Meteor Fall Master in the 'Starry Abyss'
Chapter 802 - 408. Void Overlord Annihilation Battle (3)

Chapter 802: 408. Void Overlord Annihilation Battle (3)

The throne is not large, only about a hundred meters tall, with a mass of indescribable rotten flesh slumped upon it. Amid the network of countless pipes and purple void coral, one can vaguely discern a humanoid outline.

However, unlike the previous eight Void Knights, the presence on the throne exerted a pressure on Li Aozi akin to a mountain. Just being near it made resistance seem almost insurmountable, and quelling any thought of defiance in his heart.

This is the ’King.’

Li Aozi slowly walked forward, lifting the nine Knights of the High Table masks he had collected. The void’s force quickly took over, and the masks rapidly spun, melted, and overlapped in the purple radiance, finally merging into a dragon-faced mask that gently descended onto the ’King’s’ face. Tiny purple tendrils eagerly reached out, pulling it seamlessly into place.

The next moment, a tremendous sound reverberated through the entire hall.

Buzzing......

The vast and empty hall rapidly transformed, as numerous void corals erupted from the ground. The floor shattered, and invisible forces tugged at the entities hidden underground, causing them to float up in succession. One figure, confined within a luminous cage, slowly floated before Li Aozi.

"Oh, you really made it here, huh."

The speaking creature was about thirty centimeters tall, with three squirrel-like fluffy tails and moonlit fur, and a head resembling a cross between a fox and a white tiger, which allowed Li Aozi to instantly recognize this long-unseen presence.

"Knight Merid, Granny Baba Yaga... and Zhi Xiang."

Li Aozi raised his hand and dismantled the cage with Weak Force.

His words elicited a smile from Zhi Xiang.

"There’s still some time before this guy awakens, so let’s catch up, young man."

The next instant, it transformed into the purple-haired, purple-eyed form of Knight Merid and gently landed in front of Li Aozi.

"In these five years, you have thoroughly settled down, shedding your former naivete and impulsiveness."

Zhi Xiang’s demeanor was no longer as harsh as before; rather, it gazed warmly and appreciatively at Li Aozi:

"You’ve grown well... Leoz, you are like a born Spiritual Warrior. But, you are different from them."

Zhi Xiang raised its hand and lightly touched Li Aozi’s calf:

"I know very well how those Spiritual Warriors are made."

"Chaos is like a blazing furnace, with Starry Abyss mercilessly thrusting some spiritual stars into it, heedless of their screams and cries, letting Chaos forge them into warriors. After imbuing them with character and soul, the heating continues—until they attain porcelain-like skin, enough to withstand any cosmic extremity."

"Deities have no names, deities do not bleed, deities have no skills. Their fate is to be driven by Starry Abyss onto the battlefield. Only by winning can they earn names and mandates. The more they yearn to become an independent deity, the more they must battle for Starry Abyss on the battlefield, ultimately unable to escape its shackles."

Zhi Xiang looked up at Li Aozi:

"Deities think they are players in the game, but they are merely chess pieces to be consumed by Starry Abyss."

"Even if they fend off the Destroyer, there will still be Society; fend off Society, and there will still be restless Narrative Civilizations like the Void requiring deities to suppress."

Li Aozi shifted to a humanoid form, meeting the eyes of Zhi Xiang in the guise of Merid equally:

"Is this why you so despise the Pathway?"

Li Aozi spread his hands:

"You don’t hate the deities, nor do you reject mortals pursuing the path to immortality."

He gazed at the other party and solemnly stated:

"You only despise Starry Abyss itself, for which countless people recklessly sacrifice their lives, flung into an endless meat grinder while it remains untouched."

"...Yes."

Zhi Xiang gently shook its head:

"Leoz, have you ever heard this saying?"

"What?"

"So-called war is just a farmer’s child being duped by old men to journey far from home across endless miles to kill another farmer’s child."

Zhi Xiang lifted its hand, clutching the fabric at its chest with a sorrowful look:

"I am the Primordial Species, enjoying endless life. I see farther than any of you. From my perspective, I cannot comprehend your way of thinking."

"No, let me put it this way—for me, you are all equally insignificant, short-lived like ants."

"Every species harbors noble souls and vile sinners, but once a species sets foot on the Pathway, they start to plunder and slaughter outwardly."

"I don’t believe it’s your fault; it’s all Starry Abyss’s mistake."

"The Starry Abyss possesses supreme power, yet never battles with the various strong beings."

"The Starry Abyss is revered and worshipped by deities, yet never communicates with them."

"The Starry Abyss claims to protect everything within, yet drives the noble Chief Gods out, forcing them to battle beyond the borders."

"Leoz, this kind of Starry Abyss is what I despise; it doesn’t deserve your sacrifice. The more you pursue divine power, the more you bind yourselves to the Starry Abyss."

Zhi Xiang grabbed Li Aozi’s hand and said in a deep voice:

"Leave this place; the Starry Abyss isn’t worth all you’re sacrificing. I insist on making the Dragon Satellite a sanctuary without pathways, to prevent them from getting caught in an endless vortex of internal strife."

"The Starry Abyss first deceived the deities, causing most to die under the Destroyer’s hand, then turned to narrative civilizations, letting them confront these ’society’, and once ’society’ is eradicated, it will surely bring back the deities. If there aren’t any, it will select deities from mortals! That is the pathway! The pathway is a means used by the Starry Abyss to meddle in conflicts between civilizations, ensuring you never have peace."

"Only by trapping you in perpetual warfare and internal conflict can the Starry Abyss maintain its stability. This is its purpose."

Li Aozi looked at the other, remained silent for a long time, then said:

"If only all the primordial species were as kind as you."

"...Leoz."

"I understand everything you said; the Starry Abyss isn’t a good thing, I recently learned this from a certain foolish ox. Whether the tragic past of the spiritual warriors or the notion that the pathway itself is a scam doesn’t matter."

Li Aozi spread his arms:

"Zhi Xiang, as a primordial species, you certainly can’t understand what it means to be a creature of brief lifespan. No matter how long you pretend to be a mortal and live with them, you can’t understand this, and it’s not your fault."

"Mortal beings do not have your long life or world-altering power. Their lives are short and tragic, filled with suffering, ridicule, sorrow, and manipulation. Almost everyone knows they are either government votes or puppets manipulated by societal order and family."

"Mortals die on the battlefield in wartime, and die in factories in peace. Adhering to order brands them as antiquated, while pursuing innovation leads to imprisonment and death. The unmarried remain unsupported, and those who build families toil in hardship for life."

"The pathway of the Starry Abyss is indeed a brutal arena of competition, where joining it becomes a nightmare cycle of people trampling over each other."

"But compared to rolling over until death, what mortals fear more is being powerless against fate."

"Mortals age, their abilities decline, thoughts ossify, wealth diminishes, descendants can’t consistently inherit lineage and abilities; in a lifetime, they face countless temptations and deceptions. Lonely beasts perish in natural disasters, while unified humans are subsumed by the grand narrative."

"Don’t even mention pathways. Even exams can change many people’s fate. Don’t they know intelligence is innate? Are they oblivious to the wealth gap between families? Isn’t giving up infighting an easy relief?"

Li Aozi smiled bitterly with pity:

"Sadly, the world isn’t so blissful. If you desire something, you must pay the price."

"Suffering can strike at any moment; the future holds no smooth sailing. Possessing strength allows for stability in crises, a longer lifespan offers a chance to endure, and more offspring mean one child might bask in glory one day."

"What is this cruel internal strife compared to being helpless against disasters?"

Zhi Xiang looked at Li Aozi, a look of disbelief appearing in his deep purple eyes.

"...I just meant that the Starry Abyss isn’t worth all your efforts, not worth your struggle. You could lead happier lives, if only—"

"If only when problems arise, you give up, when enemies appear, you don’t resist, and when suffering comes, you shrink back. Like lambs to the slaughter, complying under the old order, avoiding conflict prevents beating, right?"

As soon as Li Aozi finished speaking, the being on the throne suddenly had eyes shine with a purple glow, the surrounding air growing heavier, transforming the void’s presence into substance, burning like flames in the air.

Li Aozi was unfazed, extended his hand, and grabbed Zhi Xiang’s palm:

"For primordial species, strength is predetermined by birth. Regardless of effort, power only increases with time. Thus, you can’t understand the importance of ’effort’ and ’change’."

"But if the cost of changing fate is to become Starry Abyss’ warring slaves, isn’t that price too high..."

Zhi Xiang questioned:

"You can choose to live under our protection, with a fate unbound by anyone, as long as you don’t engage the pathway, you can find peace—"

"Yet even without pathways, there is technology. Without technology, there are still classes."

Li Aozi calmly interrupted:

"I think, perhaps this is the meaning of life."

"The meaning of life..."

Rumble, rumble, rumble!!!!!!

The giant on the throne began to tremble violently, a vast amount of void coral activating in the air, and frantic souls danced wildly like fierce ghosts, emitting terrifying, desperate shrieks.