Eternal Night

Chapter 769 Faction Quest Rewards
(PS: Two updates, totaling about 8000 words, which is more than yesterday. That's great; my condition is definitely recovering. I'll try to write more tomorrow.)
Wu Pifu finally snapped out of his state of full concentration, and then immediately looked around, completely stunned.

The two Heavenly Daos have partially merged, seemingly reaching a critical moment of life-or-death struggle. However, this is not surprising, as the two Heavenly Daos are destined to fight to the death, and both exist in relation to the Transcendent Great World, making escape impossible. At this point, it is only a matter of time before they are completely divided in life and death.

What truly stunned Wu Pifu was that only about thirty of the two factions' ascended forms remained, standing clearly on opposite sides. The new era faction was led by the goblin Aegis, and the other second-tier angel birdman was nowhere to be seen. The old era faction was led by a second-tier metal ancient god, and similarly, the large number of ancient gods, behemoths, and strange creatures that Wu Pifu had seen before were nowhere to be seen.

"That was a really fierce fight..."

Wu Pifu sighed, brandished his death-defying broadsword, and was just thinking about his next move when he saw the remaining thirty-odd sublimated beings retreat in unison.

"..."

Wu Pifu remained silent and swung his broadsword again. Sure enough, the thirty-odd sublimated beings retreated a bit more. Only then did Wu Pifu realize that he was actually standing between the two camps, and his position was exactly where the Heavenly Dao fragment he had cut down had been.

Something's not right here, is it?
Wu Pifu was somewhat confused and had some strange guesses.

"Could it be... that the slash just now manifested directly outside my body?"

Wu Pifu muttered to himself, unable to guess the truth for a moment.

However, this has nothing to do with Wu Pifu. In any case, with the help of Chu Minghao and Liang Min, he has already cleared away the aftereffects of the Extreme Realm. As long as he does not enter that state again, he does not need to worry about being devoured by the Extreme Realm.

Now, he roughly understands what it means to reach the third level of the ultimate realm, and why it is a qualitative change compared to the previous realm!

That last strike didn't truly make him a powerful being who had reached the third level of the Ultimate Realm; rather, it was an activation of a certain characteristic of the Ultimate Realm.

As far as Wu Pifu knows, there are three steps from mortal to sublimation. Leaving those aside, once a sublimated being becomes a sublimated being, it possesses its own "perfect characteristics." It is precisely because of these perfect characteristics that the sublimated being can maintain its identity, form, and existence when facing the root, instead of being reduced to a small, randomly kneaded piece of information in this chaotic torrent of information.

From what we can see so far, the difference between the first-order sublimation body and the second-order sublimation body that Wu Pifu has witnessed is a change in magnitude, as well as a change in the mastery and application of their own perfect characteristics.

Simply put, one is a single-digit number, and the other is a tens or hundreds digit. As long as there are enough of them, a single-digit number can completely rival a two-digit number.

However, things changed starting from the third rank. The first and second ranks had no names, they were just numbers like one and two, but the third rank was called the ultimate realm, which was obviously different from others.

So what are the differences?

Wu Pifu just inexplicably experienced something like this...

The so-called "extreme" is to unleash all of one's power to its fullest potential!

Taking ordinary humans as an example, it is impossible for them to exert 100% of their own strength, because this would cause muscle tears, bone tears, internal organ tears, and so on. The body's self-preservation will limit the burst and use of such excessive strength.

When this applies to superhumans, the limitations increase significantly, but the limitations still exist. As long as one is alive, these limitations will continue to exist. However, because of their extraordinary pathways and the acquisition of extraordinary energy, superhumans can gradually push these limitations to their limits.

For example, Wu Pifu's martial arts system actually has the effect of increasing control and reducing restrictions, and the power techniques such as Yuanling that Wu Pifu has learned have the same effect.

Even before arriving in the Mountain and Sea Realm, in the Ocean Dream World, Wu Pifu integrated his extraordinary abilities and clarified his future combat patterns, which had a similar effect. In order to integrate and classify all the powers, he could unleash their strongest combined force.

The "extreme" in "extreme realm" at least partly means unifying all one's own power into one and bringing that power to its limit.

The original intention was indeed good. Wu Pifu's slash just now was so miraculous that it shattered even the Heavenly Dao. This is the power of the Extreme. So it's no wonder that the sublimated beings of this world believe that the Extreme Realm can rival the Origin of Level 0.2. Under the same intensity, with the same moves and extraordinary paths, the being who masters the Extreme can unleash at least a hundred times the power.

But this thing... is something that non-sublimated beings cannot control at all.

Because this "extreme" realm is truly too extreme. It's not just about unleashing one hundred percent of one's power, but about condensing everything—extraordinary paths, perfect characteristics, even willpower, aura... into the ultimate extreme!
That is a realm countless times higher than the Yuanling realm. With a single strike, everything about oneself is poured into it. In that realm, you are the attack, and the attack is you. For those who are not of the sublimated body, once they reach this realm, it means that even their spiritual consciousness and true soul will be transformed into an attack launched by the ultimate realm. You will lose your self. Apart from this attack, you will have nothing left!

Wu Pifu almost disappeared just now. If Chu Minghao and Liang Min hadn't stopped him, he would have become the blade itself. Although he would have been unparalleled for a moment, his life as "Wu Pifu" would have been gone.

Therefore, this is a realm that only those who have sublimated themselves and solidified their perfect self are qualified to master.

(...If even the Extreme Realm is this exaggerated, then what kind of scenery is the Transcendent Realm of the fourth stage?)
At this moment, such a thought suddenly occurred to Wu Pifu, but it vanished in an instant, and he immediately turned his gaze to the fragments of the Heavenly Dao.

Although he didn't know what had happened, whether it was the two major camps fighting each other and losing less than a third of their forces, or whether he had just forced out that ultimate strike and suddenly killed a large number of sublimated beings, he didn't know any of these things. All he knew was... that the Heavenly Dao Fragment hadn't been taken away yet.
Is there such a good thing?

Wu Pifu, knife in hand, strode toward the fragments of the Heavenly Dao. The moment he took a step, the sublimated beings around him instinctively retreated, their movements so synchronized it was heartbreaking.

Wu Pifu stepped forward to the fragment of the Heavenly Dao, reached out and scooped it up. This formless and intangible thing was in his hand. He didn't know what it was, but he knew he had obtained it. At the same time, he looked up in confusion at the two Heavenly Daos, and then at the many ascended beings who were "watching him like hawks" around him: "You... are you just going to watch me get the fragment of the Heavenly Dao? Aren't you going to come up and fight me? Come and kill me. You should know that you can hurt me within five steps, right?"

The thirty-odd ascended beings remained silent, and even retreated further. They didn't even bother to come forward to fight or seize the fragments of the Heavenly Dao, nor did they utter a single word to Wu Pifu.

Wu Pifu scratched his head. Before he could speak, suddenly, the main computer's voice rang in the ears of him, Chu Minghao, and Liang Min.

"Judgment in progress... Judgment complete, obtained Heavenly Dao Fragment, Anchoring achieved."

"Issuing an urgent and extremely important mission, in the process of being assessed... Assessment complete, correction issued. Human civilization-level mission: Citizens Chu Minghao, Liang Min, and Wu Pifu, protect the fragments of the Heavenly Dao and return them to the Land of Redemption. This item will be able to seal the gap at the weekend for three hundred years. This item will also serve as an important material for the third upgrade of the mainframe. This item will enhance the foundation and protective shell of the Land of Redemption. This item will be able to conceal the coordinates of Gaia's Absolute Truth Layer!"

Wu Pifu, Chu Minghao, and Liang Min were all startled, and then they all looked at the thing they couldn't see at all with great joy.

Weekends! This is a major threat to human civilization. Although the establishment of the Land of Redemption has prevented weekends from affecting human civilization, everyone knows this is not a long-term solution, and no one knows how long this lull will last. This is why Chu Minghao and Liang Min are almost like wound-up toys that can't be stopped, because once weekends resume, the development of human civilization will not be as smooth as it is now.

And such a tiny fragment of the Heavenly Dao could actually block and obstruct the weekend for three hundred years?
Furthermore, could this fragment of the Heavenly Dao also serve as a crucial material for the Main Brain's third upgrade? Could it also enhance the Land of Redemption? Could it also conceal Gaia within the Absolute Truth Layer?
What kind of amazing artifact is this?!
But the next second, the mainframe's voice rang out again. "Judgment in progress... Judgment complete, the Transcendent-level Great World Heavenly Dao Veil is merging, current fusion percentage... Judgment not working, fusion end time... Judgment in progress... Judgment in progress... Judgment in progress..."

"Judgment complete. In one minute and twelve seconds, the first stage of the Heavenly Dao Fusion will be completed. Its total output will be released by thirty percent. It is estimated that it will soon reach the root level output of the Warhammer Dream World. Second judgment in progress, third judgment in progress... Under the current environment and home field range, the probability of death for citizens Chu Minghao, Liang Min, and Wu Pifu exceeds seventy percent."

"Please escape from this transcendent-level world immediately. Detecting... Detecting... Detecting..."

Wu Pifu, Chu Minghao, and Liang Min listened helplessly to the continuous series of judgment sounds, which lasted for at least ten seconds. Wu Pifu said helplessly, "Forget it, the mainframe is too weak. Why don't we continue to attack the Heavenly Dao? Maybe we can kill it?"

Chu Minghao and Liang Min roared at the same time, "What are you thinking?!"

Chu Minghao said, "Unless every strike you make is at the same level of perfection as before, what are you thinking?"

Liang Min roared at the two of them, "Stop messing around! Even if he's at the peak of the Blade Realm, he couldn't possibly kill the Heavenly Dao. The difference in size is too great, okay? The key is that this thing wasn't even judged by the main brain. It's completely different from the four roots you killed, okay?"

Wu Pifu then suddenly realized what was going on.

That's right, he really can't kill the Heavenly Dao. The previous strike was just a coincidence. On one hand, the Heavenly Dao manifested itself and couldn't attack him. On the other hand, the power of the Extreme Realm erupted. Apart from that, he really can't kill the Heavenly Dao unless the main brain identifies it. But judging from the main brain's current performance... what's the point of identifying it? The main brain can't beat the Heavenly Dao either.

"...Judging in progress...Judgment complete!"

Wu Pifu and the other two finally heard the AI's notification that the decision was complete. He couldn't help but complain, "Did you guys notice that the AI ​​seemed to have a different tone of voice just now? It sounded like a kid getting excited after winning something?"

"...The escape route has been determined, and you have escaped the rift. Please note that when you reach the second stage of Heavenly Dao Fusion, any rifts that have been escaped will be closed. Please leave this realm before then!"

In the eyes of Wu Pifu and the other two, constantly moving, ethereal points of light began to appear on the ceiling. They moved extremely fast, sometimes large and sometimes small, which were clearly the detachment rifts marked by the main brain.

Wu Pifu, unwilling to give up, gripped his Death-Defying Blade, sensed his own power and the duration of his Heroic Race transformation, and finally sighed, "Well then... let's get ready to charge!"

Chu Minghao and Liang Min naturally wouldn't let him down. In the next instant, the Red Wolf title boosted him, and the Boundless Brain of the Past made its choice. Millions of past possibilities appeared in Wu Pifu's eyes, and his strength began to continuously increase. Then, he directly soared into the sky, heading straight for the merging Heavenly Dao.

As Wu Pifu soared into the sky, the Heavenly Dao, which was merging with the heavens, immediately changed. The surrounding chaos flashed, and mountains, rivers, seas, the sun, moon, and stars appeared. Heaven and earth suddenly reversed, and Wu Pifu actually crashed headfirst down. Heaven and earth reversed. At the same time, more than thirty sublimated beings did not approach, but began to bombard from afar. In an instant, the chaos was filled with incomparably brilliant attack light. Among them, the few surviving second-tier sublimated beings directly unleashed their perfect characteristics. With the blessing of the Heavenly Dao, their perfect characteristics transformed into a domain field similar to that of the Nine-Headed Serpent. Wu Pifu immediately suffered natural damage.

The layers upon layers of natural area-of-effect damage immediately caused damage to Wu Pifu's hero body. High temperatures, explosions, electric shocks, punches and kicks, and other injuries appeared on his flesh.

This is the only way to bypass the defense five steps away. However, firstly, only a second-tier ascended being can use this kind of attack. Secondly, this attack method is wide-range, the damage is scattered, it cannot be targeted, and it does not have special attributes. It can kill mortals instantly, but for Wu Pifu now, the damage is not great, it can only hinder him.

But that's exactly the effect the sublimated entities want to achieve!
Simply obstruct them!

"Judging...judging...judging..."

Wu Pifu cleaved through space with a single slash, teleporting himself to a point extremely close to the fusion with the Heavenly Dao. However, the world spun around him, and he and the other sublimated beings were moved to the same spot, still far from the rift in the ceiling.

"Stop judging! Or at least judge the Heavenly Dao so I can kill it! Otherwise, this is its home turf, and I can't even escape!"

Wu Pifu roared, brandishing his broadsword and changing direction. He decided to kill these sublimated beings first. Once the Super Brain World was activated, he could make millions of choices, and then...

Hey!
Wu Pifu and Liang Min cursed at the same time. In millions of past choices, once he got close to these sublimated beings, the entire battlefield changed again, and he was teleported to an empty place where he could not be hit by any of the sublimated beings.

"...Judgment complete, faction mission settled. Citizen Wu Pifu has perfectly completed the faction mission, finding the outsider thief Wu Pifu who stole the secrets of the Heavenly Dao. Mission successfully completed, mission rewards are now being issued..."

"Damn it! What kind of reward are you giving us?! Find a way to help us escape, or if the three of us die here, you can expect to be turned into a real computer!" Wu Pifu cursed and roared.

"...Quest reward obtained: Human-Human Fruit - Pureblood Human Form"

"Who cares about mission rewards now...?"

While Wu Pifu was still in a daze, a Devil Fruit appeared in front of him. Compared to his current Hero Clan body, it was as small as a speck of dust, perfectly round, and showed no abnormalities.

"……this?"

Wu Pifu's heart skipped a beat, and the Hero Clan's body immediately opened its huge mouth and bit down hard on the Devil Fruit. Then his body trembled, as if something had changed, yet it also seemed as if nothing had changed at all.

"...So I'm a pure-blooded human now?"

Wu Pifu felt dizzy as he was transported by the fusion with the Heavenly Dao to a destructive natural environment created by numerous sublimated beings. However, he remained calm and simply chuckled.

"So……"

"A negative backlash from the mind!"

"hundred percent!"

In an instant, endless darkness surged forth from Wu Pifu's body, causing the world to spin... With a crisp snap, Wu Pifu vaguely heard a sound of vomiting, and even the merging of the celestial laws in the heavens seemed to pause for a moment. He...

It hasn't been moved again!
In the next instant, Wu Pifu, enveloped in a surge of pitch-black negative energy, rushed into the sky.

(End of this chapter)