Star Odyssey

Chapter 4124: Technology Changes The Universe

Greater Sancte Green Lotus accepted the sphere, showing equal surprise. “So, there really are civilizations in the Aevum Inch that dominate with technology.”

Lu Yin frowned. “How can technology stand up to Immortals?”

“That is not certain,” Greater Sancte Green Lotus replied, “In some megaverses, cultivation reaches the apex, with a creature becoming an Immortal. However, who’s to say that technology is unable to reach that same apex? We have simply never encountered it.”

Lu Yin looked back at the largest one-eyed creature. “How much do you know about this civilization?”

“Not much. But we have made some... guesses.”

“Guesses?”

“Yes. Guesses about the technological civilization,” the creature replied. By this point, it was being fully cooperative, and it offered absolutely no resistance.

The scavengers had no bottom line. Their survival was worth far more than any sort of pride. They sold out civilizations to gain cultivation resources, strength, and a longer life.

Having its life in someone else’s hands meant that complete cooperation was the only obvious option.

“I once wandered into a Thread of Heaven where I heard an expression: a technological civilization has the hardest time reaching the summit. Any civilization can develop technology, but the ceiling of technology is obvious and too easy to see. Compared to cultivation, technology takes more time, effort, and resources on a scale beyond imagining to develop it to the summit.

“This is especially true for a technological civilization that approaches the level of a fishing civilization. It takes endless eras to build such a society. Theoretically, it should be impossible for any civilization to do that. However, if one ever succeeds, they would become... unimaginably terrifying.

“‘Resources: infinite. Technology: infinite.’ That’s the saying from that Thread of Heaven. To be frank, most civilizations that have entered the Aevum Inch believe the same thing.”

Greater Sancte Green Lotus nodded. “There is another expression that I have heard about technological civilizations. Supposedly, it’s a joke: ‘Technology... changes the universe.’”

Lu Yin blinked. He did not quite get it, but why did it sound so familiar?

Right. Technology changes life. That was an old slogan on Earth.[1]

Greater Sancte Green Lotus’s expression grew solemn. “Cultivation is able to destroy anything, but only technology can change everything. There are times when technology can accomplish things that are beyond even Immortals. That is how most interpret the joke. Of course, it’s ‘just a joke,’ but that also reveals many civilizations’ genuine view of technology.”

“Exactly,” the creature quickly agreed, “Any civilization that enters the Aevum Inch through technological means is beyond terrifying. We never know when they might be watching us. They spared us and bought coordinates from us, but when it comes to where they are or how powerful they might be, we have no idea.

“We’ve even tried to dismantle this sphere, but we failed. Even the most technologically advanced creatures that we met weren’t able to open it.”

Greater Sancte Green Lotus looked at the creature with cold eyes. “Technology polarizes. The strongest technological civilizations are regarded as an impossible joke, because no one believes that such a thing can exist. Meanwhile, ordinary technological civilizations, even if they manage to reach their peak, are weaker than a random civilization with a single Ortuser. There is essentially no middle ground when it comes to technology.

“You showed an advanced device to a more primitive civilization and asked them to explain it. That is a joke in and of itself. Just what are you trying to prove to us?”

Lu Yin’s expression also grew somber.

The creature panicked. “I only meant to say that we’ve tried, nothing more.”

Lu Yin looked back at the metallic sphere. “Senior, could this technological civilization be tracking this?”

“They clearly have some means of tracking,” Greater Sancte Green Lotus agreed, “If not, how would they ever locate these scavengers? Whether they do so with this sphere itself or through something else, I cannot be sure.

“Still, regardless of how advanced they might be, Immortals still sit at the summit.” As he spoke, he extended a finger. Illusory lotuses blossomed around the sphere, sealing it. “There. Now it will be fine.”

Lu Yin put the sphere away. There was no need to make contact with that civilization just yet.

He could not be sure if that civilization was stronger or weaker than the human civilization. If not for the fact that they had to use one of Obscura’s gates to reach the region of the Aevum Inch, Lu Yin would have loved to send the civilization to the Seven-Treasure Anuras or even to Obscura.

Unfortunately, Lu Yin and Green Lotus did not even know where they were in the Aevum Inch in relation to the human megaverses. Only Obscura’s gate connected the two areas, so luring the technological civilization over would mean dragging danger straight to humanity’s own doorstep.

The sphere could lure that civilization over, but so could the scavengers.

Greater Sancte Green Lotus’s eyes swept over the group of creatures. “How many civilizations’ coordinates have you sold?”

The largest creature hesitated before answering, “Two, as well as the one we just left, though that one hasn’t been sold yet.”

The others immediately chorused, “Yes, just two.”

“It’s hard for us to find suitable civilizations.”

“Right, just the two.”

Lu Yin’s gaze sharpened. “What did you sell those coordinates for?”

“Immortal matter,” the largest creature answered immediately.

Lu Yin glanced at Greater Sancte Green Lotus, who nodded. “There is no such thing as a unified currency in the Aevum Inch, nor is there any sort of shared cultivation system, which means that there is no standard resource. However, Immortal matter can always be used as one. Additionally, life-saving tools or unique cultivation methods can be exchanged.”

“Yes,” the creature quickly agreed again, “In addition to Immortal matter, we’ve also received tools. One allows us to see across vast distances, and another increases our speed.”

Greater Sancte Green Lotus’s eyes narrowed. “Immortal matter can be used as currency, but only a select few can even perceive it. Which civilization paid you in Immortal matter?”

The largest creature’s voice grew bitter as it answered, “The same one that gave us that sphere. It’s always been them.”

Greater Sancte Green Lotus frowned. “If that really is a technological civilization and they are able to work with Immortal matter, then they are no simple civilization.”

He then turned to Lu Yin. “Finish it.”

The largest creature jolted. Finish?

Before it could even react, everything behind it grew utterly silent. The other scavengers had vanished, erased from the Aevum Inch.

The lone survivor froze in horror. Before, it had been nervous, but at this moment, it was utterly terrified.

It understood death. It was not an Immortal.

It also knew how Immortals behaved. Such experts rarely killed casually, due to their karmic chains. It had hoped that both bipedal creatures were Immortals, as that would have increased its chances of survival.

Slaughtering such weaklings would be beneath an Immortal’s concern. There was no blood feud between them.

However, it was clear that the one known as Lu Yin was not an Immortal. Despite that, when he struck, the one-eyed creature had not even been able to move. There was only one explanation: Lu Yin possessed the pinnacle of power beneath Immortality, but so should the one-eyed creature.

Could it be...?

It recalled an old legend in the Aevum Inch.

It had once heard of beings known as Aberrants. Such creatures had the combat strength of Immortals but were not bound by Immortals’ karmic chains. Such creatures were nightmares. Nothing beneath the Immortal realm could defeat them, while Immortals did not want to fight them, as victory was not guaranteed. On the other hand, Aberrants could kill freely and without restraint.

A non-Immortal who could leave the one-eyed creature feeling completely helpless—was that not the very definition of an Aberrant?

It had actually run into a nightmare.

Aberrants were far rarer than Immortals. Creatures from most civilizations would never even dream of challenging an Immortal before reaching that realm themselves, let alone actually accomplish such a thing.

Lu Yin observed the creature with a smirk on his lips. These scavengers sold other civilizations’ locations. He could only imagine the ruin that they had caused. If someone ever sold humanity’s coordinates, the target of Lu Yin’s hate would not be their destroyers, but rather the scavengers who had exposed them.

Scavengers, scum, trash—Lu Yin was sure that such insults were not only used by Greater Sancte Green Lotus and the Great Master. This was the entire Aevum Inch’s opinion on such beings.

Civilizations would tear themselves apart to stay hidden, only to be exposed and sold by creatures like this one... The hatred of those civilizations was easy to imagine. Such vermin deserved to die.

Lu Yin was not trying to avenge the destroyed civilizations. He did not care enough to pick up that burden. He had killed the underlings because they were useless alive.

Only the largest, most powerful one might still hold some value.

The creature stared at Lu Yin, terror clear in its lone eye. Its six legs twitched restlessly. It wanted to flee, but it did not dare to even try.

Lu Yin raised a hand and slowly brought it back down.

The creature watched the hand fall towards what served as its head. Would that touch mean life or death? Its instincts screamed at it to flee, but there was nowhere to run to. With an Immortal keeping watch, nowhere was safe from danger.

It suppressed its own instincts to fight back. It had to endure, even if doing so meant dying. All it could do was endure.

Finally, Lu Yin’s hand settled onto something that resembled a shoulder and then continued to press down.

Lifeforce reflexively erupted from the creature’s body.

“I didn’t mean to!” it blurted in panic. It tried to retract its Lifeforce, only to freeze in horror upon discovering that it was impossible to do so. Lu Yin had completely suppressed the creature. The pain in its body was nothing compared to the shock in its mind. There was no longer any question about it; this creature was an Aberrant. What else could suppress Lifeforce without being an Immortal?

It really is an Aberrant!

Pain spread through the creature’s body, but it did not dare to resist at all.

“I prefer having an enemy buy their own life,” Lu Yin said in an even tone. Beneath them, the green lotus leaf continued on towards the gate. “If you want to live, what can you pay?”

The creature felt the speed at which they were moving. This was the speed of an Immortal.

Lu Yin’s words echoed in its mind, but Lu Yin was in no hurry. He had used this same method many times in the past, as it had never failed him.

After a while, the creature finally answered. “There’s a megaverse that we discovered by accident. It should be exceptionally valuable, enough to buy my life.”

Lu Yin and Greater Sancte Green Lotus listened in silence.

“That megaverse is strange. I am not even sure it should be called a megaverse, as it’s the smallest one we have ever encountered; extremely tiny. Yet within it, everything possesses activeness; mountains, plants, wind, clouds, even the soil. All things are imbued with Activeness, and this Activeness can be cultivated into weapons....”

The creature went on in detail. Lu Yin and Greater Sancte Green Lotus exchanged glances. The more they heard about the megaverse, the stranger it sounded.

Everything, tangible or intangible, carried activity? Was that even possible?

This Activeness could be understood as life, though not necessarily intelligence. It was more akin to vitality. Beasts had it, as did plants. Both were perfectly normal. But stones and soil?

“I know you don’t believe me,” the creature said. From a storage device similar to a cosmic ring, it brought out six plates of metal that had been precisely shaped to match its six feet. They were clearly intended to be worn.

All six of the plates pulsed with activity. They felt alive.

“This was originally a single piece of metal. I cut it apart to use as something to stand on, or as weapons. I have been nurturing it along the path of generating pressure. The metal’s natural trait is weight, which fits me perfectly. Over time, it has linked with my life. Not only does that make it easier for me to use, it can also strengthen itself, as if it can cultivate on its own, and to others it only grows heavier.”

“This is a weapon that is perfectly attuned to my own innate traits: durable and self-enhancing. For any creature, such tools are practically impossible to come by.

“That entire megaverse consists of the same sort of Activity.”

1. In China, “科技改变生活” (“Technology changes life”) is a very common advertising phrase. It was widely used throughout the 2000s and 2010s by major telecom and electronics companies, appearing in TV commercials, subway posters, tech expos, and product launches.☜