Chapter 148: The Hunt for Immortality! (Part 3)

The bad news was that, after Jiang Chen's inspection, neither of the two immortal divine corpses brought back by the exploration team possessed the potential to refine a "Blood God Fruit."

As to whether they had never consumed one during their lifetimes or if the fruit had already been extracted, Jiang Chen had no way of knowing.

The good news, however, was that the two immortal corpses were exceptionally well-preserved. With some modifications, they could easily become primary combat assets within the mechanical legion.

To maximize efficiency, Jiang Chen did not spend an excessive amount of time and energy perfecting the design blueprints to the absolute limit.

He merely aimed for a standard that was "good enough for the job."

Naturally, such improvised designs could not be recorded by the system, yielding no extra rewards. Still, they were more than sufficient for boosting the combat power of the mechanical legion.

Even so, the modification process still took over a month.

Most of that time was spent refining the designs.

Jiang Chen had converted both immortal corpses into half-organic, half-mechanical puppets.

Although there was a massive difference in their original body sizes, they ultimately belonged to the same category of life forms, sharing many similar design principles.

Rather than separately manufacturing mechas and puppets, fabricating them both as puppets saved a considerable amount of design time.

The materials used for the new puppets were far inferior to the Void Dragon Mecha, and their designs fell short of perfection, meaning their combat capabilities naturally lagged far behind the Void Dragon Mecha.

Yet, taken on their own, they barely reached the immortal tier, representing a significant enhancement to the mechanical legion's overall strength.

During this period, utilizing intelligence gathered by satellites, Jarvis also completed a comprehensive analysis regarding the feasibility of subsequent plans.

In the command room of the base, Jarvis projected two "project proposals" onto the screen.

"Master, these are the drafts for the 'Hunting Plan' and the 'Expansion Plan'."

Following Jarvis's voice, the two screens in front displayed maps of the "Land of Eternal Slumber" and the "Land of the Forsaken," respectively.

On the map of the "Land of Eternal Slumber," numerous light points representing "isolated immortal gods" were marked, each accompanied by a numerical designation.

On the map of the "Land of the Forsaken," a green zone was highlighted, occupying only a tiny corner of the deserted region—precisely the location of Jiang Chen's current base.

Outside this green zone, a ring of light green markings covered approximately one percent of the entire Land of the Forsaken.

"Regarding the Hunting Plan, there are fourteen isolated immortal gods in the 'Land of Eternal Slumber.' Master can hunt them down following this sequence. Considering that Master's spiritual telekinesis can dramatically amplify the mechanical legion's combat power, it is best for Master's clone to personally lead the hunt. Upon the successful hunt of each immortal god, their corpse should be sent back to the base for modification. If all fourteen immortals are successfully hunted, Master's subordinate combat strength will experience a massive leap."

"However, it must be noted that this activity may attract the attention of the Ancestral God Cult, carrying a relatively high risk. But I will monitor the positions of the Ancestral God Cult's powerhouses constantly via satellite surveillance, and the moment any unusual movement occurs, I will notify Master immediately."

"Regarding the Expansion Plan, this ring can serve as the target for initial expansion. According to my calculations, the probability of attracting the attention of the Ancestral God Cult is less than three point five percent."

"Within this area, mineral reserves are sufficient to support a tenfold increase in the base's scale."

Jarvis explained the two plans in meticulous detail.

Jiang Chen calculated the figures in his mind and ultimately accepted Jarvis's judgment.

When it came to analyzing data and intelligence, an artificial intelligence like Jarvis was far more proficient than Jiang Chen himself.

Jiang Chen asked, "How many troops do you think is appropriate for the team hunting the immortal gods?"

"The detection equipment mounted on the satellites has limited performance, making it impossible for us to accurately gauge the strength of the target immortals. According to virtual universe data, the strength gap between ordinary immortals and sector lords is immense. Although the probability of encountering an immortal sector lord is practically negligible, should a marquess-level immortal appear, it would pose a severe threat to the mechanical legion."

"I believe the Void Dragon Mecha must remain in the hands of Master's true body to guard against potential danger to the true body. Master's clone should take one-third of the mechanical legion and the two 'immortal puppets'."

"The two immortal puppets combined with one-third of the mechanical legion, under the enhancement of Master's special telekinesis, are fully capable of dealing with entities at the level of 'Immortal Army Masters.' Without using the 'Void Dragon Mecha,' even bringing the entire mechanical legion along would still be insufficient to handle a marquess-level immortal. Therefore, this troop allocation represents the most cost-effective choice."

"If we can capture five or more immortal gods and convert them into immortal puppets, another team can be deployed to accelerate hunting efficiency. Three additional immortal puppets will be sufficient to compensate for the loss of combat power resulting from the absence of Master's clone's enhancement."

Jarvis spoke eloquently, offering a highly detailed recommendation.

"Very well, proceed as you suggested." Jiang Chen nodded in approval of Jarvis's proposal, directly releasing his clone and handing over the two immortal puppets along with a portion of the mechanical legion.

Naturally, the most crucial assets—the "Void Dragon Mecha" and the "Warp Arbiter"—remained with his true body.

With the former, the safety of his true body was guaranteed.

With the latter, should any danger befall the clone, Jiang Chen could instantly initiate a warp summons to rescue the clone and the mechanical legion accompanying it.

"Master, I must remind you that hunting immortal gods carries a greater than eighty percent probability of causing you to be noticed by the Ancestral God Cult. Of course, if the Ancestral God Cult lacks powerful technology capable of monitoring the entire planet, the probability of our base in the Land of the Forsaken being detected remains very low." Jarvis reminded him once again.

Jiang Chen nodded. Naturally, he had already anticipated this possibility.

Yet, he could not simply do nothing out of fear of the Ancestral God Cult.

In Jiang Chen's eyes, this group of "isolated" immortal gods represented a row of "Blood God Fruits" and immortal puppets.

Plundering resources and strengthening oneself were paramount.

The clone boarded a spacecraft with a detachment of the mechanical legion and departed for the "Land of Eternal Slumber" to hunt the immortal gods of the Ancestral God Cult.

Meanwhile, in the "Land of the Forsaken," under Jarvis's administration, the base's new round of expansion commenced swiftly.

The Land of the Forsaken was sparsely populated, and furthermore, the location Jiang Chen had initially chosen for his base was sufficiently remote.

Even with a massive expansion of the base's perimeter, it was difficult to attract the attention of the indigenous inhabitants.

According to the newly expanded territory, the nearest indigenous human city in the Land of the Forsaken was over ten million kilometers away from the edge of Jiang Chen's controlled zone.

On Visca Planet, where day and night alternated every fifteen days, the overwhelming majority of natives were incapable of traveling such a vast distance away from their cities.

Only a tiny fraction of powerhouses possessed the ability to traverse the wilderness during the pitch-black night.

To a certain extent, this unique environment also afforded Jiang Chen considerable convenience, allowing his expansion to proceed more audaciously without the fear of discovery.

Moreover, the population of the Land of the Forsaken was extremely sparse, devoid of any formidable entities; even if discovered, it would not pose a major problem.

At worst, he would simply incorporate the nearby natives under his control.

The only thing worthy of Jiang Chen's concern was the Ancestral God Cult stationed far away in the "Land of Divine Grace."

——

Elsewhere.

Following a flight of over twenty hours, Jiang Chen's clone arrived at the peripheral region of the "Land of Eternal Slumber."

Visca Planet was simply too massive; even flying at a speed approaching the speed of light required an entire day to complete a single circuit around the planet.

Furthermore, in the vicinity of the planet's atmosphere, unless one intended to enter dark-space travel, surging speed to extreme limits was not a wise choice.

Given the performance of the spacecraft carried by Jiang Chen's clone, the optimal cruising speed for flight outside the planet's atmosphere was roughly one-tenth the speed of light, meaning a considerable amount of time was spent on travel.

"According to the map, the city below houses a single isolated immortal god."

Jiang Chen gazed down at the city beneath him.

At this moment, it was nighttime in the "Land of Eternal Slumber."

Outside the city walls, dense hordes of ferocious beasts surged like a tidal wave, battering the fortifications.

Squadions of city guards stood atop the walls, launching downward attacks.

From time to time, elite troops possessed of formidable strength flew directly out of the city, plunging into the beast horde to slaughter madly and thin out their numbers.

Judging solely by the strength of the city guards, this city was vastly superior to the "Purple Dream City" where Jiang Chen had previously resided.

Along the ramparts on several sides, the forces were led by sector lords.

However, the ferocious beasts assaulting the city were similarly stronger, and their numbers were far more staggering.

Visually, this was a meticulously engineered balance.

Cities with weak defenses were surrounded by fewer beasts of lesser strength.

Cities with formidable defenses, on the other hand, faced astronomical numbers of beasts, along with terrifying beast kings born among them.

"This Ancestral God Cult is truly sickening."

Jiang Chen could not help muttering a complaint.

The "Blood God Fruit" was indeed a fine treasure, but to shorten its growth cycle, they treated an entire planet as a gigantic gladiatorial arena, forcing their own kin and beasts into endless mutual slaughter.

In Jiang Chen's view, such practices crossed the line of having zero moral baseline.

"I wonder if there is any secret manipulation by the Virtual Universe Company behind all this?" A sudden thought flashed through Jiang Chen's mind.

However, Jiang Chen had no intention of getting to the bottom of the matter.

Given Jiang Chen's strength, pulling chestnuts from the fire to seize some benefits was one thing.

Trying to alter the entire planet's ecosystem?

Jiang Chen lacked the strength for that.

One should act in accordance with the limits of one's power.

There was no need to dwell on things beyond one's capability.

This had always been Jiang Chen's philosophy of life.

——

High in the air, Jiang Chen observed the battle below while activating the detector to pinpoint the exact location of the immortal god within the city.

A moment later, the detector emitted a sharp beep, simultaneously marking a red dot on the map.

"Found it!"

A look of joy crossed Jiang Chen's face as he directly opened the cabin hatch and leaped out.

During his descent, the mechanical legion stored within his world ring manifested densely around him.

Jiang Chen casually selected a [Gundam] mecha, opened the cockpit door, and climbed inside.

His spiritual telekinesis mode instantly shifted, linking up with each individual mechanical unit.

This time, coming to hunt the immortal gods, Jiang Chen had brought one-third of his mechanical legion.

The number of combat aircraft was relatively small, totaling only one thousand.

However, the number of mechas exceeded sixty thousand, nearing seventy thousand.

The sudden appearance of such a massive force in the skies naturally caused quite a commotion, immediately drawing the attention of the powerhouses in the city below.

The moment they caught sight of the mechanical legion, hatred welled up in the eyes of numerous powerhouses, who roared out in fury: "Outworlders!"

Educated across generations on Visca Planet, the indigenous inhabitants held intense hostility toward outsiders.

And technological weaponry served as the quintessential hallmark of the "Outworlders."

Quite a few powerhouses abandoned the beast tide attacking the city entirely, charging directly toward the mechanical legion in the sky.

"Energy interference, activate!"

"Gravity field, activate!"

"Psychic storm, clear the field!"

Jiang Chen issued a rapid succession of commands.

A series of peculiar fluctuations swept across the area, directly modifying numerous "parameters" within this sector.

To their astonishment, various natives discovered that their origin power and telekinesis had been heavily suppressed, rendering them virtually unusable.

Gravity was simultaneously amplified to a horrifying degree, stripping them completely of the ability to fly.

Many of the weaker individuals were crushed flat against the ground instantly, blood oozing from their pores.

Stripes of azure "electric web" materialized in the sky, sweeping downward to cover the area.

Yet, they deliberately avoided the positions of the city guards, targeting exclusively the beast horde outside the city.

Under the dual suppression of energy interference and amplified gravity, the overwhelming majority of ferocious beasts, much like the humans, lost all capacity to resist.

The electric web plunged into the beast horde, causing the life signatures of massive numbers of beasts to vanish instantly.

It was only then that the two sole sector lords capable of retaining considerable combat strength despite the dual suppression—forcing themselves to fly into the sky against the terrifying gravity—finally closed the distance into attack range.

However, awaiting them was a humanoid puppet exuding an immensely terrifying aura.

The fusion of flesh and machinery looked inexplicably gruesome and eerie, yet carried a bizarre, cyberpunk-esque aesthetic beauty.

The two immortal puppets, falling short of perfection in both design and materials, possessed strength inferior to their lifetimes, ranking among the weaker figures within the immortal tier.

Yet, bolstered by Jiang Chen's formidable mechanical affinity, the performance of the immortal puppets surged over five hundredfold, granting them terrifying baseline strength.

Of course, baseline strength was one thing; within battles at the same tier, laws, secret techniques, and the like held far greater importance.

However, when a chasm-like gap existed between major realms, barring a rare few defying geniuses, for the vast majority of normal cultivators, the party possessing the higher realm could effortlessly crush their opponent relying purely on baseline physical constitution.

Boom~!

An immortal puppet threw a punch.

The surging force left the two sector lords utterly powerless to resist, sending them hurtling toward the ground like a pair of cannonballs.

Bang~!

The two sector lords crashed heavily into the earth, blasting out a deep crater.

"I will only say this once," Jiang Chen's voice echoed across the entire city: "Will the immortal god hiding in the lord's mansion come out voluntarily, or shall I slaughter these subordinates of yours first and then come looking for you?"