Wanxi Rebirth - Chapter 89

“My name is Xisheng.”

The voice that Xie Zhi spoke was slightly reminiscent of the World Consciousness. It seemed that the divine descent had already completed. The being now standing face-to-face with them was the World Consciousness temporarily inhabiting Xie Zhi.

“‘Xisheng’? The Way of Serenity and Non-Action…” Lin Fengqing, who had read extensively, murmured thoughtfully.

No wonder the 7364 System, which originated from it, believed that the World Consciousness should withdraw from the stage of history when sentient beings no longer need guidance. Perhaps in the beginning, the World Consciousness was not so obsessed with staying in the world to protect it.

Xisheng didn’t respond. It simply walked to the control console of the illusion main cabin, conjured a silver-gray long sword, and stabbed it into the center.

In the next instant, everyone felt the surrounding air stirred by wind—immense spiritual energy, coming from nowhere, was being absorbed into the silver-gray sword and then completely funneled into the magical array that appeared on the control console.

“Ugh! It’s starting to absorb the surrounding spiritual veins already?” Qiong Qi frowned. “Looks like we’ll need to break in with brute force.”

“Return to your seats and sit tight. Protect yourselves,” Xisheng instructed concisely. “We are about to traverse the world. You will be caught in spiritual turbulence, so be prepared!”

Everyone followed the instructions.

Qin Yingguang had already taken her seat. Huige sprinkled silver-gray light points around her, gently shielding her.

But just as she took a deep breath, readying herself, the scene suddenly darkened. When she opened her eyes again, she found herself back in her mother’s bedchamber!

Lan Kongming was flipping through texts taken from the forbidden library, preparing for final arrangements. Suddenly, someone appeared in the room—her own youngest daughter. She was stunned for a moment, then dropped the book and rushed forward, embracing her daughter tightly, as if afraid she would vanish.

Qin Yingguang sniffed the fragrance coming from her mother, utterly bewildered. She didn’t understand why, at such a crucial moment, she had been sent back by the World Consciousness.

Yet hearing her mother’s suppressed sobs, a sharp pain pierced her heart as if needles were thrust in, while at the same time, a void inside her seemed filled. She felt a profound relief—thankfully, she had been sent back.

Inside the illusion main cabin, noticing her sister’s disappearance, Qin Suoliu’s eyes flickered with shock and confusion as she looked at Xisheng.

As the Chessmaster, Xisheng should use all means to achieve its goals, which the World Consciousness had always done.

But why did it send Qin Yingguang, who carried a portion of her own power and authority, away? Was this also a contingency plan?

With the space-time channel about to open, she had no time to dwell on it and had to focus on the matter at hand.

During the two years before the main attack, Xie Zhi had quietly redesigned the arrangements and spells within the Mustard Seed Ice Wheel. Now, no matter how the external world changed, this place could guarantee safety.

After wrapping herself with a layer of water spiritual energy, Yue Tingxi also bound Qin Suoliu, ensuring maximum security until the Mustard Seed Ice Wheel stabilized.

Lin Fengqing thought the same way. In addition to water spiritual energy, several vines climbed up their limbs and bodies.

“…I won’t need it,” Qiong Qi frowned, brushing over the vines and absorbing them directly.

During the traversal of time and space, Yue Tingxi glanced outside the illusionary windows and noticed streaks of shooting stars. Not just one, but multiple—she counted seventeen in total, each with different colors and trails.

“After so many years, I thought you’d forgotten us, 7364!” a smiling, unfamiliar female voice suddenly rang out, followed by several other voices she had never heard.

“Seems like you couldn’t hide it… or why would it just be us?”

“That’s enough. We’ve accumulated enough power over a long time!”

“Where’s that lucky guy? He’s probably dead?”

“But there are two girls bound by karma… Oh? And one aura similar to Lin Chaoyao’s. Could it be his most important sister?”

“Such heavy resentment! 7364, what happened in your world?!”

“These are representatives from the small worlds initially assisted by the 7364 System and Lin Chaoyao,” Xisheng explained. “They are our current support.”

Xisheng still held the long sword and looked out the window. “The Taskers invaded my world. After hundreds of years of battling them, I erased over a thousand of their carried items. Now, I have amassed enough strength to counterattack, so I have called you here to assist.”

Silence first, then a burst of cheers outside.

“Over a thousand items?! That’s great! Truly wonderful news!”

“This will be a huge loss for that so-called Management Bureau!”

“After you left, mine did the calculation. The Management Bureau’s accumulated assets shouldn’t exceed two thousand items. If distributed among all Taskers, it’s easy to handle.”

“Which Tasker could carry so many?! Could it really be Lin Chaoyao?”

“The invader has been subdued. Now we only need to deal with the remaining Taskers,” Xisheng reminded them. “Everyone, use your trump cards! If we fail, the Management Bureau may strengthen defenses or escape, and we will lose the best opportunity!”

Yue Tingxi had been observing silently behind Xisheng.

She suddenly understood why, during disasters, so many humans and demons prayed sincerely to the World Consciousness.

All this time, it had guided sentient beings through peril, intervened when demons arose, and dispatched its creations to fight alongside resilient cultivators.

To ordinary people, it was truly the “Guardian.”

Only those directly caught in the chessboard, like the Master of Chuiyin City and themselves, could see the World Consciousness’ cold, dark side.

[Approaching target anchor point! About to break the final barrier!]

The 7364 System’s prompts echoed in everyone’s mind.

[Energy reserves will start depleting in ten seconds! Eight… six… five… two…]

At the same time, earthquakes and tsunamis began occurring across the world they had left.

All cultivators who received the World Consciousness’ warning, whether from the Eight Great Demon Mountains or human sects, immediately activated the strongest formations to protect their territories.

Yet even so, when the spiritual energy extraction occurred, both races were caught off guard. Mountains cracked, and temples collapsed.

Demons guarding Xishan released their spiritual energy into the protective formation. Even Luo Yansha, a temporarily residing human, stood alongside Chan Ying to reinforce it.

When they injected spiritual energy, Bifang also released accumulated fire spiritual energy.

A Jade Mountain resident heard thunder above. Initially, she thought it was caused by Yue Tingxi’s group crossing space-time, so she focused on reinforcing the formation.

A quarter-hour later, a disheveled young girl stumbled in, her body blackened as if struck by lightning, hair standing on end.

“Clothes!” she said clearly when their eyes met.

“…Shuo Hanhua?” the Jade Mountain resident exclaimed, casting a purification spell and conjuring clothes for her.

Shuo Hanhua rushed outside, raising her hands to inject pure fire spiritual energy into the protective formation.

“Oh, a change of heart?” the resident mocked.

“Not really. If it collapses, the whole world will die!” Shuo Hanhua said.

The god had drained everything. If it didn’t return victorious, what remained would be a barren world.

Having been born in the Xuanshui Secret Realm, she was one of the demons closest to the World Consciousness.

Transcending tribulation into humanity had always terrified her, but compared to the world’s depletion, the thunder tribulation was just temporary pain.

Crunch.

With a crisp sound, it seemed an invisible barrier had broken open.

Yue Tingxi had already summoned the Wuhe Whip, pondering when to release her water spiritual energy restrains, when the pressure on her body suddenly lightened.

“Prepare for battle.”

Xisheng solemnly instructed as it withdrew the spiritual energy and constructs from their bodies.

[Synchronizing detailed map of the Book-Crossing Management Bureau…]

[Hint: To avoid karma contamination and minimize resentment, avoid killing Taskers. Knock them out instead.]

“Don’t kill” essentially meant “don’t slay innocents.”

After all, a world always has good and evil. There were likely those who, like them back then, were forced to execute core system missions inside the Bureau.

Yue Tingxi modified the poison outlets, replacing deadly toxins with a paralytic, non-lethal type.

Qin Suoliu conjured a stick-like flame in her palm, keeping her main blade ready to draw at any moment.

Lin Fengqing looked at Qiong Qi.

Though they hadn’t drawn weapons, each person could manipulate wood spiritual energy, forming weapons with ease.

Lin Fengqing summoned defensive artifacts bonded with her and distributed three to Qiong Qi.

“With shields, you can charge forward fearlessly.”

“You’re so kind!” Qiong Qi clicked her tongue but accepted the help for the sake of success.

When everyone was ready, Xisheng adjusted the Mustard Seed Ice Wheel’s direction, landing it at the anchor point set by the 7364 System.

With “Departure” implied, Xisheng suddenly launched forward, the silver-gray divine power forming gray moth wings on its back, helping it clear the path first.

Yue Tingxi’s group followed closely.

They passed through a pitch-black corridor with a faint blue glow and, upon landing, heard piercing, repeated alarms echoing around them:

[Alpha Zone: Unknown intruder detected! Repeat! Alpha Zone: Intruder detected! All guards proceed to Alpha Zone!]

“Snap!” A strange device glowing red was sliced in half by a leaf thrown casually by Qiong Qi.

[Route to the core of the Book-Crossing Management Bureau—where the main system resides—generated. Follow route while ensuring personal safety!]

The 7364 System’s voice sounded in their minds. In the next instant, each of them had a clear shortcut to the destination in their consciousness.

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