Chapter 457: The New Body
Lin Ye stealthily approached the vicinity of the giant consciousness. He wanted to learn the other party's method for increasing mental energy.
The giant consciousness quickly discovered Lin Ye, who was sneaking close to it, but it didn't care about Lin Ye's actions at all. It just swept its mental energy over Lin Ye with disdain.
"Bro, how did you grow so big?"
Lin Ye swam near the giant consciousness, communicating with the other party through spiritual imprints.
"Hah, a nameless weakling. This is my territory. If you don't want to die, get the hell out of here."
The giant consciousness also sent out a spiritual imprint.
"Name? What's your name?"
Lin Ye asked curiously.
The giant consciousness didn't answer. Instead, it raised its head to sense the area above. A small cluster of mental energy descended from the sky, landing beside the giant consciousness.
"Pah! Daring to hold a ritual with just this little bit of mental energy? It does match a nameless little thing like you quite well." The giant consciousness disdainfully slapped that cluster of mental energy over to Lin Ye's side, like throwing a meatless bone to a stray dog by the roadside.
At that moment, a large cluster of mental energy descended from the sky, landing right in front of the giant consciousness.
"This is more like it."
The giant consciousness swallowed the mental energy cluster in one gulp, then vanished on the spot.
'...Is this some kind of sacrificial ritual? So that's how it is. This mental world seems to have some connection to a Plane where sacrificial rituals are prevalent. That's how such a bloated consciousness could be nurtured here.'
Lin Ye quickly understood the situation here.
Just as Lin Ye was pondering, an even more enormous consciousness appeared directly above him.
Without the slightest hesitation, Lin Ye directly swallowed the mental energy cluster on the ground, then vanished from the mental world.
He couldn't sense the boundaries of the giant consciousness above at all. Moreover, the previous consciousness had said this was its territory, so the purpose of the giant consciousness above coming here was likely related to Lin Ye.
After all, Lin Ye was an outsider. The powerful beings of this mental world could very likely sense the position of Lin Ye, an invader.
The young girl probably wouldn't have imagined that Lin Ye would be sent to such a troublesome place.
………………………………
'Huh? Where am I?'
Lin Ye climbed up from the ground, barely steadying his body.
"Did it succeed?"
"How is that possible? That kind of sacrificial offering and vessel doesn't even meet the requirements for the lowest grade of Alien Deity ritual."
"But it stood up."
"Whose exalted name did she chant when performing the ritual?"
"How could there be an Alien Deity willing to agree to such a crude ritual?"
...
Lin Ye shook his head, looking down dazedly at the two small paws in front of him.
His consciousness had been stuffed into the body of a rat.
'Having few sacrificial offerings is one thing, but I never expected the ritual's vessel to be even more excessive...'
Lin Ye looked around. He was inside a dungeon. The cell held many humans with mutilated bodies. Following the ritual's guidance, his gaze fell on a young girl with a withered body in the adjacent cell.
The young girl knelt quietly on the ground, her body trembling uncontrollably. Her eyes and tongue had been gouged out, and she was missing several fingers.
"Are you an Alien Deity? Although she performed the ritual, I was the one who told her the method. I will make up the sacrificial offerings for her. Can you form a contract with me?"
From the cell opposite, a woman in her thirties said excitedly.
She had originally just wanted to find some amusement and never thought the little mute across from her could succeed.
"She offered everything to me and made no demands. Do you want to form that kind of contract with me?"
Lin Ye used Alienation on the rat's throat and spoke.
"Uh... then forget it."
The woman wouldn't make such a losing deal. Besides, this Alien Deity was clearly not very strong. Forming such a contract would be too much of a loss.
"Esteemed Alien Deity, I am an employee of the Divine Principles Bureau. Could you save me and get me out of here? What price must I pay?"
From the cell diagonally opposite, a young man in his twenties spoke up.
He was also missing many body parts, but his condition was clearly much better than the young girl's.
The sacrificial offerings in the other cells also hurriedly followed up, proposing transactions.
"I am just a rat right now. Aren't you all thinking too much?"
Lin Ye walked over to the young girl's side, leaning against her almost skeletal calf to rest. The young girl carefully touched Lin Ye's back, and Lin Ye didn't resist.
This body was too fragile. He needed to absorb the spiritual energy from the environment to strengthen his body as soon as possible.
Seeing the rat, Lin Ye remembered the experimental guinea pigs from his university lab classes. After finishing the experiments, they would euthanize the guinea pigs using the cervical dislocation method. He still remembered the feel of it to this day; it was the first time he had killed a living creature.
"Turns out it's trash. As expected, the Alien Deity summoned by trash is also trash..."
The woman opposite muttered unpleasant words under her breath. She felt deceived, as if she had completely wasted her time.
In truth, she was just jealous of the young girl's talent.
Lin Ye didn't bother with her at all. He tried to use his Special Ability, but the activation failed. This body simply couldn't meet the basic conditions for its development.
Just as Lin Ye was strengthening his body, a cultist in black robes entered the dungeon, beginning to select today's sacrificial offerings.
It walked straight to the bars of the young girl's cell, preparing to dispose of this young girl who had undergone several rituals.
"Sir! I have important news to tell you!"
The woman opposite suddenly shouted loudly.
"Oh? Let's hear it. If it's useful, I might consider letting you go."
The cultist let out a low chuckle, looking at the woman with a pleased gaze.
"Really?! This news will definitely be useful to you! That woman just performed an Alien Deity ritual! The rat beside her is the Alien Deity's vessel!"
The woman said excitedly.
"Oh, is that so."
The cultist opened the woman's cell door and slapped her to the ground.
"Are you fucking making up stories? I don't even have the qualification to perform an Alien Deity ritual. That piece of trash could perform a ritual in a place like this? Do I look like an idiot to you?!"
The cultist grabbed the woman by her hair, dragging her along the ground. He decided to change the sacrificial offering.
"I'm not lying to you, sir! Everyone here can testify! That rat spoke just now!"
The woman cried out fearfully.
The cultist looked at the other sacrificial offerings. They all shook their heads, indicating they knew nothing.
The screams gradually faded into the distance as the woman was dragged out of the dungeon by the cultist.
"Alien Deity, I can offer you my flesh and blood, as long as you can take me away from here."
Seeing the cultist leave, the young man spoke to Lin Ye again.
"Do you have money? Also, I need some information about this world."
The rat's body was very small. Lin Ye had already completed the preliminary strengthening.
If it weren't for the rat's body being excessively fragile, he could have gotten out long ago.
"As long as I can leave this place, I am willing to contribute all my wealth. Information is also not a problem. Shall we form the contract now?"
The young man said immediately.