"if?"
Noticing these two subtle words, Gu Zhong suddenly raised his head and stared intently at Lin Yuan.
"If you wish to hear the truth as the last surviving member of the Asura clan, I will tell you. If you've made your choice, sit down and listen to me slowly."
Lin Yuan sighed heavily, lifted his robe, walked to a stone chair on the blue bricks next to him, sat down, and patted the empty seat next to him.
--the truth.
Gu Zhong was stunned by these words; at least half of what the Demon Emperor said was true.
The truth about the annihilation of the Asura clan was never what she knew, and the pillar that had always supported her hatred for the demons began to crumble.
The scales in my heart swayed back and forth, the desire to explore and the responsibility I bore fighting each other, eventually slowly tilting towards one side.
After hesitating for a moment, she mechanically lifted her stiff feet and walked to sit down next to Lin Yuan.
"You must still remember the Xuanhu clan?"
Lin Yuan suddenly mentioned a name, a name that Gu Zhong had been unable to let go of, buried deep in his heart.
"Ten thousand years ago, the Xuanhu clan, bewitched by demons, used mind-controlling magic throughout the myriad realms, causing widespread suffering and attempting to usurp the throne of the gods. I led my army and slaughtered their entire race. Only I remained—"
Suppressing his discomfort, Gu Zhong recited the story of a clan-annihilation war in a rigid, emotionless manner, as if reciting a text.
Do you think you did the right thing?
Lin Yuan glanced at her.
"I—I don't know."
Gu Zhong shook his head in confusion, but with a single command from the God Emperor, countless immortals and gods had to rush to the battlefield.
That battle was extremely fierce, with countless soldiers and generals from the divine realm also dying, only to achieve a pyrrhic victory.
After that, only one black fox remained in this world—the most cunning black fox, and the one most adept at scheming against people's hearts.
Gu Zhong's comrades and fellow soldiers had all died at her hands; they had long since become irreconcilable enemies.
Regardless of the reasons, the situation, or who was right or wrong, once things have come to this point, only by eliminating the root of the problem can we achieve lasting peace.
However, it was the God Emperor who slaughtered the Xuanhu clan, and it was also he who ordered the capture of the Xuanhu. Gu Zhong had no choice but to obey.
From then on, the Chaos Palace had an extra black fox, and remained desolate for ten thousand years.
"Don't you know now?"
Lin Yuan asked Gu Zhong another question, which pulled her thoughts back from the memories of mountains of corpses and seas of blood. It took her a beat to realize what he meant, and she suddenly stood up.
"The Asura Clan—"
She trembled as she uttered those words with difficulty, her eyes pleading, as if begging Lin Yuan to deny her suspicions.
"The Asura clan, bewitched by demons, plundered countless worlds. I was ordered to suppress them and exterminate the clan, leaving only an infant as a disciple, whom I took as my disciple to inherit his mantle."
Lin Yuan raised the wine jug again and poured the wine into his mouth. The clear liquid gushed into his throat, and the rushing water made him cough.
Gu Zhong stood blankly beside him, unable to utter a word for a long time.
The truth is so ironic: when she slaughtered the Xuanhu clan, she said she didn't know right from wrong.
But her own race was being slaughtered for the same reason, and she understood that she couldn't accept it.
Are we doomed to be bewitched by demons, destined for destruction and annihilation?
Her most respected master was the executioner who slaughtered her own clan. The divine realm she so fervently protected was her greatest enemy.
She suddenly realized why Lin Yuan wanted her to choose: it was a difficult choice—to fight for the divine realm without knowing the truth, or to consciously and clearly turn away from it.
The outcome of this choice was far too cruel.
Knowing the truth, she couldn't wholeheartedly acknowledge the enemy as her father and fight for him, yet she also couldn't resolutely turn her back on him. In this vast world, where could she possibly find refuge?
Why are you telling me the truth?!
Overwhelmed with grief, Gu Zhong could only vent her anger on the executioner beside her, who was stained with the blood of the Asura clan.
She drew her sword, cleaved the blue brick table where the two sat, overturned the old wine pot, and tremblingly raised it towards the old man before her.
However, this person had raised her for tens of thousands of years and was the master she respected and was most grateful to. She could not bring herself to actually fight him.
The sword, wailing in sorrow, finally fell to the ground.
As Gu Zhong's sharp sword approached, Lin Yuan remained motionless, seemingly prepared to accept all the punishment and retribution.
He closed his eyes, as if that would hide the reluctance and guilt in them.
After waiting for a long time without feeling the pain of a sword piercing his body, he opened his eyes in surprise, sighed, and spoke again.
"Because the realm of gods is not worth it."
In that short time, Gu Zhong had thought of many answers for him, but she hadn't expected this one. She looked at him in surprise.
"This divine realm, built with lies and blood, is not worth your efforts to protect. The divine realm has been sitting atop the nine heavens for too long, so long that it cannot see what the myriad worlds actually look like. It has become a malignant tumor."
At this moment, Lin Yuan's face was full of compassion for all things, making him appear like a wise man who considered the well-being of all things in the world.
"Resisting the demons shouldn't be solely for the sake of the gods."
Gu Zhong was trying to convince himself in order to overturn the excuse given by Lin Yuan.
"The gods and demons are born from the same source, like light and darkness, yin and yang, and will forever maintain equal power. As long as the gods are not destroyed, the demons will not be eliminated."
Everything has its own destiny. Long ago, the gods were supposed to perish, sacrificing themselves to wipe out the demons from the world and restore peace and tranquility to all realms.
However, at some unknown time, the gods became selfish and, through some unknown means, prevented the decline of the divine realm. As long as the divine realm remains standing, the war between gods and demons will never cease.
Lin Yuan revealed another secret that Gu Zhong had never heard before, which made Gu Zhong understand things she hadn't understood before.
"So you, as the former God of War, have never shown your face since the start of this war between gods and demons, willingly becoming a deserter."
"So, Xiao Zhong, what's your choice?"
Despite being called a deserter, Lin Yuan wasn't angry. Instead, a relieved smile appeared on his lips, as if a heavy burden had been lifted from his heart. He then asked Gu Zhong a question in return.
Gu Zhong felt as if her spine had been removed, and she collapsed to her knees. This question had completely shattered her beliefs.
Not only is she no longer able to fight for the divine realm, but she is also allowed to allow the battle between gods and demons to continue, and to allow the divine realm to fall. Is this really the right solution?
Gu Zhong didn't know what to do, so she could only choose to flee.
Watching the people who came in a hurry leave just as quickly, Lin Yuan sighed deeply.
He probably sighed more times today than he has in his entire life.
He bent down, picked up the wine jug from the ground, and carefully wiped the dirt off it.
"Can this time, it really be over completely?"
His low murmurs were directed at no one in particular.
Gu Zhong stood dejectedly on the horizon. Should he return to the Abyss of Gods and Demons, or fly far away?
What reason is there left to fight for the divine realm?
Ah Yan, she still has Ah Yan!
A sliver of clarity entered her muddled thoughts, and Gu Zhong turned around and headed towards the realm of gods. She couldn't wait to see Ling Yan, to hug her, and to ask her what she should do.
——
"Gu Zhong?"
Seeing Gu Zhong, who was supposed to be heading to the Abyss of Gods and Demons, suddenly appear before her, looking flustered and disoriented, Ling Yan was both surprised and worried.
She pulled Gu Zhong into the inner hall and examined him closely for a moment.
"What's wrong?"
The gentle question carries a magical power to soothe the soul.
"Ayan, suppose—I mean suppose—you discover one day that the God Emperor is your father's killer, what would you do?"
Gu Zhong's opening statement was a chilling assumption.
Seeing the worry in Gu Zhong's eyes, Ling Yan's heart skipped a beat; this was definitely not a simple assumption.
"Make decisions based on the actual context in which the problem occurred, without affecting the overall situation."
Lingyan considered her words carefully, avoiding any mention of revenge. Gu Zhong's situation was extremely abnormal, and she needed to calm him down first.
Gu Zhong's eyes flickered, seemingly dissatisfied with the answer.
"Ah Yan, shall we go?"
She stopped looking at Lingyan and hesitantly made a suggestion.
"Walk?"
Lingyan couldn't understand what Gu Zhong was talking about for a moment.
"Let's go, ignoring all this war between gods and demons, all this talk about the demon race, let's leave now."
Gu Zhong nodded seriously.
Ling Yan was stunned. She couldn't believe that these words came from Gu Zhong's mouth. If it weren't for Yan Yun's familiar aura, she would have almost thought that the person in front of her had been impersonated.
"Gu Zhong, tell me, what exactly happened?"
A person's transformation is never without reason. Ling Yan put on a stern face and looked at Gu Zhong with a solemn expression, revealing her superior authority in front of her for the first time.
Gu Zhong opened his mouth, but for a moment he didn't know where to begin.
Just then, a squad of silver-armored celestial soldiers filed in and surrounded the two.
An ominous premonition burst forth from Gu Zhong's skull, and he vaguely sensed the implication of some kind of scheme.
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Author's Note:
The custom cover for the new book is so beautiful! (I love that fox so much!) Aren't you all going to add it to your collection?!
Chapter 155 The Supreme God and the God of War (Fifteen)