Chapter Seventy: Audience with the Divine

The Purification Society possessed the technology to mass-produce extraordinary warriors. Though this was only recently discovered, it was certainly no secret among the upper echelons of the Bastion’s officialdom. Director Chen of the Mediterranean, being a senior official in the Association of Transcendents, naturally knew as much. Moreover, he was aware that the head of the Meng family had revealed many secrets about the Purification Society, not just their technology for creating extraordinary soldiers, but also mysterious powers and the like.

Thus, when he learned that the person Gu the assassin was carrying was none other than Bai Ziyu, he immediately realized the gravity of the situation.

Very soon, Han Ze, who had already gone to the outer front lines of the Bastion, hurried back, accompanied by three other espers.

Inside a research laboratory, Bai Ziyu was restrained on a chair brimming with technological design. His hands and feet were bound, and he remained unconscious.

“Mr. Gu,” Han Ze said, “The people of the Purification Society are all madmen—each of them views death as a release. Forcing useful information out of them is exceedingly difficult; if even their regular members are like this, let alone Bai Ziyu, who is one of their bishops.”

Gu nodded. “That’s why I asked you to bring mental-type espers.”

“I understand your intention, Mr. Gu,” Han Ze replied. “You wish to use mental control to compel Bai Ziyu to reveal their secrets. We’ve tried such methods before, but the requirements for psychic power are too high. None of our Bastion’s mental-type espers are up to the task; they struggle even with ordinary people, much less someone with Bai Ziyu’s resolute will.”

Gu glanced at the assembled espers, feeling a tinge of disappointment. All three had barely reached the first rank; their abilities were far too weak.

Had it been Liu Ping, whom he had killed in Qingtong Town, there would have been no need for much effort. He could have affected Bai Ziyu’s consciousness while the latter was distracted.

But it made little difference now.

Gu waved his hand and turned to the mental-type espers. “In a moment, I will act to create an opening. Regardless of the specific nature of your abilities, you need only do one thing: focus your psychic power and attack the brainwaves of Bai Ziyu. Do you understand?”

The espers all nodded quickly, though one hesitated. “Mr. Gu, none of our abilities are truly offensive in nature. Forcing ourselves to do this will only deplete our energy reserves—we’re unlikely to last long.”

“That’s not your concern. I’ll take care of it.”

With that, Gu’s pupils contracted as he unleashed his temporal ability, enveloping Bai Ziyu and drastically slowing the flow of time within that small space.

Then, Gu suddenly plunged a knife into Bai Ziyu’s leg.

Bai Ziyu awoke in an instant.

Yet, because the flow of time around him was so greatly slowed, even the speed at which his consciousness returned was sluggish.

“Now! Attack!” Gu shouted.

At once, the mental-type espers stepped forward, each deploying their powers to assault Bai Ziyu’s mind.

Meanwhile, Gu hurried behind them, activating the Qi-Guiding Technique to channel his own genetic energy into their bodies.

This scene left Han Ze and the others utterly shocked.

It was the first time any of them had witnessed someone manipulating genetic energy in such a manner.

These days, all transcendents fought by developing their overall attributes through the unlocking of genetic locks, and the use of genetic energy was a basic instinct. To see Gu command genetic power at will was astonishing.

“Is this a natural ability from advanced genetic development, or has Gu already devised a method for wielding genetic energy?” Han Ze’s mind raced.

If it was simply the result of more thoroughly unlocked genetic locks, Han Ze would not be surprised. But if Gu had truly discovered a unique way to harness genetic power, that would be a breakthrough capable of fundamentally transforming all human extraordinary warriors.

Han Ze longed to ask, but found himself at a loss for words. After a moment’s hesitation, he let the question go unspoken.

Although Gu’s focus was wholly on Bai Ziyu, he took in all of Han Ze and the others’ reactions. He knew this act would inevitably arouse questions about the existence of the Qi-Guiding Technique.

But he didn’t care.

No one could force him to divulge what he was unwilling to share. More importantly, it hardly mattered whether he spoke now or not. According to the trajectory of his previous life, in about ten days, the Kyoto Bastion Research Institute would publish the first Qi-Guiding Technique. Humanity would then enter an era of fierce competition.

Gu had never intended to prevent this from happening, nor was he interested in hastening it. The advent of the Qi-Guiding Technique would mean his opportunities for easy gain would dwindle; corpse cores and mutant bones would instantly become the most coveted resources worldwide, along with future treasures like mutant fruits and herbs that aided cultivation.

For now, Gu set aside these musings, focusing solely on subduing Bai Ziyu. At last, under the effect of three successive truth serums administered by a researcher, Bai Ziyu’s consciousness succumbed after a brief struggle.

Gu’s temporal power had slowed Bai Ziyu’s awareness, while the three espers’ psychic assaults had worn his willpaper-thin. Now, he was fully under their control.

“Bai Ziyu, where did you obtain the scepter and the potion?” Gu asked.

Bai Ziyu’s eyes were vacant as he replied slowly, “Given by the divine…”

At these words, everyone in the laboratory was visibly shaken. Some suspected he had not truly been brought under control—otherwise, how could he still speak of gods?

But Gu had a theory of his own. “Where did you see this god? When was it, what happened? Tell me everything.”

“In the Taihang Mountains,” Bai Ziyu replied evenly. “On May 25th, while fleeing, I and several of the association’s red-cloaked bishops hid in the Taihang Mountains, pursued by corpse beasts. By chance, I stumbled into the domain of a deity.

“It was a corner of the divine realm—I don’t know how I entered; I simply got lost in the forest, wandering until I found myself in a place that shouldn’t exist within the Taihang range.

“There, I saw a mountain chain ten, a hundred times the size of Taihang itself. Hundreds, thousands of soaring peaks rose from the earth, appearing out of nowhere—magnificent and grand. Some summits towered over a thousand zhang, like swords of the gods thrusting into the heavens, sheer and unscalable.

“In that moment, I knew: my devotion had moved the divine. It had come to receive us. I immediately knelt and prayed, and the deity heard me, sending its mount to fetch us.

“It was the nine-headed lion of myth and legend—each head as mighty as a mountain!”

Brothers, this plotline was forced to conclude ahead of schedule. Damn, it’s too frustrating. I’ve been warned—yesterday the chapter was blocked several times. Many of the storylines I’d planned can no longer be written; the moment I try, they’re censored. It’s just too much!

(End of chapter)