History's Choice

"Senior, can we land on the moon now? Our combat strength is considerable. If we can swiftly kill the culprit, perhaps we can avoid many losses." Lu Yuan sensed the shifting winds and clouds across all of Pangu Continent. History would remember this day—provided history continued to exist afterward.

"No. It has already entered a realm that is difficult to describe. I have ample reason to suspect that even Level Seven Civilization weapons may be unable to destroy it. It is the most formidable idealistic monster."

Lu Yuan fell silent. Indeed, as an existence that had stolen Pangu's fruit, God was most likely stronger than the Greedy Demon God.

Especially since Absolute Ability was still under development, while the disaster had come far too quickly.

"It is only because the remnants of the Hou Tu Civilization are restraining it that it must gather enough blood-sacrifice energy before it can break through the seal." Pangu Brain remained expressionless, neither joyful nor sorrowful. "Your long-range attacks would only damage the lunar seal and achieve the opposite of what you intend."

"If you send people into the moon, you will merely be delivering blood-sacrifice energy to it."

"Then how can we win?"

"Cut off its wings! As long as all its Converts perish, it will remain sealed within the moon forever... But that will be very difficult."

There were far too many Converts of God. Fourteen thousand had already escaped, while the reserve legions numbered over one hundred thousand...

The thought alone made their scalps tingle. A Level Five Civilization had to go all out just to defeat a single Convert of God, and even then victory was not guaranteed. This era could not possibly gather another army of equal scale.

"There is another option: grow through war and produce multiple Level Seven Civilizations..." Pangu Brain finally showed an emotional reaction. "But how difficult would that be? A Level Seven Civilization requires the cultivation of an All-rounder, and there truly is not enough time. From ancient times to the present, Pangu Continent has never seen multiple Level Seven Civilizations in a single era."

"You're telling me all this without fearing that I'll lose confidence?" Lu Yuan knew that resolving an Era Disaster would be difficult, but he had never imagined it would be this difficult.

Pangu Brain shook his head. "You are the master of the Ink Sect in this era. If even you lose confidence, you may as well convert to God early. At least you can preserve your life."

"Can that really happen?"

"God is also an intelligent life-form and has needs for social relationships. There are indeed many converted species living in the world it created within the moon... Those converted species can even develop technology. It is merely that, constrained by their social structure, their development will forever fall short of normal civilizations like yours." Pangu Brain unusually said a few more words. "Besides, if Pangu Continent is destroyed, it will also wage war in the Chaos Sea. No one wishes to drift alone through the Chaos Sea for thousands or tens of thousands of years."

Lu Yuan gained a deeper understanding of God's power. It could actually imitate Pangu and create a world!

He gave a cold laugh. "You have overlooked one possibility: me. Once I develop an Absolute Ability, I will be able to contend with it."

"The person who killed that Subordinate God from the Beautiful Civilization was you?" Pangu Brain unexpectedly caught the implication. After a moment of silence, its expression seemed faintly delighted. "I will not ask too many questions. If you are confident, then do it. If you need my help, just give the word."

Lu Yuan shook his head. For the moment, he had nothing that he needed from it.

Pangu Brain added, "But the Era Disaster will be far more brutal than you imagine. Be cautious. Contact me again if there is important information."

Its figure slowly vanished.

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

As meteors struck the ground, several shadowy black figures raced toward one of the Sky Cities.

Those black figures flew at astonishing speeds, practically like spatial jumps, leaving streaks of afterimages in the air.

Their target was not a civilization of the Western Continent, but an Eighth Era remnant civilization known as the "Deep Blue Civilization."

Not every civilization was willing to fight until its final breath. The Deep Blue Civilization had been secretly developing Ultra-long Distance Warp technology as a means of fleeing Pangu Continent at the critical moment—and because they wanted to escape, they had secretly removed several vital components from Pangu's Hand.

Pangu's Hand was equivalent to the World Will. With this guardian present, they could never successfully escape.

Yet everything in the world had a counterforce. The idea of their desire to escape inevitably affected the entire civilization.

Since that thought had influenced the overall situation, the Thought Imprint planted by God had become especially firm.

In that instant, Soul Wither Syndrome completely erupted. The city was almost entirely paralyzed, with only intelligent robots maintaining its defensive systems.

"No, they're here! Why has this happened? There are so many lower-level civilizations... Why did they choose us?" Several barely mobile Acquired Mythicals struggled to activate the city's "light screen."

They watched helplessly as those figures flew to the edge of the city.

Those pairs of triangular eyes revealed mocking, icy smiles amid the fog.

Acquired Mythicals... There were four in total. Not bad at all.

Master's plan was correct. Leaving behind so many seeds of the Eighth Era meant they could serve perfectly as pioneering nourishment for the Ninth Era.

The icy voice rang in the minds of every person in the Deep Blue Civilization, making their souls tremble.

So that was it. Why had so many civilizations from the Eighth Era remained behind?!

In any case, these civilizations could not break free of the Thought Imprint. They were no different from livestock in a pen. Mythical Industrialization, Idealistic Industrialization—God wanted nothing more than for you to produce a few more Acquired Mythicals and Great Spirit Essence Users. You were all just livestock!

Boom! Boom!

The city's protective "light screen" let out a piercing wail. It was on the verge of collapse and could shatter at any moment!

How terrifying that sound was. Even though this light-screen technology had been developed at immense expense by the world's powerful civilizations and possessed astonishing strength, without resistance, its breach was only a matter of time.

The Deep Blue Civilization was now approaching its end.

This scene spread through the Aether Spirit-Core Network. Once again, the belief that God was invincible began to grow in many hearts.

The enemy was too cunning. They deliberately released such words to spread that notion.

We will give you an opportunity. Convert to us, and you will be allowed to live.

Some among you may even become one of us, equal in status to us.

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

Not all of their members were staying at their main base.

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

Other scientists and craftsmen were attending various exchange activities in other civilizations, and could be considered to have escaped disaster.

They hurriedly explained, "Our Deep Blue Civilization merely wished to withdraw. We never intended to become traitors."

But they were not the ones directly involved. Their explanations were pale and powerless.

Even if the Era Fortress possessed spatial-jump capabilities, spatial jumps required charging and could not be used indefinitely. Pangu Continent was so vast that reaching them would take at least half an hour.

With a crisp crack like shattering glass, the light screen broke.

Those shadowy black figures, impossible to capture clearly on camera, entered the city. Aside from a handful of security robots, everyone in the city was paralyzed like pigs and sheep awaiting slaughter.

With disaster upon them, every Deep Blue person trembled. Darkness descended, yet because they had been outmaneuvered, they possessed no power to resist.

The Deep Blue Civilization had risen during the Eighth Era, standing out among hundreds of millions of civilizations. It had shaken all directions in the Eighth Era and was considered a pillar civilization. Even in the Ninth Era, it was renowned far and wide.

Yet it had come to such desolation and tragedy, all because of a single mistaken decision. They had wanted to secretly seek an opportunity to withdraw, so they had failed to complete the installation of Pangu's Hand.

They would become the first civilization exterminated by the Era Disaster. History would record this in vivid, weighty strokes.

"They're going to betray us!!" Within the Era Fortress, someone was filled with sorrow and asked themselves: if they were trapped in the same desperate situation, what choice would they make?

"No, impossible! Our Deep Blue Civilization merely prepared a few contingencies in advance. We never intended to become lackeys!"

"During the Eighth Era, we made great contributions as well!" Several visiting Deep Blue leaders cried out mournfully, veins bulging across their foreheads.

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

But their civilization was about to vanish. It was a complete negation of their lives, reducing their lifelong struggles to useless labor. It was a devastating blow to life itself. If their compatriots betrayed them, they would have no face to continue living. Even immediate suicide would be better than muddling through in a daze..

Other civilizations with thoughts similar to the Deep Blue Civilization finally realized the danger and hurriedly notified their rear-line members to install Pangu's Hand at once, to maintain the deepest possible connection with the World Will, and to no longer harbor any desire to escape.

This contingency was too terrifying. Most Eighth Era civilizations had been paralyzed by Soul Wither Syndrome.

Fortunately, the deeper one's connection with the World Will, the milder the symptoms of Soul Wither Syndrome. Otherworlder Civilizations such as the Observer Civilization and Haishen Civilization were not greatly affected.

Thus, strengthening their connection with the World Will at the last minute did have some effect.

But the battlefield at the front gave them no more time to think. Those figures moved!

There were five Converts of God in total. Using them to encircle and suppress a Level Five Civilization was more than respectful enough. They wanted to blood-sacrifice a prosperous Level Five city and claim the first victory.

One Acquired Mythical roared, blood streaming from all seven orifices. He exhausted every ounce of his strength and soared into the air. The radiance of his Extraordinary Tinder was like a firefly in the darkness. His body rapidly expanded, and in the blink of an eye, he became an eighty-meter-tall giant.

"Die!"

That punch smashed a skyscraper apart. The city shook, and alarms blared.

But the enemy was far too strong. In the past, even the Greedy Demon God had needed to exert all its strength to kill a converted Subordinate God. Without technological weapons, an Acquired Mythical was no different from a pig or sheep awaiting slaughter.

Perhaps to crush everyone's confidence, one of the black figures deliberately did not kill him outright. Its triangular eyes narrowed, and it casually waved a hand. With a soft boom, the Acquired Mythical suffered a devastating blow and collapsed to the ground.

He vomited blood in great mouthfuls. His back bent, and his spine had broken.

He was a soldier who had once turned the tide during a civilization war. It was precisely because of those merits that he had become an Acquired Mythical through the Future Mirror.

But now, he lay sprawled on the ground, blood spraying out and forming a lake around him. He had no strength left to resist.

Convert to us, and you will be allowed to live! Those who do not convert will all die!

"Will the entire population be allowed to live?" someone asked.

Naturally. The first race to convert will all be allowed to survive. But for those after that, it will be difficult to say. The triangular-eyed being spoke coldly. Once one hundred thousand Subordinate Gods are unsealed from the moon, destroying every living being in the Design World will be as easy as taking something from a bag.

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

It is only natural that we harvest living beings in advance!

Under My Lord's leadership, even in the Chaos Sea, we will be a powerful race.

Those words contained an enormous amount of information, and everyone held their breath.

Its tone softened slightly. You need not feel guilty. We are all Converted Civilizations from the past. Every era selects its finest individuals to convert to God.

My Lord has already created a Beautiful New World, where all of us can live.

The sacrifice of Pangu Continent is merely to benefit the rest of us.

Those words immediately drew the attention of the entire world!

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

Through Artificial Satellites, they could see only a gray expanse of clouds and mist. No Electromagnetic Wave could penetrate it, but the Aether Spirit-Core Network still transmitted the voices.

Everyone in the Starry Sky Port was drenched in sweat, bearing immense pressure.

Even Lu Yuan, who had just emerged from the "Central National Treasury," stiffened in shock upon hearing the news.

How would the Deep Blue Civilization choose? Setting aside how credible the words of those Converts of God truly were, and setting aside the fact that the betrayal of one Deep Blue Civilization was actually insignificant, the choice of the first civilization represented the direction of history's greater current. It represented confidence and courage.

History's greater current surged onward. Even someone as powerful as Lu Yuan could not stop it.

At that moment, time and space seemed to freeze as history waited for its answer.

The nearby Starry Sky Ports began spatial jumps, seeking to join the battlefield as quickly as possible, but distant water could not put out a nearby fire.

Only faint voices came through the network. "Why? Why us?"

"The Deep Blue Civilization has a recorded history of one hundred thousand years. Why must we be the ones to perish?"

Your awareness is admirable!

You should not die here.

People sighed mournfully. What a pity—their choice was understandable.

But from now on, everyone would be mortal enemies.

Moreover, within ten minutes, the Starry Sky Ports would arrive and erase Deep Blue City completely.

Those Deep Blue leaders fell to their knees and wept bitterly.

Then someone let out a low roar. It was the heavily wounded Acquired Mythical. At this critical moment, he actually sneered. "Why? Yes, why?"

"Our Deep Blue Civilization still has ten thousand people in cities outside. We will not disappear."

His low roar was filled with boundless fury, like a wild beast breaking free of its cage. "Instead, who are you to judge us? Who are you to decide our fate?"

"Who are you to destroy so many eras?"

"Why?!!"

At that instant, Lu Yuan sensed a violent killing intent—the killing intent of a historical figure, erupting in a single instant!

His hairs stood on end, shaken by that earth-shattering murderous intent.

The Deep Blue Civilization had indeed decided to flee, but at this very moment, an officer made his choice—the antimatter warehouse buried beneath the center of the city exploded!