Blood, scorching hot like magma, surged into Feng Lin's body through his seven orifices and every pore, searing and unbearable.
Feng Lin was already gravely wounded, and this blood was highly corrosive, causing excruciating pain both inside and out, as if his entire body was rotting away.
He mustered the last shred of his mental strength to look inward.
The blood seemed alive, swarming like piranhas, treating Feng Lin as prey and desperately burrowing into his body.
Feng Lin felt them, like tiny worms, drilling deep into his flesh, gnawing at his original human genes, as if trying to transform him into some unknown existence.
He had resisted this divine blood ritual, never expecting to end up trapped in it after all.
He knew that if he didn't fight back, he might emerge unscathed, directly transformed into one of those golden-haired, blue-eyed divine children.
After all, even frail researchers could withstand the divine ritual; his vitality was far stronger than theirs. If he couldn't, it would be completely illogical.
But letting Feng Lin surrender his resistance? Impossible!
Would Feng Lin abandon his pure Chinese bloodline to transform into one of those disgusting egg-men?
That was his bottom line as a human. Impossible was impossible, no matter the circumstances!
Setting aside emotional factors, rationally, Feng Lin would never convert his bloodline.
Consider this: since the dawn of recorded human history, Chinese civilization is the only ancient civilization to have endured continuously from ancient times through the technological age into the interstellar era, with the most brilliant mythology.
Among its mythological figures, there are countless beings who could battle the heavens and annihilate the earth, and many who transcended or even manipulated the laws of the universe.
In contrast, the mythological figures of other civilizations are mere slaves to cosmic laws, occupying positions without merit—once they fall from their divine pedestals and lose their godhood, they become nothing.
But Chinese immortals and gods attribute their power to themselves, unafraid of the calamity of falling.
In terms of freedom and potential alone, the path of Chinese mythology holds far greater promise than those of other civilizations.
If one were unaware of this, it might be forgivable!
But Feng Lin was deeply familiar with the myths of various ancient civilizations. Would he make the foolish mistake of discarding a watermelon for a sesame seed?
Clearly not!
So Feng Lin absolutely refused to transform into an egg-man.
His resistance seemed to provoke the entire divine blood ritual into a frenzy.
The crimson divine blood churned violently, faintly radiating an inexplicable anger, surging wave after wave like a tide, determined to completely overwhelm this defier of divine will.
The divine blood, like writhing worms, covered Feng Lin's entire body, turning him into a blood-soaked figure.
Feng Lin sat cross-legged within it, guarding himself tightly, but the divine blood kept finding cracks to squeeze into his body, causing unbearable agony.
The divine blood roiled endlessly, a scene of terrifying strangeness, concealing a deadly threat beneath its surface.
Even the Titan, seeing Feng Lin submerged in the divine blood ritual, dared not approach, its mechanical, rigid face showing a hint of wariness.
Feng Lin, trapped inside, found it even harder to endure.
This couldn't go on!
Feng Lin knew he had to uncover the truth of the divine blood and find a way to break free.
He pushed his mental strength to its limit and began to scan, revealing a horrifyingly bizarre scene.
Countless blood-red cells appeared—though "cells" might be better described as some kind of microorganism.
These blood cells were covered in sharp mouths, constantly opening and closing, endlessly devouring, utterly grotesque.
Once inside his body, they immediately began consuming his cells, transforming them into another shape, replacing his original genes with the ones they carried.
Feng Lin felt nothing but disgust. So this was what the so-called divine blood ritual really was!
This method of altering genes reminded him of a horror movie he'd seen in his past life: *The Black Water of the Alien*.
This was turning him into a monster, something he could never tolerate.
He had to find a way to save himself. But how?
These divine blood cells were so bizarre, brimming with life and energy!
Could he refine them?
A thought struck Feng Lin. He activated the method of refining essence into energy, his stomach turning into a furnace. Instead of resisting, he began to swallow the divine blood in large gulps, focusing all his effort on refining it.
The divine blood entered his body like drinking poison to quench thirst, causing excruciating pain throughout.
The refining process activated on its own, like a blazing furnace, burning and transforming the blood into streams of heat that flowed into his body.
The divine blood, sensing the danger, churned violently inside him, wreaking havoc on his internal organs.
Feng Lin was in agony, inside and out, nearly fainting.
But he gritted his teeth and held on with sheer willpower. If he passed out now, it would mean certain death.
He had to endure.
The divine blood cells were incredibly energy-dense; after refinement, they were as thick as magma, and Feng Lin felt like he was about to burst.
Such a bizarre substance couldn't possibly belong to Giant Pharmaceuticals!
Was it from the interstellar headquarters?
Feng Lin's mind tightened, recalling vaguely from Frank that Giant Pharmaceuticals was just a subsidiary in the solar system, with a headquarters above.
These thoughts flashed by; in a life-or-death crisis, there was no time for overthinking!
Feng Lin focused entirely on refining, and his genetic potential surged: +60%, +60%, +60%...
The rate of increase was far beyond imagination.
Feng Lin felt a surge of joy. This was truly a blessing!
If he could strengthen his Stone Monkey gene, his resistance would greatly improve, and the refining speed would accelerate, eventually allowing him to digest all the divine blood cells and convert them into nourishment for himself.
Genetic potential skyrocketed like a rocket, quickly reaching a free original gene point.
Feng Lin decisively allocated it, raising his Stone Monkey gene to 6 points, with only 4 more needed to max it out.
His earlier assumption had been correct.
His body recovered, vitality increased, and the speed of refining the divine blood accelerated dramatically, with genetic potential soaring without pause.
Genetic potential: +70%, +70%, +70%...
Feng Lin gradually turned the tide, reaching a stalemate with the divine blood.
But the divine blood seemed to sense this, acting with a unified will, boiling over.
It would not allow a mortal to defy the will of a god. Suddenly, the blood rapidly condensed into a solid, blood-red figure that lunged at him.
Ahhh!
The balance was instantly shattered.
Feng Lin was in unbearable pain.
This will was terrifying, possessing an essence far beyond mortal comprehension, lofty and disdainful of all beings, making him unable to resist, slowly dragging his consciousness into the abyss.
Feng Lin's thoughts sank, deeper and deeper, like falling into a bottomless pit, gradually descending into the deepest recesses of his mind.
Boundless darkness converged from all directions, surging like a tide, engulfing him, making it nearly impossible to awaken.
Facing this alien divine nature, a sudden, earth-shattering ferocity rose from within his heart. The Stone Monkey gene within him pulsed powerfully, beating like a heart.
To hell with all these so-called gods, saints, and immortals!
Annihilate them!
...
Feng Lin's body involuntarily curled up, like a fetus in the womb, as a solid layer of keratin grew over him, encasing him like a stone shell, forming a stone egg.
The stone shell was perfectly seamless, impervious to all.
The power of the divine blood was firmly blocked outside.
Feng Lin's consciousness was deeply submerged. At the critical moment of crisis, a stroke of luck stimulated the Stone Monkey gene.
He traced back along the gene, seeking the ancient memories and mythological inheritance at the end of the river of time, hoping to find his true, indestructible nature.
Turning inward, seeking death to find life!