A Warning

Why do you think she didn't take any precautions?

"Well?"

Upon hearing this, Ji Dong was immediately stunned. What did he mean by assuming she hadn't taken any precautions? The Forest Demon clan had almost been wiped out; how could she have taken any precautions?!

However, before Ji Dong could say these words, Xu Xingyu continued speaking to herself, "Ji Dong, you must understand that even things left behind by gods in the mortal realm will lose their energy over time."

"You have a good relationship with the Forest Demon clan. When you interacted with them, did they mention that they had suffered any disasters before? You know, they possess such miraculous healing medicine as the Source of Life. How could they only be troubled now?"

"This..." As soon as Xu Xingyu spoke, Ji Dong began to think carefully. It turned out that Elder Forest Demon had indeed said that before being deceived by the Golden Eagle Merchant Association, they had never suffered such a terrifying attack.

The Forest Demon don't need to hunt for a living; they simply rely on fruits and vegetables, natural creations, to sustain themselves. As a result, they are rarely bothered by monsters or the like.

It's strange that it hadn't been attacked by humans before, considering that news about the Source of Life was released before the establishment of Sacred and Evil Island, that is, several thousand years ago.

The forest they were in wasn't exactly a must-pass route, but many mages would come here to hunt magical beasts and obtain crystal cores.

Are these Forest Demon just so lucky that they've stayed in this forest without anyone else discovering their technique for brewing the Source of Life?

"Could it be?" Ji Dong had begun to see part of the truth.

Seeing this, Xu Xingyu nodded, "Just as you thought, before the Goddess of Nature ascended to the Divine Realm, she left behind a portion of her Divine Sense to protect the Forest Demon race. It is precisely because of that portion of her Divine Sense that they have not been disturbed by humans for thousands of years."

"But the energy of Divine Sense is not omnipotent. Without a deity to replenish it, it will eventually dissipate. If it is not used frequently, I estimate it will be fine for tens of thousands of years, but if it is used frequently, it will be completely depleted in a few hundred years."

"However, the contingency plan left by the Goddess of Nature has been able to protect the Forest Demon Clan for thousands of years under normal circumstances, which can be seen as the Goddess of Nature valuing her followers."

"I see." Ji Dong scratched his head and said, "So the reason why the Goddess of Nature's backup plan wasn't activated during this attack is because the resources she had been using to protect the Forest Demon Clan for so many years had been exhausted. In addition, the law that gods cannot descend to the mortal realm meant that the Goddess of Nature could only watch helplessly from the Divine Realm in the face of this situation."

"Sigh, aren't the rules of the Divine Realm a bit too strict? Can't we make a slight exception and allow the Goddess of Nature to replenish the Divine Sense's energy every now and then?"

Xu Xingyu shook her head and said, "On the contrary, the disaster that the Forest Demon suffered this time is one of the reasons why the Divine Realm laid out such a law."

"What does this mean?" Ji Dong looked at Xu Xingyu in confusion. "Wasn't it said that this law was created mainly because gods who are too powerful would damage the plane? Is there some other reason?"

"Yes," Xu Xingyu said calmly, "That is, the hope that the lower realms will not rely too much on the gods."

"If a race relies too much on the protection of a god, that race will either develop at a rate far exceeding the normal speed, affecting the entire realm, or it will become too lazy and lose its ambition."

"The fate of the Forest Demon race is the biggest example. The Forest Demon of Goddess of Nature granted them protection in order to buy them time to grow stronger. However, under the Goddess of Nature's protection, the Forest Demon enjoyed an overly peaceful life, only thinking about their own little lives. Very few people in the entire race had the determination to become stronger."

"So when the protection provided by the Goddess of Nature runs out, once they are exposed to those who covet their Source of Life, they are left only to be hunted. If, during the period of protection, they have taken the opportunity to become strong enough, then there would have been no war like before."

"Whether it's this plane or another, only the strong have the final say. If you don't want to be bullied or even stand on equal footing with others, then you have no choice but to become so strong that no one can ignore you."

"..."

Ji Dong fell into complete silence. Recalling the time when he learned in the Earth Core World that the goddess he secretly loved was a true god, he felt that he was not worthy of Lie Yan. So after that, he worked hard to cultivate, hoping that one day he could catch up with the person he loved.

During this war against the Extermination Legion, he had the privilege of meeting Xu Xingyu, a god successor whom Lie Yan hailed as being able to fight him to a draw. He also realized that once he became a god, he would be able to do anything.

After listening to Xu Xingyu's explanation, he also realized that the limitations of a god are quite great, somewhat like a famous movie quote he had heard on Blue Star: "With great power comes great responsibility."

While this statement may seem like moral blackmail from a certain perspective, it also has its own logic. God has many things to consider and is by no means a being that can do whatever it wants.

Conversely, if a god could act arbitrarily and interfere with a plane whenever he wanted, it would not only hinder the growth of beings in that plane but also bring disaster to that plane.

However, to be honest, this doesn't have much to do with Ji Dong right now. He only wants to know one thing. "If I become a god, will I have the ability to protect the Lie Yan?"

Xu Xingyu silently replied, "If you want to help the Flame Empress, the only path you can take is to become a god, and even then, it's not guaranteed. Whether you succeed or not depends entirely on yourself."

"That's enough." Ji Dong felt relieved after receiving the reply, and his desire to become a god was strengthened once again.

When Ji Dong learned that Lie Yan was a true God Level powerhouse, she did not feel any distance from Lie Yan. On the contrary, she longed for him even more and wanted to stand with him and become his lover.

To achieve this goal, he must become a god, and so he embarks on the path to godhood! Even if becoming a god brings heavy responsibilities, he will have no regrets as long as he can be with Lie Yan!!!

Just then, Xu Xingyu suddenly spoke up, "After saying so much, I've forgotten everything. I have some things I'd like to ask you to do, since I'll be leaving this plane in a few days. Don't worry, I won't let you help me for nothing."

"Oh, no problem... Wait, what do you mean you want to leave this plane?"

It means exactly what it says.