The endless void seemed to have its eternal silence broken without a sound.
The azure phantom, exuding an aura of both instruction and suppression, slowly raised a finger. There was no shimmering light or imposing force at the fingertip; it simply pointed gently towards the spot where Zhang Yu had just disappeared.
This seems to touch upon some deepest Principle concerning existence and annihilation.
In the void, countless subtle, almost imperceptible imprints of true spirits, as if summoned by Supreme, defied all logic to "retrospect" and "condense" from the cracks of time.
Tiny glimmers of light appeared, like fireflies swimming against the current, slowly and steadily gathering together.
At first it was just a blurry dot of light, then an outline, and then details...
A figure dressed in a tattered scholar's robe, pale-faced, with eyes filled with endless fear and resentment, yet also carrying a hint of bewilderment, gradually took shape in the void.
It was Zilu, who should have perished both body and soul!
He looked down at his newly formed body, then at the azure phantom in front of him that exuded an aura of boundless awe and belonging that filled his very soul.
"Teacher...!"
Zilu's voice trembled, filled with the ecstatic joy of surviving a calamity and a deep sense of awe.
Without hesitation, he prostrated himself in the void, his forehead pressed against the invisible plane of space:
"Thank you so much, teacher, for giving me this new lease on life!"
This disciple is incompetent and has failed in his duty to his teacher. Please punish me!
The cyan phantom – Confucianism, the Supreme Sage and Teacher of Kong Zhongni Kong Qiu.
"What a pity, if the teacher had arrived a moment earlier, none of those High Antiquity Remnants would have escaped."
Zilu seemed a little regretful.
You're wrong.
Kong Qiu's voice remained calm, yet carried an undeniable certainty:
"I deliberately arrived late."
"What?"
Zilu suddenly raised his head, his face filled with disbelief.
Do you believe that I, your teacher, am a heinous traitor who is driven by self-interest, colludes with Outer Dao, and betrays the Three Realms?
Kong Qiu asked slowly, his tone making it unclear whether he was asking a question or stating a fact.
He hesitated for a moment without answering, and could only lower his head deeply. "This disciple... dares not speak presumptuously."
"You're not the only one who thinks this way,"
Kong Qiu's voice remained calm and unwavering, as if he were discussing something unrelated to himself:
"Mencius, Wang Shouren, and other Confucianism disciples largely shared this view."
Zilu held his breath, not daring to reply.
Kong Qiu did not expect an answer, but continued in that calm yet seemingly soothing tone:
However, some things are not as simple as you think.
Right and wrong, black and white, good and evil, sometimes become blurred, even... reversed, on a higher level of strategy and a longer time scale.
His gaze seemed to pierce through the endless void, revealing connections and futures that ordinary people could not comprehend.
The loss of this world, your 'fall,' the shift in the Heavenly Dao, and even the growth of that 'Rebellious Dao Seed'...
Perhaps... it was all within the expected course of this game, or even a necessary step.
Kong Qiu's tone remained calm, yet it sent chills down Zilu, while a sudden realization seemed to flash through his mind.
"T-Teacher, you mean...?"
Zilu's voice was extremely dry as a bold conjecture, so daring it sent shivers down his spine, surfaced in his mind.
"The time is not right; further discussion is pointless."
Kong Qiu interrupted Zilu's conjecture, without giving a clear answer, but calmly said:
"Remember, today's 'death' may not necessarily be a bad thing for you."
Only by washing away the superficialities can one rebuild the foundation of one's path.
Rest well and wait for the right opportunity.
As he spoke, Kong Qiu once again reached out and grabbed at the air.
This grab, seemingly casual, carried an indescribable, mysterious rhythm.
It is not about absorbing matter or plundering energy, but rather it seems to be salvaging traces of "existence" that is about to completely vanish into Void.
Tiny specks of spiritual light, drawn together by an invisible force, came from every corner of the void and from the cracks in the broken Principle.
These points of light were extremely dim, like candles flickering in the wind, as if they might be extinguished at any moment.
But the familiar, unyielding, and domineering fighting spirit they exuded gave Zilu, who was weakened, a sudden jolt.
It's Xiang Yu!
Those are the Western Chu War Souls!
It is the last, almost negligible fragment of the true spirit's imprint that remained after they burned everything!
These fragments should have quickly dissipated under the violent energy impact and the passage of time, completely returning to the world without a trace.
But at this moment, under Kong Qiu's seemingly casual grasp...
These fragments of spiritual consciousness, which should have been completely extinguished, were forcibly re-condensed and manifested from the brink of "extinction" and from forgotten corners of the river of time!
Although still incredibly faint, like a transparent bubble, it would burst at the slightest touch.
But they were indeed "preserved," coalescing into a small, dark red, flickering ball of light that exuded a tragic and indomitable aura.
Kong Qiu twitched his fingertips slightly, and the ball of light containing the last fragments of Xiang Yu and the Western Chu War Souls was drawn by an invisible force into his illusory sleeve and disappeared.
Judging from its destination, it seems to have been incorporated into some unknown inner world or special space.
"What... what is this?"
Zilu stared wide-eyed, his face filled with utter shock and disbelief.
He knew better than anyone the fate of Xiang Yu and those Western Chu War Souls.
They were truly annihilated, their souls self-destructed, and they completely gave up even the slightest possibility of reincarnation.
This kind of complete annihilation is something even Daluo Golden Immortal could not reverse.
But the teacher... was actually able to gather their last, almost non-existent fragments of spiritual consciousness together?
This goes beyond mere Divine Ability power; it almost touches upon the supreme realm of "creating something from nothing" and "defining existence"!
Aren't teachers afraid of incurring such immense karmic retribution?
Furthermore, why would the teacher do that?
Xiang Yu and others were incompatible with his Confucianism ideals and were participants in this "Rebellious Dao Seed," and could even be said to be one of the indirect promoters of his Zilu's "fall."
The teacher not only saved him, but also intervened to "preserve" the last vestiges of the enemies' consciousness?
Kong Qiu seemed to be able to see the turmoil of questions churning in Zilu's mind, but he did not provide an explanation.
Faced with Zilu's incredulous and inquisitive gaze, Kong Qiu merely turned his head slightly, and an indescribable arc seemed to be drawn on his blurred face.
Is it a laugh?
Is it a sigh?
Is it compassion?
Or is it some deeper, incomprehensible emotion?
Nobody knows.
He simply maintained that ambiguous, enigmatic smile, and once again lightly flicked his sleeve.
A gentler, more inclusive force, seemingly capable of soothing all wounds and doubts, completely enveloped Zilu's weakened figure.
Immediately, Kong Qiu's already illusory figure, along with Zilu, vanished without a trace.