In the land of Zhurong, a hidden place.

Facing this old friend.

The white-haired man before him simply smiled and nodded, accepting the bowl of noodles. He picked up a strand with his chopsticks, placed it in his mouth, and ate slowly and deliberately. He seemed completely unconcerned with the events happening outside, nor did he care about the qi that had transformed into chains of fiery flames, binding him in three thousand worlds. Then, he suddenly opened his mouth and said, "I sensed that [Reality] is dead."

"Who killed him?"

Bai Ze placed the empty bowl and chopsticks down neatly.

He was somewhat curious, his smile gentle, and he sighed with emotion, "I was the one who designed for him to enter a dead end back then."

"And then deliberately set a trap to lure the Heavenly Emperor to kill him."

"Even in that situation, he could have escaped with his life, but now he has fallen."

"It does surprise me quite a bit."

'Bai Ze' chewed on his chopsticks, his brow furrowed, and said, "So, I am also very curious, who exactly killed him?"

Zhurong did not answer.

Bai Ze looked at the courtyard behind Zhurong and said slowly, "I designed a contingency plan back then, allowing you to maintain your sanity, and used my abilities to create another you on the outside to confuse [Reality], allowing you to deceive Reality. He probably never imagined that beneath Zhurong, there was another Zhurong, who was the real you."

"However, Zhurong, is what you seek truly worth it?"

"You reversed and used Reality, confronted and utilized the power of the Great Venerable of the Turbid World to create such a dreamlike courtyard. What is the value of it? For the past few thousand years, you have only accompanied that woman in this illusory realm through countless 'reincarnations'. Her bowl of noodles is certainly picky, but you have been making this bowl of noodles for thousands of years."

"Even the pickiest person wouldn't be able to find fault with it anymore."

"She longs to see Crown Prince Changqin and hopes to wait for the day when the dark clouds in the sky dissipate and the sky clears."

"It's just a pity that the day the sky clears will never come."

"What is it that you seek?"

Zhurong didn't say much, simply took out wine, poured it for himself, and drank it with a calm expression, "Don't you already know what I want to do? Why ask again?"

Bai Ze shook his head and said, "I do know."

"But I am still curious and want to ask if you have changed your mind."

"It's a pity, if my main body were here, then his personality would definitely be willing to fool around with you once."

Zhurong squinted at the "Bai Ze" before him and said, "Main body, then what are you now?"

Bai Ze smiled gently and said, "How should I put it?"

"In the ancient times, the Jade Void Daoist of Xuanyuan Hill in the human world once dictated the Daoist Canon, which was finished by that fellow Cang Yan before his death. This volume of the Daoist Canon was eventually handed over to me for safekeeping."

Zhurong paused slightly, and then said slowly, "...You read it?"

Bai Ze naturally said, "Would you not read it if that thing were in your hands?!"

"Would you not read it?"

"Especially since it's my main body."

"The things recorded inside are extremely numerous, including stellar divination, supernatural techniques, heavenly secrets and fate, swordsmanship and qi cultivation. It can be said to be all-encompassing, with nothing lacking. And among them, there is a particularly interesting Daoist supernatural power called [Severing the Three Corpses]. Its original intention is to cut away one's own distracting thoughts, so as to make oneself more pure and reach the heart of the Supreme Saint."

"This Daoist magic is very difficult."

"It can be said to be the most difficult supernatural power in that Daoist Canon."

"It is also called, One Qi Transforms into Three Purities."

Zhurong said, "...You learned it?"

Bai Ze still said gently, "Yes, although it is difficult, it is not impossible to master."

"But in the end, what he cut out was not good or evil."

"He chose to cut out the most reliable part of himself and transform it into a clone."

The Fire God Zhurong was astonished, and then seemed to understand something, the corner of his mouth twitched.

No...

Wouldn't it be?

No, not necessarily. Even that Bai Ze from back then couldn't have done such a thing.

Bai Ze supported his chin with one hand, and then nodded with a smile, "Yes, just as you thought, he has no interest in the so-called heaven-penetrating great magic power, and he despises the technique of entrusting his divine thoughts even more. After all, he is a born saint."

"So he chose to cut out the reliable part."

"All the troubles are handed over to this clone, and he himself can slack off."

"It's just that this has always been a fictional method, just a way of thinking. He couldn't make up his mind. It was just that battle thousands of years ago, when Kai Ming also had a problem. The original combination of the two ancient prodigies was only left with himself, who had to try to rescue you from the control of Reality, and also design to attract the power of the Heavenly Emperor, to punish [Reality], to draw away the [Great Venerable of the Turbid World], and to deal with [Kai Ming]."

"Shuttling between the South Sea, the Great Wilderness, Kunlun, and the Turbid World."

"In order to seek that only trace of balance, and facing the final decision, helplessly, he finally chose to separate me out, leaving the power here."

Bai Ze, or rather Bai Ze's power.

Not the decadent white-haired, red-eyed big sister, but the gentle, reliable, gentlemanly, jade-like, ancient first human emperor's protector, that side of Bai Ze.

He took a sip of wine and said, "So, Zhurong, can you tell me, in the end, why did you imprison me here?"

He shook the chains on his body and said, "Are you still so obsessed?"

Zhurong said slowly, "I am sorry for you in this matter."

"After this matter is over, you can have my power and Dao fruit if you want."

"As for why, I just feel that this heaven and earth avenue seems to be missing something, as if it is not complete enough."

Bai Ze - Reliable Version raised his eyebrows, "Is it because your wife died and you can't bring her back?"

"Yes, and no."

The Fire God Zhurong, dressed in scarlet tight-fitting clothes, answered slowly:

"It's just that I searched the heavens and worlds, but I found a very strange problem. Only the strong can have their true spirit imperishable. Gods also have this qualification. As long as they are born as gods, as long as they are born as powerful beings, even if they are arrogant and conceited, after death, their powerful true spirit can resist the furnace of heaven and earth, and they can have the chance to be reincarnated."

"But other creatures are not like that. Even the human race, in this vast world, is just born in the morning and dies in the evening."

"At first, I ran around to find a way to revive my wife."

"But later, I felt more and more that something was wrong."

"Why can the strong monopolize everything and exist forever? Why do the weak die in the morning and wither in one lifetime?"

"The true spirit of the strong rotates, lifetime after lifetime, and will only become stronger and stronger. Then his true spirit will gradually be tempered to become more and more sharp and firm, and more able to face the scouring of the furnace of heaven and earth. This also means that, in the long run, by the end of time, those who are born as gods will eventually exist forever, while other creatures are just the ashes of epoch changes."

"I always feel that if a rule always tends towards the strong, then is this fair?"

"Is it normal?"

Bai Ze's expression froze slightly.

His pupils contracted.

He finally understood what the Fire God before him wanted to do.

He finally understood that Zhurong's ambition was never just to bring his wife back from Reality.

He, this human Fire Official, the god representing the power of extinction, wanted to do something bigger than he thought, bigger!

"What do you want to do?! Aren't you going to bring your wife back from Reality?"

"Yes, but not necessarily so."

Zhurong's voice was gentle and calm, "I'm just thinking, can I use the Dao fruit of [Reality], combined with Bai Ze's power to know all things in heaven and earth, to create a place in this South Sea that is different from the Nine Netherworlds, a place for the destination, rotation, and transformation of life and death, and use my fire of destruction to fight against the furnace of heaven and earth."

"So that all beings in heaven and earth can have a limited number of reincarnations."

"So that past regrets can still be made up for, so that unseen people will eventually be reunited, and so that all beings will have more opportunities to witness the great Dao."

Bai Ze's pupils trembled and retorted:

"You will create another world of death, a class oppression of the dead."

Zhurong shook his head, "No, because no matter what kind of beings, I will treat them equally."

"It is not the so-called underworld rumored in the human world, nor are there judges. All beings in the world are equal, and even gods cannot judge a person's life. If they have never experienced a person's experience, they are not qualified to make judgments from a condescending perspective, unless there are some extremely extreme and malicious actions, then they can be stripped away by thunder and the Dao fruit of Reality."

"So there will be no so-called Kalo, no judges, no ghost soldiers."

"What I envision is just a place where life and death intersect, resisting the furnace of heaven and earth, a region where reality and illusion coexist."

"That's all."

!!!

Bai Ze stood up abruptly.

Whoosh!

The chains tightened, causing Bai Ze's face to twitch in pain, and blood flowed from his body. He exclaimed in horror, "You want to use your own mythological concept and Dao fruit to fight against the furnace of heaven and earth? That's not the so-called Heavenly Dao, that is the most basic gathering of countless Great Dao rules, the rules that countless beings naturally choose, you are using your own power to fight against them, who do you think you are?"

The Fire God replied, "All things pursue strength, but in this world, strength is not the only thing."

Zhurong raised his eyes and looked at Bai Ze, his voice deep and asking:

"Heaven is sick!"

"Do you know?!"

"You!!!"

Bai Ze was astonished, watching Zhurong rise up and leave.

Seeing him say in a calm voice, "The strong are not necessarily eternal."

"And the weak are not mayflies, they should not die in the morning and wither in the evening, they should also have dignity and opportunity."

Bai Ze said, "You endured the aura of the Turbid World for this purpose?"

"You do such a thing, even willingly trade with Reality, even at the cost of borrowing the power of the Great Venerable, seeking skin with a tiger, seeking skin with a tiger."

"The entire situation in the South Sea is..."

Zhurong shook his head and said, "The South Sea is already in chaos, but I will send you out."

"I am for my wife, because I am her husband."

"But I am not just for her, because I am the Fire God."

Bai Ze's power slumped and sat down, saying, "Audacious..."

"Completely reversing life and death, purity and turbidity, so that even ordinary humans can have at least one chance of reincarnation."

"Transferring the reincarnation qualifications that only gods and those of divine bloodlines, a small number of heroes, possess directly to all beings."

"Breaking the privileges of the gods and one of the characteristics of what makes a god a god."

"Audacious, audacious, even the other gods will be dissatisfied with you, then the two worlds of purity and turbidity..."

Zhurong just said calmly, "Not audacious."

"How can one turn the sky upside down with one hand?!"

"I, want to seek a [Come Again] for all beings!"

The Fire God raised his eyes, looked at the slumped Bai Ze, and seemed to suddenly see the appearance of that familiar scholar on his face.

The Fire God's voice paused.

A gentle smile like that of the past appeared on his face, and his voice was warm:

"Because I have seen many people."

"So I know, they are worth it."

"After this battle, if I die, the chains will disappear, my Dao fruit will be given to you, you give it to Changqin, tell him that his father is sorry for him, that he is really a selfish person, tell him that his mother has always been thinking of him."

"And after this battle, if I am still alive, I will also come to release you."

"However, my goal will definitely be accomplished."

"Then goodbye, Mr. Bai Ze."

He picked up the bowl and chopsticks, and then stood up. When he turned around, his footsteps paused, and with his back to the slumped Bai Ze, he said:

"Say one last sentence."

"May the Yanhuang never perish, and the spark never be extinguished."

"Don't forget, the original meaning of this sentence..."

The Fire God tilted his eyes and smiled:

"I, am fire!"

Zhurong nodded.

Thus, the Fire Official of the Yanhuang tribe turned around and walked out of here calmly.

ps: Today's first update... 3600 words

The second chapter may be late, and I have something to do, (t_t), I may ask for half a day off, there is only one update today, and I will adjust my schedule by the way, if there is no second update, I will make it up tomorrow, three updates tomorrow

(Bow, sorry)