Translator: AnubisTL
Young Master Li lowered his head, staring at the long list of numbers on the bill. After a long silence, he turned his head to the employee beside him and asked softly, "Can you give me a discount?"
"Certainly."
The employee pulled out a pen from his pocket and slashed a few lines across the paper. "We'll round it down. Young Master Li, you only need to pay 11 million units of iron ore."
"Very well."
Young Master Li took a deep breath and waved his hand. His attendant stepped forward and pulled out a Space Pouch from his pocket, preparing to make the payment.
He had to pay what he owed.
He hadn't expected the Cosmic Behemoth to be so terrifying. Even in its cub stage, it possessed such immense power—it had to be at least C-grade potential, perhaps even B-Tier.
Damn it!
If historical records were accurate, he recalled that the last leader of the Mechanical Civilization had only possessed a B-Tier Cosmic Behemoth. And even that was the highest-potential Cosmic Behemoth ever tamed in history.
D-rank Cosmic Behemoths could be obtained through cultivation.
Cosmic Behemoths with higher potential would require capture.
Leaving aside the danger, the universe is vast. Finding even a single Cosmic Behemoth isn't a simple task.
If the young master's Cosmic Behemoth had B-Tier potential, where did he even get it? Did he scavenge it from the ruins of the Mechanical Civilization?
Young Master Li walked with his head down, lost in thought.
This guy definitely wasn't a pirate.
As for a higher-ranking identity, he couldn't guess. But it was clear this person's foundation was deeper than his own, even though he was the son of a First-Tier Civilization Leader. Could he be from a Second-Tier Civilization?
No, that couldn't be right.
He'd interacted with people from Second-Tier Civilizations before. They all held their noses high in the air and would never treat them with such courtesy.
The girl and the old man exchanged glances behind him, both feeling awkward.
After a moment, the old man broke the silence in a low voice. "Miss, though it may seem to you that I've colluded with outsiders to seize your father's assets, in reality..."
"In reality, that's exactly what happened, isn't it?" the girl said softly. "Now you call me 'Miss'? It's been a long time since I've heard that."
"Where were you all this time?"
Young Master Li, who had been walking ahead in deep thought, frowned slightly at the girl's words. He stopped, turned, and looked at her calmly, speaking seriously: "You seem to misunderstand the situation."
"In Lord Mang's vision of a four-way win," he continued, "I have access to the resources of the Great Onion Civilization. Lord Mang possesses the necessary organizational skills and absolute strength. Uncle Wang, as you call him, has extensive experience in executing plans. The three of us are indispensable."
"But you—"
"Your only role is to hand over the Train Authority. Beyond that, you serve no purpose. Lord Mang is being relatively gentle, and I'm a man of principle, which is why you're still standing here unharmed. We brought you along solely because of Lord Mang's kindness. I hope you'll speak with less hostility in the future and adopt a more peaceful tone."
With that, Young Master Li patted Uncle Wang on the shoulder without saying another word and strode forward.
Now they just had to wait for Lord Mang to eliminate the Philia Pirate Group before the plan could officially begin.
He wasn't sure if Lord Mang could succeed.
But he believed in Lord Mang.
Through this conversation, he was completely won over by Lord Mang. Unlike those second-generation officials who spent their days fighting and bickering over the slightest provocation, Lord Mang made him feel like they were kindred spirits.
A sense of superiority welled up within him.
Whenever he thought of his old cronies, he felt like he was a cut above them.
But most importantly—
He had noticed a follower standing behind Lord Mang. The follower's entire outfit, from head to toe, was from "Blazing Sun," a high-end luxury brand from the Mechanical Civilization. The ensemble was worth nearly 1 billion units of iron ore!
It was a bit embarrassing, but he had indeed pretended to casually examine the clothes closely. The craftsmanship and logo looked genuine, not counterfeit.
If Lord Mang himself had been wearing such an outfit, he wouldn't have been surprised. After all, though expensive, it wasn't something he couldn't afford. It was simply a matter of whether he was willing to spend the money. But for even a follower to be dressed in clothes worth 1 billion units, it was clear just how terrifyingly wealthy Lord Mang truly was.
This was a case of seeing a single leaf and knowing the season.
However, he had also learned something: such high-end luxury brands looked more impressive when worn by a subordinate than by the person himself.
"Sigh."
The old man sighed softly before turning his head to the girl and whispering, "You know too little about the universe. Once you understand more, you'll realize you've never met a truly evil person in your life."
"You can't suppress me."
"Then I must rebel."
"If I don't rebel against you, my subordinates will rebel against me."
"Though it sounds immoral, it's an objective law of development that transcends human will. Even if I were determined to support you, my subordinates would still rebel. To be a Boss, you must first act like one."
"If you were Lord Mang..."
"They would never betray you in this lifetime."
"Why!?"
The girl looked at the old man, tears welling in her eyes as she spoke each word deliberately. "You watched me grow up. If even you would betray me, how can you not betray him?"
"Of course."
The old man sighed wistfully. "If I betrayed him, I would die."
"If I betrayed you, could I die?"
"Do you have the means to kill me?"
"Come on, miss. These things won't happen again. Lord Mang is powerful and resourceful. If master were still alive, he would admire him greatly. With Lord Mang in charge, nothing will go wrong. Everything is moving in a positive direction."
"Though the ending wasn't what I expected, it seems even better now."
Chen Mang led his group through Central Continent City, marveling at the fusion of Cultivation Civilization and modern technology. Novelties abounded everywhere.
As for the recent incident, it was merely a minor distraction to him.
Like a pre-meal dessert, it had provided an additional resource acquisition channel—and more resource channels were always welcome. Mining alone was too slow. His goal was to build a vast, all-encompassing interest group, ideally encompassing all civilizations.
That way, everyone across all civilizations would effectively be working for him, mining resources and generating a constant stream of wealth.
Today's main course was—
Cola!
Yes, the Cultivation World's enhanced, ultimate MAX version of the Marrow Cleansing Pill.
"Interesting," Chen Mang mused, sitting on a street-side bench and chuckling at the newspaper headline in his hand.
Immortal Cultivation World Daily
[The triennial Alchemist Convention will commence in Central Continent City in three days. Hundreds of sects are expected to send their most talented alchemists to compete for the title of "New Talent Pill King."
Only alchemists with a bone age under 25 are eligible to participate.]
"Excellent."
Chen Mang smiled, stuffing the newspaper into Old Pig's arms. He wouldn't be staying in this Cultivation World for long.
He didn't have time for slow, steady growth.
He needed the most profitable methods to gain maximum fame, secure a flood of orders in a short time, and make a quick fortune before transitioning to a more sustainable approach.
Posters advertising the convention were plastered throughout Central Continent City.
Clearly, this was a major event in this Cultivation World.
Achieving fame here, combined with other strategies, would be a true breakthrough!
This newspaper was published by the Heavenly Secrets Pavilion, one of the Five Great Sects of the Cultivation World.
He was incredibly busy.
He still needed to go to the Hibiscus Star to sell his batch of Blazing Sun luxury clothing. Leaving a coat worth several hundred million credits on the Stellaris was a waste.
"Huh?"
Just then, he noticed Biaozi wearing Blazing Sun clothing from head to toe. He couldn't help but ask in surprise, "Why are you wearing that?"
"Cough..." Biaozi replied awkwardly in a low voice, "It's expensive. I thought I'd wear it for a bit first, then take it off when I sell it."
"And what about you, Qi Kexiu? What did you do with the coat I gave you?"
"I took it back and framed it."
"You're both divine beings," Chen Mang sighed softly before rising from his chair and walking forward. "Let's go. We're leaving the city. Zhang Qiudao, you lead the way. We'll get you seated as sect leader first. Among us, you and the other newcomers are the only ones who seem remotely normal."
At this moment, the Stellaris was already speeding across the Black Tortoise Star, its destination the Venomous Serpent Sect.
Inside the train, Chen Mang turned his gaze to the resources shown on the screen.
[312.9 billion units of iron ore, 620 million units of Wood, 353.19 billion units of copper ore, 19.4 billion units of Red Heart Rock, and 60.87 billion units of titanium crystal ore.]
The train now had too many ways to acquire iron ore, such as Cyber Mines.
As long as he didn't upgrade his accessories.
The daily increase in iron ore was fixed, and the daily consumption had long been completely covered.
The only thing that worried him was:
"They're getting more diligent."
He frowned slightly as he looked at the information Xiao Ai had reported. Yesterday, seven Cyber Miners had stumbled upon guarded mines and were attacked. They were sent to the medical bay for treatment, but recovered completely without any lasting harm.
Still...
For some reason, he couldn't shake the feeling that if he kept mining for decades, a massive fleet would eventually cross hundreds of millions of light-years at any cost to find him and launch a furious attack.
Forget it.
He'd worry about the future later. For now, he'd keep mining.
He planned to first create a batch of Tier 40 Armed Black Hole Robots to stay in the Cultivation World and amass wealth for him. Their Tier 30 attack strength was equivalent to a full-power strike from an early-stage Nascent Soul cultivator, while their Tier 40 attack strength matched a full-power strike from an early-stage Divine Transformation cultivator.
However, the Cultivation World had no Divine Transformation cultivators at all.
The strongest cultivators were at the Ninth Layer of the Nascent Soul Stage, which was more than sufficient.
This Cultivation World was truly weak. If the Kasha Civilization hadn't preserved it, it would have faced certain destruction upon discovery by another civilization.
Perhaps this Cultivation World was a truncated version, or perhaps there were other reasons, but in any case, it posed no significant threat.
Before that, he needed to upgrade the Red-Tier Accessory, the Armed Black Hole Robot Production Line, to create higher-grade robots.
Despite its Red-Tier status, the upgrade cost for this accessory was far lower than for other Red-Tier accessories.
After all, the primary expense wasn't in upgrading the accessory itself, but in manufacturing the robots.
After consuming 20 billion units of copper ore, he upgraded the accessory all the way to Tier 200 in one go!
Normally, the cost to upgrade a Red-Tier Accessory from Tier 0 to Tier 200 should be around 45 billion copper ore.
Four brand-new overpowered effects have been unlocked!
Tier 5 Overpowered Effect for Armed Black Hole Robot Production Line: Intact robots can be fully recovered at their original price. Severely damaged robots can be recovered at a discounted price based on their condition.
Tier 10 Overpowered Effect for Armed Black Hole Robot Production Line: Robot ammunition consumption is halved.
Tier 20 Overpowered Effect for Armed Black Hole Robot Production Line: Robot ammunition consumption is halved.
Tier 50 Overpowered Effect for Armed Black Hole Robot Production Line: Robot ammunition consumption is halved.
Tier 100 Overpowered Effect for Armed Black Hole Robot Production Line: Robot ammunition consumption is halved.
Tier 200 Overpowered Effect for Armed Black Hole Robot Production Line: Robot ammunition consumption is halved. Additionally, the production line can slowly absorb core energy from the air and convert it into copper ore within the ammunition storage, providing a reserve of bullets.
"Hoo..."
Chen Mang gazed at the string of overpowered effects that halved ammunition consumption and couldn't help but chuckle.
He was extremely satisfied.
He could now be certain of one thing: the Robot Research Center accessory drastically reduced the cost of manufacturing robots, while the Armed Black Hole Robot Production Line accessory significantly reduced ammunition consumption.
Back then—
The Mechanical Civilization must have poured a massive amount of resources into the Accessory Blueprints to wash out such overpowered effects, hoping to use them to combat the Zerg Civilization. Unfortunately, they ultimately failed.
There were many reasons for this.
What exactly were those reasons?
Perhaps he could uncover some insider information when he had the opportunity to travel from Hibiscus Star to the Mechanical Civilization Ruins in the future.
For now, though...
The effects were simply perfect.
The cost to manufacture a standard armed robot with Tier 40 defense and Tier 40 attack strength was—
2 billion units of copper ore.
But Chen Mang only needed one sixty-fourth of that price.
That is...
31.25 million units of copper ore.
For Zhang Qiudao, assuming he had a sufficiently talented aptitude and enough spirit stones, he might reach the Ninth Layer of the Nascent Soul Stage after several millennia with good luck.
If his foundation was truly profound, he might even break through to the Transformation God Stage.
The Ninth Layer of the Nascent Soul Stage was equivalent to Tier 39.
But for him...
The next moment!
One hundred fully equipped Tier 40 Armed Black Hole Robots were produced in the Mecha Research Center of Carriage No. 2, consuming a total of 3 billion units of copper ore.
This consumed only one percent of the train's copper ore reserves.
These robots not only possessed Tier 40 attack power but also Tier 40 defense power. Given enough time, they could completely wipe out the entire Cultivation Civilization.
For escorting his business ventures, this was more than sufficient.
Truly domineering.
He admired the mechanical train's efficient resource utilization—no hesitation, perfect optimization. As long as resources were plentiful, power could be instantly amplified.
The only drawback was that the rise of this civilization model had led to constant warfare between various civilizations in the universe.
After all, plunder was the fastest way to acquire resources. Once a civilization embraced this model, it was forced to become a civilization of plunder.
Normally, a Tier 40 robot, maintaining its Tier 40 attack power and loaded with 1 billion units of copper ore in its ammunition bay, could sustain continuous attacks for one minute.
The train's attacks were notoriously resource-intensive—a consensus among all accessory manufacturers.
In this regard, Cultivation Civilizations held a distinct advantage. At least they wouldn't risk losing their entire fortune in a single battle.
But—
He possessed an overpowered effect that halved the ammunition consumption of his robots.
In other words, their consumption was reduced to only 1/32 of the original.
By loading 100 million units of copper ore, he could sustain continuous firing for 3.2 minutes. With 1 billion units of copper ore, he could fire for 32 minutes. Moreover, his Tier 200 overpowered effect allowed the robots to slowly replenish their ammunition while idle.
He instructed Xiao Ai to load 100 million units of copper ore into each robot's ammunition storage, consuming another 10 billion units of copper ore.
Note that "100 million units of copper ore" refers to the total amount.
It didn't mean stuffing each robot's ammunition storage with 100 million copper coins. After converting the copper ore into higher-grade units, a single 9th-tier copper ore was sufficient.
In total, only 33 billion units of copper ore were consumed.
With this, the armed forces stationed on this planet were fully equipped.
An hour later, the Stellaris train slowly came to a halt atop a mountain peak. This was already the non-core region of the Cultivation World, rarely visited by tourists. Chen Mang turned to Zhang Qiudao, who stood beside him in the locomotive cabin, and whispered, "A total of 100 Tier 40 Armed Black Hole Robots. Each robot's strength is equivalent to a cultivator at the early Divine Transformation stage. Is that enough?"
"Yes, yes, it's more than enough," Zhang Qiudao nodded repeatedly, his expression complex.
He had always known train conductors were terrifying, but he had never truly grasped how terrifying.
Now he did.
In the Cultivation World, a Divine Transformation expert—a rarity that appeared only once in a thousand years—was something Lord Mang could casually produce a hundred of. This wasn't just a gap; it was a dimensional difference.
"Alright, contact me later through the Iris Chip if anything comes up. After we leave, report any developments through that refrigerator."
"Take this refrigerator with you too."
Zhang Qiudao and the others had all been implanted with Iris Chips, officially becoming members of the Stellaris.
"Go."
"We'll await your good news."
He didn't plan to go with them. It would make it seem like an outsider was trying to seize power. This minor matter was best left to Zhang Qiudao to handle himself. He had provided ample armed forces; whether Zhang Qiudao chose to kill or imprison the sect members afterward was irrelevant to him. It didn't matter.
Half an hour later, Zhang Qiudao, clad in a daoist robe, slowly descended before the sect's gate. Gazing at the three characters "Venomous Serpent Sect" carved into a massive boulder, he stepped forward with a complex expression. Behind him followed a hundred Tier 4 Black Hole Armed Robots.
A dense, black mass.
Like a military formation.
Their movements were perfectly synchronized, utterly devoid of any human warmth. Their pitch-black frames, heavy armor, and the guns clutched in their arms created an overwhelming sense of pressure.
"Greetings, Third Elder."
The two outer sect disciples stationed at the mountain gate bowed respectfully as they saw Zhang Qiudao approach.
"Mhm."
Zhang Qiudao merely nodded casually and continued deeper into the sect. Once, he had taken great pleasure in being addressed as Third Elder, but after spending a few days with Lord Mang, he suddenly felt that everything he had once pursued was like child's play.
Utterly insignificant.
But just as he reached the outer sect disciple area, a large group of disciples in sect uniforms, wielding sharp blades, marched toward him. He recognized the leaders: several Elders and the Sect Leader of the Venomous Serpent Sect.
"Sect Leader, what is the meaning of this?" Zhang Qiudao asked, his brow furrowing in confusion.
Before the words had even left his lips, a furious shout erupted.
"You traitorous disciple!"
The sect leader stared at Zhang Qiudao with a grim expression, speaking each word deliberately: "Did you do what I told you? Do you intend to drag the Venomous Serpent Sect—and the entire Cultivation World—into hell?"
"..."
Zhang Qiudao frowned again. "What did you ask me to do?"
"Damn it, you really didn't do it."
The sect leader's expression darkened slightly, his voice hoarse. "I told you to delete those damned memories of yours. If they spread, they could destroy the entire Cultivation World. To ensure safety, I specifically sent you to a memory bank in another civilization to erase them. Didn't you go?"
"..."
After a long silence, Zhang Qiudao finally spoke in a low voice: "I went. And I deleted them thoroughly. I've even forgotten you told me to go. For days, I've felt like a piece of my memory was missing, and I've been trying to remember, but I can't. It's been agonizing."
"Sect Leader, can you tell me what memory could spread and potentially destroy the entire Cultivation World? Is it some supreme treasure? A treasure coveted by other civilizations? Deleted?"
The sect leader froze for a moment, then his face lit up with joy. He stowed his weapon in his space pouch and strode forward with a hearty laugh, arms outstretched. "My good disciple! Truly worthy of being the Venomous Serpent Sect's Third Elder, as I personally appointed you."
"Since you've deleted the memory, there's no need to dwell on it. Let the past be the past."
He walked to Zhang Qiudao's side and draped an arm around his shoulder, sighing contentedly.
"Seeing all those robots following you, I thought you hadn't deleted the memory after all."
"You," the sect leader said with a shake of his head, "always overthink things."
"But why did you buy so many robots? They must have cost a fortune. Are you planning to use them for research, to see if they share any similarities with the Puppet Technique?"
"No," Zhang Qiudao replied quietly. "These 100 robots, each with the cultivation of an early-stage Divine Transformation cultivator, are for seizing power."
"Huh?"
The sect leader froze in place, his breathing quickening as he stared at the 100 robots behind Zhang Qiudao. Are you kidding me? Each one is at the early-stage Divine Transformation realm! He was the sect's most powerful cultivator, but he was only at the first layer of the Nascent Soul Stage.
He quickly recovered, however. "Seizing power? Whose power are you seizing?"
"Yours."
"..."
The sect leader silently released his grip on Zhang Qiudao's shoulder, stepped back a few paces, and after a moment of silence, murmured, "I had you erase your memories to avoid bringing disaster upon us. But it seems you've brought about an even greater calamity."
"They truly possess early-stage Divine Transformation cultivation?"
"Lord Mang said so."
"Shall I try them?"
"Go ahead"
The sect leader stood his ground, a torrent of spiritual energy erupting from his body. His daoist robe billowed wildly in the wind, his face contorted slightly as he growled, "Kill!"
In the next instant!
A flying sword shot from his sleeve, carrying immense cultivation power as it slammed into the robot standing at the forefront with earth-shattering force!
Just as the sword was about to strike, the robot transformed its fist into a blade and plunged it into the ground.
The impact sent its body reeling backward uncontrollably, carving a five - or six-meter-deep groove in the earth. When it finally rose again, its armor remained completely unscathed, not even a tiny white speck marring its surface.
Meanwhile, the Gatling guns held by the hundred Black Hole robots locked onto the sect leader, their barrels slowly rotating, ready to unleash a storm of bullets at any moment.
"..."
The sect leader stood frozen, staring at the scene before him. His eyelids twitched violently. He sensed an overwhelming killing intent emanating from the gun's muzzle, a deathly premonition unlike anything he had ever experienced. Cold sweat trickled down his forehead.
"Is Lord Mang nearby, as you said?"
"Yes."
The next moment!
"Congratulations to the new sect leader on his ascension!"
Without hesitation, the sect leader knelt on one knee, presenting the Sect Leader's Token in his palm. "Can I be the Great Elder?"
"Too troublesome. Let's just switch positions. You can be the Third Elder."
"Fine. But can you explain the situation? Why does this big shot want the Venomous Serpent Sect?"
"It's a long story."
"No rush. Let's discuss it slowly in the Sect Leader's Hall. I'm starting to regret having you delete my memories. This whole thing is getting increasingly complicated. You didn't tell him about that, did you?"
"No. Though I'm not sure what you're referring to, I met Lord Mang after deleting my memories."
"Sigh."
Seated in the side seat of the Sect Leader's Hall, the Old Sect Leader remained silent for a long moment before finally sighing deeply. "Never mind. I'll tell you. It's a long story, a secret of the Cultivation World."
"All cultivators seek immortality, their ultimate goal to ascend to the Immortal Realm."
"But it wasn't until the Black Tortoise Star joined the Kasha Civilization Federation that we learned all the other Cultivation Civilizations nearby had been destroyed by the Kasha Civilization. Only we were spared because the Kasha Civilization wanted to keep us as a scenic garden."
"Currently, the strongest cultivator in the Cultivation World is only at the Ninth Layer of the Nascent Soul Stage. No one has broken through to Divine Transformation—at least, not openly."
"But even the strongest cultivator wouldn't stand a chance against the entire Civilization Federation, not even against the robots behind you."
"Have you ever considered—"
"Whether the Immortal Realm, where cultivators ascend, truly exists?"
"Why everyone else can use train tokens, but we can't?"
"I have."
Zhang Qiudao, seated in the sect leader's chair, nodded silently. "Even after Memory Deletion, I often ponder these questions."
"Of course you have," the Old Sect Leader below said with a hint of exasperation. "When I brought you back to the sect, your thirst for knowledge was far greater than the other children's. That's why I named you Zhang Qiudao—'Zhang Seeking the Dao.' And as you grew older, that thirst never diminished."
"You're always pondering all sorts of outlandish things."
"Even..."
"You actually figured out the Immortal Realm's existence."
"The Immortal Realm truly exists. It's rich in Ninth-Grade Spirit Stone mines and overflowing with spiritual energy. However... it was shattered into fragments by the Kasha Civilization's bombardment a few years ago."
"These fragments of the shattered Immortal Realm are scattered throughout the universe."
"Originally, cultivators of the Cultivation Civilization would ascend to the Immortal Realm upon reaching immortality. But now that the Immortal Realm has been destroyed, this guiding force has vanished, and no one can achieve immortality."
"But—"
"A diligent cultivator discovered a hidden passage. Though the guiding force is gone, the Immortal Realm's destruction has caused chaos in the rules. By breaking through to the Transformation God Stage, one can actively travel to the Immortal Realm fragments and monopolize vast resources, rapidly accelerating their cultivation."
"In other words,"
"The Transformation God Stage experts who have disappeared from Black Tortoise Star in recent years have all secretly gone to the Immortal Realm fragments to cultivate and strengthen their cultivation, preparing to return one day, destroy the Kasha Civilization, unify all civilizations, and restore the former glory of the Cultivation Civilization!"
"This secret is known to no more than nine people on Black Tortoise Star."
"The true leaders of the Five Great Sects and the Three Great Clans, and myself."
"How did you learn this?" Zhang Qiudao asked, frowning.
"You told me."
"Then how would I know?"
"You're just that awesome." The Old Sect Leader clicked his tongue, sighing with admiration. "You really are. You spent ages pondering this question back then, mulling over why Cultivation Civilization was treated unfairly, why it was so much weaker than other forms of civilization. You believed Immortal Cultivation shouldn't be so weak, but I didn't take it seriously at first."
"Until one day..."
"You brought back a Ninth-Grade Spirit Stone."
"You said you'd invented something new, a long-lost sacrificial formation based on ancient texts. In ancient times, cultivators used this formation to seek help from Immortals in the Immortal Realm. The more you sacrificed, the more help you received."
"You're ruthless."
"You sacrificed yourself."
"According to the rules, you were forcibly pulled into an Immortal Realm Fragment. But because the rules were chaotic, you didn't die. You returned successfully, bringing back a massive haul of spirit stones."
"Isn't that a good thing?" Zhang Qiudao, sitting on the sect leader's chair, pondered for a long time before shaking his head. "It would rapidly strengthen the sect. Why would you want me to delete this memory?"
"Good thing, my ass."
The old ancestor spat lightly. "The 'mechanical train' is the most resource-hungry entity in the entire universe. If they learned about this, they'd swarm here like flies to shit."
"Even though I'm not very accomplished..."
"This news must not leak out. Otherwise, the Cultivation World will face a catastrophe."
"When that happens..."
"The Kasha Civilization will devour the Black Tortoise Star whole, like a ravenous wolf!"
"The Cultivation World's most powerful factions are publicly promoting tourism, but in reality, several Divine Transformation experts are diligently cultivating in the Immortal Realm Fragment. Perhaps in five thousand years, they can become true Immortals, slaughter the Kasha Civilization, and restore the glory of Cultivation Civilization."
"How can we drag them down?"
"But..."
Zhang Qiudao understood, but he was puzzled. "If you wanted me to delete this memory, why are you telling me about it now?"
"Because compared to the hundred robots you brought back, this matter seems less important. You've stirred up a much bigger mess. We don't have time to worry about the Cultivation World's future development right now. The Venomous Serpent Sect seems to be on the verge of collapse."
"What exactly does Lord Mang want the Venomous Serpent Sect to do?"
"That's a long story. I'll explain it slowly. It's about the Marrow Cleansing Pill. Back then, I..."
Just then—
A voice rang out from outside the hall.
"Let's not waste time on these trivial matters."
Chen Mang strode into the hall with his entourage. He casually picked up a stone chair weighing at least a few dozen catties from the ground, carried it to the Old Sect Leader, placed it opposite him, sat down, lit a cigarette, took a deep drag, and then turned to the Old Sect Leader with a serious expression.
"Although I'm not happy with your comparison of me to a fly drawn to shit..."
"It's quite apt."
"Let me introduce myself. My name is Chen Mang, but everyone calls me Lord Mang."
"I'm more interested in this Immortal Realm Fragment you mentioned. Are there really many high-grade resource mines there?"
"...?"
The Old Sect Leader's eyelids twitched for several breaths. He glared resentfully at Zhang Qiudao, as if to say, "See? What did I tell you?" But in the next moment, his body exploded into action. His eyes blazing with ferocity, he unleashed a torrent of spiritual energy and thrust his sword toward Chen Mang's chest!
Mechanical Train!
The train conductor's greatest weakness was that once they left the train, they became as vulnerable as a lamb awaiting slaughter, easily killed by anyone.
Since the other party was so arrogant, Chen Mang saw no reason not to kill him.
Clang.
The sound of metal clashing rang out.
Chen Mang remained motionless on the stone chair as the longsword pierced through his upper garment and plunged straight into his chest. He glanced at the suddenly enraged old man before looking down at the blade in his chest and murmuring softly,
"It seems you've made the most foolish choice."
The next moment, a scorching, massive beam of light erupted from the distance, engulfing the entire Venomous Serpent Sect!
The Arcanon Light Energy Main Cannon had fired.
The blinding, immensely powerful beam instantly leveled half of the Venomous Serpent Sect, completely melting half of the sect's main hall.
The Old Sect Leader stared at the blade in his hand, his eyes filled with terror. Why? Why did this happen?
He looked behind him.
The flat ground that had once been there had transformed into a bottomless abyss.
The Venomous Serpent Sect had been built atop a mountain. Now, half of that mountain had been melted into flat ground. If he took a single step back, he would plummet into the ten-thousand-foot abyss. How could things have escalated to this point?
The Venomous Serpent Sect's nearly thousand years of accumulation was completely destroyed.
Countless disciples were killed or wounded.
He... had become the sect's ultimate sinner.
The sect had been ruined by his hands.
But why hadn't this man died? Why wasn't he even injured? Wasn't it said that the train conductor was a lamb led to the slaughter once they left the train?
He shakily tossed his sword aside, not begging for mercy, but instead retreating a few steps with a bitter laugh.
"All of them are jackals and tigers."
"Zhang Qiudao."
"To associate with them is to meet a tragic end. I have failed the Venomous Serpent Sect, failed my master's expectations. My only recourse... is to atone with my life."
With that, he released all his spiritual energy, his body drifting like a fallen leaf into the bottomless Abyss.
Ten minutes later.
"Cough..."
The Old Sect Leader knelt awkwardly before the Sect Leader's Hall, looking up at Chen Mang seated in a chair ahead. He spoke in a low voice, "Lord Mang, I knew you were different from those others. Please, just give your orders."
Yes, he hadn't died.
Midway through his fall, a flying mecha had stuffed him into a refrigerator.
And after learning that not a single sect member had been harmed, that all the disciples had been stuffed into refrigerators before Lord Mang entered the hall, his resistance had lessened considerably.
"Come, let me ask you some questions."
Chen Mang leaned back in his chair, impatiently raising his hand to stop Zhang Qiudao from speaking. He turned to the Old Sect Leader.
"Did I provoke you?"
"No."
"Did I insult you?"
"No."
"Did I bully you?"
"No."
"Then what the hell do you want?"
The Old Sect Leader remained silent for a long time before finally looking up at Zhang Qiudao. He dropped his playful demeanor and lowered his head, speaking softly. "Lord Mang, I'll tell you the truth."
"I don't know what civilization you come from."
"But I'm from the Cultivation Civilization of Black Tortoise Star. As cultivators, we have our own pride. We can't stand being treated like pets, or having our original killing techniques turned into mere performance acts."
"Living under someone else's roof is never easy."
"I don't want to give you the spirit stones from the Immortal Realm. I want to keep them for the Cultivation World, to leave a glimmer of hope for our future, so we don't fall into despair."
"That's the truth."
"That's why I had to kill you. If you died, no one would know this secret. Then, a horde of mechanical trains, like wolves, wouldn't flood the Cultivation Civilization, causing countless more deaths."
"I'm not a particularly ambitious person."
"I just want the world to be a little more peaceful, with fewer deaths, and to leave some hope for future generations."
"I didn't even let Zhang Qiudao take out more resources for the Venomous Serpent Sect. I knew my talent lay elsewhere, and using them would be a waste. They should be reserved for more promising juniors."
"I understand that to you train conductors, we cultivators are insignificant. You only need enough resources to effortlessly reach the realms we can only dream of."
"You look down on us."
"You treat us like pets and scenery, coming to tour and gawk like you're watching monkeys."
"But we too have had our glory."
"We too have our pride."
"We would rather die standing."
"Than hand over our ammunition to the enemy."
"Zhang Qiudao's memories have been erased. Try prying my mouth open—see if you can. If you succeed, I'll concede. Take the resources."
"As long as we keep the ammunition, there's hope."
"Without it, the Cultivation World has no future."
"The fragment from the Immortal Realm is the last foundation of our Cultivation Civilization, the reserve ammunition for our final battle. I, the former sect leader of the Venomous Serpent Sect, would rather die than surrender it."
The old sect leader spoke slowly, but his voice was utterly resolute. He raised his head, gazing at Chen Mang sitting calmly in his chair, and said softly, "You may try to pry it from me."
"Let me tell you what cultivators truly cultivate," the old man said. "It's not just about strength. It's about cultivating the heart. We have our own dao to follow, we know what we live for. But you? You're like a pack of jackals, wantonly plundering the resources of other civilizations, casually destroying entire civilizations, treating human lives as mere grass."
"In our culture, we call that the path of beasts."
Zhang Qiudao, sitting nearby, looked anxious to defend his master but dared not speak. How had things escalated to this point?
"..."
Chen Mang gazed at the old sect leaders kneeling before him, his knuckles tapping lightly on the armrest of his chair. He asked softly, "How many people have you killed?"
"Hundreds."
"I've only killed one person with my own hands, and that was long ago. He tried to steal my straw mat. So, who's the one treating human lives as mere grass?"
"Haven't you used the train to kill people?"
"That doesn't count." Chen Mang shook his head, his expression serious as he extended his hand toward the Old Sect Leader. "You may have misunderstood me. I'm not here to plunder you. We share a common enemy: the Kasha Civilization."
"I'm here to support you."
"I'm a good person."
"Really."
"Get up. The ground is cold. Why do you insist on kneeling? Is that some custom?"
(End of the Chapter)
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