A cold wind howled, Li Chen's long black hair swayed slightly in the wind, his eyes deep and unfathomable as if he saw through everything.
"Freedom is the guiding principle."
"Jianping, you have your path, and I have mine."
"When you think I've done something wrong, try having the power to balance the scales. Then you'll know what I'm really pursuing."
"Sometimes, I wonder what I'm doing, why I've become like this, until I let go, let go that this is just how the world is, this is how it is. I'm lost, I explore, I pursue the truth."
"Until finally nothing remains."
"Jianping went to the future to seek that glimmer of hope; thank you for your help along the way."
Jianping was speechless... By the time he came to his senses, Li Chen had already disappeared. He hadn't expected their meeting to be in this way, nor had he expected Li Chen to come to see him.
And it seems he was asked to do something.
Go to the future and kill him...
And what exactly is the freedom he's pursuing?
Shouldn't people be born free?
Suddenly, Jianping felt a dull pain in his chest, unsure how to make amends... What exactly had happened in the future?
The Black Mist had spread throughout the entire Great Xia, almost engulfing it entirely. Li Chen, holding a black umbrella, stepped into the dilapidated city and returned to his once familiar home. He sat on the rocking chair on the balcony, which the landlord had not taken away, and closed his eyes. At this moment, his mind was relaxed.
Soon, a steady breathing sound could be heard.
He fell asleep...
Throughout his journey, he never stopped, even when imprisoned, used as a pawn, nearly killed, or battling against the gods. In his quest for the truth, he never ceased his efforts.
Now the whole truth has finally been revealed.
He's tired... he needs to rest.
But in my dream, I saw everything that had happened.
It's like looking back on the past, but most of it is just fragmented memories.
"Su Zhe, why are you crying?" Li Chen looked at him, who was packing his books, with some confusion.
Su Zhe's large tears fell drop by drop onto the book. "Chen-ge, I think I dreamed that you were going to die, and it seemed that you died in a place no one knew. Even when I asked my dad to search for you, we couldn't find you."
"But I saw your corpse appear in a crimson void, surrounded by countless monsters that seemed to fear you."
"I can't believe it. I was just about to take another look when I woke up."
"Do you think this is true?"
"Chen-ge, are you really going to die?!"
Li Chen kicked him irritably and said, "Bullshit! I'm still here, and you're already dreaming that I'm going to die? Are you cursing me?"
Be careful after school!
Su Zhe..."
Li Chen opened his eyes and murmured, "So perhaps it was all planned back then, to die in the desolate universe?"
At that moment, the Eldritch God scream echoed in my mind.
"Li Chen, you can't kill me."
"Kill me, Six Great Authority will emerge from their shells. You're inviting the attention of all the gods, only to be consumed by your own fire!"
"Oh?" Li Chen narrowed his eyes slightly.
It seems the Eldritch God knows quite a lot, but how did he know I was about to attack him?
After all, the Eldritch God is a great threat. He has now devoured the Six Great Authority. Although he only holds the Rule Authority, he is still God. Moreover, he has mastered a lot about the Forbidden.
Li Chen's concept of Gods was actually quite vague.
Because "God" is just a "word" born from the human language system, he still knows whether there are differences in strength among so-called gods. For example, even though Li Chen's body was sealed, he could still crush the Eldritch God on the ground, which shows that the Eldritch God only controlled the body of a god. Li Chen even guessed that it did not control the Rule Authority.
Because he has not experienced it, he is merely a separate consciousness born from Authority, and how could he possibly grasp the rules?
Unless He is something akin to a soul born from that Authority, but these are all just Li Chen's guesses. After all, without Li Chen, he can only explore step by step. There is no rush to leave this world now. He needs to understand many, many things, such as the strength of extraterrestrial Gods, or why those Gods who sent Li Chen back to this universe did so.
What if I encounter this situation myself when I go out?
This is what needs to be considered.
One cannot judge other worlds based on one's own perception of the world's structure. It would be like a lower civilization suddenly appearing in the eyes of a higher civilization, or a weak god suddenly appearing in the eyes of another world—wouldn't that be like being a lab rat?
Li Chen murmured, "Is the system of the outside world the same as that of my own world?"
"And how did they become Gods?"
"And how did you manage to climb to such a height?"
"If, as Li Chen said, the universe outside is a Great World composed of countless universes, then why hasn't my own universe been saved?"
"Even the God Li Chen was driven back. Could it be... corruption?"
In Li Chen's eyes, this was the only answer.
Pollution is Forbidden. The reason why our universe is now called "the Godforsaken Land" is definitely due to the old gods. Therefore, it is Forbidden to pollute this universe. Those Great Worlds that are united outside the universe feel that this universe has been polluted, so they must be exiled.
Therefore, all the creatures inside are monsters, and even if God appears, he is just a monster. Only with this explanation can all the logic hold true.
What remains unclear is the nature of the outside Great World. It cannot be as small and weak as our own universe; it is highly likely to be a hybrid world where all kinds of creatures exist.
It's not uncommon for even the "immortals" imagined by humankind to exist. If we consider the Gods born from the Authority Power in the vast universe, how many Gods would there be? With so many Gods, how could they possibly coexist in one room?
There is only one possibility: Authority Holder rules over the world outside the universe.
If I go out, I'll most likely be discovered, and the enemy is still the entire world.
"Therefore, the outside world is clean, while the universe I inhabit is polluted. Those Gods like myself possess immense resources and are naturally incredibly powerful, while I am left with only this polluted universe."
"The enemy might be very powerful."
"I could even annihilate this universe and myself with a wave of my hand, but would I give up the consciousness I've pursued to this point?"
The answer is no...
Li Chen slowly rose and looked at the world he now lived in, a world polluted by pollution. He was the only surviving God in this world, and the only God born from pollution.
They may fear pollution, but he himself is not. On the contrary, these pollutants can make him stronger. He believes it is right for him to possess this dilapidated universe. If he were given an unpolluted universe, he would still be unable to escape being suppressed by other Gods.
There are only two choices now.
One is to step out of this universe.
The second is to wait for this universe to be cleansed.
He watched as everything vanished once more, but what meaning would there be in pursuing freedom then?