This day, Zhong Shenxiu was preparing the antidote for Faraday’s “Dark Repulsion.” Preparing the antidote itself wasn't difficult, merely tedious. If it weren't for Faraday proving himself somewhat compliant, Zhong Shenxiu wouldn't bother with such a tedious chore!
Zhong Shenxiu began the painstaking process, using “Ghost Stench Grass” as the primary ingredient, supplemented by several other catalysts.
Regardless, Faraday’s collection of books had indeed aided Zhong Shenxiu; without them, he wouldn't possess the realm of the God-Demon Undead Mage. Given Zhong Shenxiu's nature, he would never accept a favor without reciprocating.
As Zhong Shenxiu meticulously compounded the antidote, a sudden flash of inspiration illuminated his mind. This flash was entirely unexpected, arriving without the slightest precursor.
Suddenly, Zhong Shenxiu felt as if some profound insight was calling to him. He immediately set aside his work, intent on deciphering what this sudden spark of light was trying to convey.
Undead Mage? Dark Magic? Necromantic Summoning? Skeleton Warriors?… Isn't this functionally the same as Witchcraft? Zhong Shenxiu mused, grasping at something concrete yet feeling an ineffable connection.
What could possibly link Dark Magic and Witchcraft? Zhong Shenxiu’s thoughts began to accelerate with excitement. If he succeeded, he was certain this would be an unprecedented, world-transcending achievement.
Dark Magic utilizes spiritual power; Witchcraft uses shamanic power (Wuli). Though distinct, they could sometimes yield identical results. Could one postulate that a commonality existed between them—a shared root that allowed both paths to converge? Zhong Shenxiu’s formidable brain began to churn at an astonishing speed.
Just as Zhong Shenxiu wrestled with finding the breakthrough point, his body abruptly shuddered, and the strange illusion he had witnessed before materialized before his eyes:
It was a world of blinding white, filled with swirling masses of inscribed runes. These runes seemed imbued with special meaning, each possessing a life of its own, moving in an almost imperceptible pattern. Their dance appeared to be communicating something to Zhong Shenxiu, hinting at profound secrets within their motions.
As if channeled by some immense, mystical force, the moment Zhong Shenxiu perceived this bizarre spectacle, he felt his brain cells ignite. The sensation was exquisitely marvelous, akin to sudden enlightenment. This feeling suggested that his prior efforts had not truly been thinking; only in this instant did he truly grasp the meaning of cogitation.
With another violent tremor throughout his frame, Zhong Shenxiu found it! He had located the connection he sensed! In that instant, the theories of Dark Magic and Witchcraft began to fuse and calibrate within his mind, birthing an entirely new doctrine. As time seemed to compress, this novel theory finally presented itself to Zhong Shenxiu in perfect clarity.
Dark Witchcraft—a revolutionary concept shattering conventional boundaries—was born in that very moment!
The instant Zhong Shenxiu achieved this profound realization, the wondrous illusion vanished without a trace. No matter how hard he tried, he could not summon it back; it was as if the vision had been entirely erased.
“Master, you’re awake? That’s wonderful…” Robin’s choked voice cut through the silence nearby.
“What happened to me? Why am I here?” Zhong Shenxiu found himself lying in bed, confused, as he distinctly remembered preparing medicine, not retiring.
“Master, you’ve been unconscious for half a month. You’re finally awake, that’s wonderful,” Robin said, tears giving way to a relieved smile.
“Half a month? You mean I’ve been in a coma for half a month?” Zhong Shenxiu could hardly believe his ears. He just had a strange dream; how could that lead to a two-week coma?
“Yes,” Robin nodded softly. “Master, you must be hungry. I’ll go prepare something for you right away.”
Robin then left to fetch food.
Zhong Shenxiu watched Robin’s retreating figure, still feeling a faint dizziness. To have been comatose for half a month was utterly bizarre.
Wait! Zhong Shenxiu suddenly snapped to attention, sitting bolt upright. Dark Witchcraft—ha! I truly am brilliant.
It dawned on him that he had just accomplished a feat “unprecedented by those before, and perhaps unmatched by those to come.”
After hurriedly eating, Zhong Shenxiu immediately began testing whether his theory held water. The results were astonishing—it actually worked perfectly!
Dark Magic could be freely converted into Shamanic Power, and Shamanic Power could be converted just as easily into Dark Magic. Even more excitingly, Zhong Shenxiu discovered that fusing these two disparate powers generated a unique, far more terrifying energy, which he christened the “Dark-Shamanic Power.”
This represented a monumental breakthrough in human history. With this, Zhong Shenxiu had discovered yet another avenue to enhance his personal strength.
As is widely known, the highest realm for an Undead Mage is the God-Demon Undead Mage. This meant that once an Undead Mage reached this pinnacle, further effort only increased their dark reserves, hitting a ceiling. However, since Zhong Shenxiu merged Dark Magic and Witchcraft, this limitation had been shattered, allowing for limitless ascent to higher realms.
In essence, as long as one possessed high comprehension and sufficient power reserves, they could push toward ever-greater heights through persistent endeavor.
Furthermore, the fusion of Dark Magic and Witchcraft greatly simplified the process of cultivation.
Beyond this, the most significant benefit was that Zhong Shenxiu could now utilize certain techniques from Witchcraft using his existing God-Demon Undead Mage cultivation base—a truly incredible development! After all, Witchcraft techniques were highly ranked even within the Cultivation World! If Zhong Shenxiu could now activate some of these spells using Dark Magic, didn't that imply Witchcraft could be cast using spiritual power?
Zhong Shenxiu tested several minor sorceries: “Confusion,” “Enfeeblement,” “Haunted Passageway,” and “Inner Spirit Scrutiny” all manifested flawlessly. However, larger-scale Witchcraft techniques, such as “Mountain of Blades and Sea of Fire” or “Ten Thousand Souls to Dust,” remained beyond his current grasp, indicating more effort was necessary.
“Robin, come here for a moment,” Zhong Shenxiu called out.
“Yes, Master?” Robin appeared before him in a flicker of movement—her Lingbo Weibu seemed incredibly proficient now.
“I am about to teach you a new supreme skill—Dark Witchcraft. However, after learning it, you must avoid using it casually until you have fully mastered it. Also, you must absolutely never teach this to anyone else, understood?” Zhong Shenxiu stated with practiced gravity. In truth, given his child-sized body and unseasoned voice, his attempts at imposing authority were somewhat undermined by his youthful appearance.
“Robin understands!” Robin nodded obediently.
Immediately, Zhong Shenxiu imparted the introductory cultivation method for the “Dark Witchcraft” he had conceived. Because Robin already possessed a foundation in Dark Magic, learning the basics went smoothly, without any major obstacles; only the fluency of execution still required refinement.