Chapter 66: Golden Intelligence

Deep within the unknowable void of Wu Yuan’s body, the Karma Pearl erupted.

In a single instant, it incinerated over a year’s worth of accumulated Qi. A blinding radiance exploded outward, flooding his internal world with searing white light.

Wu Yuan’s consciousness, which had already sunk into the cold abyss of death, was suddenly snagged by a golden hook. The light pulled him back, dragging him violently from the brink of oblivion.

A new message, shimmering in divine gold, seared itself into his mind:

[GOLDEN INTELLIGENCE] [CRISIS AVERTED.] [The backlash from the Demon Race’s Providence Spirit has been nullified.] [Exemption Factors: 1. User is of the Demon Race. 2. Mutual Consent established via Talent (Spirit Awakening). 3. Sanctuary Protection provided by the Azure Radiance Grotto-Heaven’s Providence.]

The golden brilliance within the Karma Pearl dimmed rapidly, its energy reserves completely hollowed out.

However, the second half of the notification refused to load. It flickered, stalled, and hung in suspension.

Wu Yuan, who had just gasped for his first breath of life, felt his heart seize up again. Don’t stall on me now!

Under his desperate mental pleading, the Karma Pearl gave a final, convulsive throb and squeezed out the remaining text like toothpaste from a flattened tube.

[…Unlocked: Qualification to Research Bloodline Spirit Runes.]

The light died. The Karma Pearl returned to its dormant state, looking like a dull, gray stone.

Wu Yuan felt the colossal, predatory entity inside him pause. Confused by the sudden legitimacy of Wu Yuan’s actions, the Providence Spirit slowly withdrew.

But before it vanished completely, it left a tiny wisp of energy behind. This remnant drifted upward and melted into Wu Yuan’s eyes.

His vision went white. For a moment, he was blind.

He shook his head violently, blinking away the static. When his sight returned, the world looked normal—except for the Pangolin.

Overlaid on the beast’s red scales were flickering, translucent patterns. Countless red Spirit Runes danced and wove together, forming a complex biological schematic.

“Is this the ‘Qualification’ the Karma Pearl mentioned?” Wu Yuan realized with a jolt.

He shifted his focus, and the overlay vanished, replaced by the mundane gray rock of the mine tunnel.

The adrenaline crash hit him all at once. His legs turned to jelly, and he collapsed onto the cave floor in a heap.

Big Old Black and Little Gray jumped, startled by their leader’s sudden weakness. None of the spirit beasts had sensed the metaphysical war that had just taken place inside him.

“Boss! Are you okay?” Big Old Black asked, rushing over. “Is it an old injury acting up?”

The Pangolin, who had been happily stuffing his face, froze mid-chew. He looked at the Fire Ant egg in his claw, then at the slumped Wu Yuan. An expression of awkward concern twisted his reptilian face.

He shoved the egg toward Wu Yuan’s mouth.

“Boss, eat! Eat make body strong!”

Seeing the genuine worry on their faces, a warm current flowed through Wu Yuan’s heart. These are my loyal minions.

He took a deep, ragged breath, forcing his trembling limbs to still.

“I’m fine. Don’t worry,” he lied, his voice rasping. “Just need… a nap. I’m going back to rest.”

Maintaining his composure with every ounce of willpower he had left, he walked back to his treehouse, climbed inside, and shut the door.

The moment the latch clicked, the facade crumbled.

Wu Yuan face-planted into his nest.

He raised a trembling hand and slapped himself across the face. Hard.

SMACK!

“Curiosity, huh?”

SMACK!

“Couldn’t control your greed, could you?!”

He didn’t hold back. He put his full cultivation strength into the blows.

His cheeks split open. Blood filled his mouth. He leaned over and spat out several broken teeth onto the floorboards.

Panting heavily, Wu Yuan stared up at the wooden ceiling, his heart still hammering a frantic rhythm against his ribs. The terror of that “Certain Death” notification still lingered, cold and slimy in his gut.

But as he gasped for air, a jagged laugh bubbled up from his throat.

“The process was torture… but the result is beautiful!”

“Karma Pearl, you are my god!”

His pulse was still racing. That Black Intelligence was a wake-up call unlike anything he had ever experienced.

“I’ve never seen a ‘Certain Death’ tag before,” he whispered, wiping blood from his chin. “If the Karma Pearl hadn’t burned a year’s savings to generate that Golden Intelligence buffer…”

He shuddered. “I’d be a dead rat right now.”

He tried to analyze the situation. “I don’t know exactly what ‘Tier’ this Golden Fated Chance is. The benefit of the runes isn’t immediate. But since it can cancel out a Black Intelligence, it must be leagues above Cyan.”

He mentally reviewed the color-coded hierarchy of his cheat:

White: Noise. Safe, but useless. Good for weather reports. Green: Small gains or minor inconveniences. A low-risk test. Blue: Significant gains, but with moderate danger. Survival is likely with planning (e.g., the Goat Demon fight). Cyan: Major Crisis or Massive Opportunity. The danger is overwhelming (Fox Immortal, Roc Demon), requiring luck or outside help to survive. Black: CERTAIN DEATH. No escape. The Abyss. Gold: Divine Intervention. The Miracle.

“I used to think every Intelligence offered a sliver of survival,” Wu Yuan mused. “Blue and Cyan were dangerous, sure. But I survived the Fox Immortal because she was friendly, and I survived the Roc because the Cat King saved me. I thought there was always a way out.”

“I was wrong. Black Intelligence is a dead end. I just wasn’t qualified to see the Grim Reaper until today.”

He clenched his fists. “From now on, when facing the unknown, I ask the Karma Pearl first. I can’t afford to walk into an execution chamber again.”

The adrenaline finally faded, replaced by a tidal wave of exhaustion. His eyelids felt like they were made of lead.

He rolled over and passed out instantly.

A demon’s life was simple: eat, sleep, repeat. If he was tired, he slept. If there was work, Big Old Black would handle it.

Wu Yuan woke up feeling reborn.

The panic and terror were gone, scrubbed away by deep sleep. His mind was refreshed and clear-headed.

This was one of his greatest strengths: resilience. He didn’t let trauma fester. He processed it, learned from it, and moved on.

He stood up and began pacing around the small treehouse.

“Time to get to work. I need to crack the code of these Bloodline Spirit Runes.”

Since the Golden Intelligence event, the memory of the runes hadn’t faded. The complex red patterns he had seen in the Pangolin’s mind were now permanently etched into his brain.

“The problem is… I can’t read them.”

Wu Yuan frowned. The runes were like a “Heavenly Script”—divine gibberish that defied mortal logic. They were too complex, too archaic.

“But learning is just a matter of method,” he muttered, his eyes hardening with determination.

“If I can’t understand the logic, I’ll brute force it. I’ll memorize every curve, every line, every pulse by rote. I’ll visualize them day and night until they make sense!”