Chapter 682
Primary Luminous Body
Chapter 682 Primary Luminous Body
Inside the central stone tower.
Gao De opened his palm, and a fragment of soul essence lay quietly inside, with a faint light flowing within it.
It is like imprisoning a wisp of pure soul fire, radiating a gentle yet incomparably pure soul energy.
Liu Ying sat not far from him, resting her chin on her hands, quietly watching his movements.
She breathed very softly, afraid of disturbing Gao De.
The stone tower was completely silent.
Gao De took a deep breath, his gaze sharp, and focused on the fragment of soul essence in his hand, his eyes flashing with certainty.
He has already mastered all the basic runes required for a third-tier rune master.
He knows the lines, energy ratios, and logical principles of each rune by heart, and can even simulate the complete process of rune operation in his mind.
But this is only a theoretical "complete mastery".
Because he was only practicing on a bone meal surface, it was just theory.
In theory, the basic runes he drew met the requirements and were qualified.
However, to determine whether this is true, a formal rune drawing must be performed to confirm that the rune functions properly before it can be said that you have truly mastered the rune.
This step requires rune pens, magic ink, conduit materials, and consumes mana.
Such conditions are clearly not available in the Desolate Soul Realm.
The superiority of soul runes lies in this: using mental power as a pen and soul energy as magic power, with the essence fragments of the soul themselves serving as magical ink and guiding materials, they completely overcome the constraints of external objects.
Gaode no longer hesitated.
According to Mordecai's theory, the core of drawing soul runes lies in "using the soul as a guide and the essence as a source".
The soul essence fragments provide the energy, while the soul of the artist is the key to stabilizing this energy and guiding it to flow along the rune's trajectory.
As his mind focused on the fragments of soul essence, the soul energy within them was activated by his mental power.
Thin strands of soul energy, like snakes, spilled from the fragments, trembling slightly in the air.
They were like wild horses that had been freed from their reins, ready to break apart at any moment.
"Stay calm," Gao De silently told himself, his gaze becoming increasingly focused.
He extended his spiritual power and carefully wrapped it around the overflowing energy threads to stabilize his soul energy.
After the soul energy stabilized, Gao De guided this soul energy to outline the first line of the rune.
Begin writing.
A slight movement of mental energy.
It was a smooth arc, like a half-full moon, and the energy strands, guided by the spiritual energy, did not deviate or dissipate in the slightest.
Immediately afterwards, the second and third strands of energy unfolded simultaneously.
The thickness, curvature, and length of the lines precisely match the theoretical proportions, which is the foundation for the stable operation of the runes.
Any deviation in the stroke will lead to an imbalance in energy transmission.
Unlike ordinary rune drawing, drawing soul runes requires extreme focus and precise energy control.
Gao De, who was trying to draw soul runes for the first time, was somewhat unaccustomed to it and spent far more effort than usual.
However, the light in his eyes grew even more intense.
As the "pen tip" continued to move, a level 3 composite rune, composed of many basic runes, was gradually taking shape.
Yes, in order not to waste the Soul Essence Fragments, Gaode's first attempt was to create a composite rune composed of multiple level 3 basic runes and even more low-level basic runes.
Unlike drawing a single basic rune, the difficulty of compound runes lies in "synergy".
All basic runes do not exist in isolation, but are interconnected, forming a closed loop.
The connection points are where conflicts and failures are most likely to occur.
Even Gaode encountered an unexpected situation at the connection point of two basic runes, where the energy thread fluctuated violently and nearly broke.
Fortunately, Gaode Maps reacted quickly enough and made adjustments.
This little incident made him more cautious, but he gradually got into the swing of things.
Liu Ying watched intently as the runes under Gao De's command became increasingly complex.
The soft light cast flowing shadows on his profile, and his focused expression made her turn her head to look at him.
Time is slowly passing by.
At this point, Gao De completed the final stroke of the rune drawing.
The moment the "pen tip" aligned with the starting point, the complex rune he "wrote" suddenly emitted a dazzling light.
All the remaining energy within the fragment of soul essence surged violently out and flowed into the runes, making the rune lines solid as if they were real.
hum!
A deep humming sound echoed throughout the stone tower.
All the rune lines flashed with a dazzling light, and the air around the runes slightly distorted to form a small energy vortex.
Visible cold air currents were drawn into the vortex from every corner of the stone tower, and after being transformed by the rune core, they were converted into scalding hot currents that spread outwards.
The temperature inside the stone tower rose rapidly at a visible rate, changing from a bone-chilling cold to a warm and pleasant temperature, even with a hint of heat.
The temperature in the air then rose sharply.
This is a simple composite energy conversion rune that can convert cold energy into heat energy.
Of course, because it is only a composite rune rather than a rune array, and it does not have a basic magic gathering rune, its conversion efficiency is extremely low and its endurance is limited. It becomes ineffective once the soul energy is exhausted.
However, it can at least serve as a temporary stove for now.
"Success!" Liu Ying exclaimed softly for Gao De.
Gao De let out a long sigh of relief.
This proves that his previous theoretical discussions were effective.
He's on the right track.
"Continue." Gao De took out another fragment of soul essence and began a new attempt.
After the twenty-ninth wave of the withered soul wind swept through, Gao De had already begun his "theoretical study" of level four basic runes in the central tower, officially marching towards becoming a fourth-tier rune master.
Of course, strictly speaking, he cannot be considered a true third-tier rune master.
Because he has not yet fully constructed a functional third-order rune array.
After all, the fragments of soul essence are too precious, and each one is the key to replicating the Guiding Array 21.0.
He dared not be extravagant and wasteful in drawing a complete third-order rune array for practical testing.
Just as he was immersed in the runes, the [Adaptive] progress bar within him, which had been dormant for a long time, broke through.
Photoadaptation, a process that had been stuck at the 99.9% threshold for who knows how long, finally crossed that insignificant 0.1% mark through his daily, even "shameless," "intimate contact" with the subject, in yet another instance of working together.
A clear and gentle hum resounded from deep within Gaode's body.
The humming sound, like the gentle tinkling of a wind chime, carried a sacred and pure aura. Not only could he hear it clearly, but even Liu Ying, whose fingers were intertwined with his, could hear it. The next moment, a faint golden-white radiance suddenly appeared on Gao De's skin.
The radiance flowed slowly down his skin.
Beneath the skin, faint, delicate golden-white veins could be seen slowly spreading and intertwining.
They initially appeared only on the chest, like newly sprouted vines, spreading towards the limbs and bones.
Finally, it covered his entire body like a fine net of light.
These golden-white veins carry an inviolable sense of sacredness, which is consistent with the sacred and radiant energy within Liu Ying's body.
Amazing changes are happening rapidly with Gaode.
The burning pain that would have been felt when the hand touched the firefly vanished completely at that moment.
Instead, it offers an unprecedented warmth and comfort.
The scorching, radiant energy transformed into wisps of warm energy that seeped into his flesh and blood, nourishing his mana pool.
He could clearly feel that the magical power he had previously depleted was slowly recovering under the nourishment of this warm energy.
[After a long period of exposure to the divine radiance energy, your body has completed its initial adaptation to this energy and evolved into a rudimentary form of radiant energy.]
[Your constitution has undergone a transformation. You now have preliminary immunity to low-intensity Holy Light damage (level 2 and below), complete immunity to Holy Light damage up to level 3, and will also gain some resistance to higher-level Holy Light damage.]
Your body can actively and slowly absorb the divine radiance energy around you. This energy can be used to repair damage, whether it is physical injury or spiritual depletion, accelerating healing; it can also replenish your depleted mana.
Your body possesses a certain degree of divinity, which can serve as a natural deterrent against low-level undead creatures.
The moment the [Primary Body of Fire] was completed, Gao De clearly felt that he and Liu Ying had established a wonderful connection through their interlocked fingers.
He was slowly absorbing the radiant energy overflowing from her body.
Not only him, but Liu Ying also clearly sensed this change.
The two instinctively looked at each other, their eyes meeting in that instant.
"You are absorbing the radiant energy within me," Liu Ying said in disbelief.
"Yes, your radiant energy can now replenish my mana."
"We'll be back sooner than we expected," Gao De announced to Liu Ying.
Because he has found a source of mana replenishment, which means he will be able to "luxuriously" use spells to aid his rune learning without worrying about running out of mana.
Liu Ying was not as curious about the source of the change as he had expected, nor was he happy that he could leave early.
Instead, she took a deep breath, as if hesitating about something.
Finally, as if she had made up her mind, she slowly released her grip on his hand and rolled up her sleeves.
It was a slender, fair wrist, the skin as delicate as fine mutton fat jade, gleaming faintly in the dim light of the stone tower.
But the moment the sleeves were rolled up, Gao De's pupils suddenly contracted, his brows involuntarily twitched violently, and a strong sense of shock surged in his heart.
On Liu Ying's slender forearms, and even extending beneath the skin of her upper arms, were numerous crisscrossing veins.
They are either thick or thin; the thick ones are as winding as a little finger, while the thin ones are as hidden as a strand of hair.
Like lurking little snakes, they slowly throbbed and wriggled beneath her fair skin.
These veins shimmered with a dazzling golden-white light, creating a striking contrast with her pure skin tone.
It carries both an aura of sacredness that is inviolable and a chilling ferocity.
It was as if countless rays of light were about to break through the skin's constraints and completely engulf this frail body.
"What is this?!" Gao De's voice trembled slightly.
“Light transformation.” Liu Ying’s eyelashes trembled slightly, like the wings of a startled butterfly.
She explained softly, "So, I've never been away from home for more than twelve hours. This is the longest I've ever been away."
The truth is actually not complicated, but it was enough to make Gao De's heart sink.
The divine radiance energy within Liu Ying's body was far too powerful, exceeding her current ability to control it, like a volcano about to erupt.
Her body and soul were simply unable to contain this world-destroying power.
At home, she must stay in a specially made light-gathering rune array at all times, using the power of the array to suppress the restless energy within her body and prevent it from overflowing and eroding her body.
Once she is freed from the protection of the Convergence Array, this uncontrolled divine radiance will continuously overflow, gradually assimilating her flesh, bones, and even soul into pure radiance elements.
This is the phenomenon of photochemical reaction.
It's roughly equivalent to elementalization.
Fortunately, the Desolate Soul Realm is an absolutely demon-free plane, and the environment here greatly suppresses the activity of holy radiance energy, slowing down its overflow.
But this is only suppression, not elimination.
The suppressed energy still stirred restlessly within her, like a trapped wild beast, relentlessly assaulting her body and soul.
The photochemical phenomenon never stopped, but it gradually eroded her existence at a slow but steady pace.
The photochemical process causes intense suffering for the fluorescence.
Therefore, for such a long time, Liu Ying has actually been enduring unimaginable and continuous pain.
Gaode's 24-month escape plan was flawed from the start:
At this rate, Liu Ying won't last twenty-four months at all; at most a year, or even less, before her body is completely transformed into light.
What's most unsettling is that the pain of the photochemical process is not a brief outburst, but a continuous and endless torment.
It has never stopped since the beginning of photochemical processes.
Despite losing her magic powers, the seemingly fragile girl was able to feign perfection in front of Gao De.
Throughout this long period of time they spent together, she never showed a trace of pain in front of Gao De.
She hid all her torment beneath a calm exterior, so much so that even the usually observant Gao De didn't notice a thing.
Thinking about this, Gao De was overwhelmed with mixed feelings and didn't know how to describe them.
Why didn't you say so sooner?
"It's no use saying it before, photochemical reactions are irreversible, and I don't want to distract you."
The girl's thoughts were simple and straightforward.
Gao De didn't know how to respond, so he simply reached out and took her hand again.
"Things are different now, I can help you."
His body was actively absorbing the restless, divine, radiant energy within her.
This will not only replenish his mana, but also slow down her light transformation to some extent.
"I will definitely replicate the guiding array as soon as possible and take you away from here," Gao De assured him.
"Mm." Liu Ying nodded gently, holding Gao De's hand even tighter.
(End of this chapter)