Chapter 66: After the Wormhole!
A creature resembling a tiger with nine human-faced heads—this must be a Kaimei Beast.
Its essence, however, is that of an intelligent lifeform, similar to Babata or Elder Wu.
8.2 billion years?
Origin Star?
These two key phrases stirred buried memories within Jiang Zhe. He began to piece together the origins of the bronze furnace.
He looked up and asked, "Is your master from the Origin Star lineage?"
The beast's nine heads all showed surprise. "Strange... From your words, you're not from the Origin Star lineage. But how do you even know of its existence after 8.2 billion years?"
"Might that guy have really succeeded?" it muttered under its breath.
Jiang Zhe's heart skipped a beat.
Through their psychic link, he urged Oriana to act quickly, fearing the creature might reveal some dangerous secret.
After its brief mumble, the Kaimei Beast didn't dwell on the topic and began explaining its origins.
"I was born before the Origin Star existed—around 14.3 billion years ago. My master was the true leader of the Shanhai Realm, the precursor to the Origin Star."
"He knew—"
Its words were cut off abruptly.
A beam of red light immobilized it. The creature could still think but could neither speak nor move.
The source of the red light? A brass orb floating beside Jiang Zhe—Oriana's clone. She had used her unique abilities to restrain the talkative intelligent lifeform.
Since advancing to the Stellar level, Oriana had evolved into a being with a 10x gene level, allowing her to split into 1 main body and 9 clones.
Currently, the main body was outside, wielding dual powers and controlling the core world.
The one accompanying Jiang Zhe was a clone, wielding 8 portions of her strength and appearing as a bronze-armored guardian.
Jiang Zhe wiped the cold sweat from his brow.
Had the Kaimei Beast spoken further, it might have revealed shocking secrets—perhaps those spanning from the Shanhai Realm to Earth through three generations.
Still… the beast seemed to know quite a lot.
Within a couple of minutes, they subdued the Kaimei Beast, forcibly read its memories, and took control of the tower.
The first floor door opened automatically, welcoming Jiang Zhe and his silver-robed soul clone inside.
Oriana reported via the psychic link:
"Master, we truly arrived too late—by 8.2 billion years. All the treasures here were taken by an immortal from the Origin Star era."
Jiang Zhe had mentally prepared for this. Now that it was confirmed, he sighed and accepted the reality.
Still, he asked curiously, "The true leader of the Shanhai Realm? Oriana, is it who I think it is?"
He shared part of his memory with her.
A few seconds later, Oriana responded after cross-referencing:
"Master, it's very likely the person you have in mind."
"According to the Kaimei Beast's memory, its master went to receive a dangerous inheritance, and before leaving, laid down this legacy."
"He never returned."
"The Kaimei Beast next encountered a human 6.1 billion years later—that immortal who took most of the tower's treasures."
"And now, after another 8.2 billion years, you are the third human it has met."
Jiang Zhe was astonished. "It only saw two humans in 14.3 billion years? How is it still mentally stable after being locked up for so long? Shouldn't it have gone insane?"
Babata had once said that millions of years of isolation could distort the mind of an intelligent being.
"Its master anticipated this," Oriana replied. "He used technology from the Machine Race to place it in deep stasis, making it unaware of time's passage."
"Out of those 14.3 billion years, it was only awake for a few hundred at most."
Jiang Zhe nodded thoughtfully.
The leader of the Shanhai Realm had taken the path of mental cultivation, achieving the highest fortune ranking even as a Sector Lord—greater than even Luo Feng.
As for the immortal who once visited the tower…
Could he be the second candidate nurtured by Origin Star, someone who had endured the most hardship and pursued the third level of mental cultivation?
The thought made Jiang Zhe twitch. He was no longer calm.
"Oriana, what exactly was stored here? I want to know if it's enough to make me cry."
"Most items wouldn't impress someone of your caliber," she said.
That compliment made Jiang Zhe's expression freeze slightly.
He knew what was coming.
"Only one type of item might make you beat your chest in regret."
"What is it?"
"Beast God Slabs!"
Jiang Zhe: !!!
"There were once eight Beast God Slabs stored here—four each for the Wood and Thunder Beast Gods. They were the originals used for the copper furnace lid engravings."
Jiang Zhe was silent.
After a long pause, he patted his face and murmured, "To gain it is fortune; to lose it is fate."
Just as he turned to leave the tower, Oriana teased through the psychic link:
"Master, don't be too hasty. That immortal didn't take everything. Two slabs remain."
Jiang Zhe: …
Though Oriana had messed with him, Jiang Zhe didn't mind. In fact, he appreciated her growing humanity.
Rubbing his hands together, he asked with anticipation, "Alright, seriously now—which two slabs?"
"One from Wood, one from Thunder."
"Thunder?!" Jiang Zhe's eyes lit up. "Is it the third one?"
He had labeled the third Thunder slab himself.
It depicted the "Wrath of the Beast God"—a proud being standing in the void, striking with a single finger.
This was the original version of the image seen in the "Beast God's Hand" manual.
Oriana sighed, "Master, if you've already seen the copy, do you really think the original would survive here for 14.3 billion years?"
Jiang Zhe sighed deeply.
Most likely, the Origin Star immortal had either lost or gifted away the other six slabs, eventually leading to the creation of the psychic weapon Beast God's Hand.
Fate is set—every gain and loss has its reason.
Oriana led Jiang Zhe to the top floor of the tower.
The Kaimei Beast was still frozen by the window, its 18 eyes frantically twitching in hopes of catching Jiang Zhe's attention and regaining freedom.
"Release it, but keep it muted. Explain the situation," Jiang Zhe instructed through the link.
The clone at his side acted immediately. A red beam from its chest core hit the Kaimei Beast.
Moments later, the beast regained movement.
Its nine faces all looked sheepish as it bowed before Jiang Zhe in submission.
"I'm taking everything from this tower. You won't stay here any longer—come with me and live like a proper intelligent lifeform."
The Kaimei Beast nodded its nine heads enthusiastically, looking comically eager.
Jiang Zhe glanced at it briefly, then turned his gaze toward a sturdy wooden table at the back of the room.
On it sat two stone slabs, each about one meter long.
One was deep green;
The other, dark purple.
He had already seen the carvings before—a spirit deer and a dragon-like man, both with nearly identical horns.
Jiang Zhe barely glanced at the Wood Beast God Slab, unfazed by its artistic meaning.
Instead, he stepped closer to the Thunder Beast God Slab.
A terrifying dragon-man with muscular build and fearsome scales stood in the void, full of majesty.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
Jiang Zhe's consciousness trembled. It was as if he witnessed the birth of the universe.
As thunder roared, the dragon-man walked out of the chaos, with stars and planets orbiting him like he was the source of creation itself.
Only after a long moment did Jiang Zhe regain clarity.
He gently ran his hand over the stone's surface, feeling the sacred textures beneath his fingertips.
The Beast God's Path was merely the surface—the real core was the fusion of law and principle!
That was Jiang Zhe's ultimate goal.
The engravings detailed the path of Thunder and Time fusion laws, revealing a glimpse of the universe's original truths.
Jiang Zhe realized:
This slab was probably second only to Luo Feng's mini Beast God statue, and the sixty-four statues in the Beast God Realm.
(The hierarchy: Jade-Gold Beast God Statues > Beast God Realm Statues)
(There are 15 Jade-Gold Statues in the Blood-Luo World—yet humanity is oblivious to the treasure they hold)
He stored the two slabs in his spatial ring.
Then, stroking his chin, Jiang Zhe suddenly asked, "Eight slabs make one set. Both sets are half-missing… Oriana, does the Kaimei Beast know where its master got these slabs?"
"He found them," she replied.
Jiang Zhe: ???
"Near a natural wormhole," Oriana clarified.
"Half a broken, terrifyingly powerful corpse flew out of the wormhole. The being was still alive, struggling in agony, but his godly body quickly disintegrated, leaving behind numerous possessions."
"The Kaimei Beast's master found the eight slabs in the being's spatial storage."
Godly body?
An Immortal? Or a Universe Master?
Jiang Zhe was speechless.
So this was the fortune behind the one hailed as the most fated by Puti?
"Oriana, will that wormhole vanish?"
"Unknown. But the Kaimei Beast's master left its precise coordinates. That immortal from Origin Star has them too."
Jiang Zhe exchanged glances with his silver-robed soul clone.
Beyond the wormhole… like a Pandora's Box—irresistibly enticing.
End of the chapter