Chapter 2: Return (3)
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In just under a month, a whopping three million NPCs and players in Sky Sword City turned to dust, leaving only around a hundred surviving players, including Xiao Ai. The gruesome slaughter was so horrific that no one could wrap their heads around it.
But, oddly enough, Good Shiyuan had decided to experiment with new recruits taken from the Small World, using humans as his breeding material. His goal? To cultivate a new race capable of challenging the Divine Clan. In his eyes, humans were nothing more than expendable ants.
Lin Nan could hardly believe it—Good Shiyuan, a guy labeled as “good,” was responsible for such chilling deeds. She thought maybe his intentions weren’t entirely wrong, but his methods? Absolutely bonkers.
“Hey, sis, I apologize for laying a finger on you just now. But when it comes to breeding Fallen Species, even if you killed me a hundred times, I wouldn’t think I was wrong,” she declared boldly.
Despite being bloodied and beaten by Shiyuan and Evil Shiyuan, Good Shiyuan wiped the bl**d from his nose with a fierce determination in his eyes, fixed firmly on Lin Nan.
“The Divine Clan controls the vast world, and while there might not be a thousand, there are at least eight hundred worlds under their rule. However, only this very land beneath us rivals the Divine Clan’s continent in scale.”
Noticing that Lin Nan didn’t stop him, Good Shiyuan became more resolute.
“They reap the stronger ones repeatedly to eliminate potential threats and to strengthen their own power. Once the Fallen Species replace humans, they’ll be even more ruthless. As long as they can hold their ground against the Divine Clan, the remaining humans can survive under their protection, avoiding extinction while the Fallen Species secure a stable source. It’s a win-win situation, right?”
Lin Nan sighed, “Your biggest mistake is that you’ve taken it upon yourself to make decisions for others. People won’t thank you; they’ll see you as a terrifying butcher and rise up against you.”
“Look, I don’t need humans to understand my genius,” Good Shiyuan proclaimed. “I just need to do my thing! Besides, the chaos among the factions will only produce more powerful beings, ultimately benefiting the resistance against the Divine Clan. Who knows, maybe thousands of years from now, the surviving beings will thank me for the choices I make today.”
Lin Nan shook her head, “Let me ask you something—have you ever really fought against the Divine Clan?”
Good Shiyuan froze, recalling the fear he felt when dominated by Di Shitian’s phantom; the kind of pressure that snuffs out any rebellious spirit. It crushed his will, making his past efforts feel like a mirage in a desert.
Yeah, if Di Shitian truly showed up, what could we do with the current state of Asking Dao Continent? Even if we stood atop the continent’s peak, could we confidently claim we could defeat Di Shitian?
Moreover, the Divine Clan has “twenty celestial protectors.” If they wanted to crush Asking Dao Continent, it’d probably take them no effort at all.
“So, have you heard the saying? If you can’t beat them, join them!” Lin Nan’s voice was soft, but to the three Shiyuans, it crashed down like thunder.
Especially Good Shiyuan, whose eyes popped open wide as if he’d heard the most ludicrous news ever.
“What… what… what’s the difference from surrendering?”
Lin Nan wagged her finger, “No, no, it’s different. The art of war says that knowing yourself and knowing your enemy means you can fight without peril. But right now? We know nothing about the Divine Clan; we’re just playing guesswork.
So why not join the Divine Clan first and test their limits?”
The three Shiyuans were left speechless.
In unison, they exclaimed, “But we don’t know how to join!”
Once upon a time, the Monster King and Frost North Snow were just consciousnesses born over years in some odd space, and from the moment they ‘arrived,’ they became pawns for the Divine Clan, scrambling to please the higher-ups and prevent themselves from becoming the next victims.
Lin Nan continued, “Not knowing how right now is fine, but at least we have a tentative idea now. Especially you, Good Shiyuan. From now on, put all your plans on hold. We need to search the Small Thousand World for any messages left by the Divine Clan. We might just find a way to join them.”
“Got it.”
Good Shiyuan felt inspired by Lin Nan’s words. Plus, he had actually stumbled upon some bits and pieces in the memory of the Small Thousand World that were relevant to this issue. To fill in the gaps, he just needed more time for investigation.
“During this period, make sure to stay out of Heavenly Sword Sect’s business. Just pretend you’ve lent them the Small Thousand World, okay?”
Good Shiyuan nodded, “Alright, sis.”
No sooner had the words left their mouths than the entire Small Thousand World suddenly began to shake violently.
The Heavenly Sword Sect disciples on the main peak stumbled about, struggling to keep their balance, and even Lin Nan and the others floating in the air could clearly feel the gusts of chaotic winds hitting them.
Something was off!
Good Shiyuan suddenly went pale, “Uh-oh!”
“What’s wrong?”
“The passage between the Small Thousand World and the Small World has undergone a simultaneous upheaval! Those terrifying creatures from the Small World can now bypass the Small Thousand World and head straight for the Asking Dao Continent!”
Grinding his teeth, Good Shiyuan said, “The consciousness I shattered didn’t want to be controlled by me. It was secretly building up power all this time and probably waited for our fight to unleash its strength, completely messing up the existing structure of the Small World.”
Evil Shiyuan swung his weapon, “Sis, don’t listen to his nonsense. He might be the one behind this!”
Good Shiyuan blocked the attack, shouting, “Heaven and Earth bear witness, sis, I’m not lying! If these guys get out, people out there are in for a world of pain—survivors would be as rare as hen’s teeth!”
Lin Nan sighed, “Is this fate?”
Good Shiyuan, “…”
He had initially planned to gradually bring creatures from the Small World onto the continent if the Fallen Species experiment worked, sorting them through survival of the fittest to find the strongest species to take on the Divine Clan.
But the sudden upheaval caused by the remnants of the consciousness took him completely off guard.
It felt like all the big carnivores in a zoo had decided to break free from their cages at once.
Even without Frost North Snow’s interference, his original plan was now nearly in shambles.
After a while, the Small Thousand World gradually settled into calm.
The people on the main peak exchanged fearful glances, clueless about what had just transpired.
But one thing was for sure: at this moment, the Small Thousand World had become the safest place in the entire Asking Dao Continent.
