Reverse flow of the Yellow Springs

The crimson curse swept across the plains like a viscous, blood-red tide, extinguishing all life in its wake. Raging blue flames once soared into the sky, attempting to halt this destructive torrent, but failed to slow the curse in the slightest.

The crimson curse was eerie, vaguely reminding Li Yelai of the champion nemesis 'Shang' he had once encountered, which also carried an unquestionable, almost law-like authority.

The fact that the imitation teardrop instinctively rejects and resists it is enough to prove the danger of this thing, although it has not yet reached the terrifying level of concept erasure like the Chaos Sea.

However, what Li Yelai could not understand the most was the defeat of Qingyan.

The more desperate the situation, the stronger the power of the Azure Flame should be.

The azure flames ignited in this apocalyptic world are theoretically powerful enough to incinerate a supreme being, and incidentally scatter their ashes as well.

Even his Nightfall could briefly clear the curse from a region, and the even more vast and powerful Azure Flame should have been enough to burn away all the scarlet curses in the world!

That was the fifth deity from the Chaos side of the Azure Flame Lord.

Even if some ancient records mention the existence of supreme civilizations capable of rivaling Chaos, it cannot be denied that the Chaos Gods were the most powerful beings in the Void Realm. While the Lord of Azure Flames may be young and perhaps not yet at his peak, he is certainly not someone the Crimson Curse can easily challenge.

But this powerful azure flame was forcibly 'erased' by some deeper, more absolute force, like erasing error code.

As the blue flames dissipated, the long-accumulated crimson curse lost all restraint and, like a destructive torrent bursting its banks, roared into the Blazing Abyss!
Beneath the abyss, billions of Radiant Firestones simultaneously erupted with unprecedented crimson light, like a scorching galaxy surging underground, frantically resisting the invasion of the curse. This Radiant Light, gathering the essence of an entire civilization, possessed an energy intensity hundreds of times greater than any ordinary Radiant Fire Wall!
However, under the endless consumption of the crimson curse, which seemed to carry the malice of the entire world, the brilliant light of the abyss dimmed in an instant.

Humanity's last line of defense has failed.

The Crimson Curse filled the vast abyss, overflowing like a cup of death, spilling over the defenses and relentlessly encroaching upon humanity's last refuge.

Desperate screams and cries erupted instantly.

A psionicist attempted to escape by leaping through the air with his family, but was forcibly dragged back to the ground by the wanderers and instantly swallowed by the crimson tide.

Some parents struggled to lift their young children high above the ground, but the cursed tide, defying the laws of physics, coiled around them like a living thing, covering and swallowing up hope and life.
Some sighed as the Crimson Curse drew near, giving up all resistance and triggering the bombs beneath them to prevent their corpses from becoming new wanderers.

This is a hell of despair.

Even with Li Yelai's exceptional combat prowess, he could not stop everything.

He could only activate Mythical Mimicry: Kunpeng, hoping to take some people off the ground, but they all refused. They didn't want to be a burden to the champion who had saved them, and they all knew that Mythical Mimicry wouldn't last long after losing the wonder, and would only be a hindrance instead.

They chose to die peacefully, carrying both resentment and a sense of relief.
Li Yelai could only take Little Mad King and Xia Ming into the sky, along with some other powerful figures, who also wanted to witness the so-called 'reboot'.

And just as the last wonder, the White Stone Wonder that Xia Ming was connected to, was about to be touched by the Crimson Curse.

The dark figure finally reappeared.

At this moment, Li Yelai was finally able to see his figure clearly. His tall torso, nearly two meters tall, had smooth and powerful muscle lines that indicated his masculinity, while his face was wrapped in layers of black bandages that seemed to absorb light, leaving no gaps.

"As expected, Lord Junfu, you only show yourself at the last moment." Xia Ming stared at the dark figure, his tone complex, and then suddenly asked, "How many times have we talked like this?"

If the world were to truly restart again and again, then all resistance at this moment would be meaningless.

He wondered if, in countless past reincarnations, he had also stood in this final place and engaged in the same exchange with this mysterious being.

Xia Ming was confident that even if the world were to reset itself repeatedly, as long as the individual "Xia Ming" was born, with his wisdom and talent, even if he could not become an outstanding figure every time, he could at least become a top scholar.

Similarly, he believed he could always glimpse part of the truth and converse with Junfu on this final stage.

"Similar conversations," Jun Fu's voice was calm and undisturbed, like a cold, mechanical synthesized voice: "There should be 820,000 times."

His hands didn't stop moving; he deftly broke open the collapsing white stone wonder. Just as the last remaining power of faith was about to dissipate, he precisely captured and devoured it.

Xia Ming's aura as a great supernatural being instantly plummeted, but he didn't care at all. He froze on the spot, completely captivated by that terrifying number.

Eight hundred thousand times?

Is this for real? Ten thousand?
The world has restarted so many times? No, it might even be more! Because Xia Ming himself is not one to survive to the end in every restart and become the one who can talk to Jun Fu.

This number far exceeded their comprehension.

It is important to understand that although there are gaps in the history of this world, there are still traceable records of the changes in civilizations.

Snake-men, bone-men, night demons, giants—each civilization shone for a millennium. Just by calculating this, the total duration exceeds five thousand years.

And he, Jun Fu, actually experienced more than 800,000 such cycles of reincarnation over thousands of years?

What kind of monster is this?

Given that the illusory realm is completely locked down, and it is almost impossible to become a divine being without the help of wonders, even if one did become a divine being, it would be impossible to survive for such a long time!

Can a monarch live that long? Hundreds of millions of years? Or even longer?
If we consider the actual time he has existed, isn't he older than the Lord of Azure Flames, and even the previous Lord of Pleasure, who was known as the 'youngest goddess'?
Of course, this takes into account the special nature of the time span. But this span is just too outrageous!

A player who has completed 800,000 playthroughs? What is he searching for?
"How many times have you restarted the world?" Li Yelai asked in a deep voice as his golden wings fluttered behind him, bringing Little Mad King and the weak Xia Ming closer to Jun Fu.

"Too many." After absorbing that power of faith, Jun Fu's aura remained as deep as a pool, without any change. "After more than ten million times, I will stop counting."

"Ten million?" Li Yelai's pupils contracted slightly as he considered a possibility: "Has the 'blood sacrifice' already been completed?"

In this world where the virtual realm is sealed off, the only way to break through the seal, besides using wonders to achieve great supernatural powers, is through the bloodiest path of the Chaos faction: blood sacrifice!
He was directly promoted to Chaos Prince!

And this Jun Fu is none other than the Chosen One of Chaos - Supreme!
“I’ve tried.” Jun Fu’s answer remained calm: “But it’s far from enough.” His tone was filled with a deep-seated indifference and numbness, which reminded Li Yelai of the Little Mad King beside him.

However, the two are completely different. The numbness of the Little Mad King stems from the endless malice from the outside world. It is a self-isolation that is born after being repeatedly sullied, doubted, and hurt.

Junfu's numbness is more like a kind of essential 'absence'.

It lacks humanity.

Humanity. Divinity.
The sheer power of faith contained within a single wonder was enough to ignite an uncontrollable, violent impulse within Li Yelai. So, just how many wonders' worth of faith had this Jun Fu devoured?

What a vast and complex torrent of wishes and aspirations it must be, a torrent of desires that gathers the prayers and obsessions of hundreds of millions of living beings?
Under the long-term erosion and soaking of this terrifying force that is capable of distorting reality and eroding will,

Is Jun Fu really still himself?
Has he already lost himself in that sea of ​​faith where countless voices intertwine, losing his anchor point of "self"?

Did the willpower he devoured transform into his power, or did it, in turn, mold him into a vessel to hold that willpower—a monster with power but devoid of all emotion and human warmth?

Li Yelai stared at those eyes, which were covered by black bandages, making it impossible to discern any emotion.

"Are you still human?"

Li Yelai spoke calmly, and the scarlet champion's cape behind him fluttered wildly without any wind.

Xia Ming keenly sensed the dangerous aura emanating from Li Yelai and decisively distanced himself.

"I am human," Jun Fu murmured, his voice as soft as a sigh.

This was the first time he had shown any emotion whatsoever. It was as if those words had suddenly struck a dormant core within him; his previously numb body trembled violently, and he began to breathe heavily.

Countless images flashed wildly through his mind.

Praise, curses, prayers, expectations—millions of voices exploded like a tsunami deep within his consciousness, almost tearing his reason apart completely.

Savior, Destroyer, Demon King, King of All Races, Hero.
Too many choices he made. He was once a hero of humanity, a chosen one of chaos, and a ruler who unified all races and reigned supreme... But no matter which path he took, he was ultimately met with only one and eternal end: destruction and rebirth.

He seemed to have just struggled out of the icy lake, breathing greedily, the complex emotions of 'humanity' seemingly being reawakened in his soul, worn down by endless years.

Li Yelai's expression shifted slightly. Was this the ability of the delirious path? By "identifying" one's human identity, it forcibly anchored and strengthened the remaining humanity within the torrent of faith?
"You drive the course of history, guiding us to develop and improve wonders, just to collect these beliefs?" Xia Ming seized the opportunity to ask.

"It wasn't us who propelled history forward, Lord Xia Ming." Jun Fu's tone was no longer cold, but instead carried a strained yet genuine smile tinged with reminiscence: "You taught me new wonder technologies many times. You even successfully replicated the floating island. Although... you no longer remember."

His gaze seemed to pierce through time, landing on Xia Ming with an indescribable complexity of emotions.

"I have fought alongside heroes of all ages, sharing life and death."

"I once mingled with chaos, ascended to demonic power through blood sacrifices, and sought the strength of the gods."

"Furthermore, it unified the various races of the world and established a vast empire covering the entire continent."

"But none of you remember."

Xia Ming was taken aback upon hearing this, but then he understood.

Yes, as one of the most intelligent and creative scholars among humankind, he must have participated in and led the research and iteration of wonder technologies time and again in those long-forgotten cycles.

Junfu, the being that travels between countless restarts, carries the technological achievements that embody countless efforts to the next 'cycle', and cleverly reveals and guides these technologies step by step.
No wonder the wonders and technologies possessed by the alien races of this era are so exquisite and perfect, even to the point that he, as a researcher, felt a little envious.

It turns out that there are also seeds of wisdom that I have personally planted in countless 'pasts'.

"Hahaha, what a great honor!" Xia Ming laughed heartily. "Then why didn't you choose to contact us earlier this time? You should have cooperated with us in the previous restart."

“I’ve tried countless possibilities, all to no avail. Utter defeats, only increased danger. At the same time, I can’t appear at any time; that thing also wants to destroy me,” Jun Fu said. “And I’ve found a more efficient plan, accumulating strength time and time again, until the opportunity arrives. The only opportunity!”

"Opportunity." Xia Ming looked at Li Yelai and smiled, "I guess I'll still have to trouble you, sir. Don't force yourself. You can leave at any time."

Xia Ming then looked down at the ground as the Crimson Curse completely devoured everything.

"It's truly despairing. It must be incredibly painful, isn't it? Just the thought of a world being destroyed is enough to break my heart. Even knowing that the world will restart, humanity as it is today will still be wiped out."

His body also changed; his hands and feet began to dissipate into dark red geometric shapes.

At the same time, strange things happened in the sky. First, the sun gradually went out, and then the stars in the sky dimmed.

"So this is a reboot, huh? Heh, how frustrating! Is everything under our control now?"

"I will break this damned cycle, just as we swore." Jun Fu's humanity was gradually suppressed by his divinity, his voice devoid of sorrow or joy, yet filled with determination.

The next second, Xia Ming completely vanished.
"Alas," Jun Fu sighed, then looked at Li Yelai: "We have finally met, Lord Li Yelai."

"You have accumulated the power of countless reincarnations," Li Yelai sensed the unfathomable and terrifying aura emanating from the other party, which seemed capable of annihilating him in an instant, and asked in a deep voice, "Such a powerful person like you only has one chance?"

“That’s right, only once. The only time.” Jun Fu’s voice was devoid of joy or sorrow, carrying a resolute determination to destroy everything: “I beg you here. Help me. Stand shoulder to shoulder with me and break this cycle of despair!”

"Just this once," Li Yelai took a deep breath, feeling the heavy expectation, spanning millions of reincarnations, weigh on his shoulders. Could he shoulder this responsibility? This trust, this desperate gamble?
"No need to worry, even if I fail, I'm willing to accept the consequences." Jun Fu's voice was firm: "I'm betting everything I've accumulated over countless reincarnations!"

"I bet you'll win!" (End of Chapter)