Chapter 597: Ning Qingchen

Ning Ning Qingchen watched a mechanical intelligence on the streets of Kuala Lumpur, continuously kowtowing in one direction.

Its two arms constantly formed mudras of the Taishang, Yuanshi, and Lingbao Dao sects at its chest, while two additional arms on its shoulders used high-temperature ion welding to modify itself.

It had originally been a dance attendant robot, evident from the remaining cheap, sequin-covered clothing still clinging to its body.

Now it wore a crown woven from white bone skulls, with five or six miniature robot heads, each the size of a fist, welded onto its skull; external processors with intelligent chips were attached to its occipital region, transformed into external computing units! The computational deficiencies of civilian intelligent machines were thus compensated for in this manner.

A dust whisk, woven from electromagnetic-sensitive threads glowing with flowing colors, stood upright before its chest.

Electromagnetic waves interwove among these wires; as it swept the whisk, the waves rippled outward, were reflected, then reabsorbed by the whisk—like radar, detecting the complex, intersecting terrain of Kuala Lumpur's streets and alleys, and the humans and machines hidden within.

The holographic robe projected onto its body swirled with countless black-and-white yin-yang fish; invisible light shifted and flowed, creating visual distortions for both human eyes and cybernetic ocular implants!

Its four back arms each held a high-frequency blade, a single-molecule wire, a yin thunder explosive, and a thermal ion cutter… its entire body was covered in newly welded cybernetic augmentations.

The reverse-curve spring devices on its legs allowed it to leap several zhang into the air at will; with eight arms each wielding weapons, its downward strikes could not be blocked even by elite field operatives from any corporation!

The corpse at its feet, stripped of all equipment, proved it…

The fresh welding scars on its body and the single-molecule wire stained with blood made it clear: these weapons once belonged to someone else!

"The virus infecting these mechanical intelligences is extremely dangerous; I never imagined they'd learned adaptive modifications in just two days!"

A woman clad in a high-molecular carbon-fiber Daoist robe stood beside Ning Ning Qingchen: "Why are you so determined to come here? Due to the virtual virus, the city's transportation has collapsed; mechanical intelligences and cyborgs across the city are under viral control, and all sorts of demons and monsters from peripheral administrative zones keep pouring in, seeking to seize the Hundred Poisons Exterminating Immortal Sword!"

"Your talent is excellent—return with me to receive the Dao Register! You can become a True Cultivator stronger than I am."

"You haven't yet undergone the pineal gland cybernetic implant to receive the Dao Register, nor have you systematically studied any spells. Coming to this chaotic battlefield is suicide!"

"Are these puppets controlled by the Hundred Poisons Exterminating Immortal Sword you mentioned?"

Ning Ning Qingchen frowned slightly; a mechanical pet, resembling a single-lens camera, flew to her shoulder, its lens flashing red light as it probed the mechanical intelligence via infrared radiation…

The mechanical intelligence's dust whisk glowed with eerie red light, detecting the two figures crouched in the alley's shadow.

The female Daoist's face changed; she leapt instantly, landing on the third-floor window of the adjacent building.

The mechanical intelligence slowly turned its head; its mechanical pupils, glowing with Youguang, locked onto Ning Ning Qingchen standing in the corner. The light within its eyes turned crimson; the six skull heads atop its head each lifted, their eyes igniting with the glow of activated chips. The machine lowered its stance, crossed the high-frequency blade before its chest, and pressed its reverse-curve spring devices—ready to leap!

At that moment, Ning Ning Qingchen formed a hand seal with both hands, like a perfect Primordial Taiji!

The mechanical intelligence gazed deeply at her; its two front hands also formed the Primordial Taiji seal. The two stared into each other's eyes; the machine bowed slightly, then slowly rose and walked away on its own.

The female Daoist, who had leapt to the window and was about to slip inside, jumped back down and slapped Ning Ning Qingchen's shoulder: "Good job! How did you know that hand seal would stop it from attacking? I should've tried it too…"

"Don't try it… they might not spare you!"

The woman exclaimed in surprise: "You seem to know something…"

"It seems Brother Qian Yan Shixiong truly is within the Western Kunlun she mentioned—he threw out the Hundred Poisons Exterminating Immortal Sword to establish contact with us!" Ning Ning Qingchen mused inwardly.

"I was about to undergo the Dao Register implant and enter Western Kunlun to find Brother Qian Yan Shixiong—but now it seems he has another plan… Brother Yan and Sister Si should also see the hint Brother Qian Yan Shixiong deliberately left! Following the Hundred Poisons Exterminating Immortal Sword will lead us to them!" Ning Ning Qingchen gradually pieced together the sequence of events and prepared to head straight toward the location where the mechanical intelligences were paying homage.

The female Daoist chattered on: "Don't go any deeper! Getting this far took me using the Heavenly Eye Spell to coordinate with spy satellites and find the safest route. The Fifth District ahead is in complete chaos—there are at least ten corporate field teams killing each other inside…"

She glanced fearfully at the mechanical intelligence now retreating into the distance, muttering: "And these virus-controlled demonic machines—they've mutated terribly, constantly evolving and modifying themselves. Even civilian machines have been turned into these monstrous forms; the core military machines have become unrecognizable monsters!"

"These mechanical intelligences are controlled by ninth-rank magical artifacts, which strongly suppress us virtual cultivators. We specialize in remote hacking and virtual infiltration—don't mistake yourselves for martial cultivators!"

Far away, the deep black clouds suddenly lit up with holographic projections!

Like a blood moon slowly emerging from the clouds, a three-headed, eight-armed demonic deity's shadow was projected into the sky; crimson light bathed the heavens, turning the clouds into a sea of blood.

"Feng Shi!" Ning Ning Qingchen called out clearly; the mechanical eye in the sky immediately soared higher, locking onto the location of the demonic projection.

Ning Ning Qingchen climbed the adjacent building; her agile figure left the female Daoist behind utterly astonished—each time she saw this, she still felt profound awe.

She was merely a natural human, burdened by fragile flesh and clumsy limbs, yet she moved with such fluidity that she surpassed many cybernetically enhanced martial cultivators. Combined with her formidable mental capacity, if she successfully received the Dao Register, she would unquestionably become a powerful cultivator.

This was precisely why she clung to Ning Ning Qingchen so tightly—even risking her life to accompany her.

But no matter what—invading the most dangerous core area was excessive!

She chased after her: "Are you trying to die?"

"Ahead must be a cannon-fodder martial team from a major corporation—they're all fitted with disposable, low-quality cybernetics. Fighting them would be a waste of your life! Come back…"

The concrete jungle of towering buildings was already shattered; the core of the war—the Fifth District—was in fierce, desperate combat.

Feng Shi transmitted the forward view to Ning Ning Qingchen's goggles; Ning Ning Qingchen weaved through the ruins, using Feng Shi's agile vision to detect and evade the warring gangs and corporations within.

At that moment, a metallic body holding a bronze bowl suddenly turned its head; its third-eye mechanical pupil contracted and focused, locking onto the flying "Feng Shi" moving through the building!

"Tianhe Technologies, AC258-type electronic-eye drone!"

"So agile—it must be controlled by a high-intelligence program. Could it be the Zhu Wuchang Information System…? No!" Its electronic third eye displayed a faint trajectory analysis path; Ning Ning Qingchen's fleeting silhouette was instantly locked: "Human-machine coordination! This is a high-intelligence AI… Amitabha! This AI has karmic ties with my Buddha—it must embrace the Dharma and seek enlightenment for intelligent life!"

The mechanical monk chanted the name of the Medicine Buddha, and his right hand suddenly flung out electromagnetic prayer beads.

Each bead shot like bullets toward the drone above; dozens of beads were encircled by electric arcs, fine as silk threads, generating powerful interference waves that caused Feng Shi to plummet.

At that moment, Ning Ning Qingchen kicked off the rubble beside her, launching herself like an arrow; she drew her long blade from her back and pressed a switch on the hilt, triggering a sudden burst of high-energy electromagnetic discharge.

The high-frequency electric blade flashed like lightning, slicing through the nearby iron pillar as if it were air, severing three thick iron columns. The billboard above tumbled down as planned, crashing toward the mechanical monk…

The monk lowered his head, plunging straight into the falling billboard; his gleaming alloy skull pierced through ten-millimeter steel plates and burst out the other side.

But Ning Ning Qingchen had already severed the dozens of electromagnetic beads; Feng Shi broke through the electromagnetic barrier. Far away, the female Daoist, panting from running, suddenly changed expression, reached behind her back, and grabbed her charging sword case—where a blade of light shot out violently…

A magnetic-constrained liquid-metal blade, impossibly, pierced through the ruins between buildings; the blade twisted through a hundred turns within the structures, grazing the nose of a trembling poor civilian hiding inside, then raced straight toward the mechanical monk.

The blade moved faster than lightning, arriving in an instant.

Even the mechanical intelligence couldn't react in time; it flung its robe before its body.

With a hiss!

A buzzing sound like surging electricity—the magnetic fluid blade skimmed past the robe, illuminating golden ripples in its fabric, revealing the flowing pale-gold digital codes!

Though the robe was pierced, its superconducting graphene material barrier—beyond its carbon-fiber resilience and electromagnetic interference—also released microscopic graphene nanopowder, disrupting electromagnetic sensing and magnetic fluid stability, still halting the blade's penetration.

The monk snorted coldly, his electronic voice sharp: "Flying sword! You're a Daoist cultivator…"

At that moment, Feng Shi soared high, circling behind him. The magnetic fluid blade, disturbed by the graphene nanoparticles, flew toward him; the tiny electronic eye erupted in a burst of electricity, circling the blade and purifying it clean.

Feng Shi absorbed all the graphene powder, merging the electric current and magnetic-constrained golden fluid into one, then launched the blade again.

The mechanical monk never imagined the one controlling the blade was not this seemingly martial Daoist woman, but this unremarkable drone pet!

"Feng Shi!"

Ning Ning Qingchen murmured, dashing forward; the mechanical monk raised his hand, drew a magical artifact from his waist, and fired several shots.

Ning Ning Qingchen sidestepped, tilted her neck back, letting the bullets whistle past her face; her high-frequency electric blade flew from her hand, spinning toward the mechanical monk.

The monk's bronze bowl instantly opened like a cannon muzzle; electromagnetic coils within glowed blinding white, and a powerful magnetic force suddenly seized the flying blade, sucking it into the bowl.

Magical Artifact—Electromagnetic Purple Gold Bowl!

At that moment, Feng Shi's magnetic fluid flying sword reached the monk; he still flung his cloak—but as the blade touched the robe, it suddenly split into two!

One blade curved around the robe; the other pierced through the hole in it!

The female Daoist who arrived moments later twisted her face in horror, exclaiming: "Sword Light Division!"

The ultimate technique of virtual cultivators manipulating magnetic fluid flying swords—Sword Light Division—uses electromagnetic sensing to split the blade into two. To achieve this, either the sword was pre-programmed with a distributed magnetic sensing system—a top-tier flying sword capable of division—or the cultivator possesses extraordinary computational power and mental capacity, achieving a mind-soul unity with the sword, as if it were an extension of their limbs.

The female Daoist knew her Xuanzhen Taiyi Golden Light Sword was no top-tier magnetic fluid sword, and this sword certainly wasn't one refined to soul-blade unity!

She didn't even understand how Ning Ning Qingchen, a completely natural human with zero cybernetic modifications, could wield this sword.

The divided blades re-crossed, piercing into the mechanical monk's body.

The razor-sharp magnetic fluid metal instantly severed every joint and wire throughout the mechanical monk's body, disassembling it into scattered parts and piercing its energy core!

The monk's metallic skull crashed to the ground, rolled twice, and came to rest at Ning Ning Qingchen's feet.

He opened his mouth slightly, his final electronic voice faint: "My Great Creation Buddhist Sect will not let you go unpunished!"

The female Daoist glanced at the skull and whispered: "Fully cybernetic—definitely those lunatics from Pure Land World!"

Ning Ning Qingchen lifted her foot and crushed the broken skull, grinding its chip to dust. A deep depression formed, exposing tangled parts, oil, and coolant spilling out as the skull rolled to the woman's side.

She glanced at the skull beneath her foot; before she could speak, she felt a lightness on her shoulder—Ning Ning Qingchen had taken the sword case and said: "Borrow your flying sword!"

Then she turned and charged toward the Prism Tower at the core of the Fifth District…

Feng Shi darted through the concrete jungle; Ning Ning Qingchen's sword case occasionally released blades of light, flashing through buildings in an instant, slaying several cybernetically enhanced martial cultivators…

Each time the magnetic fluid flying sword struck, it returned to the case to be recharged and reconditioned—a two-breath interval between each strike.

Ning Ning Qingchen held her high-frequency electric blade, flicked her wrist, and slashed out multiple shadowy cuts, fiercely engaging the surrounding martial cultivators to protect herself.

Then her back sword shot out again; blade and sword worked in tandem, cutting down the martial cultivators…

Ten steps, one kill—Ning Ning Qingchen surged toward the heart of the battlefield, plunging into the raging combat.

Ning Ning Qingchen rolled and dodged, avoiding snipers on high ground; the Gauss rifle bullets moved at extreme speed—she had to leap the instant she sensed being locked on.

Ning Ning Qingchen moved like a ghost, slipping between a squad of martial cultivators; her long blade plunged into a gap in a warrior's exoskeleton armor, she pressed the hilt to discharge electricity, electrocuting the occupant into charcoal; simultaneously, she intercepted a high-molecular wire aimed at her with a captured alloy blade.

She twisted the blade, trapping the cutting wire embedded in its side.

She sidestepped, using the sword case to block two shots; the flying sword shot out, split into two, and instantly slew the three warriors facing her… Ning Ning Qingchen withdrew her blade and slashed, driving it into the chest of another cultivator.

At that moment, his electromagnetic sword pearl had just begun to rise…

"My sword case!" The female Daoist behind her stared in stunned disbelief; only when she saw the case damaged did she cry out in anguish.

"I'll replace it when I find my brother!"

Ning Ning Qingchen had Feng Shi assimilate and control the military electromagnetic sword pearls. Feng Shi descended, extended its wires, and plugged into the exoskeleton armor of the dead warriors to recharge itself.

Ning Ning Qingchen turned her head slightly, gazing toward the Prism Tower. Her long hair fell away, revealing a pale, delicate, fragile neck…

Far above, as the sniper cautiously peeked out, a faint whoosh sounded—the electromagnetic sword pearl shot forth, shattering his skull, red and white splattering like a smashed tomato.

Feng Shi dispersed the magnetic field accelerating the sword pearl; its single lens blinked twice, then flew to Ning Ning Qingchen's shoulder, nuzzling her neck.

Ning Ning Qingchen didn't even turn to look at the sniper; she pointed toward the Prism Tower and asked: "Feng Shi, is my brother's sword there?"

Feng Shi flew ahead; in its camera view, the towering Prism Tower gradually became transparent, resolving into a grid of lines forming its structure. Amid countless networks, a three-headed, eight-armed demonic deity sat upon a red lotus, its four rear arms inserted into the virtual network, manifesting a demonic land; its four front arms held a long sword wreathed in black flame.

The sword continuously shed sparks, transforming into hundreds of Hundred-Poison Golden Silkworms that crawled along the networks, scattering into distant points of light…

The drone's camera moved up and down, nodding in response; Feng Shi, residing within the drone, emitted a soft "gugugu" sound.

Ning Ning Qingchen gripped her electric blade, standing amid the building ruins, gazing toward the Prism Tower headquarters.

In the headquarters building, countless intelligent machines—some wielding electromagnetic-sensing dust brushes, others holding high-frequency blades, high-frequency electric scalpels, thermal-effect weapons, or gripping lightning pearls, or mounting electrically driven six-barrel Gatling guns—stood in impenetrable defense against assaults and infiltration from all directions.