Chapter 119: The Formidable Power of the Level Four System

As time passed, more and more animals collapsed. The birds in the sky were the first to fall, tumbling down like dumplings being dropped into a pot of boiling water. A dense, dark carpet of birds soon covered the ground surrounding Sulasuo. Most of the birds at the bottom were still twitching—a mere reflexive nervous reaction to their injuries. Bizarrely, however, the birds that fell later, cushioned by the layers of bodies beneath them, were completely unhurt, yet they remained just as motionless as the others. If not for the rhythmic rise and fall of their breathing, one would have truly suspected they were dead. The situation was much the same for the other animals.

Sulasuo was still in the midst of this strange process of transcending mortality, so Wu You could not directly question it and had to remain a silent observer for the time being. Yet, he could clearly feel Sulasuo growing stronger by the moment. A thought flashed through his mind: Could it be that these animals were losing their "souls"? Upon closer inspection, every creature exhibited a brief fluctuation of spirit just before becoming a "corpse." It was highly probable that their spirits had been extracted beyond their limits. If one had to put a name to it, this was likely something approaching the level of the soul. So much for the claim that it didn't need souls!

With a more plausible hypothesis in mind, the reactions of these animals and birds became easier to explain. They had essentially all become "vegetative beasts." Thank goodness he hadn't allowed it to begin this transcendence process at Stone Ox Mountain. This process, which was far more cruel than ordinary slaughter, continued until the very last approaching animal had fallen.

Every inch of the Primordial Demon’s body, down to every strand of hair, seemed to radiate a flowing light. Its eyes, from the pupils to the whites, had turned a deep, profound black, though its physical stature had not changed significantly. Sulasuo slowly closed its eyes, and the light radiating from its body was gradually absorbed back into its form.

System notification: Primordial Demon, Sulasuo, has successfully completed its transcendence.
Alchemy Creature: Primordial Demon, Name: Sulasuo
Talents: Magic, Corruption, Bestowal of Strength, Shadow Manipulation
Abilities: Rend, Flight, Taunt, Command, Spirit Deprivation
Base Rating: Silver Initial (Cultivatable; lacks materials for further transcendence energy)
System Description: This is a supernatural creature with a peculiar evolutionary path.

Following its successful advancement, Wu You immediately recalled Sulasuo and then summoned it back. Looking at this now more surreal demon, Wu You voiced his confusion. "Sulasuo, what exactly did you obtain from those animals just now?"

Sulasuo bowed slightly. "Master, in the initial stages, I did not know what I would experience. I only felt that I could do this, and my body craved something. Once the animals gathered, I easily drained their spirits, leaving not a shred behind. To put it another way, one could say I deprived them of their souls."

Wu You pondered this. "Then, can those individuals who have been deprived of their spirits generate new ones, or is there a possibility of recovery?"

Sulasuo thought for a moment. "In response to my Master, I am not entirely certain. Perhaps such a possibility exists, provided they can continue to live."

Hearing this, Wu You thought about the implications for those animals. If a hunter were to enter the mountains now, they would surely have a bountiful harvest, provided they weren't scared off. However, it would be a difficult time for the local ecosystem for a long while to come; Sulasuo had truly drained the pond to catch the fish. With this, the Primordial Demon had finally stepped into the ranks of Silver-grade beings.

...

Now, he could finally use the remaining few points of alchemy energy to reach the 1,000 points required for the upgrade. Wu You had deliberately delayed this process due to Sulasuo's advancement. Since only 6 points of alchemy energy remained to be used, Wu You didn't bother with anything complicated and simply created six iridescent coral insects.

The current third-tier stage had consumed 1,000 points of alchemy energy. The system upgrade began.

Notification: The system has reached the fourth tier. You have become a Master of Alchemy. Reward: 500 points of alchemy energy and one spin of the prize wheel.
Current total alchemy energy: 1,726 points.
Fourth-tier alchemy functions unlocked. Description: Fourth-tier alchemy can utilize up to 5 materials at a time, with each session consuming 1,000 points of alchemy energy.
Once 10,000 points of alchemy energy are consumed, the system will reach the fifth tier.
Advanced alchemy auxiliary function opened: Potential Alchemy.
This can be selected during alchemy at the fourth tier or higher.
Description: Creatures of Silver grade or above can have their base form preserved for re-alchemy; the number of base materials is calculated based on the creature's strength.
System Authority: Demon God's Strange Power, meeting the criteria for advanced authority.
Special Authority of the Creation Master unlocked: Demon God.
Description 1: Passive state: Strengthens the user based on the number of Silver-grade creatures. Active state: Fully invokes the abilities of all Silver-grade or higher creatures. Ability strength equals base Silver-grade power multiplied by the number of Silver-grade creatures. Duration depends on vitality and mental strength; the consumption is massive—use with caution.
Description 2: Form Burst, Demon God Form. Currently, the risk rate is high; it is not recommended for use.

Reaching the fourth tier of the system was a certainty, and it had indeed brought new changes. This was expected, but the nature of the changes was an unexpected surprise. Although he hadn't tried Potential Alchemy yet, the system explanation made it clear: he could further enhance the innate potential of existing creatures. At the very least, his diligent old partner, Garuru, would no longer have to stop at the Silver Initial grade.

The advanced authority of the Demon God's Strange Power was an incredibly formidable ability. Although the description for its passive state had only just appeared, it was clear that ever since he first acquired a Silver-grade creature, Wu You's body had been gradually undergoing reinforcement. Since the description was only provided now, the efficiency of future reinforcements would surely be higher than before. The active state of this authority was even more powerful, calling upon the combined strength of all his Silver-grade creatures, multiplied by their number. Good grief, this was game-breaking.

However, based on his first experience with the Demon God's Strange Power, the consumption would likely be no small matter, and with the added issue of vitality, it was best not to use it lightly. As for the Form Burst mentioned later, he could only fantasize about it for now; when even the usually taciturn system explicitly advised against using it, he certainly shouldn't go courting death. Fortunately, the upgrade to special authority didn't mean the previous authority had vanished; the ordinary Demon God's Strange Power options remained.

Once he had processed all of this, the system notifications arrived as expected. It had to be a system quest; Wu You hadn't expected otherwise.

System Quest: The Enemy is Visible, I am Hidden.
Quest Content: Not currently triggered.
Quest Reward: Two storage slots for alchemy creatures. Trigger time: Not currently triggered.

This was quite interesting. It was the first time a forced quest had appeared after a system upgrade only to show as "not triggered." Could it be that the timing wasn't right? Or was his alchemy system upgrading too quickly? Regardless, it was fine not to have to worry about such troublesome tasks for now; ideally, they would never be triggered at all.