Chapter 265: Divinity, Bestiality, All Are Human Nature (Combined)

Chapter 262: Divinity, Bestiality, All Are Aspects of Humanity

Bang! Bang!The black boulder was covered in cracks from the chopping.One strike.Another strike.

Ah Chou had been practicing for over thirty years. Day after day, year after year, he spent more than ten hours daily swinging his blade, like a robot, with only breaks for eating and sleeping.

His blade still appeared plain, moving directly and without any flourish—simple enough to be seen through at a glance.

"He has no distractions; swinging the blade brings him joy, and it is the sole purpose of his life." This was the general assessment of him.

Ah Chou was rumored to be a human sent by the progenitor, Ilfan. He was said to possess a certain transformative combat form and, like Ilfan, immense potential.

Initially, Arthur had paid close attention to him. After all, Ah Chou was inherently powerful, like a High Elf, already at the fourth rank when Arthur first met him. Seeing the young man constantly swinging an unsightly axe, Arthur casually gave him a sharp long blade.

So Ah Chou, quite indifferently, discarded his axe and began to swing the blade.

However, it was gradually discovered that Ah Chou seemed to lack a combat form, possessing only this unsightly human body. Moreover, over thirty years, his cultivation would periodically drop out of nowhere, consistently remaining at the fifth rank.

Gradually, Arthur became disappointed with him and paid him no further attention.

He was a human with low intelligence, even appearing foolish. When spoken to, he would just listen quietly, continuing to swing his blade, never responding.

"This is the flaw of our humanity! Not only are we plagued by illness, but we also have deformed children." Some people longed for the perfect forms of the elves.

Over countless years, some even developed a habit of secretly confiding their unspoken thoughts to Ah Chou as he swung his blade. They would confess, share worries, and pray. He seemed not to hear, continuing his swings, and never revealing their secrets to anyone else.

The foolish Ah Chou was an exceptionally qualified listener.

Gradually, over thirty years, he earned the name "Ah Chou the Listener."

Many people developed the habit of going to him to pray or confide. Even thieves and thugs, having no one else to boast to, would come to Ah Chou to recount their triumphant exploits before returning to their thievery.

Ah Chou swinging his blade in the same spot on the mountain every day had become a familiar sight.

He heard countless sordid deeds that most people would never encounter in a lifetime: the pure romantic longings of young maidens, the confessions of elders, the tribulations of powerful cultivators, and the hardships of impoverished families.

Ah Chou listened to so much mundane life, so much good and evil in human nature, yet it was as if he heard nothing. His blade remained steady, unaffected by the mortal world, each strike precisely and repeatedly landing on the same spot.

Swinging his blade seemed to be Ah Chou's entire life.

In front of a massive cliff, Ah Chou continued to swing his blade.

Now, with the human race facing its end, a vast crowd gathered behind him to pray—far more than in the preceding thirty years combined. Elders, women, children, and adults all came to offer their fervent prayers before death.

This had been a psychological comfort they had cultivated over three decades, and it continued even now.

Previously, they had come alone, secretly confiding their thoughts when no one was around. But now, in the face of death, there was no need to hide secrets or worry about others' gazes. Everyone mumbled to themselves, with Ah Chou the Listener as their only confidant.

Clang, clang, clang!

Ah Chou, swinging his axe, still noticed nothing. Amidst the countless murmurs of the people, he continued to swing his blade.

The first day after the declaration of war passed.

Countless people prayed, recounting their experiences of the day. Some thugs had descended into madness, burning, killing, and looting everywhere, but they were stopped by human warriors. It was the darkest and most catastrophic day.

The second day passed.

On this day, the people's safety was secured, and they transitioned from chaos to stability, beginning their final prayers. In front of Ah Chou, people gradually started confiding in each other, communicating, and discussing, their tearful cries filled with sobs.

Even thieves, spies, and bandits confessed to the crowd, wailing and weeping.

And they made an astonishing and terrifying discovery: there seemed to be more than one Ah Chou.

"What? There's an Ah Chou on the mountain near your tribe too? Constantly swinging a blade!?"

"Ah Chou didn't flee with us refugees from the distant Montu Mountains; he's been here all along?"

"There's an Ah Chou on our side too, swinging his blade endlessly! We all call him 'Foolish Ah Chou'! We also confide in him!"

"We call him 'Dull Ah Chou' over there! It's pretty much the same!"

"So, combining your tribe and ours, there are four Ah Chous in total?"

Clang, clang!

Ah Chou continued to swing his blade.

But the praying people were plunged into a strange bewilderment.

Previously, human tribes were quite primitive, scattered and hidden within dense forests, each evading the elves' pursuit, with almost no intercommunication. Even powerful individuals like Arthur had no time to connect with all tribes. But now, with the great catastrophe erupting and only a small number of refugees gathered together, people exchanged information and discovered this horrifying truth.

"Ah Chou, is he really foolish?"

"Who exactly is he..."

The third day arrived.

Humanity continued to pray, but everyone was restless. Today was the final war: Arthur of the Human Race was challenging Emperor Yumia of the Elves, to decide the ultimate fate of humanity.

At this very moment.

The sky trembled, and the leafy canopy rustled.

A faint glow pierced through the clouds, a sacred white light streaming into the valley like an arrow. Eleven great ancient beings focused their gazes upon this mortal land.

"The war is about to end..."

"Our hands are stained with blood, but we will repent for the rest of our lives..."

Above Biluo Mountain, countless hippogriffs and gigantic chimera beasts flew, their massive winged shadows roaming among the white clouds. Countless elves whispered, none daring to approach the battlefield; Emperor Yumia's oppressive aura kept everyone at bay.

In the nearby mountains, countless people, residents of every town and tribe, stood densely packed on high vantage points, overlooking the battlefield in the distant valley.

"When our ancestors stole the forbidden fruit... When we were born into the mortal dust... When we were stripped of our divinity and plunged into suffering..." A faint, ethereal song, a folk tale of the human tribes, drifted through the air, spreading around the entire valley. Its notes resonated, piercing the keen ears of the elves high above.

At this moment, nearly the entire valley simultaneously resonated with a synchronized mournful elegy.

"We have no choice." Arthur, a human swordsman clad in massive black armor, plunged his greatsword into the earth with both hands. He looked at Emperor Yumia before him, a carefree smile on his face.

"My brother and I will fight together."

A tall demon, wreathed in flames, with two twisted, spiraling ram horns on his head, the demon Ruul, also stood his ground. "Yumia, you might not defeat us two brothers."

"Is this your final strength?"

Emperor Yumia's expression was serene, her form unclad, with fire magic enveloping her legs.

With a sweeping kick, she scattered large drops of sweat that shimmered like ripples with her breath. It was as if a massive, invisible web of oppressive power enveloped the valley, pressing down intensely in all directions.

Even the hippogriff riders in the sky and the humans on nearby mountaintops felt invaded by immense pressure, unable to open their eyes, their breaths stifled, painfully bending at the waist.

Whoosh!!

Countless grey mists surged and rolled, forming a thin, reddish mushroom cloud in mid-air, resembling a nuclear explosion. The mushroom cloud slowly churned and coalesced into a face, then transformed into an immensely colossal black elven maiden statue, standing tall.

The colossal, majestic statue stood on the earth, a faint smile on its face, its hands encircling a Wheel of Poison. Its entire form glowed red, clear and exquisite, as if it were the sole true god in heaven and on earth—an ancient, miraculous presence, like the Statue of Liberty, towering over the valley.

The minds of all creatures within the valley were violently shaken, experiencing immense piercing pain. Overwhelming, turbulent air pressure made breathing impossible.

"A Dragon's Might far surpassing that of actual dragons, an oppressive aura condensed into a Song of Shadows." Arthur gazed at the invincible figure of the Elven Emperor, the legendary supreme being, the God of Elves, his expression turning bitter.

They had thought they were qualified to fight, but who knew they had long been left far behind.

This terrifying, materialized oppressive aura alone, this massive form condensed from vital energy, prevented them from even opening their eyes, rendering any trump cards they might have utterly useless.

"I am not tyrannical; slaughter is merely to bring about our peace. I will grant you a painless death, including all humans."

Yumia's gaze swept across, her cold eyes casting down, then she waved her hand.

Yumia's figure flickered like a wraith.

Arthur and Ruul's bodies were violently struck by an unseen, colossal force, sent rapidly flying backward across the ground. Large amounts of blood seeped from their bodies; they were severely wounded in an instant.

"No!!" A blue light surged from afar and landed on their bodies.

Gilna knelt, embracing her two children, and stood in front of the two men.

"Gilna..." A flicker of complexity crossed Yumia's face, but her expression gradually grew cold. This was a conflict of stances; she knew she had to bear the name of iron and blood, to be ruthless, in order to truly restore peace to the elves.

Boom!

A massive gust of wind pressure flashed again, an overwhelming and violent assault sweeping down upon the three.

The next second, ripples spread across the sky, and crimson waves transformed into flames that swiftly surged. A colossal demonic true form landed. Ilfan had finally arrived. He could indeed be called a demon, selfish and self-serving, yet he ultimately couldn't abandon Gilna.

"Run!" he roared, his eyes bloodshot.

The current Yumia was incredible. If not for the absence of a path to the Seventh Rank, she would have already entered it. Even so, she was on the verge of discovering the path forward.

"You finally appeared," Yumia said calmly.

"Run!!"

Ilfan roared again!

The next second, his entire demonic body was sent flying backward.

In that instant, the earth held its breath, and the hippogriff archers in the sky fell silent. Witnessing this devastating war, they knew it was about to draw its final curtain.

On the mountaintop, the mournful tribal folk song of the people abruptly ceased.

Thump, thump, thump!

In a certain mountain village, people still continuously surrounded Ah Chou.

Although they didn't know the state of the war, they continued their final prayers. Wails, confessions, and all sorts of sounds rose and fell.

Ah Chou slowly opened his eyes, seeming to sense something. He suddenly looked around and spoke with a complex tone, "Tell me, in this world, did gods come first, or did humans come first?"

Ah Chou actually spoke!

Countless people trembled, staring at him.

Did gods come first, or did humans come first?

The answer was undeniable.

Gods came first, then humans. After all, humans were beings who had stolen the forbidden fruit from the gods, lost their divinity, and then fallen.

"But I've listened to you talk for a very long time about kindness, love and hate, slaughter, theft, triumph... and it seems to me that in this world, humans came first, and then gods." Ah Chou's words were utterly blasphemous. "Humans are more complete than gods. Divinity is just one aspect of humanity. It seems the elven race was formed by extracting human goodness, isolating it into a separate species. Because elves are kind, gentle, and brave, they can guard 'them' without fear of betrayal... until that unique being appeared and stole the forbidden fruit..."

"Them?"

Who was he referring to?

The surrounding humans trembled.

Ah, foolish Ah Chou...

Ah, silent Ah Chou...

He never spoke; he merely continued to silently chop the boulder.

But when he spoke now, it was as if a sage had uttered words that shook heaven and earth!

Ah Chou looked up at the swaying leafy canopy, mottled sunlight dappling the earth below. His voice, piercing and resonant, seemed to transform into a beam of light that pierced the heavens: "Divinity and bestiality are both aspects of humanity."

As soon as these words were uttered, it was as if heaven and earth trembled greatly.

The leaves across the entire canopy rustled and actually began to tremble.

"So it's true, I understand now..."

A faint, ethereal voice resounded. Ah Chou silently placed several choppers, like red chess pieces, onto his back, and then vanished from his spot.

"It's time to end this..." Yumia suddenly broke out in a cold sweat, sensing a transparent figure silently approaching, bringing a bone-chilling coldness.

She abruptly turned her head, sensing with her spiritual power, and saw a translucent figure hidden in the air, as if behind a semi-transparent barrier of air.

"Wind Walk."

A simple, unadorned chopper swiftly descended, cleaving a massive chasm in the earth.