Chapter 553: Unlocking New Features

"How do we leave this secret realm?" Zu An suddenly recalled he hadn't asked the most crucial question after seeing the other person vanish. Unfortunately, there was no response. He didn't know if Wu Geng was deliberately silent or had already departed this world.

The air around them twisted, and both felt a sense of weightlessness. When they regained consciousness, they found themselves still in the pose of reaching out and touching the Fu Hao owl zun.

This was clearly the spot where they had first activated the trial. The area was deserted. They had initially been concerned that the skeleton general, Ya Chang, might be waiting to harm them. However, after their experience in the Wu Ding dynasty trial, they knew Ya Chang was a loyal and trustworthy companion. They had even hoped to reconnect with him, but he was nowhere to be found, presumably having returned to sleep in his coffin.

"Oh, you're back so quickly? Were you unable to start the trial?" At that moment, Mi Li's familiar voice resonated in his mind.

Zu An was taken aback. "How long has it been since we placed our hands on this platform?"

"Not long at all, just a few breaths. Did you fail to start the trial, or have you successfully completed it?" Mi Li, being well-versed, seemed to have an inkling.

"Of course, we passed," Zu An sighed softly. "I can't believe we spent several decades there, yet only a few breaths passed here."

While several centuries passed from the Wu Ding dynasty to the reign of the last King Zhou, Zu An and his companion personally experienced only a few decades.

Naturally, this duration of "several decades" might not be entirely accurate, as Zu An always felt that the decades within the trial passed much more quickly than real-world decades.

"The flow of time in these trial worlds is self-contained, so this phenomenon is quite common," Mi Li replied. "When you have a moment, tell me the specifics of your trial. For now, what gains did you make after completing the secret realm?"

She realized she hadn't felt this level of anticipation in a long time. During her own cultivation, she was never this excited about any fortuitous encounters. Yet now, the mere thought of Zu An potentially increasing his strength excited her immensely.

This realization confused her considerably. However, she then mused that the faster his strength improved, the sooner she could regain her physical form. Yes, that must be it.

Zu An replied, "I acquired something called the 'Taotie Devouring Heaven Art'."

"The 'Taotie Devouring Heaven Art'?" Mi Li exclaimed in surprise.

"Empress Sister knows about it too?" Zu An was taken aback by her reaction.

"Of course, I know. The Shang royal family's 'Taotie Devouring Heaven Art' is a fearsome cultivation technique," Mi Li said with a complex expression. "Most cultivation methods in the world adhere to the Heavenly Dao, which involves taking from the abundant to supplement the deficient. However, this technique of the Shang royal family does the exact opposite: it depletes the deficient to serve the abundant, growing stronger by plundering and devouring the vital essence of other cultivators..."

After hearing her description, Zu An subconsciously blurted out, "The Star-Absorbing Grand Technique?"

"What 'Star-Absorbing Grand Technique'?" Mi Li asked, somewhat bewildered.

"Nothing..." Zu An quickly found an excuse to divert the conversation. He mused inwardly that the technique's principle seemed similar to the Star-Absorbing Grand Technique, but it was clearly far more advanced. At the very least, it didn't require abandoning one's existing cultivation to start anew.

He also couldn't help but inwardly lament the Shang people's nature. Back then, they frequently engaged in live human sacrifices and even consumed human flesh. Now, even their cultivation techniques involved absorbing human essence, making them seem indistinguishable from cannibals.

Mi Li then said, "While this cultivation technique is somewhat insidious, it's perfectly suited for your current situation. Your cultivation level is still too low, and this method can rapidly accelerate your progress. However, I must warn you in advance: this technique is exceedingly malevolent. The slightest lapse in attention could make you its slave, leading to an increasing buildup of fierce energy until you ultimately lose yourself."

Zu An smiled. "Empress Sister, you're overthinking it. In this world, there are only good people and bad people. How can cultivation techniques be inherently 'good' or 'evil'? As long as I use this technique exclusively to absorb from evildoers, even a wicked art can become righteous and awe-inspiring."

Mi Li nodded. "It's rare for someone your age to possess such insight. However, you needn't restrict yourself to absorbing only from bad people. There are no absolute good or bad individuals in this world, so simply maintain your true self and don't be overly fixated. Now that you've regained consciousness, I'm relieved and won't disturb your time alone with that well-endowed girl."

After saying this, she fell silent, seemingly having entered a deep slumber.

Although the written description might suggest a lengthy conversation, it was, in fact, instantaneous due to being a direct soul-to-soul communication.

Pei Mianman, who had been beside him, hadn't noticed anything unusual. "Ah Zu," she said, "Wu Geng didn't mention how to exit the secret realm earlier. What should we do now?"

Although they had left the trial world, they were still within the secret realm of the stone stele and had no idea how to depart.

"We'll just have to take it one step at a time," Zu An said in a low voice. "Oh, by the way, Wu Geng said he would give you the Fu Hao owl zun. Try to refine it and see if you can."

Pei Mianman gently caressed the owl zun beside her. "I seem to feel an inexplicable sense of closeness and connection with this owl zun. I should be able to refine it, but it will require some time."

"No rush. Refine it first. We have plenty of time here, and I'll stand guard for you," Zu An said.

Pei Mianman nodded, gently embraced the owl zun's wings with her hands, and focused on communicating with it mentally.

Noticing she had entered a meditative state, Zu An understood she wouldn't be finished anytime soon. So, he began to study the 'Taotie Devouring Heaven Art' that Wu Geng had given him.

The moment he retrieved the bronze slip from his embrace, a cold voice materialized in his mind: "Secret Tome of Yin Ruins, the 'Taotie Devouring Heaven Art' detected. Do you wish to cultivate it?"

Zu An, of course, chose yes. The bronze slip in his hand transformed into points of starlight and vanished, and a vast stream of information surged into his mind.

At that moment, it was as if he could clearly perceive the state of his own body. He vaguely saw a Taotie pattern gradually take shape, then greedily devour everything it encountered. After it had consumed everything on the ground, it even swallowed its own body in a single gulp, leaving only a massive mouth.

Still unsatisfied, it suddenly looked up at the sky, opened its colossal mouth, and proceeded to swallow the heavens themselves.

Then, with a resounding boom, the Taotie's immense maw transformed into an utterly black void, a black hole devouring any celestial body that neared it in the starry expanse...

After watching this "demonstration animation," Zu An swallowed hard, thinking how truly sinister this cultivation technique was. If he continued to practice it, would he eventually transform into a black hole himself?

As he remained in a daze, the system's voice echoed in his mind once more:

"Second complete secret tome acquired. Keyboard has activated a new function – Valkyrie System!"

"Unlike other dynasties that favored men over women, women in the Shang dynasty held a remarkably high status. Successive Shang kings and queens co-ruled the realm. Throughout the entire Shang period, many heroic women emerged, whom the Shang people regarded as Valkyries."

"Other worlds also harbored such extraordinary women. Unfortunately, with the collapse and destruction of their respective worlds, these radiant Valkyries lost their former strength and glory. Their souls became fragmented, instinctively adrift within the temporal-spatial currents."

"You can use a tiger tally to make a wish to the Valkyrie System. If you are fortunate enough, there is a chance you will resonate with a Valkyrie within the temporal-spatial currents, drawing her to your world to fight on your behalf."

"Tiger tallies can be acquired through a lucky draw using rage points. As this is the host's first activation of the Valkyrie System, you are specially granted 10 tiger tallies for wishes. We hope your luck is sufficient to resonate with a Valkyrie within these first 10 wishes."

"A friendly reminder: if you've never had much luck winning lotteries in your life, don't hold high expectations for resonating with a Valkyrie..."

Zu An: "..."