Absolute Choice 10
Page 37
"As they contended for the Transcendence Holy Tree, the conflict did not come to an end. Due to the betrayal of the Celestial King, none of the three races joined forces again. Instead, it formed a three-sided conflict and a long war between the three domains began!"
After the Infernal Queen finished narrating the piece of history, she suddenly sighed. "The war continued on in such a manner for five thousand years. The three domains restrained each other in a delicate balance so no one managed to clinch the final victory. The war seemed like it would continue on endlessly…If only the war could continue on like that, but unfortunately, the war between the three domains came to a sudden end, fifteen thousand years ago!"
Shi Xiaobai was slightly surprised. Another five thousand years? From the looks of it, the Infernal Queen was truly narrating the historical story and not deliberately making things difficult for him? Furthermore, why did the Infernal Queen say words like "if only the war could continue on like that". Why did she show such a despondent look?
"What happened?"
Shi Xiaobai could not help but fulfill his 'obligation' as a listener. He responded to the narrator to let her know that he was listening and thinking. That was the greatest respect a listener could give to a narrator.
The Infernal Queen's emotions seemed to improve greatly as a light smile suffused her lips. But soon, she sighed and said softly, "Fifteen thousand years ago, three towering trees descended! Like the Transcendence Holy Tree, no one knew how the three towering trees appeared. They had appeared overnight in the Transcendental World and the distance between the three trees was rather far from each other. They formed a triangle!"
This astonishing turn of events left Shi Xiaobai slightly alarmed. He asked, "Another three Transcendence Holy Trees?"
Could it be that the Heavens did not wish for the war to continue so it had dropped three Transcendence Holy Trees and left them far apart so that each of the three races had one each so as to end the bitter war?
But if that was the case, why would the Infernal Queen show a 'despondent' look? It was as though she was one of the characters involved. Why would the appearance of the three holy trees make her feel 'despondent'?
The matter was probably not that simple.
Indeed, the Infernal Queen shook her head and said with a sigh, "They were not Transcendence Holy Trees. The three holy trees that appeared were completely different in appearance. They were also completely different from the Transcendence Holy Tree."
"Be it the color or shape of the leaves, the thickness of the trunk or the thickness of the crown, they were all different! These three holy trees were similarly engraved with a 'name' like the Transcendence Holy Tree. However, the words were not written in the language of the Transcendental World. So no one knew what were the names of the three holy trees!"
"However, when the three holy trees descended into the Transcendental World, the Transcendence Holy Tree seemed to be robbed of its nutrients. It withered rapidly and in a short span of three days, all of its leaves withered and fell. Ten days later, it collapsed into an abyssal hole that seemed to lead straight to hell. From then on, the Transcendence Holy Tree perished!"
Shi Xiaobai drew a gasp of air. The three unknown holy trees had robbed the Transcendence Holy Tree of its 'nutrients'. So it came with unkind intentions?
However, the Infernal Queen shook her head and said, "Initially, the three races believed that the three trees were devilish trees but later they attempted approaching it and realized that the three holy trees contained a divine power. By being in the vicinity of the three trees, the side effects of the Infernals and Celestials not only weakened, they even disappeared!"
"At that moment, the three races felt like they were welcoming a long-awaited rain after a drought. They celebrated and viewed the three holy trees as the renewed lives of the Transcendence Holy Tree. Furthermore, the three holy trees were situated far from each other, so each of the three races could control one."
"Hence, the three-corner war that lasted for five thousand years came to an end. A peace agreement was signed. The three domains of the Transcendents, Infernals, and Celestials ushered in the most beautiful and peaceful tie fifteen thousand years ago!"
When the Infernal Queen mentioned of the beautiful and peaceful tie, there was no smile on her face. She sighed heavily and said softly, "But, that period of peace was just too short…"
Shi Xiaobai could not help but ask, "What happened?"
What unforeseen event could have happened under this peaceful situation that would make the Infernal Queen reveal such a 'despondent' expression?
Shi Xiaobai finally embraced his role as a listener and began to be concerned about the direction of the story. With the story progressing this far, he had a nagging feeling that something should happen.
The Infernal Queen remained silent for a much longer time than before. She slowly opened her mouth to say, "The three races did not know that the words engraved on the three holy trees were in fact derived from a race known as humans. The three holy trees were named—World, Time and Fate."
"The three races did not know that the mistaken peace of theirs only lasted a short period of a month. A month after the three holy trees appeared, huge tree holes appeared on the holy trees' trunks! The alien race that came from another world came out from the holes in the trees like maggots. Like a flood, they surged into Transcendental World!"
When Shi Xiaobai heard that, his eyes stared widened as an ominous foreboding arose in his heart. He gaped and said, "It can't be…"
"That's right."
The Infernal Queen's eyes turned cold as a sneer suffused her lips. She said, "Fifteen thousand years ago, humans invaded!"
Shi Xiaobai smiled bitterly.
He finally knew what was coming.
The Infernal Queen was done with her foreplay and the climax to the story that she had been laying the foundation to had finally arrived.
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Chapter496 Massacre
"Fifteen thousand years ago, humans invaded!"
The Infernal Queen's eyes turned slightly cold as a sneer suffused her face. She said coldly, "It was an invasion that had been in the planning for a long period of time. The formidable human army charged out from the holy trees like a flood and immediately began slaughtering the three races in the Transcendental World."
"Back then, humans used so-called magic and battle Qi. Their strength was also not to be underestimated. Coupled with the exaggerated numbers they had and the sneak attack in the depth of the night, the three races were already retreating in defeat by the time they realized what was happening. They failed to put up a fight!"
Shi Xiaobai was surprised. He was familiar with various novels telling of the human world being invaded. This was the first time that he heard of humans scheming to invade the world of others. Momentarily, he was unsure of his thoughts.
There was a tinge of anger in the Infernal Queen's voice as she continued, "Even the Infernal King, Celestial King, and the Transcendent King were unable to withstand the suppression of tens of thousands of mages and hundreds of thousands of Qi-empowered calvary in a tag-team battle."
"The armies of the three races were crushed and the citizens of the three races fled. However, the humans continued in their pursuit! Under the hands of the humans, countless Infernals, Celestials, and Transcendents were burned in infernos, frozen in ice, buried alive under boulders, struck by lightning, torn to shreds by hurricanes or left riddled with holes under the calvary's stabbing."
"Blood flowed like rivers in the Celestial domain, Infernal domain, and Transcendence. Tragic cries were heard everywhere. The aftermath left mutilated corpses of the three races strewn across the land. There was not a single whole body in sight!"
"This tragic situation lasted for an entire day and the outcome beat any war in the fifteen-thousand-year history of Transcendence. Humans slaughtered the natives of the Tran
scendental World like they were butchering cows and sheep or the reaping of rice. It was cold and heartless, void of all humanity!"
The Infernal Queen's severely rebuked the brutality of the human invasion. In a completely lopsided war, if the powerful aggressor showed no mercy, the tragic situation of the receiver was obvious. Shi Xiaobai was once an Earthling, and also Chinese."
"Hence, he knew that China had historically suffered a war that was a lopsided suppression. The Nanking Massacre that was still being denounced up to today was one such example of a completely lopsided war.
Shi Xiaobai hated such wars that were devoid of humanity. However, he was uncertain if the 'history' the Infernal Queen was depicting was the truth. Furthermore, it was difficult for him as a human to be immersed into the role of the Transcendental World's natives. Therefore, he maintained his silence calmly and did not express his views on the 'history' as depicted by the Infernal Queen.
The Infernal Queen glanced at Shi Xiaobai and a look of surprise flashed in her eyes but soon, she quickly restored her calm. She continued once again, "The massacre lasted for three full days. The fugitives that managed to escape the massacre tried their best to flee, without daring to even stop for a breather as the human army was in close pursuit."
"And around then, the three races realized that the placement of the three holy trees was deliberate. The human troops that invaded from the three points formed a triangle as they constantly closed in. It forced the fleeing fugitives to run toward the middle of the triangle, which was where the Transcendence Holy Tree previously was—Transcendence!"
The three holy trees were engraved with human text, named "World", "Time" and "Fate". As for the human army, they crossed worlds through the hole in the holy trees. Furthermore, by relying on the location of the three holy trees, they surrounded the three races and slowly closed in towards where Transcendence used to stand. All of this sounded like it was a planned invasion.
But why would humans do so?
Shi Xiaobai was puzzled but he was unable to judge if the history she mentioned was true or false; hence, he curbed his curiosity and did not ask any questions.
The Infernal Queen fell silent for a few moments and looked at Shi Xiaobai lightly. A look of surprise flashed in her eyes but soon, it returned to the cold and seductive look. Finally, she said in a solemn voice, "The Transcendence Holy Tree had long withered when the three holy trees descended."
"It had turned into an abyssal black hole so the old location of Transcendence no longer had the Transcendence Holy Tree. There was only a black abyss bigger than a lake. Its depths were shrouded in darkness and appeared bottomless. It was as if it led to an abyssal hell."
"The humans had forced the remnant stragglers of the three races to the old location of Transcendence and finally forced them to jump into the abyssal black hole. They did not accept surrender, imprisonment or pleading! The humans were devoid of humanity as they slaughtered every member of the three races in the Transcendental World!"
When the Infernal Queen reached this point, she suddenly gnashed her teeth and said with anger burning in her eyes, "Fifteen thousand years ago, the Transcendental World became the human world up to this day!"
Shi Xiaobai's heart leaped. The final piece of information was too astounding. The present human world was the Transcendental World?
The humans had invaded and wiped out the three races. Following that, they became the ruling species of the Transcendental World?
Shi Xiaobai fell silent for a moment. In fact, he had many questions regarding the last parts of the story but he could not judge the veracity of the Infernal Queen's words. After all, he had crossed worlds. He did not even know the history of the human world. If he were to retort or question her claims, he would only end up being misled by the Infernal Queen.
Shi Xiaobai hesitated for a long while but eventually gave up on expressing his views on the last part of the story. He sighed and asked, "Are you done with the story?"
The Infernal Queen gave Shi Xiaobai an odd glance as she nodded. The coldness on her face suddenly vanished and replacing it was the coquettish smile. The speed at which she changed expressions was peerless.
The Infernal Queen chuckled and said, "Darling sure is weird."
Shi Xiaobai pricked up his eyebrows. "Weird?"
"Yes."
The Infernal Queen squinted her eyes as she said with a smile, "Over the past ten thousand years, including Darling, there have been four people at the Psionic Mortal Realm who have reached the eighth level. Hence, this is the fourth time I am recounting this story."
"However, Darling's reaction is what leaves me most puzzled. I remember that the first was a boor. When he heard that humans invaded, he cursed with all sorts of invectives. I could not help but teach him a lesson."
"The second person was quite a refined person but he was quite argumentative. Every time I finished a tiny portion of the story, he would pose a huge bunch of questions that made me have to answer them all. Before I was halfway done with the story, I was left dry and hanging in my body and mouth."
"The third person was an ambitious man that did not engage in scheming. He constantly mentioned of his ambition to conquer the world in an unbridled manner. When he heard my narration of the invasion of humans, he began arguing with me, using the fake history fabricated by humans."
"He kept saying that the world he wanted to conquer was the human world and not some Transcendental World. I argued with him and ended up spending the longest amount of time…"
"As for Darling, Darling has remained silent from beginning to end with an occasional comment or two. You did not even say a word when you heard about the human invasion. Does Darling not have any questions? Does Darling not have any doubts about what I said? Or does Darling have unwavering trust in the history as fabricated by humans? Darling is too weird!"
Shi Xiaobai gaped and was unsure of a response. He naturally had his questions and doubts for the 'history' the Infernal Queen had mentioned. However, he did not even know the 'history as fabricated by humans', so what was there for him to retort or doubt?
Having crossed worlds, and as someone who did not like reading, Shi Xiaobai knew very little about the human history of the world he had entered. The 'history' that the Infernal Queen had narrated was actually the first 'history' that Shi Xiaobai knew of the human world.
The three people that the Infernal Queen had mentioned were likely Overlord Ji Feng, Sword Immortal Xu Taibai, and the Conquest King. The three were famous figures in human history.
They identified strongly with the human world so they were obviously familiar with the history of the human world as natives. They naturally could not help but use the 'human history' of fifteen thousand years ago to argue with the Infernal Queen.
However, Shi Xiaobai was different from them. It was impossible for him to use Earth's history to argue with the Infernal Queen, right? Wouldn't that be like ducks speaking to chickens?
Shi Xiaobai was embarrassed to mention that he did not have an inkling of human history so, with a deadpan expression, he said in all seriousness, "This King only lives in the present!"
Living in the present and not under the shadows of history. There was no need to worry too much about things like history.
The Infernal Queen said with a laugh, "Then, Darling has saved me from wasting time speaking."
Shi Xiaobai nodded and hurriedly changed the topic of conversation, "Since the story is done, can you tell This King what the…choice of the eighth level is?"
When he said the word 'choice', Shi Xiaobai felt his scalp tingle.
The Infernal Queen smiled slightly and did not answer directly. Instead, she said, "Has Darling ever wondered why this land of trials is named the Nine Revolutions Transcendental Tower?"
Shi Xiaobai faltered slightly and after a moment of thinking, he said in a probing fashion, "Nine Revolutions Transcendental and Transcendental Nine Transformations sound rather similar. Both have the words Transce
ndental. Could it be that the Nine Revolutions Transcendental Tower was built by the Transcendents?"
"Darling is indeed very smart," complemented the Infernal Queen. "The Nine Revolutions Transcendental Tower was constructed by the Transcendents over the course of three thousand years. But it was done in various stages due to the wars, so it was never completed."
When Shi Xiaobai heard this, he frowned slightly. Although he did not know anything about human history, Mu Yuesheng had once introduced the Nine Revolutions Transcendental Tower to him and the rest. He still had an impression of it so he asked, "Isn't the Nine Revolutions Transcendental Tower an advanced technological product left behind by aliens who had invaded the human world?"
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Chapter497 What are rules? They never existed from the beginning
"Aliens? Advanced technological product?"
The Infernal Queen scoffed and said, "If we are talking about aliens, to the Transcendental World of the past, humans are the true aliens! As for the land of trials, it is indeed an advanced technological product to present day humans."
"However, to the Transcendental World's three races from fifteen thousand years ago, using spatial powers to open up an alternate space and use nomological powers to create a trial program was only a process that was dependent on time. Back then, humans who were adept at magic and battle Qi could easily do it too."
"However, the human world experienced three calamities in the next fifteen thousand years. Every time, they faced annihilation so civilization constantly declined. Most of the battle Qi and magic systems were lost so they lost all knowledge of spatial and nomological powers."