Chapter 253: Li Cheng Understood the World's Truth

"The course of history, within a single thought of mine... tsk tsk, this Lao Deng's lines, how are they so chuunibyou?"

Li Cheng couldn't help but retort.

"Who are you calling chuunibyou? No wait, who are you calling Lao Deng?"

An aged voice resounded, and only then did Li Cheng discover that, in just a moment of Hun Dun, he had appeared in that World Tree Space filled with golden light.

And the Root's Avatar elder was blowing his Beard, staring wide-eyed, looking at him with dissatisfaction.

Li Cheng: "..."

Lilith: "!!!"

The Bu Du cat completely Did Not Expect that she would suddenly enter this space, and panicked at once.

She wanted to find a place to Hide again, but it was already too late.

And the Avatar elder, just as she Feared, noticed her.

"Hm? You are... your body has Divinity, and you are a Demigod? No, your Divinity is very dense, much stronger than those Demigods."

The Avatar elder walked to In Front of the Bu Du cat, holding his chin, expression Doubtful.

"Hey, hehe, I, I'm just an Ordinary little kitty meow~" Lilith Embarrassedly Licked her Claw, only her Tail clamped Tight, not daring to move at all.

"Hehe, an Ordinary little kitty can speak? You Lie To Ghost?" The Avatar elder narrowed his eyes, then looked at Li Cheng: "Hey, what's this cat's background?"

This time, it was Li Cheng's turn to be unexpected.

Did Not Expect that this Avatar elder, an AI, could actually see the GM that only he himself could see, and even detect the wrongness on the GM's body.

Could it be, this is mechanical Awakening? Skynet born?

Quantum Technology, you actually made such a Terrifying AI, terrifying indeed, terrifying indeed ah.

"Correct, she really is just an Ordinary little kitty." Li Cheng casually lied: "As for speaking and such, that's actually what I taught. Me, as a Savior, knowing Cat-Human Bilingual and such, that's also File Normal, right?"

"Hehe." The Avatar elder smiled without sincerity.

You think I'm a Scarecrow/Idiot? Believe your Born Thing?

But he researched for Half Day, and still couldn't figure out the reason, so had to give up.

Lilith also finally let out a breath of relief, her suspended heart swallowed back into her cat belly.

"Fine then, since you're unwilling to say, forget it, let's talk Main Quest first." The Avatar elder tapped the Di Mian with his Magic Staff: "This Trial has ended by now, you can proceed to Settlement at any time, and receive Blessing."

"Wait, it ends just like that?" Li Cheng raised his eyebrows: "Main Quest 1·Obtain Position Card and Main Quest 2·Survive as long as possible, these two tasks need not be said, but Task 3 isn't Not Yet done?"

This Trial's Main Quest 3, was to find the Hidden truth in this war.

Li Cheng did not remember that he had found any truth.

"Hehe, what other truth?" The Avatar elder impatiently tapped the Di Mian: "The truth isn't just that this war was completely directed by you, this newly risen Dong Xi, single-handedly?"

"..."

Silent for a moment, Li Cheng "heh"ed: "So it's such a task without Challenge, Peanut Old Deng, your Instance/Dungeon making level is getting worse and worse."

"Peanut? You TM... hu, hu..." The Avatar elder took two deep breaths in succession, only then stopping the impulse to kick this Bastard's Buttocks exploded with one foot.

"This old man is also a man of cultivation, how could I speak such vulgar words? Sin, sin."

After all, his appearance here was unpaid Overtime.

Every Minute worked was wasting his own life.

If he wrangled with Li Cheng for Half Day more, that would only waste even more life.

"En, this Trial messed around till now, can't continue either." He Sighed, continued: "Besides you, Karenina, and Mu Zheng Three Born Together, in the whole Trial, only two remain who can still breathe."

"Two?" Li Cheng frowned.

These two people, one was Li Er who he repeatedly schemed against, then who is the other?

"Specifically who I cannot tell you, this is the rules."

Seemingly seeing through Li Cheng's thoughts, the Avatar elder said impatiently: "Because/Due To you are currently the highest Trial Score, so now I give you two Choose."

"One, Trial directly concludes, I give you Blessing and Settlement, then send you all out of the Abyss."

"Believe me, with the achievements you've made now, and this Trial's Tenth Stage SSS Difficulty, the Blessing I can give you, is Absolutely beyond your Imagine."

"And, I can privately help you raise the Blessing one Rank/Level, or give you double Blessing."

"En, then what do I Need to Contribute?" Li Cheng asked.

This Avatar Lao Deng is no philanthropist, this kind of double Reward thing, definitely Requires me to do something.

"File Simple, Give Up listening to secrets regarding the Wrathful Father God and the Abyss, don't care about subsequent matters anymore." The Avatar elder Shrugged.

"Heh, I knew it." Li Cheng said indifferently: "Then I Choose the second Choose."

"Not Consider?"

"Not Consider."

"Consider a bit more ba, Behind matters are very Difficult."

"If Difficult, you give me a bit more Reward and it's fine, right?"

"If give you a bit more Reward, would you be willing to Give Up?"

"Not willing."

"Okay, okay, you sure Not Consider?"

"Not Consider."

"Consider a bit more ba, Behind matters are very Difficult."

"If Difficult, you give me a bit more Reward and it's fine, right?"

"If give you a bit more Reward, would you be willing to Give Up?"

"..."

Lilith looked left and right, shocked: "You two are doing Nesting Dolls?"

"Cough cough." The avatar elder was somewhat embarrassed: "TMD, you've let this newly risen Dong Xi lead you astray again."

"Didn't you just say you don't speak in riddles?" Li Cheng was doubtful: "Right, speaking of you, if you didn't want me to listen to this secret from the start, why give this task?"

Faced with this question, the avatar elder fell strangely silent.

He just looked at Li Cheng quietly like that, one moment o. 0, the next 0. o.

An unknown amount of time passed, perhaps a few seconds, perhaps a few hours.

After all, in this domain belonging to the World Tree, the concepts of time and space are both chaotic and disordered.

Finally, he sighed: "Life is contradictory, and I am no exception."

"Li Cheng, from a rational standpoint, I very much hope you know this secret, because it means new possibilities."

"But from a sensibility standpoint, I don't want you to touch this secret now, because once you know it, that existence will take notice of you."

"You... are worried about my safety?" Li Cheng was somewhat surprised: "Lao Deng, am I that important, worth your concern?"

"No, you're just too weak, you'd die instantly." The avatar elder spoke the truth bluntly.

Li Cheng: "..."

Come on, brothers, my combat power now rivals a Demigod, and I still have Rebirth and Rewind abilities.

Saying it like that, isn't it a bit too heart-piercing? "I know what you're thinking, believe me, if you hadn't reached Demigod combat power, you wouldn't even have the qualification to listen to this secret and discuss it with me."

The avatar elder twirled his beard: "I'd directly find a way to give this task reward to someone else, and kick you out of the trial with one foot."

Li Cheng: "..."

Fine fine fine, playing it like this huh.

As the instance builder, openly skimming the player's reward.

Lao Deng, you truly live up to being a character designed by Yang Qi Ying Gao...

"But you've reached the level, so you have the qualification." The avatar elder spoke again: "But, it's still too early, Li Cheng."

"I don't want you to know this secret this early. Don't you have that Empire's Third Princess in your hands? Through her, make the Empire's Emperor trust you, plus your connections at Full Moon Academy, and this time's merit of subverting the Wrath Father God Domain, in one night, you'll become a legend of the Tianming Continent, a living Child of Destiny."

"You'll gain countless resources and wealth, relying on that wealth, it won't be long before you cultivate to the mortal peak."

"Plus your Dragon Clan and Blood Clan bloodline pressure, by then, forget the Wrath Father God, even those few Abyssal Deities above him may not be your opponents."

"At that time, touching this secret again would be the safe choice."

Listening to the avatar elder's words, Li Cheng rested his chin on his hand, not saying a word.

"I can guarantee I'll help you find the most suitable growth path, what do you think?" The avatar elder continued: "When your strength is enough, I'll then——"

"That way, you'll have plenty of time to deal with Lei Ha Na." Li Cheng suddenly spoke, interrupting his words: "Or rather, use this time to let Lei Ha Na, this Eternal Sleep Witch, die naturally along with the evil god she sealed, right?"

As his words fell, the avatar elder who had been calm and benevolent-faced just now, his mouth slowly closed, his eyes first showing surprise, then barely perceptible anger.

"Li Cheng, being too sharp isn't a good thing."

"Aihei, you're really humorous." Li Cheng smiled warmly and sunnily.

Sure enough, just as he guessed.

What "for your own good," what "worried about your safety."

If this Peanut Old Deng really had such good intentions, he would have stepped in to stop me from the moment I entered the trial.

Back then, I didn't even have combat power comparable to a Demigod.

Challenging the Wrath Father God with a mortal body, wasn't that far more dangerous than now?

He would do this only because my current behavior hindered his plan.

So he stepped in to bribe me.

"Alright, Lao Deng, no need to bewitch me anymore, I choose the second option, tell me the secret." Li Cheng said mockingly.

"Hehe, Li Cheng, do you know? Although there's the component of not wanting you to touch Lei Ha Na, my words just now weren't without reason, I hope you——"

"Skip."

"What thing?" The avatar elder narrowed his eyes.

"I said skip." Li Cheng sighed: "Lao Deng, don't say anymore, no matter how much you say, I won't change my mind."

"..." The avatar elder was silent, a moment later, he let out a long breath: "Forget it, since you insist on seeking death, I'll tell you the secret."

"Pitiful, lamentable ah, a rising genius, falling so soon, hehe."

"Stop probing, Lao Deng, threatening me with death is useless." Li Cheng shrugged, adding in his heart: "After all I can save file."

"Hehe." The avatar elder smiled without it reaching his eyes: "Then you listen well, I'll only say it once."

"Washing ears in respectful listening."

"There are two secrets total. First, the current Wrath Father God is not the true Wrath Father God, he ate the original Wrath Mother God, seized her divinity, and obtained this position."

Hearing this, Li Cheng's face didn't change, but his heart suddenly understood.

Originally it was like this! That day when giving Wrath the Reversal Whip, he said reaching today relied on his own effort, originally it meant this! Meanwhile, Li Cheng also automatically translated this sentence into the birth clan's language. Wrath Father God's divinity was snatched = I can also snatch Wrath Father God's divinity.

Since it's all snatching, he Wrath can snatch, I Li Cheng can't snatch? Li Cheng clenched his fist, that Tear Drop that can devour everything was surging in his palm.

"Yo, little guy's mental fortitude isn't bad." The avatar elder looked at Li Cheng unexpectedly, he thought this guy would be shocked by this secret, didn't expect him to be this calm.

"I thought you'd ask me the detailed details."

"Those aren't important, tell me the other secret."

"Hehe, good." The avatar elder clasped hands behind his back, his gaze revealing complex emotions, like fear, like regret, mixed with something else.

"The second secret is——the Abyss Demon Race returning to the Abyss after death is a lie, a thorough and complete lie."

His voice wasn't loud, but entering Lilith Cat's ears, it made her heart palpitate once.

"Wait, what did you say? Returning to the Abyss is a lie? That's impossible!"

Li Cheng hadn't spoken yet, Lilith already asked urgently: "Why would the Abyss tell such a lie?"

"If they can't return to the Abyss after death, how could the demon race be so fearless of death?" Li Cheng murmured: "A brilliant move, wonderful chess..."

"But, what danger does this secret hold?" Big Boss frowned. "This should be a good thing, right? Since we know Return to Abyss is a lie, Tianming Continent no longer needs to worry about facing enemies that can never be killed off."

For so many years, Tianming Continent has been shrinking its troops and building fortresses precisely because Abyss Demon Race cannot be killed off.

Dead Demon Race members also revive after decades or centuries.

If Return to Abyss is a lie, then for Tianming Continent, perhaps there is a new possibility.

"Who told you Abyss can be killed clean?" The Avatar Elder tilted his head slightly, looking at him mockingly.

"You... what do you mean?"

"Return to Abyss is fake, but Abyss being undying and indestructible is real." The Avatar Elder smiled. "Otherwise, why would he be able to produce one Demon Race after another? One deity after another?"

"You mean dead Demon Race all convert to power, used by Abyss to produce new Demon Race? So Abyss's power has remained conserved over these billions of years?" Big Boss rested his chin on his hand.

"Mhm, still off by a bit, actually..." The Avatar Elder was about to continue, but seeing Big Boss still wearing a contemplative expression, he closed his mouth.

Sure enough, a few seconds later, Big Boss murmured: "No, not just that... If it were only that, this secret would have no effect on Tianming Continent at all."

"At most, Abyss Demon Race just don't know that the revived them has already become another person..."

"There's something deeper... Hey, Lao Deng, are the remade Abyss Demon Race the same strength as at their moment of death?"

"Hehe." The Avatar Elder laughed. "Not the same, but the same as at their moment of birth. If born at Seventh Stage, died at Ninth Stage, revival is Seventh Stage."

"Then where did those two missing stages go..." Big Boss murmured.

"Consumption during revival? Like a handling fee?" Lilith blinked.

"Even if it's a handling fee, who collects it..." Big Boss said, when a bolt of lightning suddenly flashed through his brain: "Abyss... could it be alive?"

"Oh?"

This time, the Avatar Elder didn't smile faintly as usual, but looked at Big Boss with genuine surprise:

"I truly didn't expect you could actually think this far."

Big Boss glanced at him, continued: "I've always thought Abyss was just a place, a place like Tianming Continent."

"But thinking now, perhaps that was just a preconception."

"Abyss has many irrationalities. For example, Demon Race clearly don't need to eat humans, yet still go hunt humans."

"In those worlds destroyed by Demon Race, there also weren't resources Demon Race needed, yet they still invaded."

"All their atrocities have no logic — not for plundering benefits, not for seeking survival, just killing for killing's sake, destroying for destroying's sake."

"I thought this was just a setting, an unjustifiable setting a game designer patted his head and came up with..."

"But what if there's reasonable logic hidden inside? What if Demon Race's killing has a reason?"

Speaking here, Big Boss paused, the emotion in his eyes becoming as complex as the Avatar Elder's: "What if Abyss is alive? What if nurturing myriad Demon Race to kill and conquer for him is his method of improving strength?"

"I, I don't understand." Lilith tilted her cat head, eyes nearly spiraling into mosquito coils.

"Simply put." Big Boss explained: "Abyss starts with Twenty Thousand Points of Spiritual Power, uses 10000 points to create Demon Race, immediately sends them out to kill, invade, cultivate, letting them improve strength.

"And tells them, no need to fear, death brings revival."

"So that Demon Race invades and conquers fearlessly, strength climbing continuously to 20000 points."

"At this point, he dies in battle."

"Abyss honors its promise, lets him 'revive', but the 'revived' him still only has 10000 points of Spiritual Power."

"That 10000 points of Spiritual Power he gained through killing becomes Abyss's. Abyss did nothing, just produced him, and freeloaded 10000 points of Spiritual Power.

"While that Demon Race fought hard all his life, but in the end, returned overnight to before liberation, restored to factory settings..."

"Th-this Abyss is too black-hearted? N-not even leaving a little for that Demon Race?" Lilith Cat swallowed.

"Yes, not only not leaving any, and don't forget, there's no such thing as revival at all. That 'revived' Demon Race is merely a copy with his memories."

"No, those memories aren't necessarily real either. Maybe they were also adjusted by Abyss, washing away all rebellious thoughts, leaving only loyalty to Abyss."

Big Boss said leisurely.

And Lilith Cat was already stunned stupid from listening.

If that's the case, these Abyss Demon Race had their outcome determined from the day they were born.

They continuously kill, continuously destroy, continuously brew tragedy.

Until their strength grows to a state Abyss is satisfied with, then arranges them to die.

All obtained power, entirely offered to Abyss.

Damn, these Demon Race aren't just thoroughbred oxen and horses? And brainwashed by faith at that!

"This process is called Fruit's maturity, and the final plundering of Demon Race is called Fruit's harvest." The Avatar Elder said softly: "Don't you feel you've heard these terms somewhere?"

"Lu Yi..." Big Boss frowned.

Yes, during the time Lu Yi was tortured by Tear Drop, he would occasionally say he was a fruit, an already mature fruit.

The one responsible for harvesting him... Wrath Father God? Impossible, Wrath Father God is such a melon, one look and he's not the type of big BOSS hiding behind countless shadows.

His style doesn't measure up at all.

"Correct, just as you think, that melon rind Wrath Father God knows nothing at all." The Avatar Elder continued: "Two people truly saw through this, one is Plague Mother God."

"She saw through Abyss's scam, recognized Abyss Seven Gods' nature. No matter how noble her status appears, she's merely a fruit meticulously prepared by Abyss."

"When timing matures, she'll also be harvested by Abyss, chewed up, eaten clean. Knowing all this, she doesn't plan to sit and wait for death."

"So she killed Abyss?" Big Boss frowned, he always felt something wasn't quite right.

"Where would she get the ability to kill Abyss? Hehe, Abyss ah Abyss, that is..." The Avatar Elder suddenly stopped, then chuckled: "Just that one day, Abyss suddenly disappeared."

"Disappeared?"

"Mhm, you can also use vanished, fell asleep, divine concealment, all sorts of vocabulary, as long as you understand."

"Anyway, he no longer issues orders to Seven Gods, no longer creates new Demon Race, even those dead Demon Race's Sleeping Fruit are no longer harvested."

Hearing this, Big Boss's eyebrow arched.

Another doubt resolved.

Among the Abyss Seven Gods, the Pain Mother God Red Moon and the Deception Mother God Female Brat — one slacked off and was addicted to slacking, the other acted as a fun person every day and didn't do proper work, yet neither had ever been punished by the Abyss.

Li Cheng had originally thought it was because the Abyss didn't want to manage them.

Now it seems the Abyss simply wasn't there at all.

"It was at that time that the Plague Mother God, who had been observing all this, realized this was a good opportunity." The avatar elder continued: "Thus, she entered the Abyss's core and stole the Abyss's authority."

"This thing can still be stolen?" Li Cheng's birth radar started rotating again.

If the Plague Mother God could steal it, then he, Li Cheng, might not be unable to either? "I don't know how she did it, but she indeed did it." The avatar elder continued: "From that day on, she resided as the Abyss, issued orders, and commanded the remaining six Abyss gods to invade various worlds."

"Moreover, unlike the previous Abyss, this Plague Mother God is the true eat-absolute-household.

"She used the bodies left by the Abyss to produce the Demon Race, but ate those dead ones that turned into fruits into her own stomach."

"Using the Abyss's authority to nurture herself?" Li Cheng raised his eyebrows.

"Yes, the world believes the Plague Mother God is a demigod whose strength differs little from the Void Mother God."

"But after these ten million years, having eaten so many of the Demon Race, what kind of strength she has, I'm not clear, but I can affirm her terror is absolutely above your and my imagination."

"Perhaps she has already transcended and become a True God."

"Those tragedies you know of on the Tianming Continent — whether the Storm King City Battle that slaughtered your blue Giant Dragon's whole family, or the Night City Battle that buried countless soldiers, or the yet-to-happen plan to burn down the Full Moon Academy and let Dian Huo rage across the entire continent..."

"The mastermind behind all of this is the Plague Mother God."

"Originally it's like this." Li Cheng nodded, writing the Plague Mother God's name in his little notebook.

When poor, develop wretchedly; when successful, take her dog life.

"What about the Wrath Father God? What role did he play in this?" Li Cheng asked again.

"I think you should have guessed it too — the Wrath Father God's true identity."

"Mm, I roughly guess he shouldn't be a life of this world." Li Cheng nodded: "Also... on the Evil God's side?"

"Mm, correct. He was summoned by the Plague Mother God." The avatar elder continued: "And the purpose of summoning him..."

"Is because of the Wrath Mother God, right." Li Cheng picked up the thread: "If my guess isn't wrong, the second person to perceive all the truth is that Wrath Mother God."

"And unlike the Plague Mother God, what she thought should be to utilize the moment the Abyss was absent, to let all the Demon Race escape the fate of killing and being killed."

"But unfortunately, she told this idea to the Plague Mother God, ultimately causing the tragedy to occur."

"Mm..."

The avatar elder looked at Li Cheng with extreme surprise.

If his previous speculations only made him surprised, then this current deduction made him slightly shocked.

With just such simple information, he actually deduced the full picture of events.

This person's head might not be just a birth point so simple.

Wait, with this guy's birth degree, could he have known these things long ago and been playing pig to eat tiger?

Shaking his head, tossing the messy thoughts out of his head, the avatar elder looked at Li Cheng solemnly: "Your guess is almost completely correct, only one point is wrong."

"Which point?"

"The first person to discover the Abyss's problem, the first person to see through the essence of things, wasn't the Plague Mother God, but the Wrath Mother God."

"She is the Awakener."

"And the Plague Mother God is merely a..."

"Thorough betrayer."

Chapter Complete