Chapter 102: Seeing a Good Deed Through to the End

Whether one can emerge unscathed from a nuclear explosion has become a standard for evaluating powerhouses in the Prime World.

Old Devil Lan is a shining example among them.

Not only can he walk out of a nuclear blast unharmed, but he can also manipulate the terrifying energy released by the explosion through Daoist techniques, constricting its power, condensing the energy, and transforming it into a "Super Daoist Technique" that even psionic cultivators fear.

Ji Ning had not anticipated this.

He had dropped a high-yield second-generation nuclear weapon, only to fish up a great white shark.

The shark, however, didn't seem particularly bright. Having likely never encountered such a high-yield nuclear weapon, it had recklessly clutched the hydrogen bomb and flown upward. According to images captured by spy satellites, it had clearly been heavily wounded, and by the time it fled back to the portal, it was already teetering on the brink of collapse.

It was safe to assume that even if it didn't die, it would be out of commission for quite some time.

Within the territory of Magadha, which served as the front line for the standoff between the Xinghan Empire and the Allied Powers, the detonation of the second-generation nuclear weapon caused few direct casualties. The subsequent radiation, however, seemed to serve as a supplement for this world of spiritual energy recovery, effectively causing the volatile portal to shake violently.

The plain where the portal was located was blasted into a deep, vitrified crater by the weapon.

The two individuals who had rashly intruded into Artificial God Realm 1909 clearly felt the roar of the nuclear weapon that echoed across the planet. Realizing their escape route might be compromised, they had no desire to continue their destruction and looting within the Xinghan Empire and began their retreat, preparing to depart.

For two supernatural individuals from an unknown artificial god realm, this world was indeed interesting.

Whether it was the women or the quality of various luxuries, everything was significantly higher than in their own world. What was more annoying was that the "slaves" of this world actually possessed the power of heavenly gods; this was an intolerable profanity that tarnished the noble power of the gods.

Some slaves’ powers could actually harm a noble god!

Moreover, this world was overseen by gods who were too foolishly benevolent.

They would report to their King upon returning and decide how to properly punish this world later.

Then...

The further they flew toward the territory of Magadha, the more these two supernatural individuals—who were supersonic in the flesh and possessed exceptional sensory abilities—felt a sense of trepidation. Even through the crude application of their supernatural powers, they could feel a certain needle-like force growing denser in the air, bombarding their bodies with violent intensity.

This force was constantly wounding their divine bodies while simultaneously destroying their divine power.

These were injuries that these supernatural individuals had not experienced in the hundreds of years since the feudal era; such damage was even more terrifying than leaving their home planet and facing the Nine Heavens Gale.

They were afraid. They were terrified.

This world not only had slaves capable of hurting them and foolishly benevolent gods, but it also harbored unknown god-slaying powers. They had better return.

As it turned out, they fell into an even greater panic.

The portal, having suffered the violent shocks of the second-generation nuclear weapon, had not closed, but it had lost its ability to transmit. To resolve this, the best method was to increase energy input, and clearly, the electrification of the unknown artificial god realm could not yet bear such a brutal consumption.

Conversely, it was their hasty retreat and the outbreak of the unknown strike that allowed the Dharma manifestations of the Xinghan Empire, who were in hot pursuit, to discover the portal.

The portal was temporarily unusable.

The two individuals had no choice but to continue fleeing toward the southwest. It seemed they intended to reach Yan Continent to hide.

Out of caution regarding the unknown, terrifying strike and an inability to determine its source, the Dharma-manifesting martial artists who were chasing these beasts did not dare to get too close. Instead, they began rallying others to surround and hunt them down across the globe, simultaneously ordering the Thunder Phoenix Airship Brigade to set out, equipped with specialized war-grade Daoist techniques for an unprecedented hunt.

The Xinghan Empire was also driven to madness.

Ever since the rise of martial arts fifty years ago, after the Western powers were beaten so badly they didn't dare look back at the explosions, no outsider had dared to act wantonly on Xinghan soil. These two had not only acted wantonly—destroying, killing, looting, raping, cruelly abusing the weak, and even engaging in cannibalism—they were truly wicked! Their crimes were unforgivable! They had to be suppressed, captured, and dragged to Puhai to be sacrificed alive before the statue of Master Lan Yi!

The Western powers were also confused.

During the truce, they had been holed up at home, recuperating, studying Daoist techniques and martial arts, and preparing to wash away their shame, when suddenly they were slapped twice by two dogs of unknown origin, who then ran away!

However, upon hearing that the damage on the Xinghan side was worse than their own—especially the destruction of their homeland—the anger of the Westerners subsided significantly.

The Allied Powers also possessed Dharma manifestations, canonized as "Living Saints" by the Vatican.

There were only three.

Now, these three Dharma manifestations also moved at the news, hanging far behind the Xinghan martial army to see if they could scavenge any benefits. Because there were no conditions for a blockade, the Western Dharma manifestations also discovered the portal suspended in the vitrified crater of the nuclear blast, though it was not yet clear what it was used for.

Following the First World War...

It seemed the Xinghan Empire, which had beaten the entire world single-handedly, was about to ignite a Second World War.

After discussions by the staff, the hidden powers of the Prime World decided not to intervene further for the time being.

For one, if the powerhouses of the unknown artificial god realm were not mentally deficient, they should have realized the existence of the Prime World. With a powerhouse capable of surviving a nuclear explosion in command, unless it was Commander Jiang He, rash interference would only mean losing the initiative.

The other reason was that there was no time. The operational boundary of this temporary seven-day portal was primarily for reconnaissance; if not for spy satellites and ballistic missiles, the Prime World would not have chosen to strike the portal.

Most importantly:

The second Artificial God Realm trial was coming.

Whether it was Ji Ning or other psionic cultivators, none intended to remain stationed there for long. They simply harvested a wave of nearby "Life Clusters" as work perks and withdrew to the Prime World.

In the work report submitted to Lan Yi, Ji Ning stated his opinion quite bluntly.

From the perspective of the Prime World, Artificial God Realm 1909 is in a complex and volatile period, and the intervention of the unknown artificial god realm has further complicated the situation. Rash intervention would likely cause dissatisfaction among the ruling tools and social strata you left behind, leading to heavy obstacles in subsequent mining plans.

It would be better to wait until the situation in the Artificial God Realm becomes clear, right after the second trial, and then choose an opportune moment to intervene strongly, dispelling the resistance of its Jianghe civilization core and smoothly taking over this tool.

After all, whether it is Daoist technique research, material production, or Life Cluster mining, the Prime World will inevitably have to deal with the Xinghan Empire. If our own hard power, especially the strength of psionic cultivators, is insufficient, it is hard to guarantee that the other side won't harbor unnecessary ulterior motives.

That would likely lead to a very ugly situation.

This decision was also made out of respect for Old Devil Lan.

Artificial God Realm 1909 was the world where Lan Yi left his Daoist lineage; the psionic cultivators of the Prime World had to show respect to the master, if not the disciple.

Si Lingluo was very much cut out to be a secretary.

After helping Lan Yi put on his inner coat, she picked up the work report and read the content in her warm, feather-soft voice. As she read, she smiled with gratification. At least this time, the junior she saw was not some heinous demon, but a commander with real power, an outstanding man.

Just looking at him...

Made her happy.

But she stopped after a moment.

Because Lan Yi had drifted off.

Since when, he didn't know, but Lan Yi had been staring blankly at his left hand—or more accurately, staring at the high-tech-looking metal thin-film bracelet on his wrist. At this moment, on this outer space physical sign bracelet, a non-verbal spectrum was flickering that only Lan Yi could see.

It was the color of quantum foam fluctuating in birth and death.

When this color染 permeated his vision, it meant someone was interfering with space-time through a dimensional membrane.

"Do you want to understand the true meaning of life? Do you want to truly live?"

A line of text appeared abruptly in Lan Yi's vision.

Only he could see this line.

What a familiar and intimate preview; he had almost forgotten the last time he saw this prompt.

"You all go out for a moment," Lan Yi said after returning to his senses, instructing Si Lingluo, who was looking at him with questioning eyes.

The understanding senior nodded slightly.

Then, like carrying a fluid cat, she carried the tomboy, who had dragged her lower body into a long strip, outside.

Question: A psionic cultivator is being targeted by a "Transmigration Freak" who has sent an invitation letter. What should one do?

A. Watch me go in, slaughter everything, and wreck the Transmigration Freak.
B. Act as if it doesn't exist and casually report the "Warring Space" for it.
C. Escape into an Artificial God Realm.
D. Set a trap in the Prime World to capture the Transmigration Freak.

If it were his previous life, Lan Yi would choose D. The Two Realms Mountain, the Shenzhou Quantum Main Building, the Kunlun Ruins, the Rainbow Bridge—there was always a trap suitable for a Transmigration Freak baby of any constitution.

But now, Lan Yi would choose B.

While C could delay time, it treated the symptoms but not the root cause.

As for A.

Any psionic cultivator with a normal brain would not voluntarily allow a Transmigration Freak to topologically map their quantum information, then toss them into a cesspool to raise "Gu" insects, only to be repeatedly polluted by possibilities, making them wish for death when they eventually reached the eighth energy level and full-dimensional convergence.

Actually, many psionic cultivators have an oversight.

They think the Warring Space is a facility without intelligence.

It is true that the Warring Space has no "consciousness," but to say it has no "intelligence" is too naive. The Warring Space has a hidden function: when a psionic cultivator of the Prime World encounters a Transmigration Freak, they can actively report it, and the Warring Space will then consult the psionic cultivator's opinion.

It asks if you are willing to act as bait to set a trap for the Transmigration Freak.

If you are willing.

Usually, after arriving at a new Artificial God Realm, the Warring Space will begin "fishing law enforcement." The next step is to see if the space-time locusts deployed by the Transmigration Freak can intercept the psionic cultivator. Because they cannot wantonly tamper with the Artificial God Realm, the realm—which carries its own powerful corrective logic—will suppress the "Reincarnators," vetoing everything unreasonable. In such a state, the Reincarnators are usually hunted to the ends of the earth by the psionic cultivator.

If the Reincarnators cannot kill the psionic cultivator, the Transmigration Freak cannot escape; instead, it will be gradually sucked in by the Artificial God Realm.

The Warring Space, lurking in the infinite cluster of Artificial God Realms, is like a predator opening its bloody maw at this time, biting down on the Transmigration Freak and erasing all its traces.

Once successful, the Warring Space usually gives the psionic cultivator some benefits.

For example, permanent access to the Artificial God Realm, boundary exploration protection, or some extremely important clues, or even information tracing back to the previous epoch.

If you are unwilling to act as bait.

The Warring Space can also transfer the quantum foam.

Transferring it to a pile of excrement to mock the Transmigration Freak.

Jin had played a trick on Lan Yi.

This "know-it-all" estimated that the bracelet he picked up would activate during the second Artificial God Realm trial, disgusting Lan Yi while he was in the middle of the trial.

But Lan Yi's spectacular nuclear explosion in the Prime World caused certain disturbances.

This disturbance intensified the space-time effect, and the Transmigration Freak came over, smelling something delicious.

Well, this is going to be fun!

Lan Yi was very certain that the difficulty of his next Artificial God Realm trial would be maxed out. If the Transmigration Freak wanted to join in the fun now, not only would it not increase the difficulty, but it would actually be an asset.

He navigated the report function with practiced ease.

The interface of the Warring Space in front of Old Devil Lan responded immediately.

The inquiry from the Warring Space was very rapid, almost impatient.

"I accept," Lan Yi stated.

The Warring Space interface flickered twice, then slowly extinguished under Lan Yi's gaze.

According to the dynamic difficulty adjustment rules, trial tasks arranged for psionic cultivators based on their capabilities should not be further increased in difficulty due to sudden factors, which would cause unnecessary casualties. Therefore, when sudden factors lead to an increase in task difficulty, the Warring Space will make corresponding adjustments.

If this rule is combined with an active report and the Warring Space's active arrangement, what happens?

The answer is: Locking the type of the next Artificial God Realm!

There are so many Artificial God Realms, and they are naturally divided into types.

Spiritual energy recovery, weirdness recovery, various apocalypses, modern space-time, high-martial cities, fallen factions, servant worlds, etc. And as for which type of Artificial God Realm is best for capturing Transmigration Freaks, it is naturally those related to space-time, such as Red Alert, which is a classic among classics.

At this point, Lan Yi already knew the best choice for what to bring into the trial five days later in his remaining Daoist space.

"Senior, help me convey an order."

Lan Yi vibrated his voice directly to the ears of the "Madonna" senior who was comforting the tomboy outside.

"Let any of them do it."

"Urgently dispatch a batch of courtyard clocks, palm-sized, to Tianhai. The quantity should be around five thousand, and they must be uniformly calibrated."

"Prepare yourself; we are returning to Tianhai tomorrow."

If it weren't for Jian Ziyue saying there were still a few things to do, Lan Yi had originally planned to leave immediately.

Since he had already decided to be a good person, he might as well see it through to the end.

He had already "de-urbanized" Lanfang and invited the infected to sit on steel forks. Since there were still the Lanfang Restoration Faction, the Tianzhu Fungus Mother Envoys, Blood Clan Messengers, and Umbrella Corporation special agents—four types of experts who didn't believe in evil and wanted to talk to Commander Lan Yi—then after he finished his closing, he might as well take some time to see what they were prepared to say.

One should respect the last words of the dead.