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

The other side didn't care about the lives of those Dao Guards at all.

From the very beginning, he was their target!

They want to use the blood of Dao Wei to corrupt his Dao heart! They want to use this destined, irreversible tragedy to prove to him how ridiculous and futile any attempt to establish eternal "order" is in this universe dominated by "change" and "lies"!

"Tzeentch, huh..."

Hector slowly rose from the futon carved from white jade.

He did not ask Makado for help or report it, because it was too late.

......

"Prepare for an emergency subspace jump."

His voice, though not loud, resonated clearly through quantum communication across the empty bridge of the "Seeker," devoid of any emotion, like a final decree descended by a deity.

"Target: Necromonda."

On the bridge, the veteran captain of the Whisperer, who was on duty, showed a look of horror for the first time on his weathered face the moment he received the order.

"Your Excellency Dean! Please reconsider!" His voice trembled slightly with shock. "We have received no navigational guidance from the Navigator families! To conduct an unguided emergency jump in a peripheral star system untouched by the light of the Star Torch is almost tantamount to suicide! There is a greater than 90% chance that the ship will be lost in the warp storms or end up in the center of some demon world!"

“I will bear the risk.” Hector’s voice remained calm, yet carried an undeniable authority. “Don’t worry about whether there’s a navigator or not, my presence is enough. Activate the ship’s Geller force field; I will synchronize the resonance. Execute my orders, Captain. —Now.”

On the bridge of the "Seeker," the veteran captain, after staring at Hector's gaze, which was filled with absolute will, for several seconds, finally slowly lowered his proud head.

Speaking into the communicator in a hoarse voice, filled with a sense of fatalism, he issued the craziest and most unbelievable command of his life.

"...All crew members, proceed to the highest level of warp preparation."

"Target: Necromonda."

"—In the name of the Taoist Academy, leap forward!"

Above Terra's near-Earth orbit, the dark red assault cruiser, resembling a silent ascetic, had its hull covered with tens of thousands of Word Bearer scriptures that originally emitted only a faint aura of psionic energy. At this moment, it seemed to be covered by an invisible, purer will!

A series of moon-white Daoist auras, filled with "harmony" and "balance," flowing slowly like a Tai Chi diagram, instantly replaced the dark red light filled with fanaticism and fanaticism! The entire warship seemed to transform from a "scepter" full of religious connotations into... a drawn sword of "Dao," gleaming with endless cold light!

The next moment, the warship's engines roared, tearing through space! An unstable subspace rift, filled with chaotic energy, was forcibly and brutally ripped open before it!

Without the slightest hesitation, the Seeker plunged headlong into that eternally dark ocean filled with the unknown and destruction, like a moth drawn to a flame.

The moment they leaped in, the entire warship groaned under the immense pressure, like an iron block thrown into a pool of sulfuric acid! The Geller force field flickered violently under the frenzied impact of the subspace storm, and even the surface of the ship began to show strange corrosion, as if torn apart by invisible claws! On the bridge, all the mortal crew members bled from their seven orifices in an instant, plunging into the deepest nightmare.

Just as the warship was about to be completely swallowed up, Hector, who was sitting cross-legged in the center of the bridge, suddenly opened his eyes!

His strange eyes, one like eternal night and the other like a star, burst forth with dazzling light at this moment!

"--open!"

With a low shout, the golden core within his dantian, resembling a miniature universe, began to operate with a roar! A vast, pure Daoist aura, brimming with "order" and "harmony," instantly swept across the entire warship, centered on him! The precarious Geller force field, under the influence of this power, seemed to have been infused with the life essence of a god, instantly becoming incredibly stable, even radiating a warm, gentle glow like moonlight!

He transformed himself into the "soul" of this ship!

His consciousness transformed into an inextinguishable lighthouse, piercing through the layers of subspace fog constructed of lies and paradoxes, precisely locking onto Necromonda's "coordinates" filled with rust and despair!

The Seeker, like an ark steered by a god himself, embarked on an unprecedented and reckless voyage in this chaotic ocean that could confuse any imperial fleet!

Thus began a race against time that spanned light-years.

Chapter 147 Dao Guard's First Battle (6 Extra Chapters)

Necromonda descends from its nest, the "Rusty Labyrinth," its last stronghold in days.

Kyle's breathing was heavy and silent, like steel frozen in ice.

He knelt on a massive, rusted pipe, its original form unrecognizable. Every muscle in his body was like a bowstring stretched to its limit, blending seamlessly into the surrounding darkness filled with malice and lies. The "Two-Element Chainsaw Sword" in his hand remained unactivated. Its black and white Tai Chi sword disc, bathed in the eternal, dim light of the Lower Nest, a mixture of industrial fumes and neon lights, radiated a warm, jade-like luster that seemed incongruous with this steel hell.

This is the "Rusty Labyrinth," one of the deepest and most chaotic areas of Necromonda's lair. But in the last few standard days, it has become Tzeentch's private playground.

Kyle could clearly feel the solid alloy deck beneath his feet slowly undulating in a way that defied all the laws of physics, like the heartbeat of a living creature. The distant corridor shifted its position with every blink of an eye, like a master con artist constantly showing him different, yet equally destructive, "possibilities." Even gravity seemed like a capricious deity, sometimes pressing them firmly to the ground, and other times letting them float uncontrollably in the air like weightless dust.

Leader Barona's voice, as steady as a rock, echoed clearly in the hearts of every surviving Dao Guardian through the team's encrypted communications. It wasn't a simple command, but a transmission of "qi." A powerful aura, imbued with the meaning of "bearing" and "protecting," centered on him, acted like an invisible anchor, forcefully stabilizing the surrounding space that had become chaotic and violent due to the distortion of laws.

Kyle's gaze pierced through the labyrinth of twisted steel and shimmering dangerous runes, landing not far away on the temporary defensive line built by Barrow and his five brothers who specialized in the "Mountain" magic.

Like six black mountains rising from this steel-clad land, backed by a massive, long-dormant plasma reactor, they used their bodies, forged through countless trials by the "Rock Solid Mind Technique," and their Two-Element Chainsaw Swords, also switched to a defensive stance, to withstand wave after wave of the surging, chaotic, fanatical cultists.

At their feet lay piles of mutilated, foul-smelling corpses. There were gang members wielding crude explosive guns, technicians corrupted by a cult whose bodies were strangely fused with machinery, and even some... former Necromonda enforcers, elite soldiers clad in black armor.

Their faces all wore the same kind of blissful smile, characteristic of fanatics, filled with the hope for "change" and "hope".

Kyle knew that wasn't courage.

It was a kind of "blessing" that was more terrifying than death.

He slowly closed his eyes and poured a wisp of pure true essence into the "Heart-Questioning Stone," a tiny piece of obsidian polished from a single grain of rice, located on the hilt of his sword.

In an instant, the world before his eyes transformed once again into a more realistic picture composed of different "qi".

Those fanatical, fearless believers were no longer considered "human" in Kyle's vision of "qi".

They were clusters of flames burning with a mottled mix of colors, filled with chaos and contradictions. The core of those flames did not originate from their own will, but was firmly controlled by strands of extremely faint yet incredibly tenacious pale purple "deceptive threads" that constantly changed color and shape.

The source of these threads points to the deepest part of this labyrinth. There stands an "Altar of Lies," constantly growing and reassembling like a living thing. This resonant obelisk, constructed from countless discarded mechanical parts, the flesh and blood of living people, and some unknown alien crystal, is like a giant heart that Tzeentch has placed in this real universe. With each beat, it radiates psionic waves filled with paradoxes and lies, enough to distort the collective unconscious.

"found it."

Kyle said silently to himself.

His "Inquiry Stone" is not only able to see strength and weakness. Under his mentor's unique guidance, he learned how to find the inner "logic" beneath the seemingly chaotic appearance of "qi".

And the "logic" of these fanatics is so simple, so... fragile.

All their actions were based on an absolute and unquestionable belief—belief in "change," belief in the great deity who promised them "hope."

What Kyle has to do is use the sharpest and most ruthless "sword" to completely sever this "letter," along with the ridiculous "logic" behind it!

He tapped the communicator three times gently.

That was a signal that their team had practiced countless times, representing "drawing the blade".

Almost simultaneously, from behind the defensive line, Barona's roar, as loud as a bell, instantly resounded throughout the entire factory!

"—Stone Formation! Activate!"

The six Dao Guardians, who primarily cultivated the "Mountain" Daoist arts, roared simultaneously! Their imposing, mountain-like aura sculpted six clear, indented footprints into the alloy deck beneath their feet! Their Yin-Yang Chainsaw Swords switched to a defensive stance at the same time! Six invisible repulsive fields instantly connected, forming an unbreakable semi-circular energy barrier, like a wall of sighs!

"Boom! Boom! Boom!"

Countless explosives and lasers slammed into that invisible barrier, but like pebbles thrown into the ocean, they only stirred up faint ripples before being completely dissolved by the Daoist aura that was full of the meaning of "bearing" and "transformation"!

Just as all the enemy's attention was drawn to that impregnable frontal defense—

Kyle moved.

His entire being transformed into a gray lightning bolt that blended into the shadows!

He didn't take the seemingly wide but actually treacherous main passages. His body, tempered by the "Flowing Water" mental technique, seemed boneless as he squeezed into a long-abandoned ventilation duct less than half a meter in diameter, defying all principles of ergonomics!

Darkness instantly engulfed him.

But for Kyle, this was not darkness.

His "Stone of Inquiry" was like a lighthouse in the darkness, guiding him in the only correct direction. He could clearly "see" how dense and how defenseless those "spots of light" burning with fanaticism were behind the twisted and reassembled labyrinthine walls.

In the narrow pipe, the Two-Element Chainsaw Sword in his hand silently switched to an offensive stance. Catalyzed by true energy, its dark silver serrations resonated wildly at an almost silent, ultra-high frequency!

He was like a venomous snake lurking at the bottom of an abyss, patiently waiting for the opportune moment to deliver the fatal blow.

Chapter 148 The Tzeentch Wizard (Bonus Chapter 7)

"...Stop them! For the great 'change'! Turn these die-hards who refuse 'hope' into nourishment for the altar!"

A tall, traitorous officer, clad in the iconic black armor of a Necromonda enforcer, brandished a power hammer and roared madly, directing his followers in wave after wave of suicidal charges against Baron's seemingly crumbling defensive line.

His face wore a fervent, "happy" smile. He firmly believed that he was bringing about a great "rebirth" for this long-decayed capital.

He was completely unaware that behind him, in the shadow of twisted steel, a pair of cold, abyss-like eyes had locked onto him firmly.

In Kyle's vision of "qi," the enforcer's soul fire was the most intense and the most... "pure" of all his enemies. It wasn't the purity of power, but the purity of "ignorance." He could clearly "see" the ridiculous, self-contradictory war waging between the enforcer's obsession with "order" and his fanatical belief in "change."

That contradiction is his biggest "logical flaw".

Before Kyle could even think, his body reacted before his will could!

He was like a silent arrow shot from the shadows, instantly bridging the distance between life and death!

The officer felt a chill run down his neck, an indescribable coldness filled with the meaning of "annihilation" and "end," which instantly pierced through his spine!

The fervent smile on his face froze instantly. He lowered his head with difficulty and slowly.

He saw that a black and white chainsaw sword, full of exotic beauty, had silently pierced through his back without him noticing.

Not a single drop of blood stained the sword's edge.

Only a pure, moonlight-like true essence, like the gentlest tide, gradually soothed and straightened the raging energy within him, corrupted by chaos, until it finally... returned to nothingness.

"Why... why..."

With great difficulty, he squeezed out his last words, filled with bewilderment, from his throat.

Kyle did not answer.

He simply whispered in the ear of the law enforcement officer in his cold, emotionless voice the judgment that his mentor had taught them, a judgment filled with the true meaning of the "Tao."

"—Benefit all things without contention."

With that, he flicked his wrist and slowly drew out the chainsaw sword that had been "purified".

The officer's massive body stiffened abruptly. Then, like a puppet whose strings had been removed, he collapsed with a crash.

The fervent smile on his face had vanished, replaced by an unprecedented, relieved peace.

However, this is only the beginning.

Kyle's figure, without the slightest pause, like a ghost, once again merged into that deeper darkness filled with death and betrayal!

This is a massacre.

A silent massacre, guided by the "Tao" and filled with artistic beauty!

Kyle's figure, like the scythe in the hand of death, repeatedly stirred up ripples of death behind that seemingly impenetrable line of fanatics!

Every time he drew his sword, he precisely targeted the enemy's most vulnerable "logical loophole"!

He moved like flowing water through the dense network of fire, using the most ingenious methods to deflect enemy attacks onto his comrades!

At times, it's like a mountain collapsing; in those fleeting openings, it unleashes the most lethal and terrifying power, enough to kill even a heavily armored law enforcement officer on the spot!

He, alone with a sword, actually managed to completely disintegrate and tear apart the seemingly invincible offensive of an enemy several times his size from within!

However, this seemingly glorious victory came at a huge cost.

Kyle could clearly feel that the already limited ocean of true essence within his dantian was being rapidly depleted at a heart-pounding pace!

Every activation of the "Questioning Stone," every shift in the "Two Elements" dynamic, every burst of true essence... all felt like squeezing the most fundamental energy from his soul!

But his enemies seem endless.

They felt no pain, no fear, and no fatigue. Like endless puppets controlled by that "altar of lies," they fearlessly surged forth from every corner of the labyrinth!

"No...this won't do..."

Kyle stopped in the shadows, in a relatively safe spot. He was panting heavily, his grey monk's robes soaked with sweat and the blood of his enemies, clinging tightly to his body, which trembled slightly from exhaustion.

He knew he was nearing his limit.

Just then, Barona's anxious and resolute voice rang out again in his communicator.

"Kyle! Come back! We... can't hold on much longer!"

Kyle's pupils suddenly contracted!

He forcefully suppressed the weakness in his body, activated the "Heart-Questioning Stone" again, and turned his attention to the front line of the battlefield!

Then, he saw it.

He saw that Barona's rock-solid defenses were now in grave danger!

Of the six Dao Guardians who primarily cultivated the "Mountain" method, only three remain! The other three have already fallen into pools of blood, their mutilated bodies still maintaining their final, protective posture!

Barrow's body was covered with hideous wounds! His gray monk's robe was already stained dark red with blood! The black and white colors of the Two Elements Chainsaw Sword in his hand, which were full of Daoist charm, had also become dull and lifeless due to the excessive consumption of true essence!