Wait, How Did My Digital Girlfriend Become a Sword Immortal? Chapter 753: The Problem
Previously on Wait, How Did My Digital Girlfriend Become a Sword Immortal?...
Chapter 753: The Problem
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"Where exactly did he go?"
Despite scouring nearly every corner of Shenlongjia, Chen Niu still hadn't located even a hint of Chen Huaian's presence.
He'd gone so far as to unleash a horrifying beast tide in Shenlongjia, sending ferocious creatures rampaging wildly through the whole region.
Any cultivator, regardless of their composure, would find it impossible to stay calm amid such a brutal onslaught from the beast tide; they'd surely need to flee or fight back, wouldn't they?
Moreover, the tiniest ripple of True Essence from a human cultivator would never slip past the vigilant sweep of his Divine Sense.
Yet in the end, the outcome was—absolutely zilch.
"Could that Sword Cultivator have already escaped from the Shenlongjia region? That doesn't make sense!"
Chen Niu remained baffled, realizing full well that lingering here any longer was a futile endeavor; it made far more sense to shift his focus to other matters.
Such as freeing Wu E from the confining formation...
...
Close to the C Province Exorcist Division, atop an isolated mountain summit.
"Big brother, you've finally set me free!" Wu E clung tightly to Chen Niu's tail, tears and mucus streaming down his face. "Stuck in there, I felt utterly powerless, just watching the days drag on. But with you here now, we can push forward with our scheme... Still, elder brother, how come your power has surged so dramatically all of a sudden?!"
"No need to head to Shenlongjia anymore," Chen Niu replied, his expression dark and brooding. "The pair of Demon Sealing Pagodas in Shenlongjia have been shattered, and the Well of Heaven has been unsealed."
Wu E's gaze sparkled with excitement at the news. "Does that mean you've already slain the Fierce Beasts and claimed their Demonic Souls?!"
Chen Niu's lip curled in a slight twitch. "I never claimed that."
Wu E: "Then what..."
"A Sword Cultivator stole away the Demonic Souls of those Fierce Beasts," Chen Niu exhaled in helpless frustration. "That Sword Cultivator counts as one of the unpredictable factors. My earlier Demon Immortal incarnation got destroyed. I'm now operating as the second Demon Immortal incarnation, which has naturally boosted my power by a wide margin. The one responsible for destroying my previous incarnation is another unpredictable factor—a Sword Cultivator as well!"
"What? You... you got taken out?!" Though the phrasing felt odd, it was the undeniable truth.
Wu E stood there in complete shock.
To him, Chen Niu's fighting prowess already ranked as the absolute pinnacle on Earth Star.
Even if that famed Her Eminence of the Kunlun Immortal Palace unleashed her full might, she'd still fall short against Chen Niu.
For someone as mighty as Chen Niu to meet his end like that?!
Inconceivable!
And the Demonic Souls from the Fierce Beasts are lost as well...
That leaves just four out of the original nine Demonic Souls in play.
Even merging with those four remaining ones, could he really harness the bulk of Taotie's might?
He doubted his power would even rival the level of his very first incarnation upon descending...
Right then, a wave of unease began to grip Wu E.
Without enough strength ahead, how could he possibly stand against those unpredictable factors?
As an incarnation, the day would eventually come when he confronted the main body once more.
A strong showing might earn him the main body's favor, granting true independence...
But at this rate, 'strong showing' felt more distant than ever.
"Elder brother, what's our next move? Are we just going to stand by while those unpredictable factors steal away the resources that belong to us?"
"Hmph! As if we'd allow that!" Chen Niu's eyes narrowed with cunning. "I've already devised a strategy!"
"To start, I've spotted certain patterns linking those unpredictable factors. Be it the two we've verified, like Zhang Yibai and Gu Changsheng, or the later ones we've run into and pegged as factors, every single one turns out to be a Sword Cultivator!
That said, they don't appear united under one banner. Much like the sects of Ascenders on Earth Star, they split across various groups, though all centered on sword cultivation!
We can tell this from the way Zhang Yibai and Gu Changsheng aided Hua Jin in seizing Celestial Jade Marrow from some of those factors!
Though the reason for Hua Jin teaming up with those two factors remains a mystery, even so..."
Chen Niu spoke with the confidence of inevitable triumph. "The deeper our grasp on these factors, the higher our odds of success. We know they crave Earth Star's resources too, things like Celestial Jade Marrow or Demonic Souls... The fifth Well of Heaven is on the verge of opening, with Celestial Jade Marrow ready to pour forth once more..."
"Elder brother, are you suggesting we dangle Celestial Jade Marrow as a lure?" Wu E's eyes gleamed brightly.
"Not quite, not quite..." Chen Niu's gaze sharpened. "It's more than just Celestial Jade Marrow. Those factors show an even fiercer hunger for the Demonic Souls of Fierce Beasts locked in the Demon Sealing Pagodas... My main body commands a supreme divine ability that shifts mountains and oceans, even reshaping Earth Veins.
Since these factors are so ravenous for such treasures, why not flood them with an overwhelming surge!"
Chen Niu flung his arms out dramatically. "I'll reach out to my main body and deploy this divine ability to gather the leftover four Demon Sealing Pagodas along with the sites where Celestial Jade Marrow will erupt—all into a single zone. That positions us to press forward and snare or eliminate the factors, or pull back and ignite four Wells of Heaven in unison, hehehe!"
Chen Niu balled his hand into a tight fist.
With four Wells of Heaven bursting open at the same instant, he could instantly link with the main body to draw in might nearing immortal levels. By then, no quantity of factors could hope to challenge him.
It formed a flawless web of interlocking traps.
No matter how sly those factors might be, how could they ever predict his masterstroke?!
Unless they wielded the power to glimpse the future!
Chen Niu refused to buy that.
Who could truly seize control of destiny? Not even his main body held such dominion!
Wu E's eyes bulged wide, as if he too were envisioning that glorious moment.
The Demon Sealing Pagodas and Celestial Jade Marrow drawing every factor into one spot.
Then he and Chen Niu sweeping them up in a single devastating strike...
Hehehe!
The mere thought filled him with delight!
Having hashed out the plan with Chen Niu, Wu E felt the urgency fade away.
Meanwhile, back in the Cangyun Realm, Li Qingran faced some hurdles in her scheme to hone her skills within a miniature world.
"Sect Master, if you're set on heading to a small thousand world for training right now, I'm afraid there's a complication..."
Both Su Qinian and Zhang Mengchu wore expressions of deep concern.
They'd ventured into small thousand worlds in the past and knew their perils all too well. Li Qingran's proposal now left them furrowing their brows in worry.
"Sect Master, while we often speak casually of small thousand worlds, the truth is they're far more treacherous than they might seem. And the destination you have in mind—it's grown even more perilous than before."
"What are you getting at..." Li Qingran's eyebrows drew together faintly. "Are you implying that small thousand worlds are off-limits now?"
"It's not quite so black-and-white..." Su Qinian gestured with open palms. "For one, small thousand worlds come in all varieties. Some mirror our Cangyun Realm closely, but others brim with deadly peril, overrun by mindless aberrant beasts and malevolent fiends. These creatures defy any attempt at reason; they're born engines of slaughter."
"In that case, I'll pick a small thousand world akin to the Cangyun Realm," Li Qingran declared.
"And that's exactly where the issue lies."
Su Qinian shook his head slowly. "Sect Master, you may not realize this, but the pathways linking Cangyun Realm to the assorted small thousand worlds have fallen into total disarray. That makes it utterly unpredictable what awaits beyond any given dimensional gate.
Should you step through a gate into a small thousand world teeming with those malevolent fiends... the risk to your life could be grave indeed..."
They were thrilled that Li Qingran still sought out training in a small thousand world.
It proved her core drive hadn't been dulled by her elevated rank and duties.
Yet she remained the ancestor's cherished one.
They simply couldn't bear to see her dive into such peril.
...