There Will Be Repayment

Help?

To keep this clone's combat power locked in place, Wang Jixuan still could not let his consciousness leave the clone. He opened his eyes and looked at the stone slab ahead.

Was Number Five planning something?

She had abandoned this puppet. Did she intend to appear with her true body... Would a white-haired old granny pop out from inside?

Wang Jixuan pictured the scene, but it somehow felt wrong.

He remembered that Number Five had previously called the other Spiritual Practitioners old geezers.

"How can you help me?" Daoist Wang asked through his clone.

"Heh."

The Stone Slab Wall carried by the maid blossomed with strands of white light. The Fifth Spiritual Practitioner within transmitted her voice to everyone in her original voice.

Her voice was indeed young, crisp and pleasant, quite nice to listen to.

She said, "I won't beat around the bush with you. You want the psionic energy inside Xing Tian's body, but that psionic energy is constantly dissipating. I assume it's because the psionic energy circuit in his body is incompatible with the soul you assigned to it. I can help you make his psionic energy circuit resonate with the soul you assigned, but I have conditions as well."

Wang Jixuan said directly, "Go ahead. What technology do you want?"

"I want the route diagram for how you circulate psionic energy within your clones. I just tested it using the spirit slaves sleeping in my spire, but I couldn't figure it out."

Wang Jixuan silently praised her cleverness.

What the Fifth Spiritual Practitioner wanted struck directly at the foundation of a cultivator's practice.

Breathing and energy circulation, the operation of the heavenly cycle—these formed the basis for a cultivator resonating with the great Dao of heaven and earth. The greatest differences between cultivation techniques lay in their different routes for circulating the heavenly cycle.

"That's impossible," Wang Jixuan said softly. "If you can help me preserve this clone's combat power, there will definitely be repayment."

Black Shell, who had been listening from the side, kept shaking his head.

'Wang Zheng is still too naive. These Spiritual Practitioners and Psionicists are cut from the same cloth, cunning to the extreme. Even an empty promise should offer something substantial. Just saying there will definitely be repayment...'

"Fine, then." The female voice from the slab turned lazy. "It's no big deal to me anyway. Just remember that you owe me a favor."

She agreed!

Black Shell Instructor wore an indescribable expression.

The stone slab gathered a pale golden glow. Two beams of golden light shone from within, one falling on the pale young woman from before, the other on Wang Jixuan's clone.

A phantom ring appeared behind 'Xing Tian's' back.

The ring slowly expanded and flickered as it revolved. Thirty-six symbols appeared within it. Golden light erased several of those symbols, generating new symbols that descended back into 'Xing Tian's' body.

Wang Jixuan remained highly vigilant.

If the Fifth Spiritual Practitioner tried to brand his Strange Soul in the process, he would immediately withdraw it or sever the connection between his original soul and the Strange Soul.

Yet she did nothing of the sort.

When the ring returned to Xing Tian's back, Daoist Wang quickly discovered that the qi slowly collapsing within Xing Tian's body had returned to normal. The demonic qi that had previously been impossible to suppress could now be directly suppressed with dharma power.

—When he fought Meng Jin, signs of this collapse had already appeared. At its core, it was because body, soul, and dharma were incompatible. Even forcibly suppressing it with the Great Technique of Soul Transfer from the Dragon Python Swallowing Heaven Technique could only maintain temporary ferocity.

It was still somewhat regrettable.

Part of his dharma power had already dissipated, reducing its upper limit. Even if this clone could later be successfully refined, using the demonic transformation technique again would at most grant it sixty or seventy percent of its peak strength, equivalent to the early or middle Golden Core Realm.

For now, it was enough.

'It can be used to perform all kinds of demonic and wicked arts.'

With a thought from Daoist Wang, the Dragon Python Strange Soul fell asleep within Xing Tian's body. His consciousness returned to his original body, and he opened his eyes inside the X Armor.

Wang Jixuan pulled himself free from Peony's arms and strode over to 'Xing Tian.' He removed the silver needles one by one, melted them down, retrieved them into his Storage Magic Tool, then took out a large handful of fresh silver needles and inserted them into Xing Tian's major acupoints.

Rumble—

Tremors continuously came from inside the mountain.

Battle had erupted again near Snow Mountain Base. Their Half-Human Mechs were fighting the base's armored forces.

After the impact of the previous battle, even the slightest tremor now threatened to collapse this place.

Wang Jixuan urged, "Let's go first. They might come back to kill us."

Black Shell had already arranged for everyone to retreat.

Wang Jixuan looked back at the place, feeling somewhat melancholy. There was still a group of wounded people inside—the people the Psionicists had abandoned when they retreated earlier.

'Forget it. There's no need for excessive pity when I can barely look after myself.'

Wang Jixuan lifted 'Xing Tian' onto his shoulder and leaped out of the collapsed underground section in a single bound.

The slab carried by the Mechanical Maid muttered, "How rude. You don't even say thank you."

Peony turned to look at the slab and replied with a radiant smile, "Thank you."

"Tch. Mechs aren't worthy of thanking me."

The young girl—the girl whose body had previously been borrowed by the Fifth Spiritual Practitioner—slowly opened her eyes, confusion filling them.

She felt as though she had just had a dream.

In the dream, she had fallen seriously ill and been sent to the snow mountain by her family, where she underwent a painful treatment before being brought before a stone slab that shot a beam of golden light at her.

After that, she seemed to become an outsider, constantly watching 'herself' do all kinds of things.

But now, her illness was cured, and... what was this power...?

"Let's go," the voice from the slab urged. "What are you standing there for? From now on, you're my Exclusive Spirit Slave. I healed your body for you. Serve this Spiritual Practitioner well, and this Spiritual Practitioner won't mistreat you."

"Oh, yes, Lord Spiritual Practitioner."

The girl spoke timidly and hurriedly followed along.

Half an hour later.

Wang Jixuan and the others had joined the D5 emergency mobile force descending from the sky and were rapidly withdrawing from the D2 Comprehensive War Zone.

The D2 Comprehensive War Zone began organizing a press conference to lodge its harshest protest against D5.

Inside the Stealth Transport Plane returning near Psionic Capital, a group of Psionicists who normally stood high above others now sat in gloom and silence.

'Once, I had an ultra-luxurious lineup.'

Meng Jin deeply regretted it.

He had no idea why Xing Tian had suddenly rebelled. That old geezer, who should have been a diehard force of Psionic Capital, had suddenly charged in shouting bizarre phrases like "Sword!" "How exhilarating!" "Evil bastard, be punished!" and "What sheer delight!"

Charging in was one thing. He had been especially fierce.

If Meng Jin had not reacted in time, forcibly met him head-on, and desperately held him back, more than half of the trusted subordinates he had brought would have been lost.

Even so, the losses were immense.

Then there was the Black Energy entwined within their bodies... It was trying to devour their brains. Fortunately, one teammate responsible for logistical support had not gone down with them, and that teammate possessed an extremely special purification ability. Only then had they barely managed to suppress the Black Energy.

In one battle, four of his trusted subordinates had died. One of them had even been an incomparably precious Awakened Psionicist whom he had spent great effort cultivating and recruiting.

The opportunity to awaken was exceptionally rare.

Four more had been severely crippled.

At the same time, this filled Meng Jin with deep confusion.

What exactly had happened to Xing Tian?

His psionic energy had not undergone any substantial transformation. It was... his method of using power...

Meng Jin suddenly thought of a possibility. His eyes grew even hotter, and a few traces of ferocity appeared on his resolute face.

That was it. Black Storm.

The only variable was Black Storm.

This method of using psionic energy, different from the psionic energy circuits of Spiritual Practitioners; this entirely new combat method; those sharp cold weapons; Sword Light stretching dozens of meters; Black Energy capable of directly attacking their souls; and those methods he could not understand at all—these had to originate from Black Storm.

Although Black Storm himself was still at the B+ psionic level, the techniques he possessed could allow S-Class Psionicists to transform!

Xing Tian was proof of that!

Therefore, it was not difficult to understand why Xing Tian had betrayed Psionic Capital for those techniques.

Xing Tian must have seen a new world. He had already pushed open the gates to the New World.

A third civilization!

A wondrous and powerful psionic civilization!

"Hahaha! Hahahahaha!"

Inside the cabin, Meng Jin's laughter made the survivors exchange looks.

"Has the boss gone mad from excessive grief?"

"Black Storm—we must obtain him, no matter the cost!"

Perhaps infected by Meng Jin's laughter, the people in the cabin soon regained their spirits.

One person said, "Boss, should we go back and kill them? The enemy might have already withdrawn. That's D2; they wouldn't dare stay there long. Besides, the Six Elders have dispatched a large number of Psionic Energy Troops to support them."

"No need," Meng Jin said calmly. "Xing Tian has already rebelled, so they will withdraw quickly. The Number Five Stone Slab has also fallen into their hands. If the Six Elders still refuse to fall out with Fu Jian after this, they are practically committing slow suicide."

"Boss, what about the brothers who died?"

"Treat their families generously."

Meng Jin spoke in a low voice:

"The responsibility for this lies with me. I did not account for Xing Tian as a variable.

"He must have defected to Black Storm because of that power... Everyone, if we can obtain this power as well, Human Civilization will surely shine brilliantly in our hands once more!"

Everyone nodded.

"Recover from your injuries first. I'll make a trip to the Ball of Silence. This time, I'll exaggerate our casualties and put pressure on the Six Elders."

Meng Jin spoke in a low voice:

"Even people as weak as them should feel fear after seeing the footage we recorded this time.

"And this power just happened to fall into Fu Jian's hands..."

The transport plane flew steadily onward. With fewer passengers on the return trip, it saved a little energy as well.

On the other side, the fleet racing toward the D5 Comprehensive War Zone presented an entirely different scene.

"Damn! I forgot something important!"

Zheng Shiduo suddenly slapped his forehead and cursed loudly:

"That specimen! The S-Class specimen! It was in Area Three! I found it back then, but I forgot to shoot it!

"That specimen could potentially create an SS-Class powerhouse!"

Wang Jixuan, who was meditating in his seat, could only smile bitterly upon hearing that.

He had forgotten about it too.

Back then, he had only been focused on fighting the enemy. He had also discovered that specimen earlier.

Although the clone inside was somewhat incomplete, if it could be rescued, it might have been cultivated into talent like Wu Man.

Still, what was missed was missed. Wang Jixuan did not care too much.

He looked at the stone slab ahead, then at the young girl sitting beside it, completely ill at ease.

So it had not been possession?

The girl's soul had previously been taken into the stone slab by the Fifth Spiritual Practitioner.

It seemed that the Fifth Spiritual Practitioner was not the utterly evil person Number Four had described...

"Officer, would you like some juice?"

"Mm." Wang Jixuan accepted the orange juice Peony handed him and began taking stock of their gains from this operation.

They had far exceeded his previous expectations.

They had originally come to eliminate Xing Tian and stop him from entering the realm of an SS-Class Psionicist. Instead, Xing Tian's Living Soul had been refined by him, and his body had become a puppet controlled by the Strange Soul.

There was something Wang Jixuan was actually embarrassed to mention.

It was a little too much like demonic cultivation.

—Refining Xing Tian's soul had also given Wang Jixuan a small benefit. The Dragon Python Swallowing Heaven Technique had advanced once more.

'At this rate, this poor Daoist will truly have to establish a new sect. Sigh, a new demonic sect.'

Daoist Wang thought helplessly.

Another unexpected gain this time was killing several of Meng Jin's subordinates and, incidentally, gauging the strength of Meng Jin, the leader of the Psionic Management Committee Judgment Group.

That man was an Awakened Psionicist and exceptionally skilled in Close Combat.

Wang Jixuan had also sensed a powerful aura from Meng Jin, but it was not an aura produced by combat power.

'He is a somewhat troublesome commander-type figure.'

This battle had also forged a deadly enmity between both sides.

One name disappeared from the little ledger in Wang Jixuan's heart, while another was added.

The Judgment Group had been his enemy from the start anyway. Fu Jian and the Six Elders were locked in a Never-ending Battle. He was now firmly on Fu Jian's side. From now on, he and Meng Jin would simply target each other even more fiercely.

'Tsk. There will be more work after I get back. I need to refine a battle puppet, and I need to enter the Core Formation Realm as soon as possible.'

'There is nothing more satisfying than fighting openly and properly with immense dharma power!'

'Today's test showed that once this poor Daoist enters the late Golden Core Realm, I should be able to wield the combat power that Xing Tian's clone displayed today. With talismans, spells, formations, artifacts, and other methods, dealing with these Psionicists would not be difficult.'

'However, Awakened S-Class Psionicists and SS-Class Psionicists are ultimately too strong. Only upon reaching the Nascent Soul Realm will I be confident enough to fight many enemies alone.'

As Wang Jixuan thought of this, his heart grew hotter and hotter.

As long as he cultivated diligently, he would have a bright future!

"Ahem." Dragonfly Aunt wandered over from the side and sat in the seat before Wang Jixuan. "I think it's time we discussed salary and benefits, boss."

Daoist Wang froze for a moment, then remembered something.

Dragonfly Aunt had already been exposed.

She had previously helped him in secret, and he had paid her with Talisman Water and pills.

Dragonfly Aunt had been taken back by the Fifth Spiritual Practitioner, while Bristle Bear had previously been Hunted by Xing Tian's subordinates. She could no longer return to Psionic Capital.

Wang Jixuan remembered something and hurriedly asked, "Your family and teachers...?"

"My teachers are fine. My family might run into some trouble."

Dragonfly Aunt took out a cigarette and was about to light it when Peony mercilessly snatched it away.

"No smoking in the cabin."

Dragonfly Aunt rolled her eyes and muttered, "But it should be fine. My family cut off contact with me long ago, partly to protect them... My teachers will do their best to keep them safe. The Naturalist Faction still has close to thirty percent of the power, after all."

Wang Jixuan nodded apologetically. "I owe you one this time. Ask for anything you need. Later, I'll get you an identity in D5."

"Teach me that ability to move around inside rocks."

"Not a problem."

The stone slab beside them immediately lit up, and that crisp, pleasant voice sounded again. "You're treating us differently!"

"Of course. She's my ally, while you were still my enemy yesterday."

Wang Jixuan said calmly:

"Shouldn't you compensate her? She was exposed because you acted."

"Hmph. I was your enemy at the time."

"How about this? Give me a way to get Auntie into S-rank, and I can help you give the Fourth Spiritual Practitioner a thorough beating. He said a lot of bad things about you."

"That's worth considering. Do you really have a way to kill Spiritual Practitioners?"

"Probably."

"Then..."

Peony suddenly said, "Sir, Professor Shen sent an urgent message. There's a problem with Fourth's stone slab!"