166 - A Beast that Shouldn't Exist

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Qin Yun quickly descended into the darkness. Despite the absence of light, he could easily feel the ground surrounding him, a result of his earth element spiritual roots. Cultivators' lotuses were more than just instruments needed to mould qi and receptacles. They were akin to antennas attuned to the world's laws, resonating with the element most familiar to them.

There were many such elements. Some were basic—such as Qin Yun's Earth type and Yun Jingfei's Firetype—while others were much more obscure, like Lian Huiling's Mirage.

In Jingfei's case, it allowed her to produce flames by simply weaving her qi without using complicated spells. She could even bathe her whole body in fire without her skin feeling the slightest burn, all the while resonating with environments abundant in fire qi, such as the depths of a volcano or even just mere daylight. Both were helpful for her cultivation in different amounts.

As for Qin Yun, the further he dwelt within the earth, the calmer he became. He could feel the earth's embrace all around him, soothing his doubts and sharpening his mind. All his worries were slowly fading, and he began to think more objectively, undisturbed by the pressing matter that had always plagued his mind.

These effects were more than simply psychological. His lotus expanded slightly, becoming more stable. The two antithetical forces that always threatened to come apart despite being fused into the crystal were now much calmer and restrained, and his soul also began to heal much more rapidly. The pain slowly faded as it became just an afterthought.

He descended for what felt like miles. The stairs were winding down, carved into the stone as they followed the wall spiralling around an empty void in the centre. There was no handrail to stop his fall should he miss a step, just a long, unending drop into vast darkness.

There were almost no sounds, not even the wind blowing through this open space, only his steps echoing along the sturdy rock wall rising to the surface. He couldn't even see the shimmering sizzle of the barrier deep in the distance, leading credence to his hypothesis that this was its origin.

Why make it so deep, though? I can only think of one reason.

With this thought in mind, Qin Yun finally reached the bottom after much trial and error. While he could feel the way through his lotus, he stumbled more than once as some of those stairs broke under his weight, almost making him tumble to his doom. If not for his fast reflex, anchoring his body by encasing one hand deep into the stone, Qin Yun might have perished, for he genuinely didn't know if his current body could survive such a fall.

He tried to rely on one of the lights he used back at World's Edge, but surprisingly, he couldn't access his storage. It still hovered next to him, always following his every move, but it denied him access no matter what he tried.

"How long has it been since such a thing happened?" Qin Yun asked himself, yet showed no sense of urgency. Only his eyes narrowed slightly. He remained calm and composed, yet each subsequent step was taken with much more prudence than before.

Most of the time, Qin Yun had complete access to his storage. He doubted even a cultivator possessing a space attribute domain could block him, as not even the Heavenly Dao had done so even once. In his many lifetimes traversing through many worlds, such a thing had only happened a few times in very particular instances. He believed this one to be much of the same, yet had difficulty believing it, for it didn't make much sense. Only by reaching the end would he be able to ascertain the truth.

Once he was finally at the bottom, he stumbled upon a metal door. On it was the same representation of the World Lotus he had seen on the wooden door above ground, yet it shone much brighter when Qin Yun came into contact with it. He could barely stand the sight, so much so that he had to block it with his sleeve.

It lasted an instant, yet the door felt like the sun. He felt the light's searing heat on his skin, but it felt much more than superficial. He could feel the light peer through his flesh, reaching to every recess of his being, from his brain and heart to the lotus hidden deep within. Nothing could be hidden from it.

Qin Yun frowned, for this light was far from natural. To his educated eyes, this light seemed to be part of some exquisite formation whose sole purpose was to scan would-be intruders and open the door only to those it had deemed acceptable. As for whether Qin Yun would qualify and what criteria were being judged, Qin Yun couldn't be sure, yet the current state of his black storage made him feel as if there were reasons why he was meant to be there.

The light lingered slightly longer onto his lotus and crystal heart, but eventually, it receded, returning to the door. A moment later, the massive door lowered itself back into the stone like a huge hangar door, giving Qin Yun a panoramic view of what lay beyond.

Just as the manor was made of many parts belonging to different eras of history and also many different cultures and worlds, so too did this place differ from the norm.

The cavern beyond was enormous, easily able to contain over ten mansions stacked next to each other. The walls, as well as the floor and ceiling, were not made of stone but of a metallic alloy Qin Yun didn't recognize. Yet, through his spiritual roots, he felt that this material shouldn't exist within this world.

It was foreign, just like the mansion, and just as he was.

In the core of that space, lying inert upon the cold metallic floor, was a beast seemingly sleeping, yet its body was made of the same peculiar material as the walls. Further beyond, by the opposing wall, was another door, this one easily twice its size but also much sturdier. Qin Yun doubted that even his full-powered sword strike would be enough to dent it. Merely feeling the resistance of the previous door on his flesh was enough to tell him so.

As for the sleeping creature, it wasn’t unfamiliar, yet he couldn’t help but frown, for it shouldn’t have existed in this world to begin with.

It was a wolf, easily Qin Yun's size even while lying prone. Its jaws alone were big enough to gnaw off his whole torso while two massive fangs protruded from its mouth even while closed. However, what truly caught Qin Yun's attention wasn't how deadly this beast seemed, nor the oppressiveness its mere sight exuded, but that it was by no means alive.

Its body was made of metal, welded together without seams. The sharp angles of its plating and its fully covered joints only made it seem even more dangerous. The creature didn't even breathe, yet Qin Yun felt heat radiate from its core, filling the massive chamber. Just the simple act of opening the door had created a draft as the two temperature gradients collided.

Qin Yun stood silent, observing the creature. For the first time in quite a while, he couldn't help but gulp, feeling a bead of sweat roll down the side of his forehead. His pulse accelerated, and his pupil dilated. He could barely muffle a slight yelp of surprise by twisting his mouth into an awkward grin.

An Alteran automaton? How could that thing even be here? Fortunately, it seems to be only a scout model and not one of those murder bots used in warfare...

Qin Yun was intimately familiar with this machine, for he had one safely tucked away in his storage. He knew precisely what it was capable of, which was exactly why he found it so challenging to take a step within that room.

These wolf-type automata were used primarily to scout, using their powerful legs to quickly traverse rugged terrains while using their enhanced olfactory senses to track their prey quickly. They were manufactured to be superior hunters, able to track and then maul any designated targets in the optimal ways, leaving no evidence behind. They were even equipped with a high-powered incinerator in lieu of a stomach, ensuring efficient garbage disposal.

As they were made for covert operations, able to blend into their environment and hunt stealthily, these units weren't equipped with any long-range armament, preferring to use the sharp claws protruding out of their feet and the large serrated fangs contained within their mouths.

Despite these shortcomings, Qin Yun didn't feel the slightest relief. While mere scouts and hunters, these machines were built for battle by a species that thrived and breathed warfare. Everything they conceived was for the sole purpose of battle and was always a cut above the rest. Even in one of his previous lives, possessing means meant to counter them, dispatching one of those automata still proved a pain in the ass.

Wishing to avoid confrontation yet unwilling to turn back, Qin Yun carefully took step after step, ensuring no sound could be detected. He even dampened the vibrations of his footstep by infusing his qi into the metallic ground, but even that couldn't stop the ringing of his heartbeat from rushing straight to his head.

He held his breath as he circled around the room so slowly that he seemed stationary. He knew that despite how advanced that automaton was, its sensors weren't calibrated to detect the slightest variation in air pressure. This was further confirmed when it didn't react to the slight wind when the door opened.

Still, Qin Yun refused to take the chance. He stifled any stimuli he could, from his body temperature to his own heartbeat, even timing it to the pulse of the machine's own internal engine. He did all he could to erase any traces of his presence, going as far as to control his attention away from the deadly apparatus, as it wasn't ignorant of intent.

In fact, Alterians were quite proficient in the discipline. Some were experts that dwarfed even Qin Yun's own mastery despite a life expectancy of no more than two centuries.

Qin Yun took a long time to reach the other side of the room. He couldn't be sure, but he estimated it took him over a week of constant exertion, regulating every biological function to appear as undetectable as possible, producing no sounds as he slowly shuffled his way along the perimeter of the room toward the opposing door.

However, he felt a chill down his back just as he reached it. Sweat began to pour out of his pores, soaking his robes as he lost control of his heartbeat. He had stared at the creature for over a week, all the while shifting away his attention, seeking every minute detail that might lead to its awakening, but had found nothing of note.

However, he now found himself faced with the creature's open eyes, staring directly in his direction. There had been no signs of it opening them, almost as if reality had shifted to a world where the creature's eyes had always been open without Qin Yun ever realizing it.

Still, Qin Yun knew this to be bullshit, for this wolf-like being didn’t possess such power. This was merely the result of the creature using but the slightest gap in Qin Yun’s attention as it shifted when taking another step, to open its eyes so swiftly that Qin Yun never even realized.

Yet, this wasn't what prompted Qin Yun to feel such dread. This inhuman response was to be expected from such a state-of-the-art machine. Instead, what truly troubled him was that it waited an entire week to finally make its move, waiting for Qin Yun to reach the other side despite becoming aware of his presence much earlier.

He had been played the fool—fooled by a creature that relied on programming instead of intelligence—but what truly set Qin Yun's mind ablaze was the smirk the creature offered him, showing rows of sharpened metal teeth when it knew it had won.

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