Death God, Don't Get Cocky

In the core area of Aizong Mausoleum, there is a scientific research complex covering 16 hectares.

The annex extends down the crater of this oval-shaped burial complex, almost draining the entire workforce of four generations in Daoheng County. The fish-man hybrids took over the manual labor, along with fifty-eight Heavenly Palace followers specializing in psychic science, who served as the regional heads of various departments.

Everything was for one thing --

That would be to dig through to the Earth's core.

The core area of the complex, measured 170 meters underground from the sea level of the Pompeii Sea, is also the main burial chamber of Emperor Aizong of Xia. However, the previous emperor did not have the opportunity to live in this top-notch tomb, so it became the ideal place and the hope of Mr. Wood.

"Teacher Abby, the Star Official's Chaos Egg hasn't sent any new messages," the female assistant whispered.

Wood Abby replied, "Death God has come."

The female assistant was incredulous. Although the Haoshou Tianzun had always believed that the gunsmith was not dead, she was unwilling to accept the fact after hearing these words with her own ears.

"The Lingguang Buddha forbids it."

Before she could finish speaking, old Abby interrupted, "What else could it be? My six star officials were on the verge of death, they didn't even have the strength to press the shutter. In just one minute, all the negatives left in the archives became worthless paper—their souls have returned to the earth, their souls taken by Death God, they went to the Dreamland before me."

"Facts speak louder than words, my little niece."

Mr. Wood patted his female assistant on the shoulder, looked at his nephew's name tag, and then tore it off.

"Marlene, if you don't want to die, you'd better get out of here soon."

Marlene Abby is Wood's distant cousin and a middleman who rose to power with the Madness Butterfly Sect. Since the end of the Expedition Era, this woman has clung to her uncle's coattails and soared through the ranks of the Immortals Alliance's leadership. With the help of Feather, she obtained a sinecure at the Heavenly Palace and didn't have to be a pitiful filler like other mercenaries, nor did she have to face the fierce and cruel Nameless Ones.

"I am willing to follow you to the very end." Marlene looked to be only in her early thirties, but was actually over two hundred years old.

Wood smiled with satisfaction and immediately inquired about work.

"The crystalline rock is hard, and we have thirteen spare diamond drill bits. The drilling operation temperature is below four hundred degrees Celsius."

Marlene: "Yes."

Wood: "As the basic unit of psionic energy, now that the Star Official is dead, what is the status of the other backup energy sources for Lightning Star?"

"If it's to be used as a bottom-hole power machine, it can match the mechanical energy of an impact rotary drill. But it won't work with turbine drills and screw drills—the torque of these power units gradually decreases during continuous output, making their operating conditions unstable."

The "Lightning Stars" mentioned here refer to the chief star officials that Jiang Xueming killed at the Baibei Port Inn.

Aside from the internal and external affairs of the Heavenly Palace, Wood's main purpose in creating the [Lightning Star] was to transform these Blood-giving aristocrats in a critical state into mere flesh-and-blood mechanical power units.

The Lightning Star, created using a fish-man hybrid as its genetic blueprint, can provide an average of 743 kilowatts per person, which is approximately 1,000 horsepower in metric units.

The Heavenly Palace's ultra-deep hole drilling machinery is powered by twelve parallel lightning star engine units.

--You might wonder, if you only need 1,000 horsepower, why not choose a gas-powered engine? Or an electric engine?

Because the answer is already in the history books, for Wood, the most difficult thing to solve in the ultra-deep hole drilling project in Area 77 was temperature and pressure.

Mechanical engineering work at great depths underground requires exposure to temperatures ranging from 150 to 400 degrees Celsius, with air pressures exceeding 150 megapascals. Cables, fluids, polymers, and steel become unreliable—almost everything slowly turns into soft mud. Coolant boils, oil and electricity pipelines rapidly oxidize and crack, and even the slightest spark exceeding the flash point of fuel can trigger a chain reaction of explosions.

Wood couldn't solve these problems using scientific methods, nor could Ming De. This was the limit of applied materials engineering in the underground world. Even Galahad Magic Academy, located on the edge of the Pacific Plate, could only look at the steep chasm with regret—humanity could not go any further.

Thus, a long road was born. Around the topic of [Lightning Star], a fish-man hybrid that was not afraid of the high temperature of the hot spring was born, followed by a brand new, extremely unstable Holy Blood configuration.

Lightning stars can solve many problems. With enough human flesh, these stars can be lined up deep underground and use the most primitive method of pushing and pulling hinges and ratchets to replace the bottom-mounted power unit.

Compared to massive industrial machinery, these hybrids are miniature and exquisite. The psionic tides ebb and flow, and under the control of a parallel power timing system, the spiritual pressure of Lightning Star itself is the best cooling device.

Wood needs Arkin, and he needs a large number of blood sacrifices to achieve his ideals. He can only turn to Judas, but Ming De will never approve of this approach—even if the black cat thinks the Lord of Cinder is justified but illegitimate.

Like the sacred sun beneath the earth, Wood believed his work was a bridge, a perfect opportunity for countless lives to communicate directly with Mother Earth. Sooner or later, a cult similar to the Sun Stairway, worshipping Lords of Cinder, would emerge—as long as he dug deeper, the secrets of Argin Original Seed would no longer be secrets. The Flash Butterfly was not a mythical creature, but rather experimental material.

"How's the specimen collection going?" Wood then asked.

Marlene replied softly, "The core's hardness is within the program's tolerance range, and the natural flowability of the rock fragments has also been tested and is still within the limits that the mechanical engineering team can handle—but at a depth of over 3,100 meters, the waveform given by the ground reconnaissance instrument is not accurate enough; it must be that the electric field of the Original Seed is affecting the observation results."

"What about liquid and gaseous samples?" Wood took a booklet from the bookshelf in his office.

Marlene immediately responded, "The results from the six drilling test points in the burial complex have just come in, and the best drilling location has been determined."

"Let's start tomorrow. Nine o'clock tomorrow morning," Wood said, turning to the first page of the booklet.

The opening remarks contain a biographical introduction of the United Kingdom poet John Donne, as well as the titles of his sonnets.

--<Death God, Don't Be Arrogant>

"Death God, Death God"

Don't be arrogant.

Seemingly sensing his impending death, the old man was unusually calm.

Marlene showed no sign of panic or anxiety; ever since her uncle recited the poem, she seemed to have come to terms with it.

"The geological strata here are neither like Conrad's nor Moho."

"Apart from various waves, no real life comes here."

Wood then recited the poem--

"--How powerful, how terrifying."

"You, you're really not living up to your name."

"You think all living beings are destined to die? Well, I'm still alive."

"You are a reflection of my dreams; you bring comfort and tranquility to others."

"Our most outstanding members have long since gone with you."

"May the soul be saved, and the body find rest."

"You are fate, you are opportunity, you are the slave of the monarch and the madman."

"Poison, war, and suffering go hand in hand; opium and witchcraft are always effective."

"They are more capable than you, so why are you in such a hurry? Why be so bossy?"

"Let me rest a little while, Death God, oh Death God."

"If I remain forever clear-minded, I will never die again—"

"--Even Death God will die."

Having confirmed that the gunsmith was unharmed, Billy and Fuyanni set off with the intelligence, heading back to the war command center to relay a detailed account of everything that had happened in Inahan Prefecture to Keshua.

Su Ling wasn't in a hurry to enter the area of Aizong Mausoleum immediately. She found another restaurant in Baibei Port District and decided to act that night.

Jiang Xueming poured Universal Elixir on his head as a hair growth agent, changed his clothes, and transformed himself into a disheveled farmer. Even the local Government Soldiers couldn't find this strange, demonic monk.

As for the changes in Fragrant Dream?

The moment it turned the lock, Xue Ming quickly dispelled its soul power—

He dared not conduct psychic research and invention in the downtown area. Moreover, SD's spirit body was rich in anamorphic substances, which were the spiritual essence of the Original Seed. If Fragrant Dream were to perform a hand-made Flash Butterfly for him on the spot, the scene would be too beautiful for him to bear.

The formula that "never used it = don't know how to use it" still worked. Before nightfall, Xue Ming had to follow Teacher Su Ling's instructions and clean up his spirit body—to ensure that the steel cat wouldn't cause any trouble in the upcoming assassination.

After explaining the basic details and clarifying the time of the night's operation, Teacher Su Ling went downstairs to pay the room fee, made a makeshift bed on the floor in the guest room, rolled up a plastic sheet to use as a sleeping bag, and fell asleep.

Xue Ming wasn't idle either. He still had four hours of free time, so before it was mealtime, he ordered a meal from the restaurant staff and chatted while eating to find out about the local customs and traditions of Daoheng County.

The waiter on the first floor was an eighteen or nineteen-year-old boy from Government Soldiers military family. His father was a messenger for the general's mansion—supposedly affiliated with the warlord government, but in reality, he was just a gofer.

When the waiter met this distinguished man with a full beard, "Zhang Congfeng," he was very polite. Upon learning that the man was a doctor, he poured out his heart.

"Sir, you've come all the way from Japan, enduring countless hardships, just for one thing? To study at the Imperial Medical Academy?"

Jiang Xueming replied, "Yes."

The waiter exclaimed, "Then you're a living saint! My father said that among the sixteen kingdoms that traveled from south to north, those who could cross the Copper River either possessed extraordinary abilities or made a great vow—like us, living right next to the old mausoleum of Emperor Aizong of Xia, we can barely afford a meal here."

Jiang Xueming: "Sounds like there's a story behind it?"

"Of course! The old emperor didn't do many good things when he was alive!" The waiter's words were disjointed and his gossip lacked logic. "If Daoheng were assigned to Taizhou, it would still be a place where he would be paid by the emperor, but he would have to pay three extra taxes every year. I would have to do corvée labor. The Mist River is still building the Grand Canal! At least four hundred laborers starve to death every year!"

"Fortunately, the old emperor died, and at just the right time, when General Chen and the Haoshou Tianzun arrived! That's why I had the opportunity to serve you tea and water, sir, didn't I?"

His words and actions conveyed a strange and unsettling sense of worship.

When the waiter talked about the Heavenly Palace, his face was full of hope.

Jiang Xueming then asked, "Who is this 'Haoshou Tianzun'?"

For a moment, he couldn't find a suitable adjective; his mind went blank.

"Well"

When discussing local religious idols, the gunsmith was extremely restrained. If this were two or three years ago, his role would have been that of a counter-terrorism agent sent by the central government to eradicate cults.

"Young man, can you tell me about the Heavenly Palace?"

The waiter said dismissively, "Aren't you being too polite, sir? If you want to learn more, you can go to the Cai Family Ancestral Hall at the east end of the Bay Area. In the past, gentlemen used it to discuss tea and settle cases—later, Haoshou Tianzun started his school, many failed candidates from the imperial examinations volunteered there."

"You want me, someone who's only studied arithmetic, to talk about immortals? I really wouldn't dare to say anything reckless."

"If I really have to say something, it seems like he's..."

The waiter scratched his chin, pondering carefully.

"Just like an ordinary person, a bit eccentric, and especially fond of children."

"He's willing to pay to teach people to count, and if they're good at math, he'll even open the granary and distribute grain—he's a living bodhisattva."

"When the Heavenly Palace comes to distribute grain, they also select devout men and women to repair Aizong Mausoleum and build some strange mechanisms—if they do well, they will be taken into the inner sect as personal disciples."

"I don't have the brains for it, too bad I can't get in."

"If I were to go to Aizong Mausoleum, it would bring glory to my ancestors! I'm afraid even the advisors around General Chen would shout 'Immortal!' when they see me! Heh!"

This time, Xue Ming understood. The religious affairs in the Heavenly Palace were thriving and had become deeply integrated with the warlord's administrative system, making it a moral exemplar in the hearts of the people.

As for how these Blood-giving Monster feed and collect blood offerings, it's likely that the process has been dismembered and carried out by specialized, violent machinery.

Before Xue Ming could ask, the waiter had already given the answer.

"This place is never peaceful. General Chen guards the end of the Tonghe River. To the south are Sendai and Taiye, and to the north are the two kingdoms of Huaibei, Songshan Island and Bailang Pass. Those two generals are both ruthless characters—they fight once a year during the autumn harvest, once during the spring planting, and occasionally during festivals, even during the Midsummer Toasting Festival."

"With three major battles in a year, if winter hadn't come and gone so late, the conscription officers of Da Liang would have had no time to rest. Luckily, my father was capable, otherwise I would have been on the front lines, ready to shed my blood."

Xiao Er hadn't gotten used to the name of the Chen Kingdom yet, and when he talked about these things, he still referred to it as "Da Liang."

With such frequent wars in the agrarian era, changing the name of a country seemed like a minor matter to ordinary people.

It is precisely in such times of constant warfare that countless slaves are created, and families that lose their main breadwinner are forced to sell their property, including not only land, but also the elderly, women, and children.

People who become prisoners of war usually don't have a good ending. Perhaps the blood sacrifices in Daoheng County were transported and exchanged through a small part of the war—this is another literal meaning of "exchanging children to eat." Eating one's own subjects is too barbaric and easily incites public anger and mutiny, but eating the surrendered soldiers and defeated generals of other countries becomes a heroic and brave act.

"When will this end?" Jiang Xueming sighed.

--When he asked this question, he was asking the waiter about the Heavenly Palace's ultimate ideal.

Every religious uprising must proclaim a core doctrine. This is the banner of saving people from suffering and distress, and what ordinary people care about most. Even if it is somewhat ethereal, it is still worthy of people's respect and worship.

"Hey! It's tomorrow!" the waiter exclaimed excitedly. "Sir, you've come at the perfect time! The ancestral hall just issued a notice that tomorrow the Haoshou Tianzun will be traveling by celestial boat to see the Earth Mother Goddess."

The so-called "Fairy Boat" is an ultra-deep hole drilling device manufactured by the Heavenly Palace Scientific Research Complex.

As for the Earth Mother Goddess, which is the localized translation of Shambhala, she is the Original Seed.

Gunsmith didn't understand at first, but after Xiao Er explained it to him, he never expected that the Guiyi Sect would actually go deep underground to confront Mother Earth directly. Based on his experience killing enemies, the leaders of the Madness Butterfly Sect were all afraid of death. Not to mention Guiyi, some religious leaders who had never lifted a finger in their lives and had never killed many people would scream in pain if a single finger of theirs was cut off.

This Haoshou Tianzun is actually going to see Mother Earth? Has he got a death wish?

"Look at your expression, sir. Are you frightened?" the waiter said smugly. "When the Heavenly Palace- in came to Baibei Port to preach, he spoke of the <Earth Mother Sutra>, saying that fortune and misfortune are interdependent and that the laws of nature are cyclical."

"All living things on earth get their sustenance from the land. Farmers toil in the fields, gentry collect land stipends and rents, generals risk their lives for a piece of land, and ministers travel between different provinces to manage the fertility of the land and to transfer money and goods between different places."

"The emperor has to carry a golden hoe and till the land, right?"

The waiter confidently spoke of his fantasies, which included classic elements from the Heavenly Palace.

"All living beings are vying for this advantageous location, resulting in slaughter, cruel officials, and natural and man-made disasters. The Haoshou Tianzun came to the old emperor's tomb to Earth Mother Goddess and plead for the sake of all living beings."

"Wouldn't the problem be solved if the Earth Mother Goddess were willing to allocate more land?"

"There will be no more fighting and strife, no more chaos in this world."

As he spoke of these things, Xiao Er's expression became increasingly fervent.

"Unlike demons and monsters, who practice crooked and evil methods, how many alchemists would eat human flesh? Taking hundreds or thousands of people from village to village as medicinal ingredients to make elixirs?"

"The Haoshou Tianzun is my idol!"

The waiter said with absolute certainty.

"If I became such a great person, I would have that ambition! I would have that ideal! The beasts of the mountains and the dragons of the rivers would all obey me!"

After finishing his noodles, Jiang Xueming tossed down a silver coin. "Yes, yes, yes."

"Sir!" The waiter wanted to say something, but when he turned around, the scruffy-bearded man had vanished.

Xue Ming chose a deserted high ground and called upon the Soul Might on the leeward slope of the rocky platform.

"Fragrant Dream!"

He wanted to test the spirit's abilities and ascertain the state of the Fragrant Dream.

The giant cat emerged from the physical body, still wearing its golden armor, and looked at its true form with a puzzled expression.

"Huh?! Gunsmith! What's wrong with me?"

Jiang Xueming was on high alert. "I saw you about to unscrew the lock on your chest. Fearing an accident, I brought you here—there's no one around. Try to unlock it slowly."

Both FE204863's [Regret Pill] and FE33031's [Fragrant Dream] have a keyhole on their chests.

During her time studying at the Royal Court, Xue Ming not only mastered Pankras, but her spiritual body also underwent subtle changes.

--The Fragrant Dream knight's armor was filled with it. It was this flawless and perfect breastplate that allowed Xue Ming to unleash the "Ultrasonic Burst Fist." His Pankrasin nature was the control and application of sound waves.

Meteor was the same; his sword practice with his teacher Beowulf allowed him to master some of the Wolf Sword Technique, but due to his "weak" physique, he was unable to unleash the full essence of the Wolf Sword Technique.

Legend has it that the broadsword-wielding ranger Osin and the wise king Beowulf were both nearly 250 centimeters tall. Only these towering "demigods" could take such swift, storm-like steps and make slashes that seemed to tear everything apart like a raging storm.

After becoming a blood donor, Meteor gained a werewolf form and mastered the ability to control spiritual essence, resulting in Heaven and Earth Turning transformation of his spiritual body.

After Fragrant Dream came into contact with the gold-like substance, it must have undergone changes, but whether those changes were for better or worse is hard to say.

Let's start by testing the basic functions.

Xue Ming, with his nimble hands, climbed the large banyan tree on the rocky platform to raid the bird's nest. Before long, he caught the slowest and unluckiest little sparrow.

He immediately summoned Fragrant Dream, and the spirit and the physical body reached out together to press down on the little bird's head.

As expected, the bird immediately fell asleep.

It seems the [hypnosis] ability is still working; the cat's spiritual and physical body has not changed at all. It is still a cat, with a strong expression of the BOSS's elemental essence. The sub-gold matter cannot change its breed—which is a good thing.

As for the lock, Xue Ming didn't want to open it.

--The unlocking process of FE204863 was extremely difficult, and after unlocking it, the Regret Pill turned him into a natural spirit wandering between multiple universes. He no longer had a stable material form and became an existence almost like Laplace's demon.

However, the keyhole is no longer stable. Now, if Fragrant Dream bends over even slightly, the iron block on its chest will fall out. In this state, the hollow keyhole keeps making noises, and it is unable to release Pankrasin.

Xue Ming tried several times, repeatedly striking the boulder of the rock platform with his fists.

But no matter how hard he tried, the voice emitted by the spirit was like a broken gong, and the cries of the seagulls of Pankrasin could no longer be heard.

Xue Ming had no choice; when one path is blocked, you have to try another.

Without Pankrasin, once he ran out of Dust Crystal Arrows, he lacked a way to kill his enemy with a single blow.

"Unlock it."

"Are you sure? You told me to open it!" Fragrant Dream wasn't entirely confident either. It gripped the lock plate tightly. The moment the steel filled the "heart-protecting mirror" on its chest, which was no more than eight centimeters in diameter, it would naturally execute the unlocking procedure, as if it were fully wound up—once the key was inserted, the lock cylinder would automatically start turning.

Jiang Xueming instructed, "Try to go as slowly as possible."

As the gears fully engaged, a strange clicking sound came from inside the golden armor.

After the disk was completely inverted 180 degrees, it seemed as if nothing had happened.

Fragrant Dream released its grip. "Is it over?"

Jiang Xueming: "Have you felt it?"

Jiang Xueming's spiritual pressure remained unchanged, or rather, he couldn't smell his own "body odor," so he naturally couldn't sense his own spiritual pressure. Without any other reference points, it was difficult for him to make an accurate judgment.

"Uh," Fragrant Dream frowned, her mixed-colored eyebrows furrowing as she returned to her original form and remained in possession mode.

Xue Ming punched the boulder.

--The Pankrasin's howl was successfully heard!

Suddenly, cracks appeared in the stone, and the recurring sound waves of different frequencies tore it into four pieces!

At the same time, Xue Ming's fist began to crack, a result of the damage caused by Pankrasin!

"No problem! It still works!" Jiang Xueming's spirits lifted.

The Fragrant Dream departed from the physical body, leaving the person feeling utterly bewildered.

"Did this so-called 'sub-golden substance' just give me a new set of armor? Does it think our taste is too outdated? Is it going to upgrade us from Silver Saints to Gold Saints?"

Aside from the somewhat complicated unlocking process, the basic functions of Fragrant Dream remain unchanged, including the spirit's basic output, speed, and range, and the precision seems to have decreased slightly.

Wait a moment.

Jiang Xueming squinted. "When I asked you to help make bullets before, you said you couldn't do it. You were lying to me, weren't you?"

"Hehehehe." Fragrant Dream just kept laughing, and her precision didn't change at all.

So, is this dark gold armor really just a different color scheme? Is technology simply a matter of reskinning?

Just then--

--The rocks that Pankrasin attacked and sent flying suddenly changed.

The scattered dust and pebbles slowly floated up, as if they had lost their natural gravity.

They gradually floated towards the sky dome, their speed increasing, faster and faster!

"This is."

Judging from the familiar yet unfamiliar natural falling speed, the direction of its gravitational pull has changed!

"Oh my God!" Fragrant Dream cried out, clutching her head and exclaiming the name, "This is Kang Que's Soul Power!"

Jiang Xueming exclaimed in surprise, "[Subversive: Heaven and Earth Turning]!"

The moment he uttered his true name, a golden arrowhead, gleaming with light, emerged from Fragrant Dream's palm, and the great bow that originally belonged to Cupid extended from his arm—

--The gold-like substance creates a brand new spiritual body.

Affected by Cupid's golden arrow, the pebble undergoes a fifteen-second free fall before crashing into the cavern in the dome.

Another thick branch broke off from the tree trunk, smashed onto the rock platform, and spurted out a spray of blood.

The gunsmith approached anxiously for a closer look, only to find that the little sparrow, which had been sleeping soundly, had been turned into a pulp.

A strange gray aura emanated from its body, just like the arrow of Cupid released by Kang Que Connor, applying exponentially greater gravity to the poor bird, collapsing its nest, breaking branches, and crushing the chick to pieces.

Fragrant Dream, clutching the large bow, was at a loss, and freed her hand to point directly at the real body.

"Bro! You've got a cheat code!"

In the endless abyss, at the very bottom of the earth.

In the fiery palace of Pandemani, Glory donned a dull-colored golden crown.

Loyal yet despicable Mr. Kang Que knelt beneath the scorching crystal stone platform, his tattered body bound by the twisted limbs of the black horse, almost completely engulfed, merging with the ever-changing, monstrous form—

--This power does not belong to the gunsmith; it comes from the dream.