Starforce Warriors-Chapter 1012: The Myth Of The Giant God

Li Xiaofei had not visited Heaven in a very, very long time. It was not because the road was too far, nor because he lacked the time. It was simply because, for a long while, he had felt that he should not return.

White clouds drifted endlessly in the sky. The Southern Heavenly Gate stood tall and magnificent after its reconstruction. The white jade-like stone radiated an aura of purity and majesty.

A solitary figure appeared beneath the Southern Heavenly Gate, seated cross-legged in mid-air. He wore white robes as pristine as jade. His posture was upright and dignified. The aura he emitted was at least that of a Great Luo Golden Immortal. He was just one step away from becoming a quasi-Emperor.

He guarded this place alone. He was but one man, yet he gave off the imposing presence of a thousand-strong army.

"Greetings, Senior," Li Xiaofei said respectfully.

He was certain that this man must have been one of the powerful beings resurrected after the battle at the Southern Heavenly Gate.

"Young Master Li," the figure in white opened his eyes and smiled. "You’ve returned. Her Highness is waiting for you in Doushuai Palace."

Li Xiaofei cupped his hands in salute before ascending the steps. After a few strides, the Southern Heavenly Gate disappeared from view. Li Xiaofei did not ask the white-robed expert for his name. There was no need. He must have been one of the most outstanding heroes of the human race.

Heaven had been fully rebuilt. Pavilions and towers like those in a celestial realm rose one after another as far as the eye could see, stunningly beautiful and veiled among the drifting clouds. It had swept away all traces of the past ruin and gloom. Yet, it still felt so empty.

There weren’t even celestial soldiers or generals patrolling the area. However, the evil aura that had once permeated the place, left behind by the Ruos, had completely dissipated.

It didn’t take Li Xiaofei long to arrive at Lingxiao Hall. Although Heaven was already in its third generation of reconstruction, it had retained this most famous palace from the traditional mythology of Great Xia.

Li Xiaofei stepped inside. He saw a solitary figure seated behind a grand desk, writing swiftly and diligently. She was completely absorbed in her work.

"Your Grace, Li Lan," Li Xiaofei greeted respectfully.

Li Lan was seated upon the throne of Lingxiao Hall. She was the wife of Ding Hao and also one of the strongest quasi-Emperor-level figures among the human race today.

"You’re here?" Li Lan put down her pen, rubbed the center of her brow, and gestured to a stone chair to the side.

"Sit," she said.

Li Xiaofei took a seat obediently as Li Lan resumed writing. Each time she finished a passage, her snow-white hand flicked gracefully. Hundreds of characters surged out like lightning and vanished into the void. It was impossible to tell where they were being sent.

Half an hour later, Li Lan finally finished her task. She let out a long breath and stretched casually, her gaze falling once more on Li Xiaofei.

"You’ve grown stronger," she remarked, her eyes filled with satisfaction. "It seems your journey into the Reaper-occupied zones has yielded great results."

Li Xiaofei replied, "I encountered Senior Lin Beichen, and I also met Her Grace, Priestess Qin."

Li Lan nodded and replied, "Back when the Five Emperors held their summit, Sword Immortal Lin volunteered to go to the Ancestor Court galaxy. He’s been waiting for you there. It’s no surprise you met him."

Li Xiaofei blinked in surprise. "The Five Emperors held a summit?"

Li Lan nodded and casually revealed the greatest secret in the simplest terms. "The five great human emperors held a small meeting and each took on a task."

A storm of thoughts surged in Li Xiaofei’s mind. He couldn’t help but ask, "Then where did the other four emperors go?"

This had been the biggest question lingering in his heart. Lin Beichen alone, as the Sword Immortal, could contend with the Ancestor of Wisdom among the Reapers. If all five emperors joined forces, wouldn’t defeating the Reapers be entirely possible? But where had they all gone? Why had they never once appeared?

"They went to places no less dangerous than the Ancestor Court galaxy," Li Lan said after a moment of hesitation. "You’ve heard of or even visited the Land of Annihilation, haven’t you? You’ve seen the terror of the beasts that dwell there?"

Li Xiaofei’s heart stirred. He nodded repeatedly.

"Then do you truly understand what Oblivion really is?" Li Lan asked with a meaningful look in her eyes.

Li Xiaofei shook his head; he truly didn’t know much about it.

Li Lan said, "Oblivion... is something even the Reapers fear, something that makes their race tremble."

There was a hint of helplessness and sorrow in her tone. Li Xiaofei listened intently.

Li Lan continued, "There have been different myths and legends across various corners of the universe since the beginning of the world, told by different species. I once studied the histories and mythologies of civilizations destroyed by the Reapers. And I discovered one common thread."

"What is it?" Li Xiaofei asked.

Li Lan replied, "That this universe was created by a giant god. In the mythology of Great Xia, it was Pangu who split heaven and earth. But in many other ancient mythologies, there are stories of giant gods, giant serpents, or divine beings creating the world and dividing heaven from earth. It’s fascinating. Though the names and forms vary, if you really reflect on it, you’ll realize all these myths seem to be telling the same story."

Li Xiaofei was struck by her words.

The evolution of civilizations had always revealed some strangely common patterns. This had been proven before when the convergences between Eastern and Western cultures on Earth had been studied. But what Li Lan had just mentioned was a shared mythology across entirely different species.

The Reapers had ravaged the universe, obliterating countless civilizations. Numerous races, no matter their system of civilization, had been crushed under the Reapers’ claws, fangs, and firepower, turned into fodder and stepping stones for further evolution.

These species were scattered across different corners of the cosmos. They were separated by vast distances. They had never had contact with one another and yet, their myths shared something in common: the tale of a giant god creating the universe.

For reasons he could not explain, a particular image suddenly surfaced in Li Xiaofei’s mind. It was the memory of the ten paintings he had seen deep within the core of the Evolution Temple, in the ancestral land of that lost ascended race, inside Li Anyi’s secret base.

Those ten paintings had depicted the process of a giant god creating the world. That mysterious ascended race had been a precursor of the Reapers. Which meant even the Reapers had once passed down the myth of a giant god creating the universe. Perhaps it had never been a myth, it had been the truth.

"What came to your mind?" Li Lan asked.

Li Xiaofei recounted what he had seen in the murals.

Li Lan nodded. "That’s it. Those ten murals you saw revealed the origin of species. Whether it be the Reapers, humans, or even Oblivion itself, all were born of the Giant God. And the Giant God was born from the Eye of the Universe."

Li Xiaofei asked, "The Giant God? The Eye of the Universe? What exactly are those?"

Li Lan replied, "They’re merely symbolic terms. Different species and civilizations call them by different names. In the mythology of Great Xia, for instance, Pangu is the Giant God. And Pangu was born from a colossal egg. That egg could just as well be referred to as the Eye of the Universe."

Li Xiaofei fell into thought.

Li Lan continued, "The ten murals you saw are extremely complete. No wonder they were left behind by an ascended race. But... did you truly understand their meaning?"

Li Xiaofei shook his head. He had never given it much deep thought.

Li Lan said, "Do you know why the Reapers are so obsessed with evolution? Why they insist on harvesting every other sentient civilization in the universe?"