0053 - The Temptation of Chaos.

Lu Sheng looked down at his waist and saw the bandage-wrapped stick, the cane, the Cane of Obedience. He had totally forgotten about this Hell Warden tool, the first prize of the Shinigami Soul Reaping Method. He grabbed the orb-like head and its handle, pulling it out.

As he unfurled the bandages, the ebony, grey-rusted rod appeared in his hand. The skull mark on its head, on its orb handle, was sinister and foreboding, its empty eye sockets seeming to stare into the depths of his soul. Despite its ominous appearance, Lu Sheng felt a strange sense of familiarity with the cane, although he had never used it before.

Gripping the cane tightly, he felt a surge of confidence coursing through his veins, filling him with newfound assurance and resolve. With a determined expression, he raised the cane high above his head, ready to wield it against any threat that dared to challenge him.

 "Are you sure this will work against these wolves?" Although he was feeling confident with Cane of Obedience in his hand he still asked the question.

[We are going to find out together.]

The wolves took their time to regroup and replenish but were ready to face Lu Sheng once again. Their red eyes gleamed with hunger as they circled him.

With a steady hand, the Automated System controlling Lu Sheng's body brandished the cane, its skull-shaped head glinting ominously in the dim light.

As the first wolf lunged towards him, its jaws snapping hungrily, Lu Sheng swung the cane with precision and purpose.

*SMACK*

The cane struck the wolf, and it was as if it had struck a bag of cotton, breaking every bone in the wolf's body and sending it flying to the sidelines as if it weighed nothing at all.

"WHOA!" Lu Sheng couldn't help but let out a shocked expression at the power of the cane. "This is brutal!" he added.

[This is shocking to me too.]

The wolves didn't deter seeing this and they all attacked together. Like a master of fencing, Lu Sheng's body swatted each and every one of them like mosquitoes and insects, finishing them all off in one hit each. Ending the assault in a mere few seconds.

"Is that it? Was it this easy from the start? Did I suffer for nothing?" Lu Sheng questioned everything that had happened so far. If he had known the Cane of Obedience was going to be this overpowered, he might have started with it.

However, he also learned a valuable lesson. He was no longer as fearful of these canine beasts as he once was. It was as if the pain had shown him the truth, dissolving his fear away.

[Let's quickly collect the Chaos Essence.]

While Lu Sheng was lost in thought, the Automated System brought him back to reality. They were here for a purpose: to harvest the coveted Chaos Essence.

[Let's do this before more wolves return.]

"Automated it."

[Automation Initiated.]

His hands moved to tear away the shredded green robe as he sat down bare-chested. The Automated System controlled his body with guided precision, all of his 108 pores opening like a siren's call beckoning. All the essence around him, whether in the air, in the dirt, or congealing in the melted carcasses of wolves, rose from their resting place and flew towards Lu Sheng, his body glowing with a dim luminescence.

"How are we going to use this Chaos Essence?" Lu Sheng asked with curiosity.

[Chaos essence is not for cultivating but acts as fuel, a resource to supplement other essences so instead of using it as replacement for Neutral Essence, we can use this to power the Spirit Gathering Formation.]

"And what happens if we use Chaos Essence instead of Neutral Essence to cultivate?" Lu Sheng probed.

[I don't know, nothing was mentioned in the Jade Slip given by Ming Mei about Void Anchor on why Chaos Essence is not an alternative to Neutral Essence, it only had the method on how to collect it but we have a better method.]

"The Spirit Bead method?" Lu Sheng asked for clarification.

[Yes.]

"You didn't answer my question, though," Lu Sheng pointed out.

[About using Chaos Essence as an alternative to Neutral Essence to cultivate?]

"Yes," Lu Sheng affirmed.

[We have taken a lot of stupid decisions, should we not entertain such ideas for now and let's get stronger first?]

"What stupid decisions? Are you talking about opening all the pores first before breaking the mortal shell?" Lu Sheng asked, a trace of defensiveness in his voice.

[Yes. let's not experiment more or divert from the path so much that we would not have any reference point to consult when we need the help.] 

The Automated System urged, its tone carrying a sense of reason.

"Hmm..." Lu Sheng hummed, his expression contemplative.

[Please listen to me.] 

The Automated System pleaded, a hint of concern in its voice.

"You are right, but what if we are not taking full advantage of our situation?" Lu Sheng countered, his tone carrying a tinge of mischievousness.

[That's called gambling, and it always leads to bad outcomes.] 

The Automated System warned.

Lu Sheng knew the Automated System had a point, but he couldn't shake the idea of gaining an advantage by using Chaos Essence. He pondered this, his expression reflecting his deep thoughts.

"Give it a try," he said finally, a hint of determination in his voice.

[Are you sure? I will say this again, do not come crying to me if something goes bad.] 

The Automated System warned, its tone carrying a mix of resignation and concern.

"We have gone through this multiple times, you know what will happen, so no point wasting time. Automate it," Lu Sheng insisted, his voice firm and unwavering.

[Sigh! Fine. Automation Initiated.] 

The Automated System conceded with an audible sigh, a tone of reluctant acceptance in its voice.

Rather than using the Neutral Essence as base resource in his meridians to transform it into the desired essence, as instructed by the Eternal Life Core Elixir method, his body began absorbing the Chaos Essence directly to use it as base resource. The swirling Chaos Essence gathered around him, streaming into his body through the open pores.