That subtle frown was not caused by fear, but by an almost hermetic boredom.
"Father worship..."
Uchiha Xuan's consciousness whispered in the core chamber, and his voice contained a hint of cold murderous intent.
He is not interpreting these two words, but savoring the lingering, parasitic connection between them.
Kaguya's residual thoughts, under his precise calculation and devouring, have transformed from an enemy intent on seizing his body into a captive "spiritual fuel".
However, this fuel still retains the most primitive instinct-continuation.
Through the dreams of the three hundred and twenty-seven Sacred Scions, and through the invisible network of earth veins, it began to reversely influence reality, trying to forcibly twist the "container" and "owner" of Uchiha Xuan into the new "Father God" in its mythological system, and demanded "sacrifice."
It thinks this is its last resort to survive and a manifestation of the immortal will of the gods.
But in Uchiha Xuan's view, this is nothing more than the food on the plate, trying to dictate how diners should eat it.
"It's really... I don't know whether to live or die."
A cold voice sounded in Chiyo Saori's mind, causing her extremely sophisticated logical core to stagnate.
"Master?"
"Chiyo," Uchiha Xuan's instructions were clear and decisive. "From now on, all data uploads of 'Sacred Embryo Observatory' throughout the empire will be suspended. It is announced that due to unknown disturbances in the energy of the earth's veins, the empire has entered a ten-day temporary martial law period. All Fire Altar, give them to me... and extinguish them."
This command caused the blue light of Chiyo Saori's electronic eye to flash violently, and she questioned almost instinctively, "Master, interrupting the data upload means that we will not be able to continue to collect the 'faith plasma', which will seriously delay the progress of the divine embryo in your body. And the altar will be extinguished..."
"The altar is a fishing net, and faith is the bait. Now that the fish is in the urn, there is no need to waste the bait." Uchiha Xuan's voice contained a trace of undisguised mockery, "It's time to make her think... I can be killed by the backlash."
Chiyo Saori's logic core was running rapidly, instantly capturing the chilling madness behind this plan.
"You want to... fake your own death?"
"No," Uchiha Xuan corrected, "It is to prepare the grandest 'funeral' for her. Go ahead and activate your intelligence network. I want the entire Shinobi World to know that I, Uchiha Xuan, suffered an irreversible 'Divine Punishment' after devouring the power of the gods."
He paused and added, "Let's start with the Fireheart Academy, the three most qualified Sacred Scions. Spread the news, saying that they had a sudden high fever, and Sharingan finally woke up. The power is rapidly degrading, and it has returned to the eyes of ordinary people. Remember, everyone must believe that this is a sign of 'Divine Punishment's punishment', and that my power, Uchiha Xuan... is collapsing."
After the order was issued, the entire Uchiha Empire, a sophisticated war machine, instantly started operating in a strange way.
In just one day, the news that "New Uchiha Empire Emperor Xuan was suspected of being counterattacked due to forcibly plundering divine power, and his foundation was shaken" spread like a virus in the intelligence network of Shinobi World's major survivor strongholds.
Two days later, definite news came from inside the Fireheart Academy on the Fire Country border. Three core Sacred Scions, known as the "successors of the first ancestor's bloodline," were found during a public physical examination that the Tomoe in their pupils had completely disappeared, their vital signs declined sharply, and they fell into a deep coma.
On the third day, at dusk.
The sky fortress "Throne of Heaven" suspended above the sea of clouds, without warning, erupted with a chakra wave that could be described as devastating.
The energy was so huge that even the remnants of Allied Shinobi Forces, thousands of miles away, could clearly sense it.
However, this wave of fluctuation only lasted less than three seconds, and then suddenly died like a popped balloon.
The entire Sky Fortress seemed to have turned into a cold steel tomb.
Spies from various major countries risked their lives to sneak into the investigation, and finally brought back surprisingly unanimous information. "Throne of Heaven energy core is extinguished, all twelve Fire Altar have lost their light, Uchiha Xuan... has been retreated for healing, life and death are unknown!"
No one knows that in the core secret room of Throne of Heaven at this moment, the physical body of Uchiha Xuan is quietly suspended in the air, with his eyes closed and his breath so weak that it is almost impossible to detect.
His heart was still beating, but it was more like an inertia maintained by external forces.
Several puppet lines, invisible to the naked eye and controlled by Chiyo Saori himself, accurately connected his major life centers and maintained his minimum vital signs.
His body is already a perfect "empty shell" on the verge of death.
And his consciousness, his decisive and overpowering soul, has completely sunk into the depths of the sea of consciousness, and merged with the pulsating genetic embryo that incorporates the residual thoughts of Kaguya.
[Warning! High-dimensional consciousness activity is detected to be increasing at a rate of 1700%!]
[Warning!
The target is giving up scattered parasitism and accelerating forced fusion with the host gene chain!]
The system's beeps roared crazily in Uchiha Xuan's consciousness, but he remained indifferent, like the most patient hunter in the deep sea, quietly waiting for his prey to be completely transported into his mouth.
The time has matured.
That night, midnight.
The whole world seemed to have fallen into the deepest darkness.
Mariana Trench In the deepest part, the seven crystallized eyeballs that had been sealed for several months suddenly burst out with a pale light that could illuminate the entire deep sea at the same moment!
This time, it is no longer a temptation, no longer a penetration.
A final residual thought that condensed all the obsessions, all the unwillingness, and all the madness of Kaguya since its birth turned into a soul tsunami invisible to the naked eye, brazenly breaking through the layers of blockades in the earth network, and heading towards the dead steel city above the clouds at an unprecedented speed!
It no longer tries to possess those weak children, it has confirmed through the false "Divine Punishment" that those inferior containers are not worthy of it.
It wants to take back the most perfect container, the man who stole its power and is now on the verge of collapse!
It wants to use that perfect body to accomplish what it dreams of... true rebirth!
"Alert! A super-standard soul impact has been detected! The intensity exceeds the threshold!"
"'Sky Shield' defense system activated! All Puppet Legion, execute the 'God Drive' protocol and intercept at all costs!"
Chiyo Saori The cold voice resounded through the fortress, and countless ferocious war puppets poured out from everywhere to form an airtight defense line and launched a saturation attack against the invisible torrent of souls.
However, this seemingly decisive interception quietly opened a tiny, almost imperceptible "gap" at the most critical position.
Without any hesitation, that ultimate residual thought passed through this "gap" like a precisely guided arrow, bypassing all defenses, pouring into the core chamber in ecstasy, and crazily pouring into the "dying" body of Uchiha Xuan!
Buzz--!
Uchiha Xuan's body shook violently, and ancient runes spread crazily under his skin, and a breath like a creation god began to revive from his body.
Cannian was cheering and jumping for joy, it finally returned to its "home", and it began to greedily reshape the godhead, trying to completely change this body into its own shape.
However, at the moment when its integration with this body reached 99%, and it was about to completely take over the dominant position--
"Buzz."
A vibration so slight that it seemed like an hallucination sounded from the depths of Uchiha Xuan's sea of consciousness.
In that silent genetic embryo, a pair of cold, indifferent eyes, full of endless ridicule, suddenly opened!
It's the consciousness of Uchiha Xuan!
"Boom--!!!"
In an instant, twelve altars of death all over Shinobi World, twelve pillars of light shot into the sky at the same moment!
But the color of the light beam is no longer red, which symbolizes life and chakra, but is deep, dead, and seems to be able to swallow all light... deep and pitch black!
That's a sign that "Myriad Phenomena Devouring System" turns on its maximum power and activates the Devouring Law to the extreme!
"You think I'm avoiding you?"
Uchiha Xuan's voice sounded simultaneously, not from his mouth, but from every cell and every inch of his body's meridians, with the majesty of a judgment.
"I'm waiting for you... to empty the house."
The moment he finished speaking, countless fine silver-black lines suddenly appeared in the blood vessels all over his body, swimming rapidly like living creatures!
These lines formed a terrifying network all over the body. They were no longer passively endured, but turned into hundreds of millions of greedy suckers, starting to wildly and reversely extract the source of the residual thoughts that had just taken over!
"--!!!"
Kaguya's remnant sent a silent scream that penetrated the soul dimension!
It was horrified to find that it had been tricked!
This man has not been bitten at all, he has been acting!
He deliberately showed weakness in order to induce himself to concentrate all the strength, will, and memory scattered everywhere and complete the battle in one battle!
It wants to escape! It wants to be separated by force!
But, it's too late.
It was horrified to discover that its memories, emotions, strength, and even the aloofness belonging to the Creator God had all been woven into the depths of the body's genetic sequence by Uchiha Xuan using that genetic embryo as a "template."
It's like a moth stuck in a spider's web. The more it struggles, the tighter it becomes.
The relationship between it and this body is no longer one of taking over and being taken away, but a complete... integration.
Uchiha Xuan's voice of consciousness sounded again, cold and cruel, as if stating a truth:
"You can seize the lives of thousands or tens of thousands of people, but they will only fear you and resist you. Only I can give you a 'sense of belonging', making you mistakenly think that you have found a real 'home'."
"Now, you can't live without me, just like a child can't live without his mother--"
He paused, and the corners of his invisible conscious mouth curved into a cruel arc.
"It's a pity, I'm the father."
As his last syllable fell, the silver-black Gene Lock chains all over his body suddenly closed!
Kaguya's last and most gigantic remnants were completely crushed, decomposed, and absorbed without even being able to utter a cry, and turned into the purest source energy, all of which were integrated into the embryo deep in the sea of consciousness Uchiha Xuan.
Since then, there has been no Kaguya Otsutsuki in the world.
Seven days later.
The door to the core secret room slowly opened.
Uchiha Xuan walked out slowly with his upper body naked.
His aura did not become so earth-shattering, but rather restrained to the extreme, like a mortal who had never practiced cultivation.
But his eyes were enough to make gods and demons tremble.
In his left eye, the extremely complicated gear-like pattern has completely stabilized, like a mechanical seal that will never wear out, observing the laws of all things indifferently.
In his right eye, the original triple Tomoe had disappeared, replaced by circles of lavender ripples. In the center of the ripples, half of the pitch-black Tomoe reincarnation pattern suddenly appeared!
He raised his head, his eyes seemed to penetrate the alloy dome of the fortress, looking at the boundless blue sea, and his voice was calm as if he was telling a trivial matter.
"In the future, no one will say that I am a fire thief again,"
"Just tell him--"
"The fire was made by me."
At this moment, far away on the ancient stone tablet Naka River Shrine, the bright red palm print seemed to have exhausted the last trace of its divinity. It dried up and faded in an instant, turning into a gray mark that was the same as the stone tablet itself.
Then, underneath the palm print, a brand new line of words, as if written by fate himself, slowly emerged.
If the sacrifice is cut off, the fire will cease.