Hao Gongming emerged from the room, feeling incredibly refreshed.
Eagle Eye was like a rock, with a strong physique. Of course, whenever she wanted to have fun, she had to suppress her strength significantly.
She longed to find someone as physically strong as her, so they could engage in truly exhilarating activities.
After eight exhausting hours, Eagle Eye was drained, so she ordered the servants to take care of him.
She then proceeded to explore the castle. It was impressively sturdy, with thick walls and vast rooms. The surrounding area was adorned with numerous rare plants she had never seen before.
Approaching a tree with leaves shaped like red seven-pointed stars, she plucked one of the blue-colored fruits and put it in her mouth.
"So bitter," she exclaimed, promptly spitting it out and moving on. Eventually, she stumbled upon some delicious fruits, including one that resembled a cat's smiling face. Its taste was delightful.
Summoning a clone, she opened a portal to the Hao Harem Sect. After some time, she sent all the exceptional trees back to the sect.
Hao Gongming possessed an extensive collection of diverse trees, plants, and flowers. A dedicated department called the "Plant Research Unit" was responsible for their care. It was one of the most popular divisions within the sect, attracting numerous cultivators of the second step.
Hao Gongming sighed, contemplating the mysteries of the world and gazing at the sky.
"This world possesses a remarkably powerful aura. It's even stronger than the Mage World. I wonder what truths lie within it?"
The multiverse seemed boundless, and no matter how much she explored, she barely scratched the surface. And all of this only pertained to the realms within the well.
From the books she had read, Hao Gongming knew there existed the concept of escaping the well and discovering even greater truths.
"It truly appears endless, so we must proceed step by step," she contemplated. "First, let's escape the well and witness the vastness of the wider world," she decided.
At that moment, Theodore approached with cautious steps, his clothes immaculate. After a while, he reached Hao Gongming and greeted her with a "good morning."
"Oh, right! You don't know my name. You can call me Gongming," she stated. Having already decided to accept him into her harem, she allowed him to address her by her first name.
Unaware that Gongming was her first name, Theodore continued, "Master Gongming, we have prepared compensation for the injuries we caused. Once again, please accept our sincerest apologies."
Hao Gongming let out a sigh, lacking the inclination to torture him for information. Instead, she opted for a different approach—"enslavement."
Theodore's expression immediately changed, and he obediently said, "Master, please allow me to share all the knowledge I have about this world."
As he began divulging information, Hao Gongming's interest grew with each revelation. "Lord of Bones," she chuckled. "According to Theodore, it should be the realm beyond the Root!"
"Is the Lord of Bones outside the well? That is the crucial question. If he is, then I must draw closer to him to uncover the secrets of escaping the well," Gongming pondered.
Theodore also disclosed some additional details. "All the people in this world have mixed blood with demons."
Gongming contemplated, "Monsters, demons, and humans... these races seem to be present everywhere."
In almost every world she had explored, one of these races held dominance. There had never been a world ruled by an alien race with big heads and green skin, nor a world dominated by robots.
"Perhaps such worlds exist, but they are located further away."
Shifting her attention back to Theodore, Gongming instructed him to act naturally and treat them as honored guests.
She dismissed him and seated herself on the grassy ground. "I shouldn't cultivate a method unique to this world. It's too sanguinary. But you can take a peek," she mused.
She then proceeded to the dungeons where criminals were held, eager to explore the power of the bone masters.
Currently, there were six bone masters imprisoned. Slowly, she entered the area, and the guards didn't dare to impede her progress.
In the cultivation world, they couldn't truly detain individuals beyond soul transformation without causing permanent harm.
However, in this realm, they utilized something called bone dust on the bone followers. As long as the dust was on them, they were rendered powerless. The composition of the dust was a mystery even to Theodore, as it originated directly from the Lord of Bones.
Hao Gongming chose one of the prisoners, an elderly woman who was screaming on an operating table. She undressed her and examined her closely. Aside from the dust covering her body, there was something profoundly inhumane about her.
A bone, around two meters tall, sprouted from the right side of her body. It didn't quite fit there, but the truth was that everyone in this world possessed such a bone. Some had it on the right side, others on the left. As their power increased and they grew closer to the Lord of Bones, the bone would grow larger and stronger.
Gongming proceeded to cut and explore what lay beneath the bone. To spare the screaming woman any further pain, she rendered her unconscious. Then, with a mixture of curiosity and trepidation, she began her incisions.
After half an hour, she emerged with a peculiar expression on her face.
"That bone is connected to the entire body! It's like veins, with something flowing within it! I could even find traces of the bone within her brain! This level of mutation... I struggle to consider her human. It's more like a demon mixed with human blood, rather than the other way around."
"But the other prisoners who were of lower levels appeared more human. It can be said that the entire cultivation system in this world slowly transforms the human body into a demon body to draw closer to the Lord of Bones, and it seems like the Lord of Bones encourages it," Hao Gongming speculated.
She had a terrible guess, "When people obtain enough demon bone, they are probably absorbed by the Lord of Bones! This whole world is a farm for it!"
"This Lord of Bones is definitely above the Root level, so its influence might override the universal law," she continued.
As mentioned before, there is a universal law present everywhere that enables individuals to retain their power when they travel to different worlds. But here, this universal law is absent.
"But then again, on the side of the cultivation world, there is "The Grand," she pondered.
"Maybe there is no universal law, and all these rules are fabricated by these beings to harvest power. Maybe jumping out of the well is just a pipe dream."
From Hao Gongming's perspective, Root is not the final level, and escaping from the well might not be possible. Perhaps the Grand and the God of Bones are outside the well, reaping its resources.
"If the first scenario is true, then it's good because it means the world I'm currently in is the true world and not just a massive cave at the bottom of the well. If the second scenario is true... that means the chances of getting out of here are very slim."
If these beings have been harvesting these wells for an unknown number of years, how powerful are they? Escaping might only be possible by becoming their slave.
She sighed and felt a headache coming on. "Anyway, I will continue to grow stronger. Even The Grand and the Lord of Bones can't stop me."
For her, there is a real threat of true death if she were to fight them now. Her Near Immortal skill states: "The host can resurrect at full power anytime, anywhere, as long as there is any trace of the host's existence in space-time or as long as any other person remembers the host."
That means if the Grand can erase her from spacetime and kill everyone who remembers her, she would truly die.
"A plan would be to make both of them see me, so at least one of them remembers me. However, these beings are at a level where they can erase their own memory. It might or might not work."
"Administrative level is not enough! I need to further enhance my Near Immortal skill to not fear these beings."
She sighed and felt tired. Eagle Eye was exhausted and in a near-death state, so that was out of the question. The work here was almost finished. She would leave a clone behind and return to the sect to rest.
Afterward, she must explore other distant worlds to see if her hypotheses were correct. There must be other beings similar to the Grand and the God of Bones. She needed to find as many as possible to make an accurate prediction.
She summoned a clone, and after a while, the portal opened. While hugging Eagle Eye, she jumped into it.
...
"My great creator, why am I alive? What is life? What is death?" Talker1 occasionally asked these troublesome questions, but she didn't have the mood to explain.
After a while, Su arrived with a serious expression. Before he could say anything, Hao Gongming tossed Talker1 to Su and said, "Answer all his questions carefully and teach him common sense. I'm planning on taking him with me later."
Su looked at the angry stone that was biting his finger in astonishment and asked, "Is this one of your creations too?"
"Of course, what happened to the ant?" Hao Gongming replied.
Su said seriously, "He is very well-behaved and smart. He is being trained by some of my trusted advisors."
"Good. Now prepare the sect and take a bath. I want to relieve stress," Hao Gongming instructed.
Su looked serious and sprang into action!