LWGP - Chapter 277
Chapter 277: A Windfall
Yuan Wei: "I'll just mention three things. You should already know the rest, and the minor details aren't important."
He was well aware of Wang Jiu's personality and knew she disliked trivialities, so he said, "The first matter is that the Founder, as the first life born on Earth, created the Spirit Dao. Ten thousand years later, the Eternal Night Empress descended upon Earth. At that time, she disguised herself as another life form to get to know him. The Founder trusted her completely, and the two became inseparable. As it turned out, he had no idea that the Empress had sensed the immense spirit energy born on Earth from across the cosmos. You all know of the Eternal Night mechanical race's extreme obsession with energy; after all, their entire race runs on it. So, the Empress descended upon Earth. But she soon discovered that beyond the spirit veins, the Spirit Dao controlled by the Founder was the true path to power. Compared to the fixed strength of the Eternal Night mechanical race, the developmental ceiling of the Spirit Dao was limitless, with the potential to reach the cosmic apex. Thus, she requested to learn the Spirit Dao. The Founder did not refuse. But perhaps due to their racial constitution, mechanical bodies could never cultivate the Spirit Dao. A different thought grew in her heart, and she secretly plotted against the Founder, intending to seize his Spirit Core for her own use. Fortunately, the Founder sensed it at the critical moment and fought her to the death. But the Mechanical Empress was too powerful and directly summoned thousands of mechanical starships to bombard the Earth. By then, many life forms had already been born on Earth. Seeing that the planet was about to be destroyed, the Founder had no choice but to use something at the cost of his Dao body, ultimately defeating the Mechanical Empress and expelling her from Earth. The Founder's Dao foundation was damaged as a result, and he fell into long periods of dormancy. But to resist the threat of the Mechanical Empress, he developed the Primordial Spirit Race… You all know the rest of the story."
As everyone was digesting this information, Xing Yao asked, "What was that thing? And what's the deal with Earth's four spacetimes and the game?"
Yuan Wei: "The game… The Founder created it when he sensed he could no longer exist in the physical world and was about to enter complete dormancy. He knew that the Primordial Spirit Race of that time was not enough to resist the Eternal Night Race. He had to rely on Earth's population base to create more, even using a method like raising gu worms to birth stronger individuals, perhaps even someone who could surpass him. By then, he had, after all, come into contact with the Mechanical Empress and knew she was an extraterrestrial mechanical being. Fighting her to the death only deepened his understanding. Therefore, he used spirit energy and metal to create the game. Of course, the main foundation was still that thing, the treasure the Founder used to defeat the Mechanical Empress—the World Heart."
"The World Heart is the origin of Earth's development. Space, time, matter, life—everything stems from it. After the game was created, over the long eons, generations of life forms entered, and generations of powerful experts were born. But they also experienced war after war, defeat after defeat, constant defeat. Each time, just before they were about to be destroyed, the World Heart would spontaneously split off a spacetime. The splitting of the four spacetimes is a self-preservation measure for Earth, because separating the spacetimes is equivalent to gaining three extra lives. Each one is a clone of Earth, and also a path of retreat."
A high-ranking official, quite perceptive, couldn't help but ask, "Three lives? So, the fourth life is different from them?"
Qing He: "The third spacetime was the last to be loaded. As the final, original body, it can no longer be split and can only develop on its own. Therefore, the World Heart exists in this spacetime, which is also why your Primordial Spirit Race hid here."
Yuan Wei nodded. He didn't need to concern himself with everyone's diverging thoughts. He just glanced at the calm Wang Jiu and continued, "The second matter concerns that special metal. It's actually a fourth-generation product of the World Heart's influence."
"The first generation is the World Heart. Under the World Heart's influence, a kind of earth core was born. Based on its abilities, the Founder named it the Nullification Core. The core, in turn, created some Nullification Metal. Over long periods, this metal radiated power, causing some creatures to be affected over time, forming Nullification Beads within their bodies."
Four generations, a complete system. It was quite comprehensive.
Mo Ran and Xing Yao exchanged a look. This also matched up with the Nullification Wall.
Yuan Wei: "The third matter is also the basis of my proposed cooperation with you—you're collecting Nullification Beads, aren't you?"
Indeed, even if Wang Jiu hadn't mentioned it, Mo Ran and the others had already figured it out.
"We have many, many Nullification Beads, a quantity you couldn't possibly obtain in a short time. But we are soul bodies. Without suitable physical forms, we cannot reach the surface or use them. But we can trade with you."
"In this world, only you can create suitable Spirit Bodies for us, allowing us to break free from our shackles and return to the surface."
Wang Jiu had already noted their numbers earlier. "Three thousand?"
Yuan Wei confirmed that was correct.
Wang Jiu: "Since this is a deal with me, why did you call so many people here? Are they that important?"
Everyone: "…"
Yuan Wei was slightly embarrassed. "If we obtain physical bodies, we'll be able to go to the surface and join the fight. To stand against a common enemy, we should cultivate some camaraderie. I also hoped they could be privy to this information…"
In truth, he felt that the Nullification Beads would inevitably be used for everyone. No matter how domineering and cold Wang Jiu was, she would have to consider the others, right?
System: No, she won't.
Seeing through his little scheme, Wang Jiu remained noncommittal and directly signed a cooperation agreement with him, setting the trade for five days later.
After the meeting ended, as they were leaving, Xing Yao approached Wang Jiu and asked if she needed any materials for the bodies.
Wang Jiu: "I like it when people just trade with me without asking questions, seeking no reward, and dedicating themselves silently."
Hearing this, Xing Yao chuckled. "I've already sent it to your email. But I imagine many are willing to dedicate themselves to you; you probably can't even keep up with the emails."
Wang Jiu: "So you came to ask me specifically, hoping I'd remember you?"
The two were speaking casually, but they suddenly felt an intense gaze. Turning their heads, they saw the Young Prince staring at them, his eyes burning with what seemed to be great excitement.
Xing Yao's expression froze slightly. For a moment, he was speechless, pondering how to resolve this situation. Wang Jiu, however, was unconcerned and walked away on her own.
As soon as she left, the Young Prince rushed over excitedly, his face flushed. "Father, I knew you loved me! To help me get a good wife, you, who never likes to interact with women, are being so proactive. Don't worry, I'll work hard to bring her home and have her call you Dad."
Xing Yao: "…"
Suddenly, he wasn't so happy. In fact, he was particularly depressed.
Is this really my son?
His answer came in the form of a cold laugh from Mo Ran as she passed by.
The sheer force of her mockery didn't just break the needle, it shattered the whole gauge.
The members of Cai Market hunting sea beasts weren't far from where the system meeting was held. Seeing people coming and going from there, Lin Xiaoniang was eager to go over and cozy up to her true master, but Xie Jiang held her back. Cai Wujun, however, asked her, "Yan Hui hasn't shown up at all. Do you know why?"
"His business has never been any of my concern. Why don't you go ask Wang Jiu, Boss? It's a great excuse. I'll go with you."
Lin Xiaoniang's gaze was playful. Cai Wujun raised an eyebrow, couldn't be bothered to deal with her, and dove back underwater to continue hunting.
Three days later, the Old Lady and Saling finished the gene model and handed it to Wang Jiu.
Five days later, Wang Jiu completed the trade with Yuan Wei. After they had both received their items, Wang Jiu was about to leave when Yuan Wei suddenly said, "You've already obtained the Primordial Ring, haven't you?"
Wang Jiu was inspecting the items in her storage bag and replied casually, "You think so just because I came out of the Primordial Court?"
Yuan Wei hesitated for a moment, then raised his hands, bowed, and performed a salute. "Then you are the leader of the Primordial Spirit Race."
Wang Jiu was unmoved, her cold eyes fixed on him. "You should know I don't like beating around the bush. State your purpose."
Yuan Wei seemed quite helpless; after all, Wang Jiu was too domineering.
"I'm afraid you've also wondered how I know so much. In terms of status, I'm not even on par with Long Aotian, yet I know these secrets."
Wang Jiu said nothing, just watched him quietly.
Yuan Wei didn't dare to keep her in suspense and continued, "In fact, I cultivate the same lineage of Spirit Dao as the Founder. With Qin Fu and the others suppressing me from above, I never dared to stand out. But I never expected that after you killed Qin Fu and the others some time ago, just as I was worrying about the future of my Primordial Spirit Race, I inexplicably entered a dream."
Wang Jiu narrowed her eyes. "Whose dream?"
Yuan Wei gave a bitter smile. "You might not believe me if I say it, but I don't know if he entered my dream, or if I entered his."
There were only two people who could make a prodigy of the Primordial Spirit Race speak with such emotion and excitement.
Wang Jiu: "Bai Chi, or the Founder?"
Yuan Wei: "The Founder."
Wang Jiu grew thoughtful.
"He told me that he had already foreseen the current situation before entering permanent dormancy. He also said that the Eternal Night Race is about to truly destroy Earth, and with our current level of strength, we are fundamentally unable to resist. He said the Primordial Ring would soon have an owner, and that I should lead this person to his remains. There, they would obtain his power and, in turn, have the strength to resist."
Such a massive windfall, a pie falling from the sky, had landed right in her lap?
Even the System was shocked. "If you get his power, you should be able to fight that Eternal Night Empress!"
Wang Jiu herself was taken aback, but… "Why did he contact you? Since he foresaw it, couldn't he have contacted me directly?"
Yuan Wei didn't speak, but instead presented his Dao Heart for Wang Jiu to see for herself.
Wang Jiu saw the contents within his Dao Heart and discovered that a section of it was a secret art that responded to prophecy.
"Which is to say, the Founder knew he was entering dormancy and would be powerless to deal with the current situation. Although he had foreseen it, I had already obtained the Primordial Ring, which allowed me to evade him to some extent. He couldn't contact me directly. But through the Dao lineage he passed down, he added a secret auditing art that responds to prophecy. It selected you from countless disciples. Even with his main soul dormant, the sigils within the Dao lineage would automatically activate to transmit information to you."
That old man, the Founder, had been so traumatized by the Eternal Night Empress that he even learned to use preset code instructions.
It really was true that "the one who influences you most isn't your father or your son, but your enemy."
Yuan Wei: "Correct. So this time, even without the Nullification Beads, I'm afraid I would have had to seek you out."
Wang Jiu gave a faint smile. "Didn't think of taking it all for yourself?"
Yuan Wei: "If I were to humbly say that I know my own abilities are insufficient, I'm afraid you wouldn't believe me. The truth is, I am greedy. I wanted to become the leader of the Primordial Spirit Race and lead it out of this mire. That has been my dream since I was young. But I cannot enter that place with my abilities, nor could I survive it, much less bear the Founder's power. I suppose I just want to do something for my race and for Earth. And then… if you could spare me a small benefit, that would be for the best."
Compared to old fossils like Qin Fu, this young man was candid and didn't hide his flaws, which made him seem more genuine.
Wang Jiu considered it for a moment, then said, "Then let's go."
Yuan Wei let out a sigh of relief. "Then you set the time. Once you've made your arrangements…"
"There's nothing to arrange. I'm not a manager."
Indeed, Wang Jiu currently paid no attention to Gobi's affairs whatsoever, completely working Qing He and the others like cattle. If anyone accused her of exploiting laborers, she would just say that Gobi was now registered under the Old Lady's name and had nothing to do with her, which was infuriating.
But even the System hadn't expected Wang Jiu to be so direct.
"Aren't you afraid he's set a trap?"
Wang Jiu's tone was grim. "Is there any trap more dangerous than the Eternal Night Race?"
The System was startled. "What do you mean by that?"
Wang Jiu's gaze swept from the distance to the sky.
She had deployed many subtle spirit bodies for surveillance outside, in places like Luoyang, the capital, and Sichuan, allowing her to see the movements in various locations.
Large numbers of the Eternal Night Race were descending, their movement trajectories converging on a large scale toward the Northern Polar Ice Plains.
They were coming soon.
The Eternal Night Race was deploying on a massive scale. She had tried to anticipate their deployment from various angles, but no matter which judgment she made, the final calculation was always their own side's crushing defeat.
It was like Doctor Strange in Avengers 4, viewing all possible futures of the war, only to see defeat in every one.
The only chance of survival was…
A windfall.
Before leaving, however, Wang Jiu sent private messages to a few people.
Most were from Gobi, but Xing Yao and Mo Ran were included too.
It was just one sentence.
I'm going out on business. If anything happens, solve it yourselves.
Everyone: "???"
The Old Lady clutched a potion vial and remained silent for a moment. She said nothing, only glancing toward a small room off the side of the laboratory before continuing her work.
Was Saling in there?
Compared to Wang Jiu, who was done after sending a few private messages, Yuan Wei was a bit busier. He had to send the Spirit Bodies back to his people, which took about half an hour before he returned.
"I'm here. To get to that place, I have a coordinate point. You'll need to use the Primordial Ring to sense it, and a section of my Dao arts contains the key to open it…"
Yuan Wei hurried back, not daring to waste time, and directly gave her an underwater coordinate point.
The two plunged into the sea, moving like dragons, and quickly descended to the location. They encountered some sea beasts along the way, all of which were swiftly dealt with by Wang Jiu.
Taking out the Primordial Ring, Wang Jiu activated it and sensed the surrounding space.
Soon, she had a very subtle yet familiar feeling.
The day she came out of the Primordial Court, she had sensed that this alternate dimension was adjacent to some hidden place. And later, after coming to the Northern Polar Ice Plains, just as Xuejing had said, it might be right here.
It was because of this initial suspicion, coupled with the urgency of the Eternal Night Race crisis, that she decided to investigate.
In any case, it couldn't be worse than the outcome of being unable to defeat the Eternal Night Race.
Unless that Empress was willing to accept their surrender.
Soon, Wang Jiu's senses finally made a tangible discovery. This coordinate point was a button. Only at this location could the Primordial Ring sense a line.
This line connected to something.
Another door.
Wang Jiu expended spirit power, driving the Primordial Ring. After a while, the frigid seawater rippled slightly. It wasn't turbulent, nor was it as imposing and terrifying as the Red Copper Ghost Gate. It was low-key and calm, like a refined and unostentatious scholar.
"Open." After summoning it, Wang Jiu looked at Yuan Wei.
The latter took a deep breath, clearly nervous. It was no wonder, as this was no small matter.
And to any member of the Primordial Spirit Race, the Founder was a god.
He collected his breathing and calmed his mind. Then, his hands formed seals. Yuan Wei was indeed a prodigy of the Spirit Dao. His spellcasting was very stable, and he quickly completed the section of Dao art. It naturally landed on the keyhole of the door, condensing into a solid form.
For a Dao art to purely condense into a physical object was incredibly difficult. Even for someone at Qin Fu's level, it wouldn't be an easy feat. Yet this young man had done it. Although it had drained his spirit power and his face was flushed, Wang Jiu glanced at him, patted his back lightly, and transferred some spirit power to him.
Click. The door opened.
Wang Jiu pulled it open and stepped right in.
Yuan Wei was stunned for a moment, then immediately followed.
Originally, Wang Jiu had thought it would be another alternate dimension, but it wasn't. When Wang Jiu sensed the atmosphere of the environment, her expression changed slightly. Behind her, with a thud, Yuan Wei knelt on the ground, vomiting blood.
"This place is…? The Earth Core! Your Excellency Wang Jiu, please save me!"
Under the shackles, the deeper one went, the greater the restrictions on the Primordial Spirit Race. Yuan Wei, like Wang Jiu, had thought it was a space similar to the Primordial Court, but it turned out to be the actual center of the Earth. Who could withstand this!
Yuan Wei's soul began to burn.
Fortunately, while Lao Wang wasn't an old man, she didn't have the despicable habit of discarding someone after they'd served their purpose.
Wang Jiu glanced at him and used the Primordial Ring to extend a layer of its power over him, shielding him from the damage.
Yuan Wei, his heart still pounding with fear, no longer dared to approach the area ahead and just pressed himself tightly against the scorching rock wall.
The space ahead was very pure. It was just a giant, circular space, about five thousand meters in diameter, completely sealed. In the center floated a sphere with a diameter of one hundred meters.
And resting on top of this sphere was a coffin.
It was plain, natural, and completely unadorned, like a coffin an old man or woman in the countryside would use when their time came. They would lie inside, be buried however, and if their descendants were unfilial and didn't bother, it would just remain in the cellar, accompanied only by the passing years.
This coffin gave Wang Jiu that exact feeling. As the first and strongest life form in Earth's history, the Founder should have had some pomp, but here he was, so quiet.
"Not dormancy? This looks more like he's dead and gone."
Wang Jiu muttered to herself as she walked toward the coffin. Her pace was unhurried, each step a measure of observation and vigilance.
Her caution was ingrained in her bones, but there were no problems along the way. She successfully stood beside the coffin.
Yuan Wei had been watching the whole time, probably with some excitement, waiting for Wang Jiu to finally receive the inheritance…
"Hey, did he say how to inherit?"
"Ah? I-I don't know." Yuan Wei was quite well-behaved and didn't cause any trouble, just huddled in the corner. Hearing Wang Jiu's question, he was at a loss.
Fine. Wang Jiu reached out and tapped her fingers on the coffin lid three times.
"I'm here. Please get up and open your coffin lid."
Yuan Wei: "…"
System: "…"
Damn it all. If it weren't absolutely necessary, who would want to leave their inheritance to such a scoundrel?
There was no reaction. That made sense. It was permanent dormancy. If there had been a reaction, Wang Jiu would have suspected something was fishy.
The probing revealed no issues. She directly gripped the coffin lid with one hand, and with a flick of her other wrist, shing, the sharp blade of Xiao Jin Ku appeared.
Whoosh! The coffin lid was suddenly flung into the air by her single hand… It spun and danced in mid-air, but the inside of the coffin was silent. There was no brilliant light or oppressive aura, only a man lying quietly within.
He looked to be around thirty, with exquisitely delicate features and shoulder-length hair, appearing even more feminine than a woman. His expression was one of compassion, as if filled with an irresolvable sorrow.
Perhaps he had fallen asleep back then with infinite worry for this world.
Wang Jiu looked at him quietly for a moment and saw a slip of paper where his hands were clasped.
The calligraphy on it was as elegant as bamboo, like a gentle breeze over mountains and seas.
—To see these words is to see me. I give you my Dao Heart. I hope you will inherit this duty. If you can resist the Eternal Night and help bring peace and tranquility to the world, wonderful. If not, escape to preserve your life. I wish you peace.
Simple, gentle, melancholic—the image of a person seemed to float off the page.
It was a bit different from what Wang Jiu had expected, but she still used her soul to investigate and confirmed that his soul and body had indeed entered a terrifying state of dormancy.
"Senior, I admire you greatly. But one must be cautious in this world. And to become a successor worthy of all you possess, please forgive my strength."
Wang Jiu suddenly drew her blade and stabbed it toward the Founder's body.
In that instant, Yuan Wei was so scared he jumped to his feet, and the System also fluctuated a bit. But thankfully, nothing happened.
Wang Jiu was testing him.
Testing whether the body was truly in permanent dormancy.
The blade was ineffective. The body was unharmed. He was very quiet.
Only his clothes were damaged.
Only then did Wang Jiu retract her blade, sheathe it, and, without a blush or a flutter of her heart, fix the belt she had just sliced. "Senior, it is an honor to be your successor. Now then."
She brought her index and middle fingers together, which emitted a faint glow, and touched them to his brow. With a touch and a pull, his body levitated out of the coffin and stood before Wang Jiu.
Devouring could be done by eating the soul or the Spirit Core.
But inheritance was different; it was a lossless and complete absorption. The Primordial Spirit Race had its own inheritance arts, and the Witch Dao focused on sacrifice, which wasn't the right method. But the technique was on the Nullification Wall.
She used the inheritance art, channeling it into the Founder's brow. If he truly intended to pass on his legacy to the one who came, as he had foreseen, then his soul would surely respond.
But Wang Jiu was also prepared to shield her soul in case he refused or attacked.
Everything was ready. The east wind… there was no wind here, but there was light at his brow. A vermilion dot bloomed, and then, his silk-like hair danced lightly. A pure and powerful aura flowed from his body like a gentle stream of water.
Hum. His soul and body both responded to Wang Jiu.
There were no surprises.
This was truly a massive, super-sized windfall.
Having come this far, there was no way Wang Jiu would refuse.
She immediately chose to begin the inheritance.
This was a process, not something that could be completed with a simple ding. An extremely powerful force and soul power surged between the two. In a blink, their release and accumulation filled the entire sealed spherical space as if it were being flooded with water.
There was power everywhere.
Yuan Wei was thrilled and immediately sat down to cultivate.
Even if Wang Jiu didn't give him any benefits, just this kind of cultivation environment was enough for him to ascend to the heavens in a single step. But the System had also received Wang Jiu's order to keep a close eye on Yuan Wei.
At this final juncture, she would not allow any mishaps.
Above the icy sea, on the ice plains, Mo Ran and Xing Yao made a decision as soon as they received Wang Jiu's message.
Xing Yao: "The First Spacetime."
Mo Ran: "They've colluded with the Icebound Undead and are counter-hunting people outside to collect Nullification Beads."
Xing Yao: "They should have quite a few by now."
Mo Ran: "Kill them."
Having made their decision, they also contacted Long Aotian, Huai En, and the people from Gobi.
The First Spacetime was very strong. To take them down quickly and securely, they had to join forces.
Qing He: "Bring the Primordial Spirit Race along too. We'll see at a glance if they're friend or foe."
Cultivating camaraderie could wait; testing their allegiance was the real priority.
"We need to hurry. I feel like the sea beasts under the ice have been restless lately. I don't know if it's because of our hunting, or something else."
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