Chapter 288: Chapter 34: Breaking the Formation
With that, Garuda had already used his immense power to dominate the other Evil Beasts. No matter how the will from beyond the giant black hole urged them on, the witless Evil Beasts didn’t react at all. As for the intelligent ones, they were even less likely to defy Garuda’s command and court death in the current situation.
"...So, you intend to wait for the highest bidder? To see which side offers the better deal before you pledge your allegiance?"
After a moment of silence, the voice from beyond the giant black hole sounded rather regretful. "You are still too naive. You’ve misjudged the nature of the Human Race and those Immortal Gods. An act like this is even more detestable to them than outright hostility. And now that you’ve seized control of the Kunlun Secret Realm and sealed its passages, they will surely kill you to reclaim it."
At this point, the voice understood that it had underestimated this young Divine Bird, so it spoke bluntly. "Join our Beast God Realm. With your bloodline, it won’t be difficult for you to contend for the throne of the Feathered Race’s king among the Luo, Lin, Mao, Yu, and Kun. Under the watch of the Life Lord, there is at least a semblance of fairness. As for the survivors of the Immortal Realm, the most they’ll do is treat you as a mount."
"They have a Cultivator with the Dragon King’s bloodline, who even seems to be their leader. Why couldn’t they accept me?" Garuda smiled faintly. "I’m well aware that my actions make me seem like a fence-sitter, which is certainly not popular. But as long as I don’t cause any major harm and still have value, why couldn’t they grant me Reception?"
"Besides, you’ve misunderstood one thing: my true purpose. My goal isn’t simply to survive. I want to know where I truly belong."
"Am I a Divine Bird by birth, or a descendant of a Demon God from the Human Race? I must figure this out. Only then will my life have direction and meaning."
A Divine Bird, born into the world from the essence of the deceased Great Roc Demon God.
With no parents to teach him and no enemies to pressure him, this lonely being could not find a path forward.
Here in the silent Kunlun Secret Realm, his greatest torment was not the crisis of life and death, but the question of his own purpose. Possessing wisdom and a vast inheritance of memories from his bloodline, he was born with innate knowledge and did not want to live a muddled existence like a wild animal, merely surviving for the sake of survival.
The meaning of birth, the meaning of death, the meaning of life itself... He wanted to understand it all.
That was why he wanted to learn more before making a choice.
"Rest assured. If the survivors of the Immortal Realm are truly as greedy, terrifying, and cruel as you say, then I will naturally turn to your side."
With that, Garuda turned and led the host of Evil Beasts from the palace. "But it won’t be because you guided me to submit. I will decide my own future."
「Meanwhile, at Flat-top Mountain.」
"I’m going to check on the anomaly."
Su Zhou announced this as he shouldered his Long Spear. He was checking the Spiritual Power Bullets in the large-caliber, anti-Demon Beast handgun he held. A modern elephant-hunting longbow was strapped to his back, a quiver hanging at his waist.
The Zhengguo Government had prepared all the Military Equipment Su Zhou requested, with the exception of Exoskeleton Armor. He wasn’t using it because the power of most active-duty Exoskeleton Armor models was actually less than his own. For him, wearing one would be a hindrance.
It would have no practical combat application unless a unit was custom-designed specifically for him.
Su Zhou’s tone was grave. "They’re clearly plotting something over there. You all need to be careful. I’ll do my best to draw the enemy’s attention while you find a chance to contact the outside world. You can also follow me, but I can’t guarantee your safety once a fight breaks out."
"Tang Yuan, you stay here and gather the squads that are meeting up with us. I’m handing command over to Mr. Xuan Lu. He’s old, but he has the Black Tortoise Bloodline, so he’s not so old that his mind has slowed."
Bai Canglang turned to the pale-faced young man. "I’m going with Professor Su to check things out."
"Alright." Without another word, Tang Yuan nodded. Su Zhou said no more either and, along with Bai Canglang, sped off toward the distant Five Mountains of Kunlun, toward a region that emanated a sinister, demonic aura.
It was now late afternoon in the Kunlun Secret Realm, approaching dusk. The bright sphere of light was gradually setting, and the stars of the Circulation began to appear one by one.
Anyone familiar with the constellations would have known at a glance that most of the stars that made up the Twenty-Eight Constellations were missing, leaving only a rough framework. Not only that, but the moonlight that should have hung high in the center of the sky had long since vanished.
Across the darkening land, two streaks of Spiritual Light sped onward, racing toward the center of the world.
The land between Flat-top Mountain and the Central Five Mountains was a dense forest interspersed with all sorts of strange mountain terrain. Su Zhou could feel a peculiar aura among these mountains but couldn’t identify it. The more mountains they passed, however, the more horrified Bai Canglang became. "That Flat-top Mountain was Black Tortoise, and the aura from the Hutou Mountain we passed was Luwu. I can even sense the presences of Cyan Bird and Yingzhao nearby... Heavens, these mountain ranges—is every single mountain the remains of an Immortal God, at least at the Demon God Level?!"
Upon this realization, he looked around at the mountain range, which numbered over a hundred peaks and stretched to the horizon, and couldn’t help but tremble. ’Just how many Demon Gods perished here in the past? What price did the Immortal Gods of old pay to reach the New World?’
