Chapter 1389 The Arcane Church: It Does Not Feel Like a Loss, We Might Have Even Profited
Retracting his gaze from the attribute interface, Han Xiao turned around and saw Kasuyi looking like he wanted to test out his Transcendent strength personally. He smiled and waved.
“There’s no need for a spar. I’ve just stepped into the Transcendent Grade, so I’m not familiar with my strength yet. If I don’t control it well, I’m afraid I won’t be able to hold back and kill you. If that happens, I’ll have to revive you and give myself more trouble.”
Is this even human language?
Kasuyi tilted his head. Seeing that Han Xiao had no intention of showing it, Kasuyi did not insist and could only give up on this thought for the time being. After all, there was still a long way to go, he would see it sooner or later.
Glancing at the four of them, Han Xiao smiled and said,
“Everyone, I still need to familiarize myself with my strength, so I’ll take my leave first… By the way, Wuornos, just let me know when you’re ready to unseal the Ten Thousand Deity Scepter.” With that said, he nodded and left. He disappeared from everyone’s sight in a flash. The remaining four looked at each other. The atmosphere was a little strange. Black Star had shown them the way to become a Transcendent. This kind of secret was most valuable only if they held it alone. None of the four of them were willing to leak it out. If it was in the past, they might even have thought of killing each other. However, the times had changed. Black Star was above them, and the a.s.sociation had united the Beyond Grade As. There were still enemies outside, so they could only endure others sharing this secret.
“Don’t forget Black Star’s instructions. It’s enough for us to know his method of advancement. Don’t tell anyone else without his approval,” Sierron said with a deep voice.
“Heh, do I look like someone who would spout nonsense?” Milizaus snorted. “Black Star is the president, and we’re also members of the a.s.sociation. Of course, we won’t say anything, but the direct descendants of the civilization might .” Kasuyi narrowed his eyes and stared at Wuornos. Hearing this, Milizaus and Sierron also turned to look at Wuornos with subtle expressions.
None of them had the motive to leak the secret, but Wuornos was a direct member of the church. If the upper echelons of the civilization asked him for this method, would he keep it a secret? As a member of the a.s.sociation, the three of them considered it from the perspective of the faction. If the a.s.sociation was the only one who knew how to advance to the Beyond Grade, it would be a new bargaining chip to attract Supers, and they would be able to suppress the three Universal Civilizations in terms of individual strength.
Wuornos’ face was calm, and he did not give in verbally. He said casually, “I will also try to advance. Even if I don’t say it, they will know when the time comes.”
“Tsk.” Sierron snorted but did not retort.
Seeing that the three of them had nothing else to say, Wuornos did not stay any longer. He turned around and left in a hurry.
He only wanted to return to the Arcane Church as soon as possible, unable to wait to study Black Star’s advancement method. Kasuyi and the other two watched him leave without moving. “The Church’s National Treasure is in this guy’s hands. With Black Star’s successful case, the Arcane Church probably won’t lend it to outsiders anymore…” Milizaus smacked his lips.
“Hmm, in that case, only Wuornos and the direct members of the church will be able to replicate the method that Black Star used. We can forget about it.” Sierron nodded. “Black Star is a Mechanic and has reached a higher level. Maybe he can find a replacement. We’ll know when we ask.”
Kasuyi’s expression was calm.
Considering that the Arcane Church National Weapon was an indispensable tool for Black Star’s advancement method, the few of them had the thought of s.n.a.t.c.hing it. However, after thinking about it, they decided not to. Wuornos was not easy to deal with, and the three of them represented the a.s.sociation. They were not willing to create trouble for Black Star.
Now that Black Star had opened a new level, his position as the a.s.sociation’s leader was even more stable. Originally, they were all on the same level, so even if they listened to his orders temporarily, they would not treat themselves as Black Star’s subordinates.
However, as Black Star entered a new realm, their relations.h.i.+p subtly changed. It was just that the three of them had yet to feel the subtle change in their subconscious. At this time, Milizaus suddenly thought of something and asked, “By the way, although the method of advancement has to be kept a secret, there’s no need to hide the fact that Black Star has become a Transcendent, right?”
Kasuyi shook his head and said, “Since Black Star did not give any special instructions, then there’s no need to. Furthermore, there’s no need to hide such a good thing. However, it’s only limited to the upper echelons of the a.s.sociation. As for the three Universal Civilizations, they will most likely know about the situation through Wuornos, but they won’t spread it around.”
On the other side, the Arcane Church.
“What did you say? Black Star actually succeeded?!” The Pope’s eyes widened in shock. Wuornos, who had come to report, nodded calmly and slowly continued. “That’s right. Black Star has already stepped into a higher level of individual strength. He named it the Transcendent Grade. I witnessed it with my own eyes.” “Didn’t you say that stepping into the new tier is very difficult? You said that lending out the Void Spirit Kingdom’s weapon would be no big deal, because how many times Black Star would fail?” The Pope stared at Wuornos, both shocked and furious.
“Oh, I miscalculated,” Wuornos said with an expressionless face.
“That’s it?! Do you think you can get away with it with just this sentence?!”
The Pope glared at him, getting even more furious.
If not for the fact that you kept emphasizing that this deal would definitely be profitable, why would we lend the Void Spirit National Treasure to help Black Star advance? Are you hooking up with Black Star and speaking for him to trick me?! I really don’t believe you! “Then what do you want?” Wuornos glanced at him.
The Pope closed his eyes and took a deep breath to calm himself down. Only then did he speak. “No matter what, this has already happened. Think of a way to salvage the situation.”
Because of a wrong decision, he had helped Black Star reach a higher level of individual strength. He was filled with regret. If he had known, he would have rejected Black Star’s request! However, now was not the time to s.h.i.+ft the blame. He was the one who had given the order, and he could not s.h.i.+rk the responsibility. The Pope quickly got rid of his anger, regret, and other emotions. “On the bright side, at least we got the Ten Thousand Deity Scepter back… provided Black Star doesn’t go back on his word.” The Pope shook his head. “There’s no need for him to go back on his word,” Wuornos said calmly. “This Universal Treasure is no longer a threat to him.”
“That’s true…”
Hearing this, the Pope felt even more upset. He only felt that the Ten Thousand Deity Scepter was no longer that tempting.
This deal was a huge loss!
However, at this moment, Wuornos slowly said,
“However, it’s not like I didn’t gain anything this time. I watched the entire process of Black Star’s advancement and have already grasped his method. I won’t be as clueless as before. I can replicate this successful case and reach a higher level.” The Pope sat in silence for a moment before his eyes lit up. Although the advancement of Black Star was beneficial to the war against the outside world, it would not be a good thing for the three Universal Civilizations in the long term. However, his direct descendant had now learned the method of Black Star’s advancement. As long as they succeeded, he would have another Transcendent Grade Super on his side to fight Black Star, forming a new balance without having to worry about Black Star losing control! More importantly, the ones who could use this method were the people of the Church. Even if the three Universal Civilizations were linked together right now, there were still segregated as civilizations. With this method, the Church could also suppress the other two civilizations in terms of individual strength! The Pope was in a good mood. “How confident are you of success?”
Wuornos thought for a moment and nodded, “There’s a seventy percent chance that I can reach the Transcendent Grade like Black Star.” “Okay!”
The Pope perked up. The 70% chance was quite high! When they were chatting in the past, Wuornos had said that he was not confident at all. Now, the chance had increased countless times.
In that case, not only would helping Black Star not be a loss, but it would even be a small gain
Thinking deeper, it was fortunate that Black Star needed to borrow the Void Spirit Kingdom’s weapon this time. Otherwise, the direct descendants of the civilization would not have known about his secret advancement, and this advancement method would have been monopolized only by the a.s.sociation.
In that case, wouldn’t the future be even more disadvantageous for the three Universal Civilizations?!
Thinking of this, the Pope felt much better and finally smiled. “The Church will do its best to provide you with resources to help you reach the Transcendent Grade. If you need anything, just tell us. Don’t hesitate!” “Don’t worry, I won’t hold back.”
Wuornos nodded. The Pope thought for a moment and said, “Also, keep the matter of the Promotion method a secret for the time being. As for the success of Black Star’s Promotion, I’ll inform the leaders of the Federation of Light and the Crimson Dynasty. We have common interests in this, and we can’t hide it from them. We need to talk to Black Star.”
“Up to you. As long as it helps me.”
Wuornos did not care about these miscellaneous matters. All he wanted to do was copy Han Xiao’s advancement method. He could almost see the higher level that he had always dreamed of, waving at him.
A day later, in the territory of the Black Star Army, the exclusive machinery factory. Han Xiao looked at the cloud of Mechanical Force in his palm, and his pupils constricted as though he was observing the microscopic world.
After a while, he suddenly clenched his fingers and crushed it into pieces, creating a golden shockwave.
“The last advancement of the Mechanic cla.s.s. Its strength is truly unique…”
Han Xiao murmured.
Throughout the day, he was mainly testing out the new abilities brought by his Cla.s.s Advancement. By now, he had more or less figured it out, and he was speechless.
(Beyonder Artifact) was a core talent. It was similar to the advanced version of (Spirit Instrument]. The success rate of developing and creating golden blueprints would increase greatly, and there was also a small chance of creating a s.p.a.ce Wonder.
The most important thing was that this talent unlocked an even higher grade for equipment, which was the red ‘Divine Artifact’ grade. However, this grade was not achieved through crafting but through strengthening the original machinery, greatly enhancing its effect. Furthermore, there was a limit to the number of Divine Artifacts, so one could enhance up to three Divine Artifacts.
However, the targets that could enjoy the bonuses could be changed. The mechanism was similar to the Apostle Weapons. If he wanted to strengthen the fourth machine into a Divine Artifact equipment, he just had to take back the bonuses of his previous Divine Artifact equipment. (Energy Base—G.o.d of All Machines] was also a core talent, similar to Sorokin’s (Spiritual Energy Foundation). The effect of this skill was that the basic unit of energy production was no longer limited to one’s cells. Machinery and virtual data could also generate energy. If Han Xiao turned himself into a mechanical or Virtual Lifeform, or if he did any reproductive modifications to himself, there would be no difference from before, and his strength would not be affected. This meant that he could already exist without his physical body.
From this perspective, the fusion of Herberlon’s body with machinery was just an incomplete version of this ability. The (Energy Base-G.o.d of All Machines] was the final ideal state.
In addition, this talent also gave him a high Machinery Affinity bonus, which was very shocking In addition, his new skill (Information Uniqueness-Conceptual Immortality) was not an ability brought about by Cla.s.s Advancement but a talent that had reached Grade X. Just as Han Xiao had guessed, after entering a new Grade, his information form had also changed drastically, giving him the ability to revive automatically.
Be it life form or network data, as long as there were information carriers in the entire universe that recorded his deeds, as long as he was not forgotten by everyone, as long as someone still recited his name, he would not completely perish. If he died, there would be no need for him to use the Sanctum to revive. He could automatically trigger an information state disturbance and revive in a certain region of the universe. This was close to eternal indestructibility.
Most importantly, the rebirth brought by this talent would not damage the integrity of his information. This meant that it was not like the Sanctum Revival, where every revival caused one to be weaker. The only thing that confused Han Xiao was that the Sanctum was also an information carrier. If (Information UniquenessConceptual Immortality) was usable for all situations, would he be able to survive through the later iterations? He did not know if there were any Transcendent Grade existences in the past. If this conjecture was true, then those Transcendents should have been left behind, which should have made a greater impact on the current universe.
“If only I could test it out.”
Han Xiao shook his head.
He felt that the Sanctum that was ‘outside of the Three Realms was not part of the Five Elements"[1] probably did not belong to the information carrier that allowed his [Information Uniqueness-Conceptual Immortality) to take effect. The range of effect of this talent should only be limited to his current universe iteration and the secondary dimensions.
However, even so, it was still powerful enough. Just like what the attribute interface said, everything in the world was one with him. The information state was the source of his existence. As long as nothing went wrong, he could live till the end of the universe. The three talents were all very useful, and the abilities were also extraordinary. Among them, [Mechanical Deity – Supreme Heavenly Venerate) was the advanced version of the Mechanical Deity… No, rather than saying that it was an advancement, it would be better to say that the original Mechanical Deity was just the prerequisite form of this skill. The Mechanical Deity could change its structure on its own. Similarly, it also had the concept of a blueprint. Some Mechanical Deity with certain forms would have additional bonuses.
[Mechanical Deity – Supreme Heavenly Venerate] was one of the final forms of the Mechanical Deity. It was much more powerful than the advanced version of the Mechanical Deity that Han Xiao created. The two were worlds apart.
The skill introduction showed that the skills obtained from the three Mechanic branches were all different. (Mechanical Deity – Supreme Heavenly Venerate] belonged to the Virtual Branch, while the Armed Branch and Energy Branch’s skills were respectively [Mechanical Deity – Universe Emperor) and [Mechanical Deity – Origin Divine Lord]. They corresponded to different final forms, all of which sounded extremely domineering.
Not only that, through his core talent (Energy Base-G.o.d of All Machines], he realized that when he transformed into a Mechanical Deity, he no longer needed a physical body as the core to provide Mechanical Force. He could directly turn the mechanical sh.e.l.l into his own!
This meant that if he truly became a Mechanical Deity, he would not even have to consume any energy. Even if he did not have the means to quickly recover his energy, he could still maintain his Mechanical Deity state indefinitely and live in this form!
In addition, (Life Transformation: Virtual] and [Life Transformation: Myriad Machine) had similar effects. These two abilities could change one’s life form, and with the blessing of [Energy Base-G.o.d of All Machines), the body was no longer a shackle. At the same time, these two skills could not only be used on oneself but also on others. As long as the judgment was successful, the target could be instantly transformed into a stream of virtual data or mechanical body, changing the form of the other party’s existence. It could make an entire planet turn into a mechanical or virtual life form. This ability was infinitesimally close to the power of a G.o.d. (Virtual Creation (Pseudo)] was even more unbelievable. According to the skill introduction, this ability was similar to the virtual transformation ability of the World Tree. It could turn the things created in the virtual world into physical objects, like a true G.o.d of creation. However, the reason why this ability had a ‘pseudo’ suffix was that there were many restrictions. Firstly, it was impossible to convert items that did not exist in reality, things that he did not know, and things that went against the natural laws. Secondly, the conversion would require an equivalent amount of resources. For example, the data of a mechanical army would have to be copied in the virtual world, and the corresponding materials would have to be prepared. However, using this skill meant that the process of manufacturing could be skipped, making it very suitable for ma.s.s production of soldiers.
Similarly, it was very useful in the manufacturing aspect. Even the Universal
Treasures that he knew of could be ma.s.s-produced using this method. The success rate was almost 100%. However, the third limitation was that the transformation was temporary. Once the time was up, it would disintegrate on its own and would not last permanently. “This ability can be considered a s.p.a.ce Wonder in the eyes of ordinary people. It’s called Virtual Technology, but it should be an information form ability. I need to study it more…”
Han Xiao exhaled.
Although (Virtual Creation (Pseudo)] was miraculous, because of these restrictions, it was not as powerful. But it still remained useful. Through (G.o.dly Stronghold), it could also temporarily explode with a large number of soldiers, but it was still far from the true s.p.a.ce Wonder like the World Tree. “However, this ability is quite similar to the World Tree. Will there be any connection…”
Han Xiao’s eyes sparkled, and he had a bold idea.
Maybe if the World Tree ate him, it would be able to make up for its deficiencies. On the other hand, if he rooted out the World Tree, he might be able to make up for the deficit of the skill…
[1] This is more of a wuxia/xianxia saying, that this object or person is an irregular and does not follow the natural laws of the world