Chapter 38: The Mechanical Clan's Immortal Relic! (Double-Length)
After the War God Palace conference concluded, an invisible storm silently swept through the upper echelons of Earth.
That short video clip was repeatedly analyzed, and it ultimately led to a terrifying and nearly unacceptable conclusion:
—There really exists a weapon that can pierce the Black God Battle Suit!
This was no exaggeration—it was a blade hanging over the heads of every single councilor.
As the Fourth Councilor, Ist had instilled the supremacy of Spirit Masters into the hearts of countless martial artists. But even he could only injure an opponent through impact—he couldn't pierce a Black God Suit.
And now… a Spirit Master at least as strong as Ist—possibly even stronger—wielded a weapon that could break through the supposedly invincible Black God armor.
No joke, nearly half of Earth's so-called councilors could now be butchered like pigs if they stepped out of line!
From that moment on, their power would be curbed. They'd have to keep a much lower profile, lest they become the sacrificial fuel for some future reform.
Even if they were unwilling—or scheming in secret—none dared make a move.
The Jiang Family... was untouchable.
Beyond the two great martial halls and the HR Alliance, another peak power had emerged, brutally and forcefully.
If the Jiang Family wished, they could easily establish Earth's third largest martial hall. Countless warriors and Spirit Masters would flock to join.
Even if they didn't intend to expand Jiang's Martial Hall, many councilors and War Gods were already thinking about marrying their children into the Jiang family.
Because really, what's the point of sending someone to train in the Jiang Hall, when you could just marry into the family and become one of them?
Three generations of the Jiang family were all highly talented—marrying in could save someone decades of effort.
Old Master Jiang was delighted.
"No Han-Xia man can resist the dream of 'farming and building a prosperous legacy.'"
He chuckled, "Our Jiang family has few descendants. The third generation must keep striving hard!"
---
Between Jiang Zhe's brows, the sigil mark exhaled a misty fog, completely enveloping his body, like he was sitting inside a pile of dry ice.
Strands of mist condensed into mysterious runes, etching themselves into his skin, fusing into his body. As the runes integrated, subtle transformations occurred across his muscle and tissue structure.
This was cultivation of the body.
Jiang Zhe had already taken these steps earlier and developed 12% of this pathway, but his initial approach had some flaws.
Now, all of those flaws were being corrected—perfected by the secret runes.
From this moment on, Jiang Zhe could truly call his power output "Strength Amplification."
Strength Amplification.
Body Amplification.
Mental Force Amplification.
Soul Amplification.
(See Note 1)
This was the sacred path every cultivator pursued in the universe—from planetary level to venerable status.
1x, 2x… up to 12x!
Thanks to his foundation, the runes only needed to correct and complete his path, so he swiftly achieved a perfect 12x amplification.
Still, more than half of his refined Origin Essence Mist had been consumed.
He pressed on—pushing toward 13x…
As his body underwent complete reconstruction through the runes, an intuitive understanding of power manipulation surged through his mind. His control over his body reached a new height.
13% development achieved!
Once he reached 100%, he would have complete mastery over his body. That was a precondition to reaching 100x amplification and stepping into the Immortal realm.
He continued—14x…
By now, the mist had thinned, no longer hiding his figure. As the last runes etched themselves, the fog dissipated entirely.
Final result: 14.2x Amplification!
Jiang Zhe opened his eyes and felt the dramatic changes in his body. He had the urge to laugh aloud—it was as if the shackles had fallen off and he was free to soar.
Pure exhilaration.
Absolute clarity.
If he were to put it crudely—it was like the relief of finally clearing a long-standing bout of constipation.
Now, his 14x Amplification came with brute strength, speed, and defense—utterly flawless!
He muttered to himself:
"Does this mean I no longer need to hunt down amplification techniques or forbidden tomes?
The [Conqueror] innate ability alone can fully remodel my body, generating tailor-made amplification methods just by burning Origin Essence?"
The transformation wasn't a one-time event.
Jiang Zhe could now compile everything he'd experienced into a systematic technique. Anyone who followed the same steps could also achieve 14x amplification.
Oriana's voice came through their soul link:
"Just as you suspected, Master. But to maximize benefits, I still recommend finding actual techniques. That will conserve your Origin Essence."
"You likely noticed—the difficulty and speed of achieving 12x versus 14.2x are worlds apart."
She even added a playful analogy:
"It's the difference between automated assembly line production and artisanal handcrafting."
"With your talent, Master, your Origin Essence shouldn't be wasted on tasks your genius can solve. Save it for areas where talent alone can't help."
Jiang Zhe nodded in agreement.
He'd just confirmed that Origin Essence could retain "light point" functionality—when merged with the mysterious stardust from the Star Map visualizations, it pushed the evolution of his genes.
In short, the [Conqueror] ability forged by the Original Universe ranked above average among secret techniques.
Its greatest use was…
Breaking the 100x limit for physical or spiritual amplification
…and entering the realm of body/soul amplification.
Just like the cosmic-level Luo Feng who glitched his way to 3000x spiritual amplification, equivalent to 30x soul amplification.
No matter what, [Conqueror] had paved the way to the universe's ultimate amplification threshold.
---
Jiang Zhe collected his thoughts.
"Anna, have we arrived?"
"We arrived 17 minutes ago," Oriana replied, amused. "I didn't disturb you. I've had the ship circling the Fog Lake region."
"The AI beneath is practically panicking by now."
Jiang Zhe grinned. "Let it stew a little. It'll have even more to panic over soon."
He got up from his luxury seat. "Anna, open the hatch. It's time for a harvest run."
Click!
The cabin door opened, and Jiang Zhe shot out on his Void Shuttle.
The rune patterns on the shuttle merged with the air, forming a visible aerodynamic shield that slashed through the wind.
In a blink, he was flying toward a vast fog-covered lake, over a hundred kilometers wide.
"Anna, calculate my current speed."
"1,687 meters per second, Master."
Jiang Zhe was pleased. With reduced gravitational pressure, he could probably break 2000+ m/s.
He crossed the 30-kilometer distance in under 30 seconds, diving straight into the mist, entering the airspace above the lake.
The lake might be dangerous—but at worst, it could only house King-level monsters. Jiang Zhe was confident in handling them.
As for the first-ever human-killed Emperor-level beast—that was actually Babata's scheme to lure humans back to the island using Wood Crystal to quickly breed one.
If Jiang Zhe hadn't returned to Australia, Babata might've tried that trick already—exposing Fog Island entirely.
Wherever Jiang Zhe flew, the lake below churned like boiling water.
Zzzzzap! Zzzzzap!
Thick arcs of blue lightning surged up from the lake, forming massive electric nets that blanketed the sky.
But with Oriana and the Black God Suit protecting him, Jiang Zhe was unfazed.
Beneath his feet, dozens of slim blade-like drones launched from the Void Shuttle, slicing into the lake like silverfish.
Moments later, red blossoms bloomed beneath the surface.
He pressed forward, controlling the blades to sweep through the entire water zone beneath him.
A few massive creatures—nearly 100 meters long and nearing King-level—rose in resistance. But every single one had its skull pierced and brain matter shredded by the blades.
He was briefly tempted by a serpentine dragon-like beast, but with nearly a hundred Plant Spirits on the island, who cared about dragon blood?
Carving a bloody path, he reached the central island.
It resembled a primeval forest—towering trees, lush foliage, but unnaturally silent.
"Monsters swarming outside, but dead quiet here? Let's see what you're hiding."
Jiang Zhe kept up the act, putting on a performance to avoid scaring Babata too early.
Soon as he found the first Plant Spirit, he dropped the act and started harvesting.
There were 82 Plant Spirits on the island. Jiang Zhe took only 30.
For example, from a cluster of nine ancient willow trees, he took only one 10,000-year core and three 1,000-year cores.
Plant Spirits were useful only up to peak Advanced War God level. The Jiang family didn't even have 20 people who could use them.
No need to take everything.
"For so many Plant Spirits to grow here, something must be wrong with the environment—likely an ancient ruin below hiding real treasures."
"…Want me to shield you from the mental pulse influence?" Oriana asked.
"Haha, I see what you mean. This sudden impulse of mine is pretty strange."
Jiang Zhe laughed inwardly. "No need—let's see where it leads."
He sent four flying blades underground, then followed after, extending his mental senses to explore.
At 2,000… 3,000 meters deep, he swam through an underground river, guided by a faint aroma, and retrieved a white crystal that had monsters fighting over it.
Drawn by mental pulses and the Wood Crystal, he continued downward.
6,000m… 8,000m… 15,000m!
"This way."
The impulse hit again. Jiang Zhe didn't resist.
He broke through a rock and saw the glint of metal. Using mental force, he cleared a tunnel.
At the end stood a half-open door, like a spacecraft hatch.
Inside were piles of white crystals—Wood Crystals. Jiang Zhe grinned and packed them up.
Urged by greed, he entered the spacecraft.
A yellow-bronze core surfaced on his chest, gem-like eye embedded within. It cast a red light that merged into the metal walls.
"Master, in 87 seconds I'll seize control of this ship and override its internal systems."
"My sub-core will take about 248 hours to fully decode the ship's F-Class tech."
Jiang Zhe pressed deeper, noting the massive fist imprints on the walls and the hulking corpse ahead…
—Blood-red eyes wide open, body clad in secret-rune armor, with special gauntlets.
He studied the body.
"This gear belonged to an Immortal-level warrior. Even low-tier items should be worth thousands of Hunyuan Units, right?"
"A low-tier Immortal might have ~1,000 Hunyuan in assets. But Hu Yanbo had over 3 million…"
"His Immortal servant's armor must be worth at least ten thousand units!"
"But selling it's a pain—when you need money, you don't dare sell; when you can sell, it's not even worth the trouble. A vicious cycle!"
"Master, stop daydreaming," Oriana nudged.
Jiang Zhe chuckled, pulled back from his thoughts, and entered the grand central hall.
There were six more obvious corpses inside.
"Anna, let's keep our promise—take a look at your Mechanical Clan friend."
He approached a 5-meter tall purple-bronze mechanical lifeform, shining red light on it from his chest.
Beep!
A prompt sounded. The dim hall lit up.
In the air, a black virtual figure formed—Demon Babata, appears!
He recounted stories of the vast universe, of Hu Yanbo's might, Earth's insignificance, and how fortunate Jiang Zhe was to meet him.
Then he threatened Jiang Zhe into becoming his disciple.
Jiang Zhe didn't argue—he kowtowed and acknowledged him.
Babata was satisfied. "Jiang Zhe, my master is dead and cannot guide you. So—"
His voice cut off.
Babata's projection froze, stunned, unable to comprehend what just happened.
The crystal coffin quietly sank into the floor. After it disappeared, the hatch sealed.
Jiang Zhe stood and smiled faintly.
"I've knelt. I've sworn loyalty. I'm part of the Yunmo Star Lineage.
But what happens next—I decide as the 'Junior Star Lord.'"
"Anna, come say hello to our friend."
A yellow-bronze orb flew from his chest, forming a lady-like humanoid figure in midair.
"Mr. Babata, a pleasure. I'll be assuming your duties from here."
This was… a Mechanical Clan being!
Babata was completely cut off from the ship's systems, left only with his consciousness.
"Not the Mechanical Clan," Oriana corrected. "I'm an auxiliary mechanical lifeform. My sole purpose is to carry out my Master's will."
"Babata."
Jiang Zhe spoke again, staring at the frozen projection.
"First—I am a loyal member of Yunmo Star. I will never leak our techniques.
"If I survive long enough to reach King Immortal status, I swear to annihilate the Demon-Hand King as repayment for Yunmo Star's early aid."
He said no more out loud—but Oriana sent the rest via soul link.
"Second—my Master has another inheritance. What we lack is only the basic foundation.
We're supplementing it with your Yunmo Star legacy.
The Soul Seal should not be wasted on my Master."
"He will find a Spirit Master with a 20+ brain-width to carry that core inheritance and ensure Yunmo Star's future."
She then began collecting everything they needed:
"Mr. Babata, I'm taking:
– A copy of your Yunmo Star techniques
– One Immortal Mechanical Clan's World Ring
– 100 Wood Crystals
– 100 Dry Witch Coins
– Temporary use of the Tier-3 Psychic Weapon: Arc Blade Disk."
---
Three to five minutes later, she returned.
"Where's Babata?"
"Sulking."
Jiang Zhe laughed and shook his head. "Poor guy. But this was the best outcome.
We're just not suited to be partners."
Then, turning serious:
"The Mechanical Clan's relic—is it really here?"
"Yes. It's a World Bracelet."
Jiang Zhe smiled faintly.
A Domain Lord might not have a World Ring—they often used their inner worlds. But Immortals? No chance they'd be without one.
Immortals couldn't store daily items in their god-realms—they needed rings.
Hu Yanbo's Immortal servants had no human rights—their gear had been confiscated.
But the invading Mechanical Immortal?
He'd definitely have one—for his puppet army, if nothing else.
"But Master," Oriana warned, "It still carries his soul imprint. We can't access it yet."
"That's fine," Jiang Zhe nodded. "We'll take it for now.
Later, when we can erase the imprint, it'll be a huge asset for you."
Oriana bowed and handed him a bracelet and a ring.
"We also got a bonus. That Immortal had several spatial rings."
Jiang Zhe raised an eyebrow, accepted the deep-blue metal ring, and infused it with mental force.
Inside: a vast, empty space—
412m x 238m x 121m.
It might not be the biggest, but it was more than enough for him now.
He put it away, stowed the Mechanical Clan corpse, and left the Yunmo Star Ship with Oriana.
---
Note 1: This is a direct quote from the original novel by I Eat Tomatoes. The term "Strength Output" refers to "Strength Amplification." Some readers still misunderstand this.