After Fan Fengfei left, Qi Suian waited for what he estimated to be the right amount of time before making a run for it, leaving a trail of sparks and lightning in his wake.
"AI Brain, what’s the success rate if I launch an ICBM to blow up Longjing City right now?" Qi Suian was still fixated on the idea.
[Calculating based on position, region... etc. Success rate is as high as eighty percent.]
[However, this action will likely cause the Sect Leader of the Dragon Whale Sect to be completely unrestrained, and she will hunt you down endlessly.]
[With your current strength, you would likely be unable to resist.]
He could do it, but the consequences would be severe.
So naturally, Qi Suian gave up on the idea.
[It is recommended that you use the Dragon Whale Hide, the Dragon Whale Five Techniques, and the Dragon Whale Bloodline to perfect your own Spiritual Manifestation as soon as possible.]
[Once you possess sufficient strength, it will not be too late to make your move.]
The AI Brain was basically saying you have to be strong enough to forge the iron. As long as Qi Suian had power comparable to Fan Fengfei’s, he could blow up the city whenever he wanted. At worst, he could coordinate with the Tai Sui God and kill Fan Fengfei too.
However, that was easier said than done.
In the entire Sacred Artifact World, even if Fan Fengfei was no match for the King and the Emperor, she could still rank third.
For Qi Suian to grow to that level, he would need at least a month or two.
And that was assuming everything was ready and all he needed was the final push. Before, he wouldn’t have had the slightest bit of confidence.
"Find a safe... no, find a more distant location," Qi Suian said.
True safety was impossible. The sacred artifacts in the Sacred Artifact World were bizarre and varied. While the number of artifacts capable of tracking him might not be countless, each had its own unique method.
However, the Dragon Whale Sect wasn’t as precise in this regard. After all, as an external faction of survivors, their foundation was in their Spiritual Manifestations. Compared to the two great nations, their collection of sacred artifacts was naturally lacking.
That was why the two great nations could find Qi Suian with relative ease, but it wouldn’t be so simple for the Dragon Whale Sect.
’I’ve managed to offend every faction on the entire planet at once. It’s a good thing I prepared a trump card beforehand. Otherwise, relying on the Floating Cannons alone wouldn’t have made things this easy.’
Qi Suian understood that Fan Fengfei’s repeated tolerance wasn’t just because he had her by the throat, but also because he had a powerful ICBM as his ultimate safety net.
The Floating Cannons were powerful enough, and in some ways, even stronger than the ICBM. They could kill instantly, but their limited range, area of effect, and speed meant they didn’t have as much deterrent power.
Combined with the help of his protagonist’s plot armor, Qi Suian was able to escape smoothly. Otherwise, he didn’t know how many times he would have died already.
[Target selected. En route...]
The Tai Sui God began to move.
It flew directly across the battlefield region, not planning to enter the territory of the two nations.
Many areas within the two nations’ territories contained sacred artifacts with flight-restricting and anti-air properties, which would affect the Tai Sui God.
The abilities of sacred artifacts were already approaching the level of concepts and rules.
At least, they weren’t something the Tai Sui God could resist at its current stage.
Qi Suian suspected that the Tai Sui God’s four traits were also on the level of concepts and rules.
However, these four traits couldn’t be used to fight against sacred artifacts. They were inherently passive, growth-type abilities.
It was like sending a group of scientists onto a battlefield with guns. They could be much more effective in the rear, but instead, they were being sent to their deaths.
The Tai Sui God flew nonstop and soon reached the location designated by the AI Brain.
With the satellite projection, the Tai Sui God no longer had to worry about getting lost.
After arriving, it naturally began to set up, and soon, a laboratory was complete.
Once a series of disinfection procedures were completed, he finally took out Li Yao’s brain.
With a supply of nutrients, the liquid substance at the brainstem had expanded. It now covered more than half the brain, and a good amount had overflowed.
Qi Suian carefully extracted it and began an in-depth study.
’The surface of the substance carries some kind of information.’
’Like... the Terminator?’ Qi Suian racked his brain and recalled something about the robots from *The Terminator*.
’It possesses both activity and a strengthening effect, and upon aggregating to a certain degree, it will produce an even stronger effect.’
’To make an analogy, it would be like giving birth to a related talent.’
Qi Suian tried to extract the information contained within the liquid substance, but after a great deal of effort, he ultimately failed.
’It has this technological encryption. Attempting to crack it through illegal means triggers a counterattack. If the counterattack fails, it self-destructs.’
’As expected, the path of bloodline transplantation is a dead end.’
When Qi Suian saw that such a small amount of the proliferating liquid could give Li Yao a body far beyond ordinary, he definitely wanted it for himself.
But that was just his idea; the Dragon Whale Bloodline itself was not willing.
Therefore, even if it were transplanted into his body, he wouldn’t gain the bloodline’s power. It would only cause severe rejection.
In the end, either the Dragon Whale Bloodline would devour Qi Suian and turn him into a mindless monster that only followed its instincts, or the Abyssal Virus would completely consume the Dragon Whale Bloodline, turning it into a bit of energy.
There was no other possibility.
If Qi Suian were a Spiritual Manifestation Human, the transplant might have succeeded. Unfortunately, he was currently an energy-based, virus-type, humanoid creature.
To the Dragon Whale Bloodline, it was almost like being transplanted from a human into a banana.
After all, the genetic similarity between humans and bananas ranges from 41% to 60%.
When Qi Suian was an Abyssal Human before, the similarity was indeed high, but now it was only about that much.
"Then let’s try using the Dragon Whale Hide," Qi Suian said, taking it out. "But the prerequisite is to activate the residual life force on the hide."
’If this works, I might be able to clone a Dragon Whale.’
’There’s a way to activate it. I can use the Dragon Whale Five Techniques directly. Based on their connection, these five Quenching Methods must have originated from the Dragon Whale.’
’But the activation process is a bit troublesome. I can only try it slowly.’
The Dragon Whale Hide had been dead for a long time, but because of the Spiritual Manifestation Quenching Methods recorded on it, a portion of its essence remained.
Even if Qi Suian managed to activate it, it wouldn’t be a true restoration. He would be using a method of overdraft similar to a final burst of life before death.
Once that residual life force is depleted, the Dragon Whale Five Techniques recorded on it will also disappear.
’The life force on it is essentially a remnant of Spiritual Manifestation, which is why it could be preserved for so long.’
’Otherwise, even the Dragon Whale Hide itself would have been damaged.’
Thinking back on how the Dragon Whale Sect had stored the Dragon Whale Hide, Qi Suian couldn’t help but shake his head.
They were even cruder than he was.
The fact that it survived to this day was thanks to the existence of the Extraordinary, coupled with the Dragon Whale Hide’s own remarkable origins.
Otherwise, it would have been scrap long ago.
"When you do too many destructive experiments, you tend to stop cherishing the test subjects," Qi Suian mocked himself.
Once activated, the number of experiments he could run on the Dragon Whale Hide would drop significantly.
But it didn’t matter. Qi Suian had plot armor; he was supposed to be this reckless.
There was absolutely no need to be cautious.
’By using the directed evolution program... that is, the Dragon Whale Five Techniques, as a circuit, combining it with the Dragon Whale Hide itself, and injecting this liquid from the Dragon Whale Bloodline as an energy source...’
’As long as the process is smooth and the results are correct, the probability of temporarily restoring a sliver of the Dragon Whale Hide’s former power is not small.’
’With this as a reference, I can start working on my own Quenching Method.’
Qi Suian continuously performed calculations and deductions, arriving at several conclusions.
’Spiritual Manifestation, in essence, is meant to be used by people who possess certain special bloodlines.’
’These people can use their own bloodlines, even at low concentrations, to unleash the power of their bloodline’s ancestors.’
’However, very few people possess such bloodlines, let alone cultivate a Spiritual Manifestation that matches their own bloodline.’
’So, Spiritual Manifestation Humans use external stimuli and directed evolution to artificially obtain the Spiritual Manifestations that only those with bloodlines should possess.’
’And this process is called cultivation.’
’Now that I have the source of Spiritual Manifestation—the bloodline—I can forge a completely new path.’
Qi Suian began his experiment. The so-called bloodline was not transmitted by blood relation, but through spiritual infection.
In other words, through Spiritual Manifestation.
This meant that if Fan Fengfei could break through her current limits, the Dragon Whale Bloodline could be born within her body.
As for Li Yao, it wasn’t because of his strength. He had survived because his Spirit was infected by an even more powerful Dragon Whale-type Spiritual Manifestation, and it became a recessive gene.
Of course, that was also because he had plot armor. Otherwise, the survival rate would have been only one in ten thousand.
’By using the Abyssal Virus for reverse infection, couldn’t I create a whole new life form?’
’After all, if a dragon and a whale can be crossbred, and a virus is a life form, why not?’
’Moreover, I can perform biochemical modifications to ultimately achieve the result I need.’
-----------------
"Alright, you may leave."
"I will avenge Wei Jiang. From now on, you will have to carry the banner of the Dragon Whale Sect." Fan Fengfei glanced at the weeping Helan and comforted her softly.
There was no culture of misogyny within the Dragon Whale Sect; it was simply a matter of the capable rising and the incompetent falling.
Now that Wei Jiang was dead, Helan, as the second senior sister, would certainly have to take up the mantle.
Wei Jiang’s death couldn’t be hidden. It was better to announce it early to prepare and avoid further complications.
After Helan left in sorrow, Fan Fengfei’s gaze fell upon Li Yao’s body.
A sacred artifact had already restored his brain, but he had become an empty shell.
He had no consciousness and couldn’t even eat or excrete. His life was sustained entirely by a sacred artifact.
"If you hadn’t run, you wouldn’t have ended up in this state." Fan Fengfei shook her head.
He wasn’t dead, but there wasn’t much difference.
To recover, she would probably have to take his brain back from the Iron Armor Man.
However, Fan Fengfei had no such intention.
After obtaining the Ring of Unwavering Loyalty from the Iron Armor Man, she had further completed the fragmented ’Eternal Love’ in her possession.
Furthermore, because the Ring of Unwavering Loyalty was itself the core of a fusion ability, the original restrictions had been greatly loosened.
This allowed Fan Fengfei to directly merge with Li Yao.
Whether he had a brain or not was unimportant. What she wanted was Li Yao himself.
"The day I become a living Divine Being is today!" Fan Fengfei activated the power of Eternal Love and directly merged with Li Yao’s body.
The entire process was exceptionally smooth. When she opened her eyes again, her expression was strange.
’I can actually... sense the locations of the other original sacred artifacts of Eternal Love.’
’It seems to be telling me to collect them all.’