You Siqi's question was remarkably insightful, as it voiced the thoughts of everyone present, naturally leaving no one able to respond.
After a moment of awkward silence, Liu Buli finally reacted, his brow furrowed in a headache. "World destruction might be an exaggeration, but we're certainly in for a lot of trouble. Wuming, see if you can absorb more. Once the amount decreases a bit, we'll seal this place up, just like before. We'll bury all these auras beneath the snow mountain; it should be somewhat effective."
Lu Wuming acknowledged him.
Control of the flying sword was handed over to Liu Buli. He himself leaped down, facing the evil energy and malevolence head-on.
Seeing Lu Wuming begin his actions, You Siqi stroked his chin and pondered for a moment. Then, he shook his head. "Even if we maintain the same state as before, it's merely a temporary fix, not a cure. According to what you told us, when you were here last time, many monsters born from evil thoughts had already gathered. So, even though you've helped them break through the mountain wall this time, wouldn't those monsters have found a way to break out on their own eventually, even without your help?"
This point raised by You Siqi was precisely what Liu Buli had been worrying about. After all, as he said, considering the size of those monsters and the malevolent effect they emanated, breaking through the mountain wall was merely a matter of time. Liu Buli had even found himself wondering if they had simply arrived a little earlier.
If they hadn't come, perhaps in a short while, even less than a year, those monsters would have been capable of breaking out on their own and wreaking havoc upon the human world.
However, this thought was suppressed by Liu Buli after Lu Wuming absorbed the divine soul of the evil god. His original plan was that since they had dealt with the source, there was nothing more for them to worry about.
In that case, there was no need for such unfounded worries.
But seeing the scene before him now, Liu Buli realized that he wasn't worrying unnecessarily at all; rather, he had underestimated the situation.
After a period of quiet contemplation, Liu Buli finally struggled to speak, "But since the divine soul has been dealt with, absorbing the evil energy here and re-burying it should at least take tens of millions of years for such monsters to form again, right?"
"This issue..." You Siqi drew out his words, thinking carefully for a moment, then slowly shook his head. "That depends on how long you intend to let Lu Wuming absorb here. Imagine this: this is evil energy and malevolence that has been passed down from the mythical era. After millions of years, perhaps the air and soil here are already saturated with these detestable auras. These auras are contagious and interfere with normal things, just as you see now. Do you think Lu Wuming's absorption speed is faster, or their propagation speed is faster? Even if his absorption speed is faster, tell me, will he need to absorb for a thousand, ten thousand years, or continuously, to ensure the normalcy of this place?"
You Siqi's answer completely shattered Liu Buli's last shred of hope. A bitter smile involuntarily spread across his face. Liu Buli raised a hand to press his forehead and said, "That's definitely impossible. Is there no way to completely resolve this matter properly?"
"I haven't thought of an answer for now," You Siqi said, propping up his head and gazing at the black mist-like malevolence in the distance. After a moment of thought, he spoke, "But I do know that besides absorption, we might have other methods to slightly alleviate this problem. And if this world view is still within my novel, then another method should be the correct solution."
At his words, Liu Buli and Shen Muzhi were both stunned.
After all, this guy was the creator of this world, so when he occasionally uttered things that others dared not even consider, everyone had long since grown accustomed to it.
After a moment of confused silence, Liu Buli immediately understood his meaning. He and You Siqi then turned their gazes to Shen Muzhi, making him look awkward. Shen Muzhi scratched his cheek and hesitantly asked, "What does this have to do with me?"
"You are the protagonist. Naturally, saving the world should be your responsibility," Liu Buli said earnestly. "I knew why no matter how hard my disciple and I tried, we couldn't solve this problem. It turns out we were mistaken about our roles from the beginning. If the villains steal the protagonist's spotlight, the outcome will naturally be unsatisfactory. Isn't that right, my dear protagonist?"
Every time the label of "protagonist" was placed upon his head, something unpleasant was bound to happen.
Having experienced similar scenarios so many times, Shen Muzhi was well-prepared. Therefore, he couldn't muster a smile at these seemingly flattering words.
He could only force a smile, and Shen Muzhi said, "So, just tell me what you need me to do. You don't need to look at me like that; it makes me quite nervous."
Seeing his demeanor, You Siqi also chuckled. He reached out and poked Shen Muzhi's cheek. "Don't be nervous. You can definitely do this. It just requires you to transform into your divine beast form. You haven't shown me that form in a long time; now is a good opportunity, so hurry up and transform."
Shen Muzhi was well aware of how much You Siqi liked cats.
If it were in the past, during the time he was pursuing You Siqi, he would have gladly transformed into a cat. Because in that form, at least his beloved could hug and cuddle him more.
However, after they confirmed their relationship, Shen Muzhi no longer liked transforming into a cat. Although both forms were him, whenever You Siqi held the little cat with immense affection, he couldn't help but feel jealous of himself.
Shen Muzhi knew his thoughts were utterly pathetic, but he couldn't control them. Therefore, to prevent such trivial matters from affecting their relationship, Shen Muzhi could only refuse to transform into a cat for You Siqi time and time again.
As he refused more and more, You Siqi, being considerate, stopped asking. After all, as the author, You Siqi knew very well that Shen Muzhi didn't particularly like that form.
But this period of peace had lasted for a while. Now, Shen Muzhi never expected You Siqi to make such a request again.
He opened his mouth, about to politely refuse. Then he heard You Siqi continue, "You need to use your divine beast power to purify this evil energy. After all, you have the advantage of your racial talent, and your effect will definitely be much better than Lu Wuming's absorption. If you can achieve this in your human form, then of course, you won't need to transform into a cat. If you can't, I think it's better to transform. After all, this concerns the future of the entire world. You certainly don't want the world to be destroyed, do you?"