novelnext Chapter 876: The World's Heartbeat, The Moment the Heavens Tilt
Chapter 876: The World's Heartbeat, The Moment the Heavens Tilt
“So tell me, for those top-tier players who have absorbed Divine Power, does it even matter whether they still represent humanity or no longer count as human?”
Hearing such fanatical, ambitious rhetoric, the Dragon Group members fell strangely silent, emotionally jolted and momentarily unable to accept it.
It was as if only now did they suddenly remember who this man in front of them really was.
The motive didn’t matter—so long as the goal could be achieved, everyone could do their own thing.
That kind of thinking and judgement chilled the once united, passionate front facing the Apocalypse.
And the person seated behind them—the one directly involved, Blank—didn’t seem to think there was anything wrong with that statement either.
“That is... a verdict that really fits your personality,” Xu Long sighed.
“However, it does sound like it could actually be effective.”
Long Jiu’s brow didn’t relax at all; he cleared his throat a few times and said,
“But that raises another problem.”“If our directions of effort are completely different, doesn’t that make the whole thing meaningless?”
“For example, humanity might need these new gods to desperately fight the old gods, but if humans aren’t part of it anymore, and if the ‘new gods’ win, they would have no identification with humanity...”
“Wouldn’t that mean, even if they succeed, it’s just another cycle? Those humans who become new gods could still end up destroying the world and humanity.”
Everyone suddenly understood—the issue really was a kind of cosmic historical cyclical law from this perspective.
Those who could fight the gods were gods themselves; once they became gods, they could still go on to wipe out humanity. No matter how you looked at it, it felt unsolvable.
In response to Long Jiu’s question, Lu Ce suddenly looked at him with a look of pity, even a touch of amusement, as if watching something ridiculous.
“W-what’s wrong?”
“No, I just think you’re unusually optimistic,” Lu Ce replied.
“Those people in the human world now—do you really think that with those pitiful scraps of Divine Power they have, they can be called ‘new gods’?”
“All I can say is, this brings me to my second, even better piece of news.”
“Because these top players who received Divine Power? Against the original gods, their chance of victory is basically zero. So... nobody needs to worry about them turning on us together or anything like that.”
Long Jiu: ...
Dragon Group members: ...
Staring at the man in the multicolored mask, they all felt their fists tighten.
After coming here he’d delivered two so-called pieces of news—one supposedly good, the other supposedly better—but each sounded more like hellfire than hope.
At a time like this, he still had the nerve to say such nonsense.
“Your psychological resilience is truly extraordinary.”
Long Jiu was speechless. On the other side, Nie Jiu Tian slowly lifted his head and looked at that relaxed figure.
Other Dragon Group members might have thought Sin was simply continuing his usual tone—making bleak, infernal black humor—but Nie Jiu Tian understood the deeper meaning: buried in those words was a profound pessimism.
“Sin,” he suddenly said.
“I want to ask, for this matter—excluding the world and humanity, and excluding yourself—do you think the odds of winning are high?”
At the Grand Elder’s words, Lu Ce fell silent for the first time. The multicolored gleam flickered across his face and finally formed a smile.
Then he slowly shook his head.
Seeing him shake his head—a simple motion—emptied the Grand Elder’s heart; this was, up to now, the worst news.
Previously, no matter the situation, someone like Sin was always supremely confident, acting invincible.
Had even he begun to lose hope?
Was he now like the elder had been back then...
The Grand Elder’s gaze faltered as memories of his own past surfaced.
He, too, had once believed there was always a way, carrying that undefeatable spirit—only to meet an insurmountable wall in the end.
What the Grand Elder did not know was that Lu Ce’s shake of the head actually meant “it’s hard to say.”
Indeed, at this moment the outcome was too uncertain, full of variables; he did not know what the Arbitrator or the gods would ultimately do.
And whether he himself had been used by Agony was also completely unknown.
So “hard to say” meant exactly that—too uncertain to declare.
“All right then, since that’s how it is, we shouldn’t overthink it.”
“Time’s short. Long Jiu, stop dithering and find a way to absorb that Divine Power.”
Xu Long shouted, startling Long Jiu. He instinctively asked,
“Are you sure?”
“What else is there to be unsure about? Like Blank said, she’ll face Pleasure one-on-one.”
“We’ll do the same. After we absorb the corresponding god’s power, we’ll fight that god to the death. Since there’s no hope left, what’s the difference? It’s still a death!”
Long Jiu looked at the resolute Xu Long, hesitation filling his eyes.
“But I...”
His fists clenched until his knuckles cracked; some words couldn’t be spoken.
Those things Lu Ce dismissed so easily were exactly what Long Jiu held dear.
He wanted to die as a human who had defended the world! He did not want to become a “new god” only to die in petty fights over divine status.
“I know what you’re thinking, brother.” Suddenly Xu Long came over and patted his shoulder.
“It’s fine. We’re missiles!”
“A missile doesn’t care what ideology launches it or for what purpose. What matters is that it can bomb our enemies!”
Long Jiu paused, then his expression hardened. The two of them then turned their eyes toward the Grand Elder.
Nie Jiu Tian watched the two men and nodded faintly.
Go.
Suddenly, at that moment, his eyes lost their expression and stared blankly ahead, as if his soul had been pulled out.
Thump.
Thump...
Thump!
Then a strong trembling sound rang out, prompting everyone in the Dragon Group to look around in alarm.
Only then did they realize the sound was coming from Grand Elder Nie Jiu Tian—those were his heartbeat sounds!
“Grand Elder!?”