Chapter 30: The Ruyi and the Skull

Looking at the jade Ruyi in Old Bei’s hand, Wang Liang was somewhat startled. He hadn’t expected that someone who looked so ordinary would produce such a magnificent item.

Seeing Wang Liang’s eccentric gaze, Old Bei said with a hint of embarrassment, "This was left behind by a snake demon I accidentally killed. The taste of that snake demon wasn’t bad at all."

Hearing this, Wang Liang finally took the jade Ruyi and glanced at its attributes.

[Snake Demon Jade Ruyi (Magical Treasure)]
[Quality: Purple]
[Equipment Requirements: Strength 15, Physique 20, Spirit 25]
[Trait 1: Chilling Wind—Chant an incantation once to summon a chilling gale that freezes all living creatures caught within its path, with a freezing duration ranging from 1 second to 3 minutes.]
[Trait 2: Black Swamp—Chant the incantation twice to manifest a thirty-square-meter black swamp directly ahead. Anyone entering the black swamp has their movement speed reduced by 50%, with a 5% chance of being directly devoured by the swamp.]
[Trait 3: Serpent Silk—Chant the incantation three times to summon a swarm of silken serpents that entangle the enemy (Note: Can only entangle a single enemy whose level does not exceed the player's by 15; inescapable unless the curse is lifted).]
[Description: Ruyi, Ruyi, follow my heart's desire, manifest your power swiftly!]

Reviewing these attributes, Wang Liang nodded with satisfaction. This was a magical treasure that could be used for trapping enemies, and it came in handy right now.

He then handed over the black wooden club he had been holding and placed the Snake Demon Jade Ruyi into the umbrella’s magical treasure interface.

As the jade Ruyi was placed upon it, the artifact began to dissolve. Everyone watched as a jade-carved serpent form emerged on the sword-umbrella, while the bottom of the umbrella handle gained three gems in red, blue, and purple.

Witnessing Wang Liang’s actions, Old Bei and Elder Long were even more convinced of their previous judgment.

Wang Liang was using other magical treasures to empower his own natal magical treasure.

With the Snake Demon Jade Ruyi fused into it, there were now only two empty slots left on Wang Liang’s magical treasure.

Wang Liang glanced over the items he had available, somewhat tempted to incorporate the Fiend Tiger Heaven-Swallowing Armor.

However, that belonged to the defensive category, and the Profound Light Ruler already performed quite well in that aspect; inserting it now would yield little benefit.

After a moment of thought, he turned to Elder Long: "Elder Long, could you help me identify this?"

With that, Wang Liang presented the four glazed skulls strung together by a red thread to Elder Long.

Elder Long nodded affirmatively, casually picking up one of the skulls to toy with it. A strange glint flashed in his eyes, and he picked up another skull.

After inspecting all four skulls, Elder Long said with some puzzlement, "Strange, these four skulls clearly belong to the exact same person."

Ah!

Wang Liang and Old Bei were both stunned. They had never imagined such an outcome—who on earth could possibly have four heads?

And moreover, all of them had died at the hands of that freak.

At this moment, Elder Long pushed the skulls back toward Wang Liang.

"See for yourself."

Wang Liang took the skulls and inspected them, discovering that their attributes had now been revealed.

[Scripture Seeker Skulls X4]
[Quality: Purple]
[Effect 1: Activates the powers of equipment, magical treasures, and items. A single Scripture Seeker Skull can upgrade green-quality equipment to blue; three skulls can upgrade blue-quality equipment to purple; nine skulls can upgrade purple equipment to red.]
[Effect 2: Each Scripture Seeker Skull can activate one special effect. If it exceeds the quality limit for effects, you may choose to replace one.]

Reading this description, Wang Liang understood what was going on.

This item was used to elevate the quality of equipment.

Previously, the Scripture Seeker Skulls had been strung along that red rope, and the tentacle-transformed red cord itself had looked rather formidable. Now that all the skulls had been removed, the red cord revealed itself to be a piece of green equipment.

[Red-Mouthed Kun Lamp]
[Quality: Green]
[Effect: Equipment upgrade item. Can be used on whip-type weapons, belt-type equipment, and rope-type magical treasures, granting a +1 effect upon use.]

"No wonder the function of the Scripture Seeker Skulls was preserved. This thing is fundamentally an enhancement prop. With two enhancement props mixed together, neither could empower the other."

As soon as Wang Liang saw the attributes of the Red-Mouthed Kun Lamp, it all clicked in his mind.

He pondered for a moment and fished out several items of his own:
The Thorn Crown (Blue) and the Chieftain’s Bond (Blue).

These were two pieces of equipment he had obtained in the first world. Due to their attribute requirements, he hadn’t been able to wear them yet.

Now was the perfect time to enhance them.

Wang Liang picked up the Thorn Crown first and placed it right in the midst of the four Scripture Seeker Skulls.

No sooner had the Thorn Crown been set down than all four Scripture Seeker Skulls simultaneously opened their jaws and bit down upon it. The skulls rapidly shrank, transforming into four crystal skull ornaments adorning the Thorn Crown.

Simultaneously, new attributes materialized before Wang Liang’s eyes.

[Crystal Skull Thorn Crown (Enhanced, Helmet)]
[Quality: Purple]
[Defense: 67]
[Equipment Requirements: Physique 51, Spirit 51]
[Trait 1: Holy Word—Continuously shrouded in the domain of the Holy Word, automatically regenerating 25 health every 30 seconds, or activate all Holy Word power to instantly restore 3,000 health (three times daily).]
[Trait 2: Vajra—Entering the Buddhist path treats thorns as nothing, providing 15% damage reduction and 15% damage reflection.]
[Trait 3: Blessing—Four times per day, completely immune to fatal attacks (retaining 1 health).]
[Description: Imitating the Thorn Crown worn by the Western Light God, after being enhanced by the Scripture Seeker Skulls, it has undergone a fundamental transformation.]

When Wang Liang placed the Crystal Skull Thorn Crown into the auxiliary slot of the magical treasure interface, the crown immediately dissolved.

Along the rim of the umbrella canopy, a nearly imperceptible fringe of microscopic thorns appeared. Upon closer inspection, one could even spot the crystal skull heads hidden among the briars.

Holding the umbrella, Wang Liang drew a deep breath. Now, only one final piece of purple equipment remained, and his magical treasure would be complete.

With such gains, Wang Liang didn't pay excessive attention to the enhancement of the Chieftain’s Bond.

He merely noticed that the belt had transformed into the Chieftain’s Bond +1, and left it at that without further comment.

While Wang Liang was busy managing his magical treasures, an oppressive aura suddenly swept in from the outside world. It felt as though a mighty divine power was scanning back and forth across the vicinity, searching for something.

This oppressive presence was like that of a natural predator, terrifying Wang Liang and his companions deeply.

Elder Long even began to wonder how much longer his protective array could hold out in this environment.

Yet, at that exact moment, Wang Liang felt the unfinished umbrella twitch slightly, and faintly heard the cry of an ape echoing through the air.

Beneath that sound, the overwhelming pressure seemed to vanish entirely.

He looked toward Elder Long in bewilderment, asking, "What is the meaning of this?"