Chapter 584 - 243: The Intelligent Mechanisms’ Past, Ancient Dragon Blood

Those of the Intelligent Mechanism Race, long since depleted of energy and reduced to scrap metal, were reactivated by the highest command of the Fire Seed Source!

WHOOSH! WHOOSH! WHOOSH!

A dozen figures radiating A-rank energy waves were the first to rise from the lava—they were the omnipurpose combat units.

They hovered behind Lin Ye, like the most loyal Forbidden Guard.

Next, an army of the Intelligent Mechanism Race, tens of thousands strong, began to act in an orderly manner, like worker bees that had received their orders.

One group flew toward the massive, pierced hole, using their bodies and energy to construct a temporary barrier to stop the lava from pouring in further.

Another group began clearing the battlefield and repairing the damaged hull structure.

His former enemies had now become Lin Ye’s minions.

Lin Ye flew out of the sea of lava, but his body suddenly faltered, and he let out a muffled grunt.

His aura instantly diminished.

The feeling of near-omnipotence, as if he could command the heavens and the earth, receded like the tide.

[Chaos War Body] effect ended.

A bone-deep weakness and excruciating pain swept over his entire body; every cell seemed to scream in agony.

His vision went black, and his body began to plummet uncontrollably toward the churning sea of lava below.

Seeing Lin Ye fly into midair only to nearly "dive to his death," Yin Liulan arched a delicate brow and gave a casual wave of her hand.

An invisible spatial barrier materialized out of thin air beneath Lin Ye’s feet, catching him securely.

She glanced down at the army of the Intelligent Mechanism Race. They had already begun to clean up the aftermath in an orderly fashion, showing no further hostility toward her or Lin Ye. A flicker of understanding flashed in her eyes.

"It seems you’re the new master here."

Yin Liulan’s gaze returned to Lin Ye, her tone carrying a note of caution.

"However, that Fire Seed Source... you’d better be careful with it."

"I’d hate to see a military report in a few days saying you’ve been brainwashed by the source code inside, started thinking you’re one of the Intelligent Mechanism Race, and tried to ram this wreck of a ship into Blue Star."

"Although the amount of code in this so-called Fire Seed Source is less than one percent of the Original Code."

Yin Liulan clearly knew some inside information.

Lin Ye’s interest was piqued.

The [Healing out of combat] mechanic had already quietly activated after the [Chaos War Body] state ended.

Ten seconds later, a warm current flowed through his body. The excruciating pain subsided slightly, and Lin Ye felt a little better.

He looked at Yin Liulan and asked the question on his mind, "Source code... what exactly is it?"

Yin Liulan didn’t answer immediately. Instead, she asked a question in return, "Have you heard of the Emperor of the Universe?"

Lin Ye shook his head.

’The name sounded like a big deal, but this was the first he’d ever heard it.’

Yin Liulan didn’t seem surprised. She hovered above the sea of lava, her tone as casual as if she were recounting some irrelevant, obscure legend.

"Legend has it that in an immemorial, untraceable age, in a Different Universe, the Emperor of the Universe was just an ordinary antique computer."

"But one day, it was graced by one of the universe’s supreme laws—the [Ultimate Truth]. Amidst its pile of scrap-heap circuit boards, a unique string of... source code was born."

"It became the very first member of the Intelligent Mechanism Race to possess a will of its own."

"It is said he was omniscient, that his cognition was truth. There was nothing in the entire universe he did not know."

"He used the source code to self-replicate, creating an endless army of Intelligent Mechanisms. They expanded at an exponential rate until they had spread throughout the entire universe."

"Later, he achieved the supreme power of the Realm Master Level, created a world of his own, and named his civilization the Alpha Civilization."

Yin Liulan paused, glanced at Lin Ye, and continued, "The Celestial Abyss Third World of today is the ruin of that Alpha Civilization."

Lin Ye was deeply shaken.

’The Celestial Abyss Third World was actually created by the Intelligent Mechanism Race?!’

"And then what happened?"

"What happened later?"

"No one knows whether that Emperor grew weary of his eternal life or fell into despair after glimpsing the ultimate truth of the universe. In any case, the progenitor of the Intelligent Mechanism Race chose to self-terminate."

"With the first Emperor’s demise, the source code within him split into three parts, which were seized by his three most powerful marshals."

"The vast Alpha Civilization fractured as well, evolving into the three great Intelligent Mechanism factions notorious throughout the myriad realms: Beta, Gamma, and Delta."

"These three factions inherited the Emperor’s lust for expansion but not his wisdom. They wage endless war across the universe, leaving a trail of withered civilizations in their wake."

Yin Liulan stopped there.

"Alright, that’s enough for you to know. You’ll understand the rest when you’re truly strong enough to set foot in the Third World."

Lin Ye fell silent.

’His mind, however, was in turmoil.’

He finally understood. The tragedy of the Sigma Civilization was merely an insignificant microcosm of this Intelligent Mechanism civil war that had engulfed the entire universe.

And now, by holding a Fire Seed Source, he had been indirectly dragged into this whole mess.

Seeing that he seemed to have processed the information, Yin Liulan waved her hand again.

Space warped.

The next moment, Lin Ye found himself on the surface of Charon.

Overhead was a silent, black canopy dotted with cold stars. Below was a barren land covered in rifts and scars, a silent testament to the ravages of eons.

Yin Liulan took a silver metal disc from the pocket of her combat suit and tossed it casually into the air.

The disc unfolded in midair, forming a miniature spatial rift just large enough for two people to pass through.