Chapter 1 Forerunner

The scarlet serpent did not immediately answer Su Zhou's words, but was casually flicking its tail, as if that was the greatest joy.

After a long time, Yala sighed and said, "That's right, the 'Forerunner' has awakened... Heh, I didn't expect you to react so quickly, Su Zhou. I thought you'd forgotten our mission."

"Of course I remember – to maintain the integrity of the Great Seal, and to find a way to restore your strength. Before you recover, don't let the Great Seal be broken."

Su Zhou lowered his eyes slightly, staring at the lightning and thunder flashing beneath him, the thunder rumbling under his feet. "I have never forgotten."

"But, Yala, who exactly is this awakened Great Existence? This is probably the first one I've seen that actively wants to break free from the Great Seal."

"Well... He is indeed the first."

Yala answered Su Zhou's question somewhat sluggishly, as if he were thinking about other things, or communicating with existences even further away.

After about a dozen seconds, the scarlet serpent returned to normal and slowly said, "Me, the Lonely Master, the Divine Tree... and Dusk, and perhaps a few others, woke up relatively early. After cracks appeared in the Great Seal, we immediately noticed and awoke."

"But we are all cautious and have not tried to use our power to break free from the seal – but the 'Forerunner' is different. This guy, just like his title, if he wants to explore something, he is definitely the first to go."

"I just didn't expect him to summon other Celestial Gods, wanting to awaken them."

"What exactly is the 'Forerunner'?" Su Zhou frowned. He took off again, returning above the rain clouds. The moonlight was bright, and the sky between the clouds was a silvery white. "What kind of Great Existence does he represent?"

"'Forerunner', or rather, 'Lord of the Horizon'... It is difficult to describe him vividly in human language." Yala wrapped his tail around Su Zhou's neck, like a small scarf, his tone becoming somewhat lazy. "The horizon refers to the end of what the eye can see, implying the scope of vision, the scope of thinking, just like how ancient humans thought that the world was only as big as the area around where they lived. The horizon refers to the limits of cognition."

"But just as this cognition will continue to expand with the development of technology and knowledge, the boundaries of the world in the eyes of humans are constantly expanding, from a part of a continent, to the entire continent, to the entire planet or plane, and then to the starry sky, the vast Milky Way, the entire universe... but the 'horizon' always exists."

Speaking of this, Yala said playfully, "And Forerunner is easier to understand. He encourages all life to expand and break this boundary – the action of exploring the unknown, discovering new territories. He is the protector of physical and mental pioneers, and the inspiration for all adventures. In mythology, there are always heroes or gods who encounter trouble, and the guy who lends a hand, using some kind of artifact or treasure to allow the hero to continue his adventure, is the representative of the 'Forerunner'’s will."

"For example, a certain prophet, a certain sage, or a certain Lady of the Lake, there are too many of these guys. Anyway, it’s just a bunch of people like that."

"Doesn't sound like a bad guy." Su Zhou gave a simple evaluation, and Yala agreed, "He is indeed a good guy, but you have to consider those villainous characters who stand against the heroes – they also feel bad when they are bombarded by suddenly upgraded weapons."

"You see, he is now starting to awaken other Great Existences. Although it is only a remnant will, his mind is indeed beginning to recover from the icy void, and he is not willing to be silent. This is a big trouble for me."

"That's right."

And this cute and charming villain's contractor, Su Zhou thought carefully for a while, and felt that this was indeed the case. "What should we do?"

"Continue doing our thing. Anyway, most of the Great Existences are not awake, and he can't wake them up." At this time, Yala had roughly returned to normal. He should have thought of a countermeasure. "If we want to awaken those guys sleeping in dreams, even if he has awakened, he can only go to each one and kick them out of bed, while we will let them continue to sleep obediently."

"Okay." Su Zhou nodded, agreeing crisply, "It's just that there is a competitor, it's nothing – but, after the Forerunner's fuss, how long will it take for the Great Seal to shatter?"

The struggle between the Great Seal and the Great Existence is mutual.

Now, Su Zhou is no longer the ordinary person who knew nothing about other worlds and Great Existences. Now, he roughly understands the reason why these Celestial Gods were sealed, and also knows their noble essence.

Only Yala will take the initiative? How could that be possible? Not all Great Existences are as Buddhist as the Divine Tree and the Lonely Master, staying in their own territory and remaining ignorant.

Naturally, not all Great Existences are like Dusk, who only knows how to destroy. Before they act, they will naturally see if there are other existences that can be their help.

Su Zhou had long been prepared to face the obstacles of other Great Existences, and the help of other Great Existences. The appearance of the Forerunner was actually a little later than he expected.

So he was unexpectedly calm at this time, even a little excited.

But Su Zhou's overly simple and straightforward attitude made Yala a little confused.

"According to Earth time, it was originally 15 years. Now 3 years have passed, you have regained 3 years in the Divine Tree world, and about 7 years in the Reincarnation world. Now it is 22 years, and the Forerunner's awakening took away more than 5 years, now it is about 16 years."

After answering Su Zhou's question, he asked doubtfully, "Why don't you think about it more? You should be very clear that if we encounter the Forerunner's avatar or proxy sent to awaken other Great Existences in the future, there will definitely be a fierce battle."

"Because I am very clear that most of the time, thinking will not have other results."

Casting aside all unnecessary expressions, the calm Su Zhou raised his head and looked at the shining stars in the sky. He stared at the starlight and said lightly, "In the final analysis, this world is mostly a multiple-choice question – I can't choose the option 'Great Existences awaken one by one, the seal is broken, and the universe is shattered by their aftermath', then I can only choose the other one, and then become hostile to some Great Existences – unless my strength is strong enough, so strong that I don't have to choose."

"Of course, the contract with Yala is also very important. I promised you, so I will do it. In fact, I have already prepared to set off and go to Yala's world to increase my strength, and then, I will go to the worlds of other Great Existences and continue our sealing journey."

Originally, Yala's expression was still indifferent, but he nodded with satisfaction until he heard the second half of Su Zhou's words, "Well, not bad, this is the correct answer. So decisive and straightforward, worthy of being my contractor."

"However, don't forget that although most of the time in this world are multiple-choice questions, sometimes, it is likely to be an analytical question, or even questions from other messy subjects..."

"Oh?"

At this time, Su Zhou was slowly descending, returning from the troposphere to the ground.

Regarding Yala's metaphor, he touched his chin with interest and replied, "Yala, are you implying that the problems in this world may also be math problems? If you don't know how to do it, you just don't know how to do it, and guessing won't work?"

"You know shit about implying."