Astral Pet Store

"They're already beyond my control; they can survive even if chaos falls apart. I can understand that they don't want to get killed," said the girl, "We can't ask them to abide by the morals of humankind."

Su Ping was momentarily lost for words.

Was he standing on the moral high ground?

That was indeed the truth. There was no reason for them to sacrifice themselves for billions of unrelated species.

Humans preached about the strong lending a hnd to the weak, but not even humans were able to follow that ideal.

The strong were admired by everyone, while they never pitied the weak.

Some weaklings were fun addicted individuals; they had themselves to blame for their weakness.

Su Ping remembered the gods. Such an arrogant species was also destroyed by the Heavenly Dao. Was it really worth it to avenge such a species?

The two Sorcerer Ancestors probably felt the same. The billions of species were no different from stone and sand in their eyes. Who would feel sad for stepping over grass? Who would feel angry for the cracks on a rock?

However, Su Ping found it emotionally unacceptable that someone would simply stay away from the war that concerned all living creatures.

Still, he knew that he couldn't hold anyone accountable for those emotions.

"There's indeed no reason for them to stand up for us…"

Su Ping whispered, "However… Are they willing to be ruled by the Heavenly Dao? Do they want to spend the rest of their infinite time hiding from the Heavenly Dao?"

The girl stared at Su Ping and said, "I've told them the same. However, they preferred survival over dignity. Don't humans prioritize survival above everything else?"

Su Ping looked at the system and asked, "If they all think this way, will we find any allies?"

"The Heavenly Dao is attacking the Ancestral Land of Chaos. If it's eventually controlled by them, chaos will be restarted and all universes will be destroyed. That's why we have to fight. However, the Sorcerer Ancestors are no longer restrained by chaos, so they wouldn't really be hurt by this."

The girl sighed. "We're fighting for our own sake. It would be great if they give us a hand. If they don't, we can't blame them."

Su Ping looked at her and asked, "If the Ancestral Land of Chaos is controlled by the Heavenly Dao, would you be affected?"

"I was born in the Ancestral Land of Chaos. If it falls into the hands of the Heavenly Dao, I will be gone," said the girl in a calm tone.

Su Ping was stunned. She acted as if she were as unaffected as the two Sorcerer Ancestors she was defending, like mere bystanders who wouldn't be blamed even if they were unwilling to help. He didn't know that the system would be the one worse off.

The most ancient life form was at the risk of disappearing.

"You gave birth to them; they should know that you're in danger, shouldn't they?" asked Su Ping.

"Are you implying that they should at least return the favor? They've already helped me twice. I can understand their unwillingness to continue fighting. If I truly die, I hope that they can survive."

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Showing a peaceful smile on her face, she continued, "A mother would never blame her child. They would certainly not want their children involved in their battles."

Su Ping gradually fell silent upon sensing her calm resolve.

If he lost this war, billions of species would disappear. Not participating in the war would mean to simply watch as things unfolded. Calling the two Sorcerer Ancestors selfish or ruthless was just based on humanity's moral code, which couldn't restrain them.

He could only rely on himself for the upcoming battle.

"I understand."

Su Ping no longer pressed on the subject. He had no reason to complain or blame them.

"You said that the Remains of High Heavens was an illusion. What about the other cultivation sites?"

"The other cultivation sites were the universes that once existed until they were destroyed in the previous two wars…" said the girl softly, "So, the people you've seen in those cultivation sites are already dead. I've simply kept their most glorious moments before they died."

"So, the employees you took out of cultivation sites can't leave the store. They're like phantoms. They will consume much more of my energy, or they will disappear."

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Su Ping couldn't help but clench his fists.

Even though he already had an answer, he still felt a stinging pain when he heard it from her.

He had met too many people in those cultivation sites, Joanna being the one closest to him.

"I see… No wonder there's no record of the Archean Divinity's destruction, even though Joanna said so. The timelines weren't right…"

"The Demigod Burial is a piece of the Archean Divinity. Its very existence proves that the Archean Divinity was destroyed at some point; the way it is on the site is just as I saw it before it was destroyed…"

"I should have realized it. How could I have neglected something so obvious?" Su Ping mumbled to himself.

"I played some tricks on you, all to influence your way of thinking," said the girl calmly, "There were some truths that you didn't need to know; so cruel it would have affected your cultivation. I hoped that you could witness darkness without being consumed by it."

Su Ping was stunned into silence.

He suddenly remembered; he had seen a person with a pair of familiar eyes in a Mysterious Realm found in the Federation.

When he saw Joanna, he felt that their eyes were really similar.

So… That was Joanna.

She was an Ascendant State goddess in the Demigod Burial. The place was eventually destroyed, and so were she and all the Celestial experts, including Heather.

They didn't turn into ashes when they died; maybe because they were too weak. Their unconscious bodies remained.

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"An energy tide surged when I entered the illusory world and grasped the law of illusion. Someone guided me so I could leave, and someone else blocked the energy tide. Who were they?"

Su Ping looked at the girl.

"It was Anna who guided you so you could escape. The other one was a Celestial expert who died in the war against the Heavenly Dao. They were too weak. Even a plague driven by the Heavenly Dao at the edge of the battlefield was enough to destroy them. However, you met them in cultivation sites…" said the girl.

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Su Ping couldn't help but ask, "However, the cultivation sites have timelines from way back in the past; they shouldn't have known me when I met them in real life. Why would they help me?"

"The past, the present and the future are all found in the world of chaos. I extracted them from the projections of the world of chaos, and created many cultivation sites. They're not simple illusions, but more like projections."

She then added, "What you saw was a version of them from the past. Your encounter would appear in their future memories. The memories of living creatures transcend time; so, they all know you right now, even though they're already dead."

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"Some of their consciousnesses remained, floating in the void.

"The time when you had an epiphany in the world of illusion, that energy surge you mentioned was actually released by the Heavenly Dao who detected an intruder."

She turned to look at him and say, "However, many souls of the departed fought against the Heavenly Dao to cover for you; you just didn't know that. Anna was the closest to you, so she acted as your guide. The others stayed and fought the Heavenly Dao in the depths of the illusory world."

Su Ping was stunned.

The souls of the dead who were acquainted with him fought against the Heavenly Dao for his sake? Without him realizing it?

Su Ping recalled how he grasped the law of illusion back then. He was too weak at the time, merely a Star State warrior; so, he was only able to escape because countless people had helped him.

"Then, about them…"

"Some of them were completely annihilated," said the girl as she gazed at him.

His heart shook. It wasn't hard to imagine how strong the Heavenly Dao suppressing the world of illusions was.

Compelled to know, he said, "Why would they do that for me? I met a lot of people in cultivation sites, but they weren't really close to me. I don't even think the elders of the Heaven Path Institute wouldn't sacrifice themselves for me? Why would they, right?"

"That's how you think… However, from their perspective, they were probably just betting on you."

The girl said softly, "When you appeared in the cultivation sites and met them, their current selves realized that you—who showed up out of nowhere in their heads—were my heir. They had wandered for countless years, and they probably wanted to make the last contribution."

Su Ping felt that all his blood was boiling. He asked, "Is there a way to resurrect them?"

"Yes."

The girl continued, "I've extracted them from the past exactly for this war. I transferred them to the current time and space. They are a sizable force; however, if they die in this war, they will also disappear in the past.

"Their past would be gone in the world of chaos. Nobody would remember them.

"If we fail in this war, I will have one last chance to raise a new host. I can extract them from the future and put them in the present.

"If I fail again… All of them will be gone, and so will I."

Lastly, she said as she held eye contact, "The Heavenly Dao is quickly attacking the Ancestral Land of Chaos, and I've run out of capital. Once the Heavenly Dao gains control, all chaos will be restarted. All lives in the past, present and future will be gone. Not a trace of their existence will remain. This place will turn back to what it was at the beginning."

Su Ping had thought that the war would be brutal, but he didn't know it would be to such a degree.

The war between the living and the Heavenly Dao would span all across history.

How many lives had been permanently destroyed in the war?

Su Ping looked at the girl before him. The real players in that game were the system and the supreme leader of the Heavenly Dao.

They were the chess players, and all the living were chess pieces.

Su Ping would move as the queen piece under the system's command. She had lost the game three times. That would be their fourth match!

It was very likely the last one!

If she failed, there wouldn't be much left for the system to stage a comeback.

…