Devouring World Dragon

Chapter 288 The God Who Is Not a God
When the serpent looked at the new god who had ascended to the throne, it remained completely unmoved.

The monster hovered, its vertical pupils cold and menacing, reflecting the entire universe as if the universe itself were within its eyes. These enormous, inexplicable, terrifying, and unbelievable vertical pupils stared directly at the new god before it, at all living beings in the universe, at all beings of the past, future, and present, and then it laughed.

"Hmph, interesting little bug, what are you anyway?"

For a long time, the great serpent has remained silent, just as it once said, that insignificant insects are unworthy of its prompting. Whether it swallowed a ring world, devoured a star, or unwittingly destroyed an entire great civilization, it meant nothing to the monster.

It didn't even notice that some tiny insects were trying to block it, thinking instead that some colliding planets were blocking its way.

Why worry about such a small bait?

After countless years, the great serpent spoke for the first time, because the little creature in front of it was finally worthy of its attention.

In this new god, the serpent sensed the aura of the god from the past, but not entirely; it was more like a part of that eternally sleeping god. Was it the hands and feet? Or the heart? Or perhaps the eyes?

It doesn't matter.

Even gods are powerless before monsters; what can mere hands and eyes do?

The monster's needle-shaped pupils contracted slightly, and its emotions were unusually stirred. Although it had no interest in fighting, wouldn't it be quite pleasant to have a little bit of fighting between meals?

Slaughter, feeding, sleeping, awakening...

An insatiable monster, a fearless monster, a greedy and violent monster—this is the best life imaginable.

Faced with the monster's question, the new god raised his head, and a melodious voice, like a song, rang out; within the Crystal Heaven, countless beings also sang at the same time.

“We are human beings.”

"We are life."

"We are civilization."

"We are everything."

Those strange and varied sounds converged into a unique song, which, though unheard of, was easily understood by everyone.

"We are born, we grow up, we discover the truth. We run away, we unite, we choose to face it."

A soft, gentle voice sang.

Those sounds seemed to possess a strange magic, capable of conveying information through song. When one heard that song, one also witnessed the evolutionary history of a species.

They trekked through freezing cold; they settled in warm spring weather; they fought and battled with weapons made of stone and iron; they discovered reason and science with their not-so-intelligent minds.

When they first took to the skies, they wept with joy; when they first orbited their home planet, they were awestruck by the loneliness and desolation of the universe…

But none of this shock could compare to the moment the truth was discovered.

“We were raised under the protection of our ancestors. Our destiny does not belong to any one race or any one star system. We bear the mission of the entire galaxy and even the universe. That is what our ancestors expected of us.”

When this species witnessed firsthand the "fathers" who died protecting those ancient embryos in the space base, it became aware of the immense mission it carried.

So when the stars were engulfed in chaos and war, a new species stepped forward for a sacred mission, solemnly making its vows to all living beings in the galaxy amidst the gazes of many, both good and evil.

"We are the embodiment of civilization, and we believe that force cannot solve any problems. War only brings suffering and death, and everyone will pay a huge and pointless price. Every civilization and species has undergone millions of years of evolution, and this experience accumulated over time is its most precious treasure. To destroy a civilization weathered by time is like burning its most precious treasure as firewood."

We believe that through peace and cooperation, life will move towards a brighter future.

The newly born species is full of vigor, moving forward towards a seemingly impossible goal, humbly learning from all living things. They learn their culture, their skills, their genes, absorbing what they lack.

“Blindness and prejudice will only blind us. By humbly seeing the strengths of everyone and learning from them, we can flourish more.”

"And so... we reached the end of the starry sky."

The song went on like that.

They learned cooperation and reproduction from insects; rationality and logic from AI; chaos and disorder from evil... These often conflicting ideas were accepted by this new species with great tolerance.

Transformation, constant transformation.

Change your life, change your social structure, change your consciousness and beliefs... but never forget to learn.

And so, over these tens of thousands of years, this species rapidly expanded to all regions, from the Milky Way to outer galaxies, all the way to the ends of the universe. Suddenly looking back, the creator of creation had already ascended to the throne of divinity. "Ancient serpent, we have not come to fight, we have come to give gifts. We will accept you as one of us, we will help you, and we will solve your hunger."

Countless living beings, all living beings in the universe, sang, sang melodious poems.

The serpent's pupils remained unchanged in the face of the answer, only revealing a mocking expression.

A low chuckle gradually rose.

"Hehehehehehehehehehehehehehehehe... What can a bunch of tiny insects do when they unite?"

By now, the giant serpent had seen through the true nature of the thing before it.

It is not an actual living being, but it is more intelligent than any living being. In the long course of evolution, it has shed its primitive form of nation and ethnicity, evolving from an abstract concept into a conscious subject.

This civilization is already a living thing.

The flesh and blood of this living thing are all living beings, and all living beings, in the unseen realm, form its will.

New humans, AI, insects, demons, or even the new god who ascended to the throne from the remains of a god—all of these are merely its flesh and blood.

This invisible yet living being holds the entire universe and the gods in its hands.

Countless years ago, the gods and the demons made a bet, wagering on whose path humanity would choose, and whoever did so would be the victor.

Now, the victor is neither god nor demon, but the very piece that was once the chess piece. On the chessboard, the piece has leaped off the board and become a player fighting against the demon.

From the perspective of the entire universe, all the actions of this civilization are the thoughts of this living being. And just now, this living being finally extended an invitation to the great serpent.

I can help you, but you should join me.

The one who truly ascended to the throne was not that new god, but this cosmic will that silently gazed upon the great serpent—vast and magnificent, beyond imagination, a non-god.

Therefore, "We are human beings, we are life, we are civilization, we are everything."

It is all living beings, it is all civilization.

But ridiculous, what do I care about the alliance of tiny insects?

As the giant serpent chuckled, a being inside the Crystal Heaven's palace shook its head.

"I will not join."

This being pondered and then came to this conclusion.

Immediately, more creatures around them echoed in agreement.

"I will not join."

Immediately afterwards, more lives agreed.

"I won't join..."

Each time it's said, it evokes even more resonance.

In just a few seconds, the sound had spread throughout the entire Crystal Heaven, and even to the entire universe, and to all living beings in the past, present, and future.

In the end, all living beings spoke in unison.

"I will not join."

A magnificent sound resounded throughout the universe, and all living beings confirmed it and sighed in sympathy.

"A heartless monster, a loveless monster, insatiable, never satisfied. We gave you the key to save you, but you chose to fall even deeper. So be it, let us bury your hunger along with you."

All living beings were speaking, their words, like songs, resounding throughout the entire universe.

The only response they received was a massive beam of light shooting from the serpent's eyes.

(End of this chapter)