My portable grandfather refreshes every week

The initial Xue's Law never considered this direction at all.

He might have thought it was a coincidence, because everything he did was what he wanted to do, whether it was helping others, saving other races, or hunting down the apostles.

If these events align with the imitation of "respecting the king," then Xue's Law can only consider them coincidences. However, this alone led him further and further down the path of respecting the king. Now, looking back, even the captains of the interstellar column haven't gone as far as he has. Only then did Xue's Law realize many problems.

The so-called "Road to Respect the King" is just like a "Great Road".

The further you go on this path, the greater your power will be, and the closer you will get to the Supreme King.

Incidentally, this will also increase one's charm value, since for modern cosmic races, the closer a creature is to a King, the more beautiful it is.

If one were to inexplicably and unknowingly find oneself completely on this path of supreme kingship, it would be far too coincidental.

Even the Starship Legion doesn't have as deep an understanding of the Road to Respect as I do.

One or two coincidences are just that—coincidences. But when there are too many coincidences, even the slow-witted Xue's Law will eventually notice the anomaly.

In particular, this sense of incongruity became even more pronounced after reading the story of Expedition 13 and Ishan.

The original plan to kill Zeus wasn't that complicated. Xue Lude planned to find several descendants of Zeus from his memories, seize their DNA, and then, with a modified body imbued with Zeus's bloodline, secretly approach Zeus, kill his second brother, and then figure out a way to destroy Zeus.

Although the core idea remained the same, the process was completely different from the actual moment. My initial idea was simple: to turn Zeus into a eunuch and then kill him in accordance with the curse.

This wasn't even an idea Xue Law had from the beginning; it was an inspiration he got while researching online after learning that Zeus was his enemy.

As for why it turned out this way later?

Xue Lude became a benevolent hero. In order to kill Zeus, they built the Sky Thunder and successfully led the heroes to bury Zeus alive.

Why did the plan gradually become so complicated?

Previously, Xue Lude would have thought that this was an idea that could only come from his own extraordinary wisdom, but now, the more he reviewed it, the more he discovered that there was a person who was truly driving this plan.

He was also the one who truly guided himself onto this path, which was a plan that imitated the story of the 13th Expedition, thus leading himself to the path of the King.

Joshua the Great Sage!
Xue Dinglu recalled the last words Old Deng had said to him.

"I can no longer walk this road. From now on, I'm handing it over to you..."

Now, Xue's Law clearly realizes that when Lao Deng talked about "this road," he was actually referring not only to his own path, but also to this entire road...

The Road to Respect the King!
It was precisely because of this comprehensive teaching and guidance that Xue Law has consistently held himself to the same standards.

Thus, time and again, Xue's Law gradually strayed further and further down this path, completing one adventure after another, killing one apostle after another, and becoming tainted by the power of nothingness...

When did I become tainted by nihilism?

Xue Dinglu recalled that it was probably after he merged with the world consciousness of Iron Curtain Star, and then overused the power of the cursed blood, absorbing all the injuries and pain of the children resisting the swarm into his own body.

It was also after I truly fought the Ninth Apostle.

At that time, I became tainted by emptiness.

The reason for this is that the source of nothingness is not some other product, but rather...

Cursed Blood!

Old Deng had always said that the cursed blood was an ominous power, and even that this power was not a gift to him, but a torment.

The cursed blood has always been a power of nothingness.

The essence of this power is not "rescue" but "self-destruction." The so-called rescue of others is merely a paltry act of charity given after paying the price of this "self-destruction."

In the path that Xue's Law has taken, if we associate nothingness with the "cosmic void," then everything is just a replica of the members of Expedition 13.

By imitating the story of Expedition 13, he devised a plan to end the Age of Gods. After that, he repeatedly encountered more disasters caused by other Angels and ended them, genuinely performing acts of saving others. In the process, he became tainted by the nihilism and was gradually consumed by it...

If all these formulas are completed, and all members of Expedition 13 die from magic contamination due to the Great Void of Space, then a miracle will erupt throughout the universe, and the Supreme King will be born…

And Xue's Law, because of the pressure from the Apostles, was about to be corrupted by nothingness...

He might even become the most terrifying "new god" targeting the apostles.

For now, let's name this monster that Schrödinger might transform into "Apostle Slayer".

A radical new God, directed against the apostles.

The true mastermind behind the creation of this new god is...

Joshua the Great Sage!
……

Thinking about this, Xue Dinglu felt that he was probably overthinking things, or even harboring conspiracy theories.

Because all along, it seems that the people I know have been trying their best to pull me out of this quagmire as soon as they realize that I am gradually being corrupted by nihilism.

And all of this is not fake.

He wasn't even the Great Sage's only student; he had many students. In every world he had saved, he had taught many students. Moreover, he wasn't the only one in the entire universe who used the cursed blood.

Starfleets all possess copies of the Cursed Blood. Through inter-world chat groups, Xue also learned that other races were even born with abilities similar to a weakened version of the Cursed Blood, the "Pseudo-Cursed Blood."

The great sage taught the same things to every student, but in the end, only he himself made it this far.

Xue Lu touched the system, the "golden finger" that had accompanied him since he was very weak.

Whether it's the most practical translation function, or the scanning function, the prediction function, the ability introduction function...

Everything, and most of my achievements, were accomplished thanks to this cheat code.

At that time, when the system was being built, Xue Dinglu remembered that the old man's soul gradually became transparent.

When only the scanning and panel display functions were initially available, the Great Sage's body had only 60% transparency. After the translation and ability introduction functions were added, he seemed to disappear.

After the prophetic function was completed, the great sage would be able to speak a single word to himself for a very long time.

Once the overclocking and database functions were completed, the Great Sage had completely departed.

Because from beginning to end, the raw material for creating this system was the great sage's own soul!

So, as Xue gradually pieced everything together, he realized that the path the Great Sage had given him was the true Great Way, and also the fastest way to approach the Venerable King. And the price was only his soul.

Xue Dinglu has figured everything out. He does not regret taking this path, nor does he resent the great sage.

All he wants now is to find the old man and get one last thing out of him.

So at this moment, Xue Lude, who has grown up to his current state, only wants to ask the old man one last question.

The blood of hell covered the "system panel" that had accompanied him all the way to this point. After so much research, Xue Lude had finally completed the spell for "Summoning Heroic Spirits".

The next moment, the blood of hell covered its body with crimson and ferocious armor. In its final beast form, the blood completely devoured the entire system.

"Summoning of Heroic Spirits..." The Beast of the End slowly uttered this chant.

The blood slowly gathered on the ground, forming a complex and mysterious magic circle.

This magic circle originated from the "Hero Summoning" spell that Xue Dinglu encountered from the Hero Uncle. After his own improvements, it became a spell that could summon himself, but of course, this was far from enough.

Then, in a parallel world, after some tinkering by old Austin, Howard, the old man from Lovecraft, and himself, it evolved into a technique for reincarnating evil spirits. This can be considered as taking a detour, but at the same time, it laid the foundation for Xue's Law to further study this technique thoroughly.

Later, in the battle with the dragons, Xue Lude obtained the dragons' resurrection formula, and in the battle with the Mind Flayer King, he obtained the Mind Flayer's possession formula.

And on the Ninth Apostle's home planet, Xue Lude truly obtained the closest thing to what he wanted: the "Summoning of Heroic Spirits" technique.

At this point, all the conditions for completing this spell have been met.

The real opportunity for Xue Luding to perfect this technique was when he merged with the fragment of the Mimic King and, through the improvement of the Mimic King, was able to summon the other seven evil beasts of humanity, thus completing the final beast descent ritual.

Thus, at this moment, the spell called "Summoning Heroic Spirits" was finally completed.

This is currently the highest level of technique that Xue Dinglu can master.

Ultimately, Xue's approach has always been quite unconventional. As a mage, he lacks the unparalleled solid foundation of magic and knowledge of the Great Sage, the skillful use of psionic energy of the Starships, the ability to manipulate power in creative ways like Faust, and the control of authority of the Apostles...

He has always used whatever he has, without considering how to improve any of his abilities. He simply uses what works and replaces what doesn't.

My most proficient magic, besides teleportation, has always been limited to some low-level holy light magic, or activating the wheelchair "Genesis," transforming into the Beast of the End to cast a full-area magic ban, and then engaging in a battle with my Xuanwu Sect within that banished area.

Heroic Spirit Summoning is the only high-level spell that I control.

The air suddenly became viscous, as if it had been squeezed into liquid amber by some invisible force, and the summoning runes formed by the dripping blood peeled off one by one.

At that very moment, his "system" completely vanished, dissolved and analyzed by the blood of hell...

Then, within the dissolving magic circle, a simple staff, resembling a wooden stick, slowly appeared. Following that were the familiar white robe, the familiar robust old man, and the familiar white-bearded old man...

The light finally coalesced into a form, and at that moment, his system disappeared.

The system that had been with him until now had completely disappeared, and Xue Lude no longer needed to rely on that cheat to help him.

So, the next moment, after the light completely disappeared, the old man with white hair, white beard, and white robe reappeared in this consciousness space.

Compared to the last time, the consciousness space back then was still a barren subspace, with nothing at all, not even light.

But now, the vast academy, the towering divine tree, countless other subspaces connected to and dependent on the consciousness space, and the masquerade members who are currently working feverishly here to modify the instance...

Everything seems to have changed, yet everything seems to remain the same.

Looking at the old man, Xue Dinglu smiled, revealing the expression of a disciple who had completed his apprenticeship and was showing off in front of his teacher.

Xue Daolu seemed to have a lot to say, but when he was about to speak, he hesitated. After a long while, he finally looked at the figure that had been summoned and said:

"Long time no see, old Deng."

"Yes, it's been a long time, Xiao Deng."

The two looked at each other and smiled.

……

"I never imagined you could grow to this level..." The great sage's voice rang out. At this moment, old friends met again, bringing joy, emotion, and perhaps a trace of barely perceptible sadness.

"But you should understand that I am not the 'Great Sage' you know now, but merely a heroic spirit who inherited his memories." The Great Sage surveyed the consciousness space that was completely different from his memories, and he probably had many feelings about it as well.

However, he did not speak, but listened to Xue's account and truthfully revealed his identity.

"I am more like a heroic spirit created by you splitting your own memories, a figure that resembles the 'Great Sage' in your memories. I am not the real him, nor am I the real Great Sage..."

"He has long been swallowed up by nothingness."

The old man was talking, but Xue Dinglu didn't dwell on such thoughts, only saying, "Perhaps, but it doesn't matter anymore..."

"Because the old man I know who likes to tell riddles isn't actually Joshua. According to him, he's just a remnant soul that died long ago and is unwilling to accept his fate," Xue Dinglu said with a smile.

Xue's Law hasn't fully understood the concept of Heroic Spirits yet, but that doesn't really matter.

After all, in essence, Xue Lude might have already become an undead and died when he helped the old undead kill the Lich King. What survived was merely a heroic spirit that inherited the memories and consciousness of "Xue Lude".

But Xue's Law never gets bogged down in these fussy questions like "Am I really me?"

"Old man, I'm very strong now, stronger than you," Xue Dinglu said, giving himself a thumbs-up.

The Great Sage simply smiled and said, "Yes, you have become stronger than me. In fact, you have gone further than me. I can no longer see your back from afar."

It seems like helplessness, but more than that, it seems like a sense of relief that the students were able to surpass him.

“Old Deng, I want to ask you a question.” Xue Dinglu took a deep breath. He seemed to have been thinking for a long time. In this silent world and the distant noise, he finally asked the question he wanted to ask most, “Back then, what was the path you initially prepared for me?”

The great sage seemed unsurprised, and it seemed he had prepared this answer long, long ago.

"If I were to say that my initial purpose wasn't as noble and righteous as you think, and that the path 'I' wanted you to take, and the legacy I intended to leave behind, was merely a backup plan to fight against the apostles..."

"I can no longer walk. With my abilities, I will never be able to kill the Apostle, and I may never even find the Apostle's true whereabouts in this lifetime. But future generations will follow in my footsteps, stepping over my corpse, and thus go further..."

"Just one seed left behind for the world, a seed capable of fighting against the Apostles..."

"Or perhaps, it's just a last resort." (End of Chapter)