Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
“Trust me, Meng Chao. Earth is really finished.”
The girl’s face on the Tree of Wisdom appeared particularly sincere. She extended her branches, vines, and tentacles toward Meng Chao without batting an eyelid and continued, “This fact makes the fusion between me and the Jin Qianxi smooth.
“Because if even Earth, the birthplace of human civilization, can’t escape the self-destruction caused by the expansion of civilization, it proves that there is a genetic disease in human civilization that can’t be duplicated 100% of the time.
“Whether it is starting from Peach Blossom Town, rebuilding the civilization of mankind, or creating a monster civilization with the civilization of mankind as the template, if we cannot find a brand-new path that is completely different from that of the people on Earth it won’t matter. Even if we can expand to every corner of the planet under our feet and recreate the glory of mankind in the Earth era, it is likely that we will not be able to escape the eternal destruction after a short period of glory.
“The leader is right. We must draw a clear line with Earth’s civilization, but not against the morality and humanity of the Earth’s era. We must surpass the morality and humanity of Earth’s era. Only then can we achieve brighter, kinder, more just, and more equal ‘new people’—this new people, not only includes the humans who have transmigrated from Earth, but also includes the monsters that have been influenced by humans and have gained sentience.
“No, we shouldn’t call them ‘monsters’ anymore. They are spirit beasts!
“As long as the new people and spirit beasts put aside their hatred, their prejudice, as well as their enmity, and stop fighting each other for the trivial benefits before us, we will certainly create a future that is completely different from Earth’s civilization. We will make the planet under our feet—our common home—a hundred times more beautiful and prosperous than Earth. All the sentient beings who have awakened their wisdom will live together happily and without any worries.
“This is the mission that Jin Qianxi and I share.
“It was almost at the same moment when we realized this mission that we merged perfectly together.
“Jin Qianxi’s self-awareness was completely burned out, and her brain cells were completely exhausted.
“All of her memories, emotions, personality, and even her way of thinking were integrated into the depths of my soul in mysterious ways. On top of that, she made subtle and irreversible changes to me.
“I am still the Tree of Wisdom.
“But I’m completely different from the past Tree of Wisdom.
“I feel that in the depths of my soul, a small city has also appeared. It’s crystal clear, beautiful, and always full of laughter.
“In this city, there’s a river covered with seven-colored petals. There are nine small bridges of different styles on the river. On the most beautiful bridge, there’s a smiling girl who’s eating ice cream while looking at me with anticipation.
“Her eyes are even more dazzling than the stars in the sky.
“Such eyes have given me endless motivation. It has made me devote all my strength to the work of making this city a reality.
“Under my lead, the people of Peach Blossom Town and the spirit beasts in the jungle fully reconciled and deeply understood each other’s feelings.
“We buried all the people and spirit beasts who died in the war. Not long after, colorful trees and fragrant flowers grew from their corpses.
“We sifted the seeds, transplanted the seedlings, built the branches, and guided the etherealized plants to grow according to our will. In the most beautiful way, we repaired the streets and houses damaged by the war. We turned the dilapidated Peach Blossom Town, which was riddled with holes, into a large garden that looked like a fairy tale.
“The ruins of the past have turned into a sea of flowers. The people who were tortured day and night, screaming, wailing, and sobbing, can now roam freely in the sea of flowers. There is no fear, no anxiety, no need to fight each other, and there is no need for them to fight over a tiny amount of resources. The only thing they want to think about is what song they should sing today to celebrate the beautiful days of eternal spring.
“The spirit beasts are also very satisfied. Those wild and ambitious monsters that were once influenced by the evil souls of humans have all been driven out of the jungle by me. The ones left in my world are all gentle, kind-hearted spirit beasts that are willing to live in peace with humans.
“After decades of development, I think that we have partially realized Jin Qianxi’s dream in the past. We have built a bright town in a paradise in the depths of the Hidden Mist Domain. This is the most perfect form of society that can be built by a civilization, isn’t it?”
The translucent light was gradually dyed with a layer of faint golden brilliance, which condensed into a glittering crystal ball.
Within the crystal ball was the epitome of the charming and beautiful Peach Blossom Town.
From such a scale, Peach Blossom Town looked more and more like a delicate, exquisite, but also extremely fragile piece of art.
“This is my story.”
The Tree of Wisdom calmly said, “My story is the Tree of Wisdom’s story, the monster mastermind’s story, Jin Qianxi’s story, and a new, better civilization’s story.
“I will tell you the whole story without holding back, Meng Chao, because I think you are different from others.
“The other superhumans, especially those from the nine mega corporations, no matter how dignified and righteous their slogans are, to Dragon City, to mankind, to civilization, they are all selfish in their bones. They just want to find an excuse to oppress the weak through the war between mankind and monsters, plunder more resources, and make themselves stronger, until they finally… become gods and devils above mankind.
“Gods and demons don’t need civilization.
“So-called civilization is just a tool for gods and demons to exploit and enslave.
“But you are different.
“I can see that you are sincerely fighting for Dragon City, for the future of the entire civilization, and for a better tomorrow for everyone.
“It is also because of this that Lei Zongchao thinks highly of you and is willing to impart the essence of martial arts to you without reservation, right?
“In that case, what reason do we have to be enemies with each other instead of turning hostility into amity and moving forward hand in hand to build the most beautiful city of light?”
The Tree of Wisdom shone brightly.
From a towering tree covered by the Green Tide, it turned into a dancing jellyfish, and then into a colorful, crystal-clear coral cluster.
The face that was like that of Jin Qianxi became more prominent, and it manipulated the branches that were covered in colorful vines to extend toward Meng Chao.
It was as if a young girl was about to break out of the Tree of Wisdom’s depths and extend an invitation that was filled with kindness, sincerity, and anticipation to Meng Chao.
Unknowingly, within a radius of several kilometers from the Tree of Wisdom, there were tentacles thinner than hair, like invisible nerve bundles.
As the Tree of Wisdom swayed, the young girl had real breathing and a heartbeat. Through the nerve bundles, she released soul ripples to the outside world.
It was then that Meng Chao realized that his hands, feet, torso, and even his head had been entangled by the nerve bundles.
“Join us?”
The girl smiled. The body formed by the mushroom blanket, moss, and lichen gradually protruded from the Tree of Wisdom and leaned toward Meng Chao.
Through the wiggling of the thousands of nerve bundles, her voice seemed to come directly from the depths of Meng Chao’s brain. “I can sense that your soul is in ruins, filled with anxiety and distress. It looks like you are the same as me, constantly worrying about the way out for human civilization in the Other World?
“Join us, connect all humans and spirit beasts, then build Dragon City into a paradise of flowers like Peach Blossom Town. Isn’t that the best way out?”
As the girl muttered, Meng Chao saw many illusions in front of him. It was as if he was really seeing beautiful and unbelievable scenes.
He saw the Tree of Wisdom rising from the ground in the middle of Dragon City.
Countless thick, colorful vines wrapped around the Supernatural Tower. With the Supernatural Tower piercing through the clouds as a ladder, they spiraled upward and eventually wrapped around the tower. They turned it into a tree canopy that could envelop more than half of Dragon City. It became a super etherealized plant that blotted out the sky.
He saw the thick, ink-like pollen fluttering in the air, causing Dragon City to be shrouded in a fairy-tale-like mist all day long. People walked through the pollen, as though they were walking on an auspicious rainbow-colored cloud. Then, they unknowingly absorbed the pollen, their faces filled with carefree, tranquil, and peaceful smiles.
He saw the skyscrapers of Dragon City become the best nest for monsters and etherealized plants. Countless vines and branches broke out from the windows between the high-rise buildings, and beautiful flowers grew out one after another. The sea of flowers decorated the undulating skyline, while birds and beasts flew and jumped to their hearts’ content. Humans, on horseback or on birds, laughed heartily.
The colors of the entire world were too saturated, so bright that it was somewhat fake.
Yet, for some reason, Meng Chao did not really dislike the falsehood.
Perhaps, compared with the ugly reality, humans did indeed need some fake beauty to bring some comfort, right?
The corners of his eyes twitched slightly. His fingers resisted for a moment, but he was unable to break free from the nerve bundles that were entangling his body more and more tightly.
“Integrate with us and create this future together, alright?”
The voice from the girl’s face sounded increasingly sincere, and it seemed to be more attractive. “In this city of light, everyone can be saved. Even Lei Zongchao can be saved. His life is about to be exhausted. With the current medical technology in Dragon City, it’s impossible to prevent his death. But I have a way. As long as you can integrate with us and lead us to him…”
That sentence pierced deeply into Meng Chao’s brain like an ice pick, instantly waking him up.
‘It’s prying into my memories.’
Meng Chao realized it. ‘The information exchange goes both ways. While it’s using the so-called Tree of Wisdom, Jin Qianxi’s story, and Peach Blossom Town to confuse me, it’s also silently invading my brain and prying into my memories.
‘It has broken through more than half of the defensive lines that I set up in the memory palace.
‘It doesn’t know the secret of my rebirth from the apocalypse yet, but it knows that I’m most concerned about Lei Zongchao’s life and death right now. It knows that I want to save Lei Zongchao at all costs.
‘That’s why it knows how to tempt me with this!’