Chapter 542: Shi Jing: Does World Ascension Require an Application?

Temporal-spatial auxiliary module?

Zhou Kongming paused, immediately turning his gaze to his personal interface.

There, in the 【Auxiliary Module Loading Zone】, the empty interface now held, in addition to the original two basic modules and one advanced module, a new glowing orb pulsing with a faint golden halo, like a tiny flame.

Hm?

It wasn't the blue light he'd expected, nor was its name "【Advanced Auxiliary Module】."

Focusing his mind, the module's corresponding information appeared spontaneously in his consciousness.

【Auxiliary Module (Temporal-Spatial) — Shi Jing: I Am Master of Time, A Scene Across Millennia】

【Prompt! Using this Temporal-Spatial Auxiliary Module will greatly increase the likelihood of the World's Child appearing】

【Prompt! Each use of "Shi Jing" will reduce the initial reward cap for Task Two and Task Three by 5%】

As the name suggests, this auxiliary module materializes the millennia of history within the task world into tangible "scenes."

The user can use the 【Time Imprint】 generated by "Shi Jing" to retrieve desired objects from specific temporal nodes.

However, the older the 【Time Imprint】, the greater the difficulty in obtaining the object.

"Shi Jing…" Zhou Kongming frowned.

Clearly, this auxiliary module was issued precisely in response to his current predicament.

With this module, he could trace back to a much earlier past and retrieve gene samples of Qixing people without genetic defects.

But if he factored in the side effect…

This "Shi Jing" was like a choice offered to Ascension Envoys who couldn't advance their tasks.

"By sacrificing part of the task reward, to reduce task difficulty…"

After brief consideration, he picked up the mechanical arm nearby, already half-transformed.

With a casual flick!

The mechanical arm shot forth like a blade, vanishing straight into the warped control console.

He raised his hand and beckoned, and another control console emitted a non-dissected Rangyuan civilization organism, which floated gently to Zhou Kongming's front.

He flicked his finger, and a thread of invisible sword qi surged out, slicing the entire sphere into hundreds of fragments.

The fragments, all identical in size, fell with a crisp, metallic "ding-ding-dang-dang."

A robot designed to clear experimental waste detected the situation and detached from the wall, drifting over.

But Zhou Kongming didn't glance back—he turned and walked toward the laboratory exit.

As he pondered the newly appeared "Shi Jing" auxiliary module and his current situation, he ascended the stairs through the doorway.

Following the stairs upward, he soon emerged outside the laboratory.

Goo~

Goo-goo~!

Dappled sunlight filtered through gaps in the forest canopy.

Insects chirped and birds sang amid the dense woods; the surrounding vegetation was lush.

The laboratory entrance, hidden beneath trailing vines, was unremarkable.

Not far behind this entrance lay the forest villa, but Zhou Kongming did not return there—he pressed onward.

He walked steadily through the woods until he reached a lake, shimmering like a piece of jade.

He glanced at the lake's surface, ignored the wild beasts drinking nearby, and continued contemplating his personal interface—visible only to him.

"Shi Jing…"

On his personal interface, the golden orb representing "Shi Jing" pulsed gently, like a slowly burning golden flame, resting quietly alongside the other auxiliary modules.

The longer he stared, the more he felt translucent "imprints" floating within it—each one swirling with countless lights and shadows—

He saw cloning vats, where cloned humans were rapidly grown to maturity.

Their gazes vacant, like hollow shells.

He saw Kaluofa'ers, the final controller, driven mad by loneliness, who destroyed the gene library in his final moment before suicide, severing the Qixing people's future.

He saw even more distant pasts: Qixing humans, emaciated and sunk in virtual reality, unwilling to awaken.

All the world's past events were contained within—these translucent "imprints" were the materialized snapshots of the world's various temporal nodes.

It seemed that with a mere thought, he could reach out and touch the past…

After a long while, Zhou Kongming finally looked away and closed his personal interface.

Honestly, though the module's function was powerful, he did not wish to use it.

The World's Child was manageable, but that 5% reduction in task reward cap…

"Wait another month."

The total task duration was twenty-one years—there was still plenty of time; no need to activate it yet.

Let's wait a little longer.

If, after a month, the gene optimization project remains unchanged…

Then he'd have no choice but to try it.

…

…

Inside the villa at this moment.

In a spacious room, Heng sat quietly, adopting the posture Zhou Kongming usually used for meditation.

Before him, a miniature robot held a specially processed Peiyuan Pill; fine threads of medicinal energy rose from the pill, forming visible white spiritual mist, which Heng inhaled deeply.

The medicinal energy seeped into this body, ultimately absorbed by the "Spirit" hidden deep within, continuously nourishing Heng's Spirit, making its spiritual radiance purer and slightly stronger.

Long moments passed, until the final wisp of spiritual mist seeped into Heng's "Spirit."

He carefully halted the cultivation method that was running, and slowly opened his eyes.

The pill before him had already turned a dull, lusterless grey-white.

Heng raised a hand and merely brushed it with a fingertip; the grey-white pill, its medicinal strength spent, crumbled straight away into a puff of fine white ash that scattered.

That special energy had been used up…

A very human-like flash of reluctance crossed his eyes.

If only he could always use these 'pills' imbued with that special energy to strengthen his own spirituality—how wonderful that would be!

Unfortunately, up until now, among the materials recorded in the database, no substitute had been found.

Analysis of the essence of this special energy had also made no progress…

Thinking this, he rose and walked outside, preparing as usual to report today's progress on the genetic optimization project to Zhou Kongming.

But before he could step out the door—

Several jade bottles inscribed with runes appeared before him, the Peiyuan Pills inside adding up to nearly a hundred.

At the same time, a voice sounded from deep within his spirit.

"For the next month, I will supply you with an unlimited amount of Peiyuan Pills to aid your cultivation. It all depends on how far you can go on your own."

Hm?

Heng was first stunned for a moment.

Once he reacted, a flash of delight crossed his eyes.

Not caring whether Zhou Kongming was present or not, he hurriedly bowed respectfully toward the space before him:

"Many thanks, Master!"

As expected!

His diligent service over this period had truly paid off!

However…

Master was actually willing to supply such precious 'pills' without limit for his cultivation.

It seemed the current progress of the genetic optimization project had not yet met Master's expectations.

……

……

Mission World 4.

The world where Qi Ling resided.

After continuous mending over this period—spirit threads stitching the rift valley, sword arrays refining chaos—the world, which had been on the brink of collapse, finally shed its former gloom, and a measure of vitality returned to the realm between heaven and earth.

And within the world, cultivators who had originally been resigned to waiting for death discovered the strange changes between heaven and earth, gathered together, and formed a temporary 'Salvation Alliance.'

Apart from the shared goal of saving the world, the 'Salvation Alliance' had another purpose…

To seek out the savior who had been orchestrating all of this from behind the scenes!

If at the start, one or two places could still be explained as the good deeds left behind by Return-to-Void cultivators fleeing the world—

Then now, with every chaotic rift valley suppressed, and nine sword arrays suddenly appearing to stand between heaven and earth, grinding and refining chaos, refining spirit to nourish the world—

Even a world on the brink of collapse had been rescued!

If those fleeing Return-to-Void Sovereigns had such means, would they have needed to flee the world and go into exile?

But unfortunately, they had not found the slightest clue.

After all, even at this world's peak, it was not certain anyone could have detected Qi Ling, who was at Return-to-Void Perfection.

Let alone now, with this world's Return-to-Void cultivators dead or fled, leaving behind only a bunch of the old, weak, sick, and disabled.

Among the very few high-tier cultivators unwilling to leave the world and go into exile, the highest realm present was merely late-stage Soul Transformation…

Discovery was even more impossible!

At this moment, within the protective grand array.

A mortal small town, with no cultivators stationed to guard it.

Qi Ling walked alone through it, silently gazing at everything around her.

Because the world's situation was already improving, she had prepared to observe the state of this world's people's livelihood, so as to prepare for the later transmission of the Dao.

But looking around, the sparse figures on either side of the street were withered in appearance, skeletal and emaciated.

Like a row of soulless husks, shackles on their feet chaining them to the wall, their vacant eyes staring at the sky, with not a shred of life in them.

Even though sunlight had now once again shone upon the earth, the sky no longer shrouded by dark clouds, and the world possessed new vitality—

Not the slightest 'hope' had risen in their hearts.

The world's advancement had failed.

The Return-to-Voids who had driven this matter all perished in an instant; the remaining Return-to-Voids transformed the minor worlds outside the realm and fled with the elite cultivators.

The remaining cultivators could only wait for death in despair…

Even cultivators who possessed the power to move mountains and fill seas, pluck stars and grasp the moon were in such a state—let alone these ordinary people?

They were utterly powerless to resist this catastrophe that had suddenly arrived.

Apart from anything else, the world had long been shrouded by dark clouds, with no sunlight, so even crops could not grow.

Those who had managed to survive until now were already wealthy households with substantial assets and considerable grain stored away…

Qi Ling silently gazed at everything before her, feeling an inexplicable something in her heart.

She and Zhou Kongming were roughly the same—both born during the period when the Holy Sovereign Abyss had already risen to fame and the Dao was being transmitted throughout the world.

Just as many elders said, she had been born into an unprecedentedly beautiful era; such a sight…

Woof!!

Woof woof!

Sudden barking interrupted her thoughts.

A large dog, its fur glossy and as tall as an adult's waist, burst out from a half-open gate painted vermilion and studded with bronze nails, snarling as it lunged at a gaunt figure chained to the wall.

Behind the dog, a handsome young lord in a blue brocade robe embroidered with gold slowly stepped forward.

In his hand, incongruously, he held a large marrow bone, smiling as he watched the dog charge toward the emaciated figure chained to the wall.

But the gaunt figure, starved of strength, could only watch helplessly as the dog lunged toward him.

Just as the dog was about to pounce—

Hum~

An invisible ripple spread, instantly engulfing the entire small town.

Everything!

People, dogs, even dust motes in the air, froze completely in that moment.

In this silent vibration, the ferocious dog shattered into tiny particles.

Having dealt with the vicious dog, Qi Ling turned to the young lord.

Without any divine technique, by her realm alone, she instantly recognized the young lord was not human—but a dog demon.

And within the courtyard behind him, many other demons, matching his aura and even stronger in cultivation, lurked.

Not long ago, they seized this town, capturing all ordinary people and raising them like livestock.

"…"

Order had collapsed; demons fed on humans.

Yet they did not realize they themselves were merely livestock being raised for slaughter…

Indeed, these demons bore marks left by other cultivators.

While they treated the town's ordinary people as food, they themselves were merely livestock raised here, fattened until ready for slaughter.

Whether those who raised them were human cultivators or cultivators of other races…

"This world…"

Qi Ling, as if discovering something, let out a quiet sigh.

The young lord in the blue brocade robe, along with all the dog demons in the courtyard behind him, shattered into tiny particles, their forms and spirits annihilated.

Having done this, the frozen town returned to its normal state.

Qi Ling had vanished, having left the town for the next destination.

All the people chained in the town now had their shackles broken.

Within the vermilion-gated, bronze-nailed courtyard, the earlier laughter and barking had vanished entirely.

The gaunt figure, who had just narrowly escaped the dog's jaws, finally flickered with a trace of shock.

Immortal Masters…

Had they returned again?

…

…

Deep within Task World 4, a place beyond the reach of all living beings.

Likewise, a sword-intention avatar of Xu Xing observed every move Qi Ling made.

Compared to others, her task progress was merely average.

Not too far behind, yet not too far ahead.

Before the first batch of Ascension Envoys entered the world, these selected task worlds were in a state of "stasis."

Otherwise, given the world's rate of corruption, it would have already collapsed.

It could never have endured until her arrival.

Yet Xu Xing also noticed a problem.

"World ascension is indeed highly risky; I'll need to make some arrangements going forward."

To let it ascend unchecked would have too great an impact on the world's inhabitants, whether it succeeded or failed.

How about this!

From now on, any world incorporated into the Immortal Network system must report its ascension to the Immortal Network for evaluation by the Network or Ascension Envoys before approval.

If its potential is sufficient, support will be granted in proportion to the number of Ascenders emerging from the world.

Even if ascension fails, inhabitants can be evacuated in time, or the world itself can be salvaged.

The scale of salvage efforts can also be planned according to the number of Ascenders the world produces.

This way, the Ascension Plan can be partially advanced while reducing the impact on the world's inhabitants.

Of course, this is merely a sudden thought of mine.

How exactly to implement it still requires discussion with my fellow Daoists. (End of Chapter)