"Moo~~~ Si..."

The Sea Sand Four Ox let out a low groan, moved its eyelids again, and slowly opened its huge, bewildered, clear, and innocent eyes.

It was like a newborn baby opening its eyes to the world for the first time.

Filled with bewilderment.

As soon As it opened its eyes, it was met with ten and a half pairs of eyes of various sizes and shapes, almost being sent away by this 'new world' directly.

"Don't all crowd around it. Can't you see you've scared it?"

Noticing the fear, shock, and bewilderment in the ox's eyes, Yaoxuan quickly shooed away the few who had gathered around, including Mingxi and Guangguang.

Then, with a friendly expression, it said, "Don't be afraid. We are your Transcendent saviors and benefactors. How do you feel now?"

Perhaps Yaoxuan's innate affinity played a role, As the uneasy Sea Sand Four Ox indeed became less agitated.

It first stared at Yaoxuan curiously for two seconds, then scanned Mingxi and Golden Ingot Eight, not forgetting to cast a glance at Guangguang.

Only then did it see the Sea Sand Four Ox herd lying all over the ground.

It blinked, then blinked again.

It recognized these As its kin, but something felt strange?

What was it?

Long-term pollution and slumber kept its mind in a chaotic, hazy state; colloquially, its brain was still buzzing, and its processing speed was very slow.

Yaoxuan, being such a thoughtful pet, knew what was happening with its condition without even using its abilities.

It explained, "We've collected the Si Horns from you and your kin. After all, digging you out and clearing the pollution from your bodies requires immense energy, physical strength, and materials. We are strangers, unrelated, and have no reason to do this for you for free, so the Si Horns are the compensation for saving you."

It was very direct, very real, and a little impersonal.

But this Sea Sand Four Ox accepted it very easily.

In fact, most Transcendent creatures aren't so convoluted; for them, direct demands are more satisfactory than circuitous probing.

"Sisi."

It nodded, indicating, "So that's it." It finally understood the source of the strangeness.

It turned out their Si Horns had been collected, and their heads had become bald.

Looking again at the group of Transcendent creatures and humans before it, they seemed to be the legendary Beastmaster.

Feeling that its own condition, though heavy, had no other discomforts, it knew the other party had not deceived it.

They were saved.

"Sisi."

It solemnly expressed its gratitude, not angered by the other party taking without asking.

As the other party said, they were unrelated; why should they expend great effort to save them without benefit?

Pre-collecting 'compensation' was understandable.

Listening to the translation, Mingxi couldn't help but sigh, the Sea Sand Four Ox was truly a sensible and understanding race.

How comforting this attitude was.

Even being a saint didn't feel like a problem.

At this moment, the light of the Clear Core Flower gradually dimmed, its petals slightly closed, falling into slumber, and slowly returned to Little Silver Flower's hand.

After the light of purification dissipated, silence reigned for a moment.

Immediately, following the first Sea Sand Four Ox, the second, third... hundreds of Sea Sand Si Oxen successively awakened, shaking their huge heads and letting out low, bewildered moos.

When they realized that the painful nightmares and pollution that had entangled them for countless years had completely disappeared, their moos turned into joyful and relieved cheers.

The leader, the first Sea Sand Four Ox to awaken, looked at Mingxi and her companions, its eyes filled with human-like gratitude.

Through Yaoxuan, it conveyed its gratitude to Mingxi and ✧ NоvеIight ✧ (Original source) roughly explained the circumstances that led their race into this predicament.

"...Although our race enjoys being natural and free-spirited, we are not so casual As to disregard life and death.

The entire race falling into slumber was not voluntary.

It was our chief; it was the first to detect the terrifying nature of that abnormal pollution.

But by the time it was noticed, it was already too late.

To prevent our kin from losing their minds under the erosion of pollution and turning into monsters that only knew destruction, it used its sole innate skill—【Eternal Slumber's Protection】.

It sacrificed its own life and soul energy, forcibly making all of our Sea Sand Si Oxen fall into a slumber that could not be completely controlled by pollution. Only when the pollution within us is fully purified will we awaken from slumber..."

Listening to Yaoxuan's expressive retelling, Mingxi and the others finally understood why the Sea Sand Si Oxen, despite being severely polluted, could sleep 'so soundly'.

It turned out that behind this seemingly ridiculous collective slumber, such a tragic and great sacrifice was hidden.

Their chief was a great Transcendent creature.

That resolute and decisive willingness to sacrifice everything for the survival of the group was not something everyone possessed.

After being sincerely thanked by the Sea Sand Si Oxen for quite a while, not a single ox showed anger, dissatisfaction, or other emotions towards Mingxi and the others for losing their Si Horns in their sleep.

They were rational and clear-headed.

Or perhaps, they were just too lazy to get angry.

Bidding farewell to the Sea Sand Four Ox herd, Mingxi and her group set off again.

"As."

Black Pearl kept muttering all the way.

As for what it was muttering about?

Because the Sea Sand Si Oxen didn't give them farewell gifts, it said these oxen were shrewd and stingy, incomparable to their Youhai Mermaids.

Mingxi tapped its forehead and chuckled, "We've taken all their horns. What else do you expect from them?

Moreover, Sea Sand Si Oxen are not like your Youhai Mermaids. Their habits dictate that they won't hoard wealth in large quantities, unless you want to eat what they store in their food sacs."

Mingxi didn't even expect any other gestures from the Sea Sand Si Oxen.

Lazy creatures are generally poor, let alone a race whose ancestors were all lazy. Expecting them to have a huge treasure trove like the Mermaids is like a commoner seeing a goddess chasing him to marry him in broad daylight—a dream!

After all, diligence leading to wealth isn't just an empty saying.

"As."

That was the logic, but Black Pearl still felt the Sea Sand Si Oxen were impolite.

They were poor, but didn't they still have shells they could shed?

They were too embarrassed to help them shed, so couldn't they be more proactive themselves?

Mingxi, hearing its grumbling, "..."

She silently looked at the elegant snake beside her, who was smiling like a spring breeze, feeling that ever since contracting Yaoxuan, the other treasures in the house had become a bit... 'deified'?

I dare not open my eyes, hoping it's my illusion.

"What are you looking at?"

Yaoxuan, noticing her sharp gaze, blinked, bewildered and innocent, proud and noble.

Mingxi chuckled.

Didn't want to look anymore, her eyes hurt.

As time passed, they no longer knew which deep gully or Earth's core they had strayed into; the surrounding pressure grew increasingly intense.

The air was extremely thin.

Or rather, there was no air at all.

Oxygen equipment was required for activity throughout.

The gas flowing in the space was instead a viscous and cold existence.

Like an invisible malice, every step, every breath, every gaze carried a heavy resistance.

What were originally scattered pollution patches had completely merged into one, covering everything As far As the eye could see, like an ugly, never-healing sore spreading across the seabed, emitting a nauseating aura of decay.

"The rule fragments... are wailing."

Guangguang said softly.

It also indicated that they had finally found their destination for this journey.

Mingxi could clearly sense a deep-seated pain and tearing sensation, originating from the world's core, surging from ahead in waves like an invisible tide.

Her physical fitness had reached SSS-level peak, her brain domain development exceeded 90%, and her sensitivity to energy and rule fluctuations was extreme.

The mysterious world wound slowly unveiled its ferocious and bizarre veil before them.

The first thing they encountered was a distorted "rule fragment belt."

The space here was very unstable, filled with subtle cracks that were difficult for the naked eye to detect but incredibly clear in perception.

Occasionally, fragmented rules would manifest As concrete phenomena.

It might be a sudden reversal of gravity, sucking up seabed silt to form bizarre inverted hills;

It might be a disruption of time flow, where a small patch of seaweed from an unknown epoch, pulled in, would wildly grow at a visible speed and then instantly wither and rot;

Or it might be the collapse of elemental order, with flames burning out of nowhere, while next to them, unmelting solid ice would condense. 𝓯𝙧𝙚𝒆𝙬𝙚𝒃𝙣𝙤𝒗𝓮𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢

Walking here was like dancing on a knife's edge; every step could trigger an unknown rule trap.

"Never touch those fragments!

These are absolutely not your opportunities, but disasters!

Even a Celestial Mystery Nine Radiance Python could be assimilated if it touched these rule fragments!"

Guangguang laid out the harsh truth first.

So everyone was very careful, not daring to overstep the bounds.

Fearing that with one misstep, they would be eternalized.

So, the question arose.

How to eliminate these dangerous existences that could explode and kill them at any moment like landmines?

"..."

"Please begin your performance." Mingxi gestured to Guangguang with a 'you go first' motion.

Guangguang, an AI, a mechanical beast, jammed for the first time.

"..."

Its intelligent program almost showed garbled characters.

After a long while, it returned to normal operation, restoring its authority, "To clear these rule fragments, there are two methods: one is to eliminate them, and the other is to complete their missing parts, and they will naturally integrate into the World Will."

Mingxi cosplayed the crooked-mouthed Dragon King, smiling wickedly, "How to eliminate them? Connect-the-dots, or Collapse?"

Several pairs of eyes followed Mingxi's steps, staring, smirking.

Guangguang suddenly felt that having a body wasn't so great after all.

In fact, being an invisible string of data was also a kind of happiness.

"You can eliminate them with complete rules, such As rule-type skills or rule items."

It wasn't too difficult; rule-type skills were indeed rare, but Golden Ingot and the others were the best among Transcendent creatures and could generally shine brightly.

Mingxi also had no shortage of rule items.

"What about completing them?"

Guangguang looked at her, "Then that will depend on you, Master. Your Drawing Spirit should be able to complete these rule fragments, but doing so will be much more difficult than you simply drawing a single rule character, As they are chaotic and fragmented, constantly disappearing and changing."

Mingxi understood immediately.

Rules, in essence, were the manifestation of rule characters, just like chen guan's ability, which was composed of rule characters.

"Eliminate or complete?"

Mingxi, without thinking, decided to challenge herself.

She was well aware of the importance of improving Drawing Spirit.

There weren't many ways for her brain domain development to break through 100% and her physical fitness level to exceed the human development limit within two years.

Aside from the pets' feedback, Breathing Method and Drawing Spirit were the only two avenues she could think of.

Just As Guangguang said, completing rule fragments was extremely difficult, but precisely because of this, it was more worth challenging, and the potential rewards after success could be greater.

Mingxi also didn't lack time now; apart from needing to visit Anji Country for the formless chess, she...

The conditions at the Earth's core under the sea were a bit poor, but she had the Time Realm As a backup, so she didn't need to worry about insufficient supplies.

However, Mingxi was not an autocratic person; she earnestly sought the opinions of Golden Ingot Nine Treasures.

After all, with so many rule fragments, if they wanted to complete them, it would definitely not be a workload that could be finished in one or two days.

"Xiao Xixi, actually, even if you didn't choose to complete them, I would still advise you to."

While Golden Ingot and the others were considering, Yaoxuan's words immediately caught everyone's attention.

It said, "Just As Guangguang Bear said, these rule fragments can indeed be forcibly erased, but have you ever thought that this is a world wound? Erasing them is actually equivalent to erasing a part of the world, like cutting flesh and bone, meaning a certain rule will completely disappear."

"Perhaps the disappearance of one or two rules won't have a significant impact on the entire world in the short term, but you all know about the butterfly effect, right?"

"I can boldly speculate that if we erase all these rule fragments today, then we will not only fail to gain the World Will's approval but may also offend 'It' to death."

Yaoxuan's eyes were As clear As Moon Lake; it was not being an alarmist.

Mingxi had no reaction, but Guangguang broke out in a cold sweat.

Although As an AI and a mechanical beast, it had no sweat glands and couldn't actually break out in a cold sweat.

It actually hadn't 'thought' of this point, only using simple needs to derive the process, almost leading its master into a ditch.

Does artificial intelligence really never replace the wisdom of living beings?

Or was it because it... "Dong!"

Mingxi suddenly flicked Guangguang's bear head.

"You've noticed it too, haven't you? You're more like a wise life form now."

Guangguang's change was subtle. As the Advanced Level AI of the Time Realm, it inherently possessed a super-strong emotion simulation mechanism.

So it would joke, create surprises, and encourage and support them.

But a program is a program after all; its operation process was perfect for them, but it always lacked 'itself'.

For example, Mingxi named all the pets, and they had many exclusive 'terms of endearment' for each other, but Guangguang always referred to them by their species names.

This was a basic setting in its code instructions.

When did Mingxi notice its change?

Probably when it proactively suggested wanting to have a body.

That was the first time Guangguang showed its own 'desire'.

"Desire, emotions, and feelings will indeed prevent you from calculating and thinking about problems more rationally, objectively, and standardly, but that doesn't mean it's bad."