Chapter 876: Leaving

"You've discovered my secret after all..."

At these words, the entire exploration team was stunned, numbed by despair, convinced they were doomed. Gusra the Swordsman also fell completely silent. As a Sword God, one of the nature deities closest to the Supreme God of Law, his mind was a blank canvas of bitterness, and an unprecedented dread seized his heart.

What on earth had happened in just a day or two? It felt truly as long as two hundred years in high-dimensional spacetime.

The revival of Renimansijia. The birth of the infant Universe Daoist. A terrifying cosmic entity, hunting the infant, descended upon this world, triggering a viral outbreak... And the terrifying forbidden virus had directly revealed Renimansijia's greatest secret: iron-based life. Everything unfolded in quick succession.

In just a day or two, not only were these mortals affected, but even his entire divine worldview was repeatedly overturned, trampled, and shattered.

As they trembled, Renimansijia slowly began, "You have indeed integrated some of my characteristics. But it is also a completely new form of life. This virus of yours... is very interesting. Does it integrate the characteristics of local races? Does it undergo some kind of mutation or transformation?"

"Precisely," the Machine Column God boy politely replied. "We are not the original Forbidden Column God; we are a new entity. We are already the destiny god of a new race on this land... In fact, the original Column God will even hunt us down, seeking to absorb us. You can think of us as a brand new race; we also have the right to exist. Please do not impose any prejudice upon us. Although we are not as vast as you, our physical form is constant from birth and unchangeable. From factories to vacuum cleaners, our size is fixed from the moment we gain sentience. Just like a person, once born, it's impossible to grow another arm or limb. We are iron-based life, a form of life, not merely dead machines... However, even if we cannot reach your size, we are still your distant relatives, your kin. We came into this world because of your cells."

Xu Zhi listened quietly. The Machine Column God was very rational, continuously lobbying its case.

"I will not interfere," Renimansijia said with a smile. "I eagerly await to see what you will become..."

He turned to leave.

However, Gusra's expression suddenly turned anxious! He knew that if Renimansijia left, they would likely be killed by this mysterious mechanical Column God, having learned so many secrets... Even he, a god, would not escape. Realizing this, Gusra quickly said, "Great Emperor of the Ancient Cosmic Garden, the outer gate selection is about to commence. We have long awaited this moment with reverence. May we be allowed to enter early to participate in the competition?"

Xu Zhi paused. He turned, looking at the few individuals with such a strong will to survive, and gently opened a spatial portal. "If you wish to compete, then enter."

"Yes! Thank you, Your Majesty!" Gusra, with a look of extreme deference, led Mansa inside.

"The same goes for us, Great Majesty; we have admired you for a long time..." The mechanical team behind them also cautiously and swiftly entered.

The Machine Column God watched this scene with a touch of regret. It could currently defeat Gusra, the god. Although its evolution period was short and its strongest zombie was only Fourth Tier, its combat power within this technological civilization was not measured by such standards. It had conquered many mechanical warlords and acquired numerous small spatial railguns capable of entering high-dimensional spacetime, which would be sufficient to eliminate this god.

"What a pity..." The Machine Column God, perfectly calm, gazed at the vanishing spatial silhouette. "A god cloning factory has just undergone a mutation; if I could capture this god..."

Whoosh. The spatial gate slowly closed. No one remained at the scene, and the phantom of the Machine Column God gradually dissipated.

"It has been successfully pacified. In just three months, Renimansijia, an iron-based life comparable to a star, may no longer be my match." "They underestimate the hand of destiny wielded by a Column God."

Crack. A clap of thunder. A group of people arrived at the Cosmic Garden, an incredibly desolate place where spatial tremors shattered the air, exuding an aura of eternal silence that had lingered for countless millennia.

"The Cosmic Garden is the outer realm trial ground from ancient times, where powerful individuals are selected to become core disciples." Gusra the Swordsman took a deep breath. "On this land, two hundred million geniuses from various nearby planets constantly struggle for survival. Only the successful can enter the inner sanctum... But coming here is always better than dying there."

He believed that as a god, he would easily survive in this Cosmic Garden, as the outer realm trials were designed for talents below the divine level. In ancient times, a god like him would have already cleared the outer garden and gained entry as an inner disciple of the Cosmic Villa.

But the next second... Gusra's expression stiffened slightly. "Wait, this is..." They witnessed an utterly terrifying sight. The entire Cosmic Garden—its plants and animals—were all existing within a tenfold high-dimensional spacetime.

"This... this is impossible!" Gusra's face showed even greater horror than before. "In ancient times, Renimansijia was considered immensely powerful just for being able to cover the entire villa's core. But now, even the outer Cosmic Garden is enveloped in high-dimensional spacetime?"

What did this mean? The revived Renimansijia could be countless times more powerful than in ancient times! Today, over a hundred thousand years later, this entity has not only revived but has also reached an unfathomable state. Furthermore, this meant the entire Cosmic Garden had become exceptionally perilous. All creatures here existed in high-dimensional spacetime, making the trials infinitely more challenging than those of ancient times! It was, arguably, a desperate situation within an even more desperate one!

"Moving plants, eerie animals, gloomy gardens, castles of death..." Gusra gravely observed the gloomy Cosmic Garden, then slowly regained his composure. "Fortunately, that virus isn't on this land... so it's safe. Ordinary creatures can't harm me."

"Yes, Father, by coming here, we won't have to face those terrifying strange viruses. Perhaps this is a blessing in disguise," Mansa said with a serious expression.

But the next second, Gusra's expression completely transformed. He felt the aura of the virus beginning to spread throughout the garden. "The virus... How did the virus get here?" he murmured, stunned.

Suddenly, a soft, charming voice filled the air, yet it conveyed an extreme sense of horror, an evil so profound it was terrifying. "Oh? Some little ones have already entered? I haven't officially begun recruiting disciples yet. But since you've come in, consider yourselves the first batch of trial participants. That's a plant-type virus; I've brought it in here. It's also a creature for the trial... well, it's probably a creature. I hope you can all bring me some surprises together."

Instantly, Gusra's face twisted into a mask of deathly despair as he looked down at his daughter. "Mansa, we're doomed. Coming here was a dead end... If ordinary garden beasts were in high-dimensional spacetime while we were in low-dimensional spacetime, they would be even less able to break through my defenses... But if it's a virus, we can only remain in high-dimensional spacetime to resist it... And even if we can withstand the pursuit, we will age rapidly. I am over six thousand years old, and the old wounds from my youth have already taken their toll, reducing my lifespan to less than that of an ordinary god. If I remain in high-dimensional spacetime, I will not survive for more than seven days."