50,000 Years Later

Only then did Xu Zifu realize that the Herrscher of the End had been talking about Earth. But the moment Xu Yanwu opened his mouth...

"..."

What the hell? Xu Yanwu froze. What was going on?

It was not until he saw the blue planet beneath him that Xu Yanwu finally realized...

Why the hell was he in space???

How the hell was he breathing???

Xu Yanwu immediately panicked and twisted wildly in the Herrscher of the End's hand.

After struggling for quite a while, Xu Yanwu realized...

He did not even have lungs anymore, so what the hell was he supposed to breathe with?!

"What are you doing?"

The Herrscher of the End shook Xu Yanwu's head. "Did you hear what I said?"

Xu Yanwu wore an extremely complicated expression. "I didn't catch that... Could you say it again? I was just contemplating life..."

"Mm, all right."

The Herrscher of the End nodded and continued.

"This planet is beautiful, isn't it?"

"Well..." Xu Yanwu calmed himself and admired the blue Earth alongside the Herrscher of the End. "It really is beautiful. Very... magnificent."

"But this planet has pests—pests called humans." The Herrscher of the End made no effort to hide her hostility toward humanity. "They plunder this planet's vitality, so they should never have been born."

"..."

Was it really okay to say that in front of a human?

Or had she really kicked him out of the human race?

"Um... Herrscher of the End... I'm human too... Isn't it a little inappropriate for you to say that to me...?"

Xu Yanwu hesitated for a moment, then finally voiced the question in his heart.

"You are not human," the Herrscher of the End said decisively. "You are a god from another world, not vermin like humans."

Ah... that hurt.

So she had never seen him as human at all?

Xu Yanwu felt vaguely annoyed. "So what exactly do you want to tell me, Herrscher of the End?"

The Herrscher of the End released Xu Yanwu and floated in front of him, looking directly at him.

"During the several eras that I sealed you away, I considered some things. Since you were able to break through my seal once, there will be a second time, a third time... I do not have the power to erase a god."

Xu Yanwu said, "So...?"

"I want you to understand that humanity does the world more harm than good. As a god, you have the duty to eliminate them."

The Herrscher of the End spoke as though it were only natural, not noticing Xu Yanwu's expression growing darker and darker.

"What nonsense are you spouting?"

Xu Yanwu looked angry. "I am human! They are my kind, unlike a monster like you that has taken over a human body!"

"...It seems you still haven't thought it through." The Herrscher of the End pressed a finger to the center of Xu Yanwu's forehead. "You should look at this before considering the matter again."

"You..."

Before Xu Yanwu could speak, a torrent of memories flooding into his mind drowned him.

They were memories of humanity's unceasing development from the very beginning of its birth.

After a long while, Xu Yanwu finally broke free from the memories, panting heavily, only to be seized in the Herrscher of the End's hand. "You saw it, didn't you?!"

"Humanity's insatiable greed, their endless extraction from nature, their ranking of life into higher and lower classes... What right do humans like that have to exist in this world?!"

Xu Yanwu did not refute her immediately. Instead, he waited until the Herrscher of the End had finished before slowly speaking.

"So that's how you see humanity... Herrscher of the End..."

"But did you not see... just what kind of efforts humanity made to climb to its current position?"

"Humans are greedy... yes, I admit it. I was human for over twenty years, so I know that very well!"

"But humans are more resilient than any other form of life in this world! More united!"

"They discovered fire, created tools, and continued evolving..."

"It was precisely because of greed that humanity became powerful!"

Xu Yanwu curled his lips. "Even you... the Herrscher of the End who destroys heaven and earth... have never truly wiped out humanity."

"So..."

"Who the hell would join you in destroying humanity? If humans are gone, where am I supposed to find a wife? You idiot! No way!"

"You!"

The Herrscher of the End's pupils shrank, provoked by Xu Yanwu's words. "You... insolent wretch!"

"Nyah nyah nyah—"

Xu Yanwu stuck out his tongue. "Let me tell you, I still remember the grudge of you cutting up my body! One day, I'll pin you to the ground and pound you!"

"You..."

Watching Honkai Energy gather in the Herrscher of the End's hand, Xu Yanwu calculated that he had saved up about enough energy. It was time to make his escape from her...

If not for this... how would Xu Yanwu dare to act so smugly around the Herrscher of the End...

"Bye-bye, ma'am~"

After tossing out that line, Xu Yanwu spoke to himself deep within his heart. Enter the Cryo-sleep Pod in the laboratory.

"...Bastard!"

A pillar of Honkai Energy grazed the head of the vanishing Xu Yanwu and shot straight toward Earth.

As for Xu Yanwu, he suddenly felt something soft and squishy against the back of his head, quite comfortable, before falling asleep in the Cryo-sleep Pod's low temperature.

The world entered another cycle...

50,000 years later.

On the Land of Shenzhou.

After 50,000 years of wear and tear, most traces left behind by the humans of the previous civilization had been erased by time.

However, at least some things had remained...

For example... this enormous Cryo-sleep Pod in the forest, like an iron coffin...

It had existed in this forest for a very long time. Trees had even grown directly on top of it.

Then, at noon one day, beeping suddenly sounded from the Cryo-sleep Pod, drawing the curiosity of a little squirrel.

The sound of the pressure valve opening suddenly rang out, frightening the curious squirrel away. The tremendous force of the pod door even uprooted the trees growing on it, startling a flock of birds into flight.

"Mm... so bright..."

A sleepy-eyed girl wearing a short black robe in a Huaxia style—perhaps a dress?—sat up in the Cryo-sleep Pod. Rubbing her eyes, she pushed the girl beside her, who wore the same style of clothing in white.

"Big Sis, get up. The Cryo-sleep Pod is open."

"Mmm..."

The other girl turned over while hugging something in her arms. "Danzhu... don't wake me... I still want to... sleep a little longer..."

"No, Big Sis, you can't sleep in anymore. We still need to find the owner of the Xuanyuan Sword..."

The girl named Danzhu gave a small stretch. Once she was fully awake, she looked at her sister.

"Ah—!"

The girl screamed. "Big Sis, what are you holding in your arms?!"