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--- Chapter 482 ---
After being violently and literally dragged into this current timeline, Xu Deming had spent the last several hours locked in a state of half-sleep and half-consciousness.
Han Yuan's unknown method had successfully shielded the time-traveler from the chaotic dimensional rules because of his role as the dimensional anchor for this specific alternative universe.
However, the reality of spatial displacement and planetary entrance had still been incredibly rough for Xu Deming.
Thankfully, Xu Deming was no longer a pure, fragile human. His flesh and soul had long since been dismantled and reconstructed into an incredibly intricate, hyper-detailed, and terrifyingly strong Spirit Guidance Tool that surpassed the standard limitations of his original era, and perhaps this current era as well.
To the outside world, Xu Deming's current manifestation within the cave looked no different from a churning vortex of jet-black, abyssal flames. It aggressively engulfed the surrounding rock and seawater like a greedy, insatiable parasite.
Yet, this dark fire was not actual fire. It was a swarm composed of billions of specialized Nano Precision Machines, tiny 12th-grade spirit guidance tools that could devour nearly all physical matter, rapidly breaking down the complex components of the earth and instantly converting them into refined, hyper-dense 'nano' alloys.
And they were building a brand-new vessel for Xu Deming.
The truth was, Xu Deming had cast his weak mortal shell many years ago, probably when his natural lifespan was nearing its end. So, his body didn't have a fixed humanoid shape anymore.
The one he used to communicate with Han Yuan and was trapped by Slaughter God is merely one of his vessels. Yes, it was unfortunate that his body at the time is weak to Divine Force.
So, instead, now, Xu Deming's body could continually evolve, adapt, and reinforce itself based on the raw materials his nano-swarms devoured and refined.
The singular, unyielding driving force behind this unnatural evolution was his heavily modified soul and a terrifyingly strong willpower, which served as the core of the jet-black vortex.
This was his chosen path. This was the legendary, forbidden Mechanical Ascension Path.
'Nano Precision Machine swarm... successfully accumulated the baseline structural percentages required to synthesize a first-tier Divine Mechanical Body.'
'Commencing localized physical reconstruction.'
A calm, entirely flat, and mechanical voice echoed directly within the core of Xu Deming's mind.
This voice belonged to Xu Deming's own martial soul.
It had been radically re-engineered into himself, a living Spirit Guidance Tool, merged entirely with Spirit Guidance Core Arrays to develop its own independent consciousness and cold, calculating intelligence.
Xu Deming had even named it the Glory of the Sun and Moon: Gnosia.
'Warning: Detecting multiple hostile energy signatures in the immediate outer atmosphere... Initiating multi-spectrum scans!'
Gnosia's monotonous voice reported within his mind, cutting through the static of reconstruction.
'Scan complete!"
'Target layout identified: One Quasi-God Level Powerhouse, one Limit Douluo, one Level 98 Super Douluo, one Level 97 Super Douluo, and a contingent of elite Title Douluo specialists piloting Red Mechas and wielding high-end Spirit Guidance Weaponry...'
'Calculated Threat Level: Orange (Highly Probable Engagement).'
As the dense streams of data flooded his vast mind, Xu Deming finally regained his bearing.
He felt his deeply modified soul gain partial access to the technology of the Douluo Plane before everything snapped back into place as a cold, feral grin manifested across his partially reconstructed face.
"I... am... finally... back!"
His low, guttural voice rumbled out from the depths of the underground cave. However, because the nanites forming his physical jaw and vocal cords hadn't completed their process, the sound vibrated with a strange, eerie, metallic echo.
'Hey, you idiot. Cease your shouting before I can even finish synthesizing your primary body!' Gnosia's monotonous voice suddenly cracked slightly, sounding genuinely annoyed by its master's lack of restraint.
Xu Deming chuckled softly, his mind clearing. "Hehehe, my apologies, Gnosia. I was... simply a bit too excited."
"After all, I have finally returned to my 'home' world!"
"Even if our temporal coordinates aren't quite accurate—considering the advanced Mechas and specialized Spirit Guidance Systems I glimpsed through your scans vastly exceed what my original era was capable of making—there is no mistake. This is truly my original timeline!"
Gnosia delivered a cold, analytical mental sigh. 'Affirmative.'
'According to the internal data I successfully thwarted and back-hacked from the nearest Mecha's navigation systems, we have arrived exactly two thousand and sixty-nine years into the future relative to your original point of departure.'
"Over two thousand years, huh..." Xu Deming whispered, a fleeting touch of wistfulness washing through his modified soul. "Most of the people I once fought alongside, the friends I knew..."
"...They have likely turned to dust by now."
"However, as long as the Federation still stands, and as long as the proud lineage of the Sun Moon Royal Lineage continues to endure, I am still content."
"Because I will personally bring the absolute, undisputed glory of the Sun Moon Empire back to this timeline!"
Pausing for a fraction of a second, his eyes flashed with cold light. "Have you successfully cataloged the enemy's backgrounds and allegiances?"
'Naturally,' Gnosia replied instantly, projecting a series of digitized tactical profiles directly into his visual cortex. 'The encircling strike force belongs to the upper echelon of Shrek Academy, the Tang Sect, the Clear Sky Sect, and the reclusive Sea God Clan.'
'The powerhouse from Shrek Academy is currently classified as a Quasi-God powerhouse, and the current number one man in the Federation.'
'His internal soul power reservoir indicates he is merely a single step away from forging his own God's Position.'
"A Quasi-God, yet nothing more than a pitiful lackey, a pathetic, glorified dog kept on a short leash by the Tang Clan, am I right?" Xu Deming could not help but sneer, his voice dripping with contempt.
"It is highly likely that Tang Hao, that hypocritical bastard of a father who bound himself to the core of this world as the Douluo Plane's Lord, sent this pathetic oracle down to stage a pre-emptive ambush."
"They view me as a dangerous thorn on their paved, crooked path."
'Your hypothesis aligns with my readings,' Gnosia added, updating the spatial layout. 'I have successfully detected two distinct, overlapping divine presences blanketing this entire oceanic region.'
'However, they are withholding from launching a direct assault against our coordinates.'
Crack! Snap!
With a series of sharp, pressurized metallic clicks, a striking, silver-gold silhouette rose smoothly from the shattered rocks of the cave floor.
The newly formed, sleek mechanical frame stood tall in the darkness, its surface still shimmering with residual ripples of jet-black flames.
"Heh, what a shame then. They actually can't make a move against me themselves," Xu Deming spoke, his voice now regained its once human quality, carrying indifference as his new mouth parts aligned. "Because the moment those self-proclaimed 'Gods' actively deploy their divine might upon the mortal plane..."
"The dimensional barriers will fracture, alerting the Abyss Plane to their exact spatial coordinates and triggering a fatal, multi-layered planar invasion."
"According to Brother Han's detailed explanation, that early of an abyssal eruption is a disaster for Tang San's so-called Ten Thousand Years Grand Plan."
Xu Deming's silver-gold fingers clenched into a fist, the air within his grip instantly imploding from the spatial power constriction. "Tch, how utterly disgusting."
"They intentionally choose to act as cowardly fence-sitters—watching the poor, innocent people of this world suffer, bleed, and weep, only to step down from the heavens at the final second to reap the worship and benefits of salvation."
"What a cancer! What an insatiable parasite to the growth of this beautiful world!"
Stepping forward, his glowing visual sensors pierced through the ceiling of rock, locking directly onto the silhouette of Yun Ming hovering high above the ocean storm.
"I, Xu Deming, will personally ensure they are cleansed from the face of this planet!"