An Unexpected Windfall

Before long, Qi Yuan arrived at the pitch-black cave entrance.

The entire entrance was around ten meters in diameter. Inside was utter darkness; even Qi Yuan could see less than a hundred meters ahead.

"This is the place. What was that thing just now?"

"This Secret Realm ruin has drifted through the spatial layers for so long. Could there still be life inside?"

Qi Yuan studied the pitch-black entrance for a long time, yet he never sensed the slightest unusual movement.

"No, I couldn't have been mistaken. Something was definitely watching me just now."

In that fleeting glimpse, he had only seen a vague outline. He had not caught a clear image of whoever—or whatever—had been spying on him.

After thinking for a moment, he willed it, and the icy-blue Fourth Stage Force Battle Suit on his body instantly flowed over him, wrapping around his entire body.

Then he gripped the Soul Extinguishing Saber, pitch-black all over and emitting a hazy dark glow, before cautiously flying into the cave.

Though the cave was narrow, it was extremely deep and winding.

Qi Yuan cautiously flew deeper while carefully inspecting the cave's interior.

Yet aside from the equally pitch-black rock walls, there was nothing unusual within the cave at all.

"How deep does this cave go?"

Qi Yuan proceeded with great care, turning through who knew how many bends along the way.

Only after advancing for more than half an hour did his gaze stiffen slightly, and he immediately slowed down.

The passage ahead seemed to have finally reached its end, suddenly opening up.

A vast cavern roughly a hundred meters across appeared before his eyes.

"Here?"

Qi Yuan held the Soul Extinguishing Saber in his hand and cautiously examined the cavern.

The entire place resembled a natural limestone cave. Its inner walls were jagged and uneven, mostly the same dark brownish-black color as the passage, except for one small area that carried a faint golden sheen.

Huge stalactites hung upside down from the ceiling, though not a single drop of liquid fell from them anymore.

Qi Yuan quickly searched the cavern, and before long, his brows furrowed.

There was not even the slightest trace of life in the entire cave, let alone a person.

"Could I really have seen it wrong earlier?"

Qi Yuan could not help doubting his previous judgment.

Suddenly, as though something had occurred to him, his gaze settled on that pale golden rock wall, which looked slightly different from the surrounding area.

The pale golden wall covered an area roughly three or four meters wide. Other than its slightly different color, its appearance and texture were no different from the surrounding black stone walls.

"Gold."

Qi Yuan pondered briefly. Then the Soul Extinguishing Saber in his hand instantly became a blur—

"Shhk—"

A dark blade light streaked with dazzling purple lightning instantly struck the pale golden rock wall!

"Waaah, it hurts! It hurts so much!"

Qi Yuan successfully caught a hazy mental cry, like the wailing of a child.

At the same time, the pale golden rock wall, which had looked like an ordinary boulder, abruptly shrank and transformed into a small pale golden humanoid made of liquid metal, only about a foot tall.

Behind the metal humanoid, however, an orderly opening over two meters tall and more than a meter wide appeared in the stone wall, like a doorway carved by hand.

"Heh, you almost fooled me."

"Hm? A liquid metal humanoid? Something similar to a Silver Guard? No, wait—that voice just now!"

Qi Yuan's eyes lit up as he stared at the liquid-like metal humanoid.

"Waaah! Hurts! Bad! Hit you!"

Another blurry thought came through. The metal humanoid, originally only a foot tall, rapidly expanded and transformed, instantly turning into a massive golden hammer several meters long.

"Boom—"

The golden warhammer came crashing down toward Qi Yuan's head, its fierce momentum making the air throughout the cave tremble slightly.

Yet Qi Yuan broke into a delighted smile in the face of this attack.

"Haha! It really is a Metal Lifeform! It has to be a Metal Lifeform! And it's only Star Traveller level. My luck is incredible!"

Plant Lifeforms and Metal Lifeforms were both types of Special Lifeforms found in the universe.

They possessed low intelligence, but they had extremely powerful combat and support capabilities!

For instance, the Thousand-Vine Star Eater Grass Luo Feng later raised possessed combat power comparable to a King-level Peak.

And during Earth's crisis, the Third Senior Brother who had helped Luo Feng—the Bloodthirsty King, Can Jun—had a Metal Lifeform fused with his spacecraft that could crush a Marquis Immortal barehanded!

Of course, both the Star Eater Grass and the Bloodthirsty King's Metal Lifeform were exceptionally rare among Special Lifeforms.

There were weaker Special Lifeforms as well. Some could only ultimately reach Universe Level, or even Star Traveller level.

But even the cheapest Metal Lifeform cost an astronomical sum.

After all, whether Plant Lifeforms or Metal Lifeforms, they were not only absolutely loyal but could also directly assist in increasing their master's strength. That was something no purchased slaves could compare to.

"I wonder what grade this Metal Lifeform is!"

Qi Yuan remained still, but his left hand reached forward.

At once, dazzling purple lightning spread from his palm, directly forming a gigantic hand of lightning before him!

"Crackle—pop—"

The huge lightning hand seized the golden warhammer. Dense electric light instantly erupted, striking the golden hammer until it trembled without pause.

"Electric numb. Hate."

As the blurry thought came through, the golden warhammer instantly flowed like liquid, trying to break free from the lightning hand's grasp.

Yet the lightning hand scattered apart at the same instant, transforming in the blink of an eye into an airtight net of lightning.

Streams of power filled with destruction, corrosion, and piercing force continuously burst from the lightning net, causing the trapped pale golden liquid mass to twitch and convulse.

"Ah! Hurts! Spare me! Won't dare!"

Blurry pleas for mercy continually entered Qi Yuan's mind.

"Open the source of your Life Imprint and acknowledge me as your master!"

Qi Yuan directly sent his thoughts into the golden liquid mass.

"Okay. Okay. Willing. Stop quickly."

After struggling for a long while, the metal liquid finally slowly relaxed, as though extremely unwilling.

At the same time, Qi Yuan clearly sensed a special life fluctuation emanating from the golden liquid mass.

Without hesitation, he expelled a thread of Force, instantly cutting a large gash across his wrist.

Shhk!

Drops of bright red blood containing his Life Imprint continuously dripped from the wound on his wrist, only to be instantly swallowed and absorbed by the golden liquid mass.

With Qi Yuan's current cellular vitality, the wound on his wrist almost healed in the blink of an eye. Helpless, he could only cut it open again himself!

"Shhk, shhk, shhk—"

As drop after drop of bright red blood fused into it, faint blood-red threads continuously darted through the pale golden metal liquid.

A moment later, the pale golden metal liquid seemed to have finally absorbed enough blood. An extremely hazy consciousness reached out and instantly established a special connection with Qi Yuan's mind.

"Master."

A childlike, immature voice sounded directly in Qi Yuan's mind.

"Haha, the recognition succeeded?"

Qi Yuan's eyes brightened, and he slightly raised a hand toward the golden liquid mass.

"Whoosh—"

The golden liquid mass instantly transformed into a streak of Flowing Light and shot toward Qi Yuan.

"Swish—"

The moment it touched Qi Yuan's body, the golden liquid rapidly flowed and spread outward, turning in the blink of an eye into a thin golden battle suit attached to the surface of his body.

Qi Yuan felt as though he had gained a layer of cool clothing. It was very comfortable!

Moreover, the simple consciousness within the golden liquid was deeply attached to Qi Yuan, as though it regarded him as a parent. Qi Yuan also felt that the consciousness of this golden liquid mass was like that of a newborn infant.

"Haha, I never expected to obtain a Metal Lifeform so soon after entering! Even the cheapest Metal Lifeform is worth a fortune!"

Qi Yuan could not help feeling excited. He had just been complaining about finding nothing, only to receive such an unexpected windfall right afterward!

"Right, do you have a name?"

Qi Yuan asked inwardly.

"Name... no! Sky Golden." A blurry thought rang out directly in his mind.

"Hm, Sky Golden is the species of this Metal Lifeform?"

Qi Yuan connected a strand of consciousness to the Virtual Universe and quickly searched for information on the Metal Lifeform, Sky Golden.

"Not bad. It can actually be cultivated all the way to the ninth stage of Realm Lord."

He nodded in satisfaction.

Though it could not compare to those powerful Special Lifeforms capable of growing all the way to Immortal Level, it was still quite good.

After all, it was an unexpected gain. He could not ask for too much.

"Sky Golden is your race, not your name."

Qi Yuan pondered for a moment, then decided with a hint of mischief, "Golden... Then from now on, you'll be called Bumblebee!"

"Bumblebee! Like! Master, thank!"

An extremely delighted thought came through.

"As long as you like it."

Qi Yuan soothed it briefly, then turned his gaze toward the orderly opening in the stone wall ahead.

"Bumblebee, what's behind this?"

He approached while asking inwardly.

"Don't know. Person... woke up... protect."

Metal Lifeforms were not very intelligent. This Star Traveller-level Metal Lifeform had intelligence barely comparable to that of a four- or five-year-old child, making it incapable of expressing overly complex information.

While remaining cautiously alert, Qi Yuan stepped directly through the opening.

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