Evil Emperor Zun

Chapter 2040 The King of the Gnawing Clan is Born!

The once densely packed gnawing race has now completely disappeared.

This enormous cage seemed far too empty for the sole protagonist within it.

Of course, it won't be able to keep that guy out for long either.

Each barrier constructed from magical artifacts melted and slumped like a wax stick. They melted very slowly, and were tinged with a brilliant golden color by the central beam of light, making them look like magnificent fireworks lit to celebrate the birth of a king.

It was ironic. They had all always believed that the king of these hideous monsters should be a gigantic, hideous monster. Before seeing it with their own eyes, no one would have believed that this creature, exuding an aura of holiness, could have evolved from such a monster.

It was indeed a perfectly formed life form. Every inch of its skin radiated a divine glow. It was as translucent as jade and as ethereal as a celestial being. Even the slightest movement, such as the flutter of an eyelash or the slip of a strand of hair, stirred a resonance with the Daoist principles of heaven and earth.

At that moment, the newly crowned king raised his head and slowly revealed a smile that could captivate all beings.

"Lord Baili Ji, as I said, we will officially meet soon."

When Feng Yi'er talked about him, she never stopped describing his beauty. She said it wasn't a difference in aesthetics, but a dimensional annihilation. It was like being the only proportionally sized figure in a stick figure comic, naturally standing out from the crowd. Only then did Baili Ji have to admit that her description was indeed not an exaggeration.

But what he cared about most right now wasn't the king's unimaginable beauty, but rather—

Why does this guy look so much like Hiruzen Saku?
This perfect face is simply the epitome of his exquisite features. Zhou Jianshuo was already a peerless beauty, and if his beauty was still within the "dimensional" realm, then this ultimate upgraded version of King has completely broken through that dimension.

Moreover, it wasn't just the resemblance in appearance; when Baili Ji recalled his spiritual exchange with the king, he always had a strange feeling that he was dealing with Zhou Jianshuo. If he didn't know that one of them was human and the other was from another race, he would definitely think that there was some connection between them.

That's impossible, of course. The only explanation is that when he was one of the roaming Gnawing Clan, he saw Daytime Saku and had the idea of ​​using him as a template—but he just happened to be imitating the most troublesome guy.

"Thank you for thinking of me so much, but the thought that you're a guy who never tells the truth makes your greetings really not make me happy at all." Baili Ji finally overcame the initial shock. He stared intently at the other person, trying to discern every change in reality and illusion.

"The biggest lie your race has fabricated is not that you lack intelligence, but that 'when people of the same race meet, they will inevitably kill each other,' right?"

The king smiled calmly and smugly: "Indeed, who would have thought that the Devouring Clan is not a race, but a species? The king was born to be king."

"Because the king is too powerful, he is incompatible with this small universe. The rules do not allow my race to exist."

"After repeated reorganizations and destructions, we were split from a whole into countless tiny individuals, each person becoming a race, and each race becoming a person. In this way, we finally succeeded in deceiving the laws of the Great Dao, which no longer rejected our race as it did at the beginning. But as a price, we were given a form cursed by heaven and earth, becoming the most despicable and ugly monsters in the world."

"From the time I can remember, I was born as an ugly monster. Hated and banished, even without actively attacking anyone, just existing—being unwelcome—was enough reason for the world to want to exterminate my race. Meanwhile, those truly aggressive creatures, because of their noble blood and beautiful appearance, received vastly different treatment. You can't understand the circumstances we endured to survive; it was truly a despairing millennium of living."

“My kin, like me, are bound by a bloodline of the will to find our scattered kin, piece ourselves back together, and restore our royal status. Our disintegration is not a matter of survival, but a strategy to steal destiny.”

"Please allow me to explain in more detail. The source of my race's power is contrary to the source of this universe. Therefore, the universe's operating system, like cleaning up garbage or invading foreign objects, will eliminate my race the moment it senses them. Once dispersed into particles, the threat is reduced to a safe level, and the system will no longer activate the warning."

"Next, as long as we continue to absorb the primal energy of this universe, allowing ourselves to possess two sources of power simultaneously, and using the part that aligns with the laws as camouflage, we can disguise ourselves as primitive beings of this plane. Then, when we reunite, we can stably maintain our complete form. Our expectation for that day is the belief for which we are willing to give everything over endless years."

This concept can be likened to a war.

Imagine a well-equipped army, clearly not from your own country, suddenly appearing within your borders. It would be immediately wiped out by the domestic armed forces. However, if they disperse into countless inconspicuous individuals, infiltrating the country, learning the language, and imitating the attire, no one would be able to tell they are actually from a foreign land. When they regroup, they would simply be seen as domestic rebels, and the highest level of toxicity towards foreigners would not be triggered.

Baili Ji nodded thoughtfully, indicating that he understood.

So the king continued speaking:
"If you place two magnets together, they will immediately attract each other. As long as our race gathers together for a long time, our power will automatically fuse. No extra steps are needed; this is the only condition for evolution."

"But if the Gnawing Clan always gathers in large numbers, it will definitely attract the attention of those with ulterior motives, so we came up with a solution."

“Every time a pure soul appears, powerful figures from all sides will be drawn to it. If we also pretend to be there to seize the pure soul, we can legitimately head to the same location.”

"The world will never know the true secret of our race, but we have realized that the most common evolution in this universe is the Gu worm mode, which is the process of members of the same race devouring each other to become stronger. If the world misunderstands the conditions of our race's evolution, they will not allow us to gather together for a long time. In order to dispel their doubts, my brave people sacrificed themselves to create the illusion of fratricide. This provided a brilliant plan for those who are struggling to eliminate our race."

By going against the grain, they turned the outcome they sought into something utterly taboo. Baili Ji thought to himself, "That's indeed quite clever."

If it weren't for this characteristic, their side wouldn't have felt so comfortable locking them up together in the first place. It was the Red-Eyed Demon who first brought this up, setting a precedent for soul recognition and bringing more fresh soul food to the Devouring Clan. Looking back, this was the most crucial role of this pawn. As for later using his treasures to create clones, it was simply making the best use of him.

During their years of lurking in the world, they must have created many more such mouthpieces to spread rumors, set traps, and cover their tracks. Their ability to consistently conceal flaws and prevent the world from ever doubting their fabricated nature is inseparable from the work of these "undercover agents." The Golden-Winged Eagle King and the Red-Eyed Demon Clan are both links in this mysterious chain.

"After the integration of the clan, memories will be shared. My mind is now filled with the memories of my millions of clansmen. I don't know whether the individual who carried the earliest 'I' consciousness is already dead or has lived to witness the end. In any case, this is a great victory, a victory for my clan!"

"You don't need to worry about me deceiving you, because I have no need to make up lies anymore. Believe me, my most sincere desire at this moment is to share this overwhelming feeling with everyone. So whatever you want to know, just ask, and I will answer you everything."

He seemed genuinely eager to flaunt his forbearance and resilience. As a universally despised gnawing race, he hadn't found anyone to communicate with for millennia. No wonder the man Feng Yi'er described was so eloquent, sometimes erudite and all-knowing, and other times lacking common sense and even the most basic life experience.

A playful glint flashed in Baili Ji's eyes: "Here's a suggestion for you. You should go find the Heavenly Palace Master. He's more interested in the game of saving villains. If it's him, he'll definitely welcome you with open arms."

"Oh, right." He then remembered something else. "Zhou Jianshuo asked me to send his regards. He seems to know the timeline of your evolution. What's your relationship? Did he make you choose to take his form? Do you really like that face that much?"

The king seemed to pause for a moment, a crack appearing for the first time in his usually composed expression. Confusion and anxiety, like blood seeping from a wound, seeped out through that fissure.

"I don't understand what you're talking about. The Devourers are beings superior to humans, born from some unknown force. They existed long before the creation of heaven and earth, before the birth of any other race. We were once the ugliest species in the world, enduring the most extreme suffering. After finally gaining the approval of the Heavenly Dao and breaking free from our cocoons, we are the most beautiful. Why should we imitate the appearance of an ordinary human?"

He spoke with an air of authority, but a growing sense of bewilderment lingered on his face. It wasn't the air of a liar; it was more like he himself didn't know if what he was saying was true or false, yet he had to say it anyway. Baili Ji was momentarily at a loss for words. "You mean, it wasn't you imitating him, but him imitating you? Then I'd like to know, since your era was at the very beginning of creation, he shouldn't have had the chance to see you, right? And you just said that you only acquired this appearance after absorbing enough primordial energy from this universe and gaining the approval of the Heavenly Dao. So, was the earliest, unacceptable 'First King' an insect or a butterfly? Did he share the same face with you before absorbing primordial energy?"

The king had lowered his head deeply at some point, his long, purplish-black hair scattered all over the ground. His transformation was only halfway complete; his lower body was not yet fully formed, and he could only lie prostrate on the ground for the time being. When he hung his head in dejection, he appeared particularly listless, like a prisoner pinned to the ground, awaiting judgment.

"...Enough already." After a long pause, the king finally managed to squeeze out a suppressed voice. "This is a once-in-a-lifetime, precious opportunity to ask the king a question. Are you going to waste it talking about an outsider?"

Baili Ji scrutinized him, seemingly lost in thought. His question had been casual, but the king's clearly unusual reaction indicated he'd hit the nail on the head. So, the hidden information here was—

"You don't know anything about the first king. Is that right?"

"You said your earliest memory was being born as a member of the Gnawing Clan wandering the world, trying to find your own kind to piece yourself back together. That means the first king was repeatedly broken apart by the rules, and the final decision to disintegrate was not a memory you personally experienced; you just 'knew' about it."

"The first king is clearly yourself, but your memories are not synchronized. Isn't that strange? The only explanation I can think of is that you haven't completely become it yet."

"Your current state is that you've only collected all the puzzle pieces, but haven't put them back in the correct positions yet. This makes sense, since your kind meet randomly, and there's no pattern to the combinations. For example, if an eye meets a stomach, or a nose meets a foot, even if you manage to put them together, you can only create a body that's all show and no substance, and it won't be able to perform its intended functions."

"That's why you need to use the map to confirm the whereabouts of the Devourer Clan throughout the ages. You plan to go back to the past one by one, collect the corpses of your kin, and reassemble them in the correct order." The huge Devourer Clan corpse that Feng Yi'er saw in the Lost Star System should be the result of his piecing together. "Although I don't know your specific evolution mechanism, it is probably only after going through this step that you can completely retrieve the memories and power of the first king."

"At least we can confirm that you haven't gone back to the past at this point in time. In other words—" At this point, both of them keenly realized something.

"After witnessing the fate of those people outside, signing a soul contract with you has lost all its appeal." Baili Ji paused, then continued, "We can no longer be friends, but we will obviously soon become enemies. Since we are enemies, the best time to eliminate you is before you grow stronger."

His subsequent actions and the king's response occurred almost simultaneously.

As Baili Ji's figure transformed into a streak of light, instantly traversing several meters across the open space, the King had just raised his head and only had time to utter "You can't kill me" before his face was slammed deep into the ground below. Stone bricks exploded and flew everywhere, dust swirling in all directions, and his head shattered, turning into a pool of blood and flesh mixed among the rubble, its original form indistinguishable.

An ordinary person would surely be dead by now. But the king's severed limbs were still moving, the damaged parts rapidly regenerating, restoring him to his original state in the shortest possible time.

"Lord Baili Ji, when I said you can't kill me, it was purely literal." The king stretched his neck and said this with a smile.

Indeed, even though he has not yet obtained the power to destroy the world, his powerful vitality as a member of the Gnawing Clan remains unchanged.

"Alright, if you've come to terms with reality, can you stop this futile attempt and continue listening to me?" What had just happened hadn't dampened the king's enthusiasm for conversation at all. He smiled calmly and freely, his eyes even exuding a gentle aura.

"I do need intelligence on my clan's movements, but do you remember? If Lord Calamity hadn't opened the Heavenly Library to Little Leaf, you wouldn't have been able to create such a detailed map. Lord Calamity knew from the beginning the consequences of this decision, and knew that my birth meant the misfortune of pure souls, yet he still allowed it to happen. It seems that now, pure souls are less favored by the Heavenly Dao than I am."

This was an angle Baili Ji hadn't considered, but the other party's reminder was clearly not just to sow discord between him and Cain, which made him frown slightly: "What exactly are you trying to say?"

The king laughed merrily, but beneath his radiant smile lay a bottomless abyss of gloom.

"Hehehe, if I were you, I wouldn't leave the Pure Soul here. Otherwise, once the Holy War begins, what you'll likely get is an order from the higher-ups to annihilate the Pure Soul!"

"I did not bring about the end of the world, but I was unfortunately born on the eve of the long night. Therefore, I can sense more clearly than anyone else that this world is about to end."

"The higher planes no longer have time to wait for the next batch of strong individuals to grow. Those qualified to participate in this holy war are all precious forces that can help them overcome the calamity. How could they let you be wasted in internal strife? Those old guys are the most comfortable group of people in the entire universe, and they are also the most afraid of death. They will do anything to survive."

"Let me explain with an example I witnessed firsthand. You should know similar stories to some extent."

"There was a tribe living deep in the mountains, bordering a horde of magical beasts. The tribe's warriors would go out to hunt these beasts and sell them in the towns outside the village. The beasts would also prey on the villagers, so the warriors had to fight them off time and time again to ensure the survival of their tribe."

"There were two brothers in the village, both brave and skilled in battle, who were the first and second warriors of the clan, respectively. The two had always been very close, until they both fell in love with the same woman."

"That woman eventually chose the eldest brother and married him. But the second brother still had his eyes on this woman who had become his sister-in-law, and took advantage of the eldest brother's hunting trip to rape her. When the eldest brother returned, he was furious and went to fight the second brother to the death. No one could persuade him to stop."

"After the clan chief found out, he did not punish the second brother. Instead, he ordered the woman to be executed because she was unfaithful and had seduced the second brother, causing the brothers to fall out."

"That woman was just a weak woman, of no value to the survival and development of the village. The two brothers were the backbone of the fight against the monsters, and neither of them could be lost. So, even though that woman did nothing wrong, the chieftain would still choose to sacrifice her without question. Once she was gone, the two brothers would no longer have any reason to fight to the death."

"A pure soul is to the higher plane what that woman is to the clan leader. This is reality, and you will surely understand."

Baili Ji wasn't at all surprised that the higher plane would do this. He fell silent for a moment, partly because he didn't know whether he could believe the doomsday prophecy, and partly because he was considering what to do if that situation really came to pass.

"I can help you." The king seemed to see through his thoughts, a sly smile playing on his lips. "I'll help you take your pure soul to a place where no one can find it, not even in the higher planes. Of course..." He took a long breath, his smile widening suddenly, his undisguised malice surging forth, "...a place where even you can't find it."

As soon as he finished speaking, his figure vanished from the spot.

Baili Ji knew something was wrong. Following his obvious destination, he also traversed space and stepped into Qin Jia's room.

The first thing that caught the eye was the king standing on thin air, with Qin Jia embraced by his side. Now possessing his full form, he was even more breathtakingly beautiful. Judging from his leisurely demeanor, he could have easily left first, but instead, he chose to wait to say hello to his opponent before taking his spoils right before his eyes.

"Thank you for the gift. I will accept this little bit of pure soul."

A golden vortex bloomed behind him. He smiled slightly and took a step back, merging into the vortex with Qin Jia.

This time, even his aura completely disappeared from the entire space.