I was just fishing, how did I become a Great Old One?

The atmosphere was somber under the neon lights of District 9.

The burly man, whose face was half covered in iron, looked at the old man in front of him, who was wearing golden armor and spouting boastful words, and a savage red light flashed in his electronic eyes.

"Old man."

"Since you want to die, then I'll grant your wish!"

"Let me show you... [industrial-grade violence]!"

boom--

The spiked club in the burly man's hand suddenly emitted a piercing roar.

That's not an ordinary stick.

The rod is equipped with a high-powered plasma engine, and the spikes on its head begin to vibrate at a high frequency of three thousand times per second.

This vibration frequency is enough to cause steel to crumble like tofu.

"Die!"

The burly man leaped high into the air, and the hydraulic rods on the robotic arm compressed wildly, spewing out white steam.

This blow, carrying immense force, slammed down on Odin's head.

The surrounding poor people covered their eyes in fright.

In their minds, no one could physically withstand this level of heavy industrial cybernetic prosthetics.

however.

Odin did not dodge.

He didn't even blink.

He simply and slowly extended one hand.

It was a large hand with no metallic sheen, only rough calluses and bulging veins.

"when----!!!"

A sickening metallic clang echoed throughout the street.

There was no bloodshed or carnage as I had imagined.

Time seemed to stand still at that moment.

Odin grabbed the mace, which was still vibrating wildly and radiating intense heat, with one hand.

As stable as Mount Tai.

No matter how the stick roared or tried to shatter his hand, it couldn't get an inch forward.

"How...how is this possible?!"

The burly man with the iron face stared wide-eyed as the gears in the robotic arm groaned and creaked from overload.

"Is this your power?"

Odin tilted his head, looking at the still-humming iron bar in his hand, a contemptuous smile curving his lips.

"Too light."

"And...it's too brittle."

"Snap!"

Odin suddenly clenched his five fingers.

The spiked club, made of high-strength alloy, was actually crushed by him like a cookie...

Parts flew off, and sparks flew everywhere.

"No... my weapon!"

The burly man tried to back away in fear.

But Odin did not give him the chance.

"It is impolite not to reciprocate."

"You'll take this punch from me too—[God King - Mountain Collapse]!"

Odin didn't use any fancy techniques.

It was just a simple straight punch.

boom!!!

The force of the punch exploded, compressing the air into a white wave of air.

The punch landed squarely on the burly man's thick metal breastplate.

"Bang!!!"

A loud bang.

The burly man's two-meter-tall frame looked as if he had been hit head-on by a high-speed maglev train.

He was sent flying backward, tracing a straight line in the air.

then.

Boom!

It slammed hard into a concrete wall across the street.

Smoke and dust rose everywhere.

When the smoke cleared, everyone gasped in shock.

The once arrogant gang leader was now deeply embedded in the wall.

His breastplate was completely dented, with wires and parts scattered all over the floor, making him look like a broken three-dimensional mosaic hanging on the wall.

It can't be buttoned off.

……

Dead silence.

The entire room fell silent.

"The...the boss got wiped out in a second?"

The remaining dozen or so gang members were so shocked by what they saw that their brains were practically fried.

They couldn't understand.

Why can the fists of carbon-based organisms shatter industrial-grade armor?

This unscientific!

"Fire! Fire now!"

"That old man is a monster! He's definitely a high-level cyborg in human skin!"

The gang members finally realized what was happening.

They all raised their weapons.

Those were illegally modified laser rifles, miniature missile launchers, and even shoulder-fired electromagnetic guns.

"Sizzle sizzle—"

"Whoosh whoosh-"

In an instant, the narrow street turned into a bizarre and surreal battlefield.

Red laser beams and missiles trailing flames swept over Odin and Jiang Li's stall.

"Hmph, playing ranged?"

Jiang Li sat behind the stall without moving, slowly wiping his laser cleaver.

"Abel."

"Give them a manicure."

"Okay."

Abel, who had been standing in the shadows, suddenly disappeared.

【Shadowstep - Cyber ​​Edition】.

In this world filled with neon lights, the brighter the light, the deeper the shadow.

Abel was like a drop of ink merging into the ocean, instantly darting through the colorful lights and shadows.

brush--

A black silhouette suddenly appeared behind a thug who was firing wildly.

Abel did not kill anyone.

The square-shaped knife in his hand (which now looks like a black mosaic dagger) precisely sliced ​​across the other man's wrist, knee, and back of the head.

It does not mean cutting off limbs.

Instead, it means... [cutting off the line].

"Sizzle!"

The thug's prosthetic eye suddenly went black.

The gun in his hand also went silent.

He collapsed to the ground like a puppet with its strings cut.

brush brush --

Abel's figure flickered like a ghost in the crowd.

Each flash was accompanied by a spark and the sound of parts falling.

In just three seconds.

The firepower that was previously firing wildly suddenly went silent.

More than a dozen gang members were all paralyzed on the ground, unable to even scream.

Because the power cord for their speaker unit was also cut off.

This is the overwhelming power of technology.

……

"Amitabha."

"Good, good, good."

Just then.

The cyborg monk who had been sitting to the side digesting the "cyber stew" slowly stood up.

He looked at the mess on the ground, a look of compassion (or perhaps excitement) flashing in his electronic eyes.

"Gentlemen, your desire to kill is too strong."

"Let this humble monk... perform a ritual to guide these last few lost sheep to the afterlife."

The monk turned around.

Facing those few who had slipped through the net and were hiding behind the flying car, not yet having had a chance to rush up.

"Buzz—"

He raised his right arm.

The golden, six-barreled Gatling gun prayer wheel began to preheat and rotate.

The Sanskrit mantras on the gun barrel lit up one by one.

"Namo Gatling Bodhisattva..."

"A depleted uranium bomb purified of the six senses..."

"With great compassion, we save all sentient beings..."

Da da da da da————！！

Flames spewed out.

However, what was fired was not a metal bullet.

Instead, they were golden, almost tangible... [swastika light bullets].

The light projectiles hit the flying cars, but did not explode.

Instead, it emitted a strange sound:

"Thump! Thump! Thump! Thump!"

The sound... was like striking a wooden fish.

The loud, deep sound of the wooden fish echoed throughout the entire Ninth District.

The gang members hiding behind the car were hit by the light blast.

There was no bleeding.

Instead, he trembled violently, his eyes rolled back, and he foamed at the mouth.

Their brain chips were subjected to some kind of high-frequency data.

[System notification: Under attack by "Physical Buddhism"]

[Status: Forced Sage Mode/Brain Short Circuit/Comatose.]

"Clatter".

The last few thugs, with serene (or perhaps idiotic) smiles on their faces, fell to the ground.

Really... he "became a Buddha on the spot".

The monk stopped shooting.

The gun barrel was still emitting wisps of blue smoke (or perhaps sandalwood incense).

He held his palm upright and recited a sentence:

"May Buddha have mercy."

"Physical exorcism is the most deadly method."

……

The battle ended quickly.

The residents of the surrounding slums hadn't even had time to escape.

When the smoke clears.

Looking at the paralyzed mechanical thugs all over the ground, the chef who was still calmly wiping his knife, the unharmed old man in golden armor, and the terrifying Gatling gun monk.

The crowd erupted in uproar.

"Oh My God……"

"Is that... a powerful being who practices ancient cultivation methods?"

"Disassembling a mech with bare hands without cybernetic implants?"

"That monk...could he be the legendary battle-hardened monk from Leiyin Temple?"

In this world that is overly reliant on technology.

This pure physical strength and mysterious methods have become a higher-level "miracle".

The gazes of countless people towards Jiang Li and his companions shifted from curiosity to awe.

Several addicts even pulled out the plugs from the back of their heads and knelt on the ground, wanting to become apprentices.

……

Just then.

A deep and elegant engine roar suddenly came from the sky.

This sound is different from the noise of those dilapidated flying cars.

It sounded like some kind of musical instrument resonating, crisp and melodious.

"Buzz—"

A dazzling streak of azure light pierced the dim sky of District Nine.

Followed by.

A uniquely shaped aircraft slowly hovered above everyone's heads.

That wasn't an ordinary flying shuttle.

Its appearance... is a huge, crystal-clear [cyan flying sword].

The sword is ten meters long and surrounded by holographic projections of sword energy and runes.

The sword bears an ancient seal script logo:

ShuShan Heavy Industries.

"He's a big shot from the Upper City!"

"The Sword Immortal Shuttle from Shushan Heavy Industry!"

The crowd gasped and scattered, afraid of disturbing the important person.

The flying sword descended slowly, hovering three feet off the ground.

The hatch (at the hilt of the sword) opens.

A holographic light staircase extends down.

Then.

A woman came down.

She was wearing a Hanfu made of a very special material.

The fabric was like flowing liquid photons, changing colors with her movements.

She had a jade pendant hanging from her waist (actually a high-computing-power personal terminal).

He was standing on a small magnetic levitation flying sword skateboard.

Her face was aloof and stunningly beautiful, but at the corner of her left eye, there was a delicate silver data interface pattern, adding a touch of eerie technological flair.

[Target: Li Zixia.]

[Position: Outer Sect Elder of Shushan Heavy Industry / Senior Talent Scout]

[Realm: Golden Core Stage (Mid-stage Fusion Core)]

……

Li Zixia ignored the poor people kneeling around her.

Her gaze fell directly on Odin.

Those genetically modified eyes gleamed with an undisguised amazement and greed (greed for talent).

"A perfect body..."

She murmured softly, her voice amplified and carried throughout the entire area via a sound amplification array.

"Without prosthetics or modifications, it possesses strength that surpasses even industrial alloys."

"This is simply... a genetic sample of atavism."

She maneuvered her hoverboard and floated to Jiang Li's stall.

Instead of putting on airs, he gave Jiang Li and Odin a slight ancient bow (although the movement was a bit mechanical).

"I am Li Zixia from Shushan Heavy Industry."

"I just saw your skills in the Heavenly Eye system."

"Absolutely astonishing."

Li Zixia looked at Odin and said bluntly:

"This old gentleman."

"Your physical strength is the highest I have ever seen among rogue cultivators."

"Would you be interested in joining our Shushan Heavy Industry?"

"We are developing a new generation of [Bio-Bio-Armored Mechs] and urgently need a model (material) like you."

Odin curled his lip and threw the fragments of the spiked club in his hand on the ground.

"Not interested."

"I am a god-king, not a guinea pig."

Li Zixia wasn't angry.

She seemed to have anticipated this arrogance from the powerful.

She turned her head and looked at Jiang Li, who seemed to be in charge.

"This... fellow Daoist."

"Judging from your attire, you seem to be a... [Spirit Chef]?"

She pointed to Jiang Li's plasma cooker, which was still steaming.

"Exactly."

Jiang Li wiped his hands and looked at the cybernetic female swordswoman with a smile.

"I am the Deep Blue Ancestor, and I am a cook."

"The one who cooks?"

A glint flashed in Li Zixia's eyes.

"That would be even better."

"To be honest, we will be holding a grand press conference tonight at [Shangcheng District·Cloud Palace]."

"This event was jointly organized by Pantao Biotechnology and our Shushan Heavy Industry."

"Countless monks from high society will participate at that time."

"And the main character of the press conference..."

Li Zixia paused for a moment, then threw out a bait that Jiang Li couldn't refuse.

"It's a divine ingredient newly cultivated by Pan Tao Biotechnology—"

"【A once-in-three-thousand-years-old genetically modified peach】."

"It is said that this peach combines the spiritual seeds of the ancient cultivation world with the most advanced gene editing technology."

"Eating one can not only prolong life, but also optimize gene lock, and even... give people the illusion of [ascension]."

"We are looking for a top-notch spiritual chef to handle this batch of precious ingredients."

"I think your technique of 'laser cutting intestines' is absolutely superb."

"Friend, would you be interested in visiting the Upper Town?"

……

Upon hearing the words "Peach".

Jiang Li's eyes lit up instantly.

It's even brighter than that monk's electronic eyes.

"Genetically modified peaches?"

"Ripe once every three thousand years?"

Jiang Li's Adam's apple bobbed.

In this cyber world, how can you actually eat such a mythical thing?

Although it's a high-tech, edgy version, it sounds really cool!

Moreover, going to the upper city would make it convenient for him to search for the "Heavenly Dao Core" or other fragments of divinity in this world.

"Elder Li, you're too kind."

Jiang Li's smile instantly became incredibly genuine.

He sheathed his laser sword and pulled Odin and Er Gou over to him.

"What model or not, that's a minor matter."

"The main reason is that I love to study cooking the most in my life."

"Since we have such exquisite ingredients..."

"Then I'll definitely help you with this!"

Jiang Li waved his hand and jumped directly onto Li Zixia's flying sword (spaceship).

"Let's go, let's go!"

"To the upper town!"

"Let me see if that peach... is sweet or not!"

Li Zixia smiled slightly.

Although this group of people looks a bit rustic (due to their strange attire), their skills are genuine.

"please."

boom--

The enormous cyan flying sword spewed out a dazzling stream of particles.

Carrying Jiang Li and his group, it soared into the sky.

Passing through that thick layer of industrial smog and holographic GG clouds.

They flew towards the magnificent, golden, fairyland-like Upper City, which floated above the clouds.

Only the cyborg monk remained, standing there, touching his bald head.

"Amitabha."

"Have you gone to eat peaches of immortality, sirs?"

"Should this humble monk... also go and beg for alms?"

"After all... Gatling gun bullets are quite expensive."

The monk glanced in the direction where the flying sword had disappeared.

Silently, it activated the rocket boosters on its back.

"Whoosh!"

He flew up as well.