Chapter 572: Father! Quick!!

Death-fearing.

Upon hearing the toad mention the Death-fearing, Shengjilesi immediately thought of Asasutiye, whose appearance and personality were contrary (vile), and is one of the gods of the physical universe, Asasutiye.

Leon, who belongs to their OriginalBody's uncle generation, led the team to explore tombs precisely because of the Tai Luo Insect Race's invasion, which forced his father to focus on investigating Universe 03, and also led him, Rog, and Sui Meng to form the expeditionary army.

And that toad continued to elaborate.

When encountering the Death-fearing, the Ancient Saints found that this race, despite having an extremely short lifespan, possessed perseverance and determination no less than theirs, and even developed physical technology to a level second only to theirs.

Just from this, the Ancient Saints slightly retracted their view that they were the earliest and strongest race in the universe.

But it was only a slight retraction.

After all, the physical technology of the physical universe is merely a tool the Ancient Saints use to assist, and to transform and create life and planets; whereas their understanding and mastery of the Sea of Souls through Spiritual Energy is an existence that absolutely surpasses any civilization or race in Universe 03.

Seeing that the Death-fearing had established their own 'mature' survival rules, the Ancient Saints refrained from arbitrary interference, choosing the principle of avoiding excessive contact, and staying as far away from the Death-fearing's sphere of influence as possible.

Because in the eyes of the Ancient Saints, if a race or civilization can rely on itself to break free from its homeworld's constraints and even carry out colonization activities, then it is already considered independent and mature, at most merely giving the Death-fearing some minor advice.

As for the extremely short lifespan and the series of problems such as cancer caused by the home star system, these are all part of natural evolution.

Even if this civilization, due to radiation, cancer, etc., heads toward its end of extinction, the Ancient Saints would not intervene to stop it.

The reasoning is simple, because it too is part of natural evolution.

From this perspective, the Administrators and the Ancient Saints are practically identical.

The Administrators belong to covert observation, concealing their own existence, and never revealing any of their information to those inferior races and civilizations, for fear of disturbing the normal course of natural development.

Even when participating, the Administrators will create a bodily shell, disguise and integrate into a certain race and civilization, to gradually guide.

The Ancient Saints, however, do not hide their existence; put nicely, it is an open visit and descent; put bluntly, they simply did not care what the Death-fearing thought, directly appearing before this race that would do anything for survival and longevity.

This sudden change made the Death-fearing yearn for and envy the Ancient Saints' robust physique and near-infinite lifespan...

and jealousy.

The Death-fearing desperately hoped to obtain immortality.

Faced with such a demand, the Ancient Saints naturally refused coldly; to them, being able to give the Death-fearing some advice was already not bad.

Who would have thought that the other side would still push forward and actually declare war on them?

Imagine a three-year-old child telling an adult who still enjoys exercise, combat, and fitness, 'I'm going to take your clothes and wear them,' you would only laugh it off and forget it.

Thus the Death-fearing's undisguised jealousy and childlike declaration of war prompted the Ancient Saints to give a slight lesson, which nearly caused the Death-fearing to be exterminated.

And after the Ancient Saints entered the netherways and continued to roam between the Milky Way and the universe, the Death-fearing lost their trace...

They couldn't be found at all.

Therefore, the Ancient Saints' arrogance is not without reason.

However, the Death-fearing did not give up; instead, they dispatched individuals who disregarded their own lives, letting their descendants join the continual search and exploration of the universe as 'explorers', treating their starships as a second homeland to pursue any domains possibly bearing traces of the Ancient Saints.

At the same time.

The constantly roaming Ancient Saints also discovered that many unconventionally born beings exist in the physical universe.

For example, some of the earliest formed planets, which existed during the chaotic era (when the universe's average temperature was ten thousand degrees), after cooling, and in the mid-to-late stage of the star system where the planet resides, will, due to the planet's own strong will, give birth to an 'indescribable' like Asasutiye.

Originally, the Ancient Saints merely wanted to observe and study these beings unaware of the Sea of Souls, and considered themselves the only true god among the indescribable.

However, when observing, they encountered one of these indescribable beings, which harbored strong hostility and possessed relatively strong combat power in the physical universe, leading the Ancient Saints to decide not to allow these indescribable beings to develop freely.

Because they judged that if they truly gave the opposing side ample development time, the Ancient Saints' absolute dominion might be threatened.

Of course, the most crucial point is that the Ancient Saints believed the indescribable would affect the order and balance of the physical universe.

Therefore, after nearly a hundred thousand years of investigation and verification, confirming the indescribable as hostile forces, the Ancient Saints launched a universe-wide comprehensive purge.

As for Asasutiye, it encountered and briefly battled a group of Death-fearing explorers before the Ancient Saints launched their full-scale purge, drawing the attention of one of the Ancient Saints, who then sealed Asasutiye.

This is why, after awakening, Asasutiye cannot sense any of its kin, because all indescribable beings have been exterminated by the Ancient Saints and other reasons.

However, there also exists a certain will that has existed since the Big Bang, accompanying the birth of the universe, which even the Ancient Saints failed to notice.

Those indescribable beings are divided into planetary-level and stellar-level; for example, Asasutiye is planetary-level, while those that completely overwhelmed Asasutiye are stellar-level.

As for the will that the Ancient Saints never noticed, it is linked to the physical order and rules of the physical universe, and satisfies an inexplicable yet extremely empty hunger and desire by devouring various stars.

Because these wills initially lack self-awareness and intelligence, resembling clumps of energy nebulae surrounding stars, and thus were not noticed by the Ancient Saints at first.

Of course, many Ancient Saints actually came into contact with them and even suffered from the nebulae's consumption, but the result was always that the Ancient Saints suppressed and dissipated them with Spiritual Energy.

On the contrary, the Death-fearing explorers who searched for and traced the Ancient Saints' traces were the first to detect a clump of will devouring stars.

After observing and analyzing it for a period of time, the explorers confirmed that the clump of will was a life form transcending bodily constraints, and after sending this news back to the Death-fearing's homeworld, the entire race was exhilarated.

Since the Ancient Saints refused to provide help, the Death-fearing instead forged a path, creating an activated metal called 'Death-fearing Exoskeleton' to lure that will into gaining a substantive body, and then prepared to negotiate with it to learn more knowledge or information about immortality.

But…

Not only did the Death-fearing fail to obtain immortality, but they were enslaved by those wills.

Because these wills, upon gaining a body and accepting the Death-fearing's worship and reverence, even in the process of ruling the Death-fearing, quickly became a powerful species with self-awareness and emotions, but devoid of moral concepts——

Star Gods.

A race that truly deserves the title of 'god' in the physical universe.

After all, without relying on Spiritual Energy, Star Gods can interfere with everything in the physical universe by relying solely on all physical rules.

The simplest example, which Star Gods could easily accomplish but consider beneath them to use, feeling very lowly, is to create black holes as weapons.

The Ancient Saints, through researching the Sea of Souls, have each individual ascend in dimension, becoming akin to energy entities.

Star Gods originally were energy entities, but under the Death-fearing's interference they acquired a 'flesh' body, and because they embody the will of physical laws, they are destined never to touch the Sea of Souls.

Thus, war between the Ancient Saints and the Star Gods was inevitable.

In the early stages of the war, the Ancient Saints did not regard the Star Gods as competitors, but as the Death-fearing, enslaved and deceived into becoming mechanical skeletons by the Star Gods, joined the battlefield and assisted the Star Gods with top-tier physical-universe technology, causing the Ancient Saints to fall into a disadvantage.

In the later stages of the war, the Ancient Saints used the created and modified species as cannon fodder, assisting them, this Creator, against the Star Gods and mechanical carcasses in combat.

Indeed, it is precisely because these races brought extreme hatred, jealousy, and vengeful feelings that the Sea of Souls quickly became turbid, gradually giving rise to the first extra-dimensional demons, and launching an offensive against the Ancient Saints, who posed the greatest threat to them.

Thus far.

The ancient saints, attacked from front and back, were utterly defeated; countless individuals were permanently erased, only a tiny fraction managed to rebuild their bodies, temporarily shield their spiritual energy, and escape beyond the galaxy.

Upon hearing this,

"Since you are an ancient saint, then having evolved to your present form and still possessing extremely strong anti-spiritual-energy properties..." Shengjilesi glanced around, then continued in a low voice:

"If I'm not mistaken, you, or you all, relying on biotechnology and your understanding of spiritual energy, otherworldly realms, and the sea of souls, sacrificed yourselves to create the Tai Luo Insect Race, preparing to take revenge on all life, and even on all evil gods and demons..."

"Is that so or not?"

"Hehe, you're right." The toad let out a self-mocking laugh, "We want revenge, we want revenge on everything..."

Just as Shengjilesi had guessed, the toads, while escaping the galaxy, also brought along the red dwarf of their home star system, arriving together at this irregular galaxy, Expedition-072.

At this point, the remnants of the ancient saints were defeated by the Star God and the mechanical skeletons (Space Death Spirits), giving rise to endless hatred and resentment.

Originally, their most relied-upon spiritual energy, however, due to corrosion of the sea of souls, large areas fell into otherworldly realms, ironically becoming their most deadly weapon.

In that case, these remnants of the ancient saints employed their clan's understanding of souls, spiritual energy, and the sea of souls, combined with top-tier biotechnology, as well as the insect-type biological specimens they had gathered during their roaming, mixing everything together...

Finally, the continuation of the ancient saints was born, the Tai Luo Insect Race.

As for the so-called hive will, it is the condensation of the ancient saints' most cutting-edge anti-spiritual-energy technology, thereby producing an anti-spiritual-energy stance.

However, to use the hive will to destroy otherworldly realms, one must devour an unimaginable quantity of souls, especially those possessing "life".

And things like planets and rocks are not on their menu, unless the planet gives birth to self-awareness, for example, an existence like Asasatiye.

Therefore, the kin of Asasatiye that had managed to dodge the ancient saints' sweep could not escape the predation of the Tai Luo Insect Race.

And the Tai Luo Insect Race had originally planned, after devouring the entire 03 universe outside the galaxy, to prepare to venture forth—no, to prepare to return to the galaxy.

Then they would slowly crush the intelligent life within the galaxy, especially the Star God and the Space Death Spirits, subjecting them to endless torment, and finally launch a counterattack against otherworldly realms to sweep away everything.

However, after devouring 10% of the 03 universe, they sensed a cross-phase pulse wave erupting within the galaxy, and being attracted to this alternative destructive weapon, they chose to return to the galaxy ahead of schedule.

After that, they arrived at Tai Luo Ke Er, where they faced stubborn resistance from Tan Ya and Celesstin, prompting the main universe to form an expeditionary force, up to this very moment when Shengjilesi meets the toad.

"..."

After hearing the origin and course of the Tai Luo Insect Race, Shengjilesi fell into a silence.

Setting aside the point of devouring the whole universe, the Tai Luo Insect Race's desire to clear and reshape otherworldly realms coincides with the plan of humanity of the main universe, or rather, with the plan of his father, the Human Emperor.

Looking at this alone, humanity can indeed try to cooperate, first solving the otherworldly realm issue once and for all, then discuss other matters.

However...

"You haven't yet made clear the terms of the deal." Shengjilesi said: "We humans don't need to cooperate to handle those evil god trash; we just need some time, and we fear no alien...

Including you.

Let me remind you: I, my two brothers, and the expeditionary force continuously clashing with you outside are merely the tip of the iceberg of the Human Empire.

If we wage a protracted war, letting the Human Empire's construction truly run at high speed… I can only say, you will die miserably.

Then, I am curious: what qualifications do you have to negotiate with us?"

Upon hearing that.

"The hive will." The toad, pieced together and harmonized from the surviving ancient saints, spoke frankly: "I…we have never denied your humans' ability, but only the hive will can truly annihilate otherworldly realms; unless we give it to you, you humans will never be able to comprehend it.

The content of cooperation is simple: a ceasefire, allowing us to return to the galaxy, and merge into us..."

"Whoosh——!"

But before he finished speaking, Shengjilesi suddenly sprang forward, nocking and shooting an arrow at extreme speed, producing a gleam of even more piercing dark-gold light, yet an arrow devoid of any spiritual-energy aura, which flew straight at the toad still chatting away.

The speed was such that even the alert toad and the leader-level warrior insect could not react in time.

"Pfft!!"

Only saw Shengjilesi, by sacrificing ninety-nine percent of his spiritual energy (temporarily), condense it into a solid arrow, successfully piercing the opponent's biological barrier.

"Boom!!"

And the instant the arrow struck the toad, it erupted from within outward in a violent explosion.

And at this moment, Shengjilesi was...

"Father! Hurry!!"

Everyone, please take good care of yourselves; our company has already started having people come down with fevers.

Moreover, after a friend's brother recovered and went out again, he got infected; we must definitely wear masks and have alcohol ready.

(End of chapter)