With the conversation having reached this point, Bai Ye knew what was going on.
Bai Ye asked, "Is your alchemy furnace the energy supply for that machine?"
Taiyi Zhenren nodded.
Bai Ye stated, "That thing is in the sky, but your alchemy furnace is here."
Taiyi Zhenren chuckled, "I highly admire the power of technology, but technology isn't omnipotent. Some things that technology cannot achieve can be accomplished through immortal arts."
Bai Ye countered, "However, besides being a magical artifact, the alchemy furnace is also a mechanical product, and you've modified it."
Taiyi Zhenren confirmed, "Yes."
Bai Ye declared, "My abilities can dismantle any mechanical product!"
Taiyi Zhenren sighed, "My alchemy furnace is very sturdy; even I would find it difficult to destroy it. However, before you, it's not worth mentioning. There are too many incredible powers in this world; it's truly astonishing."
Now he understood why Taishang Laojun wanted to kill him. Taiyi Zhenren felt that killing him wasn't necessary, but at least he should be imprisoned.
Bai Ye asked, "Aren't you afraid of me doing this now?"
Taiyi Zhenren replied, "I am sitting in front of you; you won't have the chance."
Bai Ye: "..."
Bai Ye understood the meaning of that statement: Taiyi Zhenren could kill him before he could act.
Taiyi Zhenren's fear was that Bai Ye would fall into the hands of others, who would then send Bai Ye to the alchemy furnace. In that scenario, Taiyi Zhenren might lose the opportunity to kill Bai Ye, and Bai Ye could dismantle the alchemy furnace.
As a secondary consideration, imprisoning Bai Ye would prevent others from discovering that Bai Ye was their "savior."
Taiyi Zhenren smiled and said, "Actually, I can't imagine why you would do this. This matter has nothing to do with you. You just need to wait quietly, and you can leave after everything is over. As a reward..."
Taiyi Zhenren placed the Pangu Banner on the coffee table with a smile, "If you like it, I'll give it to you. Although it's an ancient supreme treasure, it holds little appeal for me. Besides that, you wanted to know the truth about the world battlefield, didn't you? I can tell you."
Bai Ye's interest was immediately piqued, and he raised an eyebrow, asking, "So, what is the truth of the world battlefield?"
Taiyi Zhenren chuckled, "Actually, after all we've said, haven't you already discovered the answer?"
Bai Ye frowned deeply.
Taiyi Zhenren announced the answer: "Apocalypse."
Bai Ye blinked in surprise, then asked, "Huh?"
Taiyi Zhenren smiled, "Why not recall the areas you've traversed in the world battlefield?"
"Apocalypse?"
Bai Ye murmured to himself.
His entry into the world battlefield was an apocalyptic region.
The dinosaurs in Jurassic Park were a disaster capable of causing world extinction.
The remnants of the Predator in the ice field harbored Xenomorphs. Although the Predators had no intention of destroying the world, if the Xenomorphs were to leave the ice field, with their characteristics and reproductive speed, they could very likely cause human extinction.
Rimuru's magic region itself contained Demon Lords, filled with domination and destruction, and war was everywhere, much like the Orc Lord's army seeking to trample everything.
If one clown wanted to destroy a city, what about a hundred clowns?
The chaotic city was merely a microcosm of that world. If that microcosm were infinitely magnified, how many destroyers and how many heroes would emerge?
Why did Mulan guard the Great Wall? Because if the demon races beyond the Great Wall crossed it, Chang'an would inevitably fall into chaos, and the world would naturally descend into chaos!
Moreover, it wasn't just demon races there; there were also vampires and demonic arts, filled with powers that could plunge the world into ruin.
Kamen Tanjiro's world was a world of humans and demons, where humans killed demons, and demons ate humans. If one day all humans were killed by demons, would that world become a world of demons?
But what would demons become if they had no humans to eat?
The Ghoul region was another world of monsters, but it was even more tragic. The existence of Ghouls was often not by their own will. Demons simply wanted to eat humans, while Ghouls were forced to eat humans.
They could only survive by eating humans!
However, this also represented that Ghouls had more desires, because they wanted to live.
The City of Ruins was the most unfortunate, having experienced an apocalypse once and then encountering a second riot capable of destroying the world. The existence of Rhine Corporation was the root of the world's destruction.
There was also the apocalyptic region not long ago.
Perhaps, strictly speaking, "apocalyptic region" wasn't entirely accurate. That region hadn't been completely destroyed yet; it was a world on the eve of apocalypse.
However, with the continuous attacks of sea beasts, the destruction of human civilization was almost a certainty.
Bai Ye reviewed the regions he had visited and found that almost all of them corresponded to Taiyi Zhenren's five words.
Destruction and Rebirth!
At least, whether rebirth was possible, Bai Ye didn't know.
But it was undeniable that the worlds behind these regions were clearly heading towards destruction.
"This is the truth of the world battlefield?" Bai Ye shook his head. "I don't understand. What's the point?"
"Point? Who knows?" Taiyi Zhenren replied. "But the regions of the world battlefield come from different worlds, right?"
Bai Ye nodded.
Taiyi Zhenren explained, "Every world has its rise and fall. When civilization reaches its end, or when a transformation occurs, and one era transitions to another, it always leads to destruction for various reasons."
"Then, a portion of these worlds is incorporated into the world battlefield, and all the regions incorporated into the world battlefield are the beginnings of an apocalypse."
Bai Ye asked, "Who could do something like this?"
Taiyi Zhenren chuckled, "Who knows? The world is vast; there are always such terrifying beings."
Bai Ye inquired, "Then, do you know anything about 'God's Disciples'?"
"God's Disciples, as the name suggests, are servants of gods," Taiyi Zhenren explained. "But what are these gods? As you said, gods are supreme beings. In fact, some gods are supreme existences for the entire world."
"Because they can create worlds; the entire world was created by them. So, what happens? The first is acceptance, and the second is naturally rejection."
Bai Ye stated, "Rejection naturally leads to resistance."
"Correct answer," Taiyi Zhenren said with a smile. "However, don't use the word 'resistance.' Most gods won't admit to it. After all, they always believe they stand at the apex of the food chain. Apex beings are only challenged; resistance never exists."
Bai Ye shrugged.
Taiyi Zhenren continued, "That's how God's Disciples came to be, but it doesn't represent all gods. Just as I never intended to leave this place, nor did I intend to create any God's Disciples."
Bai Ye asked curiously, "Why?"
...