Chapter 2616: Dialogue with God

Every cell in Zuan’s body screamed in his mind, warning him of the imminent danger, as if a single thought from the other party could instantly reduce him to dust.

Zuan had never felt such overwhelming awe before; even when facing the Celestial Emperor, the opponent hadn't been so powerful as to render him completely incapable of resistance.

The power of the being before him even surpassed the entity that Qiu Honglei had summoned with the Heaven and Earth Sacrificial Dance.

Judging by the immense power and words of the entity, it was clearly Meli, the God of Chaos and Mystery.

He finally understood why so many people warned against mentioning gods or their names, as it could easily invite destruction.

He never expected that a casual joke just now would actually summon the gaze of a god.

Reacting quickly, he immediately replied, "After hearing the words of Historian Mingjing, I don't quite agree with his view on the path of chaos and mystery. The universe began with chaos and mystery, and it will inevitably end in chaos and mystery. Many things simply don't need to be recorded so clearly. Too much detail would make the course of history singular and dull. Only vague, mysterious information can give rise to countless wonderful possibilities."

At this moment, he was racking his brain, using every flattering word he had ever seen, heard, or thought of in his multiple lifetimes.

He knew he had only one chance; if he failed to gain enough favor, destruction would likely be his only fate.

"You seem to think I am Meli, the God of Chaos and Mystery?" The ethereal voice seemed to carry a hint of amusement. The voice sounded more feminine, but Zuan wasn't sure, as deities were presumably genderless.

The entity was not speaking in the language of the cultivation world, but Zuan could still understand it. It was a voice that directly resonated with his soul.

Hearing this, Zuan's hair nearly stood on end. Had he been flattering the wrong entity all this time?

Realizing the entity might actually be Meng, the God of Memory, Zuan recalled his recent words, which now seemed incredibly disrespectful. He felt completely numb.

Let everything be destroyed!

"Your heart rate, perspiration, and the state of your body hair indicate you are very nervous. But why don't you continue explaining? Can you flatter Meli profusely, but show such disdain for me?" The voice suddenly turned cold.

"The wisdom and thoughts of mere mortals like me hold no meaning before a god. I presume, with your divine power, you can sense my respect for you," Zuan replied respectfully.

"I don't sense respect, but I do sense your cunning." The entity had no physical form; Zuan only saw stars constantly shifting their positions and brightness, which seemed to be its expressions.

Zuan immediately broke into a cold sweat. He didn't even dare to entertain many thoughts, fearing that if he thought of anything unfavorable, the entity would directly read his mind.

"Never mind. You are very lucky; I am indeed Meli," the voice sounded again.

Zuan thought to himself that being gazed upon by a god hardly counted as good luck. As soon as this thought arose, he was startled, and quickly asked, "May I ask, honored one, what commands do you have for me?"

The lights in the starry sky flickered, as if about to flare up in anger at his disrespectful thought: "Can I not seek you out unless there's something specific?"

Zuan mused that this god didn't seem as rigid as he had imagined; rather, there was something...

He dared not ponder it further, and quickly said, "Gods are busy with myriad affairs; how could you casually seek out a mortal like me?"

"Do not use your shallow mind to conjecture about beings like us," the voice snorted. "In a sense, you are also a god of this world, and yet you often amuse yourself by playing idly with females, don't you?"

Zuan's scalp tingled. It felt as if the entity had been observing him for a long time. "Our small achievements in such a narrow domain dare not be called 'god' before you," he replied.

He felt a bit of self-contempt, wondering if he was being too obsequious.

However, feeling the unprecedented terror emanating from his surroundings, these jumbled thoughts vanished instantly.

"You do have self-knowledge," the voice seemed to chuckle. "I came to settle a score. The Historian of Time is my follower. Tell me, how should this account be settled?"

Hearing the words "settle a score," Zuan's scalp prickled. "The death of the Historian of Time doesn't seem to have anything to do with me..."

He stopped mid-sentence. If he tried to deny involvement, what if the entity sought out Xihe or Shang Hongyu instead?

So he quickly said, "This was merely a misunderstanding. We had no idea he was your follower."

"You are quite loyal. Since you are willing to accept this karmic consequence, then so be it," the stars in the cosmic expanse glowed with an ethereal light. "I don't want to hear excuses. You killed my follower. If I don't avenge him, won't anyone dare to lay a hand on my followers in the future?"

The expanse of starlight opposite him, despite its beauty, now radiated palpable killing intent. Zuan's mind raced: "The Historian of Time was merely one of your countless followers. Strictly speaking, you are the master, and he was but a servant. Why would a master seek revenge for a dead servant? It's clearly the master who..."

"Hmm?"

Zuan nearly choked, and quickly corrected himself, "I mean, that would be rather against the natural order; people wouldn't be able to tell who is the master and who is the servant."

"Are you telling me how to conduct myself?" The voice was devoid of emotion.

"I wouldn't dare. I just thought of a solution, if you would consider it." Never before had all the cells in Zuan's brain been so rapidly and actively engaged in thought.

"Speak!"

"Ultimately, it's just one Historian of Time who died. Couldn't you simply replace him with another?"

"From what you're saying, you seem willing to become the Historian of Time? But being the Historian of Time is hardly an easy task."

"I think I could manage. In a sense, the things I did recently aligned with the essence of a Historian of Time." Zuan hesitated, not mentioning his experiences in the spatial fragments or the Celestial Court world, wanting to see if the other party was truly omniscient and omnipotent.

The starlight flickered for a moment; it was unclear if it was pondering or accessing information about those two worlds. After a brief pause, the voice spoke again: "Indeed. You are quite the genius in this path. You altered history almost beyond recognition, yet you didn't change the major events. You are certainly superior to that previous idiot."

Zuan had gradually calmed down from his initial tension. Having experienced countless worlds, his willpower was incredibly firm. He finally realized: If the entity had truly come to mete out punishment, why would it waste so many words on him?

It seemed that the entity might have intended this from the start, making him willingly jump into the trap.

"Do you think I'm setting a trap for you?" The voice then turned cold.

Zuan immediately broke out in a cold sweat.