The Programmer Cultivator

Still, from the looks of it, he was in for a reckoning later and probably couldn’t escape it. The only question was what his fate would be.

After shooting Guk Liancai a fierce glare, Dang Xiangjun began to explain the story’s origin—perhaps to prove just how melodramatic the whole affair truly was.

"Legend has it that back then, Monk Leh Tong of Jinshan Temple was stirred by mortal desires and fell in love with a mortal woman. He was utterly smitten.

For her, he was willing to abandon the Wish Dao and become an ordinary Disciple just to spend his life with her. Unfortunately, while the Monk was a good Monk—truly devoted, with no regrets—the woman was as predatory as a man-eating Demon!

That woman was a Cultivator from the Five Elements Remnants, a practitioner of the Charm and Devouring Essence Path.

The Wish Dao and the Devouring path are in direct opposition. A Wish Cultivator reaps great benefits from eliminating a Devouring Cultivator. By the same token, if a Cultivator on the Devouring path can consume a Wish Cultivator, the benefits are just as tangible.

Take this Devouring Essence Path, for example. If its practitioner can charm a Wish Cultivator into willingly staying with them until he dies of seminal exhaustion...

...and if he does so completely of his own free will, uncoerced by any Charm Technique right up to his death, remaining without regret and maintaining the purity of his Spirituality, then that man becomes a living, walking High-Tier Promotion Formula for her.

And so, Leh Tong gave his all, only to facilitate the rise of a Demon Cultivator of the Charm Dao.

It would have been one thing if she had devoured him completely, leaving not a single trace behind. But perhaps she was moved by Monk Leh Tong’s genuine affection, perhaps she couldn’t bear to finish the job, or perhaps there was some other reason.

After draining Monk Leh Tong dry and completing her promotion, the Demon Cultivator didn’t deliver the final blow. She simply left him—a candle flickering in the wind—to wait for death alone as she departed.

Unfortunately for that Demon Cultivator, she had picked the wrong target. Leh Tong was the disciple of Jinshan Temple’s abbot at the time—and his only beloved Disciple, at that.

It was one thing for a Disciple to willingly renounce his monastic vows, but to meet such an end? That could only mean his mind had been clouded by a Demon Cultivator.

Well... regardless of whether he was willing at first, given the outcome, the Blessed Land’s official story was whatever they said it was.

Therefore, upon learning of Leh Tong’s situation, Jinshan Temple was enraged. In their relentless pursuit, they unearthed not just a single Demon Kiln, but an entire nest of vile spawn, which served to legitimize their crusade.

During that campaign, Jinshan Temple dispatched many Wish Cultivators and hunted down a great number of the Five Elements Remnants, nearly driving them to extinction. After that incident, major outbreaks from the Remnants became rare."

’Wiped out? You must not have seen that Underground City! They just switched from external sourcing to internal farming! That’s why they stopped causing trouble on the outside! At least, that’s how it was in the city with the metal sphere!’

Gan Zili waited for Dang Xiangjun to finish. After a long silence, he looked at Zhang Deming and said, "Junior Brother Zhang, you summoned us so urgently and asked about the Five Elements Remnants. Have you discovered something?"

Zhang Deming looked at the three of them and said, "Senior Brother, do you remember me saying I wanted to take a look around the back mountain recently?"

Gan Zili nodded. "Yesterday, one of my Disciples told me you went straight to the Celestial Spirit Scripture Pavilion as soon as you returned?"

Zhang Deming nodded. "I did. I found something when I went into the mountains. However, out of respect for the Ancient Five Elements Blessed Land, I didn’t investigate rashly.

When I returned, the Scripture Pavilion happened to be offering a special benefit, so I thought I’d go there to look for a good solution and then proceed cautiously.

But I’d just gotten back from the Scripture Pavilion when I sensed that the Array I’d left behind had been triggered. This forced my hand, so I had to go investigate ahead of schedule. I never expected that investigation would lead to such a shocking discovery."

As Zhang Deming spoke, he reached out and tapped his finger. A basic Illusion Array Light Screen materialized before the five of them. The screen displayed the scene from the moment Zhang Deming encountered the mechanical Puppet.

Perhaps trying to make a good impression, or for reasons known only to the ghosts, Guk Liancai’s expression changed the moment he saw the screen. He said, "Junior Brother, you’ve also studied Incarnation-type Summoning?"

The others paused for a moment. Gan Zili’s face darkened as he stared at Guk Liancai, utterly speechless. ’Why is your focus always so unconventional!’

’We’re discussing matters of the Blessed Land, he shows us this image, and *that’s* what you focus on?’

Zhang Deming shook his head. "I don’t know anything about Incarnation Summoning. This is just a variant of the Summoning from my Vine Technique Spirit Species. While it can be controlled from a distance for exploration, it’s basically just an Ordinary Warrior. It’s not much use in Combat from a distance."

Guk Liancai’s expression shifted. "Scattering Beans into Soldiers?"

Zhang Deming paused for a moment. "You could call it a variant Technique based on Scattering Beans into Soldiers. It only scratches the surface of the original."

Upon hearing this, the others were all stunned. Even Gan Zili made a rare comment, "No wonder your skill with the Wood Vine Dao Bead is so exquisite, Junior Brother. It turns out your core discipline is Wood Demon Summoning."

Zhang Deming stared at the four of them, completely dumbfounded. ’Guk Liancai is really something else. It’s bad enough that he derails the conversation himself, but he managed to distract the other three just by mentioning Scattering Beans into Soldiers. If I don’t steer this back, this whole discussion will be completely sidetracked!’

’Are all contrarians this gifted?’

’Did you just jump in to distract everyone and make Master Dang forget what happened earlier? No, his thought process couldn’t possibly be that sophisticated, could it?’

As Zhang Deming mulled this over, he looked at the Light Screen and said, "Because the detection Array I left behind was triggered, I was worried my hidden measures would be discovered. So I went ahead with some preliminary exploration. And as it turned out, that exploration revealed a whole new world!"

As Zhang Deming spoke, the image on the Illusion Array Light Screen shifted, following the Puppet’s path. He had successfully recaptured the trio’s attention, getting the conversation back on track.

A moment later, when the city beneath the dome appeared before the five of them, Dang Xiangjun and the others all froze. Guk Liancai asked in astonishment, "This is...?"

No one paid him any mind. Dang Xiangjun and the other two men simply frowned, silently watching the changes on the Illusion Array Light Screen.

The instant the altar came into view, Yuee Mengsheng’s and Gan Zili’s expressions turned grave. Dang Xiangjun, however, looked puzzled and sank into thought. The projection ended there.

The subsequent Combat scenes would expose too much, and Zhang Deming had no intention of showing them.