Tonight, Alice joins the hunt.

“You will be able to control yourself, because you know what’s important and what’s urgent, and you can make your will operate in the right way.” Luo Ye shook his head. “But there will inevitably be a conflict between you and Andromeda. Because Patchouli still has residual consciousness and Andromeda’s arrival in Terra is clearly aimed at us. And this will very likely attract the attention of the First God, Hu Hai.”

“The Overlord will die. Because Hu Hai has a very high chance of directly destroying the entire planet.” Alice stretched out her finger and gently pressed her forehead. “Then this will trigger a chain reaction… I will get involved in the battle, and then… then I will try to take the risk of extracting Patchi’s essence directly from Andromeda’s interior.”

"You will pay a heavy price for this," Luo Ye said calmly, as if she were witnessing a massive war sweeping across the galaxy. She saw stars fall like rain, and civilizations perish like dust. Terra, the main battlefield, would completely collapse upon the arrival of the first attack, and the subsequent chain reaction would force all comrades still fighting against their past lives to engage in a bloody battle at an inopportune time.

“And the biggest price is…” she said, falling silent.

But Alice already knew the implication behind her words.

“I…I will kill Patchi myself.” She clenched her fist slightly, and the projections of the two stars in front of her vanished silently.

Alice loves Patchouli, Alice, your love for Patchouli will never change.

If Patchouli dies, Alice will do everything she can to bring her back to life.

If she dies to the point where even resurrection is impossible, then Alice will do everything she can to avenge her and, in the long time that follows, search for a way to pull Patchouli out of her eternal slumber.

There are two possibilities, and in either of them, Alice's love for Patchouli will not change. Because whether she loves Patchouli or not is not directly related to whether Patchouli is alive.

But what if Patchouli herself was the one who killed her?

Then, this love will collapse and change. And no matter what, even if it still exists afterward, it will no longer be the same unchanging love it once was.

"I..." Alice's eyes deepened.

“I will become a saint. Because my obsession will no longer exist, I will ascend directly to heaven, ignoring the four stages and becoming a saint directly from the realm of transcendent species.”

"I will carry the hatred I felt for Patchouli's death and direct it towards a certain power. I will become a saint!"

Section 27 Turning Point

In the multiverse, those who transcend to become saints can ascend to the highest level. The fourth-level advanced gene lock is a system unique to gene locks. Although it is higher than the minimum level of transcendent beings, it is not necessary to unlock the fourth-level advanced gene lock to ascend to sainthood.

—All those who transcend have the opportunity to reach the pinnacle in one step, even if it is so small as to be negligible, their existence is undeniable. The Four Highs, Quasi-Saints, and other realms are merely the division of this massive single step into several stages.

The summit is there. Whether you leap up, climb the steps to the mountainside first, or pretend you've reached the top by using the platform halfway up the mountain—all these methods can lead to a successful summit. The difference in difficulty may be greater than you imagine, but it's only a difference in difficulty. Feasibility is always there; whether you succeed depends entirely on your abilities… and a bit of luck.

No, it should be said that it all depends on chance.

Only by reaching this stage can one have already pushed their limits. Everyone who reaches this position is an unparalleled genius, undoubtedly a protagonist-like figure who inspires despair and cries of "I'm cheating!" All their talents, resources, and abilities will undoubtedly be fully utilized until not a single bit of surplus remains. And if one wants to go further, one can only discover the possibility from the impossible, create something from nothing.

There's no shortcut you can take on your own; the only way is through external force. Just like a mountain climber, no matter how hard they try, they can't compete with a rope ladder thrown down from the summit. To skip the stages of the Four Highs and Quasi-Saints and leap directly from the Transcendental level to True Saint, you need a sufficiently sturdy rope ladder.

Does Alice have such a rope ladder?

No, not at all in the entire 'Gaia' multiverse. Even the 'Emperor' is merely a special level among True Saints. Even attempting to emulate the ancient Gaia of creating three thousand Saintly positions to pardon and enfeoff all races of sages, and to produce some Initial Saints, is extremely difficult for the current 'Emperor'. Creating a True Saint is simply wishful thinking.

Therefore, Alice did not have such a rope ladder. However, she did not need such a rope ladder in the first place.

Because when she is truly ready to climb up, and when she is qualified and prepared to do so, a giant hand will descend directly from the clouds and place her safely on the mountaintop.

“Kamiki.” Alice lowered her eyes. She now dared to, and had the right to, call her by that name in the material world. “It’s a struggle related to that guy… I must have been drawn into that struggle.”

“We have always been in her war,” Luo Ye corrected. “And if nothing unexpected happens, then the end of the war and the conclusion of the story will be when you become a sage.”

"Will you become a saint when I become a saint, Luo Ye?"

“Of course I will. Because it is my calling.” Luo Ye replied, “To become a true saint means to become the embodiment of one of the many concepts in this universe. It also means to have the authority to interpret and express that concept. When we become saints, our ideas will redefine the corresponding concepts in the entire multiverse. And that is obviously the original reason why we were shaped and were able to get to this point.”

"...It's really uncomfortable to be a tool."

"Who isn't just a tool?" Luo Ye shrugged. "Everything is inevitable, and there are always manipulators behind the scenes. Unless you reach the top, you'll always just be a prop. And our goal is simply to be left idle after we've fulfilled our duties, rather than being thrown into the trash can for recycling."

The two exchanged a glance and both sighed slightly in their hearts.

This is a really heavy topic, and it wouldn't be good for anyone to keep going on like this.

However... now that the interests have been identified, all that's left to do is fit each eligible target into the criteria.

"If all of this comes true, who will I hate?" Alice gently tapped her forehead, a vast amount of data flashing through her eyes.

Luo Ye first extended one finger.

"It can't be Andromeda. She's Patchouli's past life. She wanted to live, and Patchouli wanted to live too. It's a life-or-death struggle, there's nothing to be angry about. Besides, she was definitely already beyond dead by then, your hatred directed at her won't have any impact on this multiverse."

Alice then extended her second finger.

"It can't be those guys who are on the same level as Shinki. Hating them is pointless and won't help or serve any purpose. And this matter has nothing to do with Shinki. At most, she will choose to ignore the development, because judging from her usual behavior, she doesn't like to force things to grow."

Luo Ye extended her third finger.

“It won’t be Gaia. If Gaia were to interfere, it would obviously be directed at me. It’s not her style to target Patchouli. It would require more resources and carry the risk of failure... Besides, she probably doesn’t have the energy to deal with anything else right now.”

Alice nodded.

“Then, there are only two most suspicious individuals.” She glanced at the God Watch on her wrist, carefully considering her words. “Either the Primordial Heavenly Court, representing the majority of humanity, or their adversaries.”

Luo Ye represents the default.

Ah, that's right. They know who the Primordial Heavenly Court's greatest enemy is. They know that besides the myriad races of the Primordial World, the main god faction they belong to is not an ally of the Heavenly Court either. And if Alice were to truly take her anger out on a particular side for these special reasons, then who would be the object of her deepest hatred?

It wouldn't be Andromeda, nor the myriad races from which Andromeda originated, nor the already weakened and declining Star Soul faction among the myriad races. What she despised and hated at that time was only the organizer of this clearly defined confrontation—the Supreme God, the Supreme God's ruler, and the human force represented by the Supreme God!

"The supreme god is a supporter of humanity. Andromeda is a sage of all races who despises humanity."

"The purpose of the main god is to resurrect those powerful human beings who perished or committed suicide in their previous lives for various reasons, thus creating opportunities for them to advance further. Andromeda is clearly not among them."

"So……"

She closed her eyes.

If Anubis were to find a target for his anger, it would be the supreme god and those behind him. This is Anubis's trial, and Anubis is certain he is on the side of the supreme god. As the sage who controls everything in this arena, it couldn't possibly have failed to discover Andromeda, much less allow this mortal's adversary to appear on this battlefield!

Something must be holding Anubis back. It's even possible it has switched sides. After all, the essence of a supreme god is merely a supercomputer. And if they can delay its mastermind, manipulating this trial wouldn't be difficult.

"...Then, the true identity of the force that enabled Andromeda to successfully awaken can only be one of the two: the myriad races of the primordial world or the Heavenly Court." She opened her eyes, looking intently at Luo Ye, and asked, "Which side do you lean towards, sister?"

“I don’t know, this question is too difficult.” Luo Ye shook his head. “But I think the anomalies that occurred at the top of Terra, where you are, may be related to the faction of the myriad races.”

Myriad races...?

That's quite possible. After all, there isn't a single living being on the entire planet Terra—it's been corrupted by the concept of all races to some extent, so it wouldn't be surprising if it became part of them. But if that's really the case, then it can only mean that Andromeda's arrival has nothing to do with all races.

After all, once war breaks out, Terra, this tiny planet, will become the primary battleground and be annihilated in an instant, leaving not a trace. Any deployments made by the various races there will be meaningless, unless their purpose is precisely to prove this 'meaninglessness'.

[The Heavenly Court and the myriad races... the Heavenly Court is more likely. The myriad races are slightly less likely, but still not to be ignored. And the true purpose of this behind-the-scenes interferer should be to make me harbor ill will towards humanity at the moment of my sainthood.]

Are you trying to use your blood-red destiny to suppress me? Or do you want to use me to achieve some other goal, such as purging a faction within your own group?

[The intelligence is still far too little...]

She and Luo Ye exchanged a glance, their eyes meeting, both knowing they had reached the same conclusion. The world had indeed, without any surprise, witnessed a catastrophic collapse of plans. With the appearance of Andromeda and the downfall of numerous external forces, all the meticulously prepared plans had undoubtedly become nothing more than a pile of worthless paper.

Oh well, I'm used to it.

How could Alice's plan not fall apart halfway through?

As the intensity of the war increases, it's likely that not only those from the past—the myriad races, the Heavenly Court, the suppressed Great Witches—but also those strange and bizarre creatures in the void that probably can't even be categorized as myriad races, will join this trial ground, and what follows will be a great free-for-all.

A meticulously planned layout is almost impossible to achieve.

Therefore, the only thing to do next is to start with the overall trend.

Alice's emotions were in turmoil. The other part of her, remaining on Terra, silently slipped into the cracks between matter and mind on Terra's surface. In the boundary between the collective unconscious and the ocean of matter—there she would reshape a new force, belonging neither to mortals nor to any race. Then she would propel it into a new, dominant force.

That was the power of Terra, and Terra was just a tiny planet.

Within this entire universe, there are other forces that require her operation and impetus.

“I have located most of the team members,” Luo Ye answered before she could ask. “Except for Chu Xuan, I have successfully located almost everyone else. And some of them are currently within the territory of the Qin Empire.”

"Are we confident we can awaken Zheng Zha?"

“It’s difficult.” Luo Ye shook his head. “Zheng Zha’s current situation is quite special. Although there are no signs of his past life ‘Gu’ awakening, the phenomenon of Dao erosion has already appeared on him—his main consciousness is very blurred now. If we interfere with him in any way, there will inevitably be a large-scale battle that could even trigger a chain reaction.”

—Very well, it seems the strategy of preparing the kitchen knife in advance will not be needed for now.

"Where are Zhao Zhuikong and Zhao Yingkong?"

Luo Ye did not answer, but simply stretched out his hand and created a mirror-like projection in front of Alice.

A fierce killing intent immediately surged forth from the mirror!

She saw two enormous, bizarrely shaped serpents, one formed from shadow and the other from sheer power, locked in a fierce battle across a vast expanse of space. Large spurts of colorless or dark 'blood' gushed forth as they tore at each other, constantly generating various strange and monstrous creatures and celestial bodies in the void.

They tore and bit, roared and screamed, spewing breaths that melted or eroded even space itself. Countless tiny shadow snakes or power snakes sprang from their wounds or scattered tissues, fighting each other with their innate limbs as weapons. Their battlefield occupied at least an entire star system!

The next moment, the two giant snakes turned their heads to look at the lens that had been constructed in front of Luo Ye!

The mirror shattered, and the last lingering afterimage before Alice's eyes was hundreds or even thousands of hideous maws that seemed to be about to cross the boundary!

Alice raised an eyebrow.

The afterimage then dissipated, transforming into a warm breeze that caressed the white flowers that grew wildly on this barren land. Countless pure white petals fluttered in the warm breeze, scattering and surging in all directions.

A decaying skeleton emerged from beneath the sea of ​​flowers, still clearly alive, its godlike power attempting to tear apart the bonds imposed on the earth and the flower field, thus achieving liberation. But the next moment, more tiny white flowers sprouted and spread across their remains, plunging them into silence, forbidding them even to utter a sound.

Beneath the sea of ​​flowers, invisible wriggling creatures gnaw at you like a thousand insects.

Alice did not waste a single moment on the punitive expedition sent by Hu Hai to deal with Luo Ye—she simply watched the afterimage on the mirror dissipate into the air, and then her pupils gradually shrank.

“What are they…” she had an uncertain guess.

“They did it on purpose,” Luo Ye said calmly. “You should know that all the members of the Zhao clan with the character ‘Kong’ in their names are based on the remains of a victor from the last cycle of reincarnation. Obviously, they suffered the same fate in their past lives as they do now. To avoid such a future, they decided to abandon all reason before their past lives awakened, allowing their minds and bodies to continue in endless struggle and slaughter.”

“A very effective method.” Luo Ye tilted her head, a hint of agreement in her eyes. “The darkness in their hearts that had bound them for so long has now become their strength. Because they have become accustomed to madness, and the moment their past lives awaken in their minds, madness will simultaneously erode them and drag them directly into the struggle between the siblings.”

"To bring the opponent to the same level and then defeat them with superior experience?" Alice tapped her chin slightly. "Beastly instincts have completely overwhelmed reason... Judging from the current situation, they seem to be doing quite well."

“Well, perhaps they can get through this on their own without our help,” Luo Ye replied. “But even if they can’t, I don’t think they can hold out for very long. So I’ll postpone our rescue for now. After all, the fighting is so intense right now, it’s difficult for us to get involved.”

She's right, Alice knows that very well.

Before a system reaches a stable dynamic equilibrium, reckless intervention may improve or worsen the system. And whether it's good or bad, the very 'possibility' implies uncertainty.

—There's no need to take unnecessary risks.

This also means that the idea of ​​finding a useful henchman to hold the line has completely fallen through.

Chu Xuan couldn't find anyone, Zheng Zha couldn't be touched, Zhao Zhuikong and Zhao Yingkong were very busy, Xilin had become a dead fish, and Patchouli was now in dire straits herself.

This is a real headache.

However, Alice always creates insurance plans based on the most troublesome premises.

“…I’ll go wake them up.” She looked at Luo Ye and said, “You’re tied up right now, and the only ones who can move freely are me and a few good-for-nothings. So it’s obvious that I’m the only one capable of doing this job right now, and we need to build up enough momentum and strength before everything becomes irreversible.”

“I need to build up my strength,” she concluded. “I will also try to find O’Connor and Evelyn, and they should be of some use to me.”