Chapter 861: Reminiscing (Part Two)
Old Master Mo stared at the steaming cup of "Frosty Night Fragrance," his eyes devoid of any emotion. He didn't touch the purple clay cup, but simply looked coldly at the man before him.
“You did this,” Old Mo snorted, his hoarse voice breaking the silence without any politeness.
"It only makes me think you're more hypocritical."
Mr. Duan paused slightly in his tea-serving hand.
"The Seventh World was destroyed long ago." Old Mo raised his voice, his cloudy eyes bloodshot, his chest heaving violently: "Destroyed by your own hands!"
"What right do you have to sit here and reminisce with me now?"
Outside the pavilion, the red-haired burly man, the scarred-faced man, and others gripped their weapons tightly, their knuckles white. Their eyes were bloodshot as they stared at Mr. Duan, ready to fight to the death at any moment. Even knowing that charging forward meant certain death, the hatred almost consumed their reason.
However, Mr. Duan remained oblivious to the murderous intent around him.
He showed no displeasure, but calmly brought the purple clay cup to his lips and took a sip of tea.
"You can't say that."
Mr. Duan put down his teacup and looked directly at Mr. Mo.
"It was never me who destroyed the Seventh World," he said calmly. "It was the will of Heaven."
Old Master Mo gritted his teeth, his anger turning into a bitter laugh: "Shifting blame? If it weren't for you attracting divine punishment back then—"
"That was an inevitable outcome, Elder Mo."
Mr. Duan interrupted him.
"Heaven is ruthless. In its eyes, we are nothing more than a speck of dust that can be wiped out at any time, puppets that it can create and destroy at any time."
Mr. Duan stood up, walked to the edge of the pavilion, stood with his hands behind his back, and looked at the koi swimming in the courtyard.
"It has always wanted to wipe out all of us humans, wipe out all professionals."
“Once our existence threatens its control, it will not hesitate to unleash its purge.” Mr. Duan turned around, pointing to the sky above. “It is I who have been trying to find ways to contend with it and fight for that sliver of hope for our human race!”
Old Master Mo listened to him calmly.
Even though Mr. Duan spoke in a grand and dignified manner, Old Master Mo's gaze remained unwavering. A gentle breeze swept through the pavilion, ruffling his white hair.
He spoke slowly, his voice deathly still.
"so what?"
Old Master Mo stared intently into Mr. Duan's eyes and asked, enunciating each word clearly, "If you control this world, what difference will it make?"
"What's the difference between it erasing us and you sacrificing us?!"
Mr. Duan walked back to the stone table and poured himself another cup of tea.
He took a small sip, a smile playing on his lips: "Then naturally, it will be our human race that becomes the master of the world."
“We will no longer be subject to the heavens, but will trample them under our feet. We will establish an eternal and immortal new era. It will be a perfect world without calamities or cleansing.”
"Dominator?" Old Mo shook his head, tearing away Mr. Duan's pretense. "That's nothing more than your desire to become the ruler of the world!"
Old Mo stood up, his withered fingers pointing directly at Mr. Duan.
"In your eyes, whether it's us, the souls of the old era, or the struggling beings of the present world, everyone else is just a tool for your ascension!"
"You want to devour everything to complete your arrogant divine status! You and that high and mighty Heavenly Dao are birds of a feather!"
Mr. Duan looked at the excited Mr. Mo, and his smile gradually faded.
He shook his head.
"Mr. Mo, I thought that after going through so much, you would understand me."
"I didn't expect you to be so stubborn."
Mr. Duan sighed and glanced at Old Master Mo and the red-haired burly man and others outside the pavilion.
"However, it doesn't matter."
"One day, you, or all of you, will understand."
Mr. Duan placed the purple clay cup on the stone table, making a crisp sound.
“I don’t resent you for stopping me. On this path, there are bound to be misunderstandings, betrayals, and sacrifices.”
"But now that I've come this far, there's no turning back."
After saying that, Mr. Duan stood up.
He straightened his clothes and leaned on the cane inlaid with pigeon blood rubies.
"Come out."
He uttered those three words casually.
As soon as he finished speaking, the muddy ground outside the pavilion began to churn violently.
The soil rolled and tumbled in all directions.
"What is that?!" The red-haired burly man was shocked and instinctively raised his giant axe to block in front of Elder Mo.
"roar......"
With a sticky sound, an ugly monster crawled out of the soil.
It was only about half a person tall, covered in fleshy growths and tentacles, with blackish-green slime flowing from its surface.
Everyone present felt a chill run down their spine the moment they saw it. The aura emanating from it was all too familiar—it was the giant beast, the Sea God, that Zhou Huai had slain in the Dead Sea.
This was the same blurry outline that had escaped from the sea god's mouth earlier, now possessing a physical form. Upon closer inspection, its facial features bore a striking resemblance to the sea god, making it practically a miniature version of him.
The red-haired burly man and the scarred-face man gasped.
"This...this is the core essence of the Sea God?!" Scarface's voice trembled. "It actually escaped here?!"
The miniature sea god ignored the astonishment of those around him.
As soon as it crawled out of the soil, it eagerly wriggled its body and crawled to Mr. Duan's feet. Like a dog begging for a reward, it rubbed its head, covered in fleshy growths, against Mr. Duan's trouser leg ingratiatingly.
It made low "woo-woo" sounds, as if it were asking for credit.
Mr. Duan looked down at the monster, his eyes showing no disgust.
He crouched down, reached out his white-gloved hand, and touched its sticky head.
"You've really worked hard."
Mr. Duan said gently, “You must have suffered a lot to bring back this source for me.”
Seeing that Mr. Duan did not blame it but instead comforted it, the mini sea god cried out even more joyfully.
It even rolled over on the ground, exposing its belly, displaying absolute submission.
The red-haired burly man and the others were horrified.
A monster that nearly destroyed the world became as docile as a begging pet in front of Mr. Duan.
In the very next second.
A sudden change occurred.
Mr. Duan's smile vanished instantly, replaced by extreme coldness.
He had been gently stroking the miniature sea god's hand, but suddenly gripped the staff.
"Pfft—!"
A muffled thud as flesh was pierced sounded particularly jarring in the silent courtyard.
The red-haired burly man and others' pupils suddenly contracted.
Mr. Duan raised his cane expressionlessly, and the bottom of the cane transformed into a sharp spike, which pierced the miniature sea god's body.
"roar--?!!"
As the miniature sea god stared in astonishment, the tip of the staff pierced through its body, pinning it firmly to the bluestone slab outside the pavilion.
Red and black blood spread along the cracks in the stone slab.