507: Chapter 487 The Grand Finale

Zhang Mu's decision to head to the Divine Kingdom immediately wasn't because his reason was crushed by anger, but a choice made after careful consideration.

Just as he had explained to Avril, if he was wary of the hostage in the god's hands now, would the threat of that hostage cease to exist ten years later?

The answer was clearly no.

As for why he didn't wait for his strength to improve further or for a better opportunity, it was simply because Zhang Mu felt it was unnecessary.

The god had set him up, and in the plan to create a hostage to bind him out of thin air, Zhang Mu hadn't suffered a total defeat; through subtle clues, he had sensed many things.

Yes, the god was powerful, having predicted his arrival and plotting against Zhang Mu decades in advance, succeeding perfectly.

But then, why?

If the god was strong enough to predict the future and see that one day soon, a human would threaten his divine throne or even take his life, why didn't he kill him in advance?

When Zhang Mu first arrived on the Saul Continent, he was suffering from lung cancer and didn't have long to live. His body was slightly inferior to that of an ordinary person, let alone the extraordinary Professionals who roamed the continent.

Without the Pope even needing to act, any city bishop could have easily taken Zhang Mu's life. Why didn't the god do so?

Was he unwilling? Did he not want to? Of course not. It was because the god could not do it.

Whether the god knew of the panel's existence, Zhang Mu didn't know; however, he was certain of one thing: the god knew Zhang Mu couldn't be killed, and thus, Lia came to be.

Since the god of the Saul Continent could not resist the panel either, Zhang Mu, who carried 'Resurrection,' was fearless.

Going to the Divine Kingdom, there were only two possible outcomes: Zhang Mu slays the god, or Zhang Mu is defeated and retreats temporarily, only to slay the god later.

In Zhang Mu's view, the god's scheme involving Lia was merely a deathbed struggle.

However, when Zhang Mu opened the gate to the Divine Kingdom on the Holy Mountain and reached it via the Heavenly Ladder to see the god's true form, he found that things were beyond his expectations.

The Divine Kingdom was not like the depictions Zhang Mu had seen in films, where a holy radiance shrouded a magnificent realm, divine whispers echoed in the ears, and everything in sight was brilliant and sacred, with the god's stature being too grand to behold.

The Divine Kingdom was just an ordinary rural courtyard.

There was a low farmhouse, a small yard enclosed by a fence, some vegetables planted inside, and a wooden cucumber trellis next to the vegetable patch with green vines clinging to it.

The courtyard gate was wide open. Zhang Mu walked in, and Lia came running out of the similarly wide-open living room door, crashing into Zhang Mu's arms.

Subconsciously picking Lia up and adjusting her position so she sat on his arm, he asked, "Where is the god?"

Lia tilted her head, her two cat ears twitching.

"Lia is the god."

Zhang Mu's small eyes were filled with great confusion: "?"

After questioning her, the specific details became clear.

To put it simply, Lia was the god of the Saul Continent, living day after day in the Divine Kingdom.

One day, she suddenly had a vague premonition that a villain was going to slay the god.

Endless boring years had dulled Lia's nerves, causing her to not care at first. She thought to herself, what did god-slaying have to do with her? She just went about her business, planting and watering flowers.

After a few years, or perhaps decades, centuries, or even ten thousand years, she suddenly realized: Am I not the god?

That villain wants to kill me?!

Lia was absolutely furious. I just plant my fields and water my flowers every day; who did I provoke?!

She channeled the power of rules and predicted the specific date the villain would arrive on the Saul Continent. A brilliant idea instantly flashed through her mind—to create a hostage.

The existence of a hostage itself carried great uncertainty; for instance, they might commit suicide so the villain wouldn't be threatened. Lia thought for a long time about a perfect solution, and then, with a slap to her forehead, she had it!

"Wouldn't it work if I were the hostage myself?!"

Lia stripped away her own soul, keeping all her power within her physical body so as not to damage the Saul Continent, and descended to a remote corner of the continent—Kas Town.

Zhang Mu knew everything that happened after that.

After hearing the whole story, Zhang Mu instinctively sucked in a breath of cold air.

The position of god is not something one should do; it really drains the brain!

Look at Lia, this god—is her head still normal?

Zhang Mu abandoned any thought of becoming a god and looked toward Lia. She was smiling triumphantly, like a little fox that had stolen a chick.

Zhang Mu calmly asked Lia what her plans were, as he didn't intend to live in the Divine Kingdom forever.

Lia didn't say much else, just one sentence: "Lia has been waiting for Brother Zhang Mu to come and pick me up."

She seemed unwilling to be a god anymore and was prepared to release her divine power to step down from the throne, retaining only the power of rules to return to the Saul Continent.

From then on, there would be no more god on the Saul Continent.

After speaking, Lia wrapped her arms around Zhang Mu's neck and rubbed her cheek hard against his: "Lia won! Brother Zhang Mu can't slay the god anymore!"

Zhang Mu thought about it; that wasn't entirely true.

Lia's plan succeeded, but Zhang Mu hadn't failed either.

His original intention was to eliminate the god, and later he added "rescue Lia." Now, hadn't both been fully achieved?

Even so, Zhang Mu still placed Lia face down on his lap and gave her bottom a few good swats.

The reason being that naughty children need to be educated.

Lia expressed her dissatisfaction, but Zhang Mu ignored her and led her by her small hand out of the Divine Kingdom.

It was thirty years later when they returned to the Ice and Snow Capital.

Zhang Mu didn't dally on the way, but the flow of time in the Divine Kingdom and on the continent seemed different. Zhang Mu felt as though only a few days had passed, yet thirty years had already gone by on the Saul Continent.

He felt a bit of lingering fear and was annoyed at his oversight, but a moment later, he felt lucky again. If he had truly fought the god in the Divine Kingdom, regardless of the outcome, by the time he returned to the Saul Continent, his Senior Sister, Frederica, Potter, Domit, and the others would likely have become a handful of white bones—or perhaps not even bones would remain.

The power of time was terrifying, but fortunately, Zhang Mu, who mastered the rules, didn't need to worry.

When Zhang Mu appeared in the Ice and Snow Capital leading Lia, the citizens of the capital were shocked to see the First Princess of the Empire, who hadn't appeared in decades, rush out of the palace almost losing her composure.

She seemed to have forgotten that as a Gods Blessing level expert she could fly; she just held up the hem of her long dress, her waist-length ice-blue hair flying behind her as she ran out of the palace gates. Under the stunned gazes of the crowds by the roadside, she crossed the street and, upon seeing Zhang Mu, slowed her pace and stopped in front of him.

Seeing him, Avril let down her dress, smoothed her collar which was messy from running, and finally revealed a smile that made everything around her lose its color.

"Junior, welcome home."

Frederica, who was living in seclusion in the Forest of Spirits, arrived at the capital that night. Domit, who was leading an army to explore the Endless Sea, only rushed back the next day.

Since everyone was present, Zhang Mu was happy and held a banquet in the palace with a wave of his hand to celebrate the thirtieth anniversary of the founding of the Ice and Snow Empire—it had actually been more than thirty years, but the Lord Marshal was in high spirits, and no one dared to spoil the fun.

All the imperial ministers were present, taking their seats in the open-air plaza of the palace.

They chatted with each other, but their eyes were constantly scanning the surroundings, curious as to why the legendary Imperial Marshal had not yet appeared.

The ministers would likely not get their wish.

Zhang Mu and the others were having dinner in the main hall of the Palace Council Chamber. Zhang Mu ate while telling everyone about his journey to the Divine Kingdom.

Hearing that Lia was the god of the Saul Continent, everyone's eyes widened.

Domit and the others, constrained by their status, found it inappropriate to step forward and examine the "god," but Avril and Frederica had no such qualms.

Avril, sitting to Zhang Mu's left, immediately put down her knife and fork, took Lia from his lap into her own arms, and looked her over incessantly, occasionally patting her head.

Frederica, on the right, dragged her wooden chair between Avril and Zhang Mu, poked Lia's cheek with her index finger, and then pinched the soft flesh on both sides to pull it outward.

"Mmph!" Lia wanted to protest loudly, but she was rendered speechless by Avril's subsequent face-rubbing.

After their fill of food and wine, everyone dispersed to their rooms to rest.

After coaxing Lia to sleep, Zhang Mu rubbed his hands together and made his way to the door of Avril's bedroom, stealthily pushing it open and walking in.

Only upon entering did he find that Avril hadn't slept at all. She was wearing the ice-blue dress from the day they first met, sitting on the edge of the bed waiting for his night raid.

Caught in the act, Zhang Mu was a bit embarrassed. Avril's lips curled up slightly as she patted the bed, which had been fitted with fresh quilts.

The following night, Zhang Mu followed the same pattern as the previous night and sneaked into Frederica's room. The elf lady had clearly guessed his intentions; she had removed her light armor and was lying on the bed in a set of silk pajamas.

More than ten days later, Zhang Mu returned to the Blue Star.

Thirty years had passed, and the development of the Blue Star was flourishing.

The four-nation bases on the moon had expanded to the size of cities. Besides the mining staff, some Blue Star people who longed for outer space had actively applied to move to the moon.

Zhang Mu activated his Shadow Technique and went to the Special Investigation Bureau first.

The Director had passed away ten years ago at the age of ninety.

During the years Zhang Mu was on the Blue Star comprehending the rules, Zhao Qi and Yue Ruo had been married for many years. Now they were retired and helping their daughter look after their grandson at home.

Ye Ming and Lin Miao had also been married for a long time. A few years ago, they had welcomed a grandson and granddaughter. Their home was next door to Zhao Qi's, and the two families went on trips together every year.

By the time Zhang Mu returned from the Divine Kingdom, Ye Ming was already over eighty years old. His hair was white, and though his mental state was good, Zhang Mu could see that Ye Ming didn't have much time left.

After dinner today, while Lin Miao was washing dishes in the kitchen, Ye Ming felt sleepiness washing over him and went into the bedroom to lie down for a short nap.

Zhang Mu thought for a moment and revealed himself by the window. Ye Ming seemed to sense something and opened his eyes to see him, still looking young.

Ye Ming wasn't startled; he just smiled, his eyes as if saying, Junior, it's so good that you're alright.

Zhang Mu took a magic potion from his Storage Pouch and held it to Ye Ming's lips, but he shook his head. Zhang Mu saw something in his eyes; he didn't quite understand it, but he didn't say anything more. He took back the magic potion and left invisibly.

A trace of relief appeared on Ye Ming's expression as he slowly closed his eyes. Whether the supernatural was his Junior or his Junior was supernatural no longer mattered to him.

"Ye Ming." Lin Miao, her head full of gray hair, walked into the bedroom while wiping her hands on her apron. "Old Zhao called you for a walk. If you're feeling tired, should I tell him no?

Also, Yue Ruo was discussing with me yesterday where to go for fun this year. I said everyone is old and can't travel too far, so why not just find a place nearby?"

Ye Ming lay there quietly. Lin Miao was stunned, her hand freezing mid-wipe. After a moment, she walked forward and placed her slightly damp palm over Ye Ming's left chest through his clothes.

Feeling the chest that was no longer beating, her shoulders suddenly slumped. She moved toward the living room and picked up the Mobile Phone on the coffee table.

"Son, come home. Your father is gone."

"Yes, just now."

"Old Zhao, come to my house with Yue Ruo. Old Ye is gone. Yes, just now."

Calls were made and hung up. Tears finally filled Lin Miao's eyes and flowed down her cheeks.

After more than ten seconds, a knock came from the entrance. Zhao Qi shouted from outside the door, "Open up quickly, Lin Miao!"

She wiped away her tears, took a deep breath, stood up, and walked toward the door. "Coming!"

At Ye Ming's funeral, Zhang Mu revealed himself among the crowd of mourners. Looking at the photo of his Senior Brother between two candles, he suddenly understood the reason for his Senior Brother's refusal.

Some people are just old-fashioned; they feel that when it's time to die, you should die, and not mess around with things that shouldn't be.

"Stubborn as a mule," Zhang Mu laughed helplessly and turned to walk away.

Sitting alone in a corner, Zhao Qi happened to look up and caught a glimpse of a fleeting figure in the crowd.

"Eh, did Old Ye have such a friend?"

"Uncle Zhao, who?" Ye Ming's son, busy receiving guests, happened to hear him as he passed by and asked casually.

"No one, I must have seen wrong." Staring at the crowd, the figure had already vanished without a trace. Zhao Qi gave a perfunctory answer and lowered his head again.

After leaving the funeral, Zhang Mu spent three years traveling around the Blue Star.

He hadn't been back to the Blue Star for thirty years. The statue of god Puppets and Fellow Daoist Ye Puppets he had placed in various countries had run out of magic power and stopped functioning.

Fortunately, Zhang Mu had set a program so that when they were about to "lose power," the Puppets would automatically seek out uninhabited areas to self-destruct. This was why the humans of the Blue Star hadn't discovered the truth.

Thanks to the fact that it was right around the "summer break" period on the Blue Star before he went to the Divine Kingdom, all the students from the various supernatural academies had gone home, so they didn't end up wasting away until death inside "The World."

Over these thirty years, the supernatural no longer appeared. The people who had personally experienced it back then gradually passed away, and the widely circulated videos were considered by the new generation to be technical fabrications.

The supernatural seemed to have become a concept equivalent to "Huaxia Qigong"—a scam of the old era.

A dying grandfather would scold his grandson for speaking ill of the supernatural. The grandson would ask, if there was such a thing as the supernatural, why did it never appear? Didn't Grandpa say the supernatural used to walk around the Blue Star frequently?

The grandfather was left speechless.

Another hundred or so years passed.

The science and technology of the Blue Star humans became increasingly advanced, their footsteps reaching Mars. The supernatural was no longer mentioned, swept into a corner of history.

Occasionally, someone would dig out century-old videos in the national archives. After watching them, they would sigh helplessly, "This is just the limitation of the times," without noticing the lips of the young staff member by the door, who was looking down and flipping through a book, curl up inexplicably.

"Xiao Zhang, I'm borrowing this series of videos to take back and watch."

"Sure, come and sign for them."

The person held the Memory Crystal box and walked to the door, leaning over the form Xiao Zhang pulled out to fill in his identity information while chatting: "Don't you think history is a circle? Two hundred years ago there was Qigong, a hundred years ago there was the supernatural. Why can't humans just learn their lesson?"

Xiao Zhang's gaze remained fixed on the pages of his book: "Just like you said, it's the limitation of the times. Three hundred years from now, our descendants might laugh at us in the same way."

"I don't believe that. Technology is so advanced now; who would still believe in gods and ghosts?" Pushing the completed form back to Xiao Zhang, the person took the crystal box and prepared to leave.

"Daddy!" A five-year-old girl pushed open the door from outside and ran past the man.

"Eh?" Catching a glimpse of the little girl's ears by chance, the man stopped and turned around, asking in surprise, "Xiao Zhang, why are your daughter's ears pointed? Whoa, and her hair is emerald green."

"Oh, that," Xiao Zhang finally raised his eyes, looked at the little girl, and smiled. "Her mom likes cosplay, and well, it rubbed off on our daughter."

The man winked: "I heard your wife is quite the beauty. You're a lucky man at night."

"She's alright."

"I'm off then. Let's chat again when you're free."

"Sure."

The door was pushed open and then closed. The little girl climbed onto Zhang Mu's lap with both hands and feet: "Mom told you to bring back a box of spicy chicken feet after work, and Mom Avril wants some too."

Zhang Mu looked at the wall clock: "It's about time... where's Lia?"

"Auntie Lia wants Alpenliebe candy."

The muscles on Zhang Mu's face twitched: "That company went bankrupt decades ago. Where am I supposed to buy that?"

The little girl climbed down from his lap backwards, pondered for a few seconds, and then imitated someone's coquettish tone: "I gave up my perfectly good godhood for you, and yet you're still making me feel wronged? I don't care! I want it, I want it!"

As she spoke, she even held up the index fingers of both hands to the sides of her head to play the role of cat ears.

"Fine, fine." Zhang Mu stood up and took her small hand. "Let's go, let's go home."