Chapter 97: The Choice of the Demon Clan's Ultimate Treasure

Shen Yan’s fingertips were still tingling, as if he had just been pulled out of high-voltage electricity. The blue screen before his eyes finally shattered, breaking into countless points of light that drifted away, revealing the dome of the Demon Clan’s sacred hall above—runes cracked and fell like sparks.

He took a breath, his palm still gripping Luo Li’s hand. The emptiness left by the broken contract hadn’t yet dissipated, but she didn’t let go; instead, she squeezed back even tighter.

“You woke up just in time,” she whispered, her voice slightly hoarse. “One second later, and they would have pulled out your spiritual root to use as a patch.”

He looked up, following her gaze toward the sky.

The crystal core that had once projected the star map now resembled a heart about to burst, its surface covered in spiderweb-like cracks. Inside, chaotic streams of light surged—sometimes garbled data, sometimes remnants of demon power—as if two worlds were fighting within it.

A popup window automatically appeared on his phone: 【Heavenly Dao Protocol nearing collapse detected. Immediate intervention for repair or isolation recommended.】

“Repair my ass,” Shen Yan curled his lips. “This thing isn’t some divine artifact at all—it’s a runaway program.”

Before his words faded, footsteps approached from all sides.

The Great Elder led a group of elders forward, their formation humming. Sealing spiritual chains materialized in the void, pointing directly at Shen Yan’s chest.

“Only by sacrificing the source code spiritual root of one with Celestial Clan bloodline can the Ultimate Treasure’s rampage be quelled,” the Great Elder’s voice was cold and rigid. “Otherwise, the demonic veins will rupture, spiritual energy from the Three Realms will flood in, and all demons will be reduced to dry bones.”

Before Shen Yan could speak, a flash of silver light already blocked his path.

Luo Li drew her sword, her nine tails fully unfurled. Demon power spread like a tide, and ancient protective barrier patterns emerged on the ground. She stood before him, her back straight, the tip of her sword aimed at the Great Elder’s brow.

“Whoever dares touch him, I’ll cut their life lamp.”

The air froze.

An elder roared angrily, “Have you gone mad? Betraying ancestral rules for an outsider?”

“I’m not doing it for him,” she sneered. “I’m doing it so the Demon Clan won’t be held hostage by you old fossils with the word ‘sacrifice.'”

Shen Yan glanced down at his phone. The code interface scrolled frantically as the Ultimate Treasure’s core logic iterated on itself, generating thousands of error logs every second. He suddenly laughed.

“You’ve enshrined it on the altar for a thousand years—did it never occur to you that it might actually be a bug?”

The Great Elder’s eyes sharpened. “How dare you! The Ultimate Treasure is a relic of our ancestors—how can you defile it?”

“A relic?” Shen Yan raised his phone, pulling up the Ultimate Treasure’s data layer. “What you see as divine miracles, I see as a pile of nested loops and uninitialized variables. It’s not about to collapse—it’s crying for help.”

No one responded.

Only the crystal core suddenly flashed brightly, its intense light sweeping through the entire sacred hall.

In the next moment, two visions of the future materialized out of thin air.

In the left image, Shen Yan stood in the void, his eyes vacant, cold data chains coiling around him. He repeated mechanically, “Heavenly Dao Protocol restart completed. Executor number seven, formatted.”

The right side showed a desolate land, littered with the corpses of the Demon Clan. Spiritual energy was depleted, children cried out searching for their parents, and the sky was split by a gaping, unhealable rift.

A system popup window appeared:

【Accept fate or allow collapse?】

Below the options, a line of small text slowly materialized: Please choose one.

The entire hall fell silent.

The Great Elder’s eyes flickered. “This is the Ultimate Treasure’s final judgment. Only by obeying the will of heaven can our clan survive.”

Shen Yan stared at the two options and suddenly laughed aloud.

“So my life can only be chosen between these two broken buttons? Either become an emotionless system process, or watch everyone die with me?”

His fingers flew across the screen as he muttered, “Since neither suits me… then I’ll add a new branch.”

Before anyone could react, he had already input a line of command:

“If the choice is neither zero nor one, then create a third path.”

The moment the code was entered, the entire holy temple trembled violently.

The crystal core exploded, but instead of shattering into fragments, it transformed into billions of blue-gold light streams, like a breached dam of data, all pouring into Shen Yan’s body.

He shuddered, his knees nearly giving way, but Luo Li caught him firmly.

“Hold on!” she hissed.

Gritting his teeth, his phone screen refreshed frantically as a progress bar began to climb: 【System Refactoring in Progress… Current Progress: 3%】

Light streams coiled around his entire body, the Silver-Thread Soft Armor automatically covering his vital points. His plaid shirt had long since been charred and torn, revealing dense Source Code patterns beneath, pulsing with his heartbeat.

The Great Elder’s expression changed drastically. “Quick! Interrupt him! The Ultimate Treasure recognizing its master will trigger backlash!”

Several elders joined forces to activate the Spirit-Sealing Array, chains whistling through the air.

Shen Yan raised his hand, his fingertip tracing through the air. A translucent Firewall materialized, blocking all attacks.

“What do any of you understand?” His voice was low, carrying an undeniable chill. “It’s not looking for a master—it’s looking for someone who can rewrite the rules.”

Luo Li stood at his side, her Nine Tails gently wrapping around his wrist, her other hand never lowering her sword.

“You knew this would happen?” she asked.

“No,” he shook his head. “But I guessed that since it’s a program, there must be an entry point. And I just happened to bring the Key.”

A slight smile touched her lips. “So you’re the administrator now?”

“Still a trial version for now,” he grinned, then grunted as a sharp pain shot through his chest.

A Popup Window flashed on his phone: 【Warning: External Data conflict detected. Host’s vital signs fluctuating abnormally.】

He wiped the blood from his nose, his gaze sweeping over the Great Elder and the others.

“You’ve always talked about sacrificing the individual to preserve the greater whole. But have any of you ever asked who wrote this ‘greater whole’? Why must we follow its script?”

The Great Elder’s lips trembled. “You… you dare question the Ancestral Oath!”

“I’m not questioning,” Shen Yan stepped forward, one pace at a time. “I’m saying—it’s time to change the System.”

With each step he took, the Runes on the ground lit up in circles, as if the entire holy temple was responding to his presence.

No one from the elder council stepped forward again.

Some retreated, some lowered their heads, others stared fixedly at the vanished crystal core as if their faith had crumbled.

Shen Yan walked to the center of the high platform, looking up at the crack in the dome where the swirling stars were faintly visible.

The Interface on his phone was still loading, the progress bar slowly climbing.

He knew this power was far from stable, that three thousand years of accumulated flaws wouldn’t be cleared overnight, that the Heavenly Dao’s shackles hadn’t truly been broken.

But he had already made his choice.

Not sacrifice, not escape, but takeover.

Luo Li quietly stood half a step behind him, sheathing her sword, but her tails remained wrapped around his wrist like a silent vow.

The Great Elder collapsed back into the Judge’s Chair, the Judge’s Brush in his hand snapping in two with a sharp crack.

Wind poured through the crack in the dome, stirring the tattered edges of Shen Yan’s clothes.

He raised his hand, gazing at the Contract Symbol on his palm, which felt slightly warm but no longer painful.

In the distance, a young demon quietly lit up a sign in their hand, on which was scrawled a line of text: We want to learn programming too.

Shen Yan saw it but said nothing, simply turning his phone screen toward her, taking a screenshot, and saving it with a note: 【Future Employee Resume · Priority Recruitment】.

The next second, his phone vibrated violently.

A hidden message popped up: 【Detected unknown Permission request, source: deep within the Western Wastes.】

He narrowed his eyes and was about to tap to view it when Luo Li suddenly reached out and covered his screen.

“Don’t rush,” she said. “This time, let’s look together.”

The Tip of her Finger still carried the lingering warmth of her Demon Power, gently pressing against his hand.

Shen Yan paused, then nodded.

Their fingers intertwined as they pressed the confirmation key together.

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(End of Chapter)