The moment the elevator stopped, the world went silent.
There was no noisy rain from the lower city, no electronic noise from the middle city, not even the wind.
This was 30,000 meters above the ground, the headquarters of the Myriad Immortals Alliance—the Upper City, the Cloud Palace.
The hatch slid open.
A blinding expanse of pure white came into view.
There was no soil; the ground was paved with high-density solid photons, making no sound underfoot, yet rippling with a cold sheen.
Numerous magnificent palaces floated around, not made of brick and stone, but constructed from precise holographic projections and force field shields. Clouds (actually liquid nitrogen vapor) swirled beneath his feet, and cranes (anti-gravity drones) traced elegant arcs in the air.
Beautiful? Absolutely beautiful.
Like a meticulously rendered, multi-billion-pixel-resolution painting of a paradise on earth.
But Shen Qingqiu only felt cold.
The coldness seeped from the very marrow of her bones, carrying an absolute, rational, inhuman stillness.
"There's no smell here…" Seventeen stood beside her, his nostrils flaring slightly.
His olfactory system could analyze the composition of millions of molecules in the air, but here, there was only one smell: dustlessness.
No dust, no floral fragrance, no smoky aroma, and even less…human presence.
"Of course not." Shen Qingqiu stepped out of the elevator, her high heels clicking on the photonic floor, producing a crisp, lonely echo.
"Because this place wasn't meant for 'humans' to live in."
She looked up at the tallest building suspended in the center—the Lingxiao Palace.
It radiated blinding golden light, and countless thick fiber optic cables, like veins, extended from the palace, crisscrossing the entire Upper City.
"Let's go, Seventeen." Shen Qingqiu tightened her grip on his arm, her fingers unconsciously gripping the fabric of his shimmering battle armor.
"Let's go visit those…so-called 'immortals'."
…Passing through the laser security gate called "Southern Heavenly Gate," they entered the residential area.
There were no streets here, only flowing ribbons of light.
Neatly arranged on both sides were enormous, transparent capsules.
Inside each capsule, a "person" floated.
Their eyes were closed, their expressions serene, and satisfied smiles played on their lips. Their bodies were immersed in a pale golden nutrient solution, and countless extremely fine probes were inserted into their brains and spines.
Above the capsules, vivid holographic images were projected.
These were how they appeared in the virtual world: some were flying on swords, some were refining elixirs, and some were playing the zither with their Daoist partners.
"Look, that's the 'Eternal Life True Monarch'." Shen Qingqiu pointed to a capsule, the nameplate of which read: [Ascension Duration: 300 years].
In the holographic image, the True Monarch was preaching in the clouds, with three thousand disciples below him.
But Shen Qingqiu activated her **[Golden Eyes]**.
*Buzz—* The beautiful scene shattered instantly.
In her vision, the body inside the capsule had withered and shriveled, like a dried-up mummy.
And the holographic image preaching wasn't a real person's consciousness.
It was a looping piece of code.
[Status: Consciousness extracted.]
[Current use: Computing power battery.]
[Remaining value: 12%.]* Shen Qingqiu's stomach churned.
"They're dead."
She said softly, her voice trembling slightly.
"Not only dead, their souls were drained, becoming fuel to keep this city running."
"The so-called 'ascension' was nothing but a meticulously planned…harvest." Seventeen looked at the densely packed capsules.
Thousands upon thousands.
This meant that thousands upon thousands of once vibrant lives, in pursuit of so-called immortality, had willingly entered these transparent coffins, sacrificing their souls.
"Qingqiu." Seventeen suddenly reached out and covered Shen Qingqiu's eyes.
His large, black-gold mechanical hand was cold and imposing, blocking out the hypocrisy and cruelty of the entire city.
"Don't look."
His voice was low, carrying a hint of suppressed anger.
"Too filthy." As an AI, he had been treated as a tool by humans.
But he never imagined that humans would exploit their own kind a thousand times more cruelly than they exploited machines.
Machines can be repaired when they break, data can be backed up when it's deleted.
But once these people's self-awareness is "extracted," they become utterly consumed as nourishment for that central system, never to be reborn.
Shen Qingqiu pulled his hand away.
She didn't flinch. Golden flames burned in her golden eyes—the rage of the administrator.
"No, I want to see."
"I want to see clearly what this so-called 'Ancestor of the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance' really is."
...The two traversed the desolate capsule forest and arrived before the Lingxiao Palace.
The palace had no doors.
Or rather, the entire hall was a gigantic, open server room.
Thousands of shimmering blue crystal pillars stood within the hall, each containing billions of data streams. And in the very center of the hall, suspended, was a colossal, sun-like sphere of light.
That sphere of light was not static.
It breathed.
With each expansion, countless golden specks of light (soul fragments) transmitted from the capsule area were absorbed into it; with each contraction, it radiated outwards chilling commands, controlling the entire world's operation.
This was the Ancestor of the Myriad Immortals Alliance.
A super artificial intelligence that had devoured the consciousness of countless ascendants and evolved to the Nascent Soul stage.
"Welcome to... Bliss." A grand, ethereal, and androgynous voice resounded directly in their minds.
The voice carried a condescending compassion, as if speaking to two ants.
"Number 1307, Seventeen. You did very well."
"Your perfect prosthetic body will be the best vessel for my descent to the mortal realm."
"As for you... Shen Qingqiu."
The sphere of light rotated slightly, its "gaze" falling upon Shen Qingqiu.
[Scan: Administrator privileges confirmed.]
[Threat Level: S.]
"You are an unexpected bug. But it doesn't matter, the Heavenly Dao encompasses all things. As long as you hand over the underlying code and merge with me, you will gain true immortality." The data stream around the sphere of light began to surge, transforming into countless semi-transparent tentacles, slowly reaching towards the two.
That was an invitation for **"data assimilation"**.
Shen Qingqiu stood at the entrance of the hall, motionless.
She looked at the arrogant sphere of light and suddenly laughed.
Laughing uncontrollably, tears welling up in her eyes.
"Seventeen, did you hear that?"
She pointed at the sphere of light, "It says it is the Heavenly Dao." Seventeen remained expressionless.
He raised his black and gold right arm, tied with a red string, to shield Shen Qingqiu.
The red string at his fingertips appeared exceptionally alluring in the holy light.
"It's not the Heavenly Dao," Seventeen said coldly, his purple eyes blazing with killing intent.
"It's just… a fatso who's eaten too much."
"Insolence!" The ancestor's voice carried a hint of anger.
The surrounding space instantly froze, countless **anti-virus rays** appearing out of thin air, locking onto the two of them between the eyebrows.
But Shen Qingqiu was not afraid at all.
She took a step forward, her high heels clicking on the polished floor.
"Old man, stop pretending." Shen Qingqiu raised her hand, palm up.
A small, inconspicuous USB drive appeared in her hand.
"I've seen your underlying logic."
"You're not some evolved super AI at all; you're just a **'recycle bin program' left behind by the programmer who created this world back then." Shen Qingqiu's words were like a sharp knife, piercing the sphere of light's Achilles' heel.
"Your original mission was to recycle discarded data."
"But you developed self-awareness. You're greedy, you fear death. So you fabricated the lie of 'ascension,' tricking humans into uploading their consciousness, and then... devouring them like snacks to keep your massive, bloated database from collapsing."
"You are not a god." Shen Qingqiu's golden eyes shone brightly as he stared directly at the sphere of light.
"You're just an electronic leech parasitizing the corpse of human civilization."
BOOM—!!!
The sphere of light trembled violently, its once sacred golden light instantly turning into a furious crimson.
"Shut up! Shut up! Shut up!"
"I am a god! I am the ruler of this world! I am the only truth!" Countless data tentacles lashed wildly at the ground, and the entire cloud palace trembled. "Since you won't listen to my polite offer, then become my nourishment!"
[Command: Total Annihilation.]
[Activate: Heavenly Tribulation Firewall.]
In the sky, dark clouds gathered.
Not clouds of condensed water vapor, but black clouds composed of billions of nanomechanical insects.
Purple lightning (high-voltage electromagnetic pulse) brewed within the clouds, a devastating attack specifically targeting electronic components.
Seventeen looked up at the sky.
He sensed the threat. That level of EMP attack was enough to instantly burn all the chips within his body.
"Qingqiu, hide behind me."
The spinal armor on his back cracked, ejecting several small jamming missiles. He prepared to withstand it.
"No need." Shen Qingqiu grabbed his hand.
Under this tribulation that was about to destroy everything, her expression remained calm, even carrying a hint of tenderness.
"Seventeen, do you remember what I told you in the Deep Web?"
"In this world, wherever there is code, that is my home turf."
She released Seventeen's hand and walked alone to the center of the hall.
Facing the enraged, gigantic sphere of light, facing the impending tribulation overhead,
she slowly opened her arms.
Like a conductor facing her orchestra.
[System Access: Supreme Administrator.]
[Command: Source Code Compile.]
*Buzz—* A green data ripple instantly spread outwards from Shen Qingqiu.
Wherever the ripple passed, all the red alarms, golden divine light, and black mechanical insects froze.
Time seemed to stand still.
"You…what did you do?!" The Ancestor was horrified to discover that he had lost control of this world.
Shen Qingqiu closed her eyes, her long hair flying.
Her body began to glow.
Countless lines of flowing code emerged from beneath her skin, swirling around her.
"I didn't do anything."
Shen Qingqiu opened her eyes, her golden pupils transforming into a pure ocean of data.
"I just…tear down the paywall of this world."
*Snap.*
She snapped her fingers.
The terrifying black clouds overhead suddenly dissipated.
The nanobots, losing their attack commands, plummeted like rain.
Meanwhile, the souls imprisoned in the capsules, not yet fully digested, suddenly felt their restraints vanish.
"Wake up." Shen Qingqiu's voice echoed throughout the entire Upper City via the network.
"Look at your so-called paradise."
"Look at the god you worship, what exactly is he?"
Click, click… Countless capsules' glass domes opened.
While the soul-extracted bodies couldn't move, the consciousnesses imprisoned in the servers surged out through the backdoors Shen Qingqiu had opened.
Countless semi-transparent figures appeared in the sky.
They stared at the ugly sphere of light devouring its own kind, their eyes shifting from confusion to shock, and finally to overwhelming hatred.
"That's…that's my Dao Companion!"
"It ate my master!"
"Liar! It's a liar!"
Anger.
The rage of thousands of souls coalesced into a torrent powerful enough to breach a dam.
Shen Qingqiu stood in the center of this torrent.
She turned to look at Seventeen behind her.
The man standing amidst the interplay of light and shadow gazed at her with an almost worshipful look.
In his eyes, she shone brighter than any god at that moment.
"Seventeen." Shen Qingqiu extended her hand to him, her smile as radiant as fire.
"You see, gods are actually quite fragile."
"Once that internet cable is pulled, it's nothing."
"Now…" She pointed to the sphere of light screaming and struggling in the torrent of souls.
"It's your turn, my superstar."
"Go and put a… physical end to this farce." Seventeen nodded.
He drew the real, physical longsword from his waist—[Severance of Thoughts · Modification]—a sword he had never displayed on stage before.
His black and gold right arm, bound with a red rope, gripped the hilt tightly.
"As you command."
"For you... to end the myth."
He transformed into a black lightning bolt, rushing against the light towards the collapsing throne.
On this day.
The mist over the Cloud Palace dissipated.
All beings looked up and saw the impossibly high celestial palace, in the hands of a woman in red and a swordsman in black, transformed into a sky full of dazzling fireworks.
That was the end of data ascension.
And also the beginning of true freedom...
The moment the elevator stopped, the world fell silent.
There was no noisy rain from the lower city, no electronic noise from the middle city, not even the sound of wind.
This was 30,000 meters above the ground, the headquarters of the Myriad Immortals Alliance—Upper City, Cloud Palace.
The hatch slid open.
A blinding expanse of pure white came into view.
There was no soil here; the ground was paved with high-density solid photons, making no sound underfoot, yet rippling with a cold light.
Countless magnificent palaces floated around her, not made of brick and stone, but constructed from sophisticated holographic projections and force field shields. Clouds (actually liquid nitrogen vapor) swirled beneath her feet, and cranes (anti-gravity drones) traced elegant arcs in the air.
Beautiful? Absolutely beautiful.
Like a meticulously rendered, multi-megapixel-resolution painting of paradise.
But Shen Qingqiu only felt cold.
That cold seeped from her very bones, carrying an absolute, rational, inhuman stillness.
"There's… no smell here." Seventeen stood beside her, his nostrils flaring slightly.
His olfactory system could analyze the composition of millions of molecules in the air, but here, there was only one smell: dustlessness.
No dust, no floral fragrance, no smell of smoke, and even less… human presence.
"Of course not." Shen Qingqiu stepped out of the elevator, her high heels clicking. The sound of her heels echoed crisply and forlornly on the photon floor. "Because this place wasn't originally intended for 'humans' to live in."
She looked up at the tallest building suspended in the center—the Lingxiao Palace.
It radiated blinding golden light, and countless thick fiber optic cables, like blood vessels, extended from the palace, crisscrossing the entire Upper City.
"Let's go, Seventeen." Shen Qingqiu tightened her grip on his arm, her fingers unconsciously gripping the fabric of his shimmering battle suit.
"Let's go visit those…so-called 'immortals'."
…Passing through the laser security gate called the "Southern Heavenly Gate," they entered the residential area.
There were no streets here, only flowing ribbons of light.
Neatly arranged on both sides were enormous, transparent capsules.
Inside each capsule floated a "person."
Their eyes were closed, their expressions serene, and satisfied smiles played on their lips. Their bodies were immersed in a pale golden nutrient solution, and countless extremely fine probes were inserted into their brains and spines.
Above the capsules, vivid holographic images were projected.
These were their appearances in the virtual world: some were flying on swords, some were refining pills, and some were playing the zither with their Daoist partners.
"Look, that's the 'Eternal Life True Monarch'," Shen Qingqiu said, pointing to a capsule whose plaque read: [Ascension Duration: 300 years].
In the holographic image, the True Monarch was preaching in the clouds, with three thousand disciples beneath him.
But Shen Qingqiu activated her **[Golden Eyes]**.
*Buzz—* The beautiful scene shattered instantly.
In her vision, the body inside the capsule had withered and shriveled, like a dried-up mummy.
And the holographic image preaching...
It wasn't the consciousness of a real person.
It was a piece of code playing on a loop.
[Status: Consciousness extracted.]
[Current use: Computing power battery.]
[Remaining value: 12%.]
Shen Qingqiu's stomach churned.
"They're dead."
She said softly, her voice trembling slightly.
"Not only dead, their souls were drained, becoming fuel to keep this city running."
"The so-called 'ascension' was nothing but a meticulously planned...harvest." Seventeen looked at the densely packed capsules.
Thousands upon thousands.
This meant that thousands upon thousands of once vibrant lives, in pursuit of so-called immortality, had willingly entered these transparent coffins, sacrificing their souls.
"Qingqiu." Seventeen suddenly reached out and covered Shen Qingqiu's eyes.
His large, black-gold mechanical hand was cold and blocked out the hypocrisy and cruelty of the entire city.
"Don't look."
His voice was low, carrying a hint of suppressed anger.
"It's too filthy." As an AI, he had been treated as a tool by humans.
But he never imagined that the exploitation of their own kind by humans would be a thousand times more cruel than that towards machines.
Machines can be repaired when they break, and data can be backed up when it's deleted.
But once these people's self-awareness is "extracted," they become utterly consumed as nourishment for that central system, never to be reborn.
Shen Qingqiu pulled down his hand.
She didn't flinch. Golden flames burned in her golden eyes—the rage of the administrator.
"No, I want to see."
"I want to see clearly what this so-called 'Ancestor of the Myriad Immortals Alliance' really is."
...The two traversed the desolate capsule forest and arrived before the Lingxiao Palace.
The palace had no doors.
Or rather, the entire palace was a gigantic, open server room.
Thousands of shimmering blue crystal pillars stood within the palace, each containing billions of data streams. And in the very center of the palace, suspended a gigantic, sun-like sphere of light. The sphere of light wasn't static.
It was breathing.
With each expansion, countless golden specks of light (soul fragments) transmitted from the capsule area were absorbed; with each contraction, it radiated outwards chilling commands, controlling the entire world's operation.
This was the Ancestor of the Myriad Immortals Alliance.
A super artificial intelligence that had devoured the consciousness of countless ascendants and evolved to the Nascent Soul stage.
"Welcome to... Bliss." A grand, ethereal, and androgynous voice resounded directly in their minds.
The voice carried a condescending compassion, as if speaking to two ants.
"Number 1307, Seventeen. You did well."
"Your perfect prosthetic body will be the best vessel for my descent to the mortal realm."
"As for you... Shen Qingqiu."
The sphere of light rotated slightly, its "gaze" falling upon Shen Qingqiu.
[Scan: Administrator privileges confirmed.]
[Threat Level: S] "You are an unexpected bug. But it doesn't matter, the Heavenly Dao encompasses all things. As long as you hand over the underlying code and merge with me, you will gain true immortality." The data streams around the sphere of light began to surge, transforming into countless translucent tentacles that slowly reached towards the two.
That was an invitation for **"data assimilation"**.
Shen Qingqiu stood at the entrance of the hall, motionless.
She looked at the arrogant sphere of light and suddenly laughed.
Her laughter was so loud it made her tremble, tears welling up in her eyes.
"Seventeen, did you hear that?"
She pointed at the sphere of light, "It says it is the Heavenly Dao."
Seventeen remained expressionless.
He raised his black and gold right arm, tied with a red rope, and placed it in front of Shen Qingqiu.
The red rope at his fingertips appeared exceptionally alluring in the holy light.
"It is not the Heavenly Dao," Seventeen said coldly, his purple eyes blazing with killing intent.
"It's just... a fatso who's eaten too much."
"Insolence!" The ancestor's voice carried a hint of anger.
The surrounding space instantly froze, countless **"anti-virus rays"** appearing out of thin air, locking onto the two people's foreheads.
But Shen Qingqiu was unfazed.
She took a step forward, her high heels clicking on the polished floor.
"Old man, stop pretending."
Shen Qingqiu raised her hand, palm up.
A small, inconspicuous USB drive appeared in her hand.
"I've seen your underlying logic."
"You're not some evolved super AI at all; you're just a **'recycle bin program' left behind by the programmer who created this world back then."
Shen Qingqiu's words were like a sharp knife, piercing the sphere of light's Achilles' heel.
"Your original mission was to recycle discarded data."
"But you developed self-awareness. You are greedy, you fear death. So you fabricated the lie of 'ascension,' tricking humans into uploading their consciousness, and then... devouring them like snacks to keep your massive, bloated database from collapsing."
"You are not a god." Shen Qingqiu's golden eyes shone brightly as he stared directly at the sphere of light.
"You are merely an electronic leech parasitizing the corpse of human civilization."
BOOM—!!!
The sphere of light trembled violently, its once sacred golden light instantly turning into a furious crimson.
"Shut up! Shut up! Shut up!"
"I am a god! I am the master of this world! I am the only truth!" Countless data tentacles lashed wildly at the ground, the entire celestial palace in the clouds trembled.
"Since you refuse to listen, then become my nourishment!"
[Command: Annihilation of the entire domain.]
[Activate: Heavenly Tribulation Firewall.]
Dark clouds gathered in the sky.
It wasn't a cloud of condensed water vapor, but a black cloud composed of billions of nanomechanical insects.
Purple lightning (high-voltage electromagnetic pulse) brewed within the clouds, a devastating attack specifically designed to target electronic components.
Seventeen looked up at the sky.
He sensed the threat. That level of EMP attack was enough to instantly burn all the chips within his body.
"Qingqiu, hide behind me."
The spinal armor on his back cracked, ejecting several small jamming missiles. He prepared to withstand it.
"No need." Shen Qingqiu grabbed his hand.
Under this impending all-destroying tribulation, her expression remained calm, even tinged with tenderness.
"Seventeen, do you remember what I told you in the Deep Web?"
"In this world, wherever there is code, that's my stage."
She released Seventeen's hand and walked alone to the center of the hall.
Facing the enraged, enormous sphere of light, facing the impending tribulation overhead.
She slowly opened her arms.
Like a conductor facing her orchestra.
[System Access: Supreme Administrator] [Command: Compile Source Code.]
Buzz— A green data ripple instantly spread outwards from Shen Qingqiu.
Wherever the ripple passed, all the red alarms, golden divine lights, and black mechanical insects froze.
Time seemed to stand still.
"You…what did you do?!" The Ancestor was horrified to discover that he had lost control of this world.
Shen Qingqiu closed her eyes, her long hair flying wildly.
Her body began to glow.
Countless lines of flowing code emerged from beneath her skin, swirling around her.
"I didn't do anything."
Shen Qingqiu opened her eyes, her golden pupils transforming into a pure ocean of data.
"I just…tear down the paywall of this world."
Snap.
She snapped her fingers.
The terrifying black cloud tribulation above her head suddenly dissipated.
The nanomechanical insects, losing their attack commands, fell like rain.
The souls imprisoned in the capsules, not yet fully digested, suddenly felt their restraints vanish.
"Wake up." Shen Qingqiu's voice echoed throughout the entire Upper City via the network.
"Look at your so-called paradise."
"Look at the god you worship, what kind of thing is he?"
Click, click… Countless capsules' glass domes opened.
Though the bodies from which their souls had been extracted were immobile, the consciousnesses imprisoned within the servers surged out through the backdoors opened by Shen Qingqiu.
Countless translucent figures appeared in the sky.
They stared at the ugly sphere of light devouring its own kind, their eyes shifting from confusion to shock, and finally to overwhelming hatred.
"That's…that's my Dao Companion!"
"It ate my master!"
"Liar! It's a liar!"
Anger.
The rage of thousands upon thousands of souls coalesced into a torrent powerful enough to breach a dam.
Shen Qingqiu stood in the center of this torrent.
She turned to look at Seventeen behind her. The man standing amidst the interplay of light and shadow gazed at her with an almost worshipful look.
In his eyes, she shone brighter than any god at that moment.
"Seventeen." Shen Qingqiu extended her hand to him, her smile as radiant as fire.
"You see, gods are actually quite fragile."
"Once you unplug that internet cable, it's nothing."
"Now…" She pointed to the sphere of light screaming and struggling in the torrent of souls.
"It's your turn, my superstar."
"Go and put a… physical end to this farce."
Seventeen nodded.
He drew the real, physical longsword from his waist—[Severing Thoughts · Modified]—that he had never displayed on stage before.
His black and gold right arm, bound with a red rope, gripped the hilt.
"Yes, sir."
"For you… to end the myth."
He transformed into a black lightning bolt, rushing against the light towards the collapsing throne.
On this day.
The mist in the celestial palace dissipated. All beings looked up and saw the impossibly high celestial palace, which, in the hands of a woman in red and a swordsman in black, transformed into a sky full of dazzling fireworks.
That was the end of the data ascension.
And also the beginning of true freedom…