Chapter 2536: High Above
Zi Jing was the only person in the hidden room who was not excited. This breakthrough in the cultivation technology that they had been researching had only confirmed her previous hypothesis, which was not the outcome that she had wanted to achieve.
The old man waved his hand, silencing the crowd. Then, he looked at Zi Jing with a complex expression and said, "Throughout my life, I have taught countless students, but none of them were able to shoulder the responsibility of finding the sequence particles. Only you, Zi Jing, have displayed talent for sequence particles that not even I can compare to. Without you, this experiment would have been delayed for at least a thousand years, possibly forever. You are the only one who managed to visualize the sequence."
Zi Jing remained silent.
"With this experiment’s results showing that it truly is feasible, our next step is creation. Only by truly creating sequence particles can we ever hope to reign supreme," the old man continued. He then waved a hand to dismiss the others before leading Zi Jing alone to a more secluded space.
It was a dim place, and a cloud-like energy floated in the air. Zi Jing had never visited this place before.
She touched the cloud-like power in the air and asked, "Is this the power of the Cloudflow Universe?"
The old man nodded. "More accurately, it is Cloudflow's power."
"The ruler of the Cloudflow Universe?" Zi Jing exclaimed in astonishment.
The old man continued to lead Zi Jing down the path. "The Cloudflow Universe is where we will test this cultivation technology. Once we achieve success, not only will we surpass the entire Sixverse Association, but even Aeternus will be beneath us. Our Transcendent Universe will reach the pinnacle of the human species…"
The old man spoke incessantly as they walked, as though he was already able to see the future.
Zi Jing’s eyes narrowed. She was not certain just how powerful the Transcendent Universe was, but no matter how powerful it might be, it had already attracted the attention of that person. How well could things possibly turn out if that person had gotten involved? These people were too arrogant, and they were always looking down on other universes. They had no idea that the universes they disregarded could give rise to truly extraordinary individuals.
As they descended further and further down, the cloud-like power grew more dense, until it nearly replaced the air itself. It gave the impression of walking through clouds.
Finally, the old man stopped outside a metallic golden door that he opened with the barest crack. Endless cloudflow power surged through the opening like a tsunami, causing Zi Jing to retreat, her face pale.
"Take a look," the old man quietly ordered.
Zi Jing took a step forward to approach the metal door. As she peered through the crack, a single bloodshot eye that was filled with madness suddenly filled her vision.
She was badly startled, and she stumbled back until she tripped and fell. Horror filled her eyes. She looked as though she had just seen a ghost.
The old man closed the metal door and looked down at Zi Jing. "What did you see?"
Zi Jing nervously swallowed and said in a trembling voice, "I saw an eye."
"What kind of eye?"
"A crazed, desperate, cruel eye."
"Anything else?" the old man asked again.
Zi Jing closed her eyes and thought back for a moment. Her eyes suddenly snapped back open. "They were exhausted, lifeless, and completely devoid of vitality."
The old man looked satisfied, and he clasped his hands behind his back. "Not bad. Exhausted, devoid of vitality. Do you know who the person is?"
Zi Jing had a suspicion, but she did not dare believe it. She looked at the old man, who softly stated, "Cloudflow."
Zi Jing's pupils contracted. "The ruler of the Cloudflow Universe? That Cloudflow?"
The old man nodded. "That's right."
Zi Jing could not believe it. The ruler of an entire universe who had managed to transform it as Cloudflow had had to be a powerful Progenitor. Despite that, the man was imprisoned in this place, and despair filled his eyes. It was clear that the man felt that living was more painful than death. How could such a person be the ruler of the Cloudflow Universe?
"At your level, you are not qualified to know this, but in order to show you just how great our Transcendent Universe is, and also so that you can understand just what kind of civilization you are serving, I’ve made an exception and told you. Cloudflow has the power to change the universe, which is what gave him the ability to transform the Cloudflow Universe. His power level surpasses five million, at the very least.”
"Five million. It’s a number that is hard to wrap your head around. It’s equivalent to a black energy converter. Just how many black energy converters are there in the entire Transcendent Universe? How many powerhouses with that level of strength does the entire Sixverse Association have?”
"Despite that, Cloudflow was still captured and is now experiencing a life worse than death. This should let you understand the power of our Transcendent Universe."
Zi Jing took a deep breath. "I understand now."
The old man looked satisfied. "Good. In the future, more than just Cloudflow will be imprisoned in this place. We will have prisoners from different parallel universes, Aeternus, and we might even imprison our enemies from within the Sixverse Association here. What we need to do is transform this possibility into a reality in order to establish the Transcendent Universe as the true ruling universe. Zi Jing, understand this clearly, as this is what you should do."
Zi Jing stood up and offered a deep bow to the old man. "I understand, Teacher."
The elder smiled. "Good. You have successfully visualized sequence particles and given them physical form, making the impossible possible. I believe that the day when you manage to develop this cultivation technology to reach its fullest potential will come.”
“Alright, you've had a tiring day. Go back and rest."
Zi Jing nodded before turning around. She took another long look at the metal door. Even a Progenitor could be imprisoned in this place. This was the power of the Transcendent Universe, a member of the Sixverse Association. They were researching a power that could suppress Progenitors.
Once this power was fully developed, the price that would be extracted by the entire megaverse would be unimaginable. Dao Monarch, I wonder what you will think when you see this power.
Neither the elder nor Zi Jing noticed the few specks of dust clinging to them. The dust was inconspicuous, and it simply stuck to their clothes when they had arrived in front of the underground metal door.
As Zi Jing turned to leave, the dust on their clothes suddenly transformed into a cloud-like power that wrapped around the two people’s necks and attempted to strangle them.
The sudden attack caught Zi Jing completely off guard. She watched helplessly as the cloud-like force wrapped around her neck and cut off her breath. Her body slammed into the floor and was dragged back towards the metal door. The old man suffered the same fate. However, just as they were about to crash into the metal door, they heard a hoarse shout out, "Escape, immediately!"
Zi Jing's consciousness grew blurry. Escape? Who was telling her to escape?
At that moment, the power that twined around their necks suddenly disappeared. People emerged from the void, and one woman who appeared looked up and screamed in despair, "Release Lord Cloudflow!"
The moment she spoke, her limbs snapped off and vanished. Blood fell to the floor.
The pungent smell of blood filled Zi Jing's nostrils as confusion filled her eyes. Next to her was a woman with a fierce glare on her face. She had no limbs, just a torso.
Zi Jing's face turned pale as she stared at the woman. Neither could move.
"Transcendent Universe, let them go! Let them go!" a hoarse voice echoed from behind the metal door from Cloudflow.
Only then did Zi Jing react, and she tremblingly rose to her feet. She had come very close to death just then.
Close to her, the old man let out a few coughs. "I almost met my end. You subhumans are truly ruthless. A million subhumans from the Cloudflow Universe will be eliminated as compensation for this old man’s anger!"
"Release Lord Cloudflow!" Several cultivators with horns on their heads fell to the ground, howling in despair as their energy seeped away.
The old man waved a hand. Despite the fact that no power appeared, the people’s horns suddenly fell from their heads. They screamed in pain, half-dead and losing consciousness. As for the woman who had already lost her limbs, she glared at the old man like she wanted to kill him.
Zi Jing watched the grisly scene in shock, completely unable to react.
"Release them, release them!" Cloudflow's voice continued to hoarsely ring out from behind the metal door.
However, the old man was unfazed. "Do you really believe that you can save him? All of the Cloudflow Universe;s matter was analyzed by us long ago. We've always known where you are and what you've been doing. If not for our desire to increase the potency of your horns, we would have captured you long ago. Ah, sometimes researching cultivation technologies requires a bit of risk.”
The man let out a few more coughs.
"Come, Zi Jing, let's go."
Zi Jing stared blankly. "Teacher, what about them?"
"Ha, they’re just a group of test subjects who foolishly attempted to rescue Cloudflow. We’ve been allowing them to continue on with their efforts because we wanted their horns to become more potent, which gave them a bit of hope. This is actually perfect. They managed to find Cloudflow, which agitated their emotions. Look, their horns are much brighter than what we usually see," the old man said with some satisfaction.
Zi Jing's finger twitched. "Yes, they are much brighter. But what about them?"
"Transcendent Universe, release them! Release my people!" Cloudflow's voice grew deeper, hoarser, and even more despair filled it. Despite being a powerhouse with the strength of a Progenitor, which was the peak of what humans could theoretically achieve with cultivation, the man was still nothing more than a prisoner.
The old man glanced over at the metal door. "Cloudflow, how many groups does this make?"
"Release them."
"Is that all that you can say? I gave them some hope, and they were even able to hear your voice before they died. They should be satisfied with this."
The limbless woman on the floor became so furious that her eyes bulged from her head. She murmured something, and the pure venom in her gaze left Zi Jing's heart trembling.
The old man shook his head. "Other subhumans will soon come here to save him again. Their horns are the best materials for experiments."
With that, the old man turned around. At that same moment, all of the bloodstains and corpses vanished without a trace.
Just as the old man had said, the Transcendent Universe had already thoroughly analyzed all of the matter and energy in the Cloudflow Universe. The creatures from that universe were formed from that very matter, so there was no problem with making them disappear.
There was a loud bang that caused the floor to tremble. The cloud-like power surged from below, but it was still unable to get any closer to the old man and Zi Jing.
A short time later, Zi Jing was standing at the bottom of the stairs. Flowers along the stairs were still in full bloom, and laughter and joy filled the area. Yet just moments before, Zi Jing had witnessed a mountain of corpses and seen eyes that were filled with despair and lifelessness.
"I'm sorry for startling you," a pleasant voice came from above.
Zi Jing knelt down. "I dare not."
"If one day, powerful beings like Cloudflow kneel before you in this same manner, what would you think?" the voice asked.
Zi Jing was startled. Cloudflow, kneeling to her?
She remained silent, and her head remained bowed while she did not answer.
The perfect woman did not press, and she also remained silent.
After enough time passed for a stick of incense to burn, Zi Jing finally responded. "Will that day truly come?"
"Who do you want to see kneeling before you?" the voice asked.
Zi Jing swallowed and lowered her head deeply. "This small one understands."
"Go to the Singularity Universe and meet Xuan Qi. He has revealed tremendous talent for both Voidforce and the Lost Clan’s methods."
Zi Jing nodded. "Understood."
After Zi Jing was gone, a voice asked, "Why do you allow her to meet with Xuan Qi? He already belongs to the Voidforce Universe."
"Constant stimulation and a near-death experience have worked to ignite her ambition. Ambition can easily go out of control. Xuan Qi is what can be used to control her."
"Can Xuan Qi do that?"
"Of course. Xuan Qi is also quite outstanding, isn't he? It’s possible that we can also help Xuan Qi become even better. He may even become so outstanding that he is actually worthy of Zi Jing. Perhaps he can become the platform that we use to analyze the Voidforce Universe."
"I understand."
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