Chapter 440: Fateful Battle

Xu Zhi had originally intended to enter this vast new sandbox world to investigate and experiment. He planned to use his alchemy table and reagents, just as he did when examining newly erupted zombies, to analyze their life characteristics and potential, and to explore the extent of the evolution of these unknown zombie viruses.

However, he hadn't expected that as soon as he entered, before he could even begin his research, the virus would actively seek him out. All of this was too bizarre. After all, this land was immense, yet the world was already encompassed by an unseen "grand trend" that monitored the entire area.

Xu Zhi sat on a large stone, with Sheng Lin's daughter beside him, feeling a surge of emotions. "I never imagined that the biochemical virus that once annihilated the Ishidians has now evolved into three major viruses, transforming into the Three Pillar Gods. They've begun to fully achieve the interconnected processing power of hundreds of millions of CPU cores, deducing future destinies, expanding their races, and even using an 'optimal future' solution to alter and guide the world line toward the future they envision?"

The demonic core system, having developed to this extent, gathering the computational power of all beings, was almost an inevitability of fate.

"The future, the world line... perhaps it has begun to involve laws, no longer based purely on material power or energy bursts, but rather profound and mysterious abilities... Perhaps this is what the Ninth Tier entails?" Xu Zhi pondered in silence for a long while. The law-based systems were too metaphysical and mysterious.

"Even gods cannot escape their 'fate's' calculations! Unless... an individual creature is powerful enough to single-handedly contend against the entire collective of beings, only then can they resist that 'grand trend,' escape the calculations, and transcend the cycle of existence."

But can one person's strength truly contend against all beings? In the undeveloped ancient and wizarding worlds of the past, this was certainly possible; a single god could resist the combined might of all mortals. But now, with everyone at Tier 3 or 4, it's almost impossible. You might be able to defeat them one by one, but confronting the combined power of all beings offers no chance of victory.

Sitting in the forest, Xu Zhi looked at Sheng Lin's daughter and instantly understood her bewilderment. At that moment, Xu Zhi's thoughts churned: Seeing the future of this world, awaiting its unification, with the Ninth Tier about to emerge! Perhaps he didn't need to interfere? Should he merely wait for its appearance?

Not only were the Three Pillar Gods trying every means to pull the world line in their desired direction to win this war, but Xu Zhi also hoped for the world to develop better in the future and wanted to guide the world line towards the direction he envisioned.

However, in a flash, he dismissed the idea. An entity formed by the convergence of a race's "fortune" or collective consciousness, achieving the Ninth Tier by parasitizing the bodies of all beings – such a Ninth Tier would have too many constraints and wasn't a conventional path. He felt it wasn't perfect and that it would be best to await the emergence of a normal, individual Ninth Tier creature.

The world was truly amazing.

"Fate, a destined life trajectory... But what truly is fate? It still depends on how they develop." Xu Zhi looked up, feeling a long-lost sense of interest and anticipation for this battle that would utterly define the world's future. This was very interesting.

Fate, then? Was this what they called the ultimate, strongest power? Had the fated world line already entered a future where Emperor Dahuanxi was guaranteed to win?

Boom!

The sky was incredibly gloomy. In the distance, war and slaughter generated terrifying waves of energy. Flesh and blood mixed together, exploding into a thin, floating mist. One by one, the mortal forms of the Heavenly Emperors, who were gods, fell, bursting in mid-air. They still hadn't descended in their true forms.

Emperor Dahuanxi fought seven opponents. He seemed immensely powerful, having even slain several mortal forms of the Heavenly Emperors, but at this point, he was also covered in wounds, and the situation was extremely unfavorable. His mortal form was about to die... Once it perished, he would have no choice but to descend in his true form, where he would undoubtedly face brutal attacks from all directions!

"Emperor Dahuanxi, today you will surely die!" the surrounding gods said coldly.

"The tyrant is wicked and will be condemned by all beings," someone else stated, their face as cold as ice.

Emperor Dahuanxi stood in mid-air, expressionlessly turning his head to look at the gods surrounding him. He gave a cruel, twisted smile. "How do you know I am wicked? How do you know I am tyrannical? Perhaps it is precisely because I conform to the grand trend of heaven and earth, secretly aligning with fate's ordained course, that I have come this far... After all, the Heavenly Dao is merciless, viewing all beings as ants. The sacrifices of this miserable era are for a brand new future. It birthed us, it created us, and it can also destroy us..."

He took a large step forward, his body stained with blood, speaking with conviction: "When I was born, I was the joy of the world; the world sings for me, and destiny sings for me. My will is the will of the era. If I declare someone dead, they cannot live. If I declare tomorrow to be sunny, there can be no cloudiness! Your resistance against me is resistance against fate! Your resistance against me is defiance against the future!"

He spread his arms wide, laughing loudly and roaring in a low voice, filled with the arrogance of a life's victor. His face was distorted with excitement, yet it also carried a subtle hint of quiet despair that he himself didn't notice. "You are defying the tide of history, and you will undoubtedly fail! Therefore, I am invincible."

Emperor Dahuanxi laughed heartily, looking at the surrounding gods. His body was shedding blood and falling apart. He said coldly, "By conforming to the era, by conforming to the future, along this world line, I am invincible! I have already stepped onto the path of destiny, entered the hall of fate. It is my destiny to achieve victory! All beings shall be favored by me! The world... shall be unified!"

Drip, drip, drip.

He couldn't stop his low chuckles, which gradually grew louder.

Hahahahahaha!

The faces of those around him instantly tensed. Hearing his extreme words, they were horrified and shouted loudly in rebuke.

"Tyrant, you are wicked and twisting logic!""This man's mind has been twisted to such an extent that he believes himself to be the tide of history; all who defy him must die!""Kill him!"

The human gods around him were filled with both shock and fury.

"Heh heh." Emperor Dahuanxi spread his arms, assuming a completely unguarded posture. "From the very moment I was born, I knew I was invincible. Though I am not the strongest, and countless others surpass me in talent, wisdom, power, might, and skill, I still know that I am invincible... Come! Try to kill me! Come! Try to defeat me!"

An unprecedented pressure descended from the void, as if something was breaking. The true forms of all nearby gods felt an unparalleled tremor, as if something terrifying had arrived, chilling them to the bone, like the most ancient of gods and devils.

"Attack!""The moment it fully descends, it will surely die!"

The void was abruptly torn open, and a series of long-prepared, fatal attacks were unleashed, striking that god. Furthermore, hidden Beast-tribe gods and Plant-tribe gods, over twenty deities in total, simultaneously launched their attacks. Their power was unprecedentedly terrifying; a terrifying white light erupted over a significant portion of the ancient, vast lava land.

After the white light faded, a faint voice was heard: "Are you done attacking?"

A mighty deity's terrifying visage appeared. He looked at the surrounding Plant-tribe and Beast-tribe gods, whose faces were filled with disbelief. He displayed a twisted, triumphant smile. "I didn't expect you to come looking for me before I even had a chance to find you."

"Hahahaha... I won't kill the women present. As for the rest, just die, die, die, die! This world... all women from now on will be my queens! Whether from the Plant Tribe or the Beast Tribe!!!" He laughed wildly in mid-air, his face brimming with excitement and frenzy, yet utterly unaware that tears were streaming down his face.

"Spore Evolution" Game Forum.

Screenshot, screenshot, screenshot.

The situation was changing too rapidly to even speak. From a distance, Xia Naiming's expression was one of intense gravity, yet it instantly transformed into ecstatic joy. He clenched his fists. "We can win! We can win! I never thought that during this human civil war, even the gods of the Plant and Beast tribes would help us fight Emperor Dahuanxi!"

He had no idea what truly lay behind these events, simply believing it was an internal human conflict, with a tyrant making the entire human race miserable, signifying a dark era.

Screenshot, screenshot.

Online viewers were also pleasantly surprised. No text was needed; they had long grown accustomed to interpreting events from images.

"Holy crap, so many hidden gods! As expected of a high-level great world.""Plans can't keep up with changes. Emperor Dahuanxi, opposing all beings, even as a Mid-Tier God, is surely doomed!"

Everyone was delighted. They felt that the "Green Hat God's" tyrannical rule was unjust and went against the will of the people, so he was certainly doomed to die now.

However, the subsequent screenshots were truly unbelievable because Emperor Dahuanxi, despite being surrounded and attacked, remained completely motionless, as if standing still in the void, calmly watching the energy attacks pass through him.

All online viewers shuddered; such a sight was inconceivable.

"This boss... is completely unharmed!?"