In the scorching summer heat, with cicadas chirping incessantly, the old man wearing a straw hat stood on the ridge of the field, wiped the sweat from his brow with his sleeve, and gazed at the verdant Armor, revealing a satisfied smile.
Behind him approached a guileless-looking young man with a crew cut, carrying a cumbersome clay pot filled with crisp well water. The young man handed the pot to the old man, who took it and gulped down the water, spilling it over the front of his shirt.
The young man asked, "Teacher, this plot of land should yield a good harvest this year, right?"
The old man smiled and said, "One thousand catties shouldn't be a problem, not to mention how many Holy Judges and Holy Priests will come asking for it. Harvesting a bit more means we can share a bit more."
The guileless young man beamed, but then he changed the subject.
"Do you still remember the Spiral Mosquito Civilization, Teacher? They were the formidable enemies from that plane known as Target One, the ones we sent to Universe M995 after their defeat."
The old man nodded, setting down the clay pot, his aged appearance making one worry that he might hurt his back while bending down.
"I remember, it was your senior brother who arranged for you to go. I recall that civilization had a strong aggressiveness, and they were also doing quite well. Had it not been for the civilization of Target One, they probably could have achieved much greater accomplishments."
The guileless young man said, "The Spiral Mosquito Civilization has been developing in the Snow Dragon Galaxy of Universe M995. They have broken through the spacetime conduit technology and began conquering the entire stellar system. However, their conquering process was interrupted, personally disrupted by Target One."
The originally gentle and kind cheeks of the old man suddenly changed. From a benevolent old man, he transformed into a formidable elder, his face covered with a layer of frost, his eyes exuding immense coldness.
"Is that so? It seems we still underestimated the role of causality, eh? The Spiral Mosquito Civilization must have been continuously entangled with the Iridium Star of the United Empire from Target One. Addressing this Spiral Mosquito Civilization, too, must be an aspect of freeing himself from his fate, I presume."
The guileless young man picked up the large clay pot from the ground, appearing just like a typical farmer's son. He asked, "Teacher, should we intervene? Isn't it a bit early to take action against Target One now?"
The old farmer paced with his hands behind his back for a moment before saying, "If we wait any longer, he might completely free himself from his destiny and become a complete Sin species. We designated him as Target One because we know that the future him could be an enemy on the level of a Cosmic Collector. Our Pilgrims have been fighting against Sin species for billions of years across thousands of universes. Most Sin species are oblivious to the existence of our Pilgrims, only a few like the Cosmic Collectors are wary of us. If Bai Zhongqi ends up becoming a Sin species like the Cosmic Collector, then the foundation established by our Pilgrims might very well be destroyed."
The seemingly guileless young man now showed a hint of rage, "These Sin species, which defy the true essence of the Universe's Divine God and recklessly destroy the balance and laws of the Universe with such strong power that just a few of them could threaten the existence of our entire race of Pilgrims, are so detestable. If that's the case, then why doesn't the Universe's Divine God annihilate the Sin species, allowing us Pilgrims to serve Him wholeheartedly?"
The old farmer scolded, "Shut your mouth. Without difficult trials, how can our faith in the Universe's Divine God be demonstrated? If there were no actions to eradicate Sin species, how could the greatness and beauty of the Universe's truth be manifested? Everything the Pilgrims are doing now is necessary to achieve our ideals. If you can't firm up your own faith, then you shouldn't continue in your role as an Acolyte."
The young man hurriedly bowed his head, apologizing, "I'm sorry, Teacher, I misspoke."
The old farmer suppressed some of his anger and said, "Target One finding the Spiral Mosquito Civilization is not necessarily a bad thing. Our original intention in bringing out the Spiral Mosquito Civilization was to use them to deal with Sin Species one day. Alas, if your senior brother Nan Ma had not failed to kill Target One at the earliest opportunity, there probably wouldn't have been so many problems later on."
The young man involuntarily defended his greatly admired senior brother, "Brother Nan Ma also had his considerations. If he had killed a Sin Species before it awakened, the severe backlash from the law of cause and effect might have had a very adverse impact, possibly leading to the collapse of both universes. Although Brother Nan Ma appears to be the least serious on the surface, at heart he is extremely kind."
The old farmer's face darkened as he said, "Regardless, we must kill Target One. He has already resolved much of his fate. If he dies now, the two universes won't collapse but at most show some deviations. Nan Ma is still repenting and I will not let him go out for the time being. This time, it's your turn to appear."
The young man, hearing his teacher's words, became excited and asked, "Teacher, what should I do?"
The old farmer smiled slightly, "Just like we did when we killed the four Sin Species. Throw him into the 'Fish Tank' and kill him there."
The young man could hardly contain his joy as he nodded and said, "Yes, Teacher, I understand what to do."
"The Holy Judge Primus has specifically created a 'Fish Tank' for Target One, and now it's time to put it to use. Go directly to Lord Primus, and he will assist you in this matter."
"Thank you, Teacher."
Watching his student leave with excitement, the old farmer also showed more smiles. He was just about to move when suddenly a bald head popped out from the field next to him.
The bald man grinned and asked the old farmer, "Old immortal, do you think Yongxi can succeed? He has never undertaken any missions, and this time his opponent is Bai Zhongqi, who has control over two Elder Race motherships."
The old farmer, looking at the bald man, was too angry to speak and said, "If it weren't for you, he wouldn't need to take this risk."
The bald man stepped out of the field, touching his smooth head, and said, "I thought among all your students, you loved Yongxi the most. I didn't expect you were willing to use him as a sacrificial pawn."
The old farmer's face turned grim: "Even if there is only a one in ten chance, it is still worth a try. Target One is still naive, now is a good time to deal with him."
The bald man laughed mockingly and spread his hands, "Then why don't you old men go? Don't say it's because you carry heavier burdens and could be detected by the Elder Race once you go out. It's obviously because you don't want to die. Staying in this damned place, tsk tsk, the sun is fake, the stars are fake, even time is fake. You can live forever here, but if you return to the real world, your lifespans will start to decrease."
The old farmer threw a punch that landed on the bald man's face, but the bald man seemed to feel no pain. He looked at him with an even more mocking expression, a face marked with righteous fury after being exposed.