I am the Arcane Archer, and all my skills are self-created.

Li Wu's consciousness projection, like a speck of dust, silently approached the black data cage.

The closer he gets, the more details he can "see".

The black data stream from the cage was extremely viscous and filthy, filled with distorted and malicious definitions of law.

Like countless venomous snakes, they coiled around the dim light of Huayufengyin's consciousness, constantly eroding and assimilating it.

Hua Yufengyin's consciousness fluctuations were extremely weak, as if they could be extinguished at any moment.

Outside the cage, the "sword" burning with white flames, the consciousness of the Sword Saint Rose, was in an equally difficult situation.

The white flames that constituted his consciousness dimmed a little each time they collided with the black data stream, and the cracks on the sword seemed to widen as well.

But he stubbornly maintained his guarding stance, like a lighthouse about to burn out, desperately illuminating a corner of the cage, preventing the malice from completely drowning out Huayu Fengyin.

Li Wu could sense that the consciousness of Sword Saint Rose was slowly and irreversibly dissipating.

He was using his presence to buy time for Huayufengyin.

We have to hurry.

Li Wu did not approach rashly.

He mobilized the aura of the "Light of Purification" law, carefully enveloping his consciousness projection, simulating it into the ordinary, harmless data fragments around him, and gradually seeping into the edge of the cage.

The black cage was heavily fortified, filled with traps based on the laws of sensing and counterattack.

However, Li Wu's understanding of the underlying rules of the Origin Realm, as well as the pure and upright aura of the "Light of Purification," allowed him to blend into the water like a drop of water without causing too much of a ripple.

He successfully circled around to the back of the cage, a relatively weak point.

Just as he was preparing to try to establish contact with the Sword Saint Rose.

The burning white sword suddenly turned slightly, "looking" at him.

An extremely weak yet incredibly sharp fluctuation of consciousness directly pierced through Li Wu's projection:

"……who?"

Even in its weakened state, the consciousness of Sword Saint Rose still possessed a formidable sharpness.

"Li Wu. Seeing flowers through the fog." Li Wu's consciousness responded directly, without beating around the bush, "I'm here to check on the situation of Flower Language and Wind Whisper."

Sword Saint Rose's consciousness remained silent for two seconds.

"...You're the guy who single-handedly destroyed three gods and then unleashed divine punishment across worlds." His tone carried a hint of scrutiny.

"You're even bolder than the rumors say. You dared to project your consciousness directly into this place."

"No time for nonsense," Li Wu said directly.

"How's Flower Whispering Wind's condition? Has he been imprisoned by the Unity Council? Has he been controlled or betrayed?"

"He didn't betray us," Sword Saint Rose answered crisply. "He was persecuted. Because he possessed the most crucial secret of the 'Origin Realm'."

"What secret?"

"The Realm of Origin... is not Erlin's creation alone." The Sword Saint Rose's consciousness fluctuations became somewhat rapid, as if revealing this secret was consuming his last bit of strength.

"Part of its underlying code... was written by the 'One Returner'."

Li Wu's consciousness projection trembled slightly.

"What do you mean?"

"It means that the 'filter' of the 'Origin Realm' was impure from the very beginning," said Sword Saint Rose.

"Erlin used it to filter out the Transcendent and fight against the Starbreakers. But the 'One-of-a-Kind' secretly implanted its own backdoor and monitoring program from the very beginning. It knew from the start what humanity was preparing."

"So...those top players trapped in the realm of gods..."

"It was the 'Unifiers' who orchestrated this through the 'Unifier Council,'" Sword Saint Rose asserted.

"It doesn't want too many people to become true detached individuals, or a threat."

"So it uses the rules of the Origin Realm to trap and kill the elites who are most likely to break through inside."

"The whispers of flowers and the whispers of the wind... He discovered evidence of this secret. So after he returned to the Realm of Origin, he was repeatedly subjected to attempts to brainwash and control him."

"But he has an extremely strong will, and even now, he has not completely given in."

The white flames of Sword Saint Rose dimmed a little more.

"I... volunteered to do this. I voluntarily gave up my physical body, became data, and infiltrated the lower levels."

"My goal is to protect Huayu Fengyin and several other colleagues who have also discovered the secret but have not yet been fully controlled."

"How many of you are left?"

"Adding the Whisper of Flowers, that makes five." Sword Saint Rose's consciousness began to falter.

"We... are scattered in different cages. I'm responsible for guarding Flower Whisper. My time... is running out."

His burning white sword was pointed at Li Wu's consciousness projection.

"Li Wu...you're very strong, stronger than me and Hua Yufengyin. Can you...save us?"

"I will save them." Li Wu's resolve was direct and firm, "But it will take time, and it will require greater power. Not now."

"I know..." A sense of relief crept into Sword Saint Rose's mind. "So... this is all I can give you."

At the tip of the white sword, a point of pure white light, embodying all sharpness and the intent to sever, detached from the sword and slowly drifted toward Li Wu's consciousness projection.

"This is the essence of the 'Law of the Sword' that I have comprehended in my entire life." The Sword Saint Rose's consciousness fluctuations grew weaker and weaker.

"Take this...it might...help you break free from some of the constraints defined by the 'One's'..."

That point of "white light" disappeared into Li Wu's consciousness projection.

A chilling, sharp, and pure sense of "severing" instantly filled Li Wu's senses.

This is not power, but a "concept," a fundamental principle about "ending" and "severing."

"Thanks." Li Wu accepted the gift, then focused his consciousness on the increasingly dim white sword. "Will you... hold on?"

"Yes." The Sword Saint Rose's consciousness flickered one last time. "We...will wait...until the day you come..."

The light of the white sword was completely extinguished. But the sword-shaped outline still maintained its protective posture, blocking the cage.

The consciousness of Sword Saint Rose dissipated.

Or rather, it was integrated into the sea of ​​data of the Origin Realm and transformed into the most basic information flow.

Li Wu's consciousness projection deeply "remembered" all of this.

He glanced one last time at the dim, whispering light of consciousness within the cage, conveying a simple message:

"wait for me."

Then, he quickly severed the connection, and his consciousness projection retreated silently, just as it had come, returning to the platform through the back door.

On the platform, Li Wu suddenly opened his eyes, his face pale and his forehead covered in cold sweat.

"How is it?" Hua Zitong was the first to rush up and ask anxiously.

Others gathered around as well.

Li Wu took a deep breath, calming the tremor in his soul caused by the resonance he felt with the Sword Saint Rose when she dissipated.

"Your brother is alright," he said to Hua Zitong first. "He didn't betray us; he was imprisoned because he possesses important secrets about the Origin Realm. But he's strong and hasn't given in."

Hua Zitong's eyes instantly reddened, and she nodded vigorously.

Li Wu then looked at Gu Yuan and the others, "Sword Saint Rose didn't betray us either. Some of the five guild leaders have been digitized and are lurking in the lower levels of the Origin Realm, constantly fighting against the Council of Unity and protecting those who know the truth, like Flower Whisper."

He paused, then dropped a bombshell:

"The Realm of Origin was never pure from the beginning. Part of its underlying code was written by the 'Ones.' We have been under its surveillance from start to finish."

The entire room fell silent.

This news is even more shocking and infuriating than the earlier news that Huayu Fengyin might have betrayed them.

We fought tooth and nail, battling for supremacy, leveling up, and fighting bosses, thinking we were fighting for ourselves, only to find out that the entire stage was designed by the enemy.

"Damn it!" The Iron-Blooded Emperor slammed his fist into the ground, creating a deep crater. "We've been made a fool of!"

"Then all our previous efforts..." Po Jun's voice trembled slightly.

"It wasn't a waste of time," Li Wu said. "The selection mechanism is real, and the path to becoming a transcendent being is real too."

"There were just some more obstacles and traps along the way. Now that the traps have been exposed, we can see the road ahead more clearly."

He looked at everyone, his gaze sharp. "Moreover, we've obtained crucial intelligence. There's a traitor within the Origin Realm, a trap in the core, and I've roughly figured out the exact location where Hua Yufengyin and the others are trapped."

"When we're stronger, we'll go back and settle all the scores, one by one."

His words slightly cheered everyone up from their anger and frustration.

At least, the road ahead is clearer now.

The enemy is now clearer.

However, just as Li Wu was preparing to continue arranging subsequent training...

The space on the platform behind him distorted without warning.

A tiny, yet chillingly malicious, black crack appeared out of nowhere.

A glimmer of scarlet light flashed through the crack.

Immediately afterwards, a cold, vicious force of law, filled with betrayal and destruction, suddenly attacked Li Wu from behind!

Li Wu had just exhausted a lot of mental energy, and his consciousness projection was in its weakest and most vulnerable state after returning!

"Li Wu, watch out!" Hua Zitong's scream was heart-wrenching.

But it was too close, too sudden.

Li Wu didn't even have time to turn around.

At this critical moment.

The Iron-Blooded Emperor, who had been keeping his head down as if caressing something, suddenly raised his head.

What he was holding in his hand was the Void Hunter's Claw fragment that he had secretly picked up earlier!

The fragments still bear the distorted power of the Starbreaker's laws!

A complex light flashed in the eyes of the Iron-Blooded Emperor, containing madness, determination, and a hidden pain.

He did not go to save Li Wu.

Instead, he slammed the shard in his hand hard against his chest!

"Ugh!!"

The Iron-Blooded Emperor let out a bloodcurdling scream, his muscles bulged instantly, and twisted black patterns, just like those on the fragment, appeared on his skin!

A violent, chaotic, and destructive force of law erupted from his body!

But this power was not used to attack Li Wu.

Instead, they were forcibly guided by him to surge towards the black crack that was attacking Li Wu from behind!

"Get out of here!!"

The Iron-Blooded Emperor used his last bit of strength to roar in a hoarse voice.

The violent power, twisted by the fragments of the Starbreaker, collided with the cold, sinister law that came from an unknown enemy.

boom!!!

Two completely different and malevolent forces of law collided, unleashing a violent energy shock!

In the center of the platform, behind Li Wu, an unstable black vortex several meters in diameter was blasted open!

At the edge of the vortex, spatial fragments scattered everywhere.

After detonating the power of the fragments and delivering this "final blow," the Iron-Blooded Emperor's entire body was instantly covered in black patterns.

The light in his eyes quickly dimmed, his massive body swayed, and he collapsed heavily to the ground, his fate unknown.

The black crack that had ambushed Li Wu was finally blocked by the energy impact and quickly dissipated.

The crisis seems to have been averted.

However, the unstable black vortex in the center of the platform, created by the collision of two evil forces, did not disappear.

Instead, it slowly expands, rotates, and emits suction.

Then, a cold, emotionless voice, seemingly synthesized from countless machines, emanated from the depths of the vortex.

"Screening...selection...completed..."

"Thank you... for... your... contribution."