From the Abyss Invasion to the Blasting Star.

The defeat of the Abyss Behemoth brought the Abyss Battle to an early end.

The siren race, recruited from Blue Star, completed all their tasks in just ten days.

Lu Heng prepared some gifts for Serian to take back to High Priestess Sona.

Another solution proposed by human think tanks for dealing with the abyssal behemoth is to prevent it from hiding in the forest to hunt.

Now that the Abyss Behemoth has been defeated, this strategy is no longer necessary.

The elf team brought in from Quel'dorei did not engage in battle with the abyssal behemoth, but they still played other roles.

The Elven race planted golden tree seeds in the plains of various continents of Earth to help humanity resist the pollution from the abyss.

After the golden tree seed sprouted, Serene left behind instructions on how to care for the sapling before returning to the elven world.

The Abyss Demon Nest incident finally came to an end after the death of the Abyss Beast, but the matter of the Reincarnation Essence was not completely over.

Having gone through this experience, Lu Heng gained a deeper understanding of Star Realm Merchants.

After a deep conversation with Azik, Azik officially joined the Swordholder Alliance on behalf of the Astral Merchants.

The addition of the Swordholders to the Astral Merchant Civilization has placed the Zero Civilization in a delicate position.

Lu Heng has become a demigod, and he is not someone that the Zero Civilization can easily control.

Therefore, when facing Lu Heng, the Zero Civilization could no longer rely on its status as a demigod civilization to demand that Lu Heng do things for them.

The lost Reincarnation Essence has now fallen into Lu Heng's hands.

On the night Azik joined the Swordholders, a white light representing the Zero Civilization appeared.

The white light emitted by the Zero Civilization can no longer restrict Lu Heng's actions.

Looking at the location emitting the white light, Lu Heng could clearly see the reason for its generation under his demigod vision.

White light is not a living organism, but rather an energy projected by the Zero Civilization to other worlds, appearing in the form of light.

Simply put, the Zero Civilization did not have any real individuals appearing in other worlds; they merely projected their will into other worlds as energy.

Lu Heng looked at the spot where the white light was projected and asked, "What are you trying to say?"

Bai Guang: "The essence of reincarnation is in your hands."

Lu Heng nodded and replied, "Yes, it's in my hands."

Bai Guang: "As per our previous agreement."

The Reincarnation Source Essence possesses the power to reverse time and space, and the strength of this power cannot be measured by ordinary values.

However, Lu Heng cannot use this power for the time being.

Lu Heng did not immediately return the Reincarnation Source to the Zero Civilization because he was considering whether to break the stagnation in the Zero Civilization's development.

Are you absolutely certain that you want to move on to the next cycle?

Bai Guang: "Yes, only by entering the next cycle can civilization continue."

Lu Heng: "What's the point of continuing this cycle?"

Bai Guang: "Choosing to live between life and death is meaningful in itself."

From the perspective of civilized survival, the answer of zeroing out civilization is indeed correct.

The Zero Civilization has repeated this cycle 267 times, like a series of reincarnations, or like a film playing on repeat, telling the story of how this civilization developed from zero to its limit, and then returned to zero.

The Zero Civilization once said that they did something, not nothing.

They proved the abyss was invincible through 267 cycles.

From the 267 cycles they experienced, Lu Heng realized that the Abyss was difficult to contend with, and perhaps could never be defeated.

However, when faced with an abyss, what we need to do is find possibility in the impossible.

Lu Heng was unsure of his chances of success from the very beginning, but he would do his best as long as there was even the slightest possibility.

The fact that the Zero Civilization failed 267 times does not mean it will fail 300, 1000, or 10000 times.

Moreover, the failure of the Zero Civilization does not mean that other civilizations will also fail.

It's no surprise that a closed civilization that chooses to hide in a cycle, afraid to emerge, cannot overcome the abyss.

Lu Heng took out the Reincarnation Source Essence, placed it in mid-air, and said, "You can take the Reincarnation Source Essence back, but I have one request."

Bai Guang: "You say it."

Lu Heng: "I need all the data from your 267 cycles."

Bai Guang: "The essence of reincarnation will reduce everything to zero, and all matter will return to its initial state, so there is no matter left after each reincarnation."

Lu Heng shook his finger: "The number 267 is itself a kind of inheritance. If no information is preserved, how do you know it is 267 times?"
"If you want to get back the Reincarnation Source Essence, hand over all the information and data to me."

"Giving you this information won't do you much harm. I just want to understand the Abyss, that's all."

"Just because you can't defeat the abyss doesn't mean I can't."

"If I ever succeed, it will be a relief for your civilization."

Bai Guang: "Okay. I agree to your request, but very little information can be retained each time it loops."

After the two parties reached an agreement, Lu Heng used the Reincarnation Source Essence to exchange for the data from each cycle of the Zero Civilization.

The zero-based civilization left behind very little cyclical data, only recording the major events in its development.

267 cycles, more than 10,000 years, repeating the same process of civilization time and time again.

From the very beginning of civilization, it existed in a state of light quantum consciousness, and then gradually developed into civilization, increasing its total energy and level of civilization.

As the Zero Civilization was born, the Abyss's corruption was also occurring simultaneously.

The erosion of the abyss accompanies every stage of the Zero Civilization.

The Zero Civilization will allocate a portion of its consciousness and energy to devise ways to combat the Abyss.

However, each time, around the sixty-something-year mark, the erosion by the abyss reaches its peak, and civilization must restart, or it will be swallowed by the abyss.

Therefore, the Reincarnation Source was activated, reverting the entire Zero World to sixty years ago, back to the early days of civilization, to start developing from scratch.

However, the development of the Zero Civilization was too rapid.

In sixty years, this civilization evolved from its birth into a demigod civilization.

Such a short timeframe wouldn't even be enough for a human to complete an industrial revolution.

It is unclear whether the development speed is too fast or for other reasons, but the development process of the Zero Civilization is highly similar in each cycle. Every time, the pollution of the abyss reaches its limit after sixty years.

The Zero Civilization repeats the same experience time and time again, but there is no other way to change it, and it can never break out of the cycle.

The Zero Civilization retrieved the Reincarnation Source Essence, examined the remaining energy within it, and let out a sigh:
"This time we've entered the cycle, and we may not get another chance to restart. Because you've used up too much of the energy from the source of reincarnation." Under any world's rules, changing the form of matter requires energy.

Reversing time and space using the Reincarnation Source also requires energy, and a massive amount of it at that.

Azik used the Reincarnation Essence to reverse time and revive his people, consuming a great deal of the Reincarnation Essence's energy.

Even if the Zero Civilization were to retrieve the Reincarnation Source Essence now, the energy within it would be insufficient.

In other words, this time, the zero-based civilization may not be able to return to the early stages of its birth, but will instead get stuck in the middle.

Lu Heng slowly shook his head and said, "What's the difference? You've gone through 267 cycles, and each one is almost exactly the same. The timing of technological breakthroughs and civilization level advancements is extremely precise, with minimal time error."

"What difference is there between going back 60 years and going back 50 years in the same cycle?"

Bai Guang: "At least we've held out long enough. Hopefully, you humans will still exist in the next cycle."

This statement is highly provocative.

The fact that the two sides did not escalate into an adversarial relationship demonstrates sufficient restraint.

Lu Heng doesn't know where human civilization will go, but he will definitely try his best to find a way to fight against the abyss.

As for the next cycle of the zero-reset civilization, it should be fifty or sixty years from now. Whether humanity can survive until then, no one really knows the answer.

Before the Zero Civilization withdrew the white light, Lu Heng asked one more question: "How do you maintain the fluorescent properties of fluorescent plants? Can you give me the technical solution?"

Before the Abyss Demon Nest incident, Lu Heng had brought fluorescent plants into the Zero World to conduct experiments.

At that time, the fluorescent plants cultivated by the Zero Civilization had reproduced for many generations without losing their fluorescent properties.

In other words, the Zero Civilization likely possesses a cultivation method to maintain the characteristics of fluorescent plants.

However, the answer given by Bai Guang extinguished any hope for the revival of the Star Realm Merchant Civilization.

"The astral merchants themselves possess the methods to maintain fluorescence. The fluorescent plants in their ecospheres are naturally capable of maintaining fluorescence. Problems only arise when they are expanded to other worlds."

Astral merchants can wander through astral rifts for thousands of years, and the fact that fluorescent plants still grow in the ecospheres they build certainly demonstrates that they have mastered this technology.

The key issue is that this technology cannot be implemented in other worlds.

Now, the Zero Civilization has used a technology similar to an ecosphere to conduct a fake experiment.

Bai Guang added, "You don't need to laugh at me. Isn't the Astral Merchant also just another way of barely surviving?"
"In the face of the abyss, every civilization is equal, equally awaiting destruction; it all comes down to who can hold out the longest."

"If one day your world is completely polluted, perhaps you will only be able to find a way to keep civilization alive."

Lu Heng did not refute his statement because what he said was indeed true.

Faced with the abyss, every civilization is merely fighting for survival.

After a moment of silence, Bai Guang spoke again: "Perhaps, accepting the Abyss is the right choice, just like the Bloodline Clan. By becoming an Abyss race, civilization can continue."

"If one day you can't hold on anymore, you can also try this path."

"When I enter the next cycle, I may see you among the Abyss Conquerors."

Lu Heng's expression darkened: "You're trying to control my thoughts."

Bai Guang: "No, I just want to see you succumb to the abyss. Seeing you go from a low-level individual to someone who can talk to me on equal terms makes me very uncomfortable."

Lu Heng was a little curious: "You also have these kinds of emotions? Does that mean your thinking is as cold as a machine?"

Bai Guang: "Alright, that concludes our communication. See you in fifty years."

After saying this, the white light slowly disappeared.

Lu Heng wanted to see how the Zero Civilization entered the next cycle, so he opened the stargate and entered the Zero World.

Above that planet, which was about the size of the moon, Lu Heng looked down at the beams of photons orbiting the planet, and at the increasingly dense abyssal energy beneath them.

The essence of reincarnation fell into the center of the planet and began to activate its energy.

Then, beams of light shot over, driving Lu Heng away from the Zero World.

The next instant, the entire Zero World was sealed off, time began to flow backward, eventually flowing back to the early days of civilization, reverting to a completely closed state.

Even the spatial beacons disappeared in the time reversal, and Lu Heng could no longer open the stargate connecting to the Zero World.

The entire Zero World was completely isolated from other worlds, as if it had completely disappeared from the central astral plane and severed all connections with the outside world.

Lu Heng returned to Earth, his mind replaying the process of restarting the Zero Civilization.

A demigod civilization vanished.

Perhaps this demigod civilization will reappear fifty years from now, but who can guarantee that the next zero-reset civilization will be connected to the previous one?

……

Lu Heng obtained the process of the 267 cycles of the Zero Civilization. Although the total amount of information was not large, it did record the time points of each civilization leap in the 267 cycles of the Zero Civilization.

This information has high research value, but as for the technology of the Zero Civilization, it is of little help to humanity.

Because of the vast difference in the forms of civilization, the Zero Civilization exists as a quantum ideology and has almost no mastery of material technology, so it cannot provide much help to humanity.

The Reincarnation Source Event has ended.

Lu Heng was once again lost in memories, the things that had happened before now sealed deep in his mind.

This time, Lu Heng did not return to the abyss just before the arrival of the Reincarnation Source Essence, and the abyss invasion entered an unknown phase.

In the three years leading up to the abyss's arrival, Lu Heng roughly knew what major events had occurred during those three years.

Even if the events in my memory differ slightly from those in this life, at least the general direction will remain the same.

But from this moment on, everything in the future is unknown.

The fourth year since the abyss descended has arrived, and the temperature this late autumn is colder than usual, as if the blue planet is about to enter another ice age.

Or it could be climate change caused by pollution in the deep sea.

Regardless of the reason, it is a heavy blow to the human living environment.

Lu Heng lay on the rooftop of Qionghua Tianluhu Building, looking at the sun overhead, his thoughts drifting far, far away.

Before anyone knew it, Su Muyu lay down beside him and said, "What is that so interesting? I've been looking at it all day."

Lu Heng replied leisurely, "What I see is uncertainty about the future and confusion about time."

Su Muyu smiled, guessing what had happened, and asked, "You returned the Reincarnation Source Essence to the Zero Civilization?"

"Ah."

Do you think time can really go backwards?

"I think...right..." (End of Chapter)