Wait, How Did My Digital Girlfriend Become a Sword Immortal? Chapter 904: Who Is He

The golden Thunder Eye had not yet fully formed at this moment, leaving a sliver of opportunity for reaction.

Despite lacking full confidence, Chen Huaian swiftly seized the sword abandoned by the middle corpse.

In that very instant, Chen Huaian's entire aura underwent a dramatic shift.

The warmth and myriad emotions characteristic of a "human" receded like an ebbing tide.

In their stead, a suffocating indifference and a supreme, distant loftiness took hold.

His eyes grew progressively deeper, his pupils vanishing entirely, replaced by the desolate, brilliant glow of Dao Rhythms.

A perfectly defined Go board materialized beneath his feet, and his lengthy, pale hair whipped about him with incredible force, defying the stillness of the wind.

At this juncture, his very presence was no longer that of Chen Huaian, but was utterly indistinguishable from the middle corpse.

Standing thus, he resembled a divine statue devoid of all emotion, radiating an aura of pure "divinity."

...

The external world, specifically the Starry Sky Great Forest.

The atmosphere transformed with astonishing abruptness.

The sky, previously just overcast, now plunged into complete, inky blackness.

Rumble—

An oppressive, terrifying pressure descended from the heavens, bearing down so intensely that no one present could remain upright.

Within the dense, dark clouds, a colossal golden thunder vortex became faintly discernible.

The core of this vortex emanated an intense, blinding brilliance; it was not the sun, but a Heavenly Eye, seemingly in the slow process of opening.

"This... what is this phenomenon?"

Bixixi's face drained of all color, her staff tumbling from her nerveless fingers.

The elite warriors of the Battle Soul Hall surrounding her exhibited even greater terror, their resolve utterly shattered.

"It is the Golden Dragon King! It must be the Golden Dragon King!"

"We slew its descendant, and now divine retribution has been unleashed!"

"Show us mercy! Great Dragon Kings, have pity! This was not our doing!"

Numerous Battle Masters immediately prostrated themselves on the ground, performing frantic kowtows in a desperate attempt to deflect blame.

Only Li Qingran remained standing.

She gazed upward at the colossal golden vortex, sensing that familiar, heart-pounding aura, her expression etched with extreme gravity.

This was no Golden Dragon King.

This was... the Heavenly Dao of the Cangyun Realm itself.

It was the supreme entity she had once revered, idolized, and, in her past life, had even dared to defy.

"It is coming for Master."

A profound understanding dawned upon Li Qingran.

"Qingran! Flee!"

Bixixi cried out urgently from a distance, attempting to reach and pull Li Qingran away: "That is divine punishment! To remain here is to invite certain death!!"

"I am not leaving." Li Qingran's voice, though not loud, possessed an unyielding solidity, firm as iron.

She stood beside the swordsman, who was now utterly immobile, his gaze vacant, as if his very soul had departed.

She extended her hand, letting it hover just above her Master's own.

"Whatever is to transpire next..."

The young woman's long tresses whipped wildly in the gale. She turned her head, her gaze meeting that of the one she cherished beside her. There was not a hint of fear in her eyes, only a tender resolve to face whatever fate might bring:

"I shall... face life and death alongside my husband."

...

Within the space of the Divine Soul.

Zzzap—!

The golden Thunder Eye achieved its full formation.

Immediately thereafter, a blinding golden light erupted from the center of the Thunder Eye, morphing into a series of steps.

A human figure slowly descended from the Thunder Eye.

The instant he clearly perceived the face of this figure, a fleeting glint of astonishment could not be suppressed within Chen Huaian's icy, impassive eyes.

This individual was also clad in resplendent white robes, possessed long, pale hair flowing like a cascade, and bore an expression as frigid as ice that had endured ten thousand years.

There was not the faintest trace of "humanity" about him; only laws so dense they felt almost tangible.

Yet, he bore a striking resemblance.

Not to Chen Huaian himself, nor to the middle corpse.

But rather, to the upper corpse, White Sword... resembling that mortal who had once attained the Top Scholar position in the mortal realm of Cangyun Realm and later joined a Sect—Chen Wenyan.

"Why?"

That individual opened his eyes.

His irises contained no whites, only wildly flashing golden electric arcs.

His voice lacked human intonation, sounding more akin to the grating electronic tone of metal on metal:

"Without authorization, why was the Million-Year World Ring activated prematurely?"

"This action disrupts the established equilibrium of this world."

A fearsome pressure surged forth.

Chen Huaian forcefully quelled the tempest of shock within his heart.

He tightened his grip on the sword he held, striving to maintain the indifferent tone of the middle corpse, and stated with calculated calm:

"It was necessitated by unforeseen circumstances."

"The situation was dire; Li Qingran was nearly dispatched by the Peak Battle Master, Tang Ritian."

Chen Huaian inquired in return, his expressionless gaze unwavering:

"Surely... you would not desire to witness the critical causal node—Li Qingran—perish so ignominiously at the hands of a native inhabitant of the Canglan Realm, would you?"

The "Chen Huaian" figure, now possessing golden eyes, paused for a moment, taken aback.

The Dao's luminescence swirled within his gaze, as though deep in contemplation. "Wasn't Li Qingran supposed to be under the protection of the Gold and Silver Dragon Kings? My calculations indicated that a fatal crisis was virtually impossible."

"Dragon Kings?" Chen Huaian scoffed, a flick of his sleeve unleashing a torrent of power.

Whoosh.

A colossal mirror of light materialized in the void, displaying the very scene of peril from moments before. It showed Tang Ritian unleashing his 'Great Mount Sumeru Exploding Rod,' poised to obliterate Li Qingran with a single devastating blow. Intriguingly, the two purported guardian Dragon Kings were conspicuously absent, not even a wisp of their presence could be detected.

"Is this the 'protection' you speak of?" Chen Huaian inquired, his voice laced with cold disdain.

The 'person' observed the spectral playback, a prolonged silence enveloping them.

"...Negligence in duty."

A nod followed, their tone carrying a frigid edge of lethal intent. "I shall hold those two insignificant lizards accountable for this dereliction."

"Given that the actions taken were to avert immediate danger, the premature use of the Million-Year World Ring... will be overlooked."

Whew...

Just as a colossal weight lifted from Chen Huaian's heart,

that 'person' advanced a single step, their palm extended upwards, offering it towards Chen Huaian.

Their golden eyes locked onto him with piercing intensity:

"The rules cannot be discarded. Debts must be settled."

"In exchange for utilizing the Million-Year World Ring, where is the payment?"

Chen Huaian was momentarily rendered speechless.

What a shrewd negotiator, he thought privately. A true stickler for the details!

He hesitated briefly, not daring to dally, and promptly retrieved ten Premium Spirit Jades from the character's inventory.

"Take these," he offered.

Chen Huaian placed the spirit jades into the other's outstretched palm. The recipient weighed them, a subtle glint of satisfaction flashing in their golden eyes.

"The transaction is complete," they declared.

"The accounts are settled."

With the spirit jades secured, they turned and ascended upon a bolt of lightning, heading towards the colossal, thundering golden eye in the sky. As they reached the threshold of the Thunder Eye, they haltingly stopped. Their back still to Chen Huaian, they tilted their head slightly, imparting an eerie premonition:

"Keep a close watch on the lower corpse residing on Earth Star."

"A cataclysmic event is imminent on Earth Star!"

"Ensure he does not... perish."

Chen Huaian's pupils constricted infinitesimally, though his outward composure remained flawlessly serene. He offered a simple nod:

"Rest assured."

"Everything is well within my control."

Hum—

The figure dissolved into the swirling vortex of the Thunder Eye. Moments later, the terrifying golden eye began to recede, its thunderous light scattering and vanishing into the ether.

...

The external world.

The oppressive dark clouds parted, allowing brilliant sunlight to stream down once more. The fearsome phenomenon that had dominated the Starry Sky Great Forest had completely dissipated, as if it had never been.

"Whew..."

Chen Huaian swayed slightly, the vacant gaze in his eyes gradually replaced by the familiar, somewhat languid demeanor of a swordsman clad in white. Yet, a chilling sensation permeated his very being.

It was not merely the residue of fear; it was the primal terror of his Divine Soul.

Had a confrontation ensued, even a single exchange of blows just moments prior, he suspected he would have been utterly annihilated. The entity before him, bearing such a striking resemblance to himself, possessed an unfathomable level of power.

Perhaps, he mused, referring to the entity as 'person' was inaccurate. If his intuition served him correctly, it might have been an avatar of the Heavenly Dao's will.

"Chen Wenyan, White Sword, the will of the Cangyun Heavenly Dao..."

Chen Huaian's eyes narrowed as he gazed at the lingering vestiges of thunder in the heavens, his mind clouded with profound questions. His intuition was not misleading him.

The aura emanating from the entity just moments ago was identical to the one he had sensed when employing Heaven's Calculation within the Cangyun Realm. That entity was indeed the Heavenly Dao of the Cangyun Realm, the materialized will of the colossal golden eyeball.

But the question lingered: why would the Heavenly Dao of the Cangyun Realm manifest with a visage so uncannily like his own?

"The upper corpse is White Sword, the system is the middle corpse, then... what precisely are Chen Wenyan and that entity from moments ago?"

Chen Huaian stroked his chin thoughtfully. He felt on the precipice of a breakthrough, as if grasping at an elusive truth, yet a crucial piece of information remained just beyond his reach.

But, thankfully...

He believed he had managed to navigate this perilous encounter successfully.

...