Qingmu walked up to Horemheb and returned half of the Soul of Fire to him.
Horemheb did not reach out to take it; a faint smile appeared on his twisted, ugly face.
"I was resurrected Itjenetjer, and I will die with him. He was right, our spirits will ultimately return to Gaia. Every era has its heroes; please give this half of the Soul of Fire to the one who deserves it."
Qingmu nodded and said, "I know who to give it to."
"Thank you," Horemheb said, lying on the ground, gazing up at the nine Sun in the sky, like a condemned prisoner awaiting final execution.
"We still have a chance to win," Qingmu said.
"Yes, we have a chance to win, but the hope is slim," Horemheb said. "In ancient prophecies, Gaia's arrival cannot be prevented. All our efforts are merely delaying the inevitable. From my time until now, it has only been a few thousand years longer."
"Since we've already delayed this for thousands of years, we can delay it any longer," Qingmu said.
"Difficult, so very difficult. Look at the Sun in the sky, do you know what they are? They are Gaia's eyes."
Qingmu looked up at the sky. He knew that no planet in the universe was surrounded by nine stars, so at least half of the Sun in the sky was fake. It was a vast dreamscape that combined illusion and reality. Only a god could create such a dream, not humankind.
"Every time Holy Land is activated, Gaia will open her eyes. Until the tenth sun rises in the sky, she will pass through Ramla and descend to earth."
"If we close all the altars now, can we stop Gaia from descending?"
"It is far more difficult to seal a Holy Land than to open it. It took the true god Itza and his five sons, along with countless ancestors, and several generations of effort, to seal the passage to Ramla."
It's important to know that the Earth Mental Power Field still existed at that time, and everyone possessed powerful Mental Power.
And don't forget this: once the Holy Land is closed again, you can't come back, just like those who once protected Ramla, forever trapped there for generations to come.
Qingmu knew that Horemheb was right. He, Situ, and everyone who had broken into Ramla had made a mistake, a mistake that could very well cause a life form that had finally developed in the universe to disappear. And the biggest problem was that this mistake was irreparable.
Horemheb seemed to see through his thoughts and said, "You don't need to blame yourself. This outcome was already foretold in the prophecy. If you hadn't done it, someone else would have. You were simply fulfilling the prophecy of being the chosen ones of your time."
Qingmu said, "No matter what, I can't let the world be destroyed in my hands."
Huang Liang was still immersed in deep grief. Holding Hong Kui's body, he said, "The White Wolf is dead. No one can awaken the sleeping Iceberg. As long as the Holy Land of Ice remains unactivated, Gaia will not descend."
Horemheb said, "Indeed, this is our greatest hope now. As long as the Holy Land of Ice doesn't open, we can still buy time. But don't think you can keep dragging this out indefinitely. Don't underestimate Gaia. Even when all the Holy Land were closed, Gaia's Mental Power continued to infiltrate Earth. Otherwise, there wouldn't be Parasites on Earth, and there would be no need for the Awakeners' Alliance."
Besides, how can you be so sure that besides the boy you're holding in your arms, there are no other descendants of the Chayak Family in this world?
The white wolf is the guardian beast of the Holy Land and also a spiritual symbol.
A white lion amidst fire and quicksand, a white serpent in wind and raging waves, termites feeding on silver beneath boulders, white crows bathing in a hot spring, a white wolf watching over the icy plains...
They were all totems of our ancestors, and the first life forms to break free from Gaia's spiritual control and become independent. They have protected the descendants of Itza for generations.
Before Horemheb could finish speaking, the Crow cawed Guagua:
"What? What? A white crow taking a bath? Shouldn't it be a black crow cawing? Where did this white crow come from? Are you sure you're not mistaken? And what's a spoon? Why would you take a bath in a spoon?"
"Hmm, I also find it strange, why are you black?" Horemheb looked up at the top of Qingmu's head.
"Maybe... I'm special! For example... out of the five, I'm the most important?" The Crow didn't quite believe it when it said this.
Qingmu said, "If there's anything special, it should be the White Wolf, because among all the Holy Land, the Holy Land of Ice is the most unique. The Five Great Sacred Lands, when connected, form a pyramid, and he's at the top of that pyramid, and also at the Earth's North Magnetic Pole."
"If it's so powerful, why isn't it a black wolf?" the Crow cried indignantly.
"Maybe you got your tan from the sun," Qingmu said.
" Guagua..." The Crow found itself unable to refute.
Qingmu looked at Horemheb: "You just said that even if the Holy Land doesn't restart, Gaia's spirit continues to infiltrate Earth. So, does that mean that no matter what we do, Gaia will definitely descend?"
"Yes," Horemheb said.
Qingmu was silent for a moment, then shook his head and said, "Since the immortals have made such great sacrifices and efforts, they must have seen hope for victory, right? Aren't we living because of hope?"
He clenched his fist and brandished the stick in his hand. "I believe there will be a way."
Horemheb smiled with satisfaction, "I'm glad that this era has people like you. Yes, hope is the greatest driving force for the continuation of life. It's more important than spirit, more important than wisdom, more important than strength."
In ancient prophecies, Gaia's arrival was unstoppable, but the prophecy also stated that humanity would ultimately defeat Gaia.
How to win?
"In the prophecy, humanity will have two direct confrontations with Gaia, each time at the cost of near extinction. The first was the Itza People's rebellion. Today, you can hardly see any trace of that civilization, but humanity has indeed survived, while Gaia is blocked in the distant stars."
The second time, we all thought it would happen in our time, but it didn't. Now I hope it will happen in your time. I wish you—the heroes of this era—good luck! Good luck to humanity!
Qingmu nodded and bent down to help Horemheb: "Let's leave here now."
Horemheb stopped him. "I can't live. I shouldn't live in this era. Let me lie on this pure ice, let me watch the Sun in the sky, either extinguished or devouring me!"
Qingmu turned to Huang Liang and said, "I'm going to the Holy Land to make amends for my past mistakes as much as possible. You should go back."
Huang Liang, however, carried Hong Kui's body on his back and resolutely said, "His lifelong wish was to find the Holy Land of his family. I will carry him on this journey and bury him in the ice of the Holy Land."