Regardless of whether it is the Primordial Realm or the Universal Realm, history is not short of cultivators who have attempted to transform all or part of their Dao Body into mechanical magic treasures! This unique method of cultivation is called the "Mechanic Path."
However, almost no cultivator who embarks on this path can successfully cultivate to the Divine Bridge Realm. In a certain sense, no matter how complex, precise, and magical mechanical magic treasures are, they cannot compare to the human body; practicing such a modification method is indeed a case of sacrificing the substance for the shadow!
More extreme external cultivators, such as Li Zhong, an elite disciple from Stars Peak, had already fallen into the hands of a Heavenly Demon and become a demon head many years ago. He cultivated the Heavenly Fire Body Refining Mantra, merely regarding his flesh as a magic treasure to refine, but it was still a body of flesh and blood after all. The objective of this method was to strengthen one's vitality to better advance their Cultivation Realm. Cultivators of this type do not have any defects in their Dao Body, which is essentially different from those who practice the "Mechanic Path."
Once a part of the body is transformed into a mechanical magic treasure and replaced with materials such as gold, wood, jade, or stone instead of the original limbs or organs, the cultivator's Dao Body will have flaws.
This is not much of a problem for those below the Golden Core Realm. However, when condensing the Golden Core, due to the defects in the Dao Body, the transformation of Essence and Qi will struggle to reach perfection. Thus, they are naturally unable to form a middle or high-grade Golden Core. Even if fortunate enough to form a defective Golden Core, there is not a single chance to erect the Divine Bridge!
Unless they abandon their broken Dao Body and shift to cultivating other methods with their soul, becoming a being similar to a Soul Ghost. However, in this way, their form of existence is neither fish nor fowl—neither a Human Cultivator nor a true Soul Ghost. Without a great opportunity, it is impossible to advance their cultivation in this lifetime!
Yu Yan, for example, was a former core disciple of the Riverside Sect who possessed a Fire Spirit Body. His Dao Body was damaged in the chaotic flow of time and space in the River of the Dead. He then shifted to cultivating other methods to protect his soul from destruction, but his cultivation came to a halt in the Spirit Sea Realm.
Later, Yu Yan received seven Soul-binding Nails from Shen Mo. He found a newly deceased body and, using the Soul-binding Nails, forcibly integrated his soul with the mismatched corpse. He recovered to look like a normal person, but his cultivation has never progressed, and he can only serve as a Red Robed Elder!
However, according to Shen Mo, the special endowment of Yu Yan's Fire Spirit Body did not completely disappear with the destruction of his physical body. His soul still carries a trace of the spiritual body's unique properties. Relying on this faint essence, he is constantly integrating with his newly acquired body. When the integration of Soul Body reaches its peak, perhaps he can continue to advance his cultivation and step onto the path of immortality once again!
Getting back to the main topic.
This Evil Land, formed under the influence of the "Residual Resentment" from a Withering Realm and projecting a mirage-like scene, must have some connection to that withered world.
Perhaps the "Mechanic Path" was prevalent in that world. As it withered and moved towards decay, detaching from the Universe Tree, the strong intentions of the creatures in this "Artificial Realm" influenced the "will of heaven and earth"—much like in the Cancering Realm. This influence established the "Mechanic Path" as the unique "Grand Dao" of this world, enhancing the strength of its creatures and allowing them to survive and multiply even in harsh environments!
If this is the case, it would not be hard to understand that some creatures in this realm were born with bodies partially composed of mechanical parts.
As their cultivation realm progresses, cultivators who practice the Mechanic Path gradually increase the proportion of mechanical parts in their bodies. The materials used become increasingly strange and extraordinary, and their profound aspects are no less than those of normal cultivators. They might even be favored and recognized by The Heavens, allowing creatures in this realm to glimpse the Great Path and cultivate to the Divine Bridge Realm (Class V)!
However, Divine Bridge Immortal Masters who achieved their realm using the "Mechanic Path" were considered practitioners of "the way of justice" in their original world and could unleash immense power. If given the opportunity—like other wandering races from the Outer Zone—by refining forbidden lands, they could descend upon other worlds or achieve Ascension to the Immortal Realm. However, the "Mechanic Path" would still be considered a Small Path, and Divine Bridge Immortal Masters who achieved their realm through this path would be weaker than typical Divine Bridge Realm cultivators!
"Your conjectures remind me of something," Puppet Yama said suddenly. "I have an intricately constructed mechanical heart. It may be the remains of a mechanic cultivator..."
Following that, Qin Zhen, from within Puppet Yama's internal space, began searching around.
A moment later, she manipulated Yama to open his mouth and spit out a glittering golden object. This object appeared to be crafted from pure gold, composed of numerous exquisitely made, precise components, forming a shape and size very close to a normal human heart.
"This is a peculiar item I chanced upon while treasure hunting in some ruins not long after I condensed my Golden Core."
"Its materials are quite ordinary, but its intricate construction rivals that of any complex magic treasure. I originally thought it was a component from a high-class puppet and kept it with me for research. It proved quite helpful in my puppet making!"
"After I thoroughly understood this item, I tossed it into a corner of my storage space and haven't looked at it for two or three hundred years."
"At the time, I didn't connect this item to this Evil Spirit. Reflecting on it now, this mechanical heart might indeed be from a cultivator of this world! Based on the quality of its materials, I'd say the cultivator was likely at the Spirit Sea Realm before their death."
After taking the golden heart and examining it carefully, the expressions of Shen Mo and the others instantly became quite peculiar.
This item was, in all likelihood, the cardiac remains of an Artificial Realm cultivator.
If so, it was highly probable that this heart, carried by Qin Zhen, had triggered the Evil Spirit, leading to their current predicament of being trapped here.
As for why cultivators from this realm might exist in the Universal Realm?
The reason wasn't difficult to guess. Creatures at the Divine Bridge Realm (Class V) possessed the ability to refine a forbidden land, thereby sheltering their kin and allowing them to travel to other Withering Realms. If they were fortunate enough to encounter a connection between the Immortal Realm and a Withering Realm, they could achieve Ascension to the Immortal Realm directly, much like Shen Mo.
This was even more true for creatures at the Formless Realm (Class VI). They wouldn't even need to refine a forbidden land; with their own cultivation level, they could descend into other Withering Realms or achieve Ascension to the Immortal Realm.
It seemed likely that this Spirit Sea Realm cultivator, who practiced the Mechanic Path, had come to the Immortal Realm under the protection of a Divine Bridge Realm or Formless Realm expert. Alternatively, they could have been a descendant of immortal and mortal practitioners of the Mechanic Path from the Artificial Realm, thereby inheriting these peculiar traits.
And judging from the fact that the "Residual Resentment of the Artificial Realm's Heavens transformed into an Evil Spirit," it could be inferred that the Artificial Realm had already been utterly destroyed, swallowed by the Death Ghost Realm!
"No wonder. The source turned out to be on Fellow Daoist Qin's person!" the Silver-haired Child grumbled, somewhat discontentedly, while fiddling with the golden heart. "I told you, when Immortal Master Cizi and my other fellow daoists passed by here back in the day, we never detected any Evil Spirit lurking around!"
"We can't entirely blame Fellow Daoist Qin for this," Shen Mo interjected, noticing the Silver-haired Child and Kang Haoxiu both looked rather displeased. He offered a few words in Qin Zhen's defense to ease the tension. "We've all been cultivating for so long, who among us isn't carrying a multitude of strange and obscure items? Who's to say which trinket might trigger an Evil Spirit!"
