Taiyi Zhenren chuckled, "The master of that world battlefield might not want to save the world, using such methods to prevent the advent of the apocalypse, but his philosophy clearly doesn't align with mine."
"I believe destruction and rebirth are one and the same; destruction does not signify an end. However, I don't deny that every transformation brings devastation. If more lives can be saved through such means, I wouldn't object."
"But you must understand that not all gods think as I do," Taiyi Zhenren said. "The authority of gods is not to be challenged, especially those creator gods. Whether it's destruction or rebirth, it's their world, and they are unwilling to be dictated by others."
"There are also some gods whose very existence is for destruction. The cycle of all things eventually concludes, and some gods were born precisely because destruction was needed. Their purpose is to end everything, so naturally, they cannot accept the current situation."
Bai Ye nodded, then suddenly remembered something and took out the Life Crystal. "Do you know what this is?"
Taiyi Zhenren casually picked up the Life Crystal and examined it.
Bai Ye said, "Those god-disciples are searching for this item, and likely more than just this one."
Taiyi Zhenren shook his head. "I don't know what this is, nor why a god would order god-disciples to search for it. However, I can feel the power of life."
Bai Ye asked, "The power of life?"
Taiyi Zhenren replied, "The life of a newborn is sacred; its very existence is an unimaginable power. Of course, this concept doesn't originate from the East. The East tends to favor the idea of all things coming to life."
"To put it in terms you might understand better, it's the power of origin. You can think of it as the power by which everything is first born. It's very powerful."
Bai Ye nodded, not fully grasping it, but understanding the gist.
Taiyi Zhenren smiled. "Your doubts have been answered. Are you satisfied?"
Bai Ye said, "Satisfied."
Huh?
Bai Ye suddenly frowned, feeling a sense of dizziness as if the entire world were spinning.
Bai Ye struggled to stand, but the dizziness intensified.
Taiyi Zhenren smiled and raised his teacup. "Go to sleep. When you wake up, it will all be over."
Thump!
Bai Ye's swaying body collapsed, and the world before him quickly turned black as he lost consciousness.
Taiyi Zhenren rose. The tea table before him vanished, and he took a step to the side.
With that single step, Taiyi Zhenren was out of the building and on the street.
The bustling world was now engulfed in war.
The roar of artillery fire could be heard everywhere.
Countless magical artifacts streaked across the sky, emitting dazzling streams of light.
The entire night sky was illuminated.
Buildings collapsed and fell one after another, the smell of gunpowder filling the air, and the ruins exuded a sense of desolation.
"It's time for war," Taiyi Zhenren murmured, then looked up at the sky. "Heavenly Emperor, how long do you intend to hide in that palace? Do you dare come out and fight me?"
...
Bai Ye didn't know how long it took him to awaken from the darkness.
First, he felt a chill and instinctively curled up, then Bai Ye slowly opened his eyes.
The scene was familiar; it was Taiyi Zhenren's grand hall, and the alchemy furnace was still there.
However, the seven-colored radiance that had once surrounded the alchemy furnace had dissipated, making it appear incredibly simple and ordinary now.
The surrounding machinery had stopped operating. On the pillars, some oil lamps were still burning, emitting a dim light.
Bai Ye rubbed his head, feeling a slight ache.
After sitting on the ground for a while, Bai Ye felt a little better and then began to walk outside.
The grand hall and corridors were not much different from when Bai Ye had first arrived.
However, the mechanical Great Sages of Qi Tian were gone. Many of the half-finished robots that had hung there had fallen to the ground, shattered.
Entering the crystal room, many of the crystal pillars were broken.
The machines inside were damaged, and even those that weren't were mostly stopped.
After passing through the crystal hall, Bai Ye reached the door, pushed open the ajar door, and stepped out.
The next moment...
Bai Ye was completely stunned.
Although Taiyi Zhenren had told him, the feeling of hearing it was different from seeing it with his own eyes.
The difference between hearing about something that hadn't happened and witnessing it actually occur was immense.
Before Bai Ye's eyes was...
A ruin!
The once prosperous, ancient-style technological city that had appeared before Bai Ye had now been completely reduced to a vast expanse of rubble.
Around Bai Ye, everything except Taiyi Zhenren's residence was in ruins. All the surrounding buildings had turned into debris, with no intact structures.
Bai Ye walked forward, stood on a pile of ruins, and gazed into the distance. He saw mounds of rubble forming small mountains, stretching forward as far as the eye could see.
Bai Ye jumped down from the ruins and stepped over the debris.
Everything exuded loneliness and desolation.
Besides the rubble, there were many robot carcasses. Most of them were no longer recognizable, and many were just piles of parts.
Beyond the mechanical wreckage, Bai Ye also saw many broken weapons and magical artifacts that had lost their luster and were completely shattered.
These items, any one of which could have been considered a rare treasure in the world, were now just junk.
Bai Ye tried to search for people or gods, but found nothing.
There were no people, no gods, not even corpses. Only a desolate land, filled with an overwhelming sense of barrenness.
Bai Ye walked through the ruins until he reached the seaside.
Here too, mechanical wreckage was scattered everywhere. The "shrimp soldiers and crab generals" he had seen before had now become scrap metal, covering the entire beach. Even the sea was filled with a large amount of mechanical parts.
Just as Bai Ye was about to sigh, the Den Den Mushi suddenly rang, interrupting his thoughts.
Bai Ye casually took out the Den Den Mushi and said, "Hello."
"Big brother, where have you been?" Gao Ming's anxious voice came from the Den Den Mushi. "I haven't been able to contact you."
"Oh?" Bai Ye replied. "I ran into a bit of trouble. What's wrong with you? Is it urgent?"
Gao Ming said, "It's not me who's in a hurry, it's you."
Bai Ye was taken aback. "What about me?"
Gao Ming said, "It's about the Hidden Dragon Regiment, the Summit War. If nothing unexpected happens, it should start not too long from now."
...