Chapter 1131 - 514: The Power of the Wasteland

Chapter 514

"Intruders..."

"Carrying the scent of the ’Reaper’..."

"Get out!"

A grand will, transformed into a spiritual storm, violently collided with Xu Ran. This will contained earth-shattering hatred towards the "Cleaner"... or rather the "Reaper."

Xu Ran’s divine skeleton body began to tremble violently, and the rainbow-colored halo from the "Cleaner" on its surface issued a cry of unbearable burden under the impact of this will.

Clearly, this Starlight Giant regarded him as an enemy.

"I am not your enemy." Xu Ran’s will was equally resolute, he did not retreat but instead faced the terrifying will storm, conveying his own message, "I am also their prey."

As he spoke, he proactively dispersed the divine skeleton power from his surface, revealing his broken, end-of-the-road essence body. At the same time, he showcased without reservation the memory of him prying open the "Zero Seal" and slaying the "Cleaner" to the opponent.

The massive body of the Starlight Giant suddenly paused.

The tears of stars in his eyes flickered more intensely, as if discerning the truth or falsehood of Xu Ran’s memory.

Xu Ran waited quietly. He knew that communicating with such a being, any lie was futile. Only truth could bring the possibility of communication.

After a long while, the overwhelming hatred and murderous intent slowly subsided.

"The ’Seed’... has awakened..." the Starlight Giant sighed long and deeply, his voice filled with fatigue and melancholy, "But, too late... everything is too late..."

"Seed? Are you referring to ’Zero’?" Xu Ran keenly grasped the word.

"’Zero’ is the number they gave you. In our era, we called ourselves... ’Wall Breakers.’" The Starlight Giant’s voice carried endless antiquity.

"We were the first batch of ’experiments.’ Initially, the ’High-Dimensional Matrix’ was not meant for ’Reaping,’ but for seeking true ’eternity’ and ’transcendence.’ They created the cosmos, sowed the seeds of ’Wall Breakers,’ hoping we could grow and eventually break the dimensional barrier to bring them answers."

"We... succeeded."

There was a trace of uncontainable pride in the Starlight Giant’s voice, but this was quickly replaced by deeper sorrow.

"Our strongest succeeded in breaking the barrier and stepped into the high-dimensional hall. However, what he saw was not the truth, but... greed."

"Our success showed them another path. A path quicker and more tempting than seeking the elusive ’eternity’—and that was ’Reaping.’

"A cosmos from birth to peak, then to Nirvana, all its laws, all its life, all its existence ’information,’ would condense into a... ’Dao Source Fruit’ at the final ’catastrophic collapse.’

"For high-dimensional beings, this fruit is the ultimate supplement. Devouring it allows them to seize the entire foundation of a cosmos."

"Thus, the purpose of the experiment changed."

"They no longer expected us to ’break walls,’ but instead considered us catalysts to mature the cosmos. Our existence would accelerate the evolution of cosmic Dao Principles, hastening the cosmos to its peak. The ’Dust of Doomsday’ is the scythe they wield to reap when the fruit is ripe."

"The Guardians are nothing but tools to guard the orchard. And ’Wall Breakers,’ namely you so-called ’Zeroes,’ are the most crucial ’Seeds.’ Your existence determines the quality of the ’Dao Source Fruit.’ When you awaken, unleash the power to break barriers, it means the fruit has matured to its peak, the best time for harvesting."

The Starlight Giant’s words were like bolts of thunder, exploding in Xu Ran’s consciousness.

He finally understood.

Understood everything!

The so-called "watching," the so-called "guarding," from beginning to end, was a complete and utter deception!

He is not a Guardian; he’s a sacrifice!

His heroic act of slaying the "Cleaner," his defiant act of prying open the "Zero Seal," not only failed to win a chance for the cosmos but instead... rang the dinner bell!

He personally pushed himself and this cosmos towards true... a dead end!

A coldness to the extreme shot from Xu Ran’s feet straight to the top of his skull. He felt like a clown performing desperately on stage, while the audience behind the curtain had already prepared to dismantle him along with the entire stage.

"Why tell me these?" Xu Ran’s voice was terrifyingly hoarse.

"Because I saw in you an expression similar to his..." the Starlight Giant gazed at Xu Ran, his indistinct face seemingly showing a hint of reminiscence, "The strongest of our era, the first ’Wall Breaker,’ at the moment of stepping into the high-dimensional hall and seeing the truth, had the same expression."

"Unyielding, angry, and... madness enough to burn the heavens."

"He failed, crushed by the ’High-Dimensional Matrix,’ even the traces of his existence erased. As his follower, I carried parts of his remains and will, hid in this ’Coffin of Dao Burial,’ at the cosmos’s end, barely surviving, waiting for the next ’Wall Breaker’ to emerge."

"I waited too long... so long, I’ve nearly forgotten the meaning of waiting."

The Starlight Giant extended a hand composed of stars, pointing at the ancient stone coffin.

"I’m about to dissipate. This Coffin of Dao Burial, along with the last remaining ’unyielding will’ within, is the final inheritance I can leave you."