Warhammer Cultivation: Cultivating the Tao Te Ching in the 40K Universe

He walked up to Hector, whose enormous, black, gem-like third eye was filled with a fanatical fervor, as if grasping at a last straw.

“Do you see that, Traveler?” He pointed to his face, which was slowly “melting.” “This is the price of ‘bloodline.’ This is the ‘gift’ we Navigators receive after serving the human empire for tens of thousands of years.”

"Our genes are collapsing. Our bloodline is withering. Our once-proud third eye is turning into a curse that devours our souls. We are heading towards destruction."

His voice was filled with sorrow and resentment; the intense emotion even dimmed the light of the surrounding stars for a moment.

“We appealed to the one on the throne. But before the great progress of the human empire, we, as ‘tools,’ are not a priority.”

“We sought help from the mechanical priests on Mars. But they only saw us as interesting ‘biological specimens’ that could be dissected.”

“We have been abandoned by the very empire we once protected.”

His emotions grew increasingly agitated, and in that black third eye, the nebula spun at an abruptly faster speed, unleashing a massive psionic pressure filled with the aura of a warp storm.

However, Hector simply stood there quietly, letting the violent psionic storm whip his simple black suit around his neck.

The "Heart of Silence" on his chest, bestowed by the Emperor and passed on by Aurelius, was radiating a faint yet firm power of "order," like an unyielding fortress, silently shutting out all "gazes" that tried to pry into his fate.

“Until you came along, Hector Kane.”

Orionus seemed to realize his lapse in composure, and he forced down his excitement, his voice becoming seductive.

“Your ‘Way of Silence,’ your ‘Intercepting Sect Academy’… In you, we see a completely new ‘possibility’ that we have never heard of before!”

"A 'Tao' that does not rely on genes or technology, but rather on 'introspection' and 'cultivation' to resist the erosion of the laws of the universe!"

“Therefore, we invite you here.” Orionus’s voice, like that of the most cunning merchant, began to offer his carefully prepared bargaining chip. “We want to make a most sacred ‘transaction’ with you.”

"Join us, child. Take your 'Tao' as our exclusive, core, and closely guarded secret, which is kept only by our Navigator family."

"In return, the Court family will use all the connections and wealth we have accumulated over tens of thousands of years to elevate you to a completely new height you have never imagined. You will no longer be a 'Dean' who needs to be mindful of the Regent's wishes; you will become Terra's true, hidden new aristocrat! Join us in sharing the power of this galaxy!"

"And all we want is one thing—"

He extended a finger that had become like a withered claw due to genetic mutation and slowly touched Hector's forehead.

"—I will exclusively possess your secret that can purify bloodlines and ensure the perpetuation of nobility."

Hector stood there quietly, letting the other's cold, inquisitive fingertips hover over his forehead.

He knew that the real "discussion" had only just begun. And the outcome of this discussion would directly determine when the "dishes" of this treacherous banquet would be served.

“Chieftain,” Hector’s voice was as calm as the eternal starry sky, “you may have misunderstood something.”

"Your family enjoys a portion of the Empire's supreme power, and as a noble family of psionic beings, humanity's reliance for traversing the starry sea... Is a noble family for generations not enough to satisfy your desires?"

“My ‘Tao’ is not about perpetuating ‘privileges’,” he slowly shook his head, “nor will it become something exclusive. On the contrary, it pursues ‘universality’ and ‘balance’.”

“As my ancestors said in their classic texts: ‘Even heaven and earth cannot last forever, let alone man.’ The universe itself is in a state of constant birth and death, so how much less so for us, who are as insignificant as dust?”

“Your suffering does not stem from the collapse of your genes, Patriarch.” Hector’s gaze, like the sharpest scalpel, instantly dissected all the pretense of their flowery words, pointing directly to the deepest root of their souls. “It stems from your obsession with ‘bloodline’.”

“You regard the identity of the navigator as a ‘privilege’ and a ‘glory’ that needs to be passed down forever.”

"You are trying to forcibly confine a surging river to a seemingly magnificent but actually rotten riverbed made of gold."

"The inevitable result will be... the dam breaking."

Orionus's face turned extremely ugly.

He never expected that this mortal would dare to so bluntly expose the deepest greed hidden beneath the proud exterior of him and the entire Navigator family!

"Insolence!" A furious roar burst from his shrunken throat!

This was the first time he had ever made a sound with his own body.

Even amidst the raging psionic storm, Hector remained calm as he spoke, his voice clear and penetrating deep into the other's soul.

"There is always a trade-off between gain and loss, and only through loss can there be gain."

"Abandon your obsession with 'bloodline,' abandon your innate pride. Embrace 'change,' and adapt to 'impermanence.'"

"Perhaps your descendants will no longer possess that third eye that can see through the warp. But they will be able to regain some things... that you have already lost."

"The ultimate goal of the Silence Path is to illuminate all psionicists struggling in darkness, regardless of their origin or bloodline. Education for all is fundamental to the 'Intercepting Sect Academy'."

“I cannot, and will never, turn it into a secret that belongs only to a few nobles and is used to perpetuate their privileges.”

Orionus's psychic power was still raging silently.

He knew that what this mortal said seemed to be true in the empire, in the emperor, and in the regency.

But he couldn't accept it!

Looking into Hector's eyes, which were as calm as an abyss, he finally tore away his last shred of pretense.

"It seems that the 'discussion on the Dao' has come to an end."

He slowly backed away, a cruel and greedy, victorious smile spreading across his twisted face.

"Then, let's begin the 'operation'."

His words had barely faded when—the true intentions were revealed!

Chapter 118 The Land Without Light

The enormous archway, made of liquid starlight and which should have been the only exit, solidified and hardened in an instant, like a frozen waterfall, and finally transformed into an indestructible crystalline wall that shimmered with eerie runes!

Immediately afterwards, the entire "Star Chart Pavilion" seemed to awaken from a nightmare that had been dormant for billions of years!

"boom--!!!"

A roar of laws, not belonging to the physical realm yet undeniably real, instantly resounded throughout Hector's soul!

The platform made of transparent crystal beneath his feet began to tremble violently! Beneath the platform, the deep interstellar vacuum began to surge and twist wildly like boiling seawater!

All around and above, the light of countless real stars that were slowly rotating instantly changed from a soft white to an ominous, chilling blood red.

Their trajectories became chaotic and disordered! They were no longer beautiful stars, but had turned into raging energy spheres filled with destructive energy, imprisoned within this cage of laws!

An invisible force of law, filled with the meaning of "isolation" and "negation," swept through the entire Star Chart Museum in an instant, like an invisible tide!

Hector's heart skipped a beat in that instant!

A chilling sensation, not from fear but from sheer surprise, instantly shot from the soles of my feet straight to the top of my head!

His Dao heart, which had long been calm and still due to the Foundation Establishment stage, was suddenly stirred up into a raging storm!

He anticipated challenges, traps, and even a glorious duel.

But he never imagined that the other party's methods would be so direct and so unreasonable!

They actually changed the laws of this place!

The most fatal change came from within himself.

Hector could clearly feel his connection to everything around him—

The heavy gravitational field of Terra, the ceaseless background noise of the warp, and even... the mysterious river of "fate" that sustains the operation of all things—all were forcibly and brutally severed in this instant by an invisible force of law, filled with the meaning of "isolation" and "negation"!

His cultivation "foundation," which could filter subspace energy and convert it into true essence, was shaken! Even the Third Legion's strongest static force field couldn't do that!

For the first time, the ocean of true essence within his body became water without a source, a rootless duckweed.

His "small circulation" cycle, which had long since connected the Ren and Du meridians and was like a perpetual motion machine, was still running, but each cycle seemed to consume the limited fuel he had already stored up.

Every penny spent will be permanently lost.

The root of that vague, "danger within opportunity" hexagram, at this moment, was finally revealed to him clearly in the most cruel way!

Why did the previous divination results not appear? Why can even the Book of Changes, a technique that can reveal the secrets of heaven, only produce a vague and unclear result?

Because here...

From the perspective of "fate," it simply "never existed"!

After the initial shock, Hector's breathing became calmer than ever before. He slowly, deeply exhaled a breath of stale air.

That breath carried away the last vestige of hope and confusion in his heart, as well as the instinctive fear that mortals feel when facing the unknown.

With his mind racing, he forced his consciousness to calm down and stood there quietly, letting the murderous intent that could break any mortal's spirit blow against his simple black suit like a real gale.

"I see……"

He murmured to himself, his gaze seemingly piercing through the blood-red, chaotic sea of ​​stars, landing on the ancient navigator chieftain who was enjoying the look of shock on his prey's dying face.

"The foundation of the laws governing this creation does not originate from the warp." Hector's voice was calm, yet filled with undeniable certainty. "Its power does not 'distort' reality, but rather 'covers' it. This kind of work... doesn't seem like something created by humanity in the dark ages of technology."

A name that existed only in the oldest and most forbidden myths and legends of the empire flashed through his mind in an instant, and he guessed in his heart:

"Is this... a relic of an ancient sage?"

“You are very clever, child.” Orionus’s voice was full of condescending, cat-and-mouse teasing, but there was also a hint of seriousness in it. “But you are too naive.”

"Do you think we really want to 'cooperate' with you? No. What we've always wanted is... you, this perfect 'vessel' capable of containing the 'Tao'!"

He opened his arms as if embracing his upcoming, brand new future!

“Every public appearance, every action, every debate you've taken in the past has been analyzed by us countless times using the most sophisticated logic engine. We have already concluded that your spirit, your ‘Tao,’ is so powerful that it's like an anomaly. But your physical body remains within the realm of mortals! This is your biggest flaw!”

"In this 'Dark Realm,' transformed from relics of the Dark Ages, no spiritual power can be used, and no destiny can be foreseen! Your 'path,' your 'technique,' will all lose their foundation!"

“To ensure this ‘operation’ is flawless,” Orionus’s voice was filled with a morbid pride in his own scheme, “to prevent it from being seen through by the one on the throne, or by that sentimental Primarch Saint Gilles, with their nasty prophetic abilities.”

“All the nobles and executors who participated in this plan were already hidden in this ‘Darkness’ before you stepped into this spire.”

“The only thing that truly exists outside is that invitation. And this 'sincere' discussion with you, this rampant psychic energy of mine,” a cruel smile appeared on his face, “is merely to buy time and conceal your senses, so that my brave 'surgeons' have enough time to leave here and complete their final arrangements.”

“We will gently and thoroughly destroy your fragile, flawed mortal body. Then, we will carefully remove your brain, the brain that holds the secret of eternity, and place it in our most advanced life support system.”

"You will become the most precious 'sacred relic' of our Court family! You will become our family's exclusive, unwavering, and inexhaustible living logic engine, providing us with the true meaning of 'Tao'!"

"And we, with the help of your wisdom, will completely purify our bloodline! Our nobility will be granted eternal life!"

As soon as he finished speaking, tall figures, filled with the metallic and bloody stench, slowly emerged from the chaotic and turbulent shadows of the starry sea.

They are the Court family's most secretive and terrifying guardians.

A group of "Star Warriors" who have undergone the most forbidden genetic modification and dark technology enhancement!

Their bodies had long been replaced by large mechanical prosthetics covered in ancient runes. Their faces wore expressionless, skull-like metal masks. In their hands lay strangely shaped weapons, their blades seemingly wail with vengeful spirits!

A chilling malice, filled with the aura of death and slaughter, instantly locked onto the tiny, solitary mortal figure on the platform!

Hector's hand slowly grasped the hilt of the "Two Elements Sword," a weapon meticulously crafted for him by Mars and imbued with the beauty of harmony and balance, at his waist.

He hadn't expected the nobles to act so decisively and thoroughly, choosing the most comprehensive and ruthless method of killing after a simple probing.

It seems that... this is actually the characteristic of the empire in the current era: brutal, decisive, and focused on efficiency and results.

I'm still... not "empire" enough.

Chapter 119 Blood and Flesh Encirclement

The siege, filled with the stench of steel and blood, had finally begun.

There were no battle cries, no bugle calls to charge.

And death, like a ghost, attacks silently from all directions at the same time!

The first Star Warrior, like a black lightning bolt emerging from the shadows, instantly traversed dozens of meters and appeared to Hector's left! His mechanical lower limbs, enhanced by dark technology, made not a sound on the crystal platform; his movements defied all laws of inertia, filled with an inhuman, nauseating fluidity.

The weapon in his hand was a strangely shaped scalpel, like a magnified version of itself, crafted from black metal. Its blade lacked a sharp edge, instead possessing a layer of gray energy that rippled gently like water. It wasn't for cutting flesh, but for dissecting the soul!

Almost simultaneously, another Starbound Warrior appeared to Hector's right rear with the same silent, ghostly speed! His weapon was a long, forked energy whip with a forked tip like a snake's tongue! Countless arcs of purplish-black electricity, like wailing ghosts, were wrapped around the tip of the whip!

Front, back, left, right, up, down, and all eight directions!

The twelve death trails, as if controlled by a ruthless, god-like logic engine, wove together a lifeless net that instantly contracted from all directions, with every angle of attack calculated with the coldest cruelty, aiming to completely disintegrate the prey in the center of the net in the same instant!

They are not fighting.

They were performing a surgical operation.

A cold and cruel surgery designed to completely separate the target's soul from his body!

Faced with this deadly situation that would leave even a battle-hardened Space Marine helpless in an instant, Hector's face showed no fear whatsoever.

He simply drew his sword.

A clear, resonant sword cry, unlike the clash of metal, but more like the roar of an ancient dragon, instantly echoed throughout this deathly silent prison of laws!

The Two Elements Sword is drawn!