Chapter 1039: Black Hole Depths

Lou Yu’s pupils constricted slightly.

Lou Yu had never imagined that Lu Xun would confront him in such a way. Black holes in the universe consume everything. The closest matter that could escape a black hole's pull—stellar remnants—were light-years away from him, completely beyond the reach of his domain.

Currently, Lou Yu was indeed powerful, almost unrivaled in direct combat. However, as only a demigod, he simply could not release more energy than a black hole.

If he were to be swallowed by a black hole, both his body and soul would fall into eternal silence, with no possibility of rebirth.

“No…”

Lou Yu gritted his teeth, immediately unleashing all his power, causing his body to swell rapidly.

An unknown number of nuclear reactors surged within him. Brilliant, scorching energy erupted from his body, and he became like a human nuclear-powered spacecraft, fiercely resisting the black hole’s gravity and thrusting outwards.

The energy Lou Yu unleashed at this moment surpassed the sum of all nuclear energy ever generated by humanity. If he were to unleash this power on Earth, it could instantly sink an entire dominion.

Under his full exertion, even the black hole's gravity could not bind him. His form, like a fiercely burning star, slowly moved away from the black hole.

Just then,

Lu Xun's figure slowly floated before him amidst the vast starlight.

The moment Lu Xun appeared, all the stars within sight blazed with intense light. The entire universe seemed to shimmer at his will, and bathed in this starlight, his figure resembled a deity.

“Lu… Xun!!!”

Seeing Lu Xun, wreathed in starlight, reappear, an inexpressible feeling arose within Lou Yu. It wasn't anger or resentment, but a deep bitterness and pain.

He did not give up because of Lu Xun's appearance. Instead, he roared silently, unleashing his power once more. Endless energy surged from within him, and he began to hurtle at an even greater speed towards Lu Xun in the starry sky.

Lu Xun's eyes calmly reflected everything. Lou Yu's contorted face rapidly enlarged before him, yet Lu Xun, as if devoid of emotion, slowly raised his foot…

Then stamped it down with force!

Boom—!!!

The vast starlight surged like a tide, weaving into the illusory image of a comet before Lu Xun. This colossal celestial body, imbued with terrifying mass and kinetic energy, rushed towards Lou Yu.

Lu Xun's comet and the burning star that Lou Yu had become collided with a thunderous impact before the black hole. The terrifying aftermath swept across the void.

The comet's illusion exploded instantly under Lou Yu's power, while the shockwave directly hurled Lou Yu, flinging his body—which had barely managed to escape the black hole's gravitational pull—deeper into the darkness.

Lou Yu's shattered body spiraled endlessly downwards within the black hole. He watched as the myriad stars and Lu Xun receded in his vision, and his pupils gradually lost their light.

He had fallen too deep into the black hole. Lou Yu knew that even with his full power, he could no longer escape its gravitational pull.

This universe had already pronounced his death sentence.

Darkness, dead silence…

Lou Yu heard no sound. The stars in the universe spun, resembling long-tailed blurs of light that distorted his vision. Here, time and space seemed to converge at their end; everything was warped and dim, and his perception of space-time was gradually being stripped away.

“Is it over…?”

Lou Yu sighed softly. On his face, there was no anger or resentment, only profound helplessness.

Everything from his journey silently flashed before his eyes, like watching an extremely fast silent film. From his naive student days to his academic period as a researcher, then to the tumultuous times during the Great Cataclysm, and finally to the killings and mysteries after the resurgence… Looking back at his entire life, Lou Yu had no regrets.

Even if given another chance, he would still choose this 'insurance' path, despite the cost being the shackles of six million souls and eternal condemnation from the world.

Of course, contemplating these matters now was meaningless. His 'infinity' had ended, and his life would soon reach its conclusion.

Fortunately…

The one who ultimately ended him was Lu Xun.

Dying by Lu Xun's hand, Lou Yu had no complaints. On the contrary, there was a sense of release, even relief. His life had changed because of Lu Xun, and for it to end by Lu Xun's hand now felt complete.

The stars’ glare was too dazzling. Lou Yu’s eyes slowly closed. Just as he was ready to fully sink into the black hole, a hand suddenly gripped his collar.

Lou Yu froze, then opened his eyes again, bewildered.

A familiar figure had, at some unknown point, also arrived deep within the black hole. His silhouette, outlined by a faint glow under the endless starlight, exuded a natural divinity. A pair of eyes, brimming with starlight, gazed quietly at Lou Yu.

“Earlier, you asked if I had come to claim your life…” Lu Xun’s voice echoed in Lou Yu’s mind.

“My answer is… no.”

“A life for a life is the simplest and most direct method, but also one that yields no true benefit. You killed six million people; you bear the shackles of their souls. If you were to die now, everything would be meaningless.”

“Therefore, you cannot die, at least not yet…”

“Didn’t you wish to be humanity’s 'insurance'? Go and do what you believe must be done. After you complete it, then, in your own way, atone for those six million lives.”

Lou Yu stared blankly into Lu Xun’s eyes, completely frozen in place.

He hadn't expected Lu Xun wouldn't kill him but instead chose to let him live. Yet, this truly was the best choice.

If he died now, the deaths of those six million people would have been meaningless. What Lu Xun wanted was for him to live with the shackles of a sinner, to settle his own accounts after everything had settled.

“You… you trust me that much?”

Lou Yu’s lips parted and closed, but no sound emerged. Yet, Lu Xun seemed to understand his meaning.

A faint, almost imperceptible smile touched Lu Xun’s serious and imposing face.

“I trust Wuji Jun Lou Yu.”

Wuji Jun was also one of the Nine Monarchs.

As he spoke, Lu Xun raised his hand again. From deep within the black hole, he reached towards the starry sky, and an ethereal hand, seemingly born of starlight, gently grasped his.

“…Retrieve me.”

A soft whisper sounded. The next moment, a force seized both Lu Xun and Lou Yu, forcibly extracting them from the black hole's depths. It traversed countless light-years across the boundless cosmos, drawing them closer to Earth.

Starlight streaked past Lou Yu's eyes like lines.

By the time he regained his senses, familiar gravity once again enveloped his body. His damaged form lost its support, and he stumbled to his knees.