"What?!"
Ji Mo was stunned, finding it unbearable.
The Li Er mentioned by the system should be the legendary sage, one of the most formidable old men in history.
Legend had it that Li Er's innate Eight Trigrams technique could deduce the past and foresee the future, and its calculations were bound to come true.
The myriad realms were annihilated, the world was desolate, and all life ceased to exist!
Just thinking about it brought despair.
If that were truly the case, what was the point of everything he was doing now? He might as well just wait for death.
What chilled Ji Mo to the bone the most was learning that most of the great figures had already fallen in battle. With the saints martyred, who would be left to resist the coming darkness and the end of the era?
The system continued, "The blood of the ancient sages was not shed in vain. Although they did not resolve the source of the darkness, they delayed the arrival of the dark harvest and bought precious time. Otherwise, this era would have ended over 2000 years ago."
"So, there has never been a time of peace and prosperity in the world. It's just that some people have carried the burden, shielding us from the storms."
Ji Mo felt a deep sorrow in his heart, mourning the fallen heroes.
Now, he finally understood the entire cause and effect. The truth was so cruel and bloody.
He asked again, "Since the ending is already determined, what is the purpose of Li Er bringing me here? Does he want me to target someone? Tell me his name, and I'll go kill him. Or, take me to hunt down Tian Tu now, and we'll deal with that fellow halfway."
The system replied, "The Great Dao has fifty, and Heaven's evolution is forty-nine; one escapes, which is the variable. Your destiny is extraordinary; you are that one that escapes, the variable. Perhaps you can change the course of the future and secure a glimmer of hope for this era. At the very least, you will be allowed to escape completely, preserving the last spark of fire to continue civilization in the next era."
The system informed him that according to the original plan, Ji Mo was to transmigrate, live in seclusion in the mortal world, and develop himself secretly without worrying about anything else.
However, everything that had happened to him was beyond control, transitioning from "hidden" to "manifest."
As for Tian Tu, there was no need to worry for the time being. With Li Er present, the land of China was as stable as Mount Tai in the short term.
But Tian Tu carried great karma, which would sooner or later attract greater dark forces. Even Li Er could not alter the future; everything depended on the variable.
Ji Mo listened carefully to what the system said, remaining silent.
With Li Er around, he didn't have to worry about his home, but the burden on his shoulders made him feel somewhat suffocated.
Could he truly become a variable?
If this era was destined to end, and all life to wither, what was the point of surviving alone?
He had attachments, things he couldn't let go of.
"A dead man fears nothing, my fate is mine to control, not Heaven's! Let's go kick some ass!"
Ji Hanhan clenched his fists, his heart burning with passion.
He would never choose to escape; he would fight to the death.
At this moment, a faint voice came, "Brother Mo, what if we die lying down?"
The scene, which had been so heroic and passionate, was ruined by this one sentence.
Ji Mo almost spat out a mouthful of blood. Without a word, he tackled Nangong Chou, who was walking over, and gave him a good thrashing.
Of course, he restrained most of his strength, otherwise, this first cross-dressing figure in the immortal realm might not be able to "ying ying ying" anymore.
"Brother Mo, why are you hitting me?"
Nangong Chou covered his bruised and swollen head, looking innocent and pitiful.
It made Ao Cheng, who was standing by, heartbroken. If he hadn't been unable to defeat Ji Mo, he would have rushed forward to fight to the death.
Nangong Chou, with a shameless face, pleaded with Ji Mo to teach him the cultivation method for the Qilin Divine Arm.
"No decent person practices the Qilin Arm."
Ji Mo said with a stern face, taking the opportunity to tease him, "If you want to become a great figure, you need to train your legs."
Saying this, he took out paper and brush on the spot, drawing several sets of dance steps for idol dances, as well as a pile of diagrams for black and white stockings and short skirts.
Hmph, since you said you'd die lying down, you'll go all the way down the path of cross-dressing from now on.
Nangong Chou held the diagrams, trembling with excitement, his eyes shining. He excitedly hugged Ji Mo and tried to bite him, but was pushed away with disdain.
"Haha, my clothes are mine to control, not Heaven's! From now on, all perverts will have to bow down to me under my skirt."
Nangong Chou received the diagrams as if they were treasures, as if a new world had opened up to him.
Nangong Manyin thought her younger brother had gone mad and rushed over to discipline him. But when she looked at the diagrams, her lost girlish heart instantly returned.
The siblings, in a rare moment of harmony, gathered together and began to discuss and communicate enthusiastically.
...
West Coastline.
Every day, Chi Qingying would come to the highest cliff and gaze at the endless Arctic Ocean, anticipating the appearance of someone.
Ji Mo and Boniu had been gone for quite some time, and there had been no news.
Recently, the coastline had been littered with the corpses of various powerful sea monsters, suggesting that incredibly brutal wars were taking place in the depths of the Arctic Ocean.
Especially a few days ago, she had even felt world-shattering energy fluctuations emanating from the deepest part of the ocean, with terrifying divine radiance illuminating half the sky.
"You deadbeat, are you okay now? Please don't have any accidents."
Chi Qingying was very worried. Although Ji Mo was powerful, he was alone and outnumbered. Could he deal with the millions of sea clan armies?
She made up her mind that if she still had no news of Ji Mo after a few more days, she would disregard her own safety and enter the Arctic Ocean to find him.
Hoo...
Suddenly, the sound of an extremely urgent conch shell alarm rang out.
It was a warning from the celestial beings patrolling the near-sea. A level one alert indicated an attack by the sea clan.
As expected, dense colossal figures emerged from the distant sea, splashing water and covering the sky.
"The sea clan is attacking. Could that dead guy really be in trouble?"
Chi Qingying's pretty face instantly turned pale. If Ji Mo were unharmed, the sea clan would not launch such a massive attack.
She looked at the large swarms of flood dragons appearing in the sky, her heart sinking.
Then, she immediately took out the Gou Mang divine skin. If Ji Mo were truly gone, she swore she would dye the entire Arctic Ocean red.
"Hi, Miss Qingying, have you eaten?"
The most colossal silver flood dragon suddenly transmitted a familiar voice.
Ji Hanhan poked his head out and greeted Chi Qingying.
This time, he returned alone, and the flood dragons accompanying him were merely laborers, each carrying a full load of various sea clan treasures.
Boniu, who had become the Sea Emperor, did not continue to follow Ji Mo. Instead, she had almost emptied the entire Arctic Ocean of its wealth, making Ji Mo a man who ate soft rice.
"Pfft, you deadbeat, why aren't you dead yet?"
Chi Qingying replied tearfully, exasperated that she had worried for nothing.
However, the worry that had been weighing on her heart could finally be lifted.
Ji Mo's return meant that the sea clan had been completely dealt with. From now on, there would be no more worries about sea clan invasions, and peaceful days would arrive.
From now on, she could be with this deadbeat without any worries.
Chi Qingying blushed, envisioning a beautiful life.
But Ji Mo did not stop. After a brief greeting, he waved goodbye and left, patting his backside.
Chi Qingying was instantly left bewildered in the wind, so angry she wanted to curse.