Chapter 36

As soon as they saw the tall and peculiar "robot," Shang Jianyao and Long Yuehong's hearts skipped a beat. Every pore on their skin involuntarily closed, and their hairs stood on end instantly.

At that moment, the same term flashed through their minds:

"The monk of the Monks' Sect!"

This is a very dangerous creature in the Ashen Earth, and it has another name:

"The Immortal!"

According to the internal textbooks of "Pangu Biology," before the destruction of the old world, humans had made breakthroughs in certain technological fields. Among them, the most outstanding and admired was "consciousness uploading."

This technology could transfer human consciousness into specially designed robotic biochips through special equipment, thereby freeing humans from the limitations of their fragile bodies, no longer aging, no longer getting sick, no longer feeling hunger, and no longer dying due to the passage of time. As long as the carrier was regularly maintained or replaced, eternal life at the level of consciousness could be achieved.

However, before the complete destruction of the old world, this technology still had many flaws and had not been officially applied, existing only in laboratories.

When the old world was destroyed and the chaotic era arrived, a group of robots suddenly appeared on the earth, calling themselves "Immortals."

They used imagination, thought processes, and other compelling evidence identical to humans to make the surviving people believe that they were once human and that consciousness could achieve immortality.

However, according to these "Immortals," all the technology for "consciousness uploading" was lost in the great catastrophe. Now, only a few devices can be used, and only one factory can produce the "biochips" that can carry human consciousness and the corresponding robots. They cannot reverse-engineer these, but can only use them to a limited extent to create "Immortals."

Therefore, their purpose in walking the earth is: to call on humans to unite, reverse-engineer the devices, and recreate the corresponding technology so that everyone can achieve immortality, ending the dark age and entering a new world.

Shang Jianyao and Long Yuehong were not clear about how things developed at the time, but they knew that the textbooks recorded it as follows:

"Over time, the 'Immortals' gradually exposed many problems. This was not due to malice but because the technology was far from mature.

"One of the most significant issues is that when a person loses the various sensations brought by the body, they also lose the various motivations for human survival.

"Many 'Immortals' began to find life boring and meaningless, leading to severe mental problems. The 'Immortals' who went mad caused a new round of severe harm to the already fragile human groups.

"The remaining 'Immortals,' though not mad, became very confused and began to seek solace in the various religious remnants left by the old world.

"Ultimately, they created a new, self-consistent but extremely distorted religion that could help them solve their psychological problems, based on a particular religion and incorporating useful elements from other religions.

"They called themselves monks and referred to the hidden bases containing the 'consciousness uploading' equipment as the 'Ruyi Pure Land.'"

These robot monks, who are not afraid of small arms and possess powerful firepower, are like exoskeleton devices with human intelligence. They are dangerous creatures that ordinary humans cannot oppose in small groups. Even with heavy weapons, it might take dozens or hundreds of well-trained people with proper tactics to have a chance of defeating one monk.

Previously, when Jiang Baimian summarized the more dangerous humans, she did not mention the "Immortals." This is because the members of the major forces and the wandering nomads on the Ashen Earth all regarded these monks as another kind of creature, completely different from themselves.

Of course, the monks of the Monks' Sect are not highly aggressive towards humans and are even quite friendly at times.

However, the problem is that consciousness cannot be created out of nothing. The monks, who have lost their ability to reproduce, will decrease in number if one is destroyed.

To maintain their "species" and the sect, the monks are active in various wilderness areas, seeking "people with a connection."

If they find someone, they will "convert" the target to Ruyi Pure Land, making them abandon their physical body and upload their consciousness to the biochips of the robots.

Among these "people with a connection," a few are eager for immortality and do not resist, while most are hesitant due to the known flaws of the "Immortals." However, once chosen by a monk, they have no choice but to comply.

This has made the reputation of the Monks' Sect rapidly deteriorate, almost to the point of being notorious.

At the same time, possibly due to certain defects in the "Immortal" technology, many mechanical monks have certain, varying issues. When they encounter specific scenarios or hear specific phrases, they become uncontrollable, needing time to calm down, as if they have triggered mental illnesses or personality defects.

This unstable state has made many humans on the Ashen Earth view mechanical monks as terrifying threats.

Based on these reasons, Shang Jianyao and Long Yuehong had such a strong reaction when they discovered a mechanical monk in front of them.

Only the monks of the Monks' Sect like to wear monk robes and cassocks over their bodies. Ordinary intelligent robots have no such need or "interest."

Long Yuehong and Shang Jianyao simultaneously aimed the muzzles of their "Berserker" assault rifles at the iron-black robot draped in a red cassock, their foreheads drenched in cold sweat.

They knew that the weapons they carried could not threaten the robot, and unlike the bandit leader who wore a military exoskeleton, it had no vital points to target.

Facing the mechanical monk, they had no chance of winning in terms of equipment. They aimed mainly out of reflex.

At this moment, they could only silently pray in their hearts, hoping they were not "people with a connection."

The next second, the 1.9-meter-tall robot, draped in a tattered monk robe and a red cassock, slightly turned its cold, hard face and scanned them with its eyes that glowed red.

The mechanical monk did not speak, silently walking to the person who had fallen to their death.

A cold, emotionless voice then sounded:

"All beings suffer. Why are you so deluded?

"Follow me back to the Pure Land, abandon your physical body, and attain supreme enlightenment. You will understand the emptiness of the four elements and the eternal existence of the enlightened."

After speaking, the mechanical monk clasped its hands together and recited:

"Namo Anuttara Samyak Sambuddha." (Note 1)

Seeing that the monk ignored them, Shang Jianyao and Long Yuehong exchanged a glance and silently began to step back.

At this moment, the mechanical monk, still in the same posture, spoke again in its cold, emotionless voice:

"Why don't the two of you wait a moment?

"Although you have no connection with my Buddha, all beings have the nature of Buddha. Listening to the scriptures is not a bad thing."

Hearing the words "no connection," Shang Jianyao and Long Yuehong secretly rejoiced and sighed in relief.

At the same time, they were afraid of angering the monk and stopped their retreat.

Since the monk had no intention of attacking or converting them, just listening to the teachings was better than fighting for their lives.

Seeing that Shang Jianyao and Long Yuehong had stopped, the mechanical monk looked at the corpse on the ground and continued:

"Although you are deluded, my Buddha's compassion cannot bear to see you exposed in the wilderness, unable to attain liberation.

"I will liberate your soul, hoping you will completely free yourself from your physical body and be reborn in the Pure Land."

Long Yuehong watched quietly, and suddenly Shang Jianyao's voice rang in her ear:

"How do you plan to liberate the soul?"

The mechanical monk extended its right hand, palm facing the corpse.

Then, it raised its left hand and recited softly:

"Namo Anuttara Samyak Sambuddha, great compassion, liberating all beings, burning pure fire, burning your shackles..." (Note 1)

As it recited, a stream of intense white flames spewed from the palm of the mechanical monk's right hand, instantly igniting the corpse.

The flames seemed to stick to the surface of the corpse, unable to be extinguished.

After completing this task, the mechanical monk draped in the red cassock turned and walked towards Shang Jianyao and Long Yuehong:

"The two of you, my Dharma name is 'Jingfa,' a 'monk.'"

Seeing that Shang Jianyao and Long Yuehong did not react, the monk suddenly crossed its legs, flicked its cassock, and said in its cold, emotionless voice:

"Sit down."

Shang Jianyao hesitated for a moment, took a few steps forward, and sat on the ground in a position that would allow him to jump up easily.

Long Yuehong followed a few seconds later, sitting in the same spot.

The mechanical monk, who called himself "Jingfa," had a flash of red light in his eyes and nodded slightly:

"Do the two of you have any understanding of my Buddha?"

Shang Jianyao and Long Yuehong both shook their heads.

Jingfa, the mechanical monk, did not get angry. His cold voice carried a hint of solemnity:

"My Buddha is one of the thirteen Time Keepers who govern the ages and this world.

"He is the ruler of January, the beginning of all things, the sprout and embodiment of consciousness."

Note 1: The religious texts found by the Monks' Sect are incomplete, so errors in the Buddha's name and doctrines, as well as the patchwork of doctrines from other religions, are normal. Yes, this is to distinguish it from real religions and avoid trouble.

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