Page 1097

Digital City...

"General, are we really going to do this?"

Nie Xingjun’s secretary hesitated. As his confidant, his future was entirely tied to the general, but he had to admit—this time, the general was taking quite a gamble!

"What do you think of Old Liu?" Nie Xingjun asked, puffing a cigarette and gazing at the supercomputer sprawled on the ground after much effort to build it.

"Old Liu... he’s not bad, I suppose. He treats us pretty well..."

"That’s because we still hold value for him... for now." Nie Xingjun sneered. "The Nie Family members who have defected to him have mostly become his core staff, haven’t they? Buddha himself has two under him, but have you ever seen them?"

"Uh... Where would I get such an opportunity?" The secretary forced a bitter smile.

The Nie Family’s defections were absolutely confidential, as were those from other families. Buddha was considered a top-tier lifeform—how much of a stir would it cause once such entities arrived in Digital City?

"I’ve seen them..." Nie Xingjun looked to the sky, his gaze distant and dazed.

It was some kind of remote communication—just their eyes, barely visible during the conversation. Did you know? The entire time, I felt a constant tension. After our ancestors delivered their instructions, we—myself included—were drained for days. Do you know why?

"Because... such lifeforms are too overpowering?" The secretary replied cautiously.

"Overpowering indeed... But doesn’t Chen Qing possess a similar power?" Nie Xingjun sneered. "The same level of superiority, yet why do I feel no pressure meeting Chen Qing, while I feel utterly crushed meeting Long Lidan or even my own ancestors?"

The secretary: "......"

"The reason is simple..." Nie Xingjun locked eyes with him. "Chen Qing still views us as people, while the others—they no longer see us as human."

"That... Can’t be true, can it?" The secretary swallowed nervously.

"Haven’t you felt it yourself?" Nie Xingjun chuckled. "That gut instinct—as though you’re facing a ravenous beast. We know it deep inside, but we don’t dare speak of it. The way they look at us—it’s the same way they’d look at food. They... They’ve long ceased being human!"

"But Chen Qing..." The secretary hesitated, then said, "Can he really do it?"

Against those monsters...

"It doesn’t matter, because for me, there’s no other choice.

" Nie Xingjun voiced firmly. "Your sister-in-law gave birth. I understand the science—it’s genetic pairing through data matching. But to your sister-in-law, that child was lovingly carried and borne by her. I don’t want my child to look at me the way I now look at our ancestors.

And even more... I don’t want to look at my child like some piece of meat! "

With that, Nie Xingjun pressed the activation button!

Only a supercomputer lifeform could rival a supercomputer lifeform, and only a supercomputer could unlock the chains of King-level power!

------------------------------------------

Outside Capital City, the defenses were even sparser than those in Jiangnan.

Yet as Chen Qing advanced, he hadn’t encountered a King-level giant python.

This wasn’t surprising—King-level entities were still incredibly rare at this stage, and no faction would risk losing one.

But conspicuously, the Emperor here was perhaps the most likely to slay a King-level being.

Chen Qing strode through the black fog, quickly arriving outside Capital City, where he was met by the waiting Emperor.

"I’ve waited long, but I didn’t expect you."

The Emperor turned, his expression toward Chen Qing growing peculiar. At this moment, Chen Qing seemed weak, but the Dragon Maiden beside him appeared dangerous. Though equally frail, for some reason, she felt even more menacing than his elder sister!

"Greetings, Your Majesty..." Chen Qing bowed weakly.

"If you’re still alive, why aren’t you returning to Jiangnan? Why come to me?"

"The road to Jiangnan is fraught with peril, but here, with Your Majesty present, it is ironically the safest place."

"Safest here, you say?" The Emperor chuckled at Chen Qing. "Now there’s a good joke. What makes you think I’m no threat to you?"

"If Your Majesty bore malice toward me, it would indeed be perilous. But Your Majesty does not..." Chen Qing smiled faintly. "We share the same goal. In this treacherous world overrun by monsters, one more person like us means one more glimmer of hope..."

"You certainly spare no effort flattering yourself." The Emperor said coldly. "How can you be certain those monsters will bypass me? I suspect those so-called ancient awakenings will seek me out sooner or later. They won’t miss this moment when Capital City’s defenses are weakest."

King Xiang’s Ghost Generals hadn’t fully descended.

The Ghost Army remained outside, Sparrow Bee was heavily wounded during the Yundu incident, and King Chu Jiang was confined to the Netherworld, unable to move.

At this moment, aside from the basic guards, the only true powerhouse in Capital City was himself.

If the other side were ruthless enough to send a sufficient number of assassins, they might have a chance to take him down. That was why he had sent his elder sister away—without her, even if something happened to him, Great Jin’s Destiny would endure...

"They wouldn’t dare..." Chen Qing replied with certainty.

"The longer one lives, the more one fears death.

Those beings have existed for tens of thousands of years, always awaking to lofty positions, reigning supreme as the pinnacle of all life on this continent.

How could they willingly risk their lives? "

"It’s not simply that there are so few King-level entities right now—even if there were more, almost none would dare challenge you, for everyone knows... Your Majesty, you are nearly the peak of King-level power."

"Nearly King-level..." The Emperor murmured. "Though nature’s spiritual energy is not yet unlocked, I can sense that insurmountable wall. It’s likely... I’ll never catch up to those monsters."

"Is Your Majesty so lacking in confidence?" Chen Qing squinted.

"It isn’t a matter of confidence." The Emperor shook his head. "King Xiang and I discussed it once. He reached King-level peak in a relatively short time, only to find—no matter how much effort he poured in—that final step was unbridgeable. It seemed so close, but in reality, it was worlds apart."

"Has Your Majesty not heard of the Dao Fruit?"

"I have, but such things aren’t attainable by just anyone, are they?" The Emperor said softly.

"Who told Your Majesty that?" Chen Qing asked, squinting.

"Liu Yu speculated."

"That old fox truly is formidable... No wonder Wang Ye reveres him so greatly.

" Chen Qing nodded. "Indeed, the Dao Fruit aligns with the world’s rules. Whoever masters it becomes one with the rules—what we call a Venerable One. Many outsiders assume simply obtaining the Dao Fruit makes one a Venerable One. That’s not true, of course. .."

"You know the truth!" The Emperor said softly. "What’s missing, then?"

"Hardware support..."

"Hardware?"

"To master a rule requires an enormous amount of data. In your terms, it requires talent."

"Talent?" The Emperor frowned. "Are you saying my talent isn’t enough?"

"It’s not enough..." Chen Qing shook his head. "Only a very small number of people have sufficient talent. Those individuals were predestined when this world was first conceived—they were born to claim the Venerable One’s seat!"

"Predestined talent... How can such things be predetermined?" The Emperor demanded. "If that’s true, why did your so-called outsiders perish at my hands?"

"Because, even among Your Majesty’s so-called outsiders, only an extreme few hold this predetermined qualification. These slots were fixed from the very creation of the world... And now... I bring with me a new opportunity for such qualification!"