Chapter 379: Chapter 287: Absorbing the Golden Bloodline Crystal
Su Ze had always been mistaken. He thought the King of Mu hadn’t absorbed the Bloodline Crystal from the Divine Dice all those years ago, but had instead saved it for Princess Zhuzhi.
But he had never imagined that the King of Mu actually had two Bloodline Crystals.
Now, both of these Bloodline Crystals were in Su Ze’s possession.
The purple one was, without a doubt, the one the King of Mu had taken from the Divine Dice. The real King of Mu was possessed by the Nian Race Divine Spirit precisely because he had absorbed this crystal.
The Golden Bloodline Crystal was clearly a higher grade than the purple one. After all, the "Divine Grace of Evolution" skill it contained, even in its incomplete state, was superior to the so-called Divine Skill Prototype within the Purple Bloodline Crystal.
The origin of the Golden Bloodline Crystal was questionable. Su Ze suspected it was related to the mysterious inheritance mentioned by the legendary Lin Hua.
After all, a puzzle piece that could serve as a key to the inheritance had been found among the King of Mu’s personal effects.
The legendary Lin Hua once said that a single puzzle piece could still grant benefits from the inheritance, while collecting all four would unlock the core inheritance.
This Golden Bloodline Crystal was very likely the benefit the King of Mu had obtained using that one puzzle piece.
’The King of Mu obtained this Golden Bloodline Crystal, but found he couldn’t absorb it. After repeated attempts, he eventually discovered that Princess Zhuzhi could absorb it, so he poured all his resources into cultivating her.’
’What was his purpose in cultivating Princess Zhuzhi?’
’It certainly couldn’t be fatherly love...’
Su Ze tried to deduce the King of Mu’s motives step by step. Connecting this to the Parasitic Soul Egg the king had planted in his own soul, he guessed that an egg might have been planted in Princess Zhuzhi’s soul as well.
’The Nian Race Divine Spirit that possessed the King of Mu valued the Golden Bloodline Crystal greatly. So much so that it was willing to abandon the king’s body and identity. Was it planning to wait until Princess Zhuzhi became a Saint-rank Overlord, then parasitize her, taking over her body and soul?’
This was the most reasonable explanation Su Ze could come up with.
After all, once soul parasitism was initiated, it came at the cost of abandoning the original body and soul. And considering the large quantity of natural medicines for soul-repair in the King of Mu’s Storage Ring, it was clear the king’s soul must have suffered severe damage.
Abandoning a tattered, broken soul in exchange for a young body, a complete soul, and a divine skill like "Divine Grace of Evolution"—it was clearly a very worthwhile trade.
’Why not hatch the egg and begin the parasitism immediately after Princess Zhuzhi absorbed "Divine Grace of Evolution"?’
’If it did that, the entity posing as the King of Mu would lose its Overlord-level combat power and become a mortal human girl, completely powerless to protect itself.’
’It was obviously much safer to wait until Princess Zhuzhi grew into a Saint-rank Overlord before initiating the parasitism.’
’That way, even if Princess Zhuzhi died prematurely, the King of Mu could switch targets at any time.’
’Take Zhao Lingxiao, for example. He became the King of Mu’s second target for parasitism.’
’When the King of Mu discovered that Zhao Lingxiao had killed Princess Zhuzhi and absorbed her extract, he didn’t kill him immediately. Instead, he treated Zhao Lingxiao as Princess Zhuzhi’s replacement.’
This brought up a question: the Golden Bloodline Crystal had a threshold for absorption, but did that threshold still exist when it was absorbed in the form of an extract?
Previously, Su Ze thought that perhaps the threshold would be gone in that case.
But thinking about it now, it was very likely the threshold still existed.
And Zhao Lingxiao happened to share certain traits with Princess Zhuzhi, allowing him to absorb the Golden Bloodline Crystal as well... In that case, the King of Mu would have even less reason to kill Zhao Lingxiao.
After all, it wasn’t easy to find someone who could absorb the Golden Bloodline Crystal.
’The King of Mu might not have known when Zhao Lingxiao was killing Princess Zhuzhi, but the moment she died, he would have most likely known immediately. After all, she had his egg planted in her soul; he would definitely be able to sense the death of the host.’
’So, it’s very likely the King of Mu targeted Zhao Lingxiao right then and there. And after he successfully absorbed Princess Zhuzhi’s extract and obtained the "Divine Grace of Evolution" skill, the king planted an egg in his soul, too.’
’Then, when I, the clone, was thrown into Pan Shi Prison to take the fall, the King of Mu was probably well aware of the situation. He just didn’t want Zhao Lingxiao to die, so naturally, he wouldn’t expose the truth.’
’But what the King of Mu absolutely didn’t expect was that I, the clone, would actually make a comeback, kill the original, and escape.’
’So I, in turn, replaced Zhao Lingxiao and became the King of Mu’s new target for parasitism?’
The various clues were all connecting, one by one. Su Ze felt his deductions were probably not far from the truth.
’Once I killed Zhao Lingxiao, and already possessing an incomplete "Divine Grace of Evolution" skill, I naturally became the best candidate for the King of Mu’s parasitism. With the remaining Golden Bloodline Crystal in his possession, he must have calculated that I would definitely return to Mu Country to complete my "Divine Grace of Evolution" once I reached the Overlord rank.’
’It’s possible the King of Mu planted the egg in me after I was thrown into Pan Shi Prison, but it’s more likely he did it after I killed Zhao Lingxiao.’
’And compared to Zhao Lingxiao, I have another huge advantage: I’m not a Defiler!’
Su Ze had only been transplanted with a foul-smelling heart; he himself wasn’t a Defiler. Zhao Lingxiao, on the other hand, was a true Defiler, and his stench couldn’t be eradicated.
Choosing a host was an investment. The King of Mu surely hoped his chosen host would grow faster and become an Overlord sooner, allowing him to perform the soul parasitism.
If he were the King of Mu, he would definitely prefer to choose the quick-witted, intelligent, and non-stinking clone over the smelly Defiler.
