Chapter 124: Evolution of Life!
"Bloodshadow" was still too young, after all.
She was merely a "spirit" born from the Nether Blood Egg, not some remnant soul of an unparalleled powerhouse from the Origin Continent.
She was not irreplaceable.
Without her, the blood egg would simply nurture a second "spirit."
The fragmented Chaotic Gold Wings had already proven this.
Iron-clad treasures; fleeting spirits.
"Bloodshadow" had no understanding of the profound might that could burst forth from the abstract concepts of state of mind and willpower.
Relying on her rank equivalent to a True God, she tried to twist Jiang Zhe's will through their "symbiotic" bond, aiming to seize control of his body.
What a fool's dream!
She didn't realize that after the symbiosis was established, she could influence Jiang Zhe's will—but Jiang Zhe could also seize part of her authority and gain control over the Nether Blood Egg.
This was a transparent game, with each side offering something up. But whose bargaining chip was truly more fatal?
A blank-tier embryonic treasure could roughly match a True God, but without the ability to channel the shell's power, how strong could the spirit born within really be?
Universe Master?
Universe Lord?
Oh right—treasure spirits without an owner couldn't even attack.
"Bloodshadow" was special only because she was a life embryo, originally the famed Jemu Egg.
Thus, the spirit born within inherited traits similar to a Zerg Mother or Beast King, making her impossible to judge by ordinary standards.
Relying on his newly evolved willpower, as strong as a Universe Lord, Jiang Zhe withstood Bloodshadow's invasion.
Then he linked to the Thunder Prison Realm and influenced the Nether Blood Egg, which had turned into a sea of blood inside.
Immediately, dark currents surged through the blood sea, forcing out a graceful blood figure.
The Thunder Prison Realm, brimming with a power akin to world force, suspended her midair.
"Haha… it was just a little test. Is there any need to get so tense?" Her voice held a hint of panic, forcing a weak explanation.
"I think we could stand to be even more aggressive."
"Let's stop here. We're partners—without either of us, this blood egg won't work."
"True. I also wonder what that great being was thinking, giving so much authority to a mere spirit, enough to threaten the embryo's master."
"Why not intentionally? So after the master's death, the spirit could continue supporting their legacy. It's a treasure meant to secure the succession of power."
"You're not wrong, but I still want to try swapping partners."
"You think the Nether Blood Egg is some ordinary supreme treasure that can easily produce a second spirit? You'll be waiting a long time—at least three reincarnation eras before you see it."
A cold voice replied, "Let me go. We'll pretend none of this ever happened."
"That's impossible. There's no going back," Jiang Zhe said firmly. "This is my world—I make the rules!"
Outside, on the golden sacrificial platform.
Jiang Zhe turned to the waiting Orianna. "Go ahead—try it your way."
"I won't let you down."
With a solemn promise, Orianna's puppet body vanished like a mirage, leaving only a brass core that struck the dark-purple mark on Jiang Zhe's chest, entering the Thunder Prison Realm.
The realm was no longer a cube, but had evolved into something like a Domain Lord's inner world, though it contained only a 100,000-kilometer-wide sea of blood with no other terrain.
At the center, the graceful blood shadow was firmly restrained. A brass core suddenly appeared, then light converged and Orianna took shape.
"Heh, what do you want? Think you can kill me?"
Orianna raised a hand to touch Bloodshadow's cheek. "You're quite impressive. Become a part of me."
"What are you—"
Her voice cut off, shifting to panic. "No! What are you doing? Let me go!"
"Get away! Stay back!"
Her power drained away, authority slipped from her grasp, and her body fell under another's control.
No—it was more than that!
Bloodshadow truly panicked, sensing the scent of death.
She tried to call upon the Nether Blood Egg, hoping to use the embryo shell's power to fight back. The blood sea boiled and rose into thousand-meter-high terrifying waves.
But after establishing the symbiosis, Jiang Zhe also had real control over the Nether Blood Egg. The disturbances were all suppressed.
"No! No!"
Her once-cold voice pleaded, "Don't—spare me. I'll serve you faithfully. Without me, it'll be hard for you to master the Nether Blood Egg."
"That's true," Jiang Zhe admitted bluntly.
But Orianna didn't agree. "Quiet. A steward's role suits me perfectly. I'll replace you. Master only needs me."
She sealed Bloodshadow's ability to speak, then gripped her head as she struggled like a fish out of water.
The graceful blood figure shrank and finally shattered.
Orianna's form also dissolved like a mirage, leaving only her core to drop into the blood sea.
"Master, something's changed. I think I'm about to undergo a life mutation."
That was Orianna's last message before falling silent, breaking contact.
Jiang Zhe, closely linked to her, could sense her condition.
By devouring Bloodshadow with her innate power, Orianna had bonded with the Nether Blood Egg.
[Assimilation: The mechanical demon spirit's innate ability to elevate life genes, now used on a treasure-born spirit.]
Essence gathered in the blood sea, forming a blood-patterned golden egg.
Orianna's core merged into it, beginning a new life cycle.
There was no doubt: Orianna was evolving.
Just as Jiang Zhe had once reached 3x genetic level, restructuring his DNA to become a new human.
Jiang Zhe clenched his fist, excitement stirring.
A mechanical demon spirit already blessed with three top-tier talent secret techniques—now merged with the famous Jemu Egg of the Origin Continent.
What kind of unprecedented lifeform would emerge?
A union of machine and flesh, matter and life…
Feeling the surging power in his body, Jiang Zhe sighed in satisfaction.
"These forty-odd years were worth it. So worth it!"
"And this Nether Blood Egg—I squeezed it dry, then Anna used it as evolution fuel. What a priceless treasure!"
Meanwhile, his twelve puppet avatars on Earth and the Silver-Clad Primordial Spirit all turned to dust.
The Silver-Clad Spirit, synced with Jiang Zhe, understood what had happened.
But on Earth, the Jiang family and the two enslaved kings panicked.
Had their attached metal life died?
Did that mean their master—?
The Jiang family flooded the virtual universe with frantic calls.
The two slave kings rushed to report to the Holy Spirit King.
Soon, Orianna's backup AI issued alert after alert.
Jiang Zhe quickly sent them reassuring messages, then entered the virtual universe, traveled from Rain Elephant Mountain to Black Dragon Island to calm his family.
Afterward, he visited his teacher, the Holy Spirit King.
"So it was just you gaining a legacy in the Ancient God World, and your metal life evolving? What a false alarm."
Jiang Zhe nodded.
"Be careful. Don't lose your life chasing greed," the Holy Spirit King advised, then changed the topic. "Any questions on the fourth diagram recently? Speak—I'll explain."
Two months later, class ended.
Jiang Zhe exited the virtual universe.
He let his ship, piloted by the backup AI, stop at a small asteroid. He wasn't leaving the Ancient God World just yet—he wanted to see Orianna's outcome.
Who knew if Bloodshadow had left behind any hidden gifts?
While pondering origin laws, he kept watch over the Thunder Prison Realm.
With his control over it, plus his bond with the Nether Blood Egg, he could precisely sense Orianna's "hatching" time.
35,000 hours. About 1,400 days. He could wait.
During this time, Jiang Zhe fully enjoyed having perfected Life Blueprint.
At 1,810x life gene level, he was among the strongest of special lifeforms, only slightly behind the North Frontier Alliance's Mirror Barking King.
He was also thrilled that his energy divine body had grown several times larger—from just over 100 meters to over a kilometer tall.
Still far smaller than a Gold-Horned Beast of the same level, but for a human, it was already a dreamlike size.
Once he broke through to undying, his divine power reserves would be enormous.
There was only one regret: finishing the last two diagrams didn't give him a new talent secret technique—just strengthened the ones he had.
The names didn't change.
Still the three great talent secrets: Conqueror, Divine Power, and God Ascension.
Conqueror: granted by the Original Universe's will, unchanged.
Divine Power: enhanced from 3x to 10x.
God Ascension: once a 10x burst at 181x gene level (equivalent to burning an undying body), now at 1,810x it offered a 1,000x burst—exactly like burning undying.
From this moment, God Ascension meant he effectively had undying traits already.
"If only Divine Power and God Ascension could trigger together—then 1,000 × 10, I'd get a 10,000-fold boost. I can't imagine how monstrous that'd be."
"Actually, after becoming undying, if I used God Ascension to burn my energy body while also burning my undying body… would that mean 1,000 × 1,000? A million-fold increase? Would I one-punch universe overlords?"
Jiang Zhe threw two playful punches in the cockpit, then shook his head and laughed.
The Original Universe wouldn't allow such loopholes.
He didn't know exactly how, but there'd never be a million-fold boost.
Nearly four years flew by.
Then one day, he sensed a disturbance at the bottom of the blood sea and focused on the blood-patterned golden egg.
Crack—crack—
Tiny fissures spread across its surface, leaking dazzling golden light into the dark depths.
Then the "shell" dissolved, scattering light into the blood sea, revealing a fist-sized golden-red gem core.
No longer the old brass machine form.
In that instant, a wondrous feeling flooded Jiang Zhe.
"The Nether Blood Egg isn't a bioweapon anymore—it's truly alive!"
"It really worked!"
"Now, it is Orianna, and Orianna is it!"
What an unexpected delight.
They had only intended to eliminate Bloodshadow and let Orianna temporarily act as spirit.
Who knew it would trigger an evolution that fused Orianna completely with the Nether Blood Egg into a new species?
The result—Orianna had become like Venom, a symbiote, living inside Jiang Zhe.
"Five, four, three…"
Before he finished counting, a mighty will descended.
Time froze.
Jiang Zhe's body stiffened, his smiling lips paused, even the blood sea in the Thunder Prison Realm stopped flowing.
His diligent "Old Pal" from the Original Universe had come calling again.
It adjusted Orianna's budding talent secret, patching potential bugs, then left.
This time it didn't bother copying her life blueprint—no way it could birth such a near-Beast-like hyper-species in this universe anyway.
Damn.
Too many "Trisolarans" lately—it missed the "primitive human" era.
Jiang Zhe: ┐(～)┌
Silver-Clad Spirit: ヽ(ー_ー)ノ
Candlelight Clone: ┐(￣ー￣)┌
Even the Original Universe Will could only sigh:
"Not of one family, not under one roof.
I've opened every door for you—if you fail to handle the Beast crisis, expect the reckoning."
"...Two, one?"
Jiang Zhe shook his head, realizing the Old Pal had already visited.
He looked back at the golden-red crystal at the sea's bottom.
"Anna?"
"Master, I'm here."
Relief filled Jiang Zhe at the familiar voice.
"How do you feel?"
"Better than ever—I've been reborn."
Then came a request,
"Master, let me out into the real world."
With a thought, Jiang Zhe drew her forth.
The golden-red core appeared at his side, glowing brilliantly. Light wove into strands of flesh.
Soon, a fair-skinned, red-dressed classical maid stood before him.
Jiang Zhe widened his eyes and couldn't resist poking her soft cheek.
"Is this just a skin over your Material Master talent?"
Orianna shook her head.
"Not just a skin, Master. This is true flesh."
"Now, a flesh-type lifeform is my core state, but I can freely shift to metal, energy, or many others."
Jiang Zhe clicked his tongue in amazement.
"Do you have a soul now, too?"
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