’s clothes had burned to nothingness at that time and had become a sight that Mark should not see.
Luckily, this place was far from the development area and the heat would cause everyone to stay far.
"I guess I’ll just leave the guarding to Chiyo."
Mark murmured.
WOOOOM!!!
And he flinched as he turned back.
The entire contraption was now covered inside a dome of flames. It was impossible to see anything through the raging flames surrounding Feng Zhiruo.
"I guess it isn’t needed, huh?"
Mark shrugged as he left Feng Zhiruo in the beginning of her transformation.
