Even though Jiang Li had anticipated it, standing face-to-face with the reality still left him shaken.
After steadying his breath, he continued down the wide corridor. It was covered in dust, yet completely unobstructed.
Two minutes later—
Jiang Li passed through another metal door, and even someone as composed as he was couldn't help but narrow his eyes.
Inside the semi-circular, ornate hall stood six bizarre corpses arranged in a line. Though lifeless, their lingering auras intertwined throughout the space. If an ordinary apprentice-level warrior stepped in, they'd likely collapse under the pressure.
Then—
Beep!
A sudden sound echoed.
The dim hall brightened instantly. Brilliant light poured from above, giving the illusion of stepping into some vast ballroom.
The beams converged in the center, forming a glowing pattern that slowly condensed into a black, holographic figure. Floating in midair, it was only about one meter and forty or fifty centimeters tall—like a child.
But its eyes were blood-red, and two sharp horns jutted from its forehead, making it look exactly like the "little devils" from Europa's ancient legends.
Jiang Li knew its name—the Demon Babata.
"Jiang Li!""You finally came!"
Babata's scarlet eyes fixed on him, unrestrained joy gleaming within them.
"You've been waiting for me?"
Jiang Li studied the projection, unsurprised that it spoke in fluent Hanxia.
For an intelligent lifeform created by an immortal, learning a simple human language was child's play.
"A long, long time—fifty thousand years!"
Though Babata was artificial, its voice carried clear emotion. Then it suddenly shook its head.
"No… I've only been waiting for you for six months. Strange—very strange. You're strange!"
"I know…"
"You're definitely not human!"
Jiang Li: "…"
Good grief—first meeting and you're already denying my species?
In the opulent, half-round hall, a flicker of curiosity crossed Babata's pale face.
"You look human," it said, "but your spiritual force surpasses even the most powerful soul-based species in the universe.""And your rate of evolution—it's unnatural.""So, I believe you're a spirit lifeform that seized a human body!""But why would you choose to possess a human, when they're so weak?"
Babata rattled off one point after another, then grinned.
"Still, whether you're human or not doesn't matter. Come with me. Pay homage to my master first!"
Having been alone for fifty thousand years, Babata's words poured out like a flood breaking through a dam.
Jiang Li followed, curiosity flickering in his gaze. What kind of being had this "immortal Huyan Bo" been?
They reached another passage. Babata leapt down, and Jiang Li stepped into the air, following.
The dark hall lit up instantly. Jiang Li swept his gaze around—it was octagonal and empty.
Then—
With a motion of Babata's pale hand—
Click—click!
The metallic floor began to tremble, sliding open horizontally like the gates of a vault.
"Let me introduce myself," Babata said proudly. "I am Babata. You may call me the Demon Babata.""Of course, that's just the translation in your language."
"In essence, I'm not truly alive. I am an intelligent construct created by my master.""But my intelligence is completely different from human intelligence."
"Human AI can only passively process simple tasks—it has no real thought, no capacity for reasoning or emotion."
"But I—the great Demon Babata—after countless years by my master's side, long ago transcended mere programming. I possess independent thought, analysis, and all the emotions of a sentient being. I can cultivate and evolve. I'm no different from any living intelligent race."
The more Babata spoke, the higher its tone rose—its pride obvious.
"Therefore, I am an intelligent lifeform!"
"My master once created a body for me, and with it, I—Demon Babata—earned quite the reputation across many star systems!"
Then Babata's voice softened, tinged with sorrow.
"Unfortunately, fifty thousand years ago, during a war that shattered worlds and spanned countless galaxies, my body was destroyed. I reverted to a virtual state… and my master…"
"He fell in that battle."
As it spoke, Babata suddenly turned.
Behind it, a transparent crystal coffin slowly rose from the floor.
It was six meters long, four wide, and two high—radiating a bone-chilling cold. Even with Jiang Li's planetary-level (third stage) strength, he felt the icy sting seep into his bones.
Inside lay a corpse—
Dressed in a black robe faintly dusted with starlight, long hair flowing loosely, the figure resembled a human save for two strange antenna-like protrusions on its forehead. It was, however, several sizes larger than an ordinary man.
"Master!!!"
Babata flung itself toward the coffin, weeping bitterly. Tears fell and splashed against the crystalline surface.
Then it turned sharply toward Jiang Li, its expression twisting.
"Jiang Li, you're not of the Fallen Ink Star, but I can give you a chance!""Kneel, pay homage to my master as your teacher, and I will pass on to you the secret arts of the Fallen Ink Star!"
Jiang Li stood unmoved.
The "Fallen Ink Star" techniques were indeed tempting—but kneeling before a dead immortal? That, he could not do.
Babata grew anxious.
The Fallen Ink Star had crashed into this planet fifty millennia ago, and only now had it found a compatible successor. From what Jiang Li had shown, his potential might even surpass Babata's former master's.
The thought of returning to the glory days of roaming the universe—compared to another endless eternity of loneliness—was unbearable.
"Jiang Li! Do you have any idea who my master was?""Huyan Bo was an eternal being! Countless gifted geniuses across the universe once begged to be his disciples!"
Babata's tone turned coaxing, half-pleading.
"If not for that apocalyptic war, if my master hadn't fallen, you wouldn't even be qualified to be a registered disciple!"
"Indeed."
Jiang Li nodded slightly. He didn't doubt Babata's words.
"Then what are you waiting for?!"
Babata's voice trembled with impatience.
"Waiting for you to finish," Jiang Li said, blinking. Then he added with a smile, "What if I told you I could revive your master—would you believe me?"
Babata's blood-red eyes went wide, its mind blank.
"After the Immortal stage… comes the Universe Venerable!""And beyond that—the Universe Master!"
Jiang Li's smile deepened as Babata's pupils grew larger and larger.
"The Universe Masters command the Laws themselves. Your master, an Immortal, could withstand the erosion of time…""But one who controls the Laws—one at the level of a Universe Master—could reverse time itself and resurrect him."
"You…" Babata stammered. "You—how do you know this?""Could it be… could it be…"
Suddenly, realization dawned across its small face.
"You really aren't human!""You must have inherited ancestral memories!"
Jiang Li: "…"
In the vastness of the cosmos, countless races and lifeforms existed. Among them, the most powerful bloodlines often possessed an extraordinary trait — hereditary memory, knowledge passed down through genes rather than teaching.
It was like genetic inheritance, innate and unerasable.
And among such peak species, unless one perished prematurely, ascending to immortality was practically guaranteed.
For the truly gifted among them, even reaching the level of Universe Venerable—or Universe Master—was entirely possible.
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