Chapter 462: Conjecture on Compatibility

Having tread the path of cultivation for thousands of years, Yun Qingzi had seen plenty of the world's warmth and cold, partings and deaths, and had weathered countless storms and ups and downs. He had many insights and opinions about life.

But summarizing "posthumous reflections" was genuinely difficult...

Especially when the process was nothing like he had imagined.

"Relax, everyone who comes here for the first time feels this way. Feeling confused is normal," Yu Sheng said with a smile, noticing the bewilderment in Yun Qingzi's eyes. "Of course, the people who visited here before were at most on the verge of mental death. Someone like you who's actually dead—this is the first time."

Yun Qingzi sat on the cathedral's long bench. After hesitating for a while, he looked into Yu Sheng's eyes and spoke: "Daoist friend, could it be that you are the divine lord who rules this afterlife?"

"Divine lord? No, no, you're overthinking it. I'm just an ordinary—well, maybe not that ordinary, but I'm still a human," Yu Sheng waved a hand, then gestured at their surroundings. "But this place does belong to me. You can think of it as my 'cave abode.' It's a bit special—it can accommodate spiritual bodies."

Yu Sheng then briefly explained the situation of the soul wilderness to the old man, and also mentioned the possible reason (Blood Grant) why he had arrived here after death. Throughout the entire process, Yun Qingzi didn't speak; he just listened with exceptional attentiveness, as if... it were thousands of years ago, when he had first followed his master onto the path of cultivation.

Yun Qingzi looked into Yu Sheng's eyes, at this... unidentified existence before him who was earnestly claiming to be a "human," even trying to say he was an "ordinary human" (unsuccessfully).

Yu Sheng had told him many things, most of which were honest and believable. But as for the credibility of that line "I'm a human"—in Yun Qingzi's heart, it was absolutely zero.

The old man had seen too much in his life. He firmly believed that this person in front of him couldn't possibly be a human—not even 42 concrete!

Could a human do this?!

But as Yu Sheng enthusiastically spoke about many things related to this soul wilderness and then explained some knowledge about the "Blood Grant," Yun Qingzi quickly suppressed the impulse to question him.

Let him be a human. Better that than something else.

Afterward, Yu Sheng also introduced Luna beside him and Eileen in the oil painting.

Before this, through the eyes of those "black-robed monks," Yun Qingzi had "seen" what they looked like in the real world. But here in the soul wilderness, he really hadn't recognized them.

"No wonder. When I saw this young lady with the golden hair, I felt her aura was familiar, but I couldn't remember where from," Yun Qingzi said with sudden realization as he looked at Luna, then glanced at Eileen with some confusion. "But as for this Miss Eileen... her aura here is completely different. Not a trace of familiarity."

"Of course! The C-type buckle is so shallow, but I have depth!" Eileen immediately started showing off in the painting, hugging the bear and holding her head high. Although she had no reason to brag, she was already bragging. "What do you think of my frame? Isn't it cool..."

Yun Qingzi: "..."

"Don't mind her. That's just how Eileen is. When you feel like you can't keep up with her rhythm, just let her show off by herself," Yu Sheng waved his hand, then looked at the old man with curiosity. "I've introduced my side. Now it's your turn to talk, right?"

Yun Qingzi thought for a moment, then recounted the experience he could still remember after arriving here.

"... This old man gradually 'woke up' halfway through. At first, I only remembered some hazy fragments. Later, with every step, my mind 'filled in' another piece...

"Along the way, I encountered a large bonfire. Around the bonfire stood twelve stone pillars. I rested by that bonfire for a while, then somehow, I suddenly 'knew' which way to go next...

"Oh, right. I also brought something with me. Daoist friend, you might be interested in it..."

As he spoke, Yun Qingzi suddenly remembered something. He reached into his bosom and, in front of Yu Sheng, pulled out an irregular piece of crystal the size of a walnut.

Eileen, who had been floating nearby, caught sight of the crystal's texture and color. She instantly froze in midair, then thudded to the ground: "Holy crap—"

The next second, she zipped back up again, jumping up and down inside the painting as if she were about to leap out: "Old man, what the hell did you bring back?! Why is this thing still here!?"

"Calm down, calm down," Yu Sheng quickly grabbed the bouncing painting, soothing Eileen while fixing his gaze on the "seed" in Yun Qingzi's hand. After observing it for a moment, he reached out his other hand: "Give it here. Let me take a look."

Yun Qingzi handed over the seed: "It should be harmless, but this old man's knowledge is shallow. I dare not jump to conclusions. Please examine it thoroughly, Daoist friend."

Yu Sheng took the seed, scrutinized it carefully, occasionally furrowing his brow in deep thought.

After a long while, he suddenly looked up at Luna.

Luna raised her golden two-handed holy sword and strode over with a murderous aura that seemed ready to assassinate its sovereign.

"Stop, stop!" Yu Sheng broke out in a cold sweat and quickly stepped back half a step. "It's not bloodletting—I'm asking if there's space in the cathedral courtyard. A place to plant a tree."

Luna paused mid-step with her holy sword, then lowered the weapon, disbelief on her face: "Master, you want to... plant that thing here!?"

"Holy crap, are you two playing on this scale?" Eileen was also startled, turning her frame to look at Yu Sheng. "A C-type buckle calling you 'master' here?"

Yu Sheng: "... So you're only paying attention to that? You're not surprised that I want to plant the Derivation Star's seed here?"

"Duh, you have dark inspirations all the time. How would I have time to be surprised by all of them?" Eileen put her hands on her hips inside the frame, but soon frowned and changed her tone. "But on second thought, are you sure this thing... can be planted?"

Yu Sheng didn't answer immediately. He just stared fixedly at the crystal in his hand.

The crystal reflected a faint glow in his eyes.

And on a deeper level of "perception," he could observe much more.

The moment he took the seed, he had re-established his connection to it. Now, he could "read" the information it carried, understand its structure, and even vaguely see what it would look like after it grew.

A giant, pure-white crystal tree, its roots sinking into the soul wilderness, its crown shading the cathedral, its branches reaching toward the sky.

The seed was sleeping lightly. In its sleep, it was dreaming, outlining its future form.

"... It's the third generation," Yu Sheng suddenly said.

Eileen blinked: "... What do you mean?"

"The first generation was the 'Mother Vine' from another world. The second generation was the Derivation Star wandering through our universe. The third generation is this seed," Yu Sheng looked up, patiently explaining the information he had read from the seed. "If my judgment is correct, the Derivation Star finally broke through His 'Ascension Loop' at the very end. This seed is the result."

Eileen's eyes widened a little: "Ah... wait, how did the Derivation Star manage that? Didn't He get stuck in an endless loop long ago?"

Yu Sheng didn't answer right away. Instead, he couldn't help but recall the "bloom" that had unfolded above the Taixu Spiritual Pivot.

The Dark Angel was a "foreign object" incompatible with this universe, an "alien-world remnant" rejected by the laws of all things, thus stuck in its own endless loop. Anka Eira was trapped in the fairy-tale dreamscape; the Derivation Star was stuck in its own "Ascension Loop." This phenomenon was always considered unsolvable.

Perhaps it was precisely because of this "stuck" state that the Dark Angel had become an "unkillable" calamity in this world.

They themselves were eternally trapped in the endless loop, and for those threatened by the angels, they too could not kill something that "did not exist in logic."

Yu Sheng slowly toyed with the seed in his hand, his thoughts naturally extending. Certain long-troubling matters gradually revealed clear outlines from the depths of the mist—

It all stemmed from the "incompatibility" between different universes.

... But what if they "compatibilized"?

Complete compatibility would be difficult... But what if they just established an "interface" between the two systems? Even if it were just a piece of information readable by both systems—an inconspicuous footnote, a... moment of convergence.

Dying in a foreign land.

Yu Sheng looked up and said very seriously to the people around him: "Death is the greatest common divisor between the Dark Angel and this universe. In fact, from what we've seen so far, it may be the only common divisor."

Eileen was stunned for a moment, then turned her frame to look at Luna: "What did he say?"

"I don't know," Luna shook her head, but immediately added with firm conviction, "But it must be something very reasonable."

"You should sit at the same table as the silly fox!" Eileen glared at her, then turned the painting frame and rapped it against Yu Sheng's arm. "I don't get the 'common divisor' stuff. Just tell me about the seed... So you mean it's harmless now, right? But why do you still want to plant it? After all, it was born from that 'Derivation Star.' It feels a bit weird."

Yu Sheng thought for a moment: "I have an idea..."

The moment he said that, Eileen instantly waved her hand inside the painting: "Okay, I understand. Go ahead and plant it."

Yu Sheng: "... Hey, I just said I had an idea. Don't you want to hear the details?"

"You said you had another idea. What else can I say? I can only go along with it," Eileen said unapologetically, but finally shrugged. "Fine, looking like you're about to burst, tell me. What do you want to do?"

"This seed might represent a possibility of the Dark Angel 'compatibilizing and transforming' toward this universe," Yu Sheng looked seriously at the little doll and patiently explained. "Of course, right now it's very weak and shows no 'power.' But I want to try cultivating it toward a specific direction—maybe one day, we'll fully master this 'compatibility transformation' technique."

Eileen listened, thought about it seriously.

She didn't get it.

"Okay, I understand completely," the little doll gave Yu Sheng a thumbs-up, flashing a brilliant smile. "Great idea. I support you!"

Yu Sheng: "..."

He suspected the doll didn't understand a thing, and he didn't need evidence.

But it wasn't a big deal. He was used to it by now.