Chapter 796: Laughing God

Ji Shang spoke with conviction, full of excitement, and with a hint of anger that even he didn't fully perceive.

Ever since he obtained information from Li Li and carefully analyzed their entire civilization, comparing it to others, he had realized how terrifying their situation was.

He was grateful for the Moon God Monument, yet he also felt profoundly that he was being manipulated by an unseen hand.

For someone as proud as him, this was absolutely unacceptable.

"Ji Shang, what exactly do you want to say?" Xu Zhi turned around.

Only then did everyone see the figure beneath the tree.

Before this, the entire world had speculated about the appearance of the ancient Moon God, Ji. Some guessed he was ancient and white-haired, others imagined him with divine power as vast as the sea and imposing majesty, while still others thought he might not even be human-shaped, perhaps some indescribable special creature.

But no one had expected this.

Ji appeared so young, like an underage boy of sixteen or seventeen. He had delicate features, skin as fair and smooth as milk, and a youthful face. Standing beneath the tree, like a handsome boy in a library, he exuded an aura of gentleness and docility, with no imposing presence, making his existence barely noticeable.

Countless people felt a hum in their minds.

"So young?"

"The ancient and vast being who created an entire galaxy and the solar system civilization looks like this?"

"He has no air of a ruler at all!"

"He looks as if he could be easily intimidated at any moment."

Everyone remained silent. No one had anticipated such a youthful appearance. Perhaps such ancient gods were already indescribable, and their so-called appearance was merely one of their countless forms.

"What do I want to ask?"

Faced with the god's question, Ji Shang paused, then couldn't help but say, "Our civilization has always been manipulated. From the Moon God Monument in the past to the present, even the so-called Incense Array and the Cosmic Mother River system—all of it was within your foresight!

"At first, I didn't understand the meaning of the rose tree on the Moon God Monument. I simply thought it was a coincidental moon pattern formed by endless knowledge, which was then engraved onto the rose robe as a design.

"It wasn't until I heard about the Mother River system and saw that Cosmic Laurel Tree that I realized... there was a deeper meaning all along. The endless knowledge given to us ultimately converged into a great tree, and this tree is the Mother River system."

All the officials were greatly shaken.

Only upon careful reflection did they grasp its terrifying implications.

The laurel tree on the moon was precisely the ultimate path formed by countless pieces of knowledge, and they had coincidentally embarked on this very path!

The Mother River system and the Cosmic Rose Tree they had deduced were already within the foresight of Moon God Ji.

"I see. So you believe I'm manipulating everything?"

Ji listened, his voice surprisingly gentle, as if he truly were a soft-spoken scholar of early adulthood. "Indeed, I laid the path. You ask me, 'What are you to me?'

"Is that important? What you are to yourselves, perhaps that's what truly matters."

Ji Shang took a deep breath.

Yes, what these beings meant to a god was perhaps not important.

What they meant to themselves, why they lived – that was what truly mattered.

He felt as if he had become somewhat obsessed.

"If I had to say, are you like ants to me? Or interesting toys? Or even a game born of a whim?" Xu Zhi lowered his head, looking beneath the lush green tree.

There was a colony of black ants, moving back and forth, crawling in the dark, damp soil. He said softly, "They are very much like you."

Everyone's minds suddenly reeled.

"So you thought I would love you, that a god loves all beings?"

"That by giving you life, I was obligated to protect you?"

Xu Zhi slowly sat back down in the chair beneath the lush, shady tree, holding a thick black book, which he calmly turned the pages of. "That's truly ridiculous."

Rustle.

A cool breeze swept past.

"If you possessed a long lifespan, would you patiently care for a colony of ants found everywhere?"

In the air, only the rustling of turning pages remained. "The levels of life are fundamentally not the same. To you, I am a being two dimensions above you."

"Don't imagine yourselves to be too important."

Ji's voice was leisurely. "Poor ants, you only need to care about why you live, not constantly concern yourselves with what meaning you hold for beings of higher dimensions."

"It is quite ridiculous," Ji Shang suddenly chuckled softly. "I've simply thought too much."

He suddenly understood that sentiment.

Yes.

It was merely a sentiment.

Those two words were enough to explain everything.

Waiting for them here was simply a matter of mood.

Not waiting here would also be merely a matter of mood.

Even departing directly, never to return to this solar system, would also be a matter of mood. At that point, all the beings of their civilization would be confused, lost, and unable to find their god...

That would surely be a ridiculous situation.

Because the god had never truly cared about them, just as they had never cared about the ants crawling everywhere.

Merely a whim.

And nothing more.

Beside him, Yuan Qinghua was also startled.

This was the true demeanor of such a cosmic overlord, a great enlightened being who transcended the rules of the universe.

"So now, we've gained another piece of intelligence!"

"Intelligence one: Ji, the great enemy who destroyed ancient Chinese mythical civilization, is a super-large semi-elemental being. His true form is likely a super vast life form comparable to a planet, or even larger!"

"Intelligence two: As an elemental being, Ji's civilization is likely also a Mother River civilization. This means the Mother River we are currently building is a new one, but not the only one."

Catching a glimpse, Yuan Qinghua felt that, from this nascent and relatively backward solar system civilization, he had almost discerned the general structure and pattern of the enemy's transcendent world.

The characteristics of their biological race and their civilization's path.

These two were the most crucial indicators, and he had now thoroughly identified them.

"So, is there anything else you wish to ask?" The youthful Ji asked, his face gentle and approachable, though his words were far from affable.

"Then, can I surpass you?" Ji Shang's eyes burned with fervor.

The entire world suddenly fell silent.

Countless ministers showed fear and horror. What blasphemous words were these? Enraging such a great, high-dimensional being would be no harder than destroying an ant hill.

The youthful Ji suddenly chuckled. "I once heard a saying from a certain civilization: 'When man speaks, God laughs...' Yes, everyone has a chance to surpass me, and so do you."

"Don't worry too much, I won't destroy you. Look."

The young Ji lowered his head, looking at the ants beneath the great tree. "Any ridiculous or helpless logic from ants isn't enough to anger humans. In fact, humans would even be careful, because a single breath could scatter their homes... At most, they would just find them uninteresting and leave those ridiculous ants."

So weak that they didn't even have the right to provoke anger? Some felt bitter and utterly crushed inside.

Yes, many things were better left to living in the present and for oneself. Looking to great beings was simply inviting humiliation.

Ji Shang listened quietly, his face serious.

He truly recognized the cruelty of reality, acknowledged his weakness, and confronted his powerlessness. No high-dimensional being would choose to help him; someone as laughable as himself would only evoke laughter.

"However, you truly have an opportunity to surpass me, and I have already given it to you."

Ji finally smiled. Beneath the great tree, he slowly closed his book. "Because I am going to die of old age... that's why I created this world."

At these words, the heavens seemed to collapse and the earth to crack.

In that moment, it felt as if an immense weight had crashed down upon their hearts. Many felt as if the sky had fallen, utterly incredulous.