New concept of the mysterious way to ascend to immortality

Chapter 194: Mission complete, return to the real world.

After A-Miao left, Yuan Zhu successfully unlocked a door using the [Shadow Uniform] and led the four newcomers to an office on the fifth floor for refuge.

At this time, Buddhist pollution permeated the [spatial fault], but no more 'Buddhist cocoon parasites' appeared to launch attacks.

Now that things have finally settled down, the two have nothing to do but silently wait for this 'time crisis' to end so they can return to reality on the normal timeline.

During the tedious wait, since they had nothing better to do, and since they were currently the 'strongest and biggest' and held the power of discourse, they happily decided to obtain information from the four 'time travelers' to grasp future trends and take the initiative.

Unfortunately, all four were controlled by the 'vine armor,' unable to speak or move their hands. Only their eyes could move erratically, expressing anger and dissatisfaction.

Furthermore, their legs were not restricted, allowing them to move freely and escape.

Then Yuan Zhu had a sudden inspiration and said to them, "Next, we will take turns asking questions. If the answer is 'correct,' then jump up on the spot. If the answer is 'wrong,' then bend your knees and squat slightly. If the answer is 'don't know,' then twist and sway. Do you understand?"

Upon hearing this, two of the men immediately jumped slightly, indicating their willingness to cooperate. Seeing that the two women were uncooperative, Meng Xiyue let out a sinister laugh and took a lighter from her backpack…

After a friendly exchange about 'modernity and the future,' both sides reached a consensus. Unable to contain herself any longer, Meng Xiyue seized the initiative, shouting, "I'll do it!"

Then a series of guided questions began. The four newcomers, still shaken, recovering from serious injuries, and greatly weakened, stood still, jumping, squatting, and swaying seductively... Meanwhile, in the air, accompanied by the ever-spreading, melodious Zen chants, the walls began to writhe and twist, revealing the faces of Maitreya Buddha.

...

As time continued to pass, Yuan Zhu, through the timer system built into the [Immortal Scripture] and combined with the mission time revealed by the mechanical helmet, could determine that there was only half an hour left before the [Space Fault] returned to reality.

If all goes well, they only need to withstand the increasingly intense and indiscriminate erosion of 'Buddhist pollution' to successfully return via the [spatial fault].

As for the four newcomers who were almost ruined, they were also suffering from increasingly intense 'Buddhist corruption'. Fortunately, Yuan Zhu would occasionally cast a round of 'holy light' on them to dispel the negative effects, allowing them to retain their rationality and consciousness amidst the repeated torment.

With their lives threatened, they had no choice but to jump and contort as much as possible to answer Meng Xiyue's questions. But after standing aside for a while, Yuan Zhu lost interest in the 'future'.

It wasn't that he wasn't curious, but rather that these four newcomers were too low-level and their knowledge of information was of limited value, so he couldn't extract anything of value from them.

Because direct verbal communication is not possible, the other party can only answer yes or no unilaterally, which makes intelligence gathering difficult.

The two could only rely on their own knowledge to ask questions and then judge the future world based on the answers. Because they were unaware of the 'transitional event' that would change the course of the world, they couldn't ask related questions to determine whether their assessment was correct or not.

On the other hand, before being recruited by the [Time and Space Security Bureau], these four people were just ordinary people who knew nothing. Their situation was very similar to that of Yuan Zhu, Lü Rang, and Mai Lili, who were taken away by [Happy Home]—pure passersby and commoners.

Therefore, their understanding of the future 'extraordinary power' of the spirits is limited, and they only keep to themselves in their daily lives, and even their reading is very limited.

After Meng Xiyue's persistent questioning, the two finally learned that on the future planet Duling, overt 'supernatural events' were much rarer, the social environment was safer and more stable, and the strong religious atmosphere had faded. The west coast's economy was exceptionally developed, ushering in a new era of coexistence between 'super corporations' and 'religion'.

Furthermore, the concept of "super-corporations" is also a novel, alternative religious concept. In Yuan Zhu's view, it's more like a "capital demon god" route within an "anti-law" system?
Could it be that after the destruction of the [Space of Gods], a large number of anti-law evil gods began to infiltrate the spirits, cleansing themselves up and going ashore, following the path of [Mao Mao Wang. God of Luxury Children's Clothing]?

Furthermore, the Pale Law will continue to grow stronger in the future, and the Security Bureau under its leadership will wreak havoc across the land, eliminating various forbidden and polluting systems and illegal supernatural systems...

Yuan Zhu speculated: Perhaps it was because the [Laws] grew stronger that the [Anti-Laws], which depended on it, also strengthened, and the Anti-Laws Demon God was optimized time and time again, transitioning into the form of the [Capital Demon God]?
With this reference, he can confidently and confidently take on the part-time work of [Anti-Law] and develop it as his next key project!

The future is amazing, isn't it?!

Aside from the general trends of the future, the two couldn't extract much more valuable information from them. These people from the future knew less about the 'extraordinary system' than Yuan Zhu, this person from another world.

This also suggests that in the future, on the 'Duling Star', extraordinary knowledge will be hidden even more deeply, and society will be more stable and peaceful.

After several rounds of questioning, Meng Xiyue, having failed to achieve the desired effect, also grew bored. Reluctantly, she let the group of sweaty newcomers go.

There are 23 minutes left until the return.

At the bottom (first floor) of the Star Bank, violent tremors, roars, explosions, and furious cries erupted...

That furious roar and howl no longer relied on air transmission, but erupted from the spiritual level, sweeping across the entire 'spatial fault', ignoring all obstructions and obstacles.

Like the eruption of Conqueror's Haki, it instantly knocked the four newcomers unconscious. While they were unconscious, it continued to erode their bodies from a distance. Ripples spread across the exposed skin, forming 'eerie, grinning Buddha faces' that turned their eyes, staring intently at Yuan Zhu and Meng Xiyue, and began chanting scriptures.

The contamination of Buddhist teachings erupted directly within the safe zone on the fifth floor!
At this moment, Yuan Zhu reacted swiftly, immediately rushing forward and unleashing a barrage of [Holy Cough Meteor Fist] strikes at the group of newcomers, followed by a full-force release of [Holy Light Blessing] to forcibly purify them.

The 'Buddhist pollution' appearing on their bodies was suppressed and burned away with holy light. Instead of chanting scriptures, the Buddha-face began to scream in agony, its features merging together to become even more grotesque and deformed.

Meng Xiyue, who was next to him, was also kneeling on the floor, supporting her body with her hands, and making dry heaving noises.

Only after the warm, holy light enveloped her and dispelled the 'Buddhist aura' within her did she relax and shout, "Don't stop, keep shining it on me! Shine it on my head! Increase the dosage!"

"Isn't this a bad idea? [Holy Light] isn't a good thing either; too much exposure can leave hidden dangers."

Facing his teammates, he dared not unleash the full power of [Holy Light] recklessly, fearing the side effects. In his eyes, even the weakest [Holy Light] was more dangerous than going to the hospital for an X-ray.

In recent days, after various analyses and tests using the [Immortal Scripture], he confirmed that the [Holy Light] possesses at least extremely strong 'radiation' properties, manifesting as 'burning, purifying, and destroying'.

【Holy Light】is not fire, so it doesn't possess the traditional ability to 'burn'. However, it can still produce a devastating 'high-temperature radiation burning' effect, much like a 'microwave oven' or 'lightwave oven'. He was afraid that shining this thing on Meng Xiyue's head would burn away her intelligence and even her hair follicles.

‘您的智商上限正在-1、-1、-1……您的总发量正在-1、-1、-1……’最终从【智慧学派女学霸】进化为【智障学派女秃驴】。

Meng Xiyue understood Yuan Zhu's thoughts and forced a smile to comfort him, "Don't be afraid, just shine the light. Our school has a long history of cooperation with the [Sanctuary]. This mere holy light won't hurt your brain!"

……

With approximately 15 minutes remaining in the countdown, a violent surge erupted as the Buddhist contamination within the [Astral Bank] reached a critical peak, then began to plummet...

With only 10 minutes left on the countdown, the door to the room where Yuan Zhu and his group were located was kicked open from the outside.

Next, the burly man with dark skin, muscles and wounds all over his body entered first. His gaze swept around, finally settling on the four newcomers being sheltered by the [Sanctuary].

After confirming that no one had been injured, he made way for others, pulled over a chair, squeezed in, and rested in silence.

Following closely behind, A-Miao, wearing a mechanical helmet and seemingly without even a speck of dirt on her clothes, entered. Then came a burly red-haired man with severely torn clothes and his hair tied in a bun, and an alien pumpkin head with a 1/5 chipped skull.

All four veterans survived, but they were weak and listless, appearing half-dead.

At this moment, the mechanical helmet, which served as a communication bridge, said to A-Miao, "Let's get started quickly. We don't have much time left, less than 10 minutes. If we continue to delay, the contract will be impossible to fulfill after we return, and you will be held responsible."

A-Miao nodded, but didn't rush to fulfill any agreement. Instead, she looked at Yuan Zhu and the other person and asked, "Are you interested in getting your hands on the [Star Core] and gaining some great fortune?"

Yuan Zhu tilted his head: "Huh?"

Meng Xiyue then pointed to herself with an expression that suggested she wanted to get rid of Tang Sanzang's team: "Me?"

A-Miao nodded: "Yes! Time is limited, so I'll get to the point. I don't trust them and I'm worried there might be a trap. So I'm giving you a chance to test the waters and be the first to make contact with the 'Star Core'. If there are no problems, I can make contact with it myself later. If there are no problems, we will share the greatest opportunity in this unexpected experience, and it will not have been in vain that we went through life and death together."

Ah Miao made it very clear that she had worked hard to obtain the [Star Core], and now she was willing to share it, which was incredibly generous.

For these veterans, the 'Mechanical Helmet' shared a [side quest] with them. Since they couldn't redirect the [Witch of the Underworld]'s fate back to its predetermined path, they might as well interfere fiercely and forcefully deviate from the original route.

In his view, allowing the other party to deviate from the predetermined trajectory and prematurely come into contact with the [Star Core], which should not have intersected with them, is equivalent to replicating the 'Buddhist Sect's Plan to Infiltrate the Stars' that they should have stopped, which would also cause a shift in the world line and ruin the future destiny.

The problem is, preventing Buddhism from accessing it brings them benefits, while allowing A-Miao to make contact allows them to earn additional income. Yes, we, the righteous warriors who uphold the [Sacred Timeline], are so hypocritical!

If we allow A-Miao to share the [Star Core] at this moment, it would be tantamount to further escalating the situation and intensifying the fluctuations in her fate.

While it may seem that A-Miao is asking Yuan Zhu and the other person to take the fall for her, she is actually increasing the karmic burden she bears. From being involved in the 'Starry Sky Project' herself, to causing more people to prematurely 'come into contact with the Starry Sky Project'... triggering more complex future interference.

Yuan Zhu and his companion, who didn't understand any of this, only knew that an opportunity had arrived!
This wave presents both opportunities and dangers. As for what exactly the [Starry Sky Project] is, the mechanical helmet has already provided an introduction, but even A-Miao doesn't know the full details.

Now, this young woman I've only known for a short time has risked her life for me, earning this opportunity, and is willing to share it. The risks I've taken are merely being the first to test the waters; what is there to complain about?
So Yuan Zhu and Meng Xiyue said in unison, "You come!" ×2
The mechanical helmet couldn't help but urge, "Hey! Time is running out. There are only 8 minutes left before the countdown ends!" With that, he raised his hand and released a ball of light that looked like a compressed sphere of the deep, dark universe.

Ah Miao nodded in agreement, "Hurry up! Don't waste time, lest you end up disappointed."

Yuan Zhu and Meng Xiyue exchanged another knowing glance: "Together!" ×2
So the two of them simultaneously reached out and pressed their hands on the black ball of light floating in mid-air. The next moment, the [Great Wilderness Immortal Scripture] emitted a sharp, violent shriek, a series of alarms and warnings exploding in his mind, a massive amount of information rushing into his soul, leaving his consciousness blank.

Meanwhile, [Little Spicy Strips] stepped forward, obtained Yuan Zhu's authorization in advance, and began receiving unfamiliar and extremely dangerous garbled files from the outside world.

Compared to Yuan Zhu, whose eyes turned into bright flashlights, emitting blinding holy light (self-protection mode) and whose consciousness was briefly lost, Meng Xiyue on the other side was even more vulnerable. At this moment, her eyes rolled back, she was kneeling on the ground, and her right hand was stuck tightly to the black ball of light and could not be shaken off.

She too lost consciousness, her body trembling and convulsing violently, her mind being bombarded with long passages of 'unknown knowledge'. No, to be precise, what flowed from the [Star Core] was not simply knowledge, but rather, in the form of 'information', carrying even more unknown things.

"puff!"

In less than 30 seconds, Meng Xiyue was the first to give way, bleeding from all seven orifices and falling to the ground, but her life was not in danger.

The mechanical helmet shrugged: "Her physical condition is too poor, and her soul strength is even lower. She couldn't withstand such a massive influx of information and overloaded into a coma. You can go up and check her; there are absolutely no hidden dangers."

Ignoring the other party, A Miao took out a flashlight, turned it on, and scanned Meng Xiyue with a green light. Then she shone it on Yuan Zhu, but it was dispelled and repelled by the 'holy light' that erupted from the other party's body.

After several rounds of testing, with less than 5 minutes left on the countdown, A-Miao no longer hesitated and reached out to press it. Veins bulged at the junction of her forehead and temples, but she gritted her teeth and persevered, maintaining her conscious awareness. She began to perceive the information leaked by the [Star Core] and derive unknown benefits from it.

"puff!"

Soon, Yuan Zhu was spread out by the black ball of light, his whole body burning hot and red, looking half-dead with his brain fried from overheating, lying peacefully on the ground. His eyes were still emitting white light, but the brightness gradually decreased, the temperature dropped... and his breathing gradually became steady.

When he regained consciousness, he heard a cacophony of conversations, footsteps, and the calls and service announcements playing from the loudspeakers in the lobby.

"Me...? What happened to me? Where am I?"

He opened his eyes and found himself sitting in a chair in the lobby of the Star Realm Bank, waiting to have his business processed. Beside him was Meng Xiyue, still fast asleep with her head down, and A Miao, engrossed in reading a fashion magazine.

(End of this chapter)