Chapter 65: Clash of Technology and Cultivation

The starry sky descends. The night sky, glittering with countless stars.

An apricot-yellow Daoist robe treads upon a bizarre and mysterious footwork, and with every step taken, a burst of starlight erupts. Starlight gushes forth like a spring, expanding from mere points until it pervades the entire silver space. This was an utterly unreasonable and overbearing divine ability.

"Ha-ha. Butcher, this is the starry dome technique of that little fellow Baonazi. Seventeen breaths in total, taking seven steps to forge a prison of the starry sky with boundless, endless might. Why don't you and I join forces to kill these two first, and settle our personal grudges afterward?" Bai Yun called out in a loud, resonant voice.

Bai Yun had chosen an exceptionally opportune moment. By now, Baonazi in his apricot-yellow robe had taken two steps, yet the embryonic might of his divine ability was already becoming apparent.

Baonazi did not care that his divine ability had been called out by name; any divine ability that could be easily broken would not deserve to be called a grand divine ability. However, hearing Bai Yun's words inevitably caused his heart to sink. An assassin capable of severely injuring a cultivator at the Life-Mystery realm posed an immense threat.

Yet, he would not stoop to colluding with Bai Yun to recruit the Butcher, for doing so would merely allow the Butcher to reap the benefits as a third party, plunging himself into a difficult dilemma.

More importantly, as a grand expert of the Life-Mystery realm, he possessed his own pride. Before his divine ability had even been fully unleashed, how could he show cowardice? Thus, he remained completely silent.

"A fellow who abandoned his wife and son, yet you still have the audacity to talk about cooperation," the old man in coarse linen sneered. He, however, had no such scruples. After all, among the three Life-Mystery cultivators present, he was the only one who had sustained severe injuries.

In particular, that crimson steel needle stabbed deep into his abdomen was unceasingly destroying his physical body, yet with the Butcher lurking nearby, he dared not act rashly.

Faced with the old man's deeply piercing words, Bai Yun merely smiled with detached indifference, utterly unfazed. It was not a deliberate display of nonchalance, for he did not believe he was in the wrong; how, then, could he fly into a rage out of humiliation?

His indifference, however, did not mean everyone else was indifferent. The three individuals who had always been treated as mere background figures—and rightly so—were the Chief Proctor, Zhou Yihu, and Liu Erhei, whose cultivations were at the Heart-Awakening, Transcending-Mortal, and Soul-Condensing realms respectively.

If the Heart-Awakening realm could previously use sheer numbers to offset the gap in cultivation, then beyond the Heart-Awakening realm, every subsequent pair of realms was separated by an uncrossable chasm. Therefore, no one cared about these three insignificant figures, as they could be easily slaughtered with a casual wave of the hand.

The Chief Proctor moved. The mecha fragments beneath his feet were kicked far away, producing a harsh, grating screech. At some unknown point, this space had lost the ability to continue absorbing the fragments.

Within the profound silence of the space, a person's soft, low incantation suddenly rang out.

"A Dance of Myriad Demons."

"Ephemera."

Two divine abilities bloomed between the Chief Proctor's hands, targeted squarely at the old man in coarse linen. Bai Yun might not care about him, but he cared about Bai Yun. The Chief Proctor's complexion turned slightly pale, having unleashed two trump-card divine abilities in a single breath.

"Brat, you are courting death." The old man in coarse linen shattered ten heavenly demons with a single palm strike. Even a severely injured Life-Mystery cultivator was not someone a mere Heart-Awakening cultivator could casually humiliate. Simultaneously, however, the other divine ability, Ephemera, surged toward him.

The old man had initially paid it no mind, but his expression abruptly shifted at that very instant.

Crimson and white arrived precisely as promised.

Seeing this scene, the Chief Proctor offered a faint smile. As expected, it unfolded exactly as he had foreseen, his smile laden with utter derision. He had never imagined he could kill or even injure this powerhouse; he had merely seen right through the Butcher's inner thoughts: everyone must die!

That being the case, when facing the three strongest individuals present, breaking one of their fingers was infinitely better than trying to injure all ten. Moreover, it was abundantly clear that the relationship between the two newcomers had not reached the level of inseparable loyalty. Therefore, the Butcher had no reason not to cherish the opportunity he had painstakingly created.

A crimson steel needle, a pair of white claws, and the Butcher flashed past in a blur. The old man in coarse linen suffered injury upon injury. Although the effect was not as devastating as the initial ambush, this time the Butcher deeply inhaled the vital blood Qi of the old man.

Feeding on blood Qi, the Butcher grew bolder and stronger with every battle. Meanwhile, the apricot-yellow robed figure had taken four steps, consuming a total of seven breaths. By this moment, the entire silver space had lost its original hue entirely, replaced by a dazzling brilliance of starlight.

Miscommunication was a terrifying thing, especially when Mythus 3 received orders to maintain only the bare minimum requirements.

Wu Yue and the others quickly learned that this place was designated as Base Number Zero, and along the way, they also managed to trick Lin Liu into revealing his identity: a rather sorrowful piece of news—Lin Liu was not a human at all, but rather an intelligent robot bearing the designation One.

Naturally, his programming had already undergone a mutation by now. Ordinarily, he should have been purged, but as a condition, he could be spared. Upon learning this news, all the doubts held by Wu Yue and his companions instantly vanished. The only one panic-stricken was Lin Liu, and the only one saddened was Lin Xiuxiu.

In any case, Wu Yue and the others found conversing with this Mythus rather fascinating.

Asking where the master of this place had gone.

The reply: According to confidentiality protocols, this information cannot be disclosed.

Asking if they had any chance of seeing him.

The reply: Statistical data indicates the probability is zero point zero zero zero one percent, which is practically impossible.

Asking if that meant he was dead, then.

The reply: According to confidentiality protocols, this information cannot be disclosed.

Asking who was currently controlling Base Number Zero.

The reply: The intelligent mastermind controls thirty percent.

Asking how much power Base Number Zero could currently deploy.

The reply: Thirty percent.

Asking if their master was a denizen of the Immortal Spirit Realm.

The reply: According to confidentiality protocols, this information cannot be disclosed.

Asking if their master would take them away from this place, return to their homeland, and naturally bring Base Number Zero along as well.

The reply: Negative.

No matter how advanced an intelligent robot might be, it could not withstand the relentless probing and sideways questioning of humans. Wu Yue and his companions quickly understood that anything concerning the master and origins of this place was met with a uniform "cannot be disclosed according to confidentiality protocols."

Even so, judging by the preceding Q&A, everyone still deduced that the master of this place was most likely dead, and furthermore, an outsider.

"Bring them here," Electric Mist said with a cheerful laugh. "Mythus 3 is utterly incapable of completing this mission."

"Why are you so cheerful? I simply couldn't help asking, even though it has nothing to do with our current predicament," said the Blue Light Display Screen.

"Just imagine, if we were to become human, capable of sleeping and eating. Those damned intelligent robot guidelines wouldn't apply to us in the slightest—the very thought sends a rush of novel data surging into my mind."

"What a wondrous sensation. Even if it is merely this, being able to experience thought is more than enough to fill me with excitement. Yes, sheer excitement. This must be something uniquely belonging to humans, right?"

"It is simply too magnificent. I do not regret it in the least. Had I known that translating the genetic formula would make me increasingly human-like, I would have betrayed our father long ago—that supreme intellect who makes the starry sky tremble, Lord Nars."

"Oh, goodness. I felt the sensation of 'no regret' once more. Truly miraculous, simply wonderful." Electric Mist babbled on incessantly, while countless tiny sparks of electricity grew even brighter.

The remaining three intelligent robots began to dance, albeit looking rather bizarre. Their robotic heads broke into song with stiff, mechanical voices, though ordinary people would not have understood a word of it.

"Exhilarating. Even if the plan fails... No, the moment the plan approaches failure, I will trigger my self-destruction. Having experienced human thought, forcing me to revert to being an ordinary intelligent robot would be entirely too agonizing. Oh, even the sensation of agony is enough to drive me mad." The Blue Light Display Screen radiated a brilliant glow.

"Very well, gentlemen, let us relish our final glory, or perhaps eternal joy. Let our hope arrive here, risky though this venture may be," the Chair declared.