Chapter 651: What Is Knowledge?

The students were stunned.

"Teacher Peter, what... what in the world is happening?!" The plump, freckled female teacher suddenly reacted, her voice trembling.

She looked at Peter, the sports teacher from another private school, who was teaching students physical exercise.

This young man in white, holding a book, claimed to be a devoted clergyman wandering the earth. A few days ago, he had voluntarily come to teach children in this impoverished village, intending to leave after a short period of instruction to continue his travels. Who would have thought that they would suddenly appear?

Xu Zhi did not respond.

He looked up, feeling somewhat flustered in this moment of true confrontation, as it was a gathering of deities from across all Six Realms, an overwhelming number. Moreover, Hermes, in this situation, had nowhere to run and nowhere to hide. He could only face them. Under these circumstances, he absolutely could not leave!

He looked up at the gods descending from the clouds, filling the sky. The clouds were dyed golden, like magnificent, fiery sunsets, creating a beautiful, dreamlike wonderland.

"Li Shengjiang is really bringing people to deal with me with such a grand display! Earlier, I even praised him for creating a terrifying new species, for understanding my intentions, and for finally developing the 'Alchemy Gate' I spoke of, finding that substance... I was in a good mood, but now the retribution and side effects have arrived."

This turn of events was dire. What goes around comes around.

He forced himself to calm down, his mind racing as he thought, "At this moment, I need to provide them with the opportunity to leave, but how should I explain it? How should I do it?"

He lowered his gaze, and then suddenly became calm.

"I know what they want, so I will give them that. Is it dreams? Expectations? Determination? Comfort?"

In his view, these gods were, at their core, a group of confused individuals with unstable dao hearts. Xu Zhi still felt their dao hearts wavering. Just like Medusa, Emperor Qi, and Caroline in the past. How many eras had it been? How many worlds? He believed that he had come a long way, becoming adept at offering reassurance, ever since he first comforted Medusa in the Babylonian Kingdom until now.

Perhaps an analogy would be fitting. It was like a boss comforting confused employees – that was their core duty. While the immediate situation wasn't exactly that, it was similar. He had always done well, considering "motivational philosophy" a mandatory course for a Creator God. Otherwise, how could they have worked so hard to forge paths for themselves through one era after another?

Although, recently, not being able to understand why Caroline was confused, or what she needed to stabilize her dao heart, had somewhat shaken Xu Zhi's confidence.

But now, this group of people...

He smiled, his expression suddenly serene.

"Boom!"

Lightning flashed and thunder roared, divine light weaving across the land. The entire train track extended into the distance, flanked by golden rice paddies and wheat fields. Suddenly, the whole space became still.

All the students were dumbfounded, and the teacher's eyes bulged completely. At this moment of ultimate descent, she felt her legs turn to jelly, losing all intention of running.

One by one, the gods slowly descended, looking down but paying no attention to the mortals. Over their long lifetimes, even if these mortals embarked on the path of cultivation, their lifespan was only a few hundred years. To the gods, that was merely the time it took for them to enter seclusion or sleep.

The gods exchanged glances, then stepped forward, and in solemn unison, declared, "Your Majesty Hermes, we have come here today..."

The plump female teacher collapsed to the ground. The group of students' minds went blank.

Oh my god! What in the world happened? The legendary God of Light, God of Wisdom, Hermes...

"I know why you have come."

Xu Zhi spoke, standing perfectly straight, closing his book, and saying with a serene and calm expression: "Your journey here is to break through the Ninth Order, to see the truth of the ancient world, and to leave this realm – these are the three questions you bring."

Upon hearing Hermes' words, some of the gods showed a hint of astonishment, finding it incredible. How could he, from such a distance, know their purpose for coming? They immediately became even more convinced that he had been prepared, waiting for them to arrive and ask these fundamental questions for hundreds, even thousands, of years. It was simply that they had been too slow to realize it.

"He has been waiting for us all along!"

"Yet, we have been wandering in the mists! If not for the return of the ancient emperor who researched and created the Alchemy Gate, who now possesses the key to unlock it, we would not have been qualified to know any of this!"

The gods' hearts pounded wildly, and they felt immensely ashamed.

But then, Hermes coldly asked again, "What is it you truly seek on this journey?"

The gods were startled. What did he mean by that? Hermes had just guessed their three purposes for coming, so why was he suddenly asking them again?

The Blood Emperor stepped forward, unable to resist repeating earnestly, "What we seek are the three questions you mentioned earlier: the path to the Ninth Order, the truth of history, and the method to break through realms..."

"Those three are merely superficial! What is it you truly seek?!" Mercury directly interrupted, stepping forward. His voice was cold, his gaze profoundly deep, and he exuded an aura of profound, detached wisdom. His voice resonated like a great bell striking their hearts.

What *do* we truly seek?