Chapter 1040: Alien God Raising Plan and Universe Treasure Maker

Chapter 1040: The Alien God Cultivation Plan and the Creator of Cosmic Treasures

[Ability: Replication]

This was the Alien God's core capability, yet now it manifested upon Evans.

Han Xiao's first instinct was to suspect some hidden tie between Evans and the Alien God, his mind instantly weaving a two-million-word romance novel, but recalling the plot of his past life, he swiftly dismissed the notion.

Coincidence was far more likely; across the cosmos, psychics awakening identical powers were hardly rare, with flame manipulation, water control, and force fields being as common as street dust, making it entirely plausible for another soul capable of absorbing abilities to emerge.

Yet such a coincidence still stirred a profound sense of destiny in Han Xiao; the Alien God had been sealed within the spacetime amber for but a few years, and now a new generation of "Alien God" appeared in the outside world... Could this be a cycle, demanding yet another Wumiao King?

"I never imagined I would encounter an 'Alien God' in his fledgling days."

Han Xiao concealed a surge of delight.

Possessing [Ability: Replication] inevitably meant walking the path of devouring others' powers; Evans's own talent had been suppressed, only to now be forced to seize the gifts of others, a turn of events Han Xiao found utterly theatrical.

Clearly, without an unshakable conviction, this method of growth would easily corrupt its bearer.

Evans had endured decades of mortal existence, tasting the bitter dregs of the lowest rungs of society, so perhaps he would not shine with the same blinding arrogance as the Alien God... though he might harbor a simmering malice, ready to erupt after years of suppression, which remained entirely uncertain.

"He is a double-edged sword; if I can wield him, he becomes a force of extraordinary potential. I must steer him to my side. I have done him a favor, so his loyalty should be high, but should he ever show signs of corruption, I will have no choice but to extinguish him, lest a second Alien God arise."

Han Xiao pondered deeply.

[Ability: Replication] was formidable, yet what truly inspired dread was the Alien God himself, not the power.

In the Alien God's hands, every absorbed ability could unleash Super-A rank devastation; without a foundation of strength, hoarding countless powers was futile... a flurry of movements fierce as a tiger, yet dealing damage worth a mere two hundred and fifty, for no matter how flamboyant the techniques, one remained nothing but a laughingstock.

Absorbing abilities merely expanded one's combat repertoire, functioning as skills rather than rapidly elevating one's rank or attributes; thus, for Evans to ascend in tier, there was no shortcut, only the same gradual tempering as any other psychic, and even with a gift like [Top-Tier Psychic Affinity Physique], he could not leap to the heavens in a single bound.

Evans had only just awakened, his power still pitifully weak, hovering around E-rank standards; though his reference template was the awe-inspiring Alien God, how long had that entity lived? How much combat experience had he amassed? For Evans to reach the Super-A tier, the day might not arrive for centuries.

Because this ability was so exceedingly rare, Han Xiao wished to chart a growth path for him, lest such a gift be squandered.

The Alien God's precedent had already revealed the limits of [Ability: Replication]; absorbing too many powers risked the collapse of one's genetic chain.

This meant the upper limit of abilities Evans could absorb would shift with his tier; once exceeded, he would perish from genetic collapse, making it naturally impossible to possess tens of thousands of powers at a low rank.

However, owing to Evans's psychic affinity physique, at an equal tier, his absorption limit should surpass that of the Alien God.

Moreover, [Ability: Replication] did not guarantee success upon absorption, but required a judgment check; the Alien God primarily targeted psychics of lower tiers, then channeled his own might through their powers to unleash Super-A devastation, ensuring smooth progress.

In Han Xiao's memory lay a certain brother named Jiumozhi, who wielded the Bald Seventy-Two Ultimate Techniques through the Little Formless Art, a combat style remarkably akin to the Alien God's.

Yet, seizing the powers of foes at the same tier or higher rendered the success rate vanishingly slim.

Therefore, for Evans to absorb higher-tier beings, exceedingly harsh prerequisites applied: the target must be on the brink of death, with stamina, vigor, and vitality critically depleted, or captured and bound; in short, absorption could only succeed when a higher-tier target was utterly incapable of resistance.

"The Alien God has hoarded abilities for so many years that he himself constitutes a prime repository of rare materials; his primary combat powers synergize with terrifying potency... alas, separated by the spacetime amber, Evans cannot draw from him, and should the seal be broken, the Alien God would simply flee; after merely a few decades, his consciousness would not so easily fade, so to be safe, he must remain locked away for at least five centuries."

The amber isolated all energy, rendering the Alien God's physical condition unobservable from without; he could not risk the entity's escape by rashly shattering the seal.

Han Xiao shelved the thought, pondering Evans's growth trajectory, and soon a clear path emerged.

"Evans is ill-suited for the Alien God's path; he should follow a route of calculated absorption, taking few but fine, ensuring a lifetime of prosperity."

The Alien God was mighty, yet his hoard of abilities pushed his genetic chain to the brink of collapse; ninety-nine percent of his powers went unused in battle, merely weighing down his true strength.

—Though the Legion possessed Aurora, a supreme healer, Han Xiao saw no need for her to interact with Evans frequently, perhaps only providing him with vitality potions.

The Alien God's compulsion to absorb so many powers stemmed partly from his obsession: to manually fuse ultra-high-risk abilities, force his own metamorphosis, shatter the ceiling of peak Super-A rank, and become an entirely new "lifeform."

Furthermore, this obsession likely sprang from his past; Han Xiao had reviewed his records, and in his weak days, the Alien God was perpetually alone, forced to rely solely on himself, trusting only his own strength, which drove him to become "omnipotent," forever needing no companions.

Evans had no such necessity, so reckless absorption was entirely unnecessary; selecting only useful and formidable powers might well be the truer path.

Seeing Black Star stand with his back turned, silent for a long while, Evans's confusion deepened, and he could not help but speak:

"Lord Black Star, what exactly..."

Han Xiao returned to the present, turning to pat Evans's shoulder. "Your ability is to absorb the powers of others; it is a gift of considerable potential..."

After explaining it once, Evans finally grasped his own nature, but his brows soon furrowed.

"I do not particularly care for this kind of ability..."

Evans's expression was troubled; having his own talent suppressed for decades, he empathized deeply with that sensation, harboring a profound aversion to any power that stole the gifts of others.

Hearing this, Han Xiao inwardly rolled his eyes.

Do you think you are buying cabbage at a market, picking and choosing to your heart's content?

Clearing his throat, Master Technician Han shifted to a gentle tone and said:

"Rest assured; since you now belong to me, I shall naturally guide your growth. Fear not, for I will not permit you to randomly drain others, so need not struggle; no one forces you down the path of crime.

At the same time, I hope you can resist temptation yourself; do not covet another's power simply because it shines, nor dream of claiming it as your own. True strength lies within oneself; do not rush in haste and stray from the right path.

The Alien God stands as a cautionary tale; he descended into corruption, wrought havoc everywhere, and made countless enemies, only to end up imprisoned by our group, stripped of his freedom. So do not follow his example in this regard; remain as low-key as I, understand?"

Listening to Black Star's admonition, Evans nodded.

He too had heard of the infamous Alien God; though they shared the same ability, he knew they were not of the same breed, silently vowing to preserve his true heart and never succumb to such corruption.

After a few more instructions, Han Xiao ordered several mechanical warriors to escort Evans away.

Left alone in the chamber, he stroked his chin and murmured to himself:

"This fellow's ability is worth cultivating; so long as he does not narrow his path, time will surely forge him into a powerhouse. As for how to help him acquire powers... heh, for me, this is actually the simplest part."

Han Xiao chuckled softly.

In his past life, the Alien God had long attempted to absorb players' abilities, so Han Xiao knew precisely what the outcome would be...

It was entirely feasible!

Though players resurrected, their bodies were physical; aside from peculiar restrictions and turning into light upon death, they bled and suffered injuries in normal combat, manifesting as various debuffs.

In version 1.0, certain factions even attempted to dissect players; though limited by health bars, the players usually boiled into soup... cough, turned into light, after just the initial incision, the harvested blood remained indistinguishable from that of ordinary species.

Should a psychic-class player be drained by the Alien God, they too would lose their ability, entering a [Ability Freeze] state where all psychic-related functions turned gray; this condition was permanent, unremovable by any skill, just as if a normal NPC had been stripped of their power...

Yet!

Upon the player's death and resurrection, their status refreshed, and their ability would miraculously restore!

This touched upon the mechanics of [Ability: Replication]; the process of ability activation could be simply summarized as: Seizure—Analysis—Genetic Chain Construction—Solidification—Storage.

After seizing an ability, [Ability: Replication] would decompose and analyze it, ultimately storing it within the bearer's body in the form of a genetic chain; this chain was composed of a special substance generated by the ability itself, belonging to the bearer's own physiology, and would not vanish when the player disappeared.

Thus, in the past life, players began offering themselves as sacrifices to the Alien God in exchange for currency, an unprecedented phenomenon that forced the Three Great Civilizations to enact special policies declaring that any Immortal willingly providing abilities to the Alien God would be branded a fugitive and expelled from the Order faction... though players were exceedingly cunning, this policy rarely took effect.

Nevertheless, the Alien God was no philanthropist; constrained by genetic chain load, he would only strike at abilities that intrigued him, otherwise, even if players offered themselves up, he would refuse...

The players' actions even sparked a comical misunderstanding; initially, the Alien God suspected a conspiracy by the Three Great Civilizations, sending agents to feed him kills to shatter his genetic chain, and after slaughtering several, he realized they were genuinely coming to offer... cough, to donate abilities.

Even the Alien God was stunned, uttering a famous line to the players: "Had I met you sooner, I might have become a good man."

Lost in thought, Han Xiao could not help but grin widely.

"So, acquiring abilities requires no personal effort on my part; I need only issue quests to psychic-class players with sufficient rewards, and they will come knocking..."

In this way, tens of millions of psychic-class players would become a colossal repository of materials!!

And no one would die; entirely legal!

Though Evans's development path was set on selective and quality absorption, such a vast array of materials meant he could carefully choose, seek complementary powers, forge diverse tactics, and achieve the most flawless combination!

At the thought, Han Xiao was utterly electrified; in that very instant, a fresh scheme took root within his mind.

“Philip!”

“Here. Hum.”

“Draft a new directive: catalog every ability possessed by the legion’s immortal operatives of the psionic class, and simulate tactical synergies tailored to their effects. Each combination shall comprise a minimum of two abilities and a temporary maximum of ten. File this under the highest clearance protocols, and ensure Evans’s existence is never mentioned.”

“Acknowledged. Hum. It will consume a fraction of my processing cycles. What shall we name the initiative?”

“No name is necessary. A designation will suffice.”

Han Xiao had nearly settled on something grandiose like the Hetero-Divine Cultivation Initiative, but after a moment’s reflection, he let the notion slip away.

Though his private archives were virtually impervious to intrusion, Han Xiao opted for the discretion that suited his nature.

He had already resolved to keep Evans shelved until maturity, hoarding him as a concealed trump card.

“Come to think of it, with the Evolution Cube and the Chrono-Ambrosia in my grasp, and Hela and Aurora already serving the legion, I am indeed drawing too much attention. Were I to broadcast my intention to forge a second-generation hetero-divine entity… a sharp intake of breath… I fear every rival would band together to strip me bare.”

The mere image sent a shiver down his spine; he knew better than to court such calamity.

He allowed himself a moment to steady his nerves, then turned back to his labors, resuming the assembly of the Sovereign Mech that stood half-finished.

Whether it was the lingering fortune Evans had left behind or mere coincidence, the moment Han Xiao completed the final calibration and the Sovereign Mech solidified into its final form, the interface flickered to life.

[You have forged a gold-tier artifact (Universal Relic)]

[You have received resonance from the Divine Instrument]

[You have acquired 1 point of Divine Metamorphosis (non-repeatable for identical blueprints)]

[A random attribute has decreased by 200 points… Randomizing… Complete. Your Luck has decreased by 200 points]

[You have gained 200 free attribute points]

[You have unlocked the first tier of Divine Instrument augmentation: base crafting success rate for gold-tier blueprints increased by 2.5%, base research success rate for gold-tier blueprints increased by 1.2%]

[You have acquired a new specialization: Artificer of Universal Relics!]