Chapter 642: Showdown
Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
Wang Xi had a kind, inviting smile that could light up an entire room. This was the effect he had on people. However, Chen Chen returned the old lecturer’s smile with a blank, stoic look. freewe(b)novel.c(o)m
“It’s been so many years and you still haven’t changed your script.”
Chen Chen took two steps forward, all the while fixing his eyes on the old lecturer who single-handedly altered the course of his life. “I’m sure this is the same sermon you gave when Zhao Shanhe was present.
“Am I wrong, though?”
Wang Xi suddenly erupted with laughter. “Chen Chen, you truly lived up to my expectations. Even those three rascals in the subspace couldn’t corrupt you. I must say I’m very pleased!”
“If you’re so pleased, why don’t you tell me what your goal is.”
The professor’s compliments failed to soften Chen Chen, who continued speaking with an indifferent tone, “You left the dimension key that presented infinite possibilities to me. You were the one who steered mankind to the subspace. The moment I discovered that it was your doing, you vanished with the power of antimemes and now, you made an unannounced reappearance. Would you tell me what it is that you’re planning?”
“That’s a long story...”
Wang Xi pretended to be startled by Chen Chen’s claims. Then, he sighed dramatically., “Before I answer your question, allow me to tell you a story.”
Wang Xi noted Chen Chen’s subtle frown but still went on. “This story started eons ago.
“Do you know billions upon billions of years ago, the subspace is a stagnant place, nothing like the form it assumes today. Even back then, some of the oldest civilizations were already thriving in the Milky Way.”
Wang Xi narrated a story of an ancient age, far beyond the comprehension of any humans, “Among these civilizations, there were three distinct classes that stood above the rest of their peers. One of them was an energy life form, present since the birth of the universe. They fed on stars to sustain their existence but despite their impressive strength, they were unable to develop a unique civilization of their own.
“The other two superior classes, if you’d believe it, were fragile physical beings. One of them was the first to traverse beyond the stars and galaxies. They developed astounding technology in their wake that could change the structure of time and space and allowed seamless weaving in between dimensions. They were also the first to realize the potential of psionic abilities to a point where the technology they developed had become interwoven with their psionic powers...
“This was a carefree, well-natured civilization that was willing to achieve the greater good for all. Their status was akin to a mentor in the scale of the galaxy.
“However, their contemporary was a separate civilization cursed by the stars they were born from. The conditions of the planet that housed them were so hostile that this civilization was cursed with an extremely short lifespan from birth, and an even higher infant mortality rate. Despite the odds, they managed to advance their technology to an unbelievable level and yet they could not find a way to nullify the inherent corrupted state of their natural DNA from being born on this star...
“The cursed state of their being had made them grow into a hard, paranoid, and spiteful species. The composition of their body was also rejected by the subspace, causing them to not be able to harness the power of psionic abilities. This civilization was an extreme opposite of the other civilization mentioned previously.” fr(e)ewebnov(e)l.com
Wang Xi continued his tale. “Sixty million years ago, this cursed civilization and the mentor civilization finally crossed paths. When the cursed civilization realized the blessed conditions the mentor civilization was born with, in addition to their near-limitless lifespan, it aroused the flames of resentment within them.
“That was the start of a galactic war... The cursed civilization launched an unprovoked attack on the mentor civilization. As stated previously, they were unable to harness psionic abilities, therefore could not utilize any subspace-related technology. The mentor civilization capitalized on this and used the subspace navigation available to them to traverse across each corner of the Milky Way. This allowed them to subdue the cursed civilization that could only travel at sub-light speeds.
“As you’d expect, the cursed civilization fought an uphill battle and were soon cornered to their birth planet. Despite the unfavorable odds, their hard and bitter species refused to admit their defeat. They continued their valiant research to seek a solution to defeat their enemies.”
Wang Xi suddenly paused for a moment, a gloom appeared in his eyes. “At last, there was a turning point...
“The cursed civilization’s efforts had finally paid off when they made a grand discovery – they discovered the energy life form that existed since the birth of the universe and realized that it was this intergalactic species that had been consuming the energy emitted from their planet all along. They were the reason the planet had become so hostile to its inhabitants.
“With their backs against the wall, the cursed, despicable species made a pact with these energy form beings. They were willing to construct physical bodies for these beings and worship them and in exchange, they would be granted immortality so they could triumph over the mentor civilization.”
Chen Chen displayed a pensive look when he heard the tales spoken by Wang Xi. “Are these energy form beings stronger than these two civilizations you claim to be at the peak of the Milky Way?”
“Yes.”
Wang Xi was proud to make this declaration, “These energy form beings were divine beings with an unending source of strength, they were close to Godlike in the realm of the real world!
“In the end, the energy form beings who were naive to the wretchedness of the cursed civilization agreed to these terms. Soon, they obtained the high technology metallic shells designed by the cursed civilization. They transferred their consciousness into these shells and in these shells, they were immortal, immune to the effects of aging and disease...
“From there on, the cursed civilization and the energy form beings joined forces and launched an attack on the mentor civilization together and finally overwhelmed the opposition. The mentor civilization enlisted the help of many of its allies of different planets to their cause but in the end, their efforts were in vain. By the end, they were nearly entirely wiped out!”
Professor Wang Xi sighed. “However, the energy form beings were finally brought to ruin by their naivety. The cunning cursed civilization deceived them and spurred a civil war among their midst. The energy form beings had fallen into a trap as they failed to realize that the cursed civilization had been known for their paranoid and wretched character all along... These godly beings were betrayed and crushed into smithereens, then sealed away...
“An extreme minority of these energy form beings managed to escape the massacre.”
After finishing his tale, the professor shut his eyes briefly and summarized, “Do you understand now? The reason the subspace has become such a hostile dimension is directly connected to this ancient war. The corrupt and wretched emotions swept across the subspace, the endless mass of killing, bloodshed, and death changed the subspace over time until it became what it is today.”
“Which means that the subspace is susceptible to the intense emotion generated by war, violence, superstition, and such?”
Chen Chen remarked and enquired further, “What became of this cursed civilization in the end? It doesn’t seem like they continued to govern the galaxy.”
“They’ve entered a deep slumber.”
The gentle smile of Wang Xi slowly subsided and turned into a watchful, alert frown instead. “They’ve sustained major losses during the ancient war as well. To preserve their bloodline while preventing the birth of another civilization similar to the mentor civilization, they devised a plan for their eventual return. They rest in the subspace and if in the eventual future a planet crumbles to the subspace invasion, this cursed civilization will awaken from their eternal slumber and continue their mindless slaughter.
“This is the story I’ve been meaning to tell you, an ancient story spanning to the beginning of time.”
Wang Xi sighed, consumed with emotion after saying this. He suddenly appeared older than he seemed. “You’re the first one I’ve ever told this story to, the only one who is worthy of hearing it.”
Chen Chen eyed the professor suspiciously upon hearing this. “Based on what you’re telling me, it seems like you’re on this energy form being’s side. Are you telling me that you’re one of the survivors of its race?”
“I am, but I also am not.”
Wang Xi chuckled softly. “I was once a common human born in a village in a mountainous region, it’s name I no longer remember. One day, I happened to encounter a consciousness fragment of C’tan and my mind merged with it. From that moment on, eons of memories tracking back to the beginning of time including the great war became part of me as well. I’m now Wang Xi, but I am also C’tan...”
“Right.”
Wang Xi explained, “C’tan is the name which the cursed civilization refers to me by. It’s the first name that I’ve ever received, but now I have another name that I go by...
“Void Dragon!”
When Wang Xi uttered the name “Void Dragon”, Chen Chen suddenly felt that all the hair on his body rose on its end and felt a malicious energy rushing at him. Without any hesitation, Chen Chen unleashed an enormous surge of power from the depths of his soul!
“Boom!”
The otherworldly powers collided and burst like two tsunamis crashing into each other. The concentration of both sources of power was condensed to an extreme molecular level and ground into each other like gears of a giant spinning wheel opposing each other. The collision was tremendous, but the environment around them seemed scarcely affected!
“What terrific, pure strength!”
Wang Xi was impressed and celebrated. “You’ve indeed gained the power of C’tan, even if it’s still incomplete as of yet. You’ve only mastered one of the four basic forces in the universe, but your body holds two different powers coexisting with each other, truly incredible! I thank you, Chen Chen. You’ve carved a path of Godhood for me and helped me realize that our powers can be combined with the psionic powers!”
“Godhood?”
Chen Chen’s smile was full of mockery. “You want to become one of those three ridiculous beings in the subspace?”
“Of course!”
Wang Xi emitted traces of green glow around him, his skin began to assume a metallic texture. “They were responsible for arousing hatred among my species in the past. What I plan to do is to adopt mankind into the psionic era and this way, strengthen the ties between mankind and the subspace. From there on, I’ll crush mankind and assume my role as the one and only true ‘God’, an omniscient being that will surpass those three!
“I’d show you some mercy and let you live considering your many contributions to my goal but... It seems like you have other plans in mind and are trying to steer mankind away from the subspace. Such a shame...”
Chen Chen retorted icily, “You were the one who told me there was no such thing as a God.”
“If I didn’t tell you that, wouldn’t you harbor some foolish ideas of your own when you confront those three beings in the subspace?”
The green glow around Wang Xi became brighter and the metal shells on his skin grew more defined with each passing second. Suddenly, a thick mechanical tail emerged from behind his back!
Wang Xi’s face was now covered with a metallic black mask. A harsh, metallic sound zoned in on Chen Chen from all directions. “But I wasn’t lying either because there are no other beings that can claim to be God apart from me!”
“No. There’s no God nor will there ever be.”
Chen Chen spat, “And you’re no exception!”
“Bang!”
Once again, an indescribable power erupted from Chen Chen’s body. Moments after that, a faint yellow ripple in reality formed between Chen Chen and Professor Wang Xi as if an invisible glass was shattering in the space between them. A breath of subspace current set to destroy everything in its path seeped out of the crack!
“Subspace rift?”
Wang Xi’s voice was no longer humanoid but sounded mechanical, mixed with a metallic hum. Despite that, there was a sharp sense of shock and awe concealed within his voice. “Your psionic strength has already reached a level strong enough to tear apart reality and access the subspace?”
Chen Chen did not respond to this with his words but with his subsequent actions instead. Mountains worth of psionic energy surged around his surroundings and threatened to overwhelm Wang Xi. A brazen gravitational pull came from below Wang Xi, powerful enough to shred through reality, and in the next second, Wang Xi was flung into the gap leading to the subspace!
“You’re too naive if you think you can simply banish me like this!”
Wang Xi belted with a quick motion and summoned countless black shapes from his body. Chen Chen’s expression suddenly changed when he made out what those things were!
They were... Black slates!
One, two, three, ten, fifty, ninety-nine!
Chen Chen could not believe the sheer number of black slates he was seeing. He saw the endless black slates form a dark wall of steel and walled off the tidal force of the subspace!
“Bang!”
The subspace rift was forcefully sealed!
“So many Civilization Monoliths...”
Chen Chen’s eyes were colored with wonder. “This explains why most of the dimensions we traveled to are already destroyed...”
“I was the one who granted you the dimension keys. Naturally, I can use them as well, sooner than you could even.”
Wang Xi made a quick gesture and materialized a glowing USB drive in the center of his palms. It turned into a glowing orb, then continued to rotate between different shapes and forms without stopping. “This is the ultimate invention of the mentor civilization, the creations that allow for endless dimension, space, and time travel. How could you possibly expect me to fully submit such a powerful tool to your hands?”
After Wang Xi mentioned this, Chen Chen suddenly sensed an unimaginable weight pressing over his psionic core. He could not evoke the faintest trace of psionic power as they were completely suppressed by the psionic suppressing characteristic of the wall of black slate!
“You call them Civilization Monolith, but the cursed civilization refers to them by another name... the Blackstone Array!”
Wang Xi’s voice grew harsher and colder as a pair of metallic wings tore through his flesh and appeared behind his back. A strange symbol levitated in front of his forehead while he emitted a ripple of power similar to Field. “The reality stability anchor you use is nothing but a simplified replica of the Blackstone Array the cursed civilization used to control the subspace!”
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