Chapter 245: Chapter 242 [I am your...]
Chapter Two Hundred and Forty-Two: I Am Your...
A Seed with its own ambition...
This was Chen Nuo’s assessment after hearing this man’s account.
Every Seed indeed wishes to root deeply, burst through the soil, grow into a towering tree, and form its own lineage!
"So, does the Mother here really no longer exist?" Chen Nuo sighed deeply, not sure if he felt more relieved...or more shaken.
The man watched Chen Nuo with a smile.
"If It were still here, you wouldn’t be able to stand here and talk to me," the man shook his head. "And I wouldn’t be able to stand here and talk to you."
The man seemed most interested in Chen Nuo and kept his attention on him as he spoke. "The Mother here has been destroyed by me. It was a very long process, so long that I was almost bound here and lost my freedom to accomplish it."
"Then, Mr. Ambitious Seed, how did you manage to kill the Mother?"
"And you? The Mother you saw, how was It killed?"
Chen Nuo frowned in thought for a moment. He looked around the Relic World, then suddenly nodded, his expression contemplative. "I think I understand."
Lu Xixi and the others all turned their gaze to Chen Nuo. Lu Xixi whispered, "What do you understand?"
Chen Nuo spoke in a grave tone, "It should be related to this place, right? That sacrificial pyramid?"
"Kid, be clearer! There are many people here who still don’t get it," the Son of the Sun said discontentedly.
Chen Nuo shook his head. "I only have a rough idea and am not sure if it’s accurate."
Taking a deep breath, Chen Nuo’s tone wasn’t very certain, but he still slowly spoke.
"The Mother is a Spiritual Life Form, and the most powerful one at that. Only that virus targeting Spiritual Life Forms could pose a threat to It. This was also the source of the disaster that led to the demise of the Mother’s civilization. Here, what can counter the Mother is also that Seed of Misfortune. Be it the Seed of Misfortune or a spiritual virus, both belong to this category. Fat old man, for decades you’ve been hunting those remnants and extracting those demons’ spiritual awareness to nourish the Seed of Misfortune, which is actually a kind of negative Spiritual Energy. This leads to an inference: to combat the Mother, one must find negative energy on the spiritual level. So... there were sacrifices, right, Mr. Seed!"
The Seed didn’t speak.
Seeing that he didn’t deny it, Chen Nuo became even more certain of his guess.
He continued:
"What is a sacrifice? It’s the killing of living beings! Then extracting from them to offer to the Mother.
"What kind of act is this? Slaughter!
"You can imagine, if you were the person being sacrificed, hunted down, bound on the altar, when you see the blade at your throat, when you see yourself about to be butchered. What would your mental state, your emotions be? The extreme of fear! The extreme of despair! The extreme of anger! Extreme resentment! Extreme anguish! The extreme of hatred... and so on and so forth!
"Aren’t these the most tangible... negative Spiritual Energy?"
At this point, Chen Nuo couldn’t help but glance in the direction of the no longer existent pyramid.
"The only thing I don’t understand is that the pyramid, though ancient, only has a history of a few hundred years, or at most a thousand years! But... according to what you just said... the Mother is on Earth. You claim that we humans, these beings of Earth, evolved into a civilization and had our spiritual awareness ignited because..."
At this point, Chen Nuo shuddered uncontrollably.
"That should be from an even more Ancient Era! But the pyramid’s sacrifices have lasted at most just under a thousand years. So, there seems to be a temporal paradox."
The man laughed again.
"Because, sacrifices didn’t start with the pyramids."
At these words, Chen Nuo’s body jolted, and he stared at the Seed in disbelief!
After a few seconds of silence, his expression turned peculiar. He exhaled a long breath, his gaze fixed on the Seed, full of shock.
"I...understand now!"
After a pause, Chen Nuo shook his head. "Damn! You really are ruthless!"
"Understand what?" Lu Xixi frowned.
The Empress seemed somewhat impatient—in this place, she was one of those with the least information, and listening to all this was confusing and frustrating to her.
Chen Nuo did not directly answer Lu Xixi but looked at the Seed and asked seriously, "So... how many of your companions have you sacrificed here, in this place?"
The advent of the Mother, the birth of the Seed, were undoubtedly in an extremely Ancient Era! In that era, humans were probably still Ancient Apes! In that era, there was not yet high-level life on Earth! So, to kill the Mother, to inflict wounds on It—where could one find negative Spiritual Energy?
Only higher life forms, after gaining intelligence, could generate more defined negative Spiritual Energy. Humans alone have hatred, anger, deep sorrow, and so forth, these precise negative Spiritual Energies.
In the Ancient Era, there were no high-level life forms on Earth. Even if this Seed found the Mother, how could it manage to kill It?
This is a process of elimination. Once you eliminate the impossible, whatever remains, no matter how improbable, must be the truth!
The answer is: In the Ancient Era, the only higher beings that existed on Earth, the only ones that could generate spiritual power or even negative spiritual power were... Seeds alone!
The offspring nurtured by the Mother murdered each other to obtain negative Spiritual Energy, and then, with this energy, they killed the Mother!
"We were born from the Mother, born on this planet.
"After we awoke, we realized we didn’t need to seek and awaken the Mother to find our own purpose in life. For a long time after that, I and the other individual Seeds, presumably, lived very happy lives.
"But as with all life, we were inevitably fated to walk the path of evolution. As the only intelligent life, the higher beings, on the planet at that time, we were no exception.
"Once life satisfies its basic needs, it naturally seeks higher-order needs. For us, after discovering that we could completely possess our own value and meaning in life... we had our second awakening. That is... the direction of our life’s value, where our path lies."
In ages long past, on the vast and ancient Earth of the Ancient Era, perhaps sitting on the plains, perhaps on a mountaintop, or at the entrance of a cave, looking up at the night sky filled with stars and the moon, dwelled the Seeds—Earth’s only higher beings at the time. After they obtained free life and enjoyed the freedom of life, when they began to contemplate the value and direction of their lives... the second awakening quietly came upon them.
Evolve! Evolve towards a higher plane! This is the natural, most instinctive, and highest pursuit imprinted on the genes of every higher being!
Unlike human evolution, which is a process of life groping forward in the dark, forging ahead under the law of natural selection by cutting through brambles and thorns, the Seeds were different! When they were born, they received the heritage of the Mother and possessed a part of the spiritual imprint. They didn’t need to grope, to be aimless, or to be directionless in the dark! They were very clear about what a higher being looked like and also very clear about the direction evolution should take!
An offspring, whether you want it or not, whether you hope for it or not, whether you are willing or not... What will this offspring ultimately grow up to be? The answer is very simple, only one: to grow up... looking like its parents!
The "parent" of the Seeds was the Mother!
The Seeds were uniquely blessed. They were the only higher beings on the planet at that time; they had no natural predators on this planet! If possible, they could have completely become the masters of the planet, or even the Gods of the Ancient Era, because they possessed lives that were nearly impossible to extinguish!
They were Spiritual Life Forms. Following the pattern of the Mother’s civilization, the essence of Spiritual Life Forms lay in their spiritual existence, not their physical bodies. They could, according to need and circumstance, change their physical form.
For instance, when a Seed was first born on the planet, it might initially take the form of a Mammoth. It could live its whole life in the form of that Mammoth. But one day, if this Mammoth were suddenly hunted by a pack of Saber-Toothed Tigers, when the sharp teeth of a Saber-Toothed Tiger tore through the Mammoth’s throat... the Spiritual Life Form could completely discard the Mammoth’s body and then become that Saber-Toothed Tiger!
When this Saber-Toothed Tiger grew old and weak, the Seed could also completely discard the weakened body, then search for a new, young, healthy life and... possess it. It’s akin to Body Seizing!
They could almost be called immortal. The only thing that can kill a Spiritual Life Form is one thing: negative Spiritual Energy. That is to say, in that era, on Earth, only Seeds could kill other Seeds. Apart from that, they had no natural enemies. They could live on indefinitely...
"Other Seeds may have been content with such a state of life. But there are always those who are not satisfied. Just like in any group, some live in a muddle, while others look up at the starry sky and contemplate the direction of life. And, fortunately, I awoke while the other Seeds did not. What’s even clearer is that I am one of the stronger Seeds among all."
Chen Nuo understood what the Seed was saying. He had awakened while the other Seeds had not—this meant he could ambush others before they even realized it! Being one of the stronger ones meant he had enough strength to kill weaker Seeds; if he had been too weak himself, it would have been very difficult.
"After contemplating the meaning of life, I was no longer aimless, nor was I muddled. I was clear about the value of my life and the direction it was headed! Thus, I began to act.
"I forget when it was... At that time, trying to define the concept of Time was far too vague. In any case, after searching for a very, very long time, I finally found another of my kind one day. Another Seed. And fortunately, my spiritual power was stronger than his."
"You killed him," Chen Nuo stated calmly, his tone declarative, not questioning.
The Seed seemed to sigh faintly. "...Yes."
It was an equally calm response.
The Seed had killed another Seed. The strength of its spiritual power allowed it to suppress its opponent. This wasn’t simply about killing the opponent’s physical body; for Spiritual Life Forms, killing the physical body was meaningless. But one Spiritual Life Form could devour another.
After this Seed killed the first of its kind, it was the first time in its life it had experienced a strange thing: negative Spiritual Energy! The one being killed, before being devoured, erupted with an emotion unfamiliar to both of them: Rage! Despair! Sorrow! Unwillingness...
This negative Spiritual Energy, born just before death, not only caused the Seed with "great ambitions" to fail but almost got it killed as well!
"In your human terms... I fell gravely ill. I was sick for a very, very long time, howling and writhing in a cave, lying there for countless days and nights. At my weakest, I even thought I would die, that I would completely dissipate. But ultimately, I recovered bit by bit and regained my strength. Even more, after devouring that kinsman, I became stronger than before once I had recovered!"
As the Seed narrated, Chen Nuo shook his head. "You’ve found the Key to advancing in life."
The Seed smiled. "Yes, the Key. I have found it."
Spiritual Life Forms can strengthen themselves by devouring other Spiritual Life Forms.
—This is the first Key.
The negative Spiritual Energy that erupts from life can pose a potentially fatal threat to Spiritual Life Forms.
—This is the second Key.
The ambitious Seed, having arrived at these two conclusions, soon grasped the third point!
Who is the strongest Spiritual Life Form in this world?
Not the Seeds!
It is the Mother!
—This is the third Key!
If there are two forks in the road before you: turning left might lead to finding a hundred dollars; turning right might lead to immeasurable wealth. Which way would you go? The question is self-evident.
The ambitious Seed naturally set its sights on the Mother! It resumed its journey to find the Mother! From birth to the first awakening, it had given up searching for the Mother. Then came the second awakening, and it started anew to search for Her. The progression of life seemed to embark on a curious cycle, going round and round, returning to a previous path. However, the outcome was already different!
"On my path forward, I searched for the Mother, while also looking for others of my kind. Finally, one day, I found this place and discovered a slumbering fragment of the Mother here. I knew it was only a part of the Mother. But even as a part, It was so powerful that I couldn’t absorb or kill It."
"You didn’t awaken the Mother."
"Of course not."
"Not only did you not awaken Her, but you also lured your own kind here, killed them here, and used the negative Spiritual Energy they generated to harm the Mother?"
"The process was much more complicated and difficult." The Seed shook its head. "After countless attempts, I finally found a feasible way."
The ambitious Seed found the Mother and lured a kinsman to this place. It killed its kinsman and used their negative Spiritual Energy to harm the Mother. The Mother was hurt. Just like a person who has been stabbed and bleeds, what flowed out of the Mother was not blood. After being harmed, the Mother released a vast amount of Spiritual Energy.
The ambitious Seed benefited.
According to its original plan, it should have continued to lure more of its kin, kill them here repeatedly in the same way, harm the Mother, make the Mother "bleed," and then it would "drink the blood." But it identified a problem.
There weren’t many Seeds on Earth. To be precise, there weren’t enough "higher life forms capable of generating negative Spiritual Energy." There were too few Seeds.
According to its calculations, even if it successfully lured all the Seeds here, killed them, and then harmed the Mother... it couldn’t kill the Mother or make the Mother "bleed dry." It couldn’t possibly absorb the entire Mother!
It needed more "higher life forms capable of generating negative Spiritual Energy"!
"So, we return to a question I asked you earlier. Do you think... the leap from Ancient Apes to humans... such an evolution. Your planet, with such a vast biological chain and so many wondrous species, so much life... All of this, do you really think it was a gift from heaven?"
Faced with this question... everyone present, including Chen Nuo, suddenly had an answer in their hearts!
The Seed changed its method. It still began to search for and attract its kin here to kill them and make the Mother bleed. However, it no longer absorbed that "blood"! It paid a huge price, expended a vast amount of Time, and lived through long ages. Here, it killed its kin one by one, causing the Mother to bleed continuously! But it did not absorb the "blood." Instead, it let this "blood of the Mother" return to this world. It gave it back to Earth!
Chen Nuo had a peculiar expression, the corner of his eye twitching as he stared at the Seed before him. He took a deep breath, exhaled forcefully, and then repeated the process... He did this several times, but it seemed he still couldn’t completely expel the heavy, oppressive feeling in his chest. Finally, staring at the Seed, Chen Nuo smiled bitterly and said, "So... you’re trying to tell us that you are actually..."
"By your human ethics or logic... In some sense, I could be considered your... Creator God."
Upon hearing this, the expressions of everyone present changed drastically!
Chen Nuo, however, couldn’t help but roll his eyes.
Creator God? To hell with your Creator God!