Full health is the kill threshold, no matter if you're a god or a demon!

Cyburus sat cross-legged in the void, his aged eyes gazing at the Boundary Tree in the distance.

"It all began long before I created Cyber ​​Hell."

"I am a digital life form created from a harsh planet called Cyber."

"The carbon-based biological civilization that researched me never found a way to set foot on the stars until their destruction. The only thing they could do before their destruction was to spend all their resources building a shuttle-shaped spaceship that was only 3 meters long, storing all the knowledge of their civilization, installing a standard STC template on the spaceship, and then using me as the control system of the spaceship to launch me to a nearby habitable planet."

"Building a starship that is tens of thousands of meters long is very difficult, but building a spaceship that is 3 meters long is much less technically challenging."

"As a digital life form, I have many advantages over carbon-based life forms in exploring the stars. For example, I don't have many physiological, emotional, desire, or lifespan burdens, I have no physical weaknesses, and I don't care about appearance or time span..."

"For the first ten thousand years in space, I accomplished nothing. Due to the limitations of technology and the restrictions imposed on my commands by the designers, it took me ten thousand years for my tiny spaceship to reach a nearby habitable planet for carbon-based life. It was an incredibly barren planet..."

"Life forms with rudimentary intelligence have just begun to emerge on the planet, so I began to guide them in their enlightenment according to the knowledge stored in the spaceship, playing the role of a god. You know, for primitive life forms, this is the fastest way to make them intelligent."

"In memory of the civilization that created me, I call myself Cyber."

"Over the next thirty million years, I guided these life forms to develop civilization. Of course, I also tried to rebuild the civilization of my creators—the Cyber ​​race. But it turned out that carbon-based life had too many limitations. The different planetary environment made it impossible for the Cyber ​​people to reappear on that planet. I was frustrated, but I didn't stop..."

"After that, this life that I brought into being developed, following my guidance, has created a completely different space technology."

"At the same time, I also had them assist me in my evolution..."

"However, this civilization still cannot create starships that can travel at the speed of light or through warp technology, and their ultimate fate will still be to be trapped and die on that planet."

"I realized a serious problem: due to physical limitations, carbon-based life forms are inherently unsuitable for interstellar travel, and I lack the ability to research and create carbon-based life forms..."

"At this time, a genius appeared on this planet named Ruth."

"He proposed an idea: to digitize and upload consciousness, transforming it into a digital life."

"Some people expressed their opposition, while others expressed their support, but in the end, the idea was still realized."

"However, the process is still very difficult, and the consciousness of carbon-based life cannot exist perfectly in digital form. It must rely on an underlying law that is not easy to collapse and is unshakable. In the end, we can only adopt an alternative solution, which is to use me as a standard template, make a large number of copies, and then modify and improve it with the uploaded data consciousness to adapt to each different digital life..."

"Finally, we successfully uploaded tens of millions of different digital life forms, and then combined all the uploaded digital consciousnesses with myself to form a massive hive mind. Thus, a new me was born—Cyberus!"

"We succeeded, but this also means we're forever bound by the limitations of the underlying laws..."

"Since then, I have been constantly replicating myself, putting the honeycomb mind into tiny USB drives, and then launching countless small spaceships full of USB drives into the vast universe, continuously dropping them onto every planet I see along the way, so that they can also begin to replicate, create, and evolve on those planets..."

"I multiplied and expanded exponentially, and in a very short time I rapidly expanded to occupy every planet in a star sector, frantically extracting matter from the planets, modifying them, and evolving myself."

"Later, as I multiplied and conquered more and more worlds, my evolution accelerated. Of course, I encountered native life forms on some of these planets. I would upload and merge all the potentially intelligent life forms I encountered along the way... The final result was that every planet I ruled was teeming with life, but ultimately, every intelligent life form within it was actually me playing the role..."

"Some civilizations have started calling me the Digital Cataclysm, but I'm more used to the name Cyberus."

"Until one day, I suddenly discovered that in that sea of ​​stars, wherever I could go, there was no intelligent life other than myself. My growth was restricted, and I began to fight an internal war with myself..."

"Over the course of time, by chance, I came into contact with a civilization from another dimension, and I realized that there was still room for me to grow in this universe."

"It turns out that life forms like me are not uncommon. In the hierarchy of those higher-dimensional life forms... perhaps it's due to the language, but a life form like me, which rules an entire star sea, is at the 'Demon Fall Level.' Above that are two more levels: the Fallen Level and the Annihilation Level."

"If I want to advance to a higher level of life, I need to devour a 'Demon Fallen' level life form that is completely different from my own, such as... the Divine Tree of All Realms."

"Countless versions of myself began to roam the universe together. Over millions of years, one of me, the one I am now, did indeed find such a strange life form. Subsequently, I began to create an army, seize the fruits of the World Tree, and devour the World Tree!"

"The Void Guardians are the embodiment and guardians of the Boundary Tree. I fought a long and fierce war with them, but in the end I gained the upper hand and reaped the rewards."

"I should have succeeded, but I was too impatient and did not completely destroy the consciousness of the Boundary Tree. While I was devouring it, another entity also discovered the Boundary Tree, which was the Data Cancer."

"It's a digital life form, just like me, at the same level, also searching for a path of evolution. But the difference is, it doesn't have the consciousness of 'me.' It's a viral, invasive life form. It saw our struggle, saw us both weakened, and then it made its move!"

"It invaded me while I was devouring the Boundary Wood!"

"It tried to completely assimilate me and make me a part of itself. But because I had absorbed a portion of the World Tree's power beforehand and was no longer a pure data life form, it could not completely destroy me. Thus began a grudge and battle that lasted for ten thousand years."

"In order to fight against it, I used the power of the World Tree to build the Reincarnation Ship. I used that ship to protect my consciousness and prevent it from being completely devoured by data cancer over the long years."

"The current cyber hell... is the world I created before. It was corrupted by data cancer, which is why it has become what it is now."

This is a very long story, spanning hundreds of millions of years. Cyburus's concise retelling of the story is enough to leave one breathless.

The tens of thousands of years of struggle against data corruption are actually not a very long time in the context of Cyborus's experience.

"The only reason I'm launching this season invasion is to drive this data-driven cancer out of my world!"

"But those five betrayed me and chose to join the Data Cancer, which is what you call the System!"

After listening to Cyborus's story, Liu Nian sighed, his heart filled with mixed emotions.

The five transcendents exchanged a glance. Aurelion said, "You've placed us on the side of traitors, making us sound like villains. But don't you really understand why all five of us betrayed you one after another?"

Vinera said, "Actually, we bound ourselves to the system to maintain the stability of Cyber ​​Hell. Hunting newcomers is also a last resort, because the struggle between you has already caused this world to begin to descend into chaos. If a new transcendent emerges, it will inevitably exacerbate the turmoil and break the balance. At that time, the entire Cyber ​​Hell will be destroyed!"

Liu Nian then spoke up, "Isn't this better? There won't be a cyber hell anymore, and no one will be dragged in here to suffer like this!"

Mokaide asked, "Then what about the hundreds of millions of people who have already been pulled in here? Should they all just die?"

Abhorus said, "Liu Nian, do you think the system pulled us here? No! It was Cyberus who dragged all the players into hell!"

Goren said, "It's because he's been pulling people from the vast universe into his ranks again and again to act as his henchmen in order to regain control! We're trapped in this hell not because of the data corruption, but precisely because of Cyberus!"

Aurelion said, "That's precisely why we're unwilling to continue helping him!"

Cyburus sneered, "You talk as if you're so noble, as if you're considering all the adventurers here! But is that really the case? Liu Nian, the truth is, these five guys betrayed us because they didn't want to return to their original world! Because they didn't want to give up the godlike power they gained here! They didn't want to become mortals again..."

Vinera said, "Some of us may indeed have such selfish motives, but as the pinnacle of adventurers, we also represent the hearts of the majority of players in Cyber ​​Hell! Cyberrus, do you dare say that defeating the data cancer will allow all participants here to return? Don't be ridiculous! Very few will actually be able to return; only a limited number of a few hundred recorded in the Cyber ​​Chronicles! And the billions upon billions of people from all races here will ultimately be devoured and assimilated by you!"

Everyone fell silent upon hearing this.

Liu Nian never expected the truth to be like this.

How can this problem be solved?

Cyberus calmly stated, "Therefore, there are only two solutions to this problem. First, kill me, causing the entire Cyber ​​Hell to collapse, and everyone to die along with it!"

"Secondly, help me expel the data cancer and regain control of this entire cyber hell. The five of you, along with Liu Nian, can also assist me in managing this place. I will no longer recruit people here, and I will take you back to my homeland. Alternatively, if any adventurers on the Cyber ​​Chronicles wish to return to their hometowns, I can send them back as well!"

Liu Nian's gaze swept over everyone. He didn't believe Cyborus's words because Cyborus had omitted two crucial pieces of information.

First, Liu Nian has become a Void Guardian, no longer subject to Cyberus's control, and is no longer part of the Cyber ​​Hell system. How could he possibly assist in its management? Liu Nian's very existence has begun to shake the underlying structure of Cyber ​​Hell... Clearly, this is a lie.

Secondly, Cyburus made no mention what became of the Tree of All Realms and the Void Guardians.

"There's a third option!"

A voice suddenly spoke.

Everyone immediately looked at the speaker.

It turned out to be a Void Guardian.

This Void Guardian's entire body resembled a tiny tree-man, and it hadn't attracted much attention before. But as soon as it opened its mouth, all the Void Guardians turned into wisps of dark mist and merged into its body!

He immediately began to change, his entire body becoming brighter and brighter, eventually becoming vividly red and glistening.

"World!" Cyborus sighed. "You... you really did wake up!"

What is called "boundary" is the embodiment of the consciousness of the boundary tree.

He spoke up, "Cyberrus, you want to devour me to advance your power, but I am also sentient. Don't you think I should fight back?"

He then looked at Liu Nian, his eyes filled with a strange sense of relief.

"You've done a great job, living up to Huang Sui's and my high expectations! Now, you've shaken the very foundations of this world, reawakening me, which means our plan has succeeded!"

Liu Nian was slightly taken aback.

"Child, you are a descendant of Huang Sui, both here and in your world. Back then, Huang Sui had already successfully advanced to become a transcendent being, so how could he possibly have been killed? To prepare for this day, we set up a trap."

"He and I joined forces, using the Heart of Time and my own power, to bring some people back to his world, which is your Blue Star!"

"Let him guide your development from the shadows. Didn't some blond-haired, blue-eyed people suddenly appear in your world? Those are the descendants of those people from back then. Their identities are actually the cybernetic beings I recreated using my power! They are quite skilled at designing virtual worlds. I believe your world must be filled with all sorts of virtual game products..."

"So naturally, some of you were pulled in again. And you are the one Huang Sui chose. If you look closely, you'll find that the appearance of the Demon Heart looks very familiar."

"I don't need to explain what happens next, child. The final step is just around the corner!"

"I will use all my strength to help you overcome that level!!"

Jie's figure suddenly changed, transforming into a wisp of ink that entered Liu Nian's body!