Chapter 677 - 42: The Puppet Master’s Creation, Artificial Humans

Meanwhile, in the ruins of Kunlun Mountain.

A man, entirely black in appearance, took a deep breath, and the old man in his grasp vanished entirely into nothingness.

With the complete disappearance of the old man, all memories, abilities, and even causality that constituted his existence were transferred to the man.

However, the man had no intention of transforming into the old man; instead, he devoured and fully digested him.

From this moment on, no one in this world could remember the existence of the old man.

Even the old man's own granddaughter would only believe herself to be an orphan, wandering from place to place since childhood, having eventually wandered into Xingtian City.

This is the most terrifying aspect of the man.

If death in this world could be divided into three stages.

The first is the death of the body, the second is the disappearance of the soul, and the third is being completely forgotten by everyone.

And this man could bypass the first two stages of death, directly bringing people into the third state of death.

This kind of death even covered the River of Time, and in the future, if any Pathfinder wanted to resurrect the old man, the difficulty would be no less than any ordinary pathfinding.

At the very least, to resurrect those devoured by the man, one must kill the man.

"The final piece of the puzzle is finally in place."

With eyes slowly opening, the man's voice was filled with an air of delight.

In his mind, the lifetime's skill of the old man as a Yanshi Master flashed by, the essence and brilliance of it made even the man unable to help but marvel.

"No wonder I thought that girl had such talent. Turns out, she was also your creation — an 'artificial human.'"

"While ordinary Yanshi Masters use wood and steel to create people, you took a different path, using biological essence to create them, and then raising them with your own hands."

"You seem to call her an 'artificial human,' a name that indeed suits that girl's origin."

After expressing his sentiment, the man shook his head with regret.

"It's a pity that the biological samples you could obtain were too poor to create any formidable characters."

"Moreover, you developed feelings for your creations, which is completely unlike the demeanor of a 'Holy Demon' of old."

Carefully experiencing the old man's past memories, the man only then realized he might have underestimated this Yanshi Master a bit.

It wasn't just extraordinary skills.

The old man's various feats in his youth were also nothing short of glorious.

In order to rescue Yanshi Kingdom from a food crisis, he controlled thousands of Yanshi to destroy eight nations, slaughtering hundreds of thousands of beings.

To create unique Yanshi, he hunted Innate Divine beings and supernatural creatures, exterminating nearly a hundred species.

It wasn't until after Xiaoling was born that the old man's murderous nature slightly restrained, and he began playing the role of a kind grandfather.

Even so, from the words and deeds he imparted to Xiaoling, his true nature was apparent.

In a sense, his easy downfall at the hands of the man this time was partly due to underestimating the enemy, as he hadn't brought his truly powerful creations.

On the other hand, it was also because people eventually grow old, and in many cases, aren't as decisive as they were in their youth.

"This is the sorrow of mortals."

"No matter how you call the wind and summon the rain in youth, once you grow old, many weaknesses arise."

After fully assimilating the old man's essence, the man sighed with a slightly sentimental tone.

"But rest assured, your skills will be carried forward by me, creating truly powerful constructs capable of slaying gods and demons!"

"At that time, the Ganqi Battle Axe will fall into my hands, and I will become the second Wargod Xingtian, battling heaven and earth!"

Before the words had even finished, the man cast his gaze toward the dimmed Buddha head ahead.

"Let's call this resourceful waste utilization! I will let you exert your final power!"

...........................

"I had a grandfather?"

Staring blankly at Luo Lan and Xiluo beneath the waterfall, Xiaoling's thoughts were already elsewhere.

She was trying hard to recall her past, attempting to find a fragment related to a grandfather from her memories.

No matter how hard she tried, she couldn't remember any memory associated with him.

As for suspecting Xiluo of spouting nonsense?

Xiaoling indeed had such a thought, but on the next second, her rationale taught her that this was impossible.

Even though they hadn't spent much time together, Xiaoling didn't think she had anything significant that would make the other spout nonsense.

Especially such a trick easily seen through, what would be the purpose of the lie for the other party?

"So I really had a grandfather, but I've forgotten his existence."

Instinctively bowing her head, Xiaoling suddenly felt the Horn of Plenty she was holding.

"Wait, if I'm a wanderer..."

"Then why would I pay such a high price to buy this 'Horn of Plenty' from the Holy Demons?"

With a flash of bewilderment in her eyes, Xiaoling finally caught a "loophole."

The Horn of Plenty obviously isn't a tool that maximizes personal interest; instead, it is more suited for groups and nations.

From any perspective, the rational and somewhat selfish part of her wouldn't spend a hefty price on the Horn of Plenty.

"So where did the problem lie?"

Constantly retracing her memories over that period, Xiaoling quickly thought of the man who wanted to capture her.

All the oddities appearing on her seemed to stem from that man.

And at that moment, a vague figure flashed through Xiaoling's mind.

It seemed to be a kind old man, holding a newborn baby girl with a benevolent expression.

And beneath his feet, a colossal beast was mourning, its belly forcibly cut open, looking extremely horrifying.

The most crucial thing was that when Xiaoling widened her eyes to clearly see the scene, she discovered herself witnessing it from the perspective of the baby girl.

"What is going on?"

In a trance, a memory that was supposed to be forever sealed began to awaken in Xiaoling's mind.

Although this memory was also influenced by the old man and was gradually vanishing, it answered a puzzle that had long perplexed Xiaoling.

—Where did I come from?

—Why have I never seen my parents?

Upon realizing this, the baby in the memory looked down at the giant beast below.

Then she noticed that the beast wasn't only carrying herself; there were other babies.

Only those babies were grotesque, neither resembling a beast nor a human, but more like some kind of mutant offspring.

[Am I... an artificial human?]

A random thought flashed in her mind, then Xiaoling noticed the memory starting to blur.

Startled, Xiaoling immediately reacted.

This sealed memory was disappearing bit by bit from her past life, just like the old man.

"No, no matter who you are, I will never forget you!"

A gleam of determination flashed in her eyes as Xiaoling decisively bit her finger, attempting to record this vanishing memory.

☞ Monthly Ticket ☜☜/☞☞ Recommendation Ticket ☜☜