Chapter 1188
Chapter 1188 - 1174: Heaven and Earth Are Heartless
1,701 words
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9 min read
The return day was joyful, or rather, when one encounters good fortune, even meeting a malicious neighbor on the way out can still bring forth a smile.
In some sense, Lu Ping’an, the "Newborn," was collectively tricked by the Big Shots.
But looked at from another angle, this was also their way of welcoming newcomers... if one didn’t have even this much capability, they wouldn’t be qualified to stand on the same stage with them.
In return, Lu Ping’an also gained a lot...
"... kill it... valuable spoils of war, bring it onto the ship’s altar."
This time, when Lu Ping’an once again encountered an attack by the Fishmen, he had become even more ruthless.
In the war, he not only changed his fish-dodging ways and fought back with all his might but even personally took action and tracked down the Octopus Fishman’s homeland, obliterating it completely.
When obstructed by the Lava Clan’s warship, Lu Ping’an personally took to the field... surprising his companions and subordinates and confirming that he still held absolute authority.
"Is Lu the boss trying to establish dominance? Why is he taking this so seriously?"
"Does he need to establish dominance? The team is definitely centered around him; everyone owes him money; there really isn’t a need for him to resort to force..."
"Holy crap, did he just sink a warship with a single punch? Am I seeing things, is this still human?"
"Professionals have long ceased to be human... but this isn’t normal for a fifth-tier profession. I heard he doesn’t have a fourth-tier or higher combat profession."
When Lu Ping’an took action again, the foundation and sheer force he displayed were truly terrifying.
Already reaching non-human Basic Attributes, coupled with his "Magical Vine Armor," "Power Conversion Exoskeleton," and so forth, he reached the limit of dismantling machines barehanded, even without using Zhi Xi.
In a sense, he was showing goodwill to this "petty-minded world"... at least from Elder Liu, Lu Ping’an knew he had nearly perished and that the reason he survived was not Elder Liu, but the Curse from the Octopus that intrigued his adversary.
This, however, was not a good thing.
That meant that currently, he might be a special focus of this troublesome entity, so out of helplessness, Lu Ping’an could only slightly express his "stance."
But not to say, having been lazy for so long, this little activity was actually quite comfortable... just that the opponents on the other side probably didn’t enjoy this very much.
And this significant flurry of activity also lessened the sense of crisis above his head... it seems likely that this entity was indeed focusing on him.
"This really is troublesome..."
Lu Ping’an sighed helplessly, not knowing if having such a World Consciousness was a curse or a blessing.
The good news, the World Consciousness is an ally.
The bad news, this World Consciousness is probably crazy.
It was It that annihilated the native Bug Clan and is also It that is currently exterminating the Long Hand Clan.
Lu Ping’an asked Mr. Liu why this entity would do so; logically, those life forms are just "Parasites" on Its body, and even if left alone, they wouldn’t affect anything.
Mr. Liu didn’t answer directly; instead, he brought up his own professionals with great interest.
"We professionals, venturing into the Exotic Realm, what do we do it for, do you know? The Travel Canine isn’t just a newborn of the past fifty years; all along, travelers of the Exotic Realm have been the fastest to grow..."
And listening, listening, Lu Ping’an understood all the implications.
Why professionals hop from one world to another, are they really voluntarily playing the savior? No, they are greedy cosmic hunters, seeking the "Rules" and "specialties" from each world.
Sun Holy Fire, Bloodvine, Kinetic Energy Conversion Bone, Exotic Realm Wolf Species, etc., Lu Ping’an had consumed too many exotic spoils of war, but the biggest spoil of war was the "Sealing Skill" from the Silent Mountain Range World... it was a massive technological advancement that benefited the entire civilization, with the Flying Shuttle being just the first digested technological result.
Professionals are like bees, shuttling back and forth among worlds, also taking away their unique rules.
This naturally greatly accelerated the progression speed of professionals, but on the other hand, those "Rules" brought back also made the Earth’s Mother Star stronger.
The most apparent effect was the addition of new Gods, continuously amending the World Rules of Earth’s Mother Star while making it more stable and powerful.
The world, too, needs the Rules of the Exotic Realm to improve itself.
"Exotic Realm bees" or "Travel Canines bringing exotic specialties" accurately describes the duties of professionals.
Then, without these "Travel Canines," how can a world improve itself, how can it face the continual "Contamination" that drags it into the abyss?
"It is fishing, constantly drawing residents of other worlds into the fray..."
The textbook example of "Desert Planet" and the parable of "Golden Water" became reality, with those foreign travelers dying on native soil and naturally turning into nourishment for the new world.
Their own "bodies" were actually of little significance, but the rules of the Exotic Realm they brought gave this world more possibilities and "new rules."
This is one of the common dangers of a self-conscious world, which would attempt to bring more outsiders here to die, incorporating their flesh, souls, and accompanying rule traits into the cycle of the new world.
But compared to the second danger, this was nothing...
"...If that world is sufficiently powerful, do you think it would actively connect with other worlds and provoke a Plane War?"
This possibility was suggested by Big Cat, and obviously, there were precedents.
Looking back now, the Abyssal Insect Race, the Octopus, and those from the Lava Clan, did they really come to this world on their own initiative... or was it this world that actively connected their Exotic Realms, leading to everything that happened?
As for the original Long Hand Clan, they were clearly not a warlike warrior race, so it was normal for this world not to favor them.
Perhaps, the current state of the whole world engulfed in a battlefield is what this world prefers, it hopes to see more outsiders die, it hopes war speeds up the natural cycle of Life, it hopes to gain more nutrition...
"...I kind of understand why a self-conscious world is considered the highest level of warning. But why would Mr. Liu want to Ascend in such a world, wouldn’t that be binding himself to it?"
"It’s different, the one who comes is not complete, the end result should be a pseudo-spirit with a fabricated personality of a Virtual Secret Realm, even if the Ascension succeeds, it would probably be the weakest tier..."
Big Cat understood well, but Lu Ping’an, who was involved in it, indeed needed more guidance.
"...Didn’t you notice? The Quasi-Gods that come are all from the Gardener series, and it’s that kind that, uh, are very hard to completely kill off."
With that said, Lu Ping’an instantly understood.
After receiving the teachings from Mr. Liu, Lu Ping’an also had some guesses about "the group" Xiu Yi, and clearly, this Big Shot was also very hard to completely kill off.
Some things were inconvenient to say too explicitly, but now humans and World Consciousness were indeed on the same side...
"Mutual use, huh? Well, perhaps also mutual caution."
Lu Ping’an sighed, his headache increasing with the upcoming tasks.
Previously, enjoying the perks of rising Qi Yun by killing residents of the Foreign Domain, Lu Ping’an once thought it was the World Consciousness disliking outsiders.
Perhaps, this had already become the "consensus" of most high-level professionals.
𝒻𝘳ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝒷𝘯ℴ𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝑐ℴ𝑚
But looking back now, perhaps it was merely "rewards for killing", this world hoped for more outsiders to die here, perhaps the rewards for killing "human professionals" would be even greater.
At this moment, Lu Ping’an felt somewhat grateful to Mr. Liu.
Now, he had the qualifications to understand and participate in this game, instead of just going with the flow like a hired thug and, like many unlucky ones, dying because of "bad luck."
"Although our luck should be very good later on, any opportunity for combat must be prepared for encountering strong headwinds."
The only thing that somewhat put Lu Ping’an at ease was that the World Consciousness could not arbitrarily interfere with the world of mortals, causing massive deaths.
And its demands were very simple...
"Establish a nation for the Long Hand Clan, let it be revived..."
Lu Ping’an sighed. If it was a week ago, he might have marveled that there is always a way out, and the Long Hand Clan finally saw the dawn.
But now, he only felt sorrow; with such a "Ruler" existing, even if they were revived, it might just be jumping from one stage to the next, the malicious Creator would eventually tire, and the abandoned toys probably wouldn’t have a good end.
However, Lu Ping’an could not refuse.
"It has given too much..."
And at this moment, Lu Ping’an had a blue water orb in his hand, this time pointing in a new direction.
"...The Savior of the Long Hand Clan? Just don’t know what this whimsically cruel fate has arranged for you, whether it’s a comedy that seems tragic, or a tragedy that looks like... a great tragedy."
Comedy? A happy ending? Haha, just a glance, and Lu Ping’an knew that was not what the World Consciousness liked to watch.
That thing was a brute, purely.
And in this moment, light again fell on Lu Ping’an, and he felt his condition had greatly improved.
This was the World’s blessing, the reward Lu Ping’an had just earned through killing...
"...I’m starting to miss that world where ’The universe is unconscious; it regards everyone as insignificant’, perhaps the ’unconcern’ of the Heavenly Path is the greatest justice and kindness."
— End of Chapter 1188 —