A purplish aura oozed off of the Screecher Baby, or should I say Feng, as he started cultivation. Who would've thought that even though he was just a subordinate, he would have the capabilities of cultivating! And adding to that, with him sharing the workload of absorbing the Qi Energy, the process became a little bit easier. Of course, it was still overwhelming, to say the least.

"Wait... when it comes to absorbing Qi Energy... wouldn't that thing work?!" I exclaimed as I pulled out the Bad Egg from my storage ring. "It seems like I forgot about you but honestly, I just didn't have enough time these past few days. Now, you can absorb all the Qi Energy you want, Bad Egg. It's free, real estate." I said as I positioned the Bad Egg beside me to my left, since to my right was the Screecher Baby, Feng.

"Evolved Fanged Ice Wolf! Lend me your power!" I screamed. Suddenly, I heard a huge roar from deep within my consciousness as my body was covered in frost. My pitch black hair turned white as my skin became more frigid than ice itself. With the help of the Evolved Fanged Ice Wolf, I was able to lessen the absorption of Qi that the Automatic Qi Condensation Skill has granted me.

Honestly, this Automatic Qi Condensation Skill is such a frightening power, but the risks involved in it are so high it could very well be considered a suicidal skill. Fortunately, I have three entities with me who would share the burden of absorbing the Qi Energy Ball.

Just you wait, Forsaken Tree, because you attacked us with your intense pressure, your onslaught will come bite you in the butt a few minutes from now. Just wait until I absorbed the entirety of this Qi Energy Ball. You think I wouldn't make you pay for killing countless children just so you could feed that enormous amount of Qi to a Spirit Beast? Think again, Forsaken Tree!

I was overconfident at throwing threats towards the Forsaken Tree but my appearance was nothing but unsightly. After all, I still couldn't move while the Automatic Qi Condensation was activated. On the off-chance that my body was moved, I know that I will break my concentration and the rest will fall downhill after that. It would've been easier if I had only one Core but I have three.

Little by little, the Qi Energy Ball right on top of us grew smaller in size as the three of us absorbed it. I could tell that the Screecher Baby Feng was becoming stronger by the second and there was no stopping its growth. It's probably because it's a subordinate and it didn't have a body that would break down if too much Qi Energy is absorbed. As for the Bad Egg, cracks were already starting to appear on its surface. It was getting hotter as well.

For sure, by the time the Qi Energy Ball was fully absorbed, these two will undergo drastic changes.

<Congratulations, you've achieved a breakthrough!>

<Congratulations, you've achieved a breakthrough!>

<Congratulations, you've achieved a breakthrough!>

<.....>

If a cultivator were to see the level of growth I have right now, they'll probably bleed their eyes to death. This may very well be the fastest cultivation ever recorded in history. And albeit being filled with risks, it's the most anticlimactic cultivation ever done as well. I wasn't even practicing any cultivation technique, nor am I practicing any cultivation arts, but my growth level is a cheat because of this Automatic Qi Condensation.

Honestly, I've got to thank the System for this.

Suddenly, my original Qi Core hardened into that of a crystal. It took me by surprise but it was a single piece of good news I needed right about now. Because that means I'll be approaching the Ancient Realm soon, but not yet. The moment it turned into a super-condensed crystal, that's when a breakthrough is about to happen.

But that wasn't the reason why I felt happy about it. The reason was that crystallization was the most stable form of a Qi Core during the cultivation journey. With this, I don't have to worry about it going erratic and so, I could focus on my Virus Qi Core and my third Qi Core.

<Congratulations, you've unlocked new skills!>

<Congratulations! You've learned the skill Blood Transfer>

<Congratulations! You've learned the skill Blood Control>

<Congratulations! You've learned the skill Virus Madness>

<Congratulations! You've learned the skill Virus Control>

<Congratulations! You've learned the skill Virus Affection>

"Great another set of skills that I have no idea of their uses. I might as well check them later." I said to myself as I proceeded to my third Qi Core. Since my Original Qi Core and my Virus Qi Core were already stabilized, I didn't have to worry about the risks while cultivating my third Qi Core. Well, there's still the problem of the Forsaken Tree trying to attack my Qi Cores with its pressure, but my Bad Egg and Feng were sharing the burden of the pressure with me so it's endurable.

Without further ado, I tripled the layers of the Qi Energy that I wrapped around me so I could further pinpoint where my third Qi Core was darting about. Just like before it appears at any random part of my body, which makes it hard to access but now, I've gotten a little bit used to it. After a few tries of estimating where it would appear next, I finally decided that it's right about time to cultivate it.

Fwooosh!

It was like the sound of water being drained from the sink as the stopper was unplugged from the drain. Incredible amounts of energy surged in my body but the next moment, it was gone, as if it didn't exist in the first place.

And following that, the existence of the Forbidden Tree and the Qi Energy Ball vanished into thin air as well.

The pressure was gone.

And I can't feel my Automatic Qi Condensation at play anymore.

"What happened?!" I exclaimed as I opened my eyes and examined the area. Reconfirming the initial feeling that I felt earlier, I realized that the Qi Energy Ball on top of us was gone, not to mention the Forsaken Tree. Judging from what happened earlier, I could tell that my third Qi Core was the one which absorbed all their Qi Energy all at once.

Yet for some reason, I didn't feel overwhelmed. It's as if my third Qi Core was a separate being in my body and it fed off of such a huge amount of Qi Energy without a single backlash. It was truly mysterious but I don't have the time to think about it.

The Screecher Baby stared at me with its eyes turned into slits. I could tell that it was angry because his cultivation was interrupted but there was nothing I could do about it, right? As for the Bad Egg, it was already on the verge of hatching. I'm assuming that feeding it just a little bit more Qi Energy would make it hatch.

But then again, I don't have the time to be worrying about these small matters. Right now, I've wasted enough time as it is. The Rush Hour is bound to happen a few minutes from now and I have to bring all the children I saved along with Yang Mei Mei to the nearest safe shelter— Red Sea Shelter— which is about a day's journey from Ziyou Shelter if I travel at my top speed.

"Feng, get the Bad Egg, we have to go," I called out to it as I dug my way upwards. A lot has happened in the short period of time that we had but nonetheless, we don't have the luxury to look back on it.

In a few seconds, we were back to the surface. I immediately saw a group of people around the Forsaken Tree. They were probably wondering why it ran out of power. As for me, I carefully slinked out of the way to regroup with Yang Mei Mei and my subordinates who were bringing the children with them.

"What happened to the Forsaken Tree?"

"Oh no, is it because there weren't enough children?"

"Quick! We have to sacrifice anyone, anything! We can't afford to let the Forsaken Tree die!"

"You, you have a crippled wife back home, right? Why don't we sacrifice her?"

"How about your bedridden parents? Why don't we sacrifice them?"

"I heard your aunt kept on stealing from shops, right? Bad people like her should be sacrificed to the Forsaken Tree!"

As I passed by, I heard the inhabitants of the shelter dwelling in their twisted conversation. I guess someone who becomes trash will always remain trash. These people are hopeless. Why don't you all be sacrificed to that damned idol of yours called the Forsaken Tree. And then let's see who gets the last laugh.

"Yongrui! Over here!" Yang Mei Mei called out. "The children!" She hoarsely whispered.

"What, can you heal them?" I asked, grave concern was written all over my face since I was the one who saved them. If they were to die on my watch, then that would entirely be my fault.

"They... they're infected. And because of their weak Qi Energy, the virus is easily spreading all throughout their bodies. It won't take long before they all turn." Yang Mei Mei relayed as tears helplessly streamed down her cheeks.

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