He spread his hands and said softly, "The wheat field represents the entire world. The selected seeds are the citizens of Heaven, while the weeds are those who belong to the Devil. The one who sows the weeds is the Devil. The day of harvest is the apocalypse, and the workers for the harvest are the Angels. During the apocalypse, the fate of those who belong to the Devil will be like the weeds that are pulled out and thrown into the fire to burn."
"My senior brother may be a fool, but at least he's smarter than all of you."
He spoke earnestly, "The mission and faith we carry are like a tragic joke, pitiful and absurd. The truth had already been recorded by our predecessors, yet you do not believe it, and you even misinterpret it."
A deep sigh echoed like a bell: "You are desecrating the faith we have held sacred since time immemorial."
The young man sneered, "Just because it's always been this way, does that make it right? When the dog at the head of the village barks, the dogs in the village, clueless, follow with their barking. Why bark? What's the purpose of barking? Who are you barking for?"
"Are you comparing all of us to dogs?"
"Frankly, you're unworthy. At least dogs obey their master."
"I want to ask, have you ever ventured beyond Earth to see? When you traverse the world of the Ancient Gods, have you ever glimpsed the dimension that belongs to them? Have you explored the origins of the Universe, the cycle of life and death, the principles of karma? Have you pondered why you exist? And where does the origin of the Ancient God Clan lie?"
The young man said, "I know you haven't. In this world, only I have glimpsed that astounding secret. But secrets, much like devils, must be spoken of softly; otherwise, you'll awaken them."
Donghuang remained silent for a long time: "Why do you say this?"
The young man sat on a fractured boulder and murmured, "From the Barbaric Era of Ancient Times until now, the history of human civilization spans merely 150,000 years. Yet, do you realize that the existence of the Inheritance Path stretches as far back as the sunlight shining on your face right now—ancient and eternal."
Using the most ordinary words, he revealed the most shocking secret: "Taiyin Instructor, you are a hero protecting the human world. Back then, I revered you as a teacher. But you are too foolish, too weak. The Inheritance Path is not something someone like you should ever meddle with."
"For someone as ignorant as you to aspire to the Ninth Rank, does it not make me appear mediocre in comparison?"
Dusk fell upon the young man.
His frame was ordinary, faintly resembling that of a youth.
He gazed up at the Sky Dome, where innumerable stars seemed on the verge of plummeting, radiating a thick killing intent.
Five statues of The Immortal of Colossal Spirit teetered, while demonlike black shadows writhed and struggled in the darkness.
As if on the brink of breaking free from their prison.
"So, go in peace. This world doesn't need you."
The young man said, "Your faith, your persistence, your contributions—they mean nothing to this world."
On the dark wasteland, multitudes of believers surged forward like a tide.
As numerous as grains of sand by the sea.
At the moment twilight fell, a massive black hole unfolded above the Sky Dome.
A man wearing a green mask walked forth from the void, looking down at him condescendingly as he spoke blandly: "This ends here. Since we are both sinners of the human world, why not resolve it here and now?"
"Senior Brother, you've arrived."
The young man raised his head, his crimson mask painted with a sinister smile.
The world collapsed before his eyes.
In the deafening roar of destruction, he seemed to laugh wildly, unrestrained and arrogant.
This was the Red King.
Applause surged like waves. The audience seated in the theater clapped in respect.
This play featured the most cutting-edge modern technology and employed top-tier actors, but none of the applause was for the play itself. It was offered in honor of that genuine fragment of history.
Because no matter how advanced the special effects, no matter how outstanding the actors or how skilled the scriptwriting, nothing could replicate even a thousandth of the grandeur of that epic battle, let alone restore the unrivaled presence of the King.
Gu Jianlin watched the play in silence.
"This is a piece of authentic history, which occurred in the early 19th century at the Fusang Divine Palace. The Red King sacrificed five Eighth Rank Holy Sanctuary Level Ascenders to awaken five Ancient Ancestors. The Fusang Divine Palace, dormant for four thousand years, reawakened and once again invaded reality. The human world descended into chaos, an event referred to as the Ancient Catastrophe."
Tang Ling mouthed softly, "It symbolizes the greatest disaster in human history because, for the first time ever, the two strongest pillars of the human world nearly brought the civilization of Ascenders to its doom in the abyss."
Gu Jianlin's lips moved slightly: "The Ether Association doesn't have this piece of history."
"Because no one airs their dirty laundry in public. The King of Qing and the Red King were personally nurtured by the President. They should have been her proudest achievements in life, yet they nearly destroyed the entire human world instead."
Tang Ling explained, "The President, being such a proud person, could never accept such a matter. She ordered that the King of Qing and the Red King be expunged from the records, forbidding any internal discussion within the association. The King of Qing, to his credit, at least ultimately prevented the destruction of the human world. But the Red King—he became the ultimate taboo."
Whether she liked it or not, she was the disciple of the Sword Tomb Master, a student of a Catastrophe.
And still, she was the chosen successor favored by the President.