Reverse flow of the Yellow Springs

The malice of the world. Xia Ming's analytical perspective is indeed quite interesting.

As fellow "outsiders," the arrival of beings from forbidden zones like Zell and Zefi granted the alien race the ability to command the armies of the emperors.

However, when Li Yelai appeared, those wanderers relentlessly attacked him at all costs, a stark contrast in treatment.

Li Yelai originally thought that this might simply be because of his status as a human champion.

As the champion's cape flutters, all of humanity's enemies feel an instinctive threat. The weak flee in panic, while the strong are aroused and fight back. This is the inherent mocking aura of the human champion.

But after Xia Ming's analysis, Li Yelai felt that it made sense.

Looking back, Li Yelai did indeed catch a glimpse of the colossal mechanical structure that stretched across the void the moment he entered this 'core opportunity' world.

At that time, the giant structure seemed to be resisting, and at one point tried to 'kick' Li Yelai out.

In the end, it was another force that interfered, which allowed Li Ye to successfully arrive.

So, can we infer that...?

The mechanical behemoth itself did not want Li Ye to enter this world, but some other being wanted him to enter and intervened, thus offsetting the mechanical behemoth's rejection.
But why?

It can't be that the mechanical behemoth calculated that Li Yelai was determined to help human civilization fight, and that his purpose was different from that of other outsiders with their own selfish motives, so it wanted to isolate him, this 'variable,' in advance, right?

Putting aside how this mechanical behemoth can accurately read minds, isn't the Little Mad King also steadfastly fighting for humanity? She hasn't encountered such obvious obstacles.

Moreover, is this mechanical behemoth so hostile to human civilization that it specifically targets outsiders who might help humanity?
Or perhaps the problem lies with Li Yelai himself? Is there something he carries that threatens the mechanical behemoth itself?
When Li Yelai thought about it carefully, the first thought that popped into his head was the curse of misfortune.

Misfortune, in a sense, can be seen as a manifestation of the 'malice of the world'.

Fortunately, Li Yelai's curse is trigger-based; as long as you don't activate the mask, you're basically fine. At worst, you might have bad luck, like not getting the chance to drink another bottle.
If it's a permanent curse, Li Yelai is probably in trouble.

If a human champion were to choke to death on a bowl of rice, that would be hilarious; the kings of the penalty area would be laughing their heads off.

Is the mechanical behemoth wary of this?
I feel like he's a walking jinx, and I'm afraid he'll spread bad luck to the world, or even to himself.

Even if it's not your machine, does it discriminate against you?

Or is it because of the Azure Flame Arrows that Li Yelai carried?
These arrows, blessed by the Lord of Azure Flames, are indeed powerful, possessing a causal-like striking ability that almost always hits its target, ignoring spatial barriers. Is the mechanical behemoth worried about being hit by this thing?
But this world also has a supreme heaven, which, despite its problems, is still at a very high level. The blue flame arrows alone shouldn't be enough to threaten it.

Or perhaps, the core of the machine god that he kept in the well of his soul?
This thing can awaken machine spirits, which, theoretically, would indeed pose a significant threat to that colossal structure that appears to be the ultimate mechanical creation. That is, the core must actually be effective against beings of that level.

After much thought, Li Yelai concluded that the reason the mechanical behemoth was targeting him was most likely one of these three things.

Therefore, the current situation can be summarized as follows.

The mechanical behemoth harbors malice towards Li Yelai, and the malice extended to this world, the 'Wanderers,' is also highly aggressive towards him. They are likely allies, or perhaps they are simply individuals; the mechanical behemoth is capable of controlling or influencing these Wanderers.

This aligns with previous speculations that the mechanical behemoths harbor hostility towards human civilization.

Therefore, only nobles with shared interests in the forbidden zones can obtain the authority to command the wanderers.

And the mysterious entity that stopped the mechanical behemoth at the last moment, allowing Li Ye to successfully enter this world—was it a force that favored humanity?
Could that enigmatic and unpredictable 'Jun Fu' belong to this faction?

"Jun Fu, what is the purpose of your promise to meet again at the end of the world? If you truly care about humanity, why don't you fight alongside us?" Li Yelai wondered. Why wait until the end of the world to meet again? Could it be that you will play some role in the end of the world?

Xia Ming, on the other hand, speculated about the identity of 'Jun Fu'. The mysterious powerful figure that Chang Hui had mentioned to Li Yelai, who had appeared in various historical events and then quickly disappeared, might be 'Jun Fu'.

This was a long-standing speculation, except that the initial speculation was that a group of people, hiding in a corner of the world, were interfering with the world in order to promote its progress.

Humanity needed to fight back against the alien race, so a leader emerged who established the strongest resistance army. After humanity gained the upper hand, he quietly withdrew during a skirmish.

When humanity's marvelous technologies reach a bottleneck, another obscure scholar will suddenly discover a new path. Then, in an experimental explosion, he will perish and disappear from the scene.

Li Yelai initially thought it was something similar to the 'Heavenly Evolution Walker,' someone who possessed the Book of Destiny and was secretly interfering with the world.

But now it seems that it was very likely that they were all the same person.

'Junfu'

If it really is 'him', I can't imagine how many years he has lived. Although divine beings have long lifespans, judging from 'Jun Fu's' titles, he has probably lived for more than a thousand years.
"How many years can a divine being live?" Li Yelai asked.

"Lifespan shouldn't be that different, right?" Xia Ming pushed up his glasses. "Perhaps the gods or overlords of your world live longer? Anyway, in the history of the alien dynasties, there was a great supernatural being who was about to die of old age, and that was almost a thousand years ago."

"The overlords of our world rarely live to old age; they usually die in war. It's not a reliable reference, but it's certain that that one has probably lived for more than a thousand years." Li Yelai asked, "Is it really a great supernatural power? Is there really no way to break through the limits in this world? Can absorbing the power of faith allow one to break through the limits?"

"Currently, the only known method is the blood sacrifice ascension to demonhood by the Chaos faction. Various alien civilizations also initiated research during their peak periods, but they all yielded little result," Xia Ming said. "Perhaps it happened in even more distant history, who knows?"

“A much earlier history, but in that period, it’s impossible for human city-states to exist, and it’s even questionable whether humans even existed.” Li Yelai still couldn’t understand how Jun Fu came to have that identity as a human hero.

"Then, are there gods in this world?" Li Yelai asked. "Not referring to the few in the highest heavens, but other gods who are not from chaos."

Li Yelai remembered when they destroyed the Night Demon's rear base.

Within the illusory realm, a powerful divine aura descended with the gaze, causing the king to rise to the level of a half-step supreme being.

That was clearly a powerful being from some virtual realm, channeling power into the king of the physical world. "Each alien civilization has its own gods, but it's unclear whether they truly exist. Even if they do, they probably can't interfere with the physical world. Otherwise, how could alien civilizations have been defeated so quickly?" Xia Ming said. "You sensed a god?"

“Yes, and that deity once helped the ‘outsiders’ of the alien race; otherwise, how could that giant have reached the level of a half-step supreme being? According to our intelligence, their forbidden zone doesn’t have such a trump card,” Li Yelai said.

Although he was unfamiliar with the Sands of Time, Li Yelai had some understanding of it thanks to both official and Chaos intelligence.

Summon twelve divine giants (Wang Wei), and the last giant (Wang Jiang) who has just hatched and is already half a step into the supreme realm.

This has never appeared in any intelligence reports; the Sands of Time haven't revealed this trump card in previous conflicts with humans and the Chaos faction. Perhaps it's because the conditions weren't right?

This time, the mysterious beings within the virtual realm assisted them, enabling them to unleash these terrifying trump cards.

Especially that King General.

If it hadn't been destroyed in time, it might have grown to the Supreme level? How could such a trump card have gone unnoticed?
Previously, when Li Yelai's Chaos Fleet chased and beat them like dogs, they didn't resort to such methods. Are they that tolerant? Or is it that they can only use this tactic in the current specific circumstances?

But as outsiders, what gives them the right to receive assistance from the gods of this world?

Are they also chosen by some god?
Surely their ancestors couldn't possibly exist in this world by chance?

"You mean, there's an extra deity?" Xia Ming's expression was serious. "After you 'outsiders' entered this world?"

He originally thought that 'King General' and 'King Guard' were technologies from outside the country.

If Li Ye hadn't rushed to the battlefield, their defenses would likely have been breached.

It now appears that even to the outside world, that restricted area has never demonstrated this technology.

“Perhaps, otherwise it’s unimaginable how outsiders who are not related to us could obtain the assistance of such power,” Li Yelai said. “You’ve seen that technology yourself; even in our world, it’s not to be underestimated. But they’ve never used it outside, at least not in my intelligence.”

"Is this power only usable in this world? But why do they dare to assume they can get divine help?" Xia Ming thought quickly: "Do they know that there are gods in this world who can help them? And you don't have much information about our world. In terms of intelligence, they could easily kill you."

"Indeed, I might need to find an opportunity to use another identity to get some information," Li Yelai thought to himself, adding that the identity of Di Yun was probably enough.

After a moment of contemplation, Xia Ming said, "That person's identity is still too mysterious, and we can't understand his purpose. Let's deal with the current problem first. You can rest here for the night."

"Please keep an eye on the situation on other fronts. If the 'outsiders' on other fronts also have similar trump cards, I must provide support immediately," Li Yelai replied.

Xia Ming solemnly agreed. Hao Feng, who was standing to the side, stepped forward and gestured to Li Yelai and Xiao Kuangwang, "Please come with me, there are temporary accommodations prepared for you in the city."

Following Haofeng through the somewhat dilapidated but orderly streets, the two were led to a relatively intact stone hut.

Haofeng gave a few brief instructions and then hurriedly left. He needed to return to the city walls immediately to set up defenses. The main force in the battle just now was Li Yelai; the rest of them needed to be dealt with.

The room was simply furnished, yet clean and tidy. With the doors and windows closed, the noise and faint smell of blood from the outside world were shut out, leaving only the soft sounds of their breathing.

Just as Li Yelai was about to speak with Little Mad King about the night watch arrangements, he saw that she had already taken action.

The Little Mad King stood in the center of the room with her back to Li Yelai. Her figure appeared somewhat thin in the dim light, yet exceptionally resolute. The previously calm shadow beneath her feet suddenly began to twist and stretch unnaturally, as if something was about to break free.

The next second, a clone identical to her original appearance and clothing silently detached itself from the shadow, as if rising from water. The entire process was fluid and eerie, carrying the chilling quality unique to shadow power.

After the clone took shape, it disappeared without any communication, once again blending into the shadows of the wall, clearly to carry out its night watch mission.

"Are you planning to use your clones to keep watch at night? Aren't you tired?" Li Yelai asked in surprise. The Shadow Clone consumes a lot of energy, and it might be okay if it could be recovered. Once it is lost, the consumption of the main body will increase.

Little Mad King then spoke up: "Partner, I foresaw the fate of those two forbidden zone nobles."

"The two siblings from the Forbidden Zone, the Sands of Time?" Li Yelai asked in confusion. "Weren't they blown up by my Nightfall? Below the level of a Supreme Being, no one should have survived."

The power of Nightfall has been praised by champions throughout history. Even Captain Yang Chen, who is physically invincible, said after witnessing Li Yelai's Nightfall that he would not even attempt to take the hit.

It could even kill a 'King General' who was half a step into the Supreme Realm. The two overlords should have been reduced to ashes by now, which is a bit of a pity. If they had been killed with psionic weapons, they might have been able to refine a divine abomination and also obtain two mysterious substances.

That's the downside of Nightfall; its power is too great. Once it hits, not even ashes remain, and even the most precious treasures are shattered.

"That was the last information my clone sent back before it was devoured by Nightfall," Little Mad King said earnestly. "They didn't die, or at least not all of them."

In the final moments, the clone did not retreat but waited around, attempting one last assassination. It had instead witnessed some of the secrets.

"Not dead?" Li Yelai asked in surprise.

"Yes, in the end, they broke away. After destroying the artifact, they left this world. But Nightfall still injured them. It's very likely that it just teleported their bodies back."

"And that deity who just assisted them, whom they call the First King, is suspected to be the source of their bloodline. Judging from the Night Demon King's reaction, he suddenly appeared after they entered this world, as if he was born because of them."

"Our previous guess might actually be correct: this world is a copy, and copies can be restarted multiple times."

"That one..." Little Mad King paused, but still didn't say the name 'Jun Fu'.

"Perhaps they went through more than one instance." (End of Chapter)