In the depths of the forest, Little Wei was walking at a leisurely pace. Ding Meng looked around curiously. These strange plants that were both green and blue gave him a very comfortable feeling.
The poisonous gas emitted by these plants didn't cool his limbs like Origin Energy, but it made Ding Meng's mind feel very refreshed and clear.
Little Rascal said, "The K-virus can fuse with the various poisons here. It's extremely beneficial to your cultivation. It's like a natural amplification agent."
Ding Meng asked curiously, "Oh?"
Little Rascal said, "But it's extremely harmful to normal people. This place is truly miraculous."
Xiao Ai suddenly said, "I've detected extremely powerful energy fluctuations."
Ding Meng nodded. In truth, he had also sensed it. It hadn't been obvious when they first got off the spaceship, but the energy fluctuations were getting stronger and stronger. The place Little Wei was leading them to seemed to be the source.
Xiao Ai said, "This is the energy fluctuations of a silver core stone."
Little Rascal said, "Really?"
Xiao Ai sighed and said, "I'm sure that this is a Silver Core Stone. However, the waves of this Silver Core Stone are much weaker than those of ordinary Silver Core Stones. At least, they are much weaker than the one in the Flying Star City."
Little Rascal said, "Why is that?"
Xiao Ai said, "I don't know the reason …"
…
While they were discussing, Little Wei finally came to a stop. On a patch of blue grass in the forest, a giant hemispherical tent was embedded in the ground. The tent seemed to be made of all kinds of exotic plants and flowers. It looked like a cactus that was glowing with a blue light.
Before they even entered, an old female voice rang out from inside. "Is Little Yan back?"
Meng Yan immediately lowered her head and said respectfully, "Auntie Xueyan, it's me. I've also brought back an important guest. His name is Ding Meng."
The woman called Auntie Xueyan spoke again. "Hello, Ding Meng. Welcome to this place."
Ding Meng replied in a deep voice, "Hello!"
As he answered, he secretly activated his origin ability.
Ding Meng had only felt this kind of aura from Qu Xiaoqing's driver, Sister Zhong. However, Xueyan's aura was completely different from Sister Zhong's. Sister Zhong's aura was vast and boundless, while Xueyan's aura was sometimes strong and sometimes weak. It was intermittent. There seemed to be a problem with her origin ability cultivation.
Unexpectedly, Xueyan's tone was very gentle. "Ding Meng, please don't be nervous. Since Xiaoyan said that you're an honored guest, please come in and sit down for a chat."
The facilities in the room couldn't be any simpler. There was a tatami mat, three long benches, and a small table. However, these things were all made of plant materials and emitted a colorful glow. The room was filled with a dazzling sense of beauty.
Xueyan sat on the tatami mat with her back to the door. She seemed to be admiring a mural on the wall. This was the only mural in the room that was made of crystal. The mural depicted the head of a man. His face was very young, and he couldn't be considered handsome. However, he gave off a steady, elegant, and upright feeling.
Xueyan seemed to be entranced by the mural. Meng Yan didn't dare to say anything. She and Xiao Wei stood to the side and waited patiently.
Ding Meng didn't say anything either. He had always been good at keeping his cool.
After a long time, Xueyan got off the tatami mat and slowly turned around.
Ding Meng looked calm, but he was very surprised. It was difficult to tell the age of the woman in front of him from her appearance. She wasn't young, but she wasn't as old as he thought, either. Her hair was still thick, but it was scattered around like reeds. Her hair wasn't black, but it had many different colors.
She could barely be considered a beauty because one could still see the elegance and charm of her youth from her face that was full of vicissitudes. She looked similar to a normal human, but there was one thing that was absolutely different, and that was her skin.
Her skin was terrifyingly pale. Her face looked like it was covered with a thin layer of paper. It would break with a light poke. That was indeed the case. Her cheekbones, the base of her ears, and chin had a few small holes. One or two drops of yellow liquid seeped out from them, but it didn't look like pus.
Xiao Ai was already preparing a report. "She's been poisoned very deeply. There's also a problem with her genes."
Xueyan's expression was also slightly surprised. She didn't expect the guest she had invited to be so young. Moreover, he could stand there unscathed without wearing any protective gear.
"Mutated Poison Spirit Source?" Xueyan asked tentatively.
Little Rascal immediately transmitted information to Ding Meng in the consciousness space: Mutated Poison Spirit Source. This is a unique physique for Origin Ability users. It absorbs all kinds of poisons as a foundation. After cultivating it to a certain level, it's immune to all poisons. However, this physique is innate and not acquired through training or refinement. It's just like how the K-virus chose you. It has a unique compatibility. It's one in a million.
It was obvious that Ding Meng didn't have this physique, but he couldn't casually reveal the K-virus. He replied, "I don't!"
Xueyan looked slightly disappointed. At this moment, Meng Yan took two steps forward. "Aunt Xueyan, Mr. Ding Meng's blood can neutralize the Rank 3 Red Riding Hood in an extremely short amount of time. At the same time, he's also immune to the Origin Devouring Agent."
Xueyan's eyes revealed a look of surprise. Her attitude suddenly became polite. "Mr. Ding Meng, please sit."
Only after Ding Meng sat down did Xueyan slowly sit down across from him. She asked a very strange question. "Mr. Ding Meng, do you think my face is a bit strange?"
Ding Meng nodded. "It is a bit. It doesn't look normal."
Xueyan suddenly smiled. It would have been better if she hadn't smiled. When she smiled, the wrinkles on her face became even more obvious. Moreover, due to the contraction and compression of her muscles, a yellow liquid flowed out from the small holes on her face. Her appearance was truly strange and terrifying.
Meng Yan explained dejectedly, "Mr. Ting, in our area, only Aunt Xueyan's appearance is the most normal. Then there's Xiao Wei. The two of them are relatively normal."
Ding Meng asked, "Are the others abnormal?"
Meng Yan said, "Before I landed, I informed Xiao Wei and told everyone to return to their rooms. I was afraid that they would scare you."
Ding Meng was speechless. If Xueyan's appearance was considered normal, then he could not imagine what the others' appearances were like.
Meng Yan seemed to know what he was thinking. She took the initiative to explain, "Aunt Xueyan's appearance is slightly normal. That's because she's using her profound Origin Energy to slow down the deterioration."
Ding Meng understood quite a bit now. "What kind of poison did you guys get?"
Xueyan's gaze turned to the wall again. "Do you see that painting?"
Ding Meng asked curiously, "Who is he?"
Xueyan's tone sounded very sad. "His surname is Zhu, and his name is Zhu Lixian. He's my husband. He's a biochemical Origin Energy user and a doctor. Many years ago, he worked for the Holy Grail Federation."
Unfortunately, Little Rascal's database could not provide the relevant information this time. Ding Meng could only carefully ask, "Where is this Doctor Zhu now?"
Xueyan let out a long sigh. "He's been dead for sixty-six years, three months, and nine days."
There was not much sadness in her tone. There was only a thick sense of pride and endless nostalgia. She even remembered the time so accurately. Presumably, when Doctor Zhu was still alive, he had a very deep relationship with Xueyan. Xueyan also worshipped her husband very much.
Ding Meng pondered and said, "I'm thinking that Doctor Zhu must have been an amazing person when he was alive."
"Mr. Ding Meng, you have a very good eye!"
Xueyan praised, and a strange glow appeared in her eyes. "Yes, he was indeed a very great person. He was the one who developed the antidote for the famous World Devouring Virus, Little Red Riding Hood."
Only then did Ding Meng reveal a surprised expression. Previously, he felt that there were many strange things about Xueyan that could not be separated from the World Devouring Virus. Now, it seemed that this was indeed the case. It should be said that everyone here was related to the World Devouring Virus.
Xueyan's mind seemed to have returned to many years ago. She sighed and said, "Mr. Ding Meng, you should know about the war between the Holy Grail Federation and the World Devouring Virus many years ago, right?"
Ding Meng had known about it for a long time. Eighty years ago, when the Holy Grail Federation and the Norse Empire were in full swing, the World Devouring Virus took advantage of the situation and crossed the Zeratul Star Field in one fell swoop, launching an attack on the Federation.
In the beginning, the Federation did not take the World Devouring Virus seriously. They only sent a few large fleets to the border space station to guard it. However, gradually, the World Devouring Virus expanded to the observation area and then continued to advance, breaking through the border in one fell swoop.
This news immediately shook the entire Federation. This was the first time the Federation directly confronted an alien civilization on a large scale, and the human fleets were utterly defeated.
The Federation's technology was far beyond the World Devouring Virus, but the World Devouring Virus' poison was not something the human soldiers could resist. Even if the Federation sent reinforcements from various places, they still could not stop the invasion of the World Devouring Virus. In just five years, the World Devouring Virus occupied two-fifths of the Federation's territory, which was almost half of the country.
The Federation had to fight against the Norse Empire and defend against the World Devouring Virus' attack. It could be said that they were attacked from both sides, and it was very difficult for them to hold on.
The Norse Empire was also fighting on two fronts. In front of them was the Space Fortress of the Federation, and behind them was the mechanical jungle of the Frogmen Kingdom. They were also having a hard time.
Under these circumstances, the leaders of the Holy Grail Federation and the Norse Empire came to an agreement: give up the war and strive for peace. Both sides signed a hundred-year armistice agreement, and everyone turned their guns to the alien beasts.
As soon as the agreement was signed, the fleets and experts of the two countries retreated, and they began to assemble an unprecedentedly powerful force to reclaim their lost territory.
The Federation's progress was fast, and it took them less than three years to drive the World Devouring Virus back to the Zeratul system. However, they also paid a heavy price. Nearly two billion soldiers and civilians were infected with the virus and died.
There were all kinds of strange and pervasive poisons in the Devouring World, which became the biggest problem for the Saint Brilliance Federation. The famous Little Red Riding Hood was one of them.