Chapter 180 Three Wins

Yala's reprimand wasn't conveyed through any language, but rather an invisible thought, a pure telekinesis.

Responding to this thought, a hazy cloud of gray mist floated in the sky, concentric ripples shimmering, transforming into distant phantoms.

The thoughts of the Silent Lord emanated from within.

[I did nothing. This is his karma with this world.]

Intermingled with rumbling spiritual sounds, calm and gentle, not devoid of emotion, but vast and gentle like the ocean, distant and serene like the universe, a voice came from the other side of the void:

[The New World Crystal taken from this world, the 'Heart Realm' forged from it, inherently shares the same origin as the world of this New Era, and are interconnected.]

[In the past, at the beginning of the era, Su Zhou left with the position of pioneer of the New Era, and the world had not yet had time to develop connections. But now, he has returned again, responding to the world's aspiration and the world's resonance, naturally causing the current result.]

"Say it so nicely, you just want to poach me—don't you know how to find a suitable dependent yourself?!"

To this rather empty explanation, the Serpent Spirit merely swung its tail angrily, expressing disdain.

Faced with Yala's accusation, the Silent Lord did not continue to explain.

Just like His title, He remained silent.

But His meaning was clear—if you say so, then it is, no excuses.

"So that's how it is."

Su Zhou stroked Yala, appeasing the angry Serpent Spirit, and then placed her back on his head.

Now, he understood what was going on.

In short, Su Zhou's personal space did indeed have a fundamental connection with the Samsara World—the New World Crystal that opened up the personal space originated from the Samsara World; they were essentially brothers.

In addition, Su Zhou was indeed one of the pioneers who opened up the New Era of the Samsara World, so after the New Era world developed, a vast amount of aspiration and spiritual power would naturally flow towards him and his personal space.

This was a blessing from the world itself, which would naturally allow Su Zhou's personal space to grow and even perfect its internal circulation, making it perfect... but by the same token, this karma and actual connection locked Su Zhou's personal space here, like an attached plane to the Samsara World, making it difficult to leave.

Of course, most importantly, the Silent Lord seemed to be planning to rely on this relationship to keep him here.

After all, when Su Zhou was about to leave the Samsara World, the Silent Lord was planning to use the World Element Spirit to keep Su Zhou. This wasn't the first time.

And thinking about it carefully, if you really wanted to compare poaching, aside from the World Tree being relatively Buddhist, it seemed that every great existence he encountered had sent him an invitation?

No, wait, the World Tree World seemed to be where he took the initiative to request to inherit the identity of the Pan Rong Undying Tree World Tree King?

Why had he suddenly become so popular? He couldn't feel it before...

After thinking for a long time, unable to find an answer, Su Zhou couldn't help but sigh: "As expected of me!"

"Is that all you have to say?"

At this time, Yala, perched on Su Zhou's head, slapped Su Zhou's head with her tail, and said, "You were just an ordinary person back then, but now you are already a Hegemon Earth Immortal, and you obviously have the potential to advance to a higher and stronger level in the future... Do you still think you can compare to back then?"

"Moreover, because you are my Pact-Maker, the highest-level Divine Chosen, you naturally have your own avatars and projections in multiple worlds... Understand? Su Zhou, you don't represent an individual now, but the source prototype of 'Primordial Candle Dragon,' 'Undying Dragon Prototype,' and other transcendent entities! Your value is much greater than it was back then! That's why these guys are running out now to invest in you."

"Anyway, compared to their goals, the power invested in you is just a drop in the bucket, so why not?"

The Silent Lord had been silent, with only spiritual sounds coming from the distant other side.

After Yala finished speaking, He spoke, as if to acquiesce.

[The Great Seal is the result of the 'War of Correctness'. As you can see, all the great beings you can meet within it are the losers of that battle in the past.]

[The seal is about to break, and the day all the great beings break free is the day this multiverse, which serves as the seal, is destroyed.]

[Of course, not all great beings want to go out, such as I.]

[But there are indeed those who want to break through the seal, such as the Harbinger.]

[His self-imposed seal, although it delayed the chain collapse of the multiverse, calculating from the 'core universe' time standard, in twenty-five years, but if his dependents continue to be active, everything will fall into unpredictable chaos, which is not in line with my goal.]

[I need to protect my remaining people and keep them from being troubled by this unwarranted disaster—so I do need an agent to do some things to ensure that things develop within my Samsara.]

Afterward, the Silent Lord no longer spoke, but His meaning was clear.

In fact, Su Zhou also understood—because he had once led the humans of the Samsara World to transcend the Samsara of the elemental cycle, he was extremely favored by the Silent Lord.

Everything proved that those with the potential to transcend Samsara were within the Silent Lord's observation range.

Similarly, his code of conduct, in some respects, also met the requirements of the Harbinger and Destiny... Whether it was the idea of constantly moving forward or the desire to regulate the world with his own heart, in a sense, as long as he continued, it would not be surprising to become the top agent of these great beings.

Therefore, they, more or less, actively or passively, would invite him to join them... But for Yala, it was a frequent poaching campaign.

And the reason why Yala's reaction was so intense this time was mainly because the Silent Lord was the first great existence to take actual poaching action—even Destiny only had dream conversations.

However, Su Zhou could also feel that the Silent Lord was not forcing him.

The so-called agent was someone who could act like the great being Himself. Without genuine recognition and following, agreeing with the other party's philosophy, forcing it would not work, and brainwashing was meaningless.

At this time, above Su Zhou's head, Yala was staring with large eyes at the distant mist phantom of the Silent Lord, while the Silent Lord's mist phantom was silent and drifting uncertainly.

"But I'm a little curious."

Su Zhou looked up, and while Yala and the Silent Lord seemed to be confronting each other, the youth naturally asked in confusion, "Why do we have to choose just one side?"

He spoke eloquently, breaking the silent confrontation: "Yala is indeed good to me, and I very much agree with Yala's ideas, especially the fact that He supports me not agreeing with His ideas, which I think is unmatched by any great existence."

"And the Silent Lord's concept of transcending Samsara, although inhumane, but from a macro perspective, I completely agree that it is a correct concept."

Speaking of this, Su Zhou spread his hands, and he said cheerfully, "Then why can't you both invest in me at the same time? This is not a conflicting thing. One plus one cooperation is greater than two, a three-way win!"

[...]

"?"

The Silent Lord was silent as always.

And Yala made a big '?' sign with her tail.

In response, Su Zhou took Yala from his head and placed her on his arm. The youth faced the Serpent Spirit and said, "Yala, look."

"You are optimistic about me, and the Silent Lord is also optimistic about me. Rounding it off, doesn't that mean that you and the Silent Lord are both optimistic about each other? There's nothing wrong with that—and it sounds like the Silent Lord's purpose seems to be the same as ours, for some reason, wanting to delay the awakening time of other great beings. Doesn't that prove that we are indeed on the same side?"

"Since we are on the same side, why do we have to choose one of the two? Can't I have them all?"

"That's the logic!"

The inflated Yala stretched out her tail and slapped Su Zhou's cheek repeatedly: "But obviously, I don't think it's possible!"

Su Zhou wanted to say something more, but at this time, accompanied by an echo that might have been laughter, the Silent Lord's phantom had already begun to recede.

[Is this your initiative to invite me?]

[But the connection between your Heart Realm and the Samsara World is a matter of course. I did not deliberately urge it.]

[Moreover, I have discovered that you are not Yala's dependent... but His Pact-Maker. You are not a walker on the path of Chaos, nor are you a derivative of Yala. You are an independent existence.]

[In that case, Su Zhou, you invite me, and I will respond—let me witness your Dao.]

The rumbling sound dissipated into the void, and the traces of the Silent Lord faded from the Samsara World, leaving only a faint aftersound and intriguing messages.

[Pact-Maker of Chaos, walk in the world, let all the people witness with me how you will practice in this world.]

Soon, the light of endless concentric circles completely dissipated, and the mist projected by the Silent Lord also dissipated.

Leaving only one man and one serpent standing in the sky above the sea of the Samsara World, rolling clouds flowing beneath their feet.

"...How was it, Yala? Was my answer good?"

After a long while, when all the aura of the Silent Lord had dissipated, Su Zhou communicated with Yala in his heart with a rather complacent tone: "To be honest, the Silent Lord's purpose is indeed similar to our purpose, so why not try to join forces?"

"It's indeed not bad. Our cooperation is indeed perfect."

The Yala, who originally looked very angry and puffed up, was now only outwardly angry. Her inner tone was calm, and she climbed back to Su Zhou's head.

The Serpent Spirit swung her tail thoughtfully: "The Silent Lord has always been a neutralist. He also often cooperates with other great beings—with Destiny, and with my cooperation. Because the 'transcendence of Samsara' that He essentially adheres to is indeed not mutually exclusive with the ideas of most great beings, His sense of existence is very strong. Even the sense of existence derived in many worlds is very powerful. No matter what type of mythology, there will always be some related existence derived."

"Now, cooperating with the Silent Lord again is nothing. He is never the kind of person who would betray an ally... But what makes me feel confused is the Silent Lord's 'goal itself'."

"Goal? Isn't it to protect His people?"

Hearing this, Su Zhou asked with some strangeness in his heart: "The Silent Lord Himself said that He doesn't seem like a liar."

In fact, until now, Su Zhou had not seen any great beings, not even Yala, lie... At most, they only stated a part of the truth and did not talk about some truly ancient secrets.

It was almost impossible to lie to ordinary humans. It was too embarrassing.

"If it's just to protect His own people, then anyone can protect a rough outline. But obviously, because of the Harbinger's actions, the Silent Lord has changed His mind."

Yala, who knew these old friends better, had different views. She fell into contemplation: "His active appearance this time is actually sending me a signal of invitation. His purpose may indeed be to protect His own people, but it is definitely not just that."

Yala was still thinking about more complicated things, analyzing every detail of what the Silent Lord did.

But Su Zhou was too lazy to think so much.

Yala and the Silent Lord were old acquaintances. They were too familiar with each other, so they would seriously consider every word. But this time, just in terms of the accident Su Zhou encountered, the Silent Lord's meaning was already obvious.

——The matter of your personal space is a normal phenomenon. I did not deliberately promote it, so I will not help. You can solve it yourself.

——Whether you solve this matter yourself, settle the karma with this world, and leave with a normalized personal space; or give up this power from the Samsara World and leave as a free man, that is Su Zhou's own freedom.

The specific outcome completely depended on Su Zhou's actions in the Samsara World this time.

"Anyway, the worst outcome is nothing more than giving up the personal space and letting me carry the World Tree back alone."

Su Zhou didn't care about this kind of thing now. He had advanced to become an Earth Immortal, the only immortal god on Earth.

Bringing back a World Tree would no longer be as shocking and desire-inducing as it was in the beginning.

In other words, Su Zhou's strength could completely protect the World Tree. At that time, whether he planted the World Tree in Qingqiu Star or the Beast God Realm, it would be a good choice.

"No! Here is good!"

However, as soon as Su Zhou had this thought, it triggered the opposition of the World Tree spirit in the soul space. It shook its branches, obviously preferring the personal space, a good place where it completely dominated and occupied the top spot alone.

Moreover, this time, the personal space had evolved, and the World Tree was like moving from a city center apartment to a seaside villa. It couldn't be more satisfied. If you wanted it to move, it would be the first to refuse.

"Okay, okay, I will work hard and let you continue to live here—I'm just saying, in case, in case."

Soothing the World Tree, Su Zhou shook his head slightly, sighed, and then slowly descended from the high altitude.

"As for now, let me see what's going on with these aspirations, and how to cut them off."

Thinking like this, on the way down, he closed his eyes and his spirit began to extend.

The supernatural power of the Devouring Demon Lord was activated, causing Su Zhou's will to touch the 'spiritual energy' and 'aspiration' that locked the personal space in the Samsara World, one by one, under spiritual vision, like huge chains intertwined with cyan-purple and gold.

Then, at the moment when the will and the chains overlapped.

Su Zhou heard the voices of countless prayers.

"Glory be to You, the Great Lord of Judgment, it is You who forged the cornerstone of law, the source of retribution!"

"Lord, Lord! Bring punishment upon that unrighteous man! He deceived all of us, using forged lord's secret letters to swindle away all the medicine in the village used for epidemic prevention. Please cast divine punishment..."

"I confess, Lord of Judgment, I have committed a crime, I confess... I am willing to offer gold and gems, and beg for Your forgiveness..."

"Death penalty! Death penalty! Death penalty! In the name of the Lord of Judgment, give these heretics at sea the death penalty!"

Countless layers of overlapping, true and false, voices of prayer, sounded in his ears.

And before Su Zhou's eyes, he saw figures in front of candles, in front of statues, in front of altars.

They prayed, pleaded, repented, and appealed; they were calm, angry, hesitant, and fanatical.

Some were in front of delicate and magnificent dragon statues, in quiet rooms filled with incense, clasping their hands together, devoutly repeating scriptures, solemn and harmonious.

Some were in front of bare ancient altars, constantly colliding their heads against the hard rock, causing blood to flow, telling of their suffering in the wind and snow, numb and desperate.

Some, although still surrounded by scantily clad women and surrounded by all kinds of dazzling gold and gem jewelry, with bright red lipstick marks on their faces, were uneasy and sleepless at night, fearing that retribution would come in the next moment and shatter all the beauty like a dream.

Some, even on a merchant ship in the far sea, even in pouring rain, covered in scars, holding only a cold long knife full of gaps and on the verge of breaking, had a hot and exuberant fire in their hearts, fearlessly shouting the name of justice in their hearts.

In an instant.

Su Zhou's spirit touched the aspiration bound to his personal space for an instant, and retracted his will tentacles.

And with the withdrawal, there were also the memories of thousands of blurred petitioners.

Opening his eyes, the youth's expression became solemn.

"Lord of Judgment? Is that me?"

His expression became a little strange: "It seems to be me... That statue, isn't it the true body I originally created in the Samsara World? But I remember I didn't have wings at that time, right? When did they add them?"

"I... have become a god in this world?"

At this time, Su Zhou had landed on the sea.

He raised his head and looked at the brilliant lights of the city along the coast in the distance, and couldn't help but feel a burst of: "I guess the time flow is a little different from the World Tree World... How many years have passed in the Samsara World?"

"I need to ask about the situation."

Thinking like this, Su Zhou closed his eyes again, connecting his spirit with the aspiration.

Immediately, countless prayers and fantasies emerged again, swarming towards his mind.

If an ordinary transcendent encountered such a huge surge of collective aspiration, without directly falling into madness, it would at least be equivalent to being subjected to a highly effective mental strike, and would be sluggish for at least ten days.

But as a Hegemon-level powerhouse with a Heavenly Soul Karma Seat, Su Zhou's ability to withstand this aspect far exceeded all those of the same rank who did not follow the same path.

No matter what kind of mental attack, could it be stronger than the collection of millions of heavenly demon souls? If he couldn't do it, it was immune to Su Zhou.

With his own strength, Su Zhou suppressed all the prayer phantoms in this aspiration, and then filtered a large amount of aspiration information based on the conditions of proximity, strength, and piety, in an instant.

Then he realized that there were two rather bright sources of aspiration around him now, shining like the evening stars in the night sky.

One was on the land in the city, and the other was in the sea behind him—and the one on the land was a little brighter.

Without hesitation, Su Zhou quickly made a choice.

"It's you."

Muttering to himself, Su Zhou turned into a phantom and flew towards the land in the distance.