CHAPTER 331: CHAPTER 331: ELEMENTAL BLOODLINE, THE GROWTH WAY OF EROSION_1

Erosion and bloodline... It seems the Elemental Giants survive thanks to Elementalization, Wang Linchi thought. He looked at the two corpses. One was a fully Elementalized Rock Elemental Giant. Due to its death, the flowers and plants on its rock body had withered, and it looked more like a stone than a living creature.

The other was half-human, half-element. After its death, the Rock Elements had fallen off its body, and its flesh had already mostly decayed.

After Full Elementalization, it wasn’t so bad. However, Elemental Giants who hadn’t completely Elementalized were a mess inside. They had been dead for less than three minutes, yet their bodies were already terribly decomposed.

His initial estimate was that this was due to incompletely purified giant beast blood and flesh during absorption, leading to problems remaining in their bodies. After Elementalization, there would be no flesh and blood, so naturally, they wouldn’t be affected.

But then again, why is there erosion in the blood and flesh of giant beasts? According to the Muyan Tribe, the underground world was formed by the Sky God. So, theoretically, they should share the same origin, and their bloodlines should be identical, with no incompatibility. Wang Linchi felt something was definitely amiss here.

This adventure to capture the Muyan Tribe’s giants wasn’t entirely without reward, Wang Linchi thought, jiggling the vial of Rock Elemental Giant Bloodline Potion in his hand.

To extract the Elemental Giant Bloodline, one could only seek out giants who hadn’t undergone Full Elementalization. If they were fully Elementalized, their entire bodies would be composed of Elements, leaving no bloodline to extract. Any attempt at extraction would just yield a pile of Elements.

Unfortunately, it can only be considered incomplete. Wang Linchi wondered if gathering all the Elemental Giant Bloodlines could allow him to replicate the God Bloodline.

Although the Sky God had fallen before it was truly born, it didn’t mean nothing was left behind. This was a race capable of evolving into a world after death. Wang Linchi couldn’t even begin to imagine how strong they must have been when alive. If he could transplant the corresponding bloodline into himself, even one percent of its original power would be enough for him. However, Wang Linchi actually wanted more. If he could intercept it, could he modify it into his own bloodline, achieving a qualitative transformation? His primary concern was his future path.

His spiritual power and Physique were severely imbalanced, and he urgently needed to enhance his physical capabilities. Unfortunately, neither of the two worlds offered a sufficient method to substantially upgrade his Physique, leaving him feeling capable in mind but powerless in body. So, he could only try to use the Elemental Giant Bloodline to strengthen his Physique.

However, he didn’t want to undergo Elementalization. It wasn’t that he cared about his race, but because Elementalization would affect his soul’s strength and cause an irreversible decline in intelligence.

The Elemental Giants had existed for so long partly due to the environment and partly due to their own flaws.

Every time they leveled up, they gained +1 to all attributes but -2 to intelligence. Increasing their power didn’t enhance their intelligence; it could even reduce it. If Wang Linchi directly transplanted this bloodline, the stronger he became, the lower his intelligence would fall. He would suffer a great loss. Wang Linchi was also working hard, trying to see if he could extract the essence and discard the dross.

He speculated this problem arose from the incompleteness of the bloodline. If he could fuse and purify the bloodlines of all Elemental Giants, he might be able to resolve this drawback. Of course, it could also result in a situation like all attributes +10, fused intelligence -20.

BOOM, BOOM, BOOM.

A rhythmic drumming sound echoed. The Muyan Tribe’s Giants had made the drum from the skin and bones of some giant beast. Wang Linchi had never heard it beaten before, but today, it suddenly started.

It can’t be this coincidental, Wang Linchi thought, his gaze falling on the two corpses. He had killed them only a short while ago, and now this was happening. If someone told him it wasn’t a coincidence, Wang Linchi himself wouldn’t believe it.

He immediately snuck back to the Muyan Tribe. By the time he arrived, all the giants of the Muyan Tribe had gathered in the central sacrificial ground where the large drum stood.

"Luo is dead. He died outside," the Priest of the Muyan Tribe announced.

At these words, all the Elemental Giants in the Muyan Tribe erupted, clamoring to know how he had died.

They didn’t have a deep understanding of the concept of death. The lifespan of an Elemental Giant after Elementalization was practically endless, so this news had a profound Impact on them.

"Who did it? Was it the Cliff Waterfall Tribe or the Hei Zhuo Tribe?!" a not yet fully Elementalized Giant shouted.

Generally, the likelihood of a giant beast killing an Elemental Giant was low. Only Elemental Giants from other tribes could kill Elemental Giants. The tribes closest to their Muyan Tribe were only the Cliff Waterfall Tribe and the Hei Zhuo Tribe. So, naturally, these two tribes became their prime suspects.

"Priest, tell us which tribe did it! We’ll go kill one of their giants!" a voice demanded.

"We want to sacrifice a giant from their tribe to Luo, to help him rest peacefully in the Sky God’s embrace!"

"Priest..."

Listening to the clamoring giants, Wang Linchi’s face turned a shade green. These Elemental Giants are so bizarre! It’s like primitive men suddenly possessing nuclear fusion technology—utterly absurd.

"Silence!" the Muyan Priest roared. One could only say that their fierce customs were no joke; his roar was so powerful it seemed to create visible sound waves. The giants immediately complied.

After the roar, the giants naturally quieted down. The Muyan Priest then said, "Luo died not far from the tribe. Lin, go bring his body back. He’s in that direction; just keep walking, and you’ll find his corpse."

The Muyan Priest stretched out his hand, pointed in a direction, and dispatched a fully Elementalized Rock Elemental Giant to retrieve the body.

"I also don’t know which tribe’s giant is responsible. We must wait for Luo’s body to be brought back to understand," the Muyan Priest said. He only knew Luo had died; how could he possibly know the cause of death?

However, given their similar levels of intelligence, if one of the other two tribes were responsible, it would indeed be immediately obvious from traces like water currents or fire marks.

The Elemental Giants were still in the stage of Primitive Tribes. The very concept of civilization was vague to them, let alone various stratagems or methods. They were quite unsophisticated. Of course, this unsophistication didn’t stem from genuine innocence or kindness, but rather from their inability to conceive of or execute complex plans. "Primitive" was never synonymous with simple and kind; on the contrary, it often meant bloody and brutal.

Soon, the giant named Lin returned, carrying two bodies on his back.

"Priest, not only was Luo killed, but Xi is also dead!" Lin, the Elemental Giant, exclaimed, throwing down the two bodies. All the giants of the Muyan Tribe seethed with anger.

Xi had come of age not long ago and had only hunted alone three times. For him to die like this was truly horrifying.

The Priest didn’t speak but began examining the two giants’ bodies. Luo was in better condition; having been fully Elementalized, his retrieved body resembled rock. Xi, however, was unfortunate. Only most of his skeleton remained. If not for a distinct, familiar scent, they might not have even recognized him.

"I can’t tell which tribe did this," the Priest said honestly.

The giants were stunned. Does this mean we can’t find the enemy?

"Priest, what should we do next?" Lin asked hastily.

"Sui, Wu," the Priest began, "one of you go to the Hei Zhuo Tribe, and the other to the Cliff Waterfall Tribe. Ask them if their tribe was responsible." With no way to identify the killer, the Priest had no other recourse.

Given the limited intellect of the Elemental Giants, this was the only method they could devise.

"Yes, Priest," two Rock Elemental Giants responded, then stood up and strode away.

In their common understanding, one would admit to an act they committed. Thus, none of the Elemental Giants saw any problem with this solution.

"Everyone disperse. When Sui and Wu return, we will know who did it," the Priest declared, waving his hand to dismiss all the Elemental Giants to go about their business.

Meanwhile, Wang Linchi and the Saint Master split up, each following one of the giants. Their goal, naturally, was to locate the Hei Zhuo Tribe and the Cliff Waterfall Tribe.

He had stumbled upon the locations of other tribes by accident. However, this course of action could easily provoke conflict between the tribes. After all, these Elemental Giants weren’t very bright and could be incited to fight with the slightest provocation. Just like this instance: he had made a move, and the Muyan Tribe had immediately blamed the Hei Zhuo Tribe and the Cliff Waterfall Tribe, not even considering that someone might have deliberately set them up.

Thankfully, I still have the Saint Master. Otherwise, I’d truly be unable to manage everything myself, Wang Linchi thought with some relief. Even though the Saint Master was just a substitute, he could perfectly record the route via the Thought Mirror. At the very least, he could stay behind and act as a beacon for Wang Linchi; that was also a viable option. Once they reached the locations, it would be easy for Wang Linchi to proceed. There was no need to worry about getting lost.