Next, Xia Li tested the other weapons one by one.

  Their lethality all satisfied him greatly.

  The Kinetic Blade could accelerate and increase weight during a swing. Even with just a light wave, the blade whistled through the air.

  At full force, the Kinetic Blade generated a crushing momentum like a falling meteor—like a heavy sword that would cut, cleave, and shred anything in its path!

  The Star Gleam sniper rifle was somewhat slow—even the most basic spirit bullet took half a minute to generate. But its power was the most terrifying.

  Especially the Spirit-Breaker Bullet.

  It was specifically designed to counter cultivators, easily piercing through most barriers formed from spiritual energy.

  The two types of grenades packed power comparable to the Spirit Hub self-destruction from before. Combined to trigger the Shockwave Bomb cascade, the resulting devastation was frightening.

  According to Heaven Chip calculations, the G-Field Shield could sustainably defend against attacks of standard Golden Core-level strength. When the G-repulsion field was activated in critical moments, it could withstand a Nascent Soul cultivator's full-power strike.

  As for the Phase Sphere, Xia Li didn't test it. The entire ten-thousand-meter radius was nothing but garbage mountains—he didn't want to be teleported into the middle of some trash heap.

  "Boss, I've transferred the spirit stones. I'll be going now."

  "Please come again!"

  Though the chubby boss looked somewhat frightening, his service attitude was quite good. He personally escorted Xia Li out through the rusted iron door before closing up and heading back.

  Amidst the stench-filled garbage dump...

  Xia Li raised his head to look at the umbrella-like base of Upper City. He wanted to glimpse the sky right now, because he was about to head to the other side.

  The path ahead was unclear. Wanting to see his homeland's sky before departing was only human nature.

  "Now that all preparations are complete, hopefully the Profound Pill Sect won't be too excessive..."

  Thinking about the troubles awaiting him on the other side, Xia Li couldn't help but furrow his brow. Then he walked deeper into the garbage mountains.

  Finding a dark, cramped garbage hole to crawl into, Xia Li dragged other trash to block the entrance. Once ready, he activated the mysterious ring.

  "After the phase transition, once space stabilizes—if viable—immediately use the divine ability Realm Fusion."

  "If not viable, immediately activate the G-Field Shield."

  "If Nascent Soul-level aura is detected, immediately use the Phase Sphere."

  Xia Li anticipated several scenarios he might encounter after crossing and issued advance commands to his Heaven Chip.

  After all, the Heaven Chip's reaction speed far exceeded his own.

  Brilliant white light appeared and rapidly enveloped his entire body.

  The moment space stabilized...

  【Divine Ability Realm Fusion successfully activated】

  Before the scene before Xia Li's eyes fully cleared, the Heaven Chip had already successfully triggered the divine ability.

  This allowed Xia Li to breathe a small sigh of relief. His greatest worry was that brief moment after crossing—that instant when he was most vulnerable.

  It seemed the Profound Pill Sect people weren't bored enough to station experts watching his broken hut. Otherwise, they could have detected him before space stabilized and waited to ambush him.

  The mysterious ring's function was phase transition.

  Space technology had three levels: phase shift, phase transfer, and phase transition.

  Among these, phase transition technology was still experimental for humans. But ultimately, they were all spatial technologies—the spatial Dao of this world—and could be detected and countered.

  "This brutal?"

  Once Xia Li's vision fully cleared, he discovered that the Xia Manor the three powers of Wind Crane City had built for him had been reduced to ruins.

  Not far from the ruins, in the direction of the manor's main gate, numerous wooden stakes had been planted.

  On those stakes...

  Were the corpses of the Liu family members. It seemed the Liu family had brought destruction upon themselves by helping him.

  The Liu family patriarch he'd met before, Liu Third Uncle whose full name he still didn't know despite their decent relationship, and all the servants and maids the Liu family had arranged for him—none had escaped death.

  And the previously distinguished Liu family young master, Liu Yun, also hung there.

  He had lost all four limbs, his eyes wide open as if unable to believe what had happened even in death.

  Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation.

  Liu Xiaoxiao and Liu Jingfeng weren't visible though, so it seemed they had survived.

  "Did I cause this?"

  "Probably... perhaps..."

  Xia Li couldn't quite articulate his feelings right now. He and the Liu family had even started out as enemies because of Liu Fu.

  His subsequent relationship with the Liu family was built on mutual benefit. He didn't owe them anything, and they weren't particularly close.

  Yet they were still killed as a way to vent anger.

  These small cultivation world families...

  Truly living precariously. When the opportunity they'd dreamed of finally arrived, it also brought calamity.

  Xia Li's mood could only be described as complicated. Right and wrong didn't matter—only what he truly felt after awakening.

  Weakness was the original sin.

  Taken to mine after awakening.

  Bullied upon first arriving in this world...

  Nearly blown up by the company's lackeys after returning.

  Then the Profound Pill Sect came knocking...

  A flame of rage quietly ignited in Xia Li's heart—wanting to prove something, wanting to resist something.

  From his phase ring, he retrieved the special jade slip he'd used to contact Liu Jingfeng before.

  "Hello... I'm Xia Li. How are you doing right now?"

  Quite some time passed...

  Just as Xia Li thought the other party might not respond and was about to put away the jade slip, it responded.

  "He's been crippled and can't use spiritual energy right now. I'm Lin Ye, and I'm helping him."

  "Brother Lin, tell me what happened after I fled."

  "The Liu family was exterminated. I only managed to rescue Liu Jingfeng at great risk. Liu Xiaoxiao is currently imprisoned in Wind Crane City's City Lord Manor. I promised Brother Liu I'd rescue her."

  "But I'm currently fighting alone. If you're willing, Brother Xia, we can act together."

  Lin Ye was quite loyal, willing to help the Liu family.

  "City Lord Manor, you say? I'm in Wind Crane City right now."

  "Brother Xia? The Profound Pill Sect left more than one Golden Core cultivator stationed here. This could be a trap specifically meant to lure you in. Don't fall for it. I have a treasure that can conceal my aura—wait for me to come rescue them together."

  "No need. My purpose... isn't entirely to rescue people."

  But to kill.

  To annihilate everyone the Profound Pill Sect left behind. Only that could quell the restless rage burning deep within Xia Li.

  "Impossible... Even if you've already reached Foundation Establishment, even Heaven-path Foundation Establishment—against multiple Golden Core cultivators, and sect-trained ones at that, you have absolutely no chance of winning!"

  "Is that so? But my artifact spirit tells me..."

  【Scan complete. Within divine sense range matching filter criteria: three Golden Core cultivators, ten Foundation Establishment cultivators, twenty-five Qi Refining cultivators.】

  【Based on their aura strength analysis, combat victory probability: ninety-eight percent.】

  【Combat difficulty: Certain Victory】

  ""I will certainly win this battle!"

  With those words, Xia Li put away the communication jade slip. The divine sense he'd just released to scan had also attracted the attention of others in Wind Crane City.

  Profound Pill Sect disciples all wore sect uniforms with a faint medicinal scent—easy to identify.

  Xia Li hadn't even thought of hiding. Fully releasing his divine sense to scan was both reconnaissance and an invitation.

  "Heaven Chip, overclock!"

  "Spirit Hub, overclock!"

  "All prosthetics, overclock!"

  With three overclocking commands issued, even the Sky-Eye Retina covering Xia Li's eyeballs glowed faintly red.

  Numerous panels appeared before Xia Li's eyes, approaching him.

  "Heaven Chip, lock on!"

  【Locking target objects...】

  【Lock complete】

  "I am human... a pacifist."

  "But if someone doesn't want to coexist peacefully with me, I can also become a machine."

  "Flesh is fleeting, my heart is kind."

  "If necessary..."

  "Abandon humanity, ascend as machine!"

  "Transfer body control authority, convert brain power to Heaven Chip processing power."

  From this moment on, become a perfect killing machine—precise, decisive, with all calculations dedicated to murder.

  【Command accepted】

  【Combat victory probability revised to: one hundred percent】

  【Combat difficulty: Overwhelming】"