Chapter 1010: The Century-Old Backup
Chapter 1010: The Century-Old Backup
What was a cultivation base?
It was something abstract, yet undeniably real.
Every cultivator practiced a different technique, but ultimately, all paths led to the same destination. The only difference was the unique imprint left by their chosen art.
Before Li Fan stood three golden statues, each the size of an ordinary person. Like the glowing cube he had encountered before, they were constructs of pure, solidified cultivation base.
Moreover, this was an immeasurable sum of cultivation, condensed to its absolute limit.
But there was more. Li Fan’s keen senses detected a distinct aura emanating from each of the three golden figures.
While each was different, they all shared a striking characteristic: they were like intricate mechanical constructs, built with some kind of unique internal structure.
Li Fan was certain that if he carelessly triggered some mechanism on the statues, they would execute a predetermined task according to a set protocol.
“Is this for the sake of absolute concealment?”
“Such an exquisitely ingenious application... it’s truly hard to imagine.”
After a moment of contemplation, Li Fan sent a wisp of spiritual energy across the space before swiftly retreating to a safe distance.
He then manipulated that wisp of energy like a fuse, plunging it deep into one of the golden statues.
Like a barrel of dynamite suddenly ignited, an incredibly fierce and unstable aura erupted with a deafening roar.
The golden light then rapidly contracted, though an uncontrollable glow still spilled from the statue's eyes.
This allowed Li Fan to finally get a clear look at the golden figure’s face.
To his astonishment, this automaton, constructed entirely from pure cultivation, looked almost identical to the Dharma Spreader Heavenly Venerate!
Or rather, it was modeled exactly after the statues of the Heavenly Venerate found throughout the lands of the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance!
Upon awakening, the golden figure showed no sign of confusion. As if following a pre-programmed sequence, its gaze swept over the materials stored within the space.
Its hands gestured in the air, and streams of golden light separated from its body, flying toward different objects. Once touched by the golden light of cultivation, the previously inanimate items seemed to suddenly gain a spark of life.
They rapidly and spontaneously assembled into a rough humanoid shape.
After completing this task, the first golden figure turned to its two slumbering companions. Beams of light shot from its left and right eyes, illuminating them.
The second and third golden figures were activated in succession.
The second statue’s body shattered, transforming into a viscous golden liquid that flew into the vaguely humanoid shape the first had assembled.
The third statue, however, dissolved into a streak of light, tunneled out from beneath the ground, and vanished to an unknown destination.
After absorbing the golden liquid, the humanoid figure became much more lifelike.
However, it still seemed to lack a consciousness of its own.
It wasn't until a short while later that the third golden figure returned, inserting a black, constantly pulsing, unknown object into the humanoid's chest.
The aura of life descended in an instant.
“Is this... the Spirit Element Sect Leader’s failsafe for resurrection?” Li Fan, watching from a distance, wondered to himself.
And as if to confirm his suspicions...
The golden liquid writhed unnervingly before gradually solidifying into a physical form.
A strange, raspy voice, like scraping metal, echoed from underground. “I... Am I dead?”
His tone was laced with confusion, and a hint of resentment.
The Spirit Element Sect Leader looked at the two golden figures guarding him, a flicker of shock in his eyes. “Creation Golden Men? I actually managed to develop these? Damn it...”
Resurrected from the dead, the Spirit Element Sect Leader felt no joy, only a growing sense of anxiety and unease.
“According to the progress in my memory, it should have taken at least another century of research to achieve a qualitative breakthrough.”
“Right, there should be a Time Crown Track here.”
After a moment of rummaging, the Spirit Element Sect Leader found what he was looking for in a corner.
His face fell the moment he read it. “Three hundred and twenty-eight years later? After all this time, how could it possibly restore this old memory backup?”
After a brief flash of panic, the young-looking Spirit Element Sect Leader quickly regained his composure.
“Given my cautious nature, it’s impossible that I didn't back up my memory for over three hundred years. Yet my resurrection still had to rely on this one...”
“The only logical explanation is that some unforeseen disaster occurred, destroying all subsequent memory backups.”
“Hss...”
The Spirit Element Sect Leader drew a sharp breath.
“It seems the Spirit Element Sect must have been annihilated along with me. Relying on a bunch of rabble to achieve anything truly great was always going to be difficult.”
As he spoke, he began to circulate the Common Lives Spirit Essence Art, as if to test his own conclusion.
To his utter astonishment, the technique flowed without the slightest obstruction, moving with exceptional smoothness.
At the same time, he vaguely sensed millions of others practicing the Common Lives Spirit Essence Art simultaneously!
“What is going on?” The Spirit Element Sect Leader was instantly unsettled.
His brow furrowed, and he began to pace back and forth.
He finally arrived at a possible theory: a traitor had emerged within the sect, one who not only killed him but also methodically erased every single one of his memory backups.
Only this original version, perhaps because it was so ancient, had managed to survive.
But this theory only deepened his confusion.
“What in the world did I go through that would make me trust an outsider so completely?”
“To the point of leaking my deepest secrets... and in the end, I trusted the wrong person and got myself killed.”
The Spirit Element Sect Leader racked his brain, but no clear answer came to him.
He let out a long sigh. “Until I figure out what happened, I’ll just have to keep my head down.”
“But I’ve lived like that before. I’m used to it.”
“To think that after everything I went through to escape to a cultivation world that survived the calamity, I’d end up in a damn place like this. How utterly damnable...”
As the Spirit Element Sect Leader grumbled, his body—a construct of components and solidified cultivation—began to transform.
His arm morphed into a long conduit, which he plunged into the cubic wall beneath his feet.
The golden light flickering within the tube revealed that he was absorbing the cultivation base stored within the cube.
And his aura, which had been at the initial Qi Refining stage upon his revival, began to skyrocket.
“Fortunately, I managed to accumulate a considerable amount of cultivation in reserve over the years.”
“I should be able to recover my original strength soon,” the Spirit Element Sect Leader declared.
But just at that moment, he was stunned to find that he had suddenly lost control of his body.
Realizing he was under attack, he immediately tried to command his two golden guardians to protect him.
But before he could issue the order, an image of a stone statue, radiating an aura of sacred compassion, flooded his mind.
“Red Dust... Compassionate...”
His consciousness was seized, and in an instant, all his thoughts were severed.
When he came to his senses, he had no idea where he was.
He tried to contact his two guardian statues, only to find the connection was completely gone.
The Spirit Element Sect Leader’s heart sank like a stone.
(End of Chapter)
Comments