Chapter 316 – Long Time No See

When Lu Yan saw those pedestrians dressed in white martial uniforms with the bold characters “Nine Dragons Society” printed on their backs, a strange expression flickered across his face.

The last time he had been in this Cyberpunk Version, he had secretly established an underground factory in the lower city to conceal his identity and gather strength amidst a perilous environment.

Utilizing cultivation techniques from the Immortal Cultivation Version to refine industrial-grade spirit energy, he successfully manufactured a large quantity of enhancement potions called Nine Dragons Force, which had minimal side effects but yielded astonishing results.

Back then, one of his subordinates—Sharke, originally an insignificant gang leader from the lower city—had used the steady supply of Nine Dragons Force to frantically recruit followers, quickly raising a formidable force of Espers.

This suddenly emerging power became one of the crucial forces capable of challenging the resource-rich upper city and ultimately breaking the barriers between the two zones.

Later, as the version approached its end, Lu Yan personally destroyed the Soul Computational Center. This action triggered the collapse of the barrier between the upper and lower cities, leading to gradual integration.

The upper city, in turn, opened access to highly purified medical-grade spirit energy technology.

In such a climate, the once-coveted Nine Dragons Force potion naturally lost its allure.

Lu Yan still remembered encountering Sharke unexpectedly during the previous Great Collapse Version.

By then, Sharke had joined the Tower of the Universe and was operating as an undercover agent within a mega-corporation.

Lu Yan even went along with the act and granted Sharke the status of a “heroic leader,” helping him conceal and expand his influence more effectively.

“To think the name ‘Nine Dragons Society’ would still be around… and judging from the looks of it, its influence in this City Fourteen isn’t insignificant.”

As Lu Yan pondered, the leader of the Ascender squad—a humanoid with the head of an eagle and an imposing aura—seemed to sense something off through instinct alone.

He turned his head slightly in Lu Yan’s direction, but even though he noticed nothing unusual, a vague sense of unease began to stir within him.

Just then, several blinding streaks of light shot across the sky.

Three colossal armed airships, each radiating an oppressive presence like circling vultures, silently appeared overhead, casting a massive shadow over the area below.

Pssssht!

With the hiss of hydraulics, the airship hatches slowly opened. Over a dozen extraordinary Espers in specialized power armor quickly deployed, forming a tight encirclement in midair.

Inside the airships, Lu Yan could sense an incredibly powerful Esper whose aura had already reached the level of a Dominion Angel, sitting in command and coldly watching from above.

These enforcers wasted no time. The moment they arrived, they locked onto the Ascender squad as their target.

Although the Ascenders were flawlessly disguised—down to their equipment and the energy signatures they emitted, making them indistinguishable from the locals—the enforcers seemed to have already identified them through some unknown method.

Hovering above, the captain of the enforcers, a powerful Esper himself, glared down coldly and shouted with a voice devoid of emotion:

“All outsiders, drop your weapons immediately! Remain where you are and submit to enforcement inspection!”

“If your identities are verified and you’re confirmed not to be spies or saboteurs sent by the Megacorps, we will naturally release you.”

“But until then, do not resist or show any signs of hostility. If you do… the consequences are yours to bear!”

The five members of the Ascender squad all wore expressions of shock and disbelief.

They had never imagined that their meticulous disguises could be so easily unraveled by a group of locals they considered weak.

“How is this possible? How did they see through us?”

“Could it be that the city’s surveillance system has some unique function? Or have we been unknowingly tagged with some kind of identity marker?” the jackal-headed sage, clutching a golden scepter, whispered telepathically to his teammates, eyes full of suspicion and confusion.

The crocodile-headed berserker, wielding a massive blade, grinned savagely. His mouth full of sharp teeth twisted into a bloodthirsty smile as he growled:

“These so-called Espers may be decent in this world, but to us Ascenders, they’re just slightly tougher ants.”

“Who cares how they found us? Let’s just kill them all, rip out their souls, and read their memories. Then we can find a new place to hide.”

The eagle-headed leader, Huangsha, frowned deeply and shot the berserker a cold glare.

“Rekton, calm down! Don’t forget, while these Espers may seem weak, the Eye of God and the Celestial Canopy in this world are terrifying beyond belief.”

“According to our intel, even those with sky-shaking strength—titled-level Reincarnators—can’t stand against the Eye of God.”

“Our mission is to deal with the Celestial Canopy. To achieve that, we must enlist the help of this world’s native factions.”

“If we start a massacre now, we’ll only make enemies of the locals—do you know how bad that would be for our future plans?”

“Tch. If we clean up the scene, who would know it was us?” Rekton sneered. His eyes burned with unquenchable violence.

While internal disagreements brewed among the Ascenders, several more figures descended from the hovering airships.

Unlike the heavily armored, grim-faced enforcers, these newcomers wore warm, even slightly sycophantic smiles as they approached the enforcer captain.

One of them stepped forward, raising his voice:

“Honored enforcers, I believe you all heard their telepathic exchange?”

“These suspicious outsiders not only infiltrated City Fourteen in secret but even plotted to strike our brave enforcement officers.”

“Such treachery must not go unpunished. They should be executed on the spot as a warning to all!”

He paused, then added even more respectfully:

“Though we are but humble citizens, we are willing to assist you in eliminating these threats and contribute to the stability of our city.”

These newcomers looked completely out of place in the futuristic cyber environment.

Among them was a robed mage wielding a gemstone-encrusted staff, and a white-clad sword immortal with a sword case on his back, exuding an ethereal, otherworldly aura.

“Ge Wen from the Lawless Squad? And Bai Wuji from the Seekers of the Dao?”

The moment the Ascenders recognized the faces of these eager volunteers, they looked as if they’d seen ghosts.

These were elite Reincarnators just like them—famous figures within the Lord God’s Space. Yet here they were, siding with local enforcement, even offering to strike down fellow Reincarnators.

The enforcer captain cast a quick glance at the volunteers. A flash of hesitation crossed his eyes but was quickly replaced by resolve.

“Fine. Since you’re willing, these people are yours to deal with.”

“I’ll personally report your contribution to the Council. I’m sure they won’t be stingy with their rewards.”

Delight lit up the faces of the volunteers. They bowed low and shouted:

“Thank you, sir!”

“These blind fools are no match for us. We’ll make sure they die with clarity.”

Despite their strength—each team led by Nascent Soul peak cultivators, some even having reached the Soul Transformation realm—not one of them lifted a hand against the enforcement team.

Instead, they flattered and groveled, humbling themselves before the “weaker” locals.

They had good reason.

They knew that City Fourteen held the key to resisting the terrifying Celestial Canopy—the revised Heavenly Dao Codes.

To complete their S-Rank mission in this perilous world, and to earn the ultimate reward of permanent release from reincarnation, they had to gain the locals’ trust.

So they humbled themselves, even selling out fellow Reincarnators.

Sometimes it started with nobodies—low-level teams used to establish trust.

But now, with a high-value team like the Ascenders as an offering, they were confident they could gain the attention of City Fourteen’s true power players.

“Attack!”

Without hesitation, Bai Wuji acted first.

Clang! A sword cry echoed as eighteen flying swords shot from his back, slicing through the air and forming a powerful Sword Domain, sealing the entire area and trapping the Ascenders within.

The razor-sharp sword qi howled through the sky, crisscrossing in deadly arcs.

Simultaneously, Ge Wen raised his staff. The gem atop it blazed with lightning as he chanted an ancient spell.

Massive bolts of purple lightning formed in the sky and rained down upon the sword domain.

In an instant, battle erupted.

Huangsha’s face turned grim. He frantically activated the golden Solar Disc at his side, summoning blazing shields of energy to fend off the onslaught.

He shouted hoarsely:

“Bai Wuji, Ge Wen! Have you lost your minds?! This is a legion war! We could’ve worked together to defeat the Celestial Canopy. Why force us into a deathmatch? What do you gain?!”

But the betrayers didn’t listen. They simply intensified their attacks.

In that moment of desperation, a fierce and resolute light flashed in Huangsha’s eyes.

He shouted, “You think we Ascenders are that easy to bully?”

“I’ll have you know—we’re not the only ones who came here.”

“Someone else has already witnessed your betrayal. He’s likely hiding his identity as well. Once word gets out, the other Reincarnators will come after you!”

As he spoke, he glanced toward Lu Yan’s position.

As a top Reincarnator, Huangsha’s movement couldn’t be hidden.

The fighting Reincarnators all turned to follow his gaze. Recognition filters shattered—and they finally noticed Lu Yan.

Bai Wuji and Ge Wen exchanged glances. Cold killing intent surged between them.

“Since he saw it… kill him too. Leave no witnesses.”

The sword domain expanded again. A flood of sword qi surged toward Lu Yan.

But just as it was about to touch his robe—

Lu Yan raised a finger and flicked it casually.

Orchestrating Creation: A Single Thought Shatters All Techniques.

BOOM!!

The terrifying sword domain, capable of killing Soul Transformation experts, let out a groan—and shattered.

The eighteen flying swords scattered like broken kites. Some cracked. Others dimmed.

The Reincarnators spewed blood and were flung dozens of meters through the air, crashing hard into the ground.

Bai Wuji struggled to rise, staring at the calm figure with trembling voice:

“Who… are you?”

Lu Yan didn’t answer.

He simply raised his hand again.

To their horror, his palm seemed to grow larger and larger—until they realized it wasn’t his hand that was growing.

The space around them was shrinking.

“We’re shrinking! He’s collapsing the space!” someone screamed.

All around them, several kilometers of space began collapsing toward Lu Yan’s palm.

These powerful Reincarnators—mighty in their own worlds—were now no more than ants, helplessly sucked into Lu Yan’s hand.

Orchestrating Creation: Buddha Realm in the Palm!

Even team captains at the Soul Transformation realm were powerless before this divine technique.

Ge Wen, pale as death, forced himself to speak:

“Sir! Spare us! We had a deal with the local authorities—if you kill us, you’ll offend the whole city!”

He tried to smile flatteringly.

“We can introduce you to the real decision-makers. We’ll hand over all our Plot Points and mission rewards—everything!”

“Please, show mercy!”

Lu Yan said nothing. His gaze remained calm, deep, and cold.

At that moment, the largest airship opened its hatch once more.

A silver-armored Esper emerged, exuding Dominion Angel might.

“You… you’re Mr. Lu? You’ve returned?!”

Lu Yan looked up at him, a faint smile on his lips.

“Quentin… long time no see.”

As his words fell, Lu Yan’s palm slowly closed.

Crack!

With a sound like shattering glass and the echo of hopeless screams, more than a dozen powerful Reincarnators were obliterated.

Not even a trace of their existence remained.

(End of Chapter)