Chapter 591
Soul Aura Cutting Surgery
Da da da—
The sound of everyone's footsteps echoed more and more clearly in the corridor.
The gentleman penguin led the way, with Wu Wang and Wu Xiaoyou following closely behind, looking around at their surroundings.
The three dungeon bosses, Oink, Mary Lilith, and others, walked at the very back.
The expressions of the three of them gradually became serious.
Because they could feel that the further they went, the more they wanted to turn back and run away.
This is an instinct for danger.
It was as if some great terror lay ahead.
The more powerful a being is, the stronger its intuition about such danger.
Oink could even feel as if there were sharp needles in the air pricking his skin.
"I never imagined there was such a place beneath Wanbaolou..."
Oink spoke in a deep, muffled voice.
Previously, the gentleman penguin had taken him to visit all the different types of exhibition halls inside the Wanbao Building.
These exhibition halls display collections from all over the world.
However, they are now walking down a spiral corridor through a hidden door inside the Wanbao Building.
Judging from his physical senses, he had already reached the eighth or ninth floor underground, but the gentleman penguin's pace did not stop at all.
There were absolutely no collectibles on display along the corridors we walked through.
Only the flickering flames of torches stuck in the walls cast an orange glow, adding a touch of eeriness and dread to the corridor.
Without a doubt, this is definitely not a prop leading to a special collection exhibition hall.
Instead, it felt like a dead end leading to an underground prison.
Nobody knows why there's a place like this downstairs at Wanbaolou.
"Tsk, can't you afford the electricity bill? It's so dark here, you don't even need to set up a scene for a ghost movie." Wu Wang's teasing voice, rolling his eyes, echoed.
A hint of helplessness flashed across the faces of Oink and the others.
They couldn't see any fear on Wu Wang's face at all, as if he had no idea what danger was.
"Is it confidence or arrogance? What a monster."
They couldn't help but complain in their hearts.
In fact, Wu cannot be blamed for his death.
Having lingered on the line between life and death for so long, his numerous suicide attempts had raised some of his basic biological thresholds to an incomprehensible level.
This includes the perception of danger.
In Wu Wang's eyes, this was just a dungeon corridor with low visibility, completely devoid of any sense of gloom or hidden danger.
The gentleman penguin, leading the way without turning his head, said, "There can be no external forces like electricity here. Even the torches are specially made by me so that the heat cannot flow outside, lest any external force become the opportunity for the little pets trapped underground to escape."
A small pet kept underground?
A slight look of confusion crossed everyone's faces.
What other creatures are the Gentlemen Penguins keeping underground at Wanbaolou?
Roar--
Just as they were pondering, a faint roar came from ahead.
The moment he heard that faint roar, Oink's expression turned strange, and even the butcher's knife at his waist trembled slightly, as if he was ready to draw it at any moment.
Mary and Lilith noticed his unusual behavior and asked in hushed tones, "Mr. Oink? What's wrong?"
Oink frowned and said, "It's strange. This sound... at first glance, it sounds like it's coming from the oral cavity of some kind of creature, but I don't feel that resonance from the soul. It's like a soulless machine making a roar. It's very strange."
Among Wu Wang's group, Oink had personally killed the most lives.
Whether it was in his own world, the city of paradise, or the hundreds of years he spent trapped in the Demon Prison, or the time he spent wandering through countless worlds.
Oink's nickname "Heaven's Butcher" is not just a fabrication.
Those were names earned from the bloody deaths of countless lives that tried to oppress him, slaughtered under the butcher's knife.
In his view, the sound of any living being is not merely a sound produced by the vocal cords, but a way in which the soul drives the body's structure to connect and communicate with the outside world.
Painful sobs are the lament of the soul, angry roars are the soul's resentment, threatening howls are the soul's unease...
But just as he said, Oink could not sense any communication between the soul and the outside world from the roars coming from under the corridor.
But he could also clearly sense that it was the roar of some kind of creature.
A creature that has no soul yet possesses life?
This feeling is quite eerie.
Not long after they reached about fifteen underground floors, they finally saw the source of the roar.
And she understood where her unease and sense of danger since coming to the corridor came from.
At this moment, the thick walls on both sides of the corridor were no longer replaced by rows of cold cages.
The cage is not made of simple iron bars or some kind of alloy that exists in the real world, but a special metal that contains great power and is engraved with countless runes.
Behind the cage were monsters that were growling in low voices.
There are at least twenty of them.
Everyone's gaze turned strange.
Because everyone present except Wu Xiaoyou had seen something similar.
"A polluted creature that is dead?" Mary said softly.
That's right, all those imprisoned here are various strange, stitched-together monsters!
In the exhibition hall where Wu Wang had previously been caught by Qin Shusheng running a private betting operation with Wan Shitong in Wanbaolou, there were also a large number of specimens of this stitched-together monster.
At the time, he thought that gentleman penguins were collecting these contaminated, stitched-together monster specimens from all over the world.
It seems that things are not so simple now.
They are even raising these polluting creatures!
The gentleman penguin continued walking without stopping.
He said calmly, "Don't worry, they can't escape. These cages are specially made by me, so they're absolutely safe."
"Of course, if you're interested, you can take a look around before you continue."
Upon hearing his words, instead of stopping to admire the view, the crowd quickened their pace to catch up.
After all, they all knew very well how eerie and terrifying the aura of "death" was.
Once you get contaminated, it means you're doomed.
Even though the other party said it was absolutely safe, the discomfort still made it difficult to appreciate such things.
"Sir? Please don't get so close..."
Unexpectedly, Lilith suddenly noticed something and saw Wu Wang leaning his head toward the cage.
They even got so close that they could reach out and touch the metal of the cage, and they showed no sign of stopping.
Before Wu Wang could say anything, the Gentleman Penguin rolled his eyes and said, "Never mind him. Haven't you realized after being with this guy for so long? This guy is a favorite of [Death]. Compared to the amount of pollution in his body, what's in the cage is nothing."
"Compared to the little creatures in the cage running away and causing trouble, I'm actually more afraid that this guy will suddenly die and cause a pollution outbreak."
As the saying goes, those involved are often confused, while bystanders see things clearly.
Perhaps it was because Wu Wang usually acted too abstractly, that even the label of "bastard" was more conspicuous on him than on his admirers.
As a result, even Oink, who had experienced the crisis brought about by Charlotte, another favorite in the [Demon Prison], did not really treat Wu Wang as a monster carrying a large amount of corruption.
It was only when the gentleman penguin was mentioned that everyone remembered this.
Holy crap! Yeah! In a sense, Yan Shuangying is the most terrifying pollution bomb.
Despite the gentleman penguin's teasing, Wu Wang's gaze remained fixed on the stitched-up monsters, especially the wounds on their various bodies.
He then asked bluntly, "They're not your pets, they're experimental subjects, right? What does that have to do with the surgery I'm about to have?"
Da da—
The gentleman penguin's footsteps gradually came to a stop.
He turned around and looked at Wu Wang.
With admiration in his eyes, he said, "Alas, if I had met you a few years earlier, I might have really tried to take you as my apprentice. This ability to grasp the crux of a problem in an instant is something I, the all-knowing one, still have much to learn from you." "That's right, these polluted creatures are my experimental subjects for researching [Death]."
"Although these things will inevitably come to an end after being tainted by His aura, there are still many interesting aspects worth studying in the process."
"For example, how does pollution affect the soul and body, where does a polluted soul go, and how does pollution spread infinitely, etc."
"The soul-splitting surgery that you and Mr. Oink are about to undergo is also the result of my research on them."
"If you want to know the specifics, you know what I mean."
Look at the gentleman penguin's signature sly smile.
Wu Wang shrugged and said, "That's a different price, right? It's alright, I'll look into it myself when I have time."
For me right now, this information is not a necessity.
Seeing that Wu Wang immediately dispelled his curiosity and followed, he continued to observe the stitched-up monster in the cage without looking back.
The gentleman penguin's eyes held even greater admiration, or perhaps regret.
He continued leading the way, remarking with a sigh, "Always knowing what you need and what you can give up, Yan Shuangying, you have the most astute business mindset. How did you become a favorite? Alas, geniuses are always fleeting, like shooting stars."
In the eyes of the gentleman penguin, Yan Shuangying's current actions are nothing more than a desperate struggle before death.
Even if he really chose to follow [Lord of Desire] and become the Venerable's representative.
This still cannot change the fact that those who favor him will eventually return to the end.
That was his destined end.
The group continued walking downhill.
It wasn't until we reached the eighteenth underground floor that we finally saw our destination.
It was a place that was very similar to a modern operating room, only much larger, making it feel somewhat empty.
A beautiful figure was busy doing something there.
He turned around only after hearing the approaching crowd, and said in an extremely calm expression and tone, "Master, everything is ready."
This person was none other than the know-it-all!
Wu Wang was not surprised to see her here.
After all, barring any unforeseen circumstances, Know-It-All will eventually undergo this surgery, and Gentleman Penguin will certainly ensure that she is no longer targeted by those powerful beings.
Consider this a preliminary visit to learn about the surgical procedure and prepare yourself mentally.
The gentleman penguin pointed to the operating table and said to Wu Wang, "Now that things have come to this, you have one last chance to regret it. Turn around and leave, and you can pretend that nothing happened."
"Let's get started, stop with all the nonsense," Wu Wang said, rolling his eyes.
Regret? I no longer have the right to regret.
He then lay down on the operating table and smiled at his second sister, saying, "You better cooperate with the black-hearted penguin."
Before Wu Xiaoyou could say anything, the gentleman penguin stepped forward and said, "In fact, she doesn't need to cooperate at all; she just needs to provide the [Fragments of the Past]."
After saying that, he raised his cane and gently tapped Wu Xiaoyou's forehead between her eyebrows.
The [Fragments of the Past] that had been suppressed by the sealing technique borrowed by the Azure Dragon from Qin Shusheng instantly became restless.
In an instant, the phantom images of a six-winged angel and a crown appeared behind Wu Xiaoyou.
But just before it was about to fully take shape, it was forcibly stopped by some powerful force, just like when Qinglong woke up his second sister with his bare hands.
Faced with absolute power, her immature [Fragments of the Past] were suppressed to the point of being unable to resist.
hum-
The next second, the [Fragment of the Past] that Wu Xiaoyou had not yet fully absorbed was slowly taken out from the seal between her eyebrows.
Next to the operating table, the know-it-all had prepared nine props in advance. The gentleman penguin used his cane to pick up the fragments and casually flicked them onto one of the scalpels.
Wu Wang's [Vision of Truth] can see that all nine items are of [Legendary] level.
The fact that the Gentleman Penguin is so wealthy is one thing, but the fact that he needs to use so many "legendary" props also proves how difficult this surgery is.
"Remember this, Yan Shuangying: you must remain conscious throughout the entire surgery and absolutely must not lose consciousness or fall into a coma. Otherwise, your soul can easily shatter in an unconscious state."
"Okay, I understand. Come on."
As Wu Wang nodded, the gentleman penguin continued its actions.
呲——
The next second, the scalpel, imbued with the [fragments of the past], plunged into Wu Wang's chest.
Several other legendary items slowly rose into the air, surrounding his head and beginning to exert their respective effects.
Each surgical procedure, more radical than the last, was presented to the public.
Everyone, including the know-it-all, looked somewhat reluctant.
Because it's less of a surgery.
It was more of a cruel form of torture.
No wonder the gentleman penguin said that he discovered this surgery while studying those contaminated organisms. Only those things that can no longer be called living things could endure such a degree of torture.
Moreover, they must remain conscious in this state, which is a challenge to the limits of their own consciousness for the person undergoing surgery.
Even Oink, who was used to seeing mountains of corpses and seas of blood, felt a sense of dread, and even thought that he would be lying on top of Wu Wang after the surgery was over.
Oink's hand trembled slightly involuntarily.
"Wait a minute... why isn't Yan Shuangying showing even the slightest muscle twitch?"
"Holy crap! What is he doing? Is he using a mirror to examine his pried-open brain?"
Suddenly, everyone noticed something strange.
Wu Wang not only managed to stay conscious, but he even had time to look at his own skull structure with curiosity.
Even the gentleman penguin performing surgery on him was starting to lose his composure.
Is this even human?!
You're telling me this is human?!
This guy is even weirder than those polluted creatures in the cage!
Lilith said with an admiring look in her eyes, "The gentleman is like a talking steel plate; his suffering is so sacred!"
She had not forgotten how Wu Wang's profound understanding of suffering had completely won her over back in the town of Aiguyi.
Therefore, Lilith was not at all surprised by Wu Wang's current behavior.
Only Wu Xiaoyou, with a complicated expression on her face beside the operating table, knew that this really was related to [pain].
The younger brother's pain did not originate in himself, but rather in the hands of the Lord of Pain.
Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.
Meanwhile, somewhere in the void.
The Venerable One who wields [Suffering] slowly turned his gaze to a corner where an inconspicuous obsidian stone was trembling violently.
That was the pain Wu Wang felt when he was extracted.
The Lord of Suffering was somewhat stunned.
He could sense through this pain that the other person was in a special space, but the location was not important.
The important question is—is this level of suffering really something a human being should experience?
What exactly is that guy whose pain sense was extracted doing?
Is he really still alive?
But this doubt only lasted for a moment before His gaze returned to a certain point in the void directly in front of Him.
A large amount of strange seawater is rushing towards this place, turning everything around into an eerie gray-white.
"【desire】."
What are you doing here?
Accompanied by the question from the Lord of Suffering, they surged toward the sea of desire.
The greyish-white figure of [Desire Sea Spirit Lord] also emerged from the sea.
He lay languidly on his throne.
He laughed as he looked at the Lord of Suffering:
"I've come to ask you for something."
"It is something that you stripped from one of my lovely followers."
"Now you have to give it back to me..." (End of Chapter)