50,000 Years Later

Xu Yanwu only realized at this moment that the Herrscher of the End was talking about Earth. But as soon as Xu Yanwu opened his mouth…

"..."

What the hell? Xu Yanwu was stunned. What's going on?

It wasn't until he saw the azure planet beneath him that Xu Yanwu realized…

What the hell, why am I in space???

Holy crap, how am I supposed to breathe???

Xu Yanwu immediately panicked, struggling wildly in the Herrscher of the End's grasp.

After struggling for a long time, Xu Yanwu finally realized…

I don't even have lungs, what the hell am I breathing for!

"What are you doing?"

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

Xu Yanwu's expression was incredibly complex. "I didn't hear you clearly… Can you say that again? I was just contemplating life…"

"Hmm, alright."

The Herrscher of the End nodded and continued.

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

"Well…" Xu Yanwu calmed himself, admiring the blue Earth alongside the Herrscher of the End, and replied, "It is indeed beautiful, very… spectacular."

"But this planet has pests, pests called humans," the Herrscher of the End said, making no attempt to hide its hostility towards humanity. "They are plundering the planet's vitality, so they should never have been born."

"..."

Is it really okay for you to say that in front of me, a human?

Or have you really kicked me out of the human race?

"Uh… Herrscher of the End… I'm human too… Isn't it a bit inappropriate for you to say that to me…"

Xu Yanwu hesitated for a moment before voicing his inner doubts.

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

Ah… that stings.

So you never saw me as human?

Xu Yanwu felt a slight ache in his… balls. "So, Herrscher of the End, what exactly do you want to talk to me about?"

The Herrscher of the End released Xu Yanwu and floated opposite him, facing him directly.

"I've thought about some things during the eons I've sealed you. Since you could break my seal once, you'll do it a second, a third time… I don't have the ability to obliterate a god yet."

Xu Yanwu: "So…?"

"I want you to understand that humans are harmful to the world. As a god, you have an obligation to eliminate them."

The Herrscher of the End said this as a matter of course, completely oblivious to Xu Yanwu's darkening expression.

"What nonsense are you spouting?"

Xu Yanwu's expression was filled with anger. "I am human! They are my kind, not monsters like you who have taken over human bodies!"

"...It seems you still haven't understood." The Herrscher of the End placed a finger on the center of Xu Yanwu's forehead. "You should look at this before you consider the matter."

"You…"

Before Xu Yanwu could speak, he was overwhelmed by a torrent of memories flooding his mind.

These were memories from the dawn of humanity, of humanity's continuous development.

After a long while, Xu Yanwu emerged from the memories, gasping for breath, only to be grabbed by the Herrscher of the End. "You saw it, didn't you!"

"Humanity's insatiable greed, their endless exploitation of nature, their ranking of life… What right do such humans have to exist in this world!"

Xu Yanwu didn't refute immediately. Instead, he let the Herrscher of the End finish speaking before slowly replying.

"Is that how you see humans… Herrscher of the End…"

"Then haven't you also seen… the effort humanity has put in to reach its current position?"

"Humans are greedy… Yes, I admit it. I've been human for over twenty years, I know this very well!"

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

"Discovering fire, creating tools, constantly evolving…"

"It is precisely because of their greed that humans have become strong!"

Xu Yanwu curled his lips. "Even you… the world-destroying Herrscher of the End… have never been able to truly exterminate humanity."

"So…"

"Who would want to destroy humanity with you? If there are no humans left, where will I find a wife? I don't want anything to do with an idiot like you!"

"You!"

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

"Nyah nyah nyah—"

Xu Yanwu stuck out his tongue. "Listen here, I haven't forgotten that you sliced me up! One day! I'm gonna pin you down and spank you!"

"You..."

Seeing the Honkai energy gathering in the Herrscher of the End's hand, Xu Yanwu figured his own energy reserves were about full. It was time to make a run for it from the Herrscher of the End...

If it weren't for this... Xu Yanwu wouldn't dare act so brazenly towards the Herrscher of the End...

"See ya later~"

Xu Yanwu dropped the parting words, then told himself internally, Enter the sleep pod in the lab.

"...Damn!"

A pillar of Honkai energy grazed the head of the vanished Xu Yanwu and shot straight towards Earth.

Meanwhile, Xu Yanwu suddenly felt a soft, comfortable sensation at the back of his head, and then he drifted into slumber in the cryogenic cold of the sleep pod.

The world, once again, cycled...

Fifty thousand years later.

On the Divine Land.

After fifty thousand years of ravages by time, most of the traces left behind by the previous civilization's humans had been erased by the ages.

But, at least, some things had remained...

For example... this giant sleep pod, like an iron coffin, in the middle of the forest...

It had been in this forest for a very long time, so long that trees had even grown on its surface.

And then, at high noon on this particular day, the sleep pod suddenly emitted a beeping sound, piquing the curiosity of a small squirrel.

The sound of the pressure valve opening suddenly rang out, scaring the curious squirrel away. Moreover, the immense force of the sleep pod's hatch even managed to uproot the trees growing on its surface, startling a large flock of birds.

"Mmm... so bright..."

A young girl, dressed in a black, Chinese-style short robe (skirt?), sat up sleepily from the sleep pod, rubbing her eyes and nudging the girl beside her, who wore the same style of clothing but in white.

"Sister, wake up. The sleep pod has opened."

"Mmmph mmmph..."

The other girl, clutching something, turned over. "Danzhu... don't call me... I still want... to sleep a little longer..."

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

The girl named Danzhu stretched a little, fully awake, and looked at her sister.

"Eek—!"

The girl shrieked. "Sister, what are you holding in your arms!"