Recruit demons to become heroes, hunt demons to become gods

Chapter 311 Heaven's Way is Ruthless, I Return to Dust; Ten Thousand Years of Kunlun Dreams in the Mortal World

"Senior Xing Sha."

Dou Eqing's spiritual body arrived at the top of the Demon Suppression Tower and respectfully called out.

"Ok?"

A cold, violent yet languid will awakened—it was Xing Sha, the God of Slaughter. "Kid? Wait... your aura... hehe, interesting. You've actually become the local tyrant of this little patch of land? That little mudfish outside has put you in a bind?"

Xing Sha Shen was clearly aware of everything happening outside, and his tone was somewhat mocking.

"Senior Mingjian."

Dou Eqing cut straight to the point, "The Demon Emperor from beyond the realm is a Great Luo Golden Immortal. As a junior who has just assumed power, I am not strong enough to defeat him."

A senior once said he regarded such beings as worthless as clay chickens and earthenware dogs. Does anyone have a good strategy to teach me? I am willing to pay the corresponding price.

"Price? Hmph, besides this world you just got your hands on and haven't even warmed up yet, what else do you have that would catch my eye?"

Xing Sha Sha Shen chuckled, but then a hint of interest flashed in his mind. "However... there is a way. Although a Great Luo Golden Immortal transcends time and space, he is not invincible."

Its core lies in the 'immortality of the true spirit'. If one can find the flaw in its 'Dao trace' or erode its true spirit with a stronger killing law, it may not be impossible to harm it.

Unfortunately, given my current state, the power I can lend you is limited... Perhaps you could try 'shifting the blame'?

Xing Sha Shen's words were vague, but they pointed out the key point: the Great Luo Realm was not invincible, and hinted at a certain strategy.

Dou Eqing noted it down, thanked Xing Sha Sha Shen, and then left the Demon Suppression Tower. With a more cautious attitude, he touched upon the more profound and deeply intertwined consciousness of the Xuan Sheng Tian Mo, which was more deeply entangled with the ancient history of the Kunlun Realm.

"Senior Xuan Sheng."

Dou Eqing's thoughts carried a hint of inquiry.

A will, more ancient and obscure than the God of Slaughter, seemingly as old as the Kunlun Realm itself, slowly flowed out, carrying a profound understanding of the vicissitudes of eternity:

"The Heavenly Dao has changed hands... Little one, you've taken bigger steps than I imagined. The Demon Emperor's impending doom is indeed a calamity."

Xuan Sheng Tian Mo seemed to have anticipated all of this.

"Please enlighten me, senior."

Dou Eqing lowered his stance even further.

"The Great Luo is the ancestor of the Dao. However, the Dao has mutual generation and mutual restraint."

The thoughts of the Profound Saint Heavenly Demon were like a gentle stream, yet they contained profound truths: "Although the Kunlun Realm is small, it also has ancient secrets. There are several things about you that even this Heavenly Demon cannot see through."

Now that you have attained the Dao, you should know that the origin of this world is not as simple as it appears on the surface… Perhaps, we can use its strength against it. If we can catch them off guard and trigger those traces… we might be able to frighten the Demon Emperor away, or even… severely injure him.”

The Mysterious Saint Heavenly Demon did not provide a specific method, but pointed out a direction:
Unearth the ancient power hidden within the Kunlun Realm that may have a restraining effect on the demon race.

The advice from the two ancient beings, one leaning towards tactics and external forces (Xing Sha) and the other towards strategy and leveraging external forces (Xuan Sheng), while neither offered a direct solution to the problem, cleared away the fog before Dou Eqing's eyes and pointed out a possible direction for progress.

Dou Eqing's divine sense returned to his body, and the light of law flowed endlessly in his eyes.

He already had a preliminary plan in mind:
On the one hand, they must try to stall the Demon Emperor and buy time;

On the other hand, we must immediately begin to delve into the ancient secrets of the Kunlun Realm, and even the methods he himself possesses, based on the hints from the two ancient beings, and prepare any special methods that may be necessary.

The war against the Demon Emperor has shifted from a simple confrontation of force to a deeper contest of strategy and resources.

Dou Eqing, the newly crowned God of Kunlun, began his arduous journey on a tightrope.

While facing off against the Demon Emperor and seeking a solution from the two ancient beings, Dou Eqing did not give up searching for answers from his own roots.

With a thought, he once again contacted the unfathomable Dou family matriarch, Dou Exian, attempting to explore the deeper secrets of the Kunlun Realm and inquire whether the Dou family had any effective strategies to deal with the extraterrestrial demon emperor.

When Dou Eqing inquired about his attainment of godhood, Dou Exian did not hide anything this time and treated him as her husband from her previous life.

With a solemn expression, she revealed a shocking secret:
"Dou Lang, now that you have taken control of a realm, there are some things you should know. That Boundless Merit Pearl was not refined by my Dou family, nor is it something that this Kunlun Realm could produce."

It is highly likely... a legendary divine object originating from beyond the heavens! One of the core elements of the family's age-old plan is to await the opportunity to truly wield this pearl and thereby transcend the constraints of this realm.

These words struck Dou Eqing like a thunderclap!
The Boundless Merit Pearl is actually a divine object that surpasses even the Kunlun Realm, a mid-level world!

No wonder it has such miraculous effects, and can even convert merit into virtue, thus circumventing the rules of Heaven to a certain extent!

He immediately recalled the scene of resisting the divine punishment from Heaven:
The Golden Body of Merit, formed from the merits of the Kunlun Realm, almost collapsed, while the Heavenly Shield of Merit, formed from the merits collected and transformed by the Immeasurable Merit Pearl, although also severely damaged, showed a stronger ability to resist!

"I see!"

Dou Eqing instantly realized the key difference:
"Although the Golden Body of Merit is powerful, its foundation is the Heavenly Dao Merit of the Kunlun Realm. It is too deeply bound to the Kunlun Realm and is essentially still within the framework of the Heavenly Dao Rules. Therefore, it is restrained by the Heavenly Dao Divine Punishment, which is of the same origin but of a higher level."

The merit of the Merit Heavenly Shield, transformed through the 'foreign divine object', the Boundless Merit Pearl, has to some extent been stripped of its native attributes of the Kunlun Realm, and carries a characteristic that transcends this realm.

Therefore, they actually have a stronger resistance to divine punishment from the local Heavenly Dao!

Having figured this out, an extremely bold, even insane, attack idea quickly took shape in his mind!
"Since 'transcendental merit' stripped of its native attributes has a miraculous effect on the rules of Heaven, then..."

If I were to compress and shape an immense amount of merit using the Boundless Merit Bead to its extreme, could I forge a... supreme merit-based butcher's knife, capable of severing cause and effect and destroying all phenomena?

This imagined butcher's knife will no longer be a defensive shield, but the purest and most extreme weapon of attack!
Because of the "transcendental" attribute of its merit source, it may ignore many local laws and defenses and strike at the essence!
This "Merit-Slaying Blade" will definitely pose a threat to that Demon Emperor from beyond the realm!

However, as soon as the thought arose, a sense of powerlessness followed.

The Demon Emperor is a Great Luo Golden Immortal, whose life essence is almost immortal, and whose true spirit is in harmony with the Great Dao.

To harm or even threaten such a being with the power of merit would require an unimaginable astronomical amount of merit!

I'm afraid even the total merit gained from eradicating all the existing demons in the Kunlun Realm might not be enough!

"The path has been shown, yet it remains unreachable..."

Dou Eqing sighed inwardly.

Creating a "supreme merit-based butcher's knife" is theoretically feasible, but accumulating resources is a huge bottleneck that is almost impossible to complete in a short period of time.

This is more like a long-term, desperate, and ideal solution.

But in any case, this pointed him in a direction:
We must accumulate merit faster and in greater quantities!

Not only must we consolidate our rule, but we must also prepare for the moment when we may need to resort to this ultimate means.

The demonic conquest, the restoration of order within the realm, and even... is it possible to obtain merit from beyond the realm?

Dou Eqing's gaze once again fell upon the hidden Demon Emperor outside the boundary, his eyes becoming even more profound and unfathomable.

Besides relying on the ancient traces of the Kunlun Realm and the methods of Xingcha Killing God, the strategy to fight against the Demon Emperor may also require fighting for a sliver of hope on this seemingly impossible "merit-based butcher's knife".

He began to mobilize the demonic forces more actively to "clean up" unstable factors within the realm more efficiently, and secretly planned how to "produce" merit more efficiently.

A silent war over the accumulation of merit has quietly begun.

Just as Dou Eqing was fully focused on figuring out how to deal with the Demon Emperor from beyond the boundary, with his mind mostly on the void beyond the boundary and the ancient secrets inside, a deadly crisis was quietly brewing right under his nose.

He had previously used his authority over the realm to stop the invading demon army, thinking he had the situation under control, but he never realized it.

Among the seemingly rigid demon army, there was a seemingly ordinary demon king who was only at the Celestial Immortal realm. Deep in his eyes, there was a trace of extremely subtle cunning and agility that was the same as that of the Demon Emperor from beyond the realm—this was actually an avatar of the Demon Emperor!
Taking advantage of Dou Eqing's distraction, this Demon Emperor clone, using the profound methods possessed only by the Great Luo Realm true body, secretly controlled a most elite demon squad, unleashing a deceptive secret technique that even the newly born Realm Lord could not detect for a time.

They bypassed the key areas monitored by the Heavenly Dao and silently constructed several strange and enormous demon-slaying altars in several crucial spiritual vein nodes in the Kunlun Realm, and even deep underground in the ancient battlefields of the past!

These altars are not intended for direct attack, but rather, like ink blocks thrown into water, they are meant to continuously corrupt the core of Kunlun Realm's origin!
Once the altar is fully activated and establishes a stable connection with the Demon Emperor's true form, the laws of heaven and earth in the Kunlun Realm will be fundamentally distorted and corrupted. At that time, Dou Eqing, the Realm Lord's source of power, will be completely depleted, and he may even be devoured by demonic energy!

When Dou Eqing was suddenly awakened by the abnormal fluctuations in several spiritual veins and scanned the whole situation from the perspective of the Heavenly Dao, the process of the altar being corrupted by demons was already more than half completed. The filthy demonic patterns, like maggots clinging to bones, were rapidly spreading towards the core of the boundary!

Forcibly destroying the altar is too late; it might even accelerate the collapse of the source!

"Oops!"

Even though Dou Eqing's will was as firm as a rock, he felt a chill run down his spine at this moment.

This is a decisive situation!

In a flash, an extremely cruel, even inhumane plan took shape in his mind.

This is the only way, and perhaps the only way, to turn the tide, but the cost will be the lives of hundreds of millions of people!
A flash of painful resolve crossed his eyes, which was then replaced by endless indifference.

The will of the Realm Lord descended with a thunderous roar, a vast will mixed with command and temptation, forcibly instilling into the minds of almost all cultivators and the vast majority of demonic beasts in the Kunlun Realm:
"The Demon Emperor's power is overwhelming, and this realm will cease to exist! To preserve our race, I now bestow upon you the secret method of demon transformation!"

Abandon resistance, embrace demonic energy, and transform into demons—only then can you survive this calamity! This is the glimmer of hope that I, the god, have secured for you!

At the same time, he secretly mobilized the power of the Heavenly Dao, and his ingenious human-demon secret technique created a strange "resonance" and "connection" with the altar that was being corrupted by demonic essence!
Driven by the instinct for survival, and with a blind (or forced) trust in the "authority" of the World God, countless desperate cultivators and demonic beasts, in their confusion and struggle, began to circulate their cultivation techniques and vital energy according to that "secret method"...

In an instant, demonic energy erupted like a plague throughout the Kunlun Realm!
Thousands upon thousands of creatures writhed in agony, their minds corrupted by demonic forces, transforming them into monstrous monsters! The entire world's aura of life shifted abruptly!

Just as Dou Eqing had predicted, the moment these massive numbers of "freshly baked" demons, whose essence still belonged to the Kunlun Realm, were born, the targets of the demonic contamination of those altars seemed to have found a more "delicious" and easier-to-devour substitute. Their demonic power was instinctively diverted and rushed madly toward these newborn demons, which slowed down the rate of erosion of the world's origin!

It's now!

Dou Eqing's eyes flashed with a cold light, and he hesitated no longer! In the name of the Realm Lord, he invoked the laws of heaven and earth, issuing a cold and ruthless declaration:
"You have betrayed the foundations of the human race (and demon race), willingly transforming into demons. This is an act of treason! According to the law, you shall be executed!"

Of course, this law is governed by the laws of Heaven, severing the karmic ties between Dou Eqing and himself.

Follow your words!
Boundary laws are like a knife!

The Heavenly Dao has absolute power of life and death over all living beings in this realm.

Those beings who have just transformed into demons are demons, but because they are still in the Kunlun Realm, they still belong to the beings of this realm.

The billions of demons that had just completed their transformation, before they even had time to adapt to their new bodies and powers, were instantly reduced to ashes by the rejection and crushing force of the entire world, as if they had been thrown into a purgatory furnace! Their existence was wiped out from the very source!

This was not a simple killing.

Because these demons were legitimate beings in the Kunlun Realm just a moment ago, their "betrayal" and "extermination" completed a full process of "eliminating traitors" and "destroying demons" in accordance with the rules of heaven and earth!

Dou Eqing, who orchestrated all of this and carried out the "cleaning up of the house," was recognized as a demon-slaying action by the Boundless Merit Bead under the certification of the Realm Lord, and naturally received the highest level of merit feedback!
At the same time, by annihilating such a massive number of "demons," these "demons" absorbed the demonic essence from the altar and were devoured by the Kunlun Realm, thus strengthening the essence of the entire Kunlun Realm.

And Dou Eqing, the realm lord, naturally became stronger.

Because the number of people killed was extremely large (almost the number of beings in an entire realm of cultivation), and because it was a "heroic feat" accomplished at a critical juncture for the survival of the world, the amount of merit generated reached an unprecedented level, a massive amount that was enough to shake even the Heavenly Dao itself!

An indescribably powerful golden pillar of merit descended from the sky, instantly engulfing Dou Eqing!
Its scale far exceeds the sum of his previous five hundred years of conquests!

Feeling the immense merit that almost burst his soul, Dou Eqing slowly raised his head and looked in the direction where the true form of the Demon Emperor from beyond the realm might be located, a cold and cruel smile curving his lips.

"Demon Emperor... is this 'grand gift' enough to send you off?"

The immense merit gained from sacrificing nearly an entire world's population finally gave him the confidence to carry out that insane plan—to forge that supreme merit-based weapon capable of threatening the existence of the Great Luo!

The moment a thought arises, all things follow! In that instant when a vast amount of merit was bestowed upon him, the White Tiger Demon-Slaying Blade that had been with Dou Eqing for so long emitted a resounding cry that shook the heavens!
It sensed its master's resolute will and the unprecedented power he was infusing into it.

The Boundless Merit Bead floated at the top, and the vast golden merit, like a sea of ​​stars, was no longer used for defense or to condense a golden body. Instead, it surged into the White Tiger Demon-Slaying Blade in an unprecedented way!

The blade was no longer marked with menacing white tiger stripes, but was completely covered and reshaped by pure, transcendent golden light of merit!
A supreme merit-based butcher's knife, still shaped like a long sword but with a translucent golden color, seemingly formed from the purest laws of merit, was born!
There was no sharp, cold glint at the edge of the blade; only a profound Daoist philosophy of "severing cause and effect and purifying all evil" flowed within it.

In the void beyond the boundary, the Demon Emperor, who had been coldly observing, couldn't help but feel a flicker of emotion in his icy demonic heart when Dou Eqing unhesitatingly sacrificed almost an entire realm's unique spiritual beings to gain merit.

This act not only sacrificed countless cultivators and demons, but also, due to the causal relationship of the Great Dao, this "massacre" by the Heavenly Dao also uprooted the cultivation of immortals in the Kunlun Realm.

From then on, the creatures of Kunlun Realm could no longer pursue the path of cultivation, leaving only mortals, wild beasts, and ferocious beasts.

Unless Dou Eqing can elevate the Kunlun Realm to the Great Thousand World.

However, without the assistance of beings capable of cultivating immortality, it would be almost impossible for him, a mere realm lord, to succeed.

"This boy's ruthlessness and decisiveness are no less than mine..."

However, this feeling was instantly replaced by a sense of crisis that sent chills down his spine!
Dou Eqing gripped the golden Merit Slaughtering Blade with both hands. Without any fancy moves or earth-shattering build-up, he simply and naturally slashed the blade towards the location of the Demon Emperor's true form from beyond the boundary!

This strike, named "One-Slash Slash," is in fact a powerful blow carrying the weight, will, and essence of the entire Kunlun Realm!
The blade's light was not a straight line, but rather like a gazelle's horns hanging from a tree, leaving no trace, as if it transcended the limitations of space and ignored the obstruction of the void.

Where the blade passed, it did not tear space apart, but rather "purified" space itself into a pure golden trail, like a path of judgment paved with merit, pointing directly at the Demon Emperor!

Its power is not destructive, but a magnificent and irresistible force of order, like the supreme Heavenly Dao personally executing the final judgment, to bring all chaos and evil back to order and nothingness!

The Demon Emperor's pupils shrank sharply, and the Great Luo Laws around him surged wildly, condensing layer upon layer of dark magic shields, and a barrier that distorted spacetime was instantly set up.

He sensed the terrifying power contained within that strike, a power that subtly restrained his demonic origins!
"laugh--!"

There were no earth-shattering explosions.

The moment the blade of merit touched the Demon Emperor's defenses, those magical shields that were strong enough to withstand the impact of the ordinary world melted away silently, like ice and snow under the sun!

The blade swept past the Demon Emperor's towering demonic body without any hindrance!
The Demon Emperor's body was split in two!
But how easy is it to deal with beings at the Great Luo Realm?

The two halves of the demonic body that had been split apart instantly surged with demonic energy and reassembled, appearing to be completely unharmed!
The Demon Emperor let out a furious roar:
"Insect! How dare you harm me! I, the Emperor, will tear your soul from your body and refine it..."

However, this roar revealed a hint of weakness beneath its outward strength!

Only the Demon Emperor himself knew that the slash had not only severed his physical form, but also damaged the primordial demonic root that connected him to the Great Luo Dao Fruit!

A law of merit, full of order and purifying power, spread and eroded his body like a bone-deep sore, leaving his reassembled demonic body riddled with holes, the severity of which far exceeded his imagination!
He was barely holding on, pretending nothing was wrong, trying to intimidate Dou Eqing and buy time to suppress his injuries!
After Dou Eqing unleashed his slash, he didn't even glance at the Demon Emperor's "unharmed" performance. The Merit Slaughtering Blade spun back, its light sweeping across the entire Kunlun Realm like a splash of golden waves!
"Purify!"

All the demons that invaded the realm, including the Demon Emperor's avatar who was secretly activating the altar and looked terrified, were instantly melted and purified like snow thrown into a raging fire, turning into the most primordial spiritual energy and returning to the world, before they could even scream under the dazzling light of merit.
The evil scourge within the realm has been completely eradicated in a single day!
When he turned his blade to face the demons who had invaded the Kunlun Realm, it was logically the best time for the Demon Emperor from beyond the realm to make his move.

Dou Eqing knew this himself, but he still did it anyway.

His move had three profound implications:

1. Testing the waters:

If the Demon Emperor is truly unharmed, he will immediately launch a furious counterattack; if he remains inactive or is merely bluffing, it indicates that he has been severely injured.

2. Eliminate internal problems:

Completely eradicate all demons within the realm to prevent future troubles.

3. Prepare to hide:

Once he determines that the Demon Emperor's injuries are severe and he is unable to retaliate immediately, he will immediately use the authority of the realm's ruler to completely conceal the Kunlun Realm from its current coordinates, causing it to disappear into the endless void.

With the Demon Emperor severely injured and having lost the demon race within the realm as a coordinate anchor, finding the Kunlun Realm again will be as difficult as ascending to heaven!

At this moment, Dou Eqing was highly focused, keeping a close eye on the Demon Emperor's every subtle reaction.

Whether to fight or hide, the outcome will be decided in the next instant! The ultimate fate of the Kunlun Realm rests on this silent standoff.

Dou Eqing stood frozen, sword in hand, his divine senses forming a net, tightly locking onto the void beyond the boundary. However, the Demon Emperor's furious counterattack that he had anticipated did not materialize.

The towering figure of the Demon Emperor did not approach; instead, it began to become blurry and illusory, like a reflection in water being scattered by a pebble, and its aura dissipated rapidly like the receding tide.

"Ok?"

Dou Eqing felt a chill run down his spine and instantly understood!

"The golden cicada escapes from its shell!"

It turned out that in the instant he turned his sword to purify the demons in the realm and his mind was slightly distracted, the heavily injured Demon Emperor had already made a decisive decision, abandoned this projection, and used a secret technique to escape directly back to his lair in the demon realm to heal his wounds!

That seemingly fierce threatening posture was nothing more than a pretense to buy time and cover the retreat of the real body!
With the formidable enemy temporarily retreating, the biggest weight on my heart has been lifted.

As Dou Eqing relaxed, the terrifying backlash from his forcibly suppressed act of defying the heavens erupted like a prehistoric beast that had been gathering strength for a long time!

The first thing to be affected was not the energy impact, but the assimilating power from the Kunlun Realm Heavenly Dao itself, which was deeply integrated with him!
Heaven is impartial and selfless.

Dou Eqing's act of conforming to the Way of Heaven by taking on a human body is inherently defying the will of Heaven.

At this moment, when he was suffering from the backlash and was powerless, the cold, vast, and emotionless absolute rule of the Heavenly Dao immediately surged towards his self-consciousness like a tide, trying to strip away and erase all his human emotions, personal memories, love and hate, and turn him into a true "rule of the Heavenly Dao" without any self-emotion!
"Ugh—!"

Dou Eqing let out a painful groan, feeling his consciousness melting rapidly like ice being thrown into a furnace.

Everything from the past, the entanglements with Su Muwan, the complicated relationship with Luo Damei, the various interactions with Yang Yang, Shui Yunxian, and others, even the pursuit of power and the ruthlessness towards enemies…

All these elements that constitute the independent personality of "Dou Eqing" are being ruthlessly washed away and diluted.

"No... I can't... disappear like this..."

In the final moments before his consciousness was about to be completely overwhelmed, an extremely strong obsession sustained him, enabling him to make his final arrangements.

With great difficulty, he mobilized the remaining authority of the realm, first enveloping the divine soul demon body connected to his consciousness.

With a flash of light, the figures of Yang Yang, Yang Yang, Shui Yunxian, Yang Yunhuan, Luo Damei, Liu Shuhuang, and You Yingyue were gently but firmly stripped away, becoming celestial maidens, thus fulfilling his promise.

They stared blankly at Dou Eqing, who had become the god of Kunlun, still in shock.

Then, his gaze fell upon the Celestial Court, which hovered above the heavens and had done almost nothing in this calamity.

The Dou family originally hid in the Luofu Realm, high above the nine heavens.

Dou Eqing gazed deeply, with boundless longing, at the Purple Sun Immortal Cauldron, which was still undergoing transformation and suspended high in the heavens.

Perhaps, at this moment, the Purple Sun Immortal Cauldron should be called the Purple Moon Divine Plate.

In the later stages of integrating with the Purple Sun Immortal Cauldron, Su Muwan's Pure Moon Divine Body took shape and fully erupted, instead fusing with the Purple Sun Immortal Cauldron, transforming and metamorphosing it into a divine artifact.

She was like a pure and flawless full moon, hanging quietly in the high sky.

Dou Eqing really wanted to take a few more glances, but time was of the essence.

He used his last strength to set up an unparalleled seal with a wave of his hand, severing the cultivation forces of the entire Kunlun Realm from the Kunlun Main Realm and sealing them away independently.

This is the Kunlun Wonderland that was later passed down among the mortals of the Kunlun Realm.

In his final moments, he glanced at this world, scarred by hardship and in dire need of rebuilding, and with the last will of a realm lord, issued the command of the laws:
The Kunlun Realm has entered an era of rest and recuperation.

Within the six realms of mortal reincarnation, spiritual energy is concealed, and for ten thousand years, no trace of immortals will appear.

After doing all this, he felt that his "humanity" was as fragile as a candle flickering in the wind.

In the instant that the laws of heaven were about to complete their final assimilation, he, with a vague memory of his "hometown" and a final unwillingness, triggered a connection deep within the origin of his soul.

His consciousness, or rather, that last bit of his "true self," like a moth breaking free from a spider's web, suddenly detached itself from the net of the Heavenly Dao, transforming into an almost imperceptible stream of light, and vanished into the depths of the endless void, drifting away towards a distant blue planet called "Earth."

The Kunlun Realm has returned to peace.

The sky was azure, and the earth began to nurture new life.

However, the realm lord who once stirred up the winds and clouds, and was both righteous and evil, has already disappeared.

No one knows where he went, leaving behind only a legend filled with blood and fire, love and calamity, and a world that needs a long time to heal its wounds.

And in some corner of the earth, perhaps a new life will quietly descend, carrying a bizarre and fantastical dream.

(End of this chapter)