Wait, How Did My Digital Girlfriend Become a Sword Immortal?

Chapter 856.1: Robbing Peter to Pay Paul

…It was not a demonic beast with Taotie bloodline.

Rather, it was the true Beast King, Taotie!

Renshou stared dumbfounded at the giant beast that bared its full mouth of fangs at him. Between the teeth, he could already see the vortex-like chaos within the abyssal maw.

The secret of Taotie's ability to devour everything was related to that vortex.

That was Taotie's stomach, a void that could pulverize everything, leaving only primal energy.

Renshou felt his legs go a little weak. He took a step closer to Chen Huaian and whispered, "Chen Sword Master, you… you have a real Taotie…"

Chen Huaian nodded with a smile. "That's right."

"Then you… why didn't you say so earlier?"

"You didn't ask~"

Renshou: "…"

Muscle Tyrant curiously eyed the old cultivator beside Chen Huaian. Chen Huaian said he went to find a treasure for it, so he found this cultivator? Was he food for it? But it hadn't eaten cultivators for a very, very long time.

But to be fair.

There was indeed something on this cultivator that attracted it, emitting an enticing fragrance.

"Boss, is this a little snack prepared for me?"

Muscle Tyrant lifted a claw and pointed at Renshou.

One of its fingernails was almost as long as Renshou's entire body.

"Sort of, but the little snack isn't him." Chen Huaian said something that made Renshou's heart leap into his throat, "Elder Ren, this is the real Taotie. I wonder if your Meridian Refining Technique can still have an effect?"

Renshou glanced at the ferocious-looking Taotie, utterly perplexed in his heart.

Why…

Why would Taotie appear in another world?

The Cangyun Realm is a Great Thousand World…

Could it be that this world Chen Sword Master brought him to was once also part of the Cangyun Realm?

The more he thought about it, the more plausible it seemed to Renshou.

According to ancient texts, the Cangyun Realm of the primordial era was much larger than it is now. It only shattered into fragments after an ancient war between Immortals and Gods.

The largest remaining piece is the current Cangyun Realm.

Of the shattered parts, some became Small Thousand Worlds attached to Cangyun, while others vanished without a trace.

The cultivators of the Cangyun Realm have very limited understanding of that period of history, almost a blank slate, only knowing that such an event occurred.

Perhaps, this world is one of those fragments of primordial Cangyun?

And Taotie's remnant soul was on that fragment at the time, which is why Chen Sword Master could find a living, real Taotie here.

Renshou felt he had solved the mystery. Looking around, the mountains and rivers that met his eyes unconsciously felt much more familiar.

Presumably, Chen Sword Master must have long since connected these dots as well?

Renshou cautiously observed Chen Huaian, thinking to himself that he should not bring this up with Chen Sword Master again, lest Chen Sword Master find him talkative.

"Reporting to Sword Master, theoretically, the Meridian Refining Technique enhances the purity of a demonic beast's bloodline. It has little effect on Taotie's true form, but…" Renshou, sensing Taotie's aura, carefully weighed his words, "This junior notices that Taotie is not at its peak strength? Is this junior's perception correct?"

Chen Huaian nodded. Before he could speak, Muscle Tyrant shook its head indignantly and angrily said, "So what if I'm not at my peak!? I can still beat those myriad fake Immortals until their teeth scatter! This young master is just worn down by these endless cycles! Remember how majestic I was back in the day? Even the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors had to think twice when they saw me!"

This Muscle Tyrant wasn't boasting. In terms of destructive power, it was definitely among the top in the primordial era.

The Yellow Emperor did indeed sever its head and carved its likeness on a cauldron to warn future generations against greed.

But so what? It's still alive and kicking now, isn't it?

Its head was cut off, that's all. It's not like it couldn't grow back.

"Chen Sword Master, this junior is not very familiar with the situation of this world. May I ask what Senior Taotie means by 'endless cycles'?"

Renshou had not yet concluded whether the Meridian Refining Technique could be effective. He needed to understand Taotie's situation first.

"No harm in telling you." Chen Huaian sighed, his brow slightly furrowed. "This world is called Earth Star, with many ancient myths. But from some unknown time, it has been trapped in endless cycles under the control of a group of higher-dimensional beings called the Celestial God Clan.

Whether human or demon, or even the myriad gods and buddhas, none can escape.

Whenever Earth Star's cultivation civilization develops to a certain stage, it is reset by the Celestial God Clan.

Those Immortals, Gods, and powerful cultivators who have aligned themselves with the Celestial God Clan seem to be able to avoid the cycles through a form of slumber, while another portion possess the privilege of retaining partial memories through the cycles, growing stronger with each cycle.

Those lives not aligned with the Celestial God Clan have their souls and bodies forcibly erased and, under the influence of some karmic rule, are sent back to the past.

This constitutes one cycle.

Such cycles have repeated on Earth Star 137 times. This is the 138th cycle.

This Venerable One does not know when this cycle will end, but This Venerable One is now also deeply entangled in this world's cycle of karma.

Breaking this cycle is what This Venerable One is now striving with all my might to accomplish."

"So that's how it is." Upon hearing this, even though Renshou was not within the karmic cycle himself, just listening to Chen Huaian's words sent chills down his spine.

What kind of powerful beings could manipulate the temporal rules of an entire world?

To have the time of an entire world arbitrarily altered, arbitrarily reversed on a cosmic dimensional level…

Such power far surpasses the category of Immortals.

At the same time, hearing that Chen Sword Master was also deeply entangled in karma, he couldn't help but feel a sense of shared sorrow.

Now that he was a member of the Moon Shadow Sect, of course he hoped Chen Sword Master would endure for eternity, leading the Moon Shadow Sect to ever greater strength.

"This junior understands." He cupped his hands towards Chen Huaian and analyzed using his own knowledge. "Those so-called higher-dimensional beings initiating cycle after cycle are not without cost, but they do not bear this cost themselves.

Each cycle seems to return everything to the starting point, but in reality, the depleted Destiny Energy of heaven and earth is shared equally by all living beings trapped in the cycle.

Senior Taotie, having gone through 138 cycles, should be weaker with each successive cycle, correct?

That is because your Divine Soul and Destiny Energy have been depleted in the cycles, used as Consumable Materials for the cycles."

Taotie thought back.

Although its memories were fragmented, it seemed that was indeed the case.

And it wasn't just it getting weaker; those myriad fake Immortals and fake Buddhas were also getting weaker.

That's why it could beat them to a pulp every cycle.

It wasn't that its strength hadn't changed, but that everyone was declining, so it felt roughly the same.

But compared to a big boss like Chen Huaian, who possessed cultivation traditions from another world, the difference was stark.

As a primordial Fierce Beast of the same realm, it should have been invincible, but it was definitely not Chen Huaian's match now.

"You're right. So, do you have a solution? I heard the boss mention something about a Meridian Refining Technique…"

Muscle Tyrant's heart itched with anticipation, its four claws restlessly digging at the ground.

Renshou smiled. "Senior Taotie, rest assured. My Meridian Refining Technique not only replenishes bloodline purity but also replenishes the Destiny Energy of heaven and earth that ordinary demonic beasts find difficult to obtain.

The reason primordial Fierce Beasts and Auspicious Beasts are crowned with such names is precisely because they each possess a share of Destiny Energy.

Now that you are deficient in Destiny Energy but your bloodline remains, the Meridian Refining Technique can naturally also have an effect, helping you gradually recover to your peak form!"

"But This Venerable One has heard that the allocation of Destiny Energy of heaven and earth is finite. If Taotie's Destiny Energy was divided, it must have been obtained by other living beings, perhaps even by the Celestial God Clan." Chen Huaian frowned. "Could it be that you can snatch back Taotie's Destiny Energy from the Celestial God Clan?"

"What capability does this junior possess?" Renshou gave a bitter smile, then reminded, "Chen Sword Master, have you forgotten?

The materials for the Meridian Refining Technique were all provided by the various demonic beasts of the Cangyun Realm!"

Upon hearing this, Chen Huaian was struck by Divine Enlightenment, his entire person freezing for a moment.

Good heavens!

Robbing Peter to pay Paul, is it?

But it must be said.

Robbing a useless eastern wall to patch a highly useful western wall.

This patching is worth it!

…