Chinese animation: Starting with Bad Guys

Thus, led by the Lion King and his guards, Long Jian passed through the solemn and tense military camp, heading towards the depths of the underworld, towards the towering underworld palace that seemed to merge with the dark sky.

With each step taken, it felt as if we were one step closer to the center of some ultimate cosmic secret.

Chapter 31 The Bet

The underworld palace was deep and endless, seemingly swallowing all light and sound.

The dome hangs high, disappearing into the unfathomable darkness. Only a faint blue light surrounds the throne, illuminating the ancient reliefs on the walls. Those twisted totems seem to be silently telling the secrets of the beginning of the universe.

The air was stagnant and icy, filled with a chill and deathly stillness emanating from distant stardust.

Qin Chuan sat high on the throne carved from black jade, dismissing his attendants and guards.

The enormous hall was now eerily empty, containing only him and the uninvited guest below, Long Jian, who had come from ten thousand years in the future.

The young warrior stood below, the ripples of time and space around him not yet fully subsided, like tiny arcs of electricity, occasionally flashing in the air, completely out of place with the unchanging aura of the underworld.

With just one glance, Qin Chuan's unfathomable eyes pierced through Long Jian's armor, capturing the unique fluctuations and energy imprints belonging to the future time and space.

Countless fragments of images and information rapidly combined and deduced in his mind, gradually revealing an intriguing vision of the future.

That trajectory surprisingly overlapped with some of the "predetermined paths" he knew. The holy light was swallowed and annihilated by the endless black hole of the Xuanming, and he himself, his immense power, was imprisoned in the cold seal of the Xuanming Coffin.

Time flies, and the cycle of ten thousand years restarts. The ancient grudges collide once again, sparking the final showdown. The young man before us was thrown into the dangerous spacetime turbulence by the aftershocks of that ultimate battle that shook parallel universes, and unexpectedly fell into this era.

"interesting……"

Qin Chuan's mind raced, and a deep glint flashed in his eyes, like the rise and fall of a nebula.

He had already seen through the Ghost King's conspiracy and laid out hidden measures to guard against it, so why does the final outcome still seem to point to a similar ending?

Is it some higher-level "destiny," like the laws of the universe, forcibly correcting the deviated trajectory?

Or perhaps, beneath that seemingly clear chessboard, there are hidden variables and undercurrents that even he has not yet noticed?

The implications of this are worth pondering.

He remained outwardly calm, like an ancient, unyielding iceberg, but spoke calmly, his deep, magnetic voice breaking the silence of the hall that could freeze even the soul:

"Long Jian, the era you live in is ten thousand years ago for you. At this moment, the war between the Underworld and the Holy Realm has already been started by Xue Huang's side."

Although Long Jian already had a guess in his heart, hearing it confirmed by the Lord of the Underworld himself, his brows still furrowed tightly, forming a deep frown.

He recalled the legends about the Snow Queen from later generations, and couldn't help but take half a step forward, his voice filled with confusion and doubt:

"As far as I know, the Snow Queen promotes love and peace, so why would she initiate a war?"

This clashed violently with his own beliefs.

Upon hearing this, Qin Chuan's lips curled into a slightly mocking smile. The smile didn't reach his eyes, instead making him appear even more unfathomable.

"Love can create everything, and it can also destroy everything." He said slowly, each word seemingly carrying immense weight. "The love that the Snow Queen believes in seems beautiful and flawless, encompassing all things. Like a warm light, it yearns to illuminate every corner."

He abruptly changed the subject, his tone turning cold:

"However, when this 'selfless' love is cloaked in a glamorous guise by ambitious individuals with ulterior motives, and is exploited and distorted, it will transform into the sharpest blade and the most violent flames, becoming a destructive force that destroys all dissent and tolerates no dissent."

Qin Chuan was referring to the Ghost King, who was lurking around Xue Huang, constantly stirring up trouble, and using "love" as a pretext for expansion.

Long Jian listened with a mixture of understanding and confusion, his pure beliefs making it difficult for him to fully comprehend the overly complex power struggles and distorted ideologies.

He recalled certain events from later generations, and a strong impulse surged within him, prompting him to try and persuade the seemingly rational yet destructive king before him:

"Pluto, since war is so cruel, bringing endless pain and destruction, why not try to coexist peacefully with other races? Why must we fight to the death, causing countless lives to be lost?"

"Peaceful coexistence?"

Qin Chuan's gaze was like two solid abysses, piercing through the distance of space, staring at Long Jian as if trying to dissect the deepest thoughts in his soul.

"It is precisely in pursuit of true and lasting peace in the universe that I must fight to the last of all my opponents."

He slowly rose from the throne, his not-so-tall figure naturally exuding a kingly majesty that seemed to encompass the heavens and the earth, and the air in the entire hall seemed to freeze.

"Only when the seven parallel universes are reduced to one order and one voice, when all contradictions and conflicts are eliminated under unified rules, and when the root of the differences is completely eradicated, will true and stable peace arrive."

His voice, like a resounding bell, echoed in every corner of the hall:

"Division and opposition are always the breeding ground for suspicion, friction and war. This is the law of the universe: the strong prey on the weak, and the mighty are respected. Only absolute unity can bring absolute peace."

Seeing the utter incomprehension and disapproval on Long Jian's face, even tinged with youthful resentment, Qin Chuan uttered the ancient proverb that carried the indomitable spirit of the Underworld, his voice resonant and timeless, as if traversing countless ages:

"Since I grew tired of searching, I have learned to find what I seek immediately; since a headwind came, I have been able to withstand winds from all directions and sail my boat."

Thinking of this, a faint trace of reminiscence seemed to flash across his deep eyes.

He seemed to have returned to the world of Qin's Moon, facing countless criticisms and misunderstandings alongside Ying Zheng.

They too chose to end the centuries-long era of war and bloodshed with overwhelming force, exchanging temporary pain for lasting, epoch-making peace.

The long river of history has ultimately proven that it was they who, with their unparalleled courage, subdued the various schools of thought, unified the world, and truly ended the endless wars and divisions.

It's not surprising that you can't understand it.

Qin Chuan's tone returned to its usual calm, but beneath that calm lay an unwavering confidence and decisiveness:

"Because truth is often held only by a few people who can see the essence of things."

Long Jian was not persuaded by these oppressive words. His young face was filled with an almost stubborn and unwavering conviction as he spoke loudly:

"I believe that with enough faith, even the greatest difficulties can be overcome! There is always a way for people and races to coexist! What's more, it's just about living in harmony with other races!"

"Belief can indeed create miracles."

Qin Chuan unexpectedly affirmed the first half of his statement. In this super beast world where the core of power and will are closely linked, belief is the lever to pry open alien energy and the cornerstone to turn the impossible into the possible.

"But the second half of your sentence..."

He shook his head slightly, his tone carrying a judgmental quality, as if an elder were looking at an innocent child:

"Too naive."

These two words, like icicles, pierced Long Jian's heart.

He raised his head defiantly.

"Even between two individuals, there are irreconcilable conflicts of ideas and interests that require laws and rules to restrain them. How much more so for a large ethnic group with completely different cultures, customs, power systems, and philosophies of survival?"

Qin Chuan's gaze seemed to pierce through the barriers of the underworld, witnessing the rise and fall of countless civilizations, the cycle of stars and rivers:

"The possibility of expecting countless vastly different races to spontaneously, permanently, and without reservation to live in harmony is..."

He paused, then offered a chilling metaphor: "Even more improbable than the annihilation of the universe and the return of all things to eternity."

Long Jian opened his mouth, his face flushed slightly with urgency and defiance, his chest heaving, but he found that he couldn't find any strong arguments to refute this logic based on the cruelty of reality.

He later experienced firsthand the sharpness of Hades' words and the terrifying depth of his thoughts. Every word and action of Hades was full of powerful logic and persuasiveness, with each point linked to the next, pointing straight to the essence.

If he weren't the ruler of the underworld, in charge of war and destruction, this person before him would be nothing short of a philosophical master who understands the essence of things and sees through the folly of all beings.

Looking at Long Jian, who remained defiant yet speechless, his fists clenched, Qin Chuan's eyes flashed with a calm composure, as if a god were surveying a chess game:

“Since you are so convinced that different ethnic groups can spontaneously live in harmony and that faith can overcome all barriers, then let’s make a bet.”

"What are you gambling?"

Long Jian immediately pressed for answers, unwilling to back down on his beliefs.

"I'm betting on your origins and your deep love for the dragon race."

Qin Chuan slowly revealed the core of the bet, his voice carrying a hint of mystery:

"I'm betting that they're not a monolithic entity either; there are contradictions that can't be reconciled by beliefs, which will eventually lead to infighting among the brothers."

"This is impossible!"

Long Jian blurted out, his voice rising slightly with excitement.

He was filled with immense pride and unconditional trust in his people; the image of the dragon race as united, powerful, and peace-loving was deeply ingrained in him.

"If I lose."

Qin Chuan made a promise that was nothing short of earth-shattering for the Lord of the Underworld:

"As you say, we will abandon the idea of ​​stopping war with war and unifying the universe, and instead seek a way to coexist peacefully with other races."

Long Jian agreed without hesitation, firmly believing that he would never lose.

"If I lose... I will willingly join the Underworld, become your warrior, follow your ideals, and end all wars in the way you have instructed, through force and war!"

He announced the bet almost out of spite, not believing that the peace-loving and united dragon race would engage in any internal strife.

Qin Chuan said no more, only a mysterious smile appeared on his lips.

He raised his right hand and casually waved it toward the emptiness beside him.

In an instant, a vast expanse of dark, alien energy surged forth, tearing apart the stable space before them like ripping brocade, creating a stable and profound passage leading to a second parallel universe.

At the other end of the passage, faint energy fluctuations, unique to the dragon's territory and carrying the aura of water vapor and dragon roars, could be heard.

"Then go and witness it for yourself. See if the foundation upon which your unwavering belief rests is truly as indestructible as you imagine."

Having said that, Qin Chuan took a step forward, his figure disappearing into the passageway filled with spatial energy. The hem of his royal robe flashed by at the entrance.

Long Jian took a deep breath, suppressed the turbulent thoughts in his heart, his eyes regained their firmness, and he followed closely behind into the passage.

He wanted to prove his beliefs and see with his own eyes how Hades' absurd wager would crumble before the very face of his beloved dragon homeland.

Chapter 32 The Last Protector

Within the deep, intercosmic passage, light flows like a waterfall, and spacetime twists into a colorful vortex.

Countless streams of strangely colored energy intertwined and moved about like living things, drawing dizzying trajectories in the void.

Long Jian followed closely behind Qin Chuan, his body enveloped in bizarre and colorful energy flows. With each step he took, it seemed as if he were stepping on the string of time, and ripples spread out from his feet, rippling between reality and illusion.

Qin Chuan, however, walked with ease. His dark cloak remained motionless amidst the raging energy storm, and his clothes did not flutter even slightly, as if he were strolling leisurely in his own courtyard.

"Although the Dragon Clan is the overlord of the second parallel universe, it is not a monolithic entity."

Qin Chuan's calm voice echoed clearly in the passageway, each word carrying a profound depth that seemed to pierce through history, like a resounding echo from ancient times:

"It is mainly divided into two major branches: the Azure Dragon Clan and the White Dragon Clan."

He slightly turned his head, his gaze sweeping over Long Jian's tense face, a look that held a calm acceptance of life's vicissitudes: