The Demon with Holy Radiance-Chapter 57: Growing on the Lower Back, the Nascent Spinal True Feather
He lifted his shirt and brushed away a large number of lifeless black insects, finally getting a clear look at his lower back.
It was a feather, barely longer than a finger—just over two inches.
The feather was two-toned, red and white, starkly divided. One side was a brilliant red, the other a pure white.
It grew right from the lumbar region of his spine. If it weren’t positioned a bit higher, it would have looked just like a strange, short tail.
’How could a feather be growing out of me?’
Yang An couldn’t figure it out.
Back at the Golden Sun Pavilion, he had eaten those things in front of everyone and hadn’t had time for a closer look.
At the time, all he could think about was quickly finishing the disgusting items and leaving, so he had only given the item information a cursory glance.
He just made sure no one was secretly trying to harm him and that the items were beneficial, then used Purification and ate them.
Now that this bizarre thing had grown on his body, he couldn’t recall what he had eaten to cause it.
He mentally reviewed everything he’d eaten, but he couldn’t remember anything related to a feather.
’Then where did this feather come from? Did it just appear out of thin air?’
He twisted his waist slightly to get a better look. The feather growing on him was completely weightless, as if it didn’t exist.
The quill grew out of his flesh at an upward angle. Near the base, close to the skin, was a cluster of fine down. Further up, the vane was split into two different colors all the way to the tip.
Yang An reached out and gently poked it. His body felt nothing, but an information box flashed before his eyes.
’An info box?’
His eyes lit up. An info box made things much easier. He gently touched the feather again, and the box reappeared.
[Spinal True Feather]: An atavistic object of flesh and blood, produced under extremely rare circumstances from a large quantity of body-enhancing Spiritual Objects. It is connected to the user’s marrow, bone, and bloodline, and can be used as a weapon. The Hong Yu carries a blood poison; the White Feather is sharp and can be used for ranged attacks. This item is currently in its nascent stage and requires frequent watering with blood to grow.
Usage Cost: As this object is connected to the user’s marrow, bone, and bloodline, prolonged use will accelerate systemic blood circulation. The backflow of blood poison into the body will lead to the body being poisoned, resulting in death.
Status: Purification available!
Yang An read the information in the box several times. After finally confirming that this thing had indeed grown from his own body and wasn’t some foreign object, he breathed a sigh of relief.
The so-called "atavistic object of flesh and blood" probably meant that this body might have some residual genes from a certain species.
Because he had eaten so many things beneficial to his body, he had coincidentally activated these trace genetic remnants, causing the feather to grow.
He tried to explain it to himself using what little scientific knowledge he had, like genetics. Whether he was right or wrong, it was probably close enough.
What Yang An hadn’t expected was that this feather could actually be used as a weapon.
’But isn’t it a bit too small?’
For a two-inch-long weapon, the only method he could think of was to shoot it out. Since the feather carried a blood poison, it might be instantly lethal to an enemy.
He just didn’t know if he could get it back after shooting it.
With this in mind, Yang An casually placed his hand on the feather to use Purification on it, intending to give it a try.
Since it was a feather, it meant he could pull it out.
He pinched the base of the quill between two fingers and gave it a slight tug.
"Hsss—"
The next second, Yang An shot bolt upright, sucking in a sharp breath of cold air!
The sensation of pulling the feather out was like having his spine ripped from his body. It wasn’t painful, but the tingling jolt was intense, a pulling feeling shooting from the crown of his head straight to the base of his spine.
Once the intense tingling subsided, he was shocked to see that pulling out the feather had also drawn out a thick bundle of red, rope-like sinews from where it grew. The tangled mass of sinews was a good two fingers thick.
One end of the sinews was connected to his body, the other to the base of the feather. Bright red blood was visibly flowing rapidly through them, and the feather in his hand began to enlarge at an incredible speed.
In the space of a single breath, the feather, originally only two inches long, instantly swelled to over a meter in length.
And the quill, which he had just been pinching between two fingers, grew large enough for one hand to grip it perfectly, like the hilt of a weapon.
Looking at the enlarged Spinal True Feather in his hand, Yang An finally understood what the info box meant when it said it could be used as a weapon.
He had originally thought it was too small and could only be used as a projectile weapon, but it had far exceeded his expectations. Holding it felt like grasping a sword, or perhaps a saber.
It was just that the blood-transporting sinews pulled from his body and connected to the feather couldn’t seem to be severed; they had to remain attached.
The feeling was a little strange, as if he weren’t holding a feather, but a part of his own flesh and organs, allowing him to feel the most realistic sensations through it.
SWISH SWISH SWISH!
CLINK CLINK CLINK!
Yang An swung the Spinal True Feather in his hand a few times, then flicked the vanes on the left and right sides with his fingers.
The red and white vanes shimmered with a metallic luster, and even the sound they made was like metal. They were hard in texture, and each individual barb looked incredibly sharp and pointed.
However, it felt like an ordinary sword; its hardness was probably only average and couldn’t compare to a Magical Artifact.
Perhaps this was related to the "nascent stage" described in the info box. The feather’s hardness hadn’t yet reached a higher level, so it could only be used as a common weapon. It needed to be irrigated with blood to grow.
Yang An’s gaze swept over the Spinal True Feather in his hand. The two colors, one red and one white, formed a stark contrast.
He couldn’t test the blood poison on the Hong Yu for now, but he wanted to try out the White Feather’s attack method.
The next second, with a single thought...
WHOOSH—
Several White Feathers instantly detached from the rachis and shot forward in different directions, creating a sound of tearing air.
But five meters away from him, the White Feathers suddenly stopped, hovering in mid-air, unable to advance another inch.
It was then that Yang An saw that the base of each White Feather was connected to a thin, capillary-like red thread, the other end of which was attached to the rachis of the Spinal True Feather.
It was because of these tethers that the maximum distance the White Feathers could fly was only five meters.
Beyond that distance, the red threads would pull taut, restricting them from going any further.
Within this five-meter range, however, he could freely control the White Feathers, making them fly about in mid-air.
They moved instantaneously with his thoughts, making them extremely agile.
’So this is how the White Feather attacks!’
"The distance these red threads can reach is probably still related to the Spinal True Feather being in its nascent stage."
Yang An quickly came to this conclusion.
By that logic, even though he hadn’t tested the Hong Yu, its blood poison probably wasn’t very strong yet either. It still needed to grow.
Having figured out how to use the Spinal True Feather, Yang An prepared to retract it.
The sinews connecting to the quill were like an elastic cord. As he brought the Spinal True Feather close to his waist, the sinews rapidly retracted back into his body.
"Hsss—"
Yang An immediately felt that same tingling jolt again, this time shooting from the base of his spine to the crown of his head.
As the sinews retracted into his body, the Spinal True Feather simultaneously shrank, returning to its original two-inch length in the blink of an eye and settling back onto his lower back.
Once covered by his clothes, no one would ever guess he was hiding a weapon on his lower back that could change its size at will.
Regarding the gains from this apprenticeship banquet, if he could ignore the experience of eating all those things, he would be absolutely delighted.
This Spinal True Feather was an especially pleasant surprise.
