Chapter 1435: He Was a Mortal Woodcutter in Ancient Times

Xu Zhi was, after all, a very realistic person.

Admittedly, these "ancestors" had shown him immense kindness. After all, the continuous evolution and accumulation of the Zerg Mother Nests across generations had provided him with a sufficiently high singularity. In an era where bloodline determined everything, it was his status as a "saint's second generation" that had allowed him to reach his current position.

However, exposing his deepest trump card to these successive Zerg Queens was simply out of the question. Moreover, they were currently, ostensibly, adversaries. They sought to overthrow him, an ancient cosmic entity, to realize their dream of breaking through to the Eleventh Order of the Grand Dao! At worst, he could sever his current ties with the Zerg and secretly assist them in the future. But all of that hinged on winning the current battle; if he lost, nothing else would matter.

Xu Zhi's logic was exceptionally clear. For beings of this caliber, battles were largely a contest of intellect and adaptability.

"I must sever this connection now! Otherwise, if I divert a large portion of my processing power to constantly protect the origins of my Zerg Queens, I'll be constrained. Tu Xin and Ren Jiu, those two treacherous individuals, likely have other trump cards, and I'll be in serious trouble..."

Xu Zhi remained deep in contemplation.

"This detachment is akin to 'brothers parting ways.' Once severed, I will no longer possess the ability to 'evolve bloodline life' or 'create sandboxes.'"

In the future, his new Mother Nest, founded on the grand cosmic cultivation method he had pioneered, would serve as the basis for a new race, capable only of evolving bloodline universes. He would return that part to them.

"It doesn't matter, though; that function is already obsolete." Xu Zhi shook his head. "I have a universe; what need do I have for mere life? Furthermore, at the Eleventh Order, I will control the very source of the Grand Dao! The life laws of the Zerg Mother Nest are merely a tiny part of my 'Dao One.' This new Mother Nest is far more suited to me, a creator god. The old Mother Nest embodies life principles, while the new one embodies singularity principles... they are not even on the same magnitude!"

Although this Mother Nest currently operated on incomplete singularity principles, it was only incomplete for now! Once Xu Zhi broke through to the Eleventh Order, fully completing it, this new Zerg Mother Nest, based on the grand cosmic cultivation method, would become truly whole after he had absorbed the mass and energy of the entire universe, effectively "usurping the magpie's nest."

"It must be severed now." Xu Zhi had already begun to act covertly, performing a surgical separation on the Mother Nest universe, which was currently being disrupted by the singularity.

At this moment.

These successive Zerg Queens also experienced a profound sense of dread, similar to the deep fear felt by Tu Xin. It was a crushing feeling of powerlessness, intricately ensnared by schemes. A wave of goosebumps prickled their spines.

"Without the Mother Nest, our combat power will plummet significantly," the Fourth Generation Mother Queen said with a bitter smile. "We've been utterly outmaneuvered; we're finished."

Upon hearing this, the Lord of the Longevity Realm could only offer a bitter smile. "Truly, as expected of a being from prehistoric cosmic times. What Tu Xin said earlier was absolutely correct; I have no escape. Many of my trump cards were anticipated, let alone one so utterly obvious." To outsiders, his accumulation of such strategies appeared incredibly clandestine, for who could possibly survive through multiple eras? Yet, in the presence of such an ancient cosmic entity, who had also endured through all this time, observing in the shadows, his method of gathering exceptional talents from each era became glaringly obvious. How could such a being not have prepared for it?

Nevertheless, the sheer impact on the Zerg Queens was still utterly terrifying.

"But how is that possible? How could it fall into their hands?" one Mother Queen rasped.

The Zerg Mother Nest had been crafted by the defeated First Generation Mother Queen using unique, mystical methods, the secrets of which were unknown even to them! They only knew that the Zerg Mother Nest was immortal and indestructible. Even if shattered, it would regenerate elsewhere. For eons, they had been generational enemies of the Longevity Realm. How desperately the Longevity Saints must have wished to utterly eradicate their origins and sever their lineage! But they simply couldn't. After over a hundred million years of conflict, the Zerg Mother Nest had indeed been shattered countless times, only to always regenerate.

"Even the Lord of the Longevity Realm couldn't intercept it; it would self-destruct if captured. How did this ancient, prehistoric cosmic entity manage to do it?" one Mother Queen questioned.

"There are two possibilities!" At this, the Fourth Generation Mother Queen's voice grew solemn. As one of the earliest generations to refine the Mother Nest, her understanding was far deeper than the others. She began:

"The first possibility is that this ancient cosmic entity has been secretly observing every era! He would naturally know of us and possess special means to intercept our Zerg Mother Nest at any time. So, as soon as it was cast down by the last Mother Queen, he found it, eliminated the intended next inheritor, and then used special methods to prevent its self-destruction, seizing it directly."

A chill spread through the group as she spoke.

"The second possibility is far more terrifying, but to me, it's the most likely!" She shook her head, pondered for a moment, and then patiently elaborated: "Didn't the 174th and final Mother Queen just say that, feeling hopeless, she calculated karma, seeking destiny and a glimmer of life in the unknown, and ultimately, unprecedentedly, passed on the inheritance to an ordinary man on a mortal planet?"

"Are you suggesting...?"

Everyone immediately clenched their jaws, their widened pupils filling with dawning horror. Even the surrounding prehistoric cosmic heroes, hailing from various eras, who had been listening to the conversation among this race, began to vaguely grasp the implications.

The implication was...

The 175th Mother Queen, the one who received the inheritance, was, in fact, this ancient, prehistoric cosmic entity! He had deliberately descended to the mortal realm in disguise! He had used terrifyingly ancient methods to influence the calculations of karma, making that generation's Zerg Mother Queen determine that "he" was the hope and variable of their race, leading her to pass the inheritance to him?

This...?

A wave of goosebumps immediately spread across their bodies!

"Karma is a unifying rule that transcends time, space, and dimension—the three supreme laws. It can be thought of as a composite rule..."

"The fact that this generation's Zerg Mother Queen could interfere to this extent, despite not appearing powerful in combat, indicates she had already specialized in the path of prophetic divination, a hallmark of great wisdom. It meant she had already begun to explore some mysterious thresholds of the Eleventh Order..."

"Tragically, her karma was intercepted. An ancient, prehistoric cosmic entity deliberately used her as a proxy to seize all of their accumulated wisdom!"

The more these successive Zerg Queens dwelled on it, the more terrified they became. The implications grew increasingly horrifying with every passing thought.

Meanwhile, the historical figures and formidable heroes nearby also looked up, their gaze fixed on the Emperor, who stood in the sky with his hands clasped behind his back. At this very moment, they, like Tu Xin, Ren Jiu, and even the Longevity Saints, finally grasped the true taboo and terror of this magnificent being from the prehistoric cosmos. "An entity from the prehistoric universe? Not only is his combat power awe-inspiring, but he has also been calculating everything throughout the long expanse of history... It's truly terrifying."

Elsewhere, within the Nine Great Universes.

Rong Cheng, Zhi Ji, and others were also slightly unnerved. The successive Zerg Queens had always been the primary offensive force against the Longevity Realm, making them intimately familiar with this group. In fact, many of those Zerg Queens had been personally slain by Zhi Ji, and they, in turn, were quite familiar with her.

"Wait!" Suddenly, Rong Cheng recalled a specific story, a past experience.

Back when the Age of Myriad Heavens began, the Emperor traveled throughout, choosing to benefit all sentient beings. He had preached to the ancient, decaying old saints, inspiring them to regain their confidence, strive for glory once more, live a second life, and conquer the myriad heavens. It was also during that period that Zhi Ji first encountered the Emperor. She had been astonished by his efforts to re-inspire the saints, marveling at his pure and sacred nature, recognizing him as a true saint. In retrospect, it perfectly aligned with the Emperor's character: to foster the emergence of more geniuses in that era.

A story the Emperor had once told the Longevity beings now sent shivers down their spines.

"Back then, the Emperor recounted the tale of Emperor Qi and the ancient Twelve Ancestral Shamans to encourage the saints of the old era," Zhi Ji murmured, her voice trembling.

"...Years ago, the Golden Crow Long Hong, knowing that his era of primordial ancestral shamans was destined to end—a great, unstoppable tide of the times, especially with the emergence of the Dantian Soul-Seizure technique, which allowed primordial ancient gods to be replaced by acquired beings, no longer unique—decided to descend to the mortal realm. He became a woodcutter, sought a new master, learned a new system, and personally ascended to the Heavenly Court to overthrow his own rule..."

Zhi Ji seemed struck by lightning, trembling violently. "My husband," she whispered, "he told us this very story back then! He used it to tell us that he himself had once been a mortal woodcutter, who apprenticed under the Sky Map War God, who was suppressed beneath Changyang Mountain!"

In the distance, the Zerg Queens who heard this felt as though they had been struck by a bolt of lightning, their minds utterly blank. The Goddess of the Stars, meanwhile, was utterly stunned, her blood boiling and surging wildly within her heart. She suddenly remembered the young man entrusted to her in the dilapidated orchard during her final moments—the young man who had appeared so remarkably unperturbed.

"It was him! He had been hiding in that orchard, long awaiting my downfall and final entrustment. He is an ancient being from the prehistoric universe!"