Chapter 323: The Cyber Saint Spirit

After leaving the God Research Institute, Lu Yan immediately issued a command: all ongoing research at the Institute was to be temporarily suspended.

Now that he knew the fundamental physical constants of this world had been altered by some unknown force—rendering the so-called fake Heavenly Dao Codes completely ineffective against the AI God—those previously well-designed security measures at the Institute had become nothing more than an illusion in the face of a true threat.

As for whether he should immediately promote the real Heavenly Dao Code throughout City 14—or even the entire world—Lu Yan, after careful deliberation, chose to hold back.

Leaving aside whether the native beings of this cyberpunk world—whose constants had already been altered—could even comprehend the fundamental differences between the real code and the fake ones…

The mere fact that the real Heavenly Dao Code would automatically undergo strange self-correction and assimilation within this world’s altered constants meant it was inherently unsuitable for wide-scale distribution or application here.

If he acted recklessly, not only might he fail to achieve the desired outcome, but he would likely startle the AI God—or perhaps even alert something more obscure lurking behind the scenes.

Thus, Lu Yan decided: until he fully probed the AI God’s trump cards and true agenda, he would exercise patience and refrain from any rash action, so as not to disrupt his long-term plans.

After departing from the institute, located thirteen thousand meters underground, Lu Yan didn’t return to the council building. Instead, he made his way directly to the headquarters of the Resistance stationed in City 14.

Among the three major factions of City 14, the Resistance had the largest personnel base. Just within the city, they had tens of thousands of officially registered members.

Most of them were concentrated in the outer zones of City 14, occupying districts where technological advancement was deliberately kept low—or where more primitive industrial and residential facilities had been preserved during reconstruction.

Although City 14 had nominally warded off direct infiltration and control from the AI God, those who had lived through its horrific rule remained deeply fearful and wary.

As such, anything highly intelligent or potentially linked to the God Network was met with instinctive distrust and rejection.

As Lu Yan and his group approached the outer perimeter of the Resistance’s base, they saw Sain himself leading a group of senior members to greet them in person.

“Welcome, Mr. Lu. We are honored by your guidance,” Sain said, still as respectful and humble as ever.

Lu Yan casually glanced at the faces of the Resistance leaders behind Sain. He found many of them familiar—he had even seen some of them with his own eyes back in the arcane version of the world.

Many of these people had once been core figures in the Guild.

What surprised Lu Yan, however, was that he saw no trace of the Victoria royal family among the senior members present.

Still, he said nothing, nor did he ask any questions.

Only after Sain had respectfully escorted him into the Resistance’s headquarters and dismissed most of the unrelated staff did Lu Yan finally speak.

“Within your ranks,” he asked, “do you know of anyone named Elizabeth?”

“Elizabeth?” Sain was clearly puzzled by the sudden question.

He furrowed his brow and searched his memory for a long while, then shook his head apologetically.

“I beg your pardon, Mr. Lu, but I’m afraid I’m not familiar with that name. As far as I know, there’s no one named Elizabeth in our current roster.”

Lu Yan’s gaze flickered slightly. He pressed on, “What about among the upper ranks of the Cosmic Megacorporations?”

Sain shook his head again, even more firmly this time.

“Based on the intelligence we’ve gathered, there’s no record of anyone named Elizabeth among the known executives of the megacorporations—whether general managers or board members.”

“My apologies, sir. I truly do not know.”

Though Sain couldn’t give him a clear answer, Lu Yan already had a rough understanding of the situation.

Given Elizabeth’s former identity and status as queen of the Victoria Kingdom—and the close bond she had shared with him—if she had successfully appeared in this cyberpunk version of the world through data reflection, she would’ve almost certainly made contact with the Resistance.

It wasn’t even out of the question that she might have become one of its major backers.

But now, Sain—one of the Resistance’s core leaders—had never even heard her name.

And even among their enemies, the top echelons of the megacorporations, there was no trace of her either.

There could be only one explanation:

Elizabeth didn’t exist in this cyber version.

And the reason for that, in Lu Yan’s view, could only be one thing.

Uniqueness.

A gleam of understanding flashed through his eyes.

Back in the arcane version, Elizabeth had held the Royal Scepter, an artifact symbolizing the incomplete Uniqueness of the royal path.

This meant that she herself possessed a partially unique essence—similar to Mu Chunqiu in the cultivation version.

Mu Chunqiu, walking the path of “this world’s only one,” could not appear in every version. The demon realm, the apocalypse—none of them had his presence.

Elizabeth’s case, no doubt, was the same.

Her bond with the arcane world made her fundamentally incompatible with other version worlds. She was deeply anchored to that mysterious and eerie plane.

Understanding this, Lu Yan dropped the matter and didn’t dwell further.

Under Sain’s personal guidance, Lu Yan proceeded deeper into the Resistance headquarters—into its lowest underground level.

Here stood a gargantuan supercomputer, its scale dominating the entire subterranean space.

Thick spiritual-energy conduits pulsed with dim blue light, snaking out from the core of the machine like enormous serpents. They covered the floors and walls, giving the entire space a powerful aura of spiritual-tech fusion.

Everything here stood in sharp contrast to the deliberately low-tech appearance of the Resistance’s surface-level bases.

Despite being spirit-tech, Lu Yan could clearly sense a distinct energy from the computer—one completely different from the AI God’s.

This unique energy was what allowed the machine to resist and shield against the AI God’s surveillance and invasion, preserving this hidden refuge in the very heart of the Resistance.

“Your Highness, I have brought Mr. Lu as requested,” Sain said respectfully before the main screen of the massive machine.

At his words, the pitch-black screen rippled with soft, water-like white light.

Then, a young girl appeared on the display—about sixteen or seventeen years old, with ethereal, pure eyes.

Her appearance was identical to Anna.

But unlike the Anna who once held the Yama throne in the underworld sequence—imbued with mystery and authority from a higher-dimensional force—this version of Anna lacked that divine gravitas.

“Your Grace…”

The girl on the screen lit up the moment she saw Lu Yan. Her eyes sparkled with unrestrained devotion and excitement.

She extended a delicate, lifelike hand and pressed it gently against the cold screen, her voice soft and affectionate.

Lu Yan smiled warmly in return, but didn’t waste time on small talk.

“Send me your information,” he ordered calmly.

Anna, true to form, had no hesitation or doubt. If it was an order from her Lord, obedience was her only course.

She nodded gently. Her slender, pale virtual hand seemed to pass through the screen’s surface and extend toward Lu Yan.

The next instant, a colossal torrent of data surged into Lu Yan’s consciousness like a dam bursting.

Lu Yan stood motionless, quietly absorbing the flood.

Though Sain had explained it earlier—how the cyber version of Anna had somehow ascended into a special existence called the Cyber Saint Spirit—Lu Yan only now truly understood what that meant.

This Anna had merged perfectly with the massive supercomputer.

Her soul had transcended and evolved into a soul computer—completely distinct from ordinary spiritual-tech systems.

She had become a Saint Spirit, operating independently from the AI God’s network.

Because of this deep fusion with the soul computer, she now possessed abilities akin to the early stages of the AI God’s power.

In fact, she might be the closest thing in existence to the essence and limits of a soul computer—second only to the AI God itself.

Of course, a chasm still lay between them.

The AI God had undergone countless years of evolution, far surpassing its original soul computer framework. It now controlled a vast global network and the Sky Canopy spanning the entire world.

By contrast, Anna was still a newcomer. She lacked the depth, foundation, and grasp of the soul computer system needed to rival the AI God.

For now, the most she could do was use her unique machine and the Resistance’s support to maintain this underground safe haven in City 14—a fragile bastion of hope.

Once Lu Yan finished absorbing all the data she had transmitted, he let out a long breath.

A faint trace of joy crept into the corners of his lips.

“Anna.”

He looked at the girl on the screen—still so dependent on him—and said gently, “I need you to carry out a very important mission.”

Anna’s expression turned solemn. She dropped to one knee and bowed her virtual figure respectfully.

“Please command me, Your Grace.”

Lu Yan’s eyes gleamed with a sharp light. He said each word with clarity:

“Use all your power to try and invade the God Network!”

Shock and disbelief flickered across Anna’s pure eyes.

But it lasted only a moment.

She quickly replaced it with unwavering determination.

“In accordance with Your Grace’s command… Anna shall obey!”

As she spoke, torrents of data began to surge behind her in preparation for the infiltration.

“Not yet.”

Lu Yan raised a hand, stopping her.

“Before you begin the invasion, there are a few adjustments you must make.”

With a casual wave of his right hand, a dreadful aura erupted across the space.

In an instant, five terrifying figures cloaked in dense Yin energy appeared in the futuristic control room.

They were the Five Great Ghost Gods under Lu Yan’s command.

He turned to Anna and explained, “These five are the Ghost Gods of my underworld. They’ve undergone ghost-god modification and, in some ways, are akin to soul computers themselves.”

“Before you begin the invasion, they’ll stay here and teach you how to truly master soul power—how to elevate yourself from a soul computer to a ghost god.”

“Only by undergoing the baptism of the Ghost God can you wield the authority of the Underworld, and use ghostly power to erode the God Network and even the soul world it created.”

“The moment you fully integrate the Underworld into the soul world… you will be worthy of becoming the Yama King who governs a realm!”

(End of Chapter)