History's Choice

"Senior, can we land on the Moon now? Our combat power is considerable. If we can kill the culprit, Thunder, perhaps we can avoid many losses." Lu Yuan sensed the changes across the Pangu Continent. History would remember this day—assuming history still existed.

"No, it has entered a realm that is difficult to describe. I have every reason to suspect that even weapons from a Level Seven Civilization would struggle to kill it. It is the most supreme type of Idealistic monster."

Lu Yuan fell silent. Indeed, it was highly probable that the [Spirit], having stolen Pangu's fruit, was stronger than the Greedy Demon God.

Especially with Absolute Ability still under development, disaster struck too quickly.

"It's currently being held back by the remnants of the Hou Tu Civilization. It needs to gather enough energy from Blood Sacrifices to break the Seal," the Pangu Brain stated expressionlessly, devoid of joy or sorrow. "Your long-range attacks will only damage the Moon's Seal, which would be counterproductive."

"If you send people to the Moon, you'll just be providing more energy for Blood Sacrifice."

"Then how can we win?"

"Cut off its wings! If all its Converts are annihilated, it will be sealed on the Moon forever... though that is a difficult task."

The number of Converts to the [Spirit] was too vast. There were already 14,000 who had escaped, and the reserve legions numbered over 100,000...

It was enough to make one's scalp tingle. Just imagine, a Level Five Civilization would have to give its all to defeat a single Convert, and even then, victory wasn't guaranteed. Even if the current Era could no longer muster an army of comparable scale.

"There's another plan: grow during the war and produce multiple Level Seven Civilizations..." The Pangu Brain finally showed a flicker of emotion. "But how difficult is that? Level Seven Civilizations require the nurturing of an All-rounder, and there simply isn't enough time. The Pangu Continent has never produced multiple Level Seven Civilizations within a single Era, from ancient times to the present."

"By telling me all this, aren't you afraid I'll lose hope?" Lu Yuan knew resolving the Era Disaster was difficult, but he hadn't expected it to be this challenging.

The Pangu Brain shook its head. "You are the Ink Sect Leader of this Era. If you lose hope, you might as well Convert to the [Spirit] sooner and save your life."

"Is that truly possible?"

"The [Spirit] is also an intelligent lifeform and has needs for social relationships. There are quite a few species living in the worlds it created on the Moon... these species can even develop technology, but their development is limited by their social structures and will never match that of normal civilizations like yours." The Pangu Brain spoke more than usual. "Furthermore, if the Pangu Continent is destroyed, it will also wage war in the Chaos Sea. No one wants to drift alone in the Chaos Sea for thousands or tens of thousands of years."

Lu Yuan gained a deeper understanding of the [Spirit]'s power. It could already imitate Pangu and create worlds!

He sneered, "You've overlooked one plan: me. Once I achieve [Absolute Ability], I will be able to contend with it."

"You were the one who killed that subordinate [God] from the Beautiful Civilization?" The Pangu Brain seemed to understand the implication, falling silent for a moment before its expression shifted to one of apparent pleasant surprise. "I won't pry too much. Since you're confident, then proceed. If you need my help, just ask."

Lu Yuan shook his head. He didn't need the Pangu Brain's assistance for now.

The Pangu Brain added, "But the Era Disaster is more brutal than you imagine. Be extremely cautious. Contact me if you have any crucial information."

Its form slowly vanished.

At this very moment, the first war of the Era Disaster erupted!

As meteors smashed into the ground, several shadowy figures rushed towards a Sky City.

These figures moved with astonishing speed, almost like spatial jumps, leaving trails of afterimages in the air.

Their destination was not a civilization on the Western Continent, but a remnant civilization from the Eighth Era, known as the "Deep Blue Civilization."

Not every civilization was willing to fight to the last breath. The "Deep Blue Civilization" had been dedicating its entire population to researching "Ultra-long Distance Warp" technology, preparing to flee the Pangu Continent at a critical moment. And because they wanted to escape, they had secretly removed some crucial components from [Pangu's Hand].

[Pangu's Hand] was equivalent to the World Will. With its presence, their escape would have been impossible.

But everything in the world has a reaction. The mindset of "desperately wanting to escape" inevitably affected the entire civilization.

Since this mindset had influenced the overall situation, the Thought Imprint planted by the [Spirit] became exceptionally firm.

At this moment, "Soul Wither Syndrome" fully erupted. The city was almost completely paralyzed, with only intelligent robots maintaining the defense system.

"No, they're here! How could this be? So many low-level civilizations... why would they choose us?" A few Acquired Mythical beings, barely able to move, struggled to activate the city's "Light Curtain."

They watched helplessly as the figures reached the city's edge.

Those triangular eyes, amidst the mist, let out mocking, cold laughter.

[Acquired Mythical... four in total, quite impressive.]

[The Master's plan is correct. Leaving so many seeds from the Eighth Era is perfect for them to become nourishment for the Ninth Era's pioneers.]

The cold voices reached the minds of everyone in the Deep Blue Civilization, making their souls tremble.

So that's why there were so many residual civilizations from the Eighth Era!

In any case, these civilizations couldn't escape the Thought Imprint; they were no different from livestock in a pen. Mythical Industrialization, Idealistic Industrialization—the [Spirit] wished they would produce more Acquired Mythical beings and Great Spirit Essence Users, as they were all just livestock!

"Boom! Boom!"

The city's "Light Curtain" let out a piercing shriek, precarious and on the verge of shattering!

The sound was terrifying. Even though this "Light Curtain" technology was developed at great expense by powerful civilizations worldwide and possessed astonishing strength, without any resistance, its breach was only a matter of time.

The Deep Blue Civilization was about to meet its end.

This scene was broadcast through the [Aether Spirit-Core Network], and the notion that the [Spirit] was invincible once again grew in many hearts.

The enemy was too cunning; they deliberately spread rumors to propagate this concept.

[We offer you a chance. Convert to us, and you will be allowed to live.]

[Some of you can even become one of us, with equal status.]

"Absolutely not!" Several leaders of the Deep Blue Civilization roared from the Era Fortress.

Not all members were at the main base.

A small number of scientists and politicians were still in the Era Fortress.

Some scientists and artisans were participating in various exchange activities with other civilizations, which could be considered escaping disaster.

They hurriedly explained, "Our Deep Blue Civilization only wants to evacuate; we are not willing to be traitors."

But ultimately, they were not the ones involved, and their explanations were weak and powerless.

Even if the Era Fortress possessed the ability of "Spatial Jump," it still needed to recharge and wasn't infinitely usable. Pangu Continent is so vast that it would take over half an hour to reach it.

With a crisp sound like shattering glass, the light curtain shattered.

Those shadowy figures, too indistinct to be clearly photographed, entered the city. Except for a few security robots, everyone in the city was paralyzed, like sheep awaiting slaughter.

Disaster loomed, and all the Deep Blue people were trembling. Darkness descended, but due to being tricked, they were powerless to resist.

The Deep Blue Civilization, which rose in the Eighth Era, stood out from hundreds of millions of civilizations. It was a pillar civilization that commanded respect throughout the Eighth Era, and it was also renowned in the Ninth Era.

Yet, in the end, their fate was so bleak and tragic, all because of one wrong decision. They had wanted to secretly find an opportunity to withdraw, and thus had not completed the installation of the [Pangu's Hand].

They would be the first civilization to be wiped out by the Era Disaster, a fact that would be recorded in history with bold strokes.

"They're going to betray us!!" In the Era Fortress, someone lamented with grief in their heart, asking themselves what choice they would make if they were in the same desperate situation.

"No, it's impossible! Our Deep Blue Civilization was just preparing some contingency plans; we have no intention of becoming lackeys!"

"In the Eighth Era, we also made great contributions!" Several Deep Blue leaders visiting here had veins bulging on their foreheads, their voices tinged with sadness.

They were located in the Era Fortress and had indeed escaped this calamity.

However, their civilization was on the verge of extinction. This was a complete negation of their lives, rendering their lifelong struggles futile, a devastating blow to their existence. If their compatriots betrayed them, they would have no face to live in this world; even committing suicide would be better than living in a daze.

Other civilizations with similar ideas to the Deep Blue Civilization finally reacted in a hurry, notifying their members in the rear to immediately install the "Pangu's Hand" and establish the deepest connection with the World Will. They no longer had any desire to escape.

This contingency plan was too terrifying. Most civilizations of the Eighth Era were paralyzed by "Soul Wither Syndrome."

Fortunately, the deeper the connection with the World Will, the shallower the symptoms of "Soul Wither Syndrome." Civilizations like the Observer Civilization and Haishen Civilization, and other otherworldly civilizations, were not significantly affected.

Therefore, a last-minute effort to deepen their connection with the World Will did have some effect.

But the battlefield ahead offered no more time for consideration; those figures had moved!

A total of five converts to [Gods] were surrounding and suppressing a Level Five Civilization. This was giving them enough face; they wanted to perform a Blood Sacrifice on a prosperous Level Five city to secure their first victory.

One Acquired Mythical roared, blood gushing from all seven orifices. He poured all his strength into leaping into the air, the light of the Extraordinary Tinder shining like a firefly in the darkness. His body rapidly grew, and in an instant, he became a small giant eighty meters tall.

"Die for me!"

This punch shattered a building with a resounding boom, shaking the city and setting off alarms.

But the enemy's strength was too great. In the past, the [Greedy Demon God] could only kill a subordinate [God] who had converted by exerting all his might; an Acquired Mythical, without technological weapons, was no different from a sheep awaiting slaughter.

One of the black shadows, seemingly to crush everyone's confidence, deliberately did not kill him directly. The triangular eyes narrowed, and with a mere wave of its hand, a soft "boom" sounded. The Acquired Mythical was heavily struck and fell to the ground.

He vomited blood profusely, his back bent, his spine broken.

He was a soldier who had once turned the tide of battle during a civilization war. It was precisely because of this achievement that he could become an Acquired Mythical in the [Future Mirror].

But now, he lay on the ground, blood spraying out to form a lake, utterly defenseless.

[Convert to us, and we will spare your lives! Those who refuse will all die!]

"Can all the population survive?" someone asked.

[Naturally. The first race to convert will all survive. But for those who follow, it's hard to say.] The triangular eyes spoke with a cold tone. [When the 100,000 subordinate [Gods] are unsealed from the Moon, destroying all life in the Design World will be as easy as picking something up from a pocket.]

[Pangu Continent itself is about to be destroyed by the Yin World.]

[It is only right that we harvest sentient beings in advance!]

[Under our Lord's leadership, even in the Chaos Sea, we are a dominant race.]

This speech contained a great deal of information, and everyone held their breath.

Its tone softened slightly: [You don't need to feel guilty. We are all civilizations that have converted in the past. In each Era, outstanding individuals are chosen to convert to the Gods.]

[My Lord has already created a beautiful new world, and all of us can live in the new world.]

[The sacrifice of Pangu Continent is only for the benefit of the rest of us.]

This statement drew the attention of the entire world!

The Deep Blue City had lost contact with the outside world.

Through artificial satellites, only a gray, hazy mist could be seen, through which no electromagnetic waves could penetrate. However, the Aether Spirit-Core Network managed to transmit the sound.

Those at the Starry Sky Port were sweating profusely, bearing immense pressure.

Even Lu Yuan, who had just emerged from the "National Treasury," was shocked and gasped upon hearing the news.

What choice would the Deep Blue Civilization make? Let alone how much credibility those words from the converted [Gods] held; let alone that the betrayal of one Deep Blue Civilization was actually insignificant; the choice of the first civilization would represent the trend of historical momentum, representing confidence and courage.

Historical momentum, vast and mighty, was something even a powerful figure like Lu Yuan could not stop.

At this moment, time and space seemed to freeze, and history awaited an answer.

Nearby Starry Sky Ports began to perform Spatial Jumps, attempting to reach the battlefield at the fastest speed, but short-range jumps were too slow to help those far away.

Only the faint sound from the network could be heard: "Why? Why us?"

"The Deep Blue Civilization has a written history of 100,000 years. Why should we be annihilated?"

[Your resolve is excellent!]

[You shouldn't die here.]

People lamented, what a pity, their choice was understandable.

But from now on, everyone would be mortal enemies.

Even more so, within ten minutes, the Starry Sky Port would arrive and completely obliterate Deep Blue City.

The leaders of Deep Blue City knelt on the ground, weeping.

Then, a low growl was heard. It came from the heavily injured Acquired Mythical. At this critical moment, he actually let out a cold laugh, "Why! Yes, why?"

"My Deep Blue Civilization still has ten thousand people in the outer cities. We will not perish."

His growl was laced with immense fury, like a caged beast, "And why do you dare to judge us? Why do you decide our fate?"

"Why have you destroyed so many Eras?"

"Why!!!"

In that instant, Lu Yuan felt a violent killing intent, the killing intent of a historical figure, erupting!

His hair stood on end, shocked by this heaven-shattering murderous intent.

Deep Blue Civilization had indeed decided to flee, but at this moment, an officer made a choice—the antimatter warehouse buried in the city center detonated!