Chapter 774 - 774: Life and Death 3

Chana Tower.

On the wide brown platform, the massive figure of Long slowly opened his eyes.

"Is it... still not dead!?"

His vast computational power and terrifying range of monitoring Evil Spirits enabled him to instantly assess the condition of the Blood King.

Within the Great Spirit, he also had infiltrated spies, from whom he received subtle traces and intel.

He immediately learned that the Blood King was indeed not dead.

"A variable... is it that strange variable again?"

Long's heart was full of doubt and apprehension.

Yet at this moment, having wielded the Atomic Sequence Sword twice in succession, he no longer had the strength to continue strangling the Blood King.

He could indeed wield the Atomic Sequence Sword one more time as a trump card, but for him, who accumulates power slowly, it would take at least decades to make another move.

He couldn't recover his full strength as quickly as the Blood King.

This was the feature of pure power. Such power, being highly dense, was inherently difficult to restore, much slower compared to other types.

But the advantage was that its pure strength had immense power when unleashed.

Long lay on the platform, no longer moving.

He understood that in this exchange, both he and the Blood King had already revealed their trump cards.

He couldn't kill the Blood King, and the Blood King couldn't do anything to him.

"Stop all operations against the Blood Alliance." He thought for a moment, and finally spoke.

On the three high platforms surrounding the area, the Three Evil Kings were silent for a moment, clearly understanding the reason.

"The Blood King, still not dead?!" Ophelia parted her lips slightly, somewhat shocked.

"Lord Long killed him 972,323 times and finally used a powerful sword move that obliterated a bloodline, yet still....!?" Ming, who understood Long's level of power more than Ophelia, was even more shocked in his heart.

"But no matter what, the Blood King must be severely weakened. That sword didn't just annihilate flesh and vitality; it also destroyed all spiritual consciousness within. It will definitely be difficult for him to recover!" Ophelia swiftly regained her composure and said in a low voice.

"Let's leave it at that. Indeed, as you said, the Forbidden Power I used was capable of causing devastating damage to his consciousness. So even for him, it will take time to recover fully." Long said calmly.

He now faintly sensed a trace of urgency.

Until now, he had absolute assurance and confidence, believing he could instantly crush everything with his moves.

Everything in the world was like a pattern in his palm, completely under his control.

But since the Blood King emerged... gradually, the smile at the corner of his mouth began to fade away, until now, it was completely gone.

Although Zhang Rongfang was not yet able to reach the level where he was, a rival who couldn't be killed or completely destroyed was ultimately a difficult nuisance.

"Continue handling the matter of the mystical locks, don't stop. The second mystical lock was solved easily by chance, but the strongest and most mysterious third mystical lock won't be so easily found." Long spoke up.

"White Pupil is drawing nearer; our time is running short." He looked up at the sky, through the transparent crystal window at the top of the tower, he could see the brilliant sky glow pure and dazzling.

Everyone believed he was participating in the plan to open a long-distance passage to escape, but he knew only himself that it was to go home.

Hurry... faster....

Feeling an immense emptiness inside, Long was increasingly impatient, desperate to return to White Pupil.

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Great Spirit Interactive Area.

Great Spirit.

Amidst the rising and falling cries of vendors, the streets and alleys were filled with peddlers pushing carts to sell their goods.

Cows and horses passing by neighed and bellowed from time to time,

Women on the streets held children's hands on strolls, with laughter and smiles.

Men of the martial world, carrying swords, walked briskly, heads down, not daring to meet eyes.

Vegetable farmers and charcoal vendors cautiously kept to the corner of the roads.

Everything was as usual, unchanged.

Zhang Rongfang wore a plain blue robe, his waist tied with a black belt, displaying the aloof and nonchalant aura of a Taoist.

After leaving the Human Immortal Cave, he did not restore the full corruption of the Bloodline, only a few first-generation Bloodlines.

At this moment, none of the bloodlines had started to spread. Everything had returned to the beginning, to the original Great Spirit.

"What do you want to do?" The Celestial Maiden followed behind him, a hint of confusion on her delicate face.

Zhang Rongfang smiled, casually strolling along the street as if taking a leisurely walk.

After his revival, he did not seek out the Spirit Emperor to start anew, nor did he leave the Great Spirit to confront the Chana Tower again.

Instead, he left the Wish Girl Gorge as if nothing happened and started wandering around.

At this moment, they had casually arrived at a small border town to walk freely.

Although the people here no longer had Bloodline blood, they were only slightly affected and quickly recovered.

Without bloodlines, so what? People still need to live, and life goes on.

In the hearts of the people, one could clearly see hidden confusion, worry, and anxiety, but no one expressed it openly.

"Maybe they just think this is normal, a periodic condition." Zhang Rongfang said softly.

"Perhaps." The Celestial Maiden replied. She found that she increasingly couldn't understand Zhang Rongfang.

What exactly did he want to do?

Actually, it's not just her, everyone else around her has gradually been unable to understand Zhang Rongfang.

Long of Chana Tower destroyed so many forces of the Blood Alliance, both sides had long since turned into enemies.

But now it is mysteriously peaceful.

The Great Spirit Interactive Area is such a vast region, and the entrance has long been exposed. The Celestial Maiden doesn't believe they can't find it.

But no one from Chana Tower comes to make trouble.

Zhang Rongfang also intentionally restricts everyone from leaving the Great Spirit.

Both sides seem to be following an unspoken agreement.

"I understand what you want to ask." Zhang Rongfang said softly. "Long and I actually don't want to continue fighting. This time, I suffered more losses. But the fundamentals are still there; it's just some territory and a few personnel lost.

And he knows that continuing to fight, he won't be able to kill me no matter what. We can't go on fighting, fighting until both sides are exhausted, completely consuming the last ounce of power."

"So, that's why there's a truce?" The Celestial Maiden understood.

"Rather than a truce, it's better to say both are waiting for the right moment." Zhang Rongfang answered.

At this time, he is detached from everything, returning to the original, looking at everything as if it's all new.

From moving mountains and seas to a daily mundane life in the city, the huge contrast makes Zhang Rongfang mysteriously arise a strange realization in his heart.

This time, he constantly jumps between life and death, being killed and reborn countless times.

During the tens of thousands of times of life and death transitions, he vaguely, seemingly saw a change.

A change belongs to himself, and not influenced by the bloodline attributes.

Strolling on the street, Zhang Rongfang is like a real ordinary person. He passes by a snack shop and goes in to eat a portion, passes by a bookstore, and goes in to read.

He even bought a set of clothes for Zhang Zhenhai and the Celestial Maiden.

At this moment, he really seems to have become an ordinary person.

Before long, at sunset, the false sun pulls out the long shadows of the two people.

Unknowingly, they have already walked to a riverside.

Willows by the river sway gently, their catkins flutter with the wind, falling onto the mirror-like water surface, rippling gently.

"Tong Zhang."

Zhang Rongfang walked over to a long bench by the riverside and sat down, gazing at the clear water surface, also looking at the few children not far away on the arch bridge playing with string figures.

"What do you think is the most important thing to a person from birth to death?"

"Living?" The Celestial Maiden thought for a moment and replied.

"Yes, a lot of people might answer like this... But, why do some people end their lives because of what they want to do?" Zhang Rongfang asked again.

"A strong will can make oneself stronger." The Celestial Maiden replied.

"Then where does such a strong will come from?"

"...." The Celestial Maiden was silent; this question is too complicated, and perhaps everyone might have their own answer.

"The world is uncertain, but no matter what era, there can be people who sacrifice themselves for others. Such a will to transcend death is more powerful than gold or iron. How are they born?"

"It's because... they want to achieve wishes more important than their own lives..." The Celestial Maiden said softly.

"Humans, born selfish, what makes them think external things are heavier than their own lives?" Zhang Rongfang asked again.

"I... can't answer." The Celestial Maiden shook her head. She hadn't thought about such a question of tracing origins, nor had time to think.

"It is this uncertain world...." Zhang Rongfang sighed softly. "Humans are destined to die; they just want to choose their own preferred way to die. Whether it is as splendid as a meteor or peaceful and ordinary, content with mediocrity. In fact, this is not unique to humans; all things with spirit are like this."

The Celestial Maiden remained silent. Though well-read, she was far inferior to Zhang Rongfang in terms of contemplation at this moment.

"If everything in the world goes as expected, it will be endlessly repetitive. Repetition brings boredom, brings senescence."

As Zhang Rongfang spoke, he couldn't help but recall his tens of thousands of experiences of life and death.

In the endless alternation of life and death, he sees no hope, doesn't know when it will end.

But his confidence in himself, his determination not to die, is like a dusty gemstone, constantly polished in Long's power, increasingly radiating brilliant light.

In the endless obliteration where hope is unseen, if the will is not erased, it will surely soar.

"What do you... want to do?" The Celestial Maiden faintly felt something was wrong, and finally asked.

"I now somewhat understand Long." Zhang Rongfang smiled.

In front of him, a densely packed list from the attribute panel automatically appeared.

The bloodlines like Blood Race Ancestor are still there; they just haven't fully manifested. They are currently suppressed by his will, not activated.

On this body that was once quite pure, he really only has those few original talents.

That's all.

"The consciousness of living beings is truly an amazing thing." Zhang Rongfang seemed unconcerned about the blood-red intuition warning flashing at the bottom of the attribute panel.

'Intuition Warning: Your consciousness has severely deviated from normal trajectory, starting to show conflict between spirit and flesh. Please immediately meditate and recuperate to restore spirit-flesh harmony.'

"Long said that I am the only variable in this world, the only point capable of breaking through the pattern. Then why is it me?"

Zhang Rongfang asked himself.

At this moment, countless thoughts quickly turned and collided in his mind.

At this very moment, he suddenly understood why he had never been able to comprehend the path of Compassion.

In the Five Qi toward the Essence, the part belonging to Compassion had always been thought to be the emotion of pitying others.

But... until this moment, he understood. This Compassion is not towards others.

But towards oneself.

In this world, humans are like mayflies, born in the morning and dead by dusk. How lamentable.