Tonight, Alice joins the hunt.

"So, you don't believe me now?"

A soft sound, a look of surprise. The severed body suddenly closed up, and beneath the unstoppable axe blade, another brand-new crimson longsword reappeared!

Zheng Zha stared at Gu in front of him and asked in a low voice.

His severed source world lines were not restored, but at least at this moment, his original source world line, the earliest one, was still protected by the God! Even the battle axe, whose name could not be directly called, could not project the power of the severance into the source world protected by the God, and Zheng Zha's damaged body was immediately reassembled.

“Fuxi… no, Peixi?” Gu snorted softly, changing his slash to a smash. And the vast galaxy behind Zheng Zha was plunged into the sea of ​​fire—the spacetime around him shattered, and he was directly thrown from one side of this unknown universe to the other!

His body and soul kept collapsing and then reforming.

But his hands were still tightly gripping the deep red killing blade!

His sword is his way, and he will never relinquish his way!

Gu's pursuit followed closely behind.

Zheng Zha tried to resist, but it was all in vain. He was forced into a star, which was then crushed into a black hole by the out-of-control force field. He was smashed into the void beyond the river, which immediately boiled and turned into primordial chaos. He was blasted from the chaos into the origin of time, and immediately afterward, the Big Bang at the birth of the universe completely engulfed his form.

He was cast from one era into the previous one, and from the previous era into the era before that.

His body was constantly being destroyed, his soul constantly being shattered. Death, death, death, death, death, death accompanied him, destroying him time and time again, only to destroy him once more. And any resistance he offered was futile.

He couldn't lift the knife.

Even if he wanted to raise his knife, Gu could easily kill him a hundred times before he could even make that move.

Even if he manages to raise the knife, he will face more than ten thousand deaths as he slashes the blade at Gu.

death.

In a broad sense, there isn't much difference between transcendent beings and sages. As long as the source world lines haven't completely collapsed, and as long as the legends and traces haven't completely disappeared, transcendent beings cannot truly face death. Even if they fall into the abyss of death, the pull from the source world lines can easily pull them back from the brink of death.

Zheng Zha died 10,010 times.

He continued to strive to swing the knife he was holding tightly in his hand towards Chao Gu.

"Effort and struggle are meaningless," Gu said coldly, bestowing upon Zheng Zha the 10,101st death, a death that annihilates both body and soul. "Even the inner universe is nothing but a pawn. If I don't protect them, who will extend protection to my people?"

The next moment, Zheng Zha returned from the Abyss of Death once more. But this strike, which he had finally managed to unleash after experiencing 10,101 deaths, was easily blocked just before it touched the ancient body.

With a single kick, he knocked Zheng Zha down from the sky, turning him into a meteor that crashed onto a desolate and silent land.

The next moment, his battle axe pressed against Zheng Zha's chest as he tried to climb out of the pit.

“Like this, even if my current ‘realm’ is merely the fourth level of limit, I can still unleash power beyond that of a conventional quasi-saint if I so desire. Because I am the inner universe, even if I were long dead, I would still be the inner universe. And all your efforts, all your struggles, are worthless under this absolute power.” The ferocity on Gu’s face gradually faded into indifference. “But this power also constantly oppresses every individual of our mortal race.”

"You should be able to see it, right? This blood-red river, this power comes from beyond the multiverse." Gu's tone was unreadable, and he didn't need Zheng Zha to give an answer.

"That is the origin of us mortals, that will and power that transcends the multiverse itself. And you should know that there is not just one such will and power in the multiverse today. And Gaia's revival is inevitable; it will eventually awaken, and after awakening, it may join the ranks of that kind of being."

"So that's why you're trying every means to protect humanity, no matter what they become, you have to keep them alive. Because in your eyes, mortals are destined to perish. That's why you want to protect them, so that your people will remain at the top of the universe at least until they are defeated?" Zheng Zha looked at him with a cold smile.

"So you mean to have some fun before you die, Gu?"

He questioned him, but all he got in return was Gu's indifference.

The value of effort lies in the premise that it can yield results. Even with the smallest chance or the slightest possibility, as long as results can be achieved, then hard work is a viable option. But if there is no possibility of gaining anything from the beginning, then your effort and struggle are meaningless.

He spoke calmly, his gaze fixed on some unknown void beyond the realm.

"We humans, from the very beginning, are tentacles of a power that transcends the inner universe. We are tools, we are derivatives. From the moment we were born, we were destined to be incompatible with the original master of this universe, Gaia, Gaia's offspring, the innate demon gods, and the myriad races of Gaia's retinue. This is the duty we were given when we were created. If we deviate from this duty and try to make peace with Gaia and the myriad races of demon gods, then we will lose the protection of this power."

He clenched his free hand into a fist.

"The mortals before me were weak. So they suffered greatly under the rule of all races. Because they were outsiders, even if they submitted, they were destined to be incompatible with the class system of this multiverse. They were destined to become the weak and then be drawn into the dog-eat-dog order."

The giant rock beneath their feet floated silently, and in the entire universe, only the words of the ancient one were being spoken.

"The law of the jungle is a common natural phenomenon. For us mortals, the history of the Age of Myriad Races is a history stained with blood and tears. However, in reality, in that era, there were countless races oppressed like mortals. Just as in your source world, seventy-five species are extinct by humans every day. In that era of Myriad Races, every day, many races outside of Myriad Races met their end."

"Their demise was silent, and even I cannot remember their names. We mortals should have been just as silent as they were. Because mortals are inherently weak and incompatible with this diverse power system, we would have been naturally eliminated. And this would not even require the targeting of all races or the curse of the Heavenly Dao."

“But you are different from them.” Zheng Zha lowered his eyes, gazing at another void. “You, the mortals of that era, had one last way out. That was to embrace that blood-red river, and thus break free from the natural law of the survival of the fittest.”

“Yes, we are different from those who were eliminated. We have a last resort,” Gu said calmly. In the void he was gazing at, an invisible river of blood flowed gently.

“We don’t want to be eliminated, and the forces behind us won’t allow us to be eliminated either. So, we embraced that river. I was the first, and Jun was the second, so we became its representatives. And whether we accept this power or not, we are irreconcilable enemies with the indigenous people here.”

His gaze returned to Zheng Zha—Zheng Zha was staring at another point in the void, but Gu didn't care what Zheng Zha was doing.

"The so-called blood-red destiny, the so-called blood feud spanning millions of years, are all illusions. For us in that era, if letting go of hatred could make us one of the myriad races that are neither controlled nor discriminated against, then we would be happy to let go of the endless blood feud that hindered the continuation of our race. However, we could not become one of the myriad races, and the myriad races were unwilling... no, unable to acknowledge that we were equal to them. Therefore, the only thing we could do with them was to fight."

“Now that we’ve started, we have to win to the end, Zheng Zha.” — He spoke Zheng Zha’s full name for the first time instead of using a pronoun — “Because we are outsiders. And outsiders are only ever called in two ways.”

"One type is the loser, and it is called an aggressor. The other type is the winner, and it becomes a conqueror."

"Why do I explain the Dao in three parts? Why does Jun explain the Dao in three parts? It's actually very simple. It's because we want to become conquerors. We want to erase the order of all races, erase the order of Gaia, so that Gaia cannot be resurrected. We just want my people to have a sky where they can breathe freely."

"The so-called Humanity Destiny Resonance Project is just an afterthought. The so-called Primordial Heavenly Court and the Human Emperor's position are also just afterthoughts. All I did was lead one race to defeat other races and lead one civilization to conquer a fertile land. From the perspective of all races, we may be heinous bandits. But we are human, so I have always thought about things from a human perspective."

"Do you understand what I mean now, Zheng Zha?"

"We mortals can't achieve anything through hard work and struggle alone. Because we had no choice from the beginning; we were under the interference of forces beyond the inner universe from the very beginning. Whether we rely on them or not, we cannot escape their influence. And now, this kind of power is about to gain a new quantity."

“Zheng Zha, I don’t oppose hard work and struggle. However, we must find the right direction. The right direction that will bring benefits. Perhaps we cannot stop Gaia’s resurrection. But resurrection does not mean that it will necessarily obtain that power beyond the inner universe.”

"We still have a chance, our only chance. A chance for mortals to continue, a chance to give 'effort' and 'struggle' value. We..."

He extended his hand to Zheng Zha.

"...We can open the heavens again!"

Chapter Sixty - Zheng Zha - Part Seven

Air does not exist.

But if it exists, then at this moment it must be an indescribable weight.

In the silence, Zheng Zha's gaze returned from the unknown void, and then briefly met the gaze of Gu, who was sincerely watching him.

"If I join you," Zheng Zha's voice was long and indifferent. "If I join you..."

"...What do you plan to do after that, Gu?"

Gu's gaze darkened slightly. When Zheng Zha asked that question, he knew that his theory had not successfully persuaded Zheng Zha.

“I will wake up.” Gu still gave his answer. “I will recover from you, regain my positive and negative sides, and then I will contact Pei Xi and give him a chance to get rid of me once and for all, and completely transform back into Pei Xi or become a part of me.”

He did not turn his gaze away, but as he spoke, the sphere of light of the supreme god in that immeasurably distant place rippled slightly with his words.

"If I am fully resurrected, then Jun will also be fully resurrected. After that, I will take control of the Primordial Heavenly Realm again, using the arrangements that Jun and I made back then, to govern all independent universes with script memes and gather and unify their power into one. Then, we will take that final step again."

He didn't hesitate or hide anything. He knew that in this multiverse, the possibility of keeping secrets was absolutely nonexistent. So, rather than concealing things, he decided to lay everything out in the open.

"Jun, my companions, and I will open the heavens once more when Gaia is resurrected." His tone was resolute, and his willpower surpassed that of all things in the world.

Even so, he still knew that Zheng Zha's answer would still be 'no'.

"You're betting that Gaia's condition after awakening won't be as good as before, so that the ancient events of creation can be repeated." Zheng Zha stared at his past self as he answered, then asked in return, "Haven't you considered that times have changed, and that mortals and Gaia don't necessarily have to fight to the death?"

Gu Wei frowned slightly.

“You’re becoming less and less like me, Zheng Zha. How could you have such childish thoughts?” he hissed, his face showing utter despair. “We mortals have slaughtered almost all the myriad races, almost all the innate demon gods. We even killed Gaia herself… If Gaia were a woman, we would be villains who seized her house, killed her sons and grandsons, and killed her herself. And now that she is about to return, you tell me that it doesn’t necessarily have to be a fight to the death between her and us?”

"You...you're absolutely unreasonable!"

"You're the unreasonable one, Gu." Zheng Zha snorted coldly, his chest puffed out, and he stood up with the blade of the nameless battle axe right in front of him. The axe blade had pierced his chest, ripped him open, and prevented any attempt to correct it, yet he seemed completely oblivious to it!

"At first, I thought the difference between you and me was just a difference in ideas. But now I realize that the difference between you and me is not only in ideas, but also in perspectives!"

He gripped the battle axe that was piercing his chest—

“Gu, your biggest mistake is that you only see yourself as a mortal. You only know how to view things from the perspective of a mortal, even from the perspective of a mortal in the primordial era! You were indeed protecting, you were indeed saving, and you and your people had no other choice in that era. But you simply do not understand that times have changed!”

"Nonsense!" Gu couldn't help but rebuke, his anger growing stronger. "As a human, what's wrong with thinking from the perspective of the human race?! Am I supposed to stand on the side of all races, to understand them, to make excuses for them, because they are just humans who have survived tens of thousands of kalpas, and that's not a mistake for them at all?"

You really... disappoint me!

A surge of furious power welled up within him, and perhaps in the next moment, he would completely erase Zheng Zha from this multiverse!

However, Zheng Zha's gaze remained unchanged!

"You really are out of touch with the times, Gu." A strange smile appeared on his lips. "Even when you use such extreme examples to refute me, the way you think is still that of a mortal. You think the difference between all races and mortals is merely a difference in appearance, you think the difference between demon gods and mortals is merely a difference in strength, you even think the difference between Gaia and mortals is merely a difference in form!"

Zheng Zha straightened his back, despite being at a clear disadvantage, he looked like a victor with everything under control. He stared at Gu in front of him, but his gaze was quite different from before.

"You..." Gu's brows furrowed even deeper than before. "...Are you no longer human?"

“You’re hesitating, Gu.” Zheng Zha pressed his hand on the axe handle with a little force, and the battle axe, which was originally as firm as a pillar of heaven and could not be moved even slightly, slowly detached from his body!

"You know I'm stating the facts, and you know there's some truth to what I'm saying," Zheng Zha scoffed. "As a member of your tribe, it's not wrong to consider things from the tribe's perspective. However, as the weaker party in a war, stubbornly clinging to the weaker party's viewpoint when facing the stronger party is absolutely wrong from the overall perspective of the war!"

Gu's brows furrowed even deeper. His expression was grim, and the Dao erosion phenomenon even caused torrential rain to form in every corner of this continent.

However, Zheng Zha continued to speak amidst the torrential rain!

"Let me ask you, Gu," Zheng Zha asked, "Do you want to create the world a second time because you fear Gaia's revenge on mortals after his awakening?"

Gu Moran, everything he had said before was nothing more than striking first. And the reason for striking first was naturally only to stop Gaia's revenge.

“We humans originated from this blood-red river. In the past, we relied on it to overcome Gaia. But now, it is gradually thinning.” He said in a deep voice, “This means that our mortal origin, the supporter above the inner universe, has been restrained by another force. And once Gaia revives, if we want to survive, we can only rely on our own hands.”

"Then let me ask you again, Gu." Zheng Zha nodded, his voice as loud as a bell—"If a person wearing an iron helmet walks on a high place in a thunderstorm, and when he is struck dead by lightning, should he blame the rain, the lightning, the cumulonimbus clouds that generated the lightning, the weather system that formed the cumulonimbus clouds—or should he blame himself for wearing an iron helmet and wandering aimlessly on a high place in a thunderstorm!"

The ancient atmosphere suddenly froze.

“This is different,” he growled in his throat.

However, Zheng Zha did not linger.

"What's the difference?" Zheng Zha sneered. "Isn't it all the same: the weak offend the strong, and the strong destroy the weak? What's the difference? Or do you think that lightning bolt would pay special attention to that mortal?"

With a push, the battle axe detached from his body. His wounds immediately healed, and the many shattered source world lines began to revive.

"Gu, the biggest mistake you made was that you only saw mortals, so you viewed all intelligent individuals through the eyes of mortals! You thought they had the same seven emotions and six desires as mortals, that they would also be bound by so-called national and familial hatreds, blood feuds... Perhaps that was indeed the case for the myriad races of the primordial world you mainly encountered at that time, after all, they were just a bunch of minor characters, their status not much different from that of mortals. However, you regarded the innate demon god, Gaia, as a mortal as well, and that was a grave mistake!"

His snort turned into a cold laugh, and the cold laugh continued.

"What robbers, what children, what lonely old women? In your eyes, Gaia is perhaps just a powerful individual who can get angry and hold grudges. You treat her as a being whose existence is different from mortals, but who still uses mortal thinking patterns. That's why you are trapped by this kind of trouble that never existed in the first place!"

“You think Gaia is a person, but I only see her as a natural phenomenon. You think that after Gaia is resurrected, she will seek revenge for past offenses, but in my eyes, she is simply a tangled and twisted mess of natural rules!”

He pressed on relentlessly.

"Fire can kill people, but people can also avoid fire and use it in their lives. Lightning can kill people, but people can still avoid lightning strikes and bring electricity into every household—you want to eliminate fire because wildfires kill people, and you want to eliminate electricity because lightning strikes kill people, but why don't you think about why you have to do that!"

His advance even caused Gu to instinctively take a step back. But the next moment, Gu stepped forward again, his aura even more powerful than before.