The sky of this space was not a real sky. It merely was a membrane that separated this space from the World of Cultivation. Beyond this membrane, five beings watched Ikasa’s movements.

A giant eagle made of clouds and wind, a blazing flame, a water elemental shaped like a mermaid and a motherly woman made of dirt were all the forms of the Absolutes. The Absolute of Space as usual preferred to be invisible.

They had gathered together for one person. That person was Ikasa.

When they saw him remove the Brain and observe it closely, they did not think much of it. Things changed when the Brain attached itself to Ikasa!

All of the Absolutes were aggravated by the unexpected turn of events.

The blazing flame flickered violently, increasing the temperature of the surroundings by a few degrees. A miniature cyclone formed around the giant eagle.

The Absolute of Earth quaked and a few cracks were formed and restored immediately on her body.

Aqua, the Absolute of Water, had the worst reaction. Her entire body rippled with waves as she whispered with despair.

“No! He has fallen into the Demonic Illusion!”

———

Gru?

Moony watched the Brain attach to Ikasa with puzzlement. A few breaths passed and Ikasa still had not moved.

The little fox nudged him lightly with his head. When he didn’t get a response, he jumped on Ikasa’s shoulder and poked his face.

Grrru!

Despite his repeated calls and attempts to get his attention, Moony failed to wake Ikasa. He looked angrily at the Brain, judging it was a dangerous object.

He formed a shadow claw with difficulty. The environment would not let him easily utilize the shadow energy.

Still, he was a part Space attribute creature. So, he had an easier time than most other Path Finders who would not be able to replenish the used Energy.

It took Moony a few minutes to manifest a shadow claw. As soon as the Claw was ready, he attacked the Brain attached to Ikasa. A bright red light flashed and an electric current electrocuted Moony’s extended claw.

The red and black fox fell on the ground, his limbs twitching. His fur had stood up from the current and his tongue rolled out of his mouth.

A few seconds later, Moony recovered and stood up straight. He shook his head vigorously to get rid of the ringing sound in his ears. Then he looked at the shining red brain attached to Ikasa.

Grrr!

The little fox bared his fangs at the Brain and was prepared to attack it again when the light from the Brain dimmed.

Ikasa slowly opened his eyes and looked at the little fox. Moony immediately jumped and pointed to the Brain with his paws as if complaining.

But Ikasa showed no response. He was staring at the fox but his eyes were blank. Moony tilted his head wondering what was wrong with Ikasa.

The reason for Ikasa’s odd behavior was the status panel that had appeared before him.

[Illusory Shadow Fox]

[Combat Power: 1294]

[Initial Stage – Foundation Establishment Realm]

[Skills: Shadow Illusion, Shadow Claw, Shadow Bind, Camouflage]

“Damn! Does this mean I can see anyone’s stats as long as I have this Brain with me?”

Ikasa conjectured with glee and amazement. However, his conjecture made some beings unhappy and they were filled with worry.

The Absolutes did not know what the ability of the Brian could do. Neither did they care. They were concerned about the red light gradually infiltrating Ikasa’s body.

“We have already lost one. We cannot afford to lose another. Who knows how many of these androids ‘He’ had made.”

The Absolute of Water spoke in a solemn voice. When a being who had complete control over an element of the world felt dread, one could only imagine how big of a disaster loomed over the world of Cultivation.

Other Absolutes also treated her words with respect.

“What do you propose?”

A robotic voice asked. The speaker was the Absolute of Space who rarely manifested in a specific form or a shape.

“Before we contact him, we have to destroy that Brain. We cannot let ‘Him’ discover that we already know of ‘His’ existence.”

The Absolutes became silent at the mention of ‘Him’. They avoided using the name, so that person would not be alerted.

Once, they had underestimated ‘his’ threat and as a result, the Cultivation World had almost imploded from internal strife. The present day Empires and the Pact between Sects and Empires was a result of that strife.

Now that they had discovered his potential agent, they had to use the agent against ‘Him.’

“I have an idea.”

The giant eagle made of wind interrupted the brainstorming session of the Absolutes. His words attracted the attention of other absolutes.

“We should draw him into our Spirit Realm and ask him to give up the Brain voluntarily.”

His idea suited his morals of freedom. If you want someone to do something, make them realize why they should do it. The person would then have a freedom of choice; To listen to the advice or continue the vice.

However, his proposal was met with vehement objections.

“Have you gone mad? The moment we drag him into the Spirit Realm, the Red Brain would resist and take over the Body, defeating our whole purpose!”

The Absolute of Water rejected the idea with agitation. She had been the one who was closest to ‘him’. Hence, she was the one most invested in the well being of ‘His’ creation.

Every Absolute silently began to ponder their own ideas after shooting down the ridiculous suggestion. They began to realize that their ideas were no better.

Finally, the robotic voice spoke.

“There is no other way. We have to use the Cultivators.”

Other Absolutes nodded. They couldn’t directly interfere with Ikasa lest they expose themselves to ‘Him’. So, they could only borrow the hands of the other Cultivators to achieve their goals.

“The question is who should go?”

The burning flame asked, looking at all the other Absolutes. Interfering meant risk of exposure. So, they had to choose carefully who would approach Ikasa.

They looked at each other looking for the most suitable Absolute for the job.  At this moment, the Absolute of Water stood up.

“I will go. Someone with my blessed bloodline has also entered the Rift. She is also close to Ikasa. If I possess her, I can safely get rid of the Brain.”

The feminine Water Elemental made her case. She had a cause and plan. The others could not find a reason good enough to stop her.

“We agree.”

After receiving the permission of other Absolutes, the humanoid Water body quickly lost its shape. The Absolute of Water turned into droplets so small that they were invisible to the naked eye.

Soon, she had entered through the membrane into the Planar Rift.

——

Ikasa was enjoying his latest gadget. Without a clear vision, people were unable to differentiate the Brain from his energy signature.

He had checked status panels of quite a few Sense Trainers. All of them had a lower Combat Power than himself. The best one only had a Combat power of 900!

‘This is the power of manuals!’

Ikasa smirked at this thought.

‘Should I return and check the power of Feng Yan and others? Maybe the Status Panel can help them?’

Ikasa immediately acted upon it.

Anyways, the discovered Prime Gold ores had been claimed by the Mu Shi’s group. There was no point in waiting in the area.

As for adventuring alone? Good Joke. After seeing the power of the Steel Beast, he would be a fool to face it without backup.

Ikasa was not sure he would come out in one piece if he fought the Beast alone. In a hostile place like this, he could not afford to get injured.

However, things would be different with two people.

With two or more people, they would be able to target the soft spots on the Steel Beast more easily. One could distract while the other attacked. That way they could avoid injuries as much as possible.

Ikasa did not trust Moony to fulfill the role of the second person. The little guy was unreliable. He could be a good attacker, but if the situation takes a turn for the worse, he would be the first to escape!

So, he had decided to enlist Feng Yan’s help.

The young man soon saw the grayish energy spots tinted with red in the distance. With a fox in one hand and the metal brain in another, Ikasa rushed toward the hideout.

When he reached closer, he heard the voice of Feng Yan, urgently calling for Xin Ruo.

“Xin Ruo! Xin Ruo! Answer me, you damn girl! Where do you think you are going?”

Ikasa saw a blue colored outline of a human approaching him. It was being chased by an ochre yellow blob.

Within seconds, the blue figure had arrived before him.

“Xin Ruo, what…”

“I am sorry.”

Before Ikasa could finish his question, she cut him off. She formed a ball of water in her hand and smashed it on the Metal Brain.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep