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"Can we be certain of its safety?"

The question came from an elderly man seated in a wheelchair, who was sitting alongside Zhang Zhengyuan.

Wu Xiaoli looked at the other party and said, "The speaker, Hou Tianhua, is currently the Speaker of the Huazhong District House of Representatives and the leader of the Buddhist Sect in the Zhuxian World.

He is the only righteous character in Zhu Xian who can contend with Zhang Zhengyuan and is also one of the current order-keepers. "

Now, he had interrupted the transmission process, and even Zhang Zhengyuan had nothing to say at this moment.

Elder Hou was different from Zhang Zhengyuan. He came from a well-established noble family. When digital life emerged, the Hou Family contributed the most critical technology and thus became an enduringly powerful household within the Digital City.

Over the years, the Hou Family held significant influence in all Virtual Realms, with an incredibly robust foundation. In terms of heritage, they far surpassed Zhang Zhengyuan, a newcomer who had risen abruptly.

"We cannot be certain..." Wu Xiaoli spoke, "Our technical tests are very rigorous.

The latest capture device can adjust its maximum energy output based on the data volume of the target and carry out the capture.

Three top-tier supercomputers perform the calculations and analysis, which can forcibly dissolve the data in a very short time, thus allowing us to control the target.

Although the experiment has been conducted several times successfully, an experiment is an experiment, and reality is reality.

There is no guarantee that the capture will be successful! "

This statement caused the brows of the people behind Zhang Zhengyuan to furrow, especially the Wu Family members.

Wu Xiaoli, as a girl able to lead such a significant project, apart from her excellent natural learning abilities and being a top digital expert at a young age, also owed much to the support of her family.

The Wu Family was currently on Zhang Zhengyuan’s side, supporting his development of the Demonic World. At such a crucial moment, was this girl actually throwing cold water on their plans?

Zhang Zhengyuan, however, didn’t mind much; in fact, he still wore a smile on his face.

Wu Xiaoli was someone he had personally promoted, and he knew her character well.

She had always been somewhat opposed to the development of the Demonic World, na?ve at heart.

What she overtly opposed was the danger of this world, but in reality, she was against the big players secretly undertaking such nation-staking actions.

Just like his younger self...

He liked this child very much, often seeing his past self in her. But in time, she would understand that the fate of the world is always decided by the few at the very top of the pyramid; the common folk... can only go with the flow!

"Is that so?" Elder Hou looked towards the vast vortex in the distance, falling silent, but then glanced at his own legs that could no longer stand, his eyes flashing with a hint of ferocity!

Entering the Virtual World had its price.

Ordinary people might live numbly in the Digital City, never experiencing the sensation of their bodies aging, always young, their manifested forms always seeming energetic, even if eventually, due to genetic algorithms, their thoughts might blank out, becoming inert data.

That would happen suddenly, without the fear of life slowly withering away.

They were different. Once they entered the Virtual World, they would be transformed by that world’s algorithms, irreversibly so. No one today understands why these Virtual Worlds can alter the fundamental algorithms of digital life, but that is indeed the fact.

The Virtual Realm gives you a real life but also the most real aspects of life: that is aging, sickness, and death!

His body had been paralyzed four years ago, a consequence of a cultivation technique backfiring in Zhu Xian. Now, at the limit of his life, he experienced all the pains and helplessness that come with life’s end.

No one reaching this stage would not want to have a young and healthy body again; no one truly wants to wither away like wild grass.

"Let’s begin..." Elder Hou closed his eyes and said.

Upon hearing this, Wu Xiaoli was stunned, and her expression of boundless disappointment was evident for all to see.

If there was anyone in Huazong who could stop Zhang Zhengyuan now, it was the man before her. Unfortunately, he was one of those furthering the cause.

She found herself ridiculous. Wasn’t this project, which stripped resources from most of the population of Huazong every year, allowed to exist precisely because these old men couldn’t let go?

Seeing Elder Hou finally give up on holding anyone accountable, everyone behind Zhang Zhengyuan breathed a sigh of relief, but Zhang Zhengyuan himself was not at all surprised, his expression still neutral.

If they had wanted to stop it, they would have done so already. In terms of ambition and desire for immortality, who could surpass these noble families?

Was it by force that he garnered so much support and recognition for himself?

Of course not. The true reason he could maintain this project was that the interests of all the aristocrats were aligned with his own, a fact Wu Xiaoli surely understood. The reason she acted this way was probably just wishful thinking.

Perhaps she thought that Elder Hou would maintain some sort of bottom line?

How laughable...

"Start the project!"

In the end, Wu Xiaoli entered the password and initiated the final command.

The seven project leaders successively entered their passwords, and finally, Zhang Zhengyuan himself keyed in the last unlocking code.

As the codes were entered, a tremendous roaring sound emerged, and behind Wu Xiaoli, everything immediately turned pitch black.

Soon after, dense data swirled in, engulfing the area like an ocean storm, plunging into a vortex.

The massive vortex grew larger and larger, as if capable of swallowing everything. At that moment, both Zhang Zhengyuan and the nobles from the other great families felt their own insignificance.

Perhaps, amidst this vast torrent of data, they were merely a single wave.

The shock hadn’t even settled when, in the next instant, an even more astonishing scene unfolded.

The entire world split open, an invisible, transparent passage linking the two separated worlds!

"This is..."

Everyone looked on excitedly, including the previously composed Elder Hou, who was trembling so hard that had it not been for someone beside him, he would have probably fallen from his wheelchair in his excitement.

At that moment, everyone’s genes stirred—genes that yearned to continue living. Even though algorithms might be formalized, they couldn’t suppress the primal desire of genes. And in the world on the other side, their genes could sense it—the thing that could sustain them indefinitely!

At this moment, all doubt vanished. The Demonic World was their answer to eternal life!

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

"This is truly astonishing..."

Chen Qing stood on the other side of the rift, observing the distant world, while every cell in his body opposed his leaving this place!

Clearly, his body was warning him just how dangerous the other side was.

The group of people on the other side weren’t particularly strong, but their gazes were like those of wolves staring at him, as though he was a piece of delectable meat.

Had it not been for the rift that barred their way, they probably couldn’t resist the urge to come over and tear him to pieces, could they?

Ridiculous!

Chen Qing let out a cold laugh and was about to step forward when Wei Gongcheng, who had finally snapped out of his shock, called out, "My Lord!"

Chen Qing paused mid-step, but didn’t turn around. "What is it?"

"Can we not go?" Wei Gongcheng had also felt the danger on the other side.

He had never encountered such a dreadful feeling since he was born, fear that went deep into his bones!

His great-grandfather and his peers had once said that when they faced the Otherworldly Demon Statues, they felt fear that reached their very bones, calling those entities the most terrifying things in the world.

But Wei Gongcheng believed if those elders were here, they would overturn their previous statements.

Nothing could be more terrifying than the feeling now, Wei Gongcheng thought, not even those so-called Otherworldly Demon Statues...

"No," Chen Qing shook his head. "The world you live in exists because they covet this place’s environment. If they wish, they could destroy it at any moment. Do you understand?"

Wei Gongcheng was taken aback and his gaze toward Chen Qing became filled with bewilderment.

At this moment, he believed that what Chen Qing said was true. Those mysterious beings on the other side could indeed destroy their world.

So the entities that his lord was about to negotiate with could easily obliterate their world?

So... from the very beginning, his lord had actually... been on their side, right?

Without hesitation, Wei Gongcheng knelt down, prostrating himself—the kind of grand gesture reserved for honoring ancestors.

"Please return safely. We... cannot do without you!"

Chen Qing didn’t look back; he merely hesitated for a moment before stepping forward.

But what Wei Gongcheng couldn’t see was the smile on Chen Qing’s face.

I won’t be the next King of Qin, absolutely not!