Chapter 25: Envy Blinds
Once again, Lu Li found himself in a fleshy world, surrounded by red, meaty walls and sensing the presence of numerous beast types. Turning around, he saw another bronze tree. The information in his mind told him that these were all projections of the bronze tree's main body.
The bronze tree's energy was limited; it was, after all, only a replica and not the world-connecting Jianmu that could draw energy from infinite worlds. Due to the researchers' reckless experiments, it had produced a vast number of bronze fruits and was already overburdened.
While Jianmu had the role of supporting the world, its primary function was connecting heaven and earth, serving as a bridge for humans to ascend to divinity. As a replica, the bronze tree's primary function was also to serve as a space bridge, but the mask researchers attempted to use it as a space carrier to establish a grand space they called the Ideal Nation Plan.
As a result, the bronze tree could not support the plan and distributed the condensed spaces to other dimensions, maintaining balance by acting as a bridge. Originally, everything was stable, but Lu Li disrupted this balance by using the bronze tree properly, performing a sacrificial ritual to teleport to other spaces. This delicate balance was shattered, causing numerous spaces to collapse in a domino effect.
Lu Li observed the eyes and snake patterns on the base of the bronze tree and sensed that he had established a connection with it. This connection was different from the one with the shadow mask. In simpler terms, Lu Li had created an account on the bronze tree's server, allowing him to use the tree's services for a fee.
After entering this space, his connection with the nurse became clearer, and sensing her poor condition, he released his muscle restraints and hurried over. He found the nurse transformed into a snake giant, swinging her claws at empty air while a giant mantis silently hovered nearby, slashing deep wounds into her with its serrated limbs.
Narrowing his eyes, Lu Li attempted to contact the nurse through the mask but found her consciousness in disarray, a force clouding her mind and making her oblivious to his attempts. This made Lu Li realize something: Greed for the giant type, Wrath for the flame type, Lust for the beast type, Gluttony for the ocean type, Sloth for the floating type, leaving only Pride and Envy.
Based on the force affecting the nurse, the remaining sins matched the mask monsters—Pride for the flying type and Envy for the insect type. It seemed the insect type's ability was to induce confusion, clouding judgment.
"Envy blinds one to both others and oneself." Lu Li recalled this saying and found it apt. The snake giant's wounds deepened, and Lu Li knew she would be killed by the mantis if he did nothing. He shouted, "Spear in hand!"
Activating his skill, he mimicked a throwing motion, and shadow magic condensed in his right hand, forming a pitch-black spear with a gleaming tip. He threw the spear, which flew at incredible speed, piercing the mantis and sending it flying. Lu Li then commanded, "Bloom, Death."
The black spear within the insect type sprouted countless thorns, extending from the spear and enveloping the mantis, binding it into an immobile ball of thorns. This was Lu Li's new skill, the Shadow Spear.
Lu Li had completed this skill in the days before entering the instance. Using the magic module acquired from Zhou Qian, he could control its activation through verbal commands. The transformation module morphed it into a spear shape, with added sharpness at the tip, and the launch module aided in its throwing. Upon hitting the target, a secondary transformation occurred, changing the spear into thorny vines.
Evaluating his new skill, Lu Li noted its effectiveness but also its slow activation and low hit rate. He needed to find an opportunity to replace the control module. A hit module would solve the accuracy issue, but it was highly sought after.
Without the insect type's interference, the snake giant's mental state gradually cleared. The nurse reverted to human form, smiled weakly at Lu Li, and fainted.
"Her fusion has reached 80%. In time, she will fully merge with the shadow mask and become a unique unit." Lu Li shook his head, dissatisfied. The snake giant's strength and abilities overlapped with the claw ghosts.
The snake giant had the large physique and vitality-draining ability of the giant type and the scales of the beast type, but her vitality absorption was slow, far inferior to the giant type. She also lacked the beast type's prolific breeding ability, making her mediocre overall.
Lu Li had two choices: kill the nurse and extract the shadow mask to find a new prototype, or induce a mutation to fully align her with either the giant type or the beast type. Both the giant's colossal size and terrifying vitality absorption or the beast type's prolific breeding would be valuable.
Looking at the nurse's unconscious form, her injuries from the snake giant form reflected on her human body. Her nurse outfit and vest were torn, revealing glimpses of her figure. Lu Li pulled out an object...