Chapter 708: Spiritual Awareness
Chapter 708: Spiritual Awareness
As Chen Chuan's blade sliced through the air, he caught a glimpse of astonishment and disbelief in Ling Zhuli's eyes, as if she couldn't believe the speed and sharpness of his attack.
At that moment, Hongfu's strike, along with the dragged-back meteor hammer, all landed on Ling Zhuli, producing two loud booms.
Despite the powerful attacks, Ling Zhuli didn't even flinch, as if ignoring them. Chen Chuan reached out and grabbed Ling Zhuli's hair, suspending her in mid-air, while the headless body fell from the True Form Tree.
Suddenly, Hongfu hesitated, her eyes alternating between coldness and liveliness, but instead of attacking, she stood aside with her sword.
Chen Chuan held Ling Zhuli's head up with one hand and said calmly, "Ling Zhuli, you've lost."
A trace of agreement appeared on Ling Zhuli's face, and she smiled, "Yes, you won. Was that spiritual awareness just now...?"
Chen Chuan's expression showed appreciation, "I knew I didn't misjudge you. With such strength, if you joined us, our vision would have a greater chance of success. It's a pity."
Chen Chuan fixed his gaze on her and asked, "I want to ask you, you said someone from the Processing Bureau sent you to deal with me. Do you know who that person is?"
Ling Zhuli replied, "Unfortunately, I only received the message through an intermediary. That person was very cautious and didn't reveal their identity. As you know, I'll leave after the success, and I don't care who that person is as long as it benefits my actions."
Chen Chuan discerned from her leaking spiritual energy that she was telling the truth, so he asked again, "Is this True Form Tree currently in the Convergence Zone?"
Ling Zhuli responded promptly, "Yes, it's right there. Our people are watching it. If you're interested, Chen Supervisor, you can try to find it. I'm looking forward to your choice, although I won't be able to see the outcome."
"Besides you, who else from the Academy is involved in this matter?"
Ling Zhuli smiled, "This question... Do you really believe me, Chen Supervisor?"
Chen Chuan nodded, "One last question," his gaze fixed on her face, "The Great Collision is approaching. According to your plan, if the True Form Tree doesn't complete your intentions before then, what's your backup plan?"
Ling Zhuli's smile remained, "The Great Collision may arrive in a few years or over a decade. Precisely because time is pressing, we can't stop. We must seize every moment and use all means to accomplish our goals.
If it's not completed before the collision, we'll enter the Convergence Zone early. It's one of the earliest places where the two worlds merged, capable of bearing the echoes of both worlds. The government and companies have arrangements there, making it the most likely place to persist. We'll continue our cause there."
Chen Chuan said, "So, your so-called preparation and ideal, in the end, is still choosing to retreat to the Convergence Zone?"
Ling Zhuli asked in confusion, "Is there something wrong with that? It's precisely because of the True Form Tree that we don't need to be constrained by physical bodies. We can temporarily discard these burdens and reside in it with our consciousness, just waiting for the day of rebirth."
She spoke with regret, "Chen Supervisor, I really hope you'll reconsider. You don't have to be limited by the shackles and perceptions of humanity or the world. The world is changing, and people should also abandon the past and reshape their perceptions."
After Ling Zhuli finished speaking, Chen Chuan looked at her with a calm gaze. Suddenly, she seemed to realize something and was about to say something when her face contorted, and her entire head began to swell, as if a force was trying to burst out from within.
As the head expanded to its limit, a muffled bang accompanied the head's complete explosion, like a grand firework going off.
Chen Chuan watched calmly, slowly retracting his hand, on which hung a transparent and slender branch-like object—Ling Zhuli's Boundary Token.
Taking this back for testing might reveal something.
With Ling Zhuli's death, the field permissions in the entire Sky Garden naturally fell to Chen Chuan, as he now had the highest authority there.
Chen Chuan glanced at Hongfu, whose eyes flickered with confusion for a moment before regaining their liveliness, and she stared deeply at him.
As Chen Chuan was about to release the field, Hongfu suddenly spoke, "I want to leave here."
Chen Chuan looked at her in surprise, as this was the first time he heard Hongfu speak in this state. Usually, he heard mostly cold and emotionless voices from her.
He asked, "Why?"
Hongfu lowered her eyes and said, "Because of my autonomous consciousness. The Academy can accommodate my autonomous consciousness because I can make more independent responses, making it more convenient to serve them, but only under their wishes.
But just now, I resisted under a clear command, and this has been recorded. The Academy will surely find a way to 'correct' it and erase my consciousness."
Chen Chuan nodded and asked, "What do I need to do?"
Hongfu looked at his sword, "The convergence zone's passage is open. I can go there, but the program doesn't allow external consciousnesses to enter. According to the program, if I leave, I must immediately sever the connection and self-purify."
Her expressive eyes turned to Chen Chuan, "I'll try to go there. Your sword can sever my external consciousness from my main body, and then I can break free."
Chen Chuan asked cautiously, "What effect will this have on your main body?"
Hongfu answered honestly, "There will be some impact, but the main body can recover quickly. In the future, when this consciousness appears again, it will be another me who is completely obedient and follows orders."
Chen Chuan understood and didn't hesitate for a moment. He nodded and said, "Okay, I'll help you."
Hongfu's eyes glanced at him for a moment, and suddenly her body transformed into a graceful, fluttering red shadow. She turned and flew towards the convergence zone's passage.
At this moment, Chen Chuan closed his eyes slightly. He carefully sensed the energy field, feeling a spiritual aura like a thin, invisible whirlpool, pulling him deeper into the convergence zone.
Standing on the branch, he gripped the Snow Lord Saber, and his spiritual aura gradually rose. When it reached its peak, he opened his eyes, leaped into the air, holding the saber in both hands, and then fell, swinging it forcefully!
A blade of light slashed through the convergence zone's passage, falling straight to the ground!
With a bang, his feet firmly landed on the ground, and at one end, the huge convergence zone's passage was cut off by the blade, causing the spiritual vortex to disperse outwards from its end.
He slowly stood up, looked around, and heard no more sounds from the other side. It seemed that Hongfu had broken free from her restraints and left on her own.
However, in the future, the academy might never see the previous Hongfu with her self-awareness again.
He turned around, about to release the scene here, but just then, he felt something and turned back to see a red scarf fluttering towards him, then spinning and flying overhead.
He looked up, sensing a thought transmitted from above. Hongfu's consciousness had detached from her main body, becoming a rootless lotus, needing a host to survive. So, instead of leaving immediately, she chose to attach herself to him.
In the book, there's a 6, a 9, a 1, and a bar, and it's all correct!
As a reward, if he encounters a crisis that's difficult to handle, she'll appear to help and protect him. If he's unwilling, she'll leave and find another host.
Chen Chuan looked at the red scarf floating above, thought for a moment, and nodded. The scarf descended and landed on his neck, fluttering in the air currents.
Chen Chuan glanced around, then activated the boundary token. In a moment, the surroundings shattered like broken glass.
He looked up and saw the brains hanging on the tree disappearing one by one. He couldn't help but think of Teacher Wu, the records he kept, and the first anomaly he handled in the Central City—the innocent Xiao Man and her brother, who became a mannequin model.
He had an inexplicable feeling that one of those brains on the tree might belong to Xiao Man's brother.
As all the lights and shadows faded, the place returned to its previous state—an aerial garden.
Birds chirped, and flowers bloomed, as if the ugliness that once existed had never been there.
At this moment, Chen Chuan's eyes glanced and saw Ling Assistant's headless body lying there. Nearby, a set of meteor hammers lay, and his Snow Lord Saber's sheath had fallen to the other side.
He walked over, picked up the saber, sheathed it, and activated the boundary token. He drafted a report.
The report stated that Ling Assistant had attempted to attack him and had been killed. It requested immediate dispatch of personnel to retrieve the body and reminded An Dun to activate the non-trust clause.
Since Ling Assistant had clearly stated that there was a problem within the Processing Bureau, Chen Chuan had to be cautious. He needed to cover up this incident and investigate it secretly.
Furthermore, Ling Assistant had obtained higher-level permissions, possibly with authorization from someone. Chen Chuan remembered that the arena tournament had been proposed by Deputy Principal Tan, so it was hard to rule out his involvement.
Deputy Principal Tan was also attending a meeting in the White Bird District at the time of the incident, conveniently away from the academy.
The non-trust clause was designed for such situations, and only the investigative authority of the real power faction could activate it.
Until Chen Chuan submitted his report and obtained preliminary results, this information would not be disclosed to any unrelated personnel or transmitted elsewhere, maintaining a state of information blockade.
Within a quarter of an hour, a processing team from the Processing Bureau arrived at the academy and began handling the situation.
(End of Chapter)
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