The port of Iyas — it not only bore the title of "Pearl of the Heier Coastal Waters," but the sheer variety of racial species it contained left Lei Lin dizzy with astonishment.
Beyond that, lining both sides of the streets were a great many shops, offering everything from the most ordinary leather armor and protective gear, all the way up to high-grade sealing scrolls and even sacrificial paraphernalia. There was simply nothing one couldn't find.
From Lei Lin's understanding, the inhabitants of the Purgatory World were mostly non-human beings who relied entirely on their own physical bodies and racial talents to fight. They didn't even need to cultivate — their strength would naturally increase with age, right up to a certain limit.
The most widely circulated power systems numbered only two: the Path of Sacrifice and the Path of Beast Souls!
The so-called Path of Sacrifice involved making offerings to some Supreme being in order to receive the blessings that being bestowed. The result was typically an increase in strength, or the acquisition of some uncanny ability.
In Lei Lin's eyes, this Path of Sacrifice was more like an exchange. The natives offered items that the Supreme beings favored, and in return, the Supreme beings enhanced their power. The practice looked remarkably similar to the divine beings of the
Perhaps it lay in the matter of daily devotion. The Supreme beings didn't require their followers to perform devout rites and regular worship every single day. Even a creature that had never performed sacrifice to a Supreme being before could, once it offered a tribute that moved that being, receive a bestowal of power — which was yet another clear distinction from the way divine beings operated.
"It seems that in the ancient era, certain things from the World of Gods did manage to spread outward! And then the rule-level existences of the Purgatory World made some modifications to them…"
Lei Lin stroked his chin thoughtfully.
In this multiverse, the
Within those two worlds, the highest confirmed intelligence only reached the eighth rank. Therefore, according to the speculations of numerous ancient existences, only when one side completely annihilated the other — obtaining that side's understanding of rules, paths of power, and comprehension of Truth — could one ascend to the Ninth Rank of Eternity!
This had been the very fuse that ignited the Ancient War of Termination!
For those Wizard existences that had already advanced to the eighth rank, ever greater resources could no longer pique their interest. Only an understanding of the path to the Ninth Rank, or guidance along it — even the faintest sliver of hope — could drive them to struggle! To fight!
Of course, since the overall strength of both worlds was roughly comparable, the ultimate result was mutual devastation. The Wizard World regressed by several major steps, while the World of Gods even embarked upon a path of total seclusion.
And in the course of that war, it was not merely the two greatest worlds that were affected. Many smaller worlds were swept up in the conflict as well. Certain unique paths of power and advancement systems spread outward, and having been tempered in the crucible of real combat, they became more refined and better adapted.
The so-called Path of Sacrifice, in Lei Lin's view, was simply a variant of the World of Gods' path of faith. Although it had stripped away the binding covenant between the two parties, transforming the relationship into one of equivalent exchange, it was all the more free and convenient — and far better suited to the conditions of the Purgatory World.
After all, not every world's rules were conducive to the spread of faith-based worship.
As for the second major mainstream path — the Path of Beast Souls — Lei Lin had also heard some explanations from Gudolic.
Because the Purgatory World was a world of non-human beings teeming with fierce beasts and high-energy creatures, certain intelligent races had developed a technique: hunting down great beasts, extracting their souls, sealing those souls within one's own body, and then summoning them forth in the heat of battle.
The difference in the strength of the sealed Beast Souls also resulted in different tiers.
Furthermore, once this Beast Soul technique advanced to higher levels, the corresponding Beast Soul Masters could obtain more Beast Soul slots, allowing them to seal in even more Beast Souls.
According to ancient legends, there was even a Beast Soul Master who had reached an unprecedented realm. They had sealed their entire body with all manner of Beast Souls, every single one at the Morning Star level or above, and with a single strike, they could even annihilate a continent!
And the soul energy of the sealed Beast Souls could even assist the Beast Soul Master's cultivation, enabling them to rapidly advance to higher realms.
"So Sacrifices and Beast Souls are the two most prominent power systems of the Purgatory World?"
Lei Lin murmured to himself, his gaze ceaselessly scanning for relevant shops.
These two power systems could only be considered the most mainstream paths among the intelligent races of the Purgatory World. Given the vastness of the entire world, it was entirely normal for other systems to exist within certain smaller branch tribes.
It wouldn't even surprise him in the slightest if Wizard heritage existed here.
"This must be the one!"
After such a long period of information gathering — not to mention that after several ascensions, his cognitive ability already rivaled that of a supercomputer, and with the Chip helping him cheat on top of that — Lei Lin had learned most of the Purgatory World's common writing systems and languages. At the very least, daily communication was no problem at all.
Shortly after, he set his sights on a shop that looked like an enormous shell wide open and stepped inside.
Around this shop, he could sense faint traces of powerful auras, and judging from its location and the attitude of the passersby, this store should contain something that could open his eyes.
"Welcome! Descendant of the Supreme Serpent King! Honored Lord White Devil!"
Upon entering the shop, a voice resonated directly within Lei Lin's mind, startling him slightly.
Although he was still using the Devil White Phosphorus Serpent's bloodline to conceal himself, it was exceedingly rare for someone to see through this disguise at a glance.
This shopkeeper had clearly taken him for a member of the Devil White Phosphorus Serpent clan, and there was even a hint of deference in their tone.
After all, Devil White Phosphorus Serpents were fifth-level beings upon reaching adulthood, and as bloodline descendants of the Supreme, their status was incomparably noble.
"Where are you?" Lei Lin looked around the interior of the shell. It was a vast, misty-white space, and countless multicolored orbs of light drifted through the void.
"My true form is the shell outside. In reality, you are currently inside my body, communicating with me…"
A stream of information appeared directly in Lei Lin's mind — not through Spiritual Power, but through an even more mysterious level.
[Ding! Psionic interface detected! Identifying as psionic fluctuation! Block it?] At that moment, the Chip's mechanical notification also chimed in.
"Psionics?" Lei Lin immediately thought of
And now, here was another life-form capable of directly harnessing psionics.
"Your name!" Lei Lin's lips did not move, yet an arcane wave of psionic energy radiated outward. A layer of chaotic hue even settled over his eyes, allowing him to instantly locate an energy core hidden within the white space.
A pale-green orb of light, concealed amid layers of void, connected to the entire chamber by countless green psionic channels.
"You — a guest — actually discovered my core?!" The message emanating from the core now carried unmistakable terror.
"Furthermore — this energy — it's psionics?!" Clearly, the fact that Lei Lin could wield psionics as well had stunned it, and a deep undercurrent of fear crept in.
"Sending outsiders directly into the depths of your own body — this is the most foolish tactic I have ever seen!"
Lei Lin strolled casually through the shop with his hands clasped behind his back, occasionally exchanging psionic messages with the other party.
"Have you not considered that once an opponent discovers your psionic core and can themselves wield psionic energy, destroying you would take but an instant?"
The moment these words left him, he felt the entire space shudder. Within the other party's core, a trembling soul materialized.
"Lord White Devil! Please forgive my offense!" A small white figure emerged from the core and dropped to its knees on the ground.
"Relax! I am merely an ordinary customer!" Seeing the figure on the verge of fainting, Lei Lin offered a measure of reassurance.
"An ordinary customer? What ordinary customer can wield psionics? And radiate such terrifying power?"
The bitterness in the little figure's heart only deepened, but all it could do was follow cautiously behind Lei Lin.
"Though this tactic of yours may frighten a great many outsiders unfamiliar with the psionic system, it is still far too reckless!"
Lei Lin continued to admonish the other as he reached out and touched a blue orb of light.
"Roar!!" A faint growl resonated from within the orb. Through the translucent blue membrane, Lei Lin could just make out a small, streamlined fish — its snout like a gleaming spear, dotted with scattered points of light.
"This is the Goldenpike Salmon! Its Beast Soul is an excellent choice for novice Beast Soul Masters!"
Noticing that the guest seemed interested in this Beast Soul, the little figure immediately chimed in with an eager introduction, its face brimming with an ingratiating expression. "If you would like, my lord, I can…"
He had rashly allowed someone who could control his very life and death to enter, and the thought had kept the little figure trembling in constant fear. He was certain that if Lei Lin had demanded to walk away with everything in his shop for free, he would have agreed without hesitation.
"No need! This kind of thing is completely useless to me!" Lei Lin waved his hand dismissively.
"Do you have anything here with specific content on the Path of Sacrifice and Beast Soul Arts? The more detailed, the better!"
"I do! Of course I do!"
The little figure grinned ingratiatingly and beckoned. Two massive red orbs of light drifted over. As the glow faded, they revealed a cow-horn trumpet and a pink seashell.
Lei Lin picked up the trumpet, and the Chip immediately issued a notification.
[Spiritual Power storage interface detected. Would you like to receive the data?]
It was clear that both of these items served as knowledge storage mediums, just like the crystal balls of the Wizard world.