Chapter 1271: Hope to See a Flourishing Age

Although their hierarchy was rigid, with generations of saints born only within saintly families, competition among these families remained fierce.

Each of them once dominated an era, walking among mortals, defeating countless holy sons and holy daughters, and were invincible at the time!

But after becoming saints, dwelling high above, their hearts had grown old; their golden years were long past. Tens of millions of years had passed, leaving them without energy or confidence, and accompanied by thoughts of death, apprehension, and fear. They dared not make another surge or compete with the mortals of this era.

"We..."

"Elder, we have been enlightened."

They bowed their heads slightly.

They were ordinary saints, and in their eyes, the one who now controlled a vast seaweed universe must be an incredibly powerful multi-dimensional saint. The other party's awakening words were undoubtedly well-intentioned.

They had indeed long since become listless and worn out; their youthful, passionate years were long gone.

"Heroes grow old, but do your young hearts still beat?" Di Zun asked, looking at them. What he wanted was not a group of decrepit, aged beings in their twilight years.

If they were still bald programmers in their forties or fifties, Xu Zhi wouldn't want them.

"If you lack the resolve to shatter all of your old selves, like Long Hong, descending to the mortal realm, becoming the humblest of woodcutters, fighting your way to the Celestial Court, and overthrowing your former self," he continued, "then you will inevitably be eliminated by the new era and unable to compete with its prodigies."

Xu Zhi smiled, opening a path. "My words end here. The path lies before you; you may enter... But are you ready?"

"I have a bright pearl, long locked away by worldly dust.Now, with the dust gone, its light shines forth, illuminating ten thousand green mountains."

As his words fell, these saints were utterly shaken and stopped in their tracks, deeply moved to their core.

They finally exchanged glances. A spark of vitality flickered in their cloudy eyes, and they slowly entered this universe.

Beside them, Zhi Ji listened, her mind deeply shaken.

"'I have overthrown myself.'"

"'Descending personally to the mortal realm, becoming the woodcutter of the next era, and reaching the peak from scratch! What is there to fear in all of this?'"

"'Heroes grow old, but do your young hearts still beat?'"

"'I have a bright pearl, long locked away by worldly dust; now, with the dust gone, its light shines forth, illuminating ten thousand green mountains!'"

These words deeply rooted themselves in Zhi Ji's heart.

She felt as if she, too, like those saints, was enveloped by a silent, suffocating feeling.

Unbeknownst to her, she had long become like those lifeless saints, trapped by decay, her sharp spirit completely faded, her edge lost, no longer as fierce, resolute, and unyielding as in her youth.

Her former self was also grand and vast, bravely forging ahead, like a soaring eagle traversing the cosmos.

But she had ultimately failed. Although she had also glimpsed a corner of a distant future era and seized the initiative along with others, she chose to submit to another being who had seized the initiative after a defeat, helping to expand their territory. Even if she ultimately succeeded, she remained merely a secondary assisting minister, having long lost her sharpness and pride.

She looked at the serene and unhurried young man, her expression more complex than ever before.

What if, back in a distant era, when she herself was decaying like these saints, someone had spoken these words to awaken and rouse her at that moment? To not cower before power, to break through her self-imposed fears... might she not have reached the peak?

Would the being who now presides over the Longevity Dao Palace, spanning ancient and modern times, have been herself?

Perhaps, she would most likely have failed and been killed by her master, but at least she would have no regrets, a life without remorse.

"You, why do you speak like this? How are you so skilled? So good at guiding others?" Zhi Ji suddenly couldn't help but ask.

She had never before seen anyone with such profound mastery in this method of guiding others' Dao hearts.

Why was he so skilled at guiding their Dao hearts?

Xu Zhi remained silent.

This was second nature to him.

Medusa, Emperor Qi, Caroline... After all, as a spiritual mentor, he would guide and comfort them when their minds were weary, speaking of dreams and ideals, encouraging them to continue pioneering eras and writing anthems for civilization.

People always have moments of exhaustion.

Gods, too, are human; they always have moments of self-doubt.

Just like employees in large companies, whose daily work is tiring and monotonous, they are provided with psychological counseling rooms where they can seek advice, discuss dreams and the future, to motivate them to continue working hard and putting in overtime.

As for other talents, Xu Zhi dared not speak, but when it came to guiding Dao hearts, under a 996 work schedule, chicken soup for the soul was essential. He himself was well-versed in this; it was his true main job.

Zhi Ji couldn't help but ask again, "Besides, waking up those saints doesn't benefit you; on the contrary, it adds more rivals."

"I only wish to witness a brilliant grand era," Xu Zhi replied. "I don't want them to forget their original aspirations."

Xu Zhi was surprised by Zhi Ji's words but still answered softly:

"I clearly know that every saint who has achieved the Dao and reached this stage must possess deep devotion in their hearts and are the purest seekers of the Dao... But ultimately, they are corroded by the sands of time. I hope they shatter their decay and return to their youngest hearts."

"As for me, I cannot stand to see saints decay."

Di Zun said calmly, "I hope they rouse themselves. Only when geniuses emerge in droves can it be the most astonishing grand era. Only when all the geniuses of an era rise and compete together, vying for glory amidst the most brilliant fireworks, will they have lived a life truly worthy!"

The players in the live stream were instantly shaken, as if struck by lightning.

Some were astounded by this sentence. What kind of powerful conviction did it contain?

In their eyes, Di Zun was undoubtedly aiming to contend for the prevailing power of this era, and these words were clearly a declaration of war.

He didn't want them to lose their impetus to surge forward; he wanted them all to rise, and then he would suppress them all!

"This is Di Zun's style!"

In a daze, they recalled the true meaning of a certain phrase:

"'When I have not yet become a god, there shall be no gods in the world!'"

Di Zun was too domineering and arrogant, showing no fear of others competing with him. He even hoped for a prosperous era and the emergence of worthy opponents.

What was happening now was an encouragement, a hope for such opponents to appear.

Lord Youshan, beings of old, and all the heroes of yesteryear and today, he yearned for them to display their greatest spirit and talent to contend with him.

He had once traversed era after era, yet allowed the beings within each era to develop, intending to suppress them all at their most astonishing peak!

This was incredibly domineering.

But it was also Di Zun's very nature.

"'As expected of the peerless mastermind who has spanned countless ages!'"

"'All other beings are cowards; only Di Zun is worthy of talent that dictates across eternity!'"

"'Di Zun, we utterly revere you! Even if it means being enemies with all sentient beings, we will stand by your side!'"

"'We will definitely help you defeat a great power, dominate everything, and become supreme!'"

The players were excited and full of fighting spirit.

Meanwhile, Zhi Ji also admitted she was profoundly moved by these words.

But she and the players interpreted completely different meanings.

The players believed Di Zun's words were a declaration of war, but through her earlier observations, she clearly knew that the person before her truly had no ambition to contend for ultimate power.

These words, in her eyes, were a genuine blessing for these people, wishing them to grow and rise again, hoping for a prosperous era to emerge.

This person clearly possessed astonishing talent, yet he embodied both this brilliance and a relaxed leisureliness, giving him a peculiar aura.

He was a sage whose mind was transparent as glass, pure and flawless, without ambition.

He walked among mortals like a free cloud and wild crane, imparting the Great Dao and knowledge he had deduced to others, simply hoping for a prosperous era to emerge.

"'How can there be such a pure saint in this world?'" she thought. "'Without selfishness, educating all beings... This truly is the word and deed of a true saint.'"

Zhi Ji was a proud person.

But she now realized that perhaps in this mortal life, following such a sage to walk through this newly opened grand era, accompanying such a pure and sacred saint through his brief life, and witnessing an era, would also be a journey through the human world that cleansed the soul.