Chapter 489: with translation of chapter title

""History is a mirror; it reflects the universe's truest face. We can also use this opportunity to gain a deeper understanding of Pinokangni and the history of the Star Gods.""

""And the outline of the future—naturally reveals itself within.""

——

Demon Slayer

""It's the Hunt…! The Hunt has come to kill…!""

""Could it be… that our prayer for abundance's blessing has been discovered by them?" Guǐwǔzhì Wúcǎn clenched his chest tightly, his knuckles digging deep into his muscles, blood dripping from his wrist onto the ground.

""No, he's wearing the Demon Slayer Corps uniform, ha…haha…… not the Xianzhou, not the Xianzhou……""

Since that man died hundreds of years ago, he has again felt a tremor from deep in his marrow—this was not the pressure brought by the myriad Star Gods in the heavens, but fear from reality. Only when he concluded that the boy was not an immortal species of the Xianzhou did Wúcǎn finally tremble and exhale a breath.

Tong Mo was killed by a woman named Jingliu—her swordsmanship killed him, without even a chance to resist. Guǐwǔzhì Wúcǎn naturally knows the caliber of Tong Mo as Upper Rank Two, and to instant‑kill him…… likely even Upper Rank One Heisimo couldn't do that.

""Ice Breathing……""

His voice shattered in the empty room, the old scar left by that monster‑like man seemingly flaring with a faint burning pain again, as if countless needles were prickling along his blood vessels.

The death of an Upper Rank was like a mirror, revealing the scene he most did not wish to recall in his life.

He had to hide.

Hide until the boy who wields Ice Breathing dies, wait for his natural end, and then this world will once again be under Wúcǎn's control.

He wasn't worried that Ice Breathing would be passed down; the man's Sun Breathing originally was a divine technique, but how many could fully master it? Instead, it was altered into a breathing style far weaker than Sun Breathing.

Genius…… forever only a tiny minority.

""My lord.""

As Wúcǎn lowered his head to think of a countermeasure, a swordsman in the darkness stepped out from the shadows, his six eyes flickering in the dark. His fingernails unconsciously scraped the scabbard, producing a grating sound: ""Heisimo… I will ease my lord's worries.""

""You…… can you kill him?""

""I am different from Tong Mo."" Heisimo's voice sounded like a stone grinding a katana: ""I wield Moon Breathing; in mastery of breathing techniques, I am stronger than that boy.""

""Hmm……""

If Heisimo died, he would merely hide for a few more decades or centuries; time meant nothing to him. But if Heisimo succeeded, it would merely show that Ice Breathing was nothing special.

""Heisimo, go give it a try.""

——

""We might as well start from the very beginning of heaven and earth——""

""Since the Twilight War, the heavens have been empty and the earth chaotic. To teach all things to become knowable, Order Taiyi was born.""

""This is…… the first day.""

""He took nebulae to make a plectrum, crafting a great harp with black and white keys. Striking the white keys makes the sun rise; striking the black keys makes the moon rise. Day and night are formed just like that. This is the second day.""

""Star listened to Xingqiri's exposition of the history of Order while pulling back the curtain and moving forward in the direction the dolls were arranged; outside a picture frame, a row of dolls knelt on the ground, showing an extremely devout and humble demeanor.""

""But this scene looked especially creepy to San Yue Qi.""

After entering the picture frame, the prelude drama·first act《Prisoners' Hymn》also began.

The three arrived at a strange space where various picture frames and blocks floated, extending like a spiral into the depths.

San Yue Qi worried: ""Where have we ended up?""

""The atmosphere of this place… is very like Xingqiri's inner world. Perhaps this so‑called prelude drama is also a similar ability. Combining the surrounding atmosphere… it is likely that what will be performed next is Pinokangni's past.""

The three continued forward, and in this vast empty world Xingqiri's voice sounded again: ""You are guests who have come from afar; I ultimately do not wish to meet with swords and spears. Therefore, before anything becomes irreparable, I have arranged three plays.""

——

The Valkyries of the End

""Actually, it has quite a mythic style; it should be a myth compiled by the earliest believers of Order.""

Shiva listened with interest to this passage about Xingqiri in the heavenly canopy; the rich, scriptural wording made him involuntarily recall the past, and the words his devotees chanted while worshiping him devoutly were nothing else but phrases like these.

""There's something I'm concerned about; Xingqiri just mentioned…… the 'Twilight War,' what is that?""

Based on the current heavenly canopy's appearance, Zeus could also roughly infer their present status. Rather than calling them 'gods,' it is more accurate to say they are powerful beings who have not embarked on their destined paths.

Such beings are revered as 'gods' by humanity on Earth, but when viewed against the vaster cosmos they are utterly inadequate; before true 'gods,' they are merely a more lively, more combative bunch of people.

""Based on the current heavenly canopy's appearance, Zeus could also roughly infer their present status. Rather than calling them 'gods,' it is more accurate to say they are powerful beings who have not embarked on their destined paths."" Hades added expressionlessly, "If I recall correctly…… the ancient beast and humanity and the Star Gods clashed, after which the only ancient beast that remained was Gluttony, until during the locust plague he devoured hundreds of millions of star systems and insect swarms, then vanished completely."

""I guess that was a war between the Star Gods and the ancient beast, which caused enormous chaos to the civilization of the whole universe. And where there is chaos…… there is Order."" Hades stroked his chin in thought: ""In that light, Order could also be considered one of the oldest Star Gods.""

——

""The story begins at the frontier prison; in Amber Era 2147, prisoner Ha Nu Nu sparked a tremendous blaze of war and achieved victory. The company called it the Frontier War, while the Asdenans called it the Independence War.""

""Mr. Ha Nu Nu is a great man. But we should not conceal the fact that while he could bring freedom to the prisoners, he did not know how to give them true freedom.""

""The three nameless visitors stayed here, attempting to convey the benefits of pioneering to the frontier prison, but alas, it was to no avail.""

""Afterward, Asden was again engulfed in war, this time the enemy came from within. The prisoners remained prisoners to the death, knowing only to fight for freedom, not knowing how to live for freedom.""

The three came to a platform, only to see three model dolls clutching their heads, their expressions seeming extremely anguished; before them stood a monster wielding an iron rod, blocking their way.

""Look, their sentences have long ended, and the company's wardens have been driven out. Yet these prisoners remain slaves, for what imprisons them is not an external thing but their inner selves. Freedom exists anywhere, but not in a weak spirit. He cannot help anyone; he can only help those who believe in its existence."""