Chapter 258: Chapter 260: Shadow Awakened - Book of the Sage


    The enormous shadow, like a huge cocoon, was covered in crimson patterns and emitted malevolent auras, radiating a divine presence akin to that of a god.


    "I think that a normal Shadow Transformation Stage doesn''t result in such a huge Shadow Cocoon like mine, right?"


    Qin Muye said somewhat helplessly. Although this wasn''t his first encounter with it, it still seemed incredibly surreal to him; his Shadow Cocoon was as massive as a mountain range.


    He had integrated the ancient shadow creature of the mountain range during the Shadow Transformation Stage, and it had been fused with his crimson, hellish, and Titan powers.


    And then, after the birth of the Shadow Cocoon, he gained a fourth power, called Shadow.


    It was feedback from his shadow.


    Normally, there would be no such feedback because this power would be channelled back to the Shadow Realm. However, Qin Muye had previously rewritten the underlying code, so his shadow did not belong to the Shadow Realm, but rather to himself.


    As a result, he developed this fourth power. However, it was not yet complete; he had to wait until the Shadow Cocoon was fully hatched.


    Once the hatching and awakening were successful, Qin Muye had a premonition that he might gain an additional Lord Talent related to Shadow.


    The Shadow Cocoon began to contract rapidly, and Qin Muye knew that the time had come.


    In the blink of an eye, the massive Shadow Cocoon shrank by more than half and then instantly reverted to a shadow, and Qin Muye could perceive its secrets.


    [You have gained a Lord Talent: Shadow Tide]


    [Shadow Tide: Shadow Element Rank +6, Territory Shadow Element Adaptability +6]


    "???" Qin Muye was utterly confused. Shouldn''t it be +1 normally?


    Qin Muye felt the Shadow power merging into him and quickly integrating into one. He suddenly understood something—that this power was forced by the original trio of fused powers to come up to the same level. Otherwise, it wouldn''t be fusion but rather devouring.


    In addition, Expert Level Shadow Mastery and Expert Level Shadow Understanding appeared.


    Qin Muye fished a book out of his shadow; this was what his shadow looked like after awakening.


    The book looked just like a regular Magic Book, unremarkable at first glance.


    For now, it had three functions. The first was normal Shadow Equipment, like other Shadow possessors could transform, increasing attributes after the transformation.


    Beyond that was a core skill, the Prayer Technique. Whatever Qin Muye said could come true, but there were significant limits. Generally, it required his own Magic Power to fulfill the wish, and it was also restricted by his Rank.


    And the last, of course, was the personal server function for the Magic Network. With this, Qin Muye essentially had a powerful server.


    There were also some minor abilities. For example, once the Shadow Equipment was activated, he could transform into his Titan form without worrying about clothing issues, and it could even increase his size. Especially after integrating the mountain range ancient shadow creature, Qin Muye''s Shadow Equipment could make his Titan figure about twice as large.


    In other words, without strength, one would easily get beaten up.


    "But cultivating this thing is probably going to be challenging, given that it''s really tough to handle," he contemplated.


    The Book of the Sage wasn''t just any Shadow Equipment, so it couldn''t be cultivated using the usual methods, and upgrading the Shadow Ability of the Shadow Equipment wasn''t going to be easy either.


    For other people, the increase was mostly in attributes, making the enhancement of Shadow Abilities quite troublesome.


    Qin Muye wasn''t lacking in attributes; he wanted to improve his Shadow Ability.


    Rank 1 already gave a +1 boost; he wasn''t asking for much—just +2 at Rank 2 and +3 at Rank 3 would do, as the ability itself was already overpowered.


    "There are also books among the shadows, and not a few at that, but most seem to be developed towards assistance, and the related Shadow Skills learned are the same," he observed.


    Shadow Skills, inherently an application of energy similar to magic, were not something Qin Muye planned to delve deeply into since he had something better.


    By integrating Aladdin''s Divine Lamp, having the Prayer Technique, he could simply speak out whatever he wished for directly. Besides, he had the Magic Network at his disposal; to release skills, Qin Muye just had to load the corresponding Shadow Skill operation mode into it.


    "Fly!" Qin Muye commanded, and at his word, the Intelligent Magic Net reinterpreted this directive and fed it into the Book of the Sage, causing him to rise into the air.


    "Not bad, it seems to be working well," he noted with satisfaction.


    The Magic Network and the Book of the Sage already resonated with his intentions, which is why he could achieve such an effect with just one word.


    Under normal circumstances, a complete sentence would be needed, something like, ''I want to fly,'' otherwise, without sufficient conditions, the result could become distorted.


    And that is the purpose of the Lamp God—to help ensure that the wishes of the wishers are not twisted.


    Qin Muye used the Magic Network, functioning like an intelligent computer, to compile complete and logically flawless conditions, which proved much more useful than a Lamp God.


    What''s more important, it could operate autonomously. For instance, if Qin Muye was severely injured, the Book of the Sage would automatically grant a wish for healing, or if someone ambushed him, it would grant a wish for protection, all of which would draw upon his Magic Power. However, with the Magic Source, Qin Muye found the use of a bit of magic power to be no big deal.


    It could also determine through its connection with Qin Muye''s mind and various situations whether to execute the Prayer Technique, release it preemptively, or instead use the Magic Network to release the corresponding magic or Shadow Skills.


    Even if Qin Muye made a problematic or unachievable wish, it could forcibly interrupt the Prayer Technique before a problem occurred during activation.


    "From today on, I''m a master of verbal combat, making a living by talking people to death," he joked.


    "Instant Teleportation!"


    The very next second, Qin Muye appeared on a flat stretch of land he had envisioned.


    "Smashing a Divine Artifact, but it''s absolutely worth it. I''ve hit the jackpot," Qin Muye thought gleefully. Moreover, the Lamp God was inherently a hazard since it was not loyal to anyone—whomever acquired Aladdin''s lamp became the Lamp God''s master.