Chapter 131 Lingering Regret

Having left behind his legacy, the dragon king's illusory form did not immediately dissipate.

Perhaps, contrary to what he said, Cen Yun’s true obsession was not solely about inheritance.

The Tianchi Dragon King gazed at Su Zhou, then raised his head, surveying the silent exploration team around him. He wearily inquired: [Without spiritual energy and cultivators in this world, can humanity live in peace and contentment? Can they withstand disasters? Do winds, rains, floods, and droughts still plague us? How long can ordinary humans live?]

[Without spiritual energy, will there still be wars in the world? Will there still be discrimination and injustice between people? Have you, who have experienced the era without spiritual energy, found a solution to the inequality caused by spiritual power, which we could not resolve?]

Countless questions, not even needing to be spoken. Spiritual energy vibrated, emanating the voices from the Tianchi Dragon King's heart, yearning for answers.

——In this later age, is there still a need for slaughter, still a need for... hatred?

Thinking thus, asking thus, yet his voice remained as calm as a cold stone: [What form does humanity take now? After the departure of the immortals and gods, what is your society like? I want to know. I have waited until now... just to know the answers to all of this.]

The immortals and gods who had died for far too long, truly longed to know everything about this world.

The Tianchi Dragon King, Cen Yun, those abyss-like dragon eyes, now also revealed a light of anticipation for the answers.

——He could not rest easy, so he hesitated to depart.

Faced with this series of interrogations and inquiries, even Su Zhou did not know how to respond for a moment. However, quickly recovering, he replied earnestly: "I'm sorry... we haven't achieved perfection yet. But, there are not many divine beasts and spiritual beasts left in this world. Even if we encounter natural disasters, we can rush to the rescue at the first moment, or issue warnings."

"Although we still can't ensure that all humans are fed, at least the vast majority can live. The Earth's population is already approaching eight billion, and universal education is basically widespread. All of this has been achieved without the help of immortals and gods."

He could hear the voices of the Sages coming from the communication array. Su Zhou, following the data and answers provided by the Sages, earnestly replied to the listening Dragon King: "Although it is a bit of a regret, most problems have not been completely resolved. However, now that spiritual energy has been revived and extraordinary power has returned, we hope that this will be a new force for us, and can become an aid in completely solving these problems."

"The path of machinery that does not require spiritual energy, and the path of the extraordinary that requires spiritual energy, developing simultaneously, may create a civilization different from that of the immortals and gods. We hope that we can achieve all of the above goals in the future."

And the Dragon King listened quietly, his initial gaze seeming to burn, melting the ice, gradually becoming comforted.

This was also seen by Su Zhou.

To be honest, in Su Zhou's heart, most of the immortals and gods were arrogant, or at least aloof, just like all the rulers in history—at least in dealing with the Beast God Realm, that feeling was indeed present.

But now it seemed that this Dragon King was somewhat different from what he had imagined. Or rather, their imagination of the immortals and gods seemed to be a bit too much of an application of the views of human leaders in the era without spiritual energy.

Thinking about it carefully, that was indeed the case. The immortals and gods possessed their own great power. They did not need mortals to work for them. They themselves were the world's largest productive force—why would they rule mortals? Why would they waste their energy to educate other creatures? Why would they spend this time and energy? Even out of emotion, wouldn't it be enough to just cultivate their own offspring?

Could it be just to cultivate new immortals and gods? But what was the need for that? Immortal and eternal rulers had no reason to increase the number of new rulers.

Su Zhou was beginning to understand—if the immortals and gods really divided among themselves, only cultivating their own offspring, then they would become new divine beasts, and their offspring would become completely new, independent races. What maintained the consistency between the immortals and gods was not bloodline, but a kind of 'consensus' based on civilization and thought!

The self-sufficient immortals and gods only united because of ideological consistency, and why would they educate and manage the human race? If it wasn't because of a superficial 'desire for control,' then it must be because they wanted to lead their race towards the best future they envisioned.

This was perhaps the difference between humans and beasts.

Thinking this in his heart, Su Zhou still earnestly answered the Dragon King's questions. Although he didn't know much about the world, behind him were the Sages of the Zheng Nation, and even a multinational international team. They sent global information to Su Zhou, allowing Su Zhou to answer the Dragon King's questions for them—at the same time, these answers, the path that humanity would take in the future, were being announced to the world through the medium of the program.

Everyone was listening, listening to Su Zhou's narration.

Whether it was the Dragon King's origins, the source of the simulated Dao, or why the Dragon King was a human, the answers and explanations to all these questions would be obtained in the dialogue with this unexpectedly appearing Dragon King's remnant soul.

[Is that so, I understand. And, there's no need to say sorry.]

[That's enough, that's enough.]

After listening to Su Zhou's complete and comprehensive reply, Cen Yun nodded slightly. His expression began to relax, and on his face, which was like a stone carving, there appeared subtle, but undeniable changes.

The millennium of obsession. Dissipated.

Because of this, the Dragon King, who had always been expressionless, finally revealed a smile: [Even without supernatural powers and cultivators, you can still live so well, that's enough. Even without spiritual power, you can actually develop civilization like this... we underestimated the human race... I was wrong. It's good that I was wrong!]

Hearing such good news, even his dim remnant soul shimmered slightly, emitting brilliance.

[Time is running out, Su Zhou.] At this time, Su Zhou could hear the voice of Yan Sheng, who was likely an artificial intelligence self-replicated by Yan Sheng, forever maintaining reason and also possessing the authority of a Sage: [Although we can explain it separately later, since a Dragon King's remnant soul is here, it would be better to directly ask Him, this demon god from the truly ancient era, to explain the relationship between the simulated Dao and humans.]

"No problem." This was originally Su Zhou's purpose, and he asked.

And the Dragon King's slightly surprised voice rang out: [Is that so, you are also troubled by the difference between the simulated Dao and humans... ha, in my era, there were often immortals and gods who believed that since we had our own cultivation methods, there was no need to preserve the simulated Dao cultivation methods.]

Saying this, the Dragon King's remnant soul, which had dimmed again, shook his head forcefully: [But is it meaningful to simply rely on the physical body to distinguish whether someone is human or not? The thing about bloodline is changeable. And being born human doesn't mean he will always be human.]

[To give an example, if someone rapes and plunders, bullies the elderly and children, even acts against humanity, traffics in their own kind, and causes immense harm to other humans... do you think there is any meaning in simply killing it? Does this creature still deserve to have the name of a human, to have a human body after death?]

Speaking of this, Cen Yun's tone became calm again, he said lightly: [The evildoers think that this is a matter of course, they were born human, this is a natural fact, even if they do evil, they are still humans, enjoying 'human rights'.]

[But that's wrong.]

[I can change it.]

Saying this, the already somewhat illusory Dragon King's remnant soul casually pointed to the outside of his dragon body's skull. Spiritual energy transformed into his palm, capturing a small sea cucumber—this sea cucumber was a little deflated, as if it had previously expelled its internal organs.

Then, without waiting for the sea cucumber to react, from behind the dragon soul, the deep blue dragon pearl, aroused sea-like vast spiritual power, and entered this small sea cucumber.

In an instant, under the shocked gaze of everyone, this small sea cucumber, which had previously been nothing more than an ordinary and common one, without any spiritual energy reaction, actually transformed into a small dragon with complete scales and claws!

[It even has horns, faster than me!] Jiu Ming also stared in astonishment at the small dragon in the remnant soul's hand. It could sense that, apart from the lack of spiritual energy in its body, every part of this small dragon already had a complete and incomparably perfect spiritual energy organ circulation... in terms of life level, it was already directly at the high level of the extraordinary!

Then, before most of the audience could react to how powerful Cen Yun Dragon King's move was, the Dragon King's remnant soul once again cast a supernatural power, and the small dragon instantly transformed into a person—and this person, except for not having a face, also had all the internal organs. If blood was drawn to verify the genes, then it would undoubtedly be the most normal human genes!

[I don't shape his face, because his appearance will be determined by himself in the future, I will not interfere without authorization, but other than that, everything about him is the same as a human.] Cen Yun briefly explained the reason why he didn't transform a face for the other party. He once again activated his supernatural power, and transformed this person into a deep-sea fish—this process was also extremely precise, without any flaws.

Until the very end, the sea cucumber returned to its own sea cucumber form.

In this process, every link was clearly visible, and the sequence in which every spiritual method and spiritual power operated was extremely obvious. And Su Zhou, who was closest, and the members of the exploration team, although they had no way to use instruments to detect it, they all knew very well that the Dragon King had no need to lie. Since he said that even the bloodline could be changed, then it meant that he could really control gene-level units to forcibly transform and change creatures!

And with such a set of transformation supernatural powers, this sea cucumber not only regained a set of internal organs, but even gained a rudimentary soul... The Dragon King then put it back in its original place, but everyone knew that the fate of this sea cucumber was definitely more than just a sea cucumber.

[Empress Wa once displayed a miracle, allowing mud to become human... The flesh, for us, is just the foundation for obtaining wisdom, but it is not the foundation of the 'human race'.]

After sending the sea cucumber back to its original place, the Tianchi Dragon King turned his gaze back to Su Zhou and the others. His figure had already begun to slowly shatter, and the hand that had previously cast the supernatural power had already turned into fragments of spiritual light and dissipated, but he said indifferently: [I once imposed a punishment on a Feng clan descendant who treated ordinary people as fish meat and wantonly indulged in his animalistic desires. He considered himself a descendant of the Wa Emperor and felt that his ancestor's bloodline was enough to protect him without worry.]

[Indeed, the Wa Emperor's bloodline must not be insulted, so under tacit approval, I changed his bloodline, so that he was no longer the son of his parents, nor a member of the Feng clan. Finally, I transformed him into an ox and gave him to those ordinary people whose relatives and parents had been killed by him—he was no longer a human, we don't need to protect him, all punishments are set for humans, not for a wild ox without an owner.]

[The flesh is meaningless to cultivators, except as a place to entrust emotions. Those who are proud because of their bloodline are most likely to fall into a strange circle, because for us humans, the most important thing is courage, curiosity and greed, it is spirit, civilization and inheritance!]

Saying this, the Tianchi Dragon King himself laughed, stirring up bursts of shattered spiritual light: [Precisely because it is the simulated Dao that most needs bloodline inheritance, it deeply knows the meaninglessness of bloodline... The simulated Dao and humans are originally one. An individual who can transform into a foreign beast, but obeys order and protects the human race, is ten thousand times better than a person who does not obey order, treats civilians as fish meat, but has the bloodline of a human.]

[The former is a human, the latter is worse than pigs and dogs, not worthy of being called human.]

After displaying his supernatural powers and answering the questions, the Tianchi Dragon King looked at his hand, which had completely disappeared, and his lower body, which had already begun to shatter, and nodded slightly: [I am about to dissipate, fellow cultivators of later generations. May my true spirit, when it returns billions of years later, still be human.]

This was actually a blessing. He hoped that billions of years later, the human race would still be able to exist.

The solemn Su Zhou, all the exploration team members in the submersibles, and Jiu Ming, and most of the audience behind the stage, respectfully lowered their heads slightly, but Yan Sheng's calm and emotionless voice rang out again. He reminded Su Zhou: [Although it's very rude, Su Zhou, hurry up, while the Dragon King's remnant soul hasn't completely dissipated, ask Him 'where did the immortals and gods go'!]

"Ah, oh, okay."

Although he did feel that disturbing the other party's dissipation was a bit excessive, Su Zhou, frowning slightly, also knew that without taking advantage of this time, it would basically be impossible to encounter a living immortal god again—not everyone was like the Tianchi Dragon King, with such deep obsessions waiting.

This concerned the future decisions of civilization, so he couldn't help but ask.

So, he asked.

"Your Majesty Dragon King, one last question—where exactly did the immortals and gods go? Will they return?"

This was the question that humans were most concerned about now.

Cen Yun, who originally wanted to quietly wait for his return, was stunned for a moment. He glanced at Su Zhou, and his gaze could also scan the people in the submersibles. The solemn expressions made him understand: [Ah, I forgot, it is extremely difficult for order and order to coexist, even if everyone is for the growth of the human race, they are all different... but don't worry.]

He smiled softly, and his long black hair burned and dissipated like flames: [They won't be back.]

[None of the immortals and gods will.]

[After seeing the truly vastness of the myriad realms, after seeing the truly boundless infinity, even if their homeland is warm and lovely, and makes them nostalgic, those guys whose greatest joy is to explore the unknown and higher places, will at most just be nostalgic, and not turn back.]

Saying this, the Tianchi Dragon King's tone became lonely again. His soul body had shattered to his chest, and spiritual energy vibrated the water waves and the spirit world: [In the past, we fought countless times for the ownership of various realms, and countless humans and immortals and gods died. We never thought that outside this seemingly vast Immortal Realm, there would be such a vast and endless unknown. The superior spatial and temporal structure of this ancient realm hindered our vision. If the spiritual energy of the entire universe hadn't been cut off, we would never have thought of going to other unknown worlds.]

[No one will come back. They left their inheritance here, and then chose to go to the future... As for me, being able to know the news of the human race in my hometown is also satisfying...]

Saying this, the Tianchi Dragon King smiled and nodded. His soul body had shattered, leaving only the last pair of deep blue dragon eyes, as if piercing through time and space, casting towards a distant end.

——I just miss... the fragrance of the fruits of my hometown...

Thinking this, the remnant soul of the Tianchi Dragon King, Cen Yun, completely dissipated.

Leaving only a trace of true spirit to return, disappearing into the void.

A thousand years after death, the remnant soul awakens. The mind awakens, then returns to the homeland.

After being satisfied, the Tianchi Dragon King, the soul left behind in the world, completely dissipated.

Su Zhou stared at the place where the other party's remnant soul finally dissipated. In his hand was a jade slip engraved with the most complete inheritance of the Tianchi Dragon King. The youth lowered his head, looking at the six characters on the jade slip.

Tianchi Dragon King - Cen Yun.

Six characters with weight.

"This kind of self-evident goodwill." He murmured in a low voice: "Sometimes, it really feels a bit unbearable."

"Can we, humans, live up to this expectation?"

No one knows the future.

But, hopefully so.