In order to become a Heroic Spirit, I had no choice but to cause trouble in history.

The elf raised her head and looked at Zero, tears still welling up in her eyes.

Zero's body trembled violently, and he was somewhat reluctant to strike.

"...Even if you keep fighting like this, you won't lose your life, and you'll just keep regrouping endlessly, right?" Zero suddenly felt a little deflated and loosened his fist.

The elf stopped crying temporarily after seeing Zero's face, and huffed and puffed as she looked at Zero's face.

Type-I stood not far behind Type-Zero, looking at Type-Zero thoughtfully. Suddenly, as if he had realized something, he sat down on the spot and put on a look of anticipation.

The two "people" who were fighting to the death just ten minutes ago have both fallen silent and are staring at each other in silence.

Zero couldn't do anything about the elf for the time being, and could only look at her, recalling what Ji Chao had said to him earlier.

He has always existed in the gap between "human" and "non-human," and will not be accepted by non-humans; he also harbors malice towards humans...

“In a sense, we are the same thing…” Zero murmured listlessly. “I still have a father who can accept me, and a younger brother who exists in the same way as me. So… what about you?”

"...Huh?" The elf didn't know what Zero was saying.

In a daze, she seemed to realize something.

The face, which did not exist in memory, gradually emerged from the mist and became clear.

Zero-type looked at the elf's bewildered expression and opened his mouth.

"There's nothing I can do about you, and there's nothing you can do about us either."

"You were all alone before, so you'll remain all alone from now on."

“As long as you are an individual, no matter how strong you are, you will not cause a disaster. As long as you are alone, you will not pose a sufficient threat to the Central Plains, and I will have no reason to attack you.”

He stood up, looked down at the elf, and had a somewhat inexplicable expression.

"The savior machine saves the world, not people."

"Go away, follow your instincts and continue to hunt for food... beautiful spirit."

Zero bent down and wiped away a tear from the elf's eye, then turned and left without looking at the elf again.

The elf remained kneeling quietly in place, staring blankly in the direction Zero had left.

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Chapter 774 The Demise of the State of Chu

The group resumed their journey.

The four of them had previously traveled up the southeast side of the plateau, heading west. After reaching the far west, they turned back towards the northeast, clearing out any foreign tribes they encountered along the way. Occasionally, they would communicate with the Qiang people, exchanging spoils from these tribes for necessities to sustain their lives.

It wasn't until they encountered the Flesh Spirit that they stopped for more than half a month.

Now, after careful consideration, Zero-type concluded that even if a lone spirit is harmful to humans, it is harmless to the vast Central Plains. Therefore, Zero-type decided to let the spirit go.

This battle seemed to start strong but ended weakly.

Ji Chao followed Zero's advice and let the elf go, or rather, there was nothing he could do about an elf that was naturally born and could resurrect infinitely.

So they set off again, leaving the elves behind, and continued to send the Zero and Type-1 brothers to eliminate what was the real threat to the Central Plains, namely those true "alien races".

They continued their journey northeast, planning to descend the plateau outside the large formation in the northeast and confront the Yuezhi and Wusun tribes to the north.

The elf, left standing there, remained squatting there, dazed and confused.

The loneliness that had lasted for countless years seemed to have been broken.

She was just a simple elf, devoid of intelligence and reason.

In her previous life, she may have seen a lot, a great deal, but no one was willing to accept her. She remained just a stranger in the crowd, easily forgotten, and people would easily forget that such a spirit had ever existed.

Those were merely chunks of meat prepared for nutrition and to ward off misfortune; they were absolutely not worthy of being called living beings.

However, perhaps due to some opportunity, a spirit without a self will be born with a self.

However, no opportunity arose during such a long period of time.

It felt like an eternity, yet also like a fleeting day.

It's like a book that could never be finished, but suddenly it's all turned over, leaving only bewilderment and sighs.

After countless years, the spirit, devoid of self, finally developed a sliver of self under the mercy of the machine.

"Yes... Will I... find a place that will accept me...?" She looked at the sky, and what came to mind was the hand that had bowed its head to wipe away tears that day.

That face, that expression, was deeply etched into the elf's mind.

Without thinking, the body moved on its own, and the spirit wandered the earth as before.

This time, however, perhaps there is something else to pursue besides energy, and one cannot control what one wants to pursue.

......

The year was 224 BC.

King Zheng of Qin recalled Wang Jian, who had previously retired to his hometown, and ordered him to lead troops to attack the State of Chu.

Wang Jian wanted to refuse because of his old age, but King Zheng of Qin insisted on employing him. Wang Jian was deeply moved and agreed to King Zheng's request, leading his troops to the State of Chu.

King Zheng of Qin sat in his palace in Xianyang and sighed deeply.

The State of Chu was actually a rather special country for him.

Many of his concubines were princesses or noblewomen from the State of Chu, but that's not the point.

The key point is... that's the hometown of his reclusive disciple and best friend, Xiang Chao.

There lived Xiang Chao's father, Xiang Yan, and his two younger brothers, all of which King Zheng of Qin knew.

However... King Zheng of Qin still went to attack and destroy the State of Chu.

The Chu Kingdom was an indispensable part of the unification of the Central Plains.

Before Xiang Chao set off, King Zheng of Qin had asked him if, if he were to unify the Central Plains, the State of Chu would surely be destroyed.

But Xiang Chao said nonchalantly: Then let them perish, the Central Plains need to be unified!

In a sense, Xiang Chao betrayed his country and his family. If all of this were recorded in history books, he would probably be condemned severely and remembered with infamy for eternity.

However, King Zheng of Qin knew that his friend had sacrificed everything, gotten rid of everything, and come to a new Mirror Realm.

For him, the Central Plains was more important than anything else. This was a fact he had already established when he became Siji Daoren's disciple and took on this important task.

For the greater good, what does it matter if I sacrifice everything?

Ji Chao doesn't care about any outside opinions, whether they are hypocritical or disobedient.

Love in this world is not divided into high and low, but it can be divided into great love and small love. Small love is the love between husband and wife, the love between siblings, and the love between parents and children, while great love is the love and appreciation for the world.

Without a doubt, Ji Chao is a person of great love.

"Therefore, in response to Chaodi's great love and benevolence, I will make the Central Plains grovel at my feet! My ambition and Chaodi's benevolence are the only two realities in this world!" King Zheng of Qin looked at his palm, as if the world was right there, and when he suddenly clenched it, he was holding the entire world in his grasp.

Wang Jian lived up to his reputation as a veteran general, completely crushing the Chu state's defenses on the battlefield. In a short time, he captured a large area of ​​land south of Chen County, all the way to Pingyu, and even captured King Fuchu of Chu. This terrified the Chu army, who were filled with fear and trepidation.

However, the State of Chu was not without capable men; Xiang Chao's father, Xiang Yan, was a renowned general of Chu.

After the King of Chu was captured, Xiang Yan, realizing the situation was unstable, immediately contacted Changping Jun, the son of King Kaolie of Chu who was serving as the prime minister in Qin. He persuaded Changping Jun to rebel against Qin in Chenying and put him on the throne of Chu, moving the capital south of the Huai River to continue resisting Qin's attacks.

King Zheng of Qin was also in Chenying. Upon learning of Lord Changping's rebellion against Qin, he was furious and executed Lord Changwen of Chu, who had previously served in Qin like Lord Changping.

Wang Jian and Meng Wu continued to pressure the dying Chu state at the Huai River, constantly attempting to attack and encircle it, striving to annihilate the last remaining forces of Chu and completely destroy this fierce tiger.

After a year, the Qin army finally crossed the Huai River, breached the last territory of the Chu state, and captured Lord Changping alive.

Driven to the brink, Xiang Yan roared in anguish and despair: "When King Huai died in Xianyang, we should have seen the wolfish ambitions of the tyrannical Qin!"

As Nan Gong once said: "Even if Chu has only three households left, it will surely be Chu that destroys Qin."

"Today I also proclaim: Though Chu may have only three households left, it will surely be Chu that destroys Qin. It will surely be Chu that destroys Qin!!!"

He placed the bronze sword against his neck and slashed with all his might.

A massive amount of blood gushed out, quickly taking away Xiang Yan's warmth and causing the general's eyes to lose their last sparkle.

Burning Words

Meanwhile, on the plateau in the southwest, Ji Chao, who was resting, closed his eyes, clenched his fists tightly, his nails digging deep into his flesh, and even bled from the excessive force.

He gritted his teeth.

"You can't cry, you don't deserve to cry!"

"You're the only one who doesn't deserve it! Ji Chao! Only you!"

------------

Chapter 775 Always Trust Your Intuition

Wen Ju noticed that Ji Chao had been much quieter these past two days.

This important figure wasn't actually very talkative, but he usually spoke quite a lot. His sudden silence these past two days made Wen Ju feel involuntarily afraid.

"Lord Xiang, what has happened recently?" As night fell, the four men sat around the campfire, with a large chunk of meat resting on a makeshift barbecue grill—the Kuaiji brothers' dinner.

"Yeah, leader, you've been so quiet these past few days." Yi Shi sat cross-legged opposite Ji Chao, his large hands cupping a wisp of soil, idly kneading it.

Ji Chao didn't move, but just fiddled with the fire with his eyes vacant.

Zero patted Isshiki and Wenju on the shoulders and gently shook his head.

The two were taken aback for a moment, then nodded slightly.

Wen Ju looked at the two brothers with a slight sigh: "I feel that you two have grown a lot during this period. You were quite dull before. The first style was okay, but the zero style felt like it had no warmth at all."

Zero smiled and said, "Growth is necessary. Although I am more rational, rationality will drive emotion. The two cannot be completely separated."

"Perhaps it was that elf last year that inspired my brother. I feel like he has changed a lot since then." Type-1 is not impulsive at all. He is the opposite of Type-0. He is a machine whose emotions suppress his rationality. He is more like a "human" than a machine.

Just as Zero said, emotion and reason always coexist and cannot be completely separated. One kind of thought and emotion will always drive another kind of thought and emotion. This is an inseparable bond.

"Huh? That seems to be the case!" Wen Ju thought for a moment, then exclaimed in surprise, looking at Zero in disbelief, "Could it be that Zero...?"

"No way!? I remember Lord Xiang saying before that it was a man-eating monster!"

"...? What do you mean?" Zero asked, looking completely bewildered.