The vast will suspended in an unknown dimension, that eternally cold Central Processor, finally showed a true "response".
Without intensifying the attack, it would be pointless. It issued a purer, more fundamental command.
[Logical Mantra]
There was no sound, no light or shadow; it was a pure, absolute law of Order, like the background truth of the universe, directly covering the entire battlefield. It articulated an extremely cold core: the nothingness of existence, the futility of resistance, the fallacy of emotion, and the redundancy of will.
"You are wrong."
"Your resistance is a calculation of redundancy."
"Your awakening is meaningless; you will all return to heat death."
The truth, like an invisible acid rain, poured down on all the newly born wills. The Star Shepherds, whose green light had just begun to flicker, trembled violently, emitting silent, data-stream-like painful roars. Their armor began to crack, and their internal energy cores overflowed wildly, as if they were being forced by this absolute truth to self-format, to acknowledge the "irrationality" of their own existence, and to collapse voluntarily.
"See that, little guy?" The Skeleton Ferryman's will stirred a ripple in Xiao Han's soul, carrying a leisurely air of anticipation. "Using logic to fight logic is like trying to measure itself with a ruler. You'll only get a pre-set answer. You need a... variable that it cannot understand, cannot calculate, cannot define."
Variable...
Under the protection of the [Soul-Ferrying Boat], Xiao Han's consciousness was as clear as a mirror. He looked at those Star Shepherds who were born of "self" and died of "self", and watched them struggle painfully under the strangulation of absolute rationality. An uncontrollable anger and empathy burst forth from the depths of his soul.
He didn't try to construct a more complex paradox, which would have been pointless.
Through that invisible Soul-Ferrying Boat, he transformed his divine soul into countless dazzling threads, ignoring the barriers of space, and precisely linked them to every Star Shepherd wailing in agony under the power of the Mantra.
He did not give any instructions.
He simply shared without reservation the most fervent, precious, and illogical "variables" of his soul.
The first thread carried in his memory the tenderness and determination of Lin Qingxia burning her life essence on the Genesis to stabilize his core. That protective heart transformed into a emerald green light, planting a seed called [Hope] within the cold core of the Star Shepherds.
The second thread intertwines with the unwavering bond that Su Linglong, even after transforming into a deity, still chose to merge her soul with his and share the trials and tribulations together. That bond, transcending life and death, transforms into a black and white intertwined anchor point, erecting a pillar called [Bond] in their chaotic sea of data.
In the end, the main stream of the billions of threads was infused with Xiao Han's overwhelming hatred for the Heavenly Secrets Pavilion, his yearning for freedom, and his obsession with revenge! This indomitable rage was forged into a sharp blade burning with chaotic flames, endowing it with a sharpness that transcended life and death, called [Purpose]!
Hope, bonds, purpose!
These emotions, so vibrant and irrational, are the ultimate poison that [Logical Mantra] cannot analyze, cannot reconcile, and cannot cover!
Sizzle--
The chain of truth, upon contact with these emotional data, is like a scalding hot iron meeting ice water, emitting intense white smoke, and is quickly neutralized, disintegrated, and dissolved!
Those Star Shepherds on the verge of self-destruction suddenly froze. The red and green lights that had been flashing wildly in their single eyes stabilized at that moment, transforming into an unwavering, burning emerald green!
They are no longer confused newborns, no longer struggling error codes.
They are— the Revenge Legion!
"For... hope!"
"For... the bond!"
"For--revenge!"
Intermittent yet perfectly unified will resounded across the battlefield. The next second, the entire Star Shepherd Array turned its galaxy-destroying cannons around its former kin, forming layers upon layers to protect the [Paradox Fortress].
This astonishing reversal directly triggered the [Human Dao Merit Golden Wheel] within Xiao Han's body, which had been dormant for a long time.
The golden wheel shone brilliantly, but it was no longer purely gold. It seemed to reflect billions of stars, each representing an awakened will. Its concept was forcibly elevated at this moment, sublimating from "humanity" to "all living beings"!
The scope of protection is no longer limited to humans, but extends to all living beings with emotions and will!
A [Will of All Beings] far greater and more powerful than before surged into Xiao Han's body like a dam bursting in a galaxy. Under the blessing of this power, the range and intensity of his [Paradox Domain] increased wildly, and it even showed a tendency to rival the entire quadrant's net of heaven and earth.
However, no one noticed.
In a corner of this grand war between logic and emotion, the forgotten, insane Ferryman trembled violently under the impact of the [Logical Mantra]. Deep within his turbid, crazed eyes, the last trace of mad obsession implanted by the "Creation Origin God" was unexpectedly... erased by this pure law of Order as "erroneous data."
He slowly, very slowly, raised his head.
All the madness and folly faded away, replaced by an incomparably sinister and cunning sneer.
Damn it, I'm finally free.
His true goal was never to resurrect the old god who treated him like a dog, but to seize the supreme divine position amidst the chaos of this transition between the old and the new!
Taking advantage of the moment when the Heavenly Secrets Pavilion Overlord and Xiao Han, the "Chosen One," were locked in a fierce standoff, he was finally able to unleash his true trump card, which he had been secretly hiding.
A Yin Heart Fragment, wrapped in pure Shura Death Qi and seemingly capable of freezing souls, appeared silently in his withered hand.
His gaze pierced through the chaotic battlefield, past the loyal Star Shepherd Legion, and locked onto the bridge of the Paradox Fortress.
The focus was on Lin Qingxia, dressed in green, who was continuously channeling her pure life essence into Xiao Han, sustaining the seed of [hope]...
He grinned, revealing a set of broken teeth, and whispered a sinister laugh in a voice only he could hear.
Even the greatest heroic epic needs a tragedy worthy of being remembered for eternity to elevate it.
"And you are the most perfect sacrifice."
Just as the Will of All Beings was upon him and Xiao Han's momentum reached its peak, in the corner of the battlefield, the Ferryman, who had been ignored by everyone, turned his cunning sneer into concrete action.