Chapter 1095: 【It】

Chapter 1095: It

The next moment, an aged hand gripped his wrist.

“Your blood is not yet to be used,” Lu Xun’s calm voice resounded. “You are the ultimate in cell biology, a ‘god’ capable of altering genetic sequences, and the only one among us who can live forever. Drinking your blood can indeed inhibit telomere shortening and thus resist aging. However, once you start, it must be consumed daily. Otherwise, not only will it lead to aging and death, but it will also cause suffering more brutal than withdrawal.”

Chu Changqing’s brow furrowed, and he spoke without hesitation:

“It’s merely a matter of drawing your blood daily. You alone, I can still provide for.”

Lu Xun shook his head. “It was precisely because of that mindset that so much of your blood was drawn for those experiments back then. You’ve been in slumber for over three centuries, and now that you’ve finally recovered, do you still not understand the importance of cherishing yourself?”

“But I did make a contribution, didn’t I?” Chu Changqing countered. “If not for my blood back then, how could they have developed the nutrient solution in these hibernation pods? Without my sacrifice, the ‘Hibernation Project’ wouldn’t exist, and humanity wouldn’t have extended its existence for another three hundred years…”

“You are mistaken.” Lu Xun offered a bitter smile.

Chu Changqing frowned, his gaze filled with confusion, seemingly unable to grasp where his logic had gone wrong.

“They never truly deciphered the secret of your blood, nor did they develop any life-extending substance. The so-called nutrient solution was merely your blood, drawn all those years ago, heavily diluted and processed.”

Lu Xun gazed at Chu Changqing’s azure eyes with a complex expression, slowly speaking. “As I said, you are the ultimate in cell biology. Did you truly believe those scientists could unravel the miracle within you? No, they couldn’t even decipher a single strand of your hair. You yourself are a top-tier cellular biologist, yet even you don’t understand the changes within yourself, do you?”

Chu Changqing opened his mouth, but ultimately fell silent. Lu Xun was right. Chu Changqing had, countless times, used his own blood, hair, and even organ tissue samples for research. Yet, no matter what, he could never decipher the reasons behind the myriad changes occurring within him. Not only his own, but he also couldn’t comprehend the transformations in the other Nine Sovereigns.

Possessing abilities and attempting to explain the theoretical logic behind all these supernatural phenomena using humanity’s current scientific understanding are two entirely different matters.

“...But you are dying.”

Chu Changqing no longer dwelled on the past; he simply looked at Lu Xun's fading eyes, his tone gravely serious.

“I know,” Lu Xun replied with a slight smile. “I woke you not because I wish to cling to life through your blood, but because I want you to take charge of this era.”

“What do you mean?”

“...It is returning soon.”

Upon hearing this, Chu Changqing’s expression immediately turned grim.

“Are you serious?” he asked, his voice deeply low. “That thing is truly coming back? Then…”

“No one understands celestial bodies better than I do. Although I’ve been in slumber for three centuries, the small mechanisms I set up back then have been calculating its return. Now, the answer has emerged.” Lu Xun paused for a moment. “No one knows what will happen when it returns this time. Moreover, in this era, some of the Nine Sovereigns are still in slumber, others have fallen in battle. Someone must step forward to unite humanity, otherwise these domains will remain fragmented.”

“If that’s the case, then you are naturally the most suitable person!” Chu Changqing’s voice was somewhat agitated. “It was you who gathered us then, and you who led everyone through the darkest period. We all acknowledge you… You are a born leader, always have been, in any era.”

“Your blood is humanity’s most vital strategic resource; it needs to be used on the most important person.”

“Among the Nine Sovereigns, who is more important than you?”

Lu Xun looked into his eyes but remained silent. Chu Changqing seemed to understand something. He remained silent for a long time, then offered a bitter smile.

“I understand… You woke me so that, when necessary, I can use my blood to prolong that person’s life…”

“He is stronger than me, stronger than everyone. He is the hope for humanity’s future,” Lu Xun slowly stated. “As I’ve said before… against an insurmountable disaster, humanity’s only weapon is unity.”

“Then why don’t you awaken him now?”

“It’s too early. Once he awakens, he will rely solely on your blood to sustain his life. The longer you sustain him, the weaker you will become. Therefore, you must wait until the time is right to awaken him yourself.”

“When will the time be right?”

“That will be for you to decide.”

Chu Changqing slowly closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and exhaled slowly… filled with helplessness and sorrow.

“Lu Xun, I cannot be like you… I am not cut out to be a leader.”

“People always have to grow.”

Lu Xun’s aged hand rose and patted Chu Changqing’s shoulder. The light in his eyes gradually dimmed. The next moment, he began to cough weakly, and the starlight swirling around him flickered with each cough, gathering closer to his body.

Seeing this, anxiety flickered in Chu Changqing’s eyes. He wanted to say more but found himself unable to utter a single word.

“...I must go now.” Lu Xun coughed for a long time before speaking in a hoarse voice.

“Where are you going?”

“Back to the heavens,” Lu Xun said, a faint smile appearing on his pale face as he gestured to the starlight swirling beside him. “...With them.”

Lu Xun’s life had reached its end; Chu Changqing knew this well. After receiving that answer, he offered no further persuasion, instead slowly closing his eyes, his expression unreadable.

“...Mmm.”

“Farewell,” Lu Xun said. The starlight around him grew increasingly brilliant, and he seemed to be swallowed by it, melting bit by bit into the light. “Give my regards to the other Nine Sovereigns.”

The next moment, Lu Xun’s figure raised a hand amidst the starlight, and starlight erupted once more from his dim eyes… as if a fervent and sincere soul resided within his aged body. His gaze traversed space, seemingly looking directly into the boundless cosmos. Amidst the shimmering light, he seemed to transform back into the child from the orphanage who yearned for the stars… He spread his fingers, as if wanting to grasp the entire sky.

“...Take me.”

The starlight, for the last time, drew his body, transporting him directly beyond Earth. His form vanished from the South Sea Base, and from Chu Changqing’s sight. Only a faint starlight remained, silently twinkling…

After an unknown duration, Chu Changqing’s sigh echoed in the deadly silence.

Rumble—

Every district of the Tianshu Domain realigned with a thunderous roar. Massive gears turned, gradually transforming the city into a different form…

“When the Tianshu Domain was first constructed, Sovereign Tianshu installed mechanisms within it… Ultimately, this place is a gigantic calculation field…”

“What is it calculating?”

“It calculates the day humanity’s fate reaches its end…” The Tower Master paused. “Or rather, the second time the Scarlet Star passes Earth.”

“Now, the Tianshu Domain’s final form has begun to manifest… This indicates…”

“The Scarlet Star is returning soon.”

Over three centuries ago, the mysterious phenomenon that caused the regression of human civilization and led to the convergence of the Grey Realm is about to return. Will it bring new disaster, destruction, or will nothing happen at all?

No one knows the answer.

When the final answer calculated by Sovereign Tianshu appeared before everyone through the Tianshu Domain, the alarm bell for humanity’s fate had already rung, and the countdown to destruction silently began…

339 days, 14 hours, 58 minutes, 05 seconds339 days, 14 hours, 58 minutes, 04 seconds339 days, 14 hours, 58 minutes, 03 seconds

Volume 3, *The Rite of God*, concludes.

Next volume: *The Ballad of Mockery*.