Nobody told me this wasn't a game.

Zuo Chang helped him up: "What's wrong?"

"I don't know... I remember I was reviewing the list sent by Chief Rose when suddenly everything went black, like I'd been punched! And then..."

Bai Lin looked around.

Finally, he looked at Zuo Chang suspiciously: "General, could it be you who did this? How did I get here?"

How could Zuo Chang know?

He turned his head and looked at the gods.

The celestial being sat upright and asked, "Bai Lin, what realm are you in now?"

"What did you say? Of course I am—"

Bai Lin is of course at the fifteenth realm.

He has been at the fifteenth realm for several years.

But at this moment...

His expression changed drastically, and he exclaimed in surprise, "I...I'm only at the fourteenth realm now? How is that possible!"

The Celestial looked at Zuo Chang and said, "This is my arrangement. Some people are under my 'watchful eye,' and once these people die at the hands of others, a unique mechanism will be triggered—at the cost of the adventurer's highest level dropping by one level, granting immunity to fatal damage, and teleporting them to my side."

Bai Lin was completely confused; he had no idea what the two people in front of him were talking about.

Zuo Chang also found it unbelievable: "If I slash Bai Lin now, will the adventurer's highest level drop again?"

The god shook his head: "A person can only trigger it once. Bai Lin is not special right now."

Zuo Chang then asked, "Who else has this characteristic?"

The god shook his head again: "I don't know."

"……what?"

“I don’t know,” the god repeated. “I only know that those I’ve been watching will gather around you. It’s a part of fate, and it’s my arrangement.”

Chapter 343 Ruthless and Stubborn

Those who are "watched" by the gods will be drawn to Zuo Chang's side by fate.

So to say……

"Rose and birds?"

Zuo Chang asked this question.

Logically speaking, those he met during the "game" were the ones most likely to be watched by the gods.

As for Mayumi, although they are close, to be honest, she doesn't seem very stable.

The celestial being remained calm and said, "I have certainly observed the Jade Terrace Bird, the Blood Rose, and that saintess of the Church of Time. But I cannot be certain who the others are. I am currently relatively weak and cannot decipher many things."

Including Bai Lin, the gods can only be certain of four.

If someone is demoted one level, that means...

Level 11 is the highest?

If people could be brought to this level, Zuo Chang would be much freer.

After all, he currently lacks advanced combat power. Since transmigrating, he has been dealing with a barrage of important matters, leaving him no time to develop his abilities.

After listening for a while, Bai Lin finally understood the current situation.

He analyzed it briefly—

There's really not much to analyze.

He began, “When the Dragon Strategist and the Eight-Armed Demon faced me, I could feel their respect and generosity. But—whether it was the Dragon Community or the Beast Community, those who came later were more or less arrogant. Perhaps in their eyes, with their long history and profound heritage, they didn’t need to be too polite to us.”

The implication is that it's very good.

In Bai Lin's view, the world's downgrade is more beneficial than harmful.

Zuo Chang was silent for a moment, then asked, "Are there any additional cases? Now all the fifteen realms have become fourteen realms, without any exceptions?"

“There are exceptions, and that is you and me.” The Celestial God calmly delivered a piece of good news, “We possess Celestial Power, which is immune to drops in level. But you are only at the twelfth realm now, so our advantage has not yet become apparent.”

Zuo Chang then asked, "What about those like Mayumi and Leonard, who possess the power of the Old Gods?"

"They will also be affected, but they possess divine power, and as long as they find the right method, they can improve quickly. The same applies to other adventurers; they can regain their formidable power through their own efforts and by adhering to the true path of advancement."

The curse of the gods applies only to all those who use "divine crystals" and "skill stones".

Those who rely solely on themselves and practice ancient theories remain unaffected.

but--

The gods had been plotting this for a very, very long time, and Zuo Chang still remembered his adventures in the "Old Golden Empire."

At that time, the goddess had not yet become the only true god, but she had already begun to spread her expedient methods.

Over such a long timescale, what is correct has been replaced by what is convenient.

It's almost fair to say that the gods destroyed the supernatural system!

Her current plan is to kill all the high-level adventurers.

It would be optimistically estimated that it would take humanity at least a thousand years to rebuild a perfect system.

The idea that humans could threaten the status of the gods is probably only a theoretical possibility.

Only now did Zuo Chang understand the gods' intentions.

but--

why?

Zuo Chang looked at the deity, who appeared to be only about ten years old and whose feet were dangling in the air, sitting on the chair, and wondered whether he should ask him a question.

He feels...

The god is an extreme conservative.

Having noticed Zuo Chang's gaze, the Heavenly God looked up at him and said, "You can say whatever you want to say."

"Ok."

Zuo Chang carefully crafted his words, trying to soften his question as much as possible: "God, what... what are you thinking? I don't believe this was just a whim. You must have put in a tremendous amount of effort to achieve your goal... Don't you want the adventurer community to grow stronger?"

"Yes, I don't want to."

"why?"

The celestial being's gaze was clear as he slowly said, "For mortals, adventurers are far too dangerous. High-level adventurers are like moving natural disasters; they can easily cause immeasurable destruction and slaughter, and the only thing that can restrain them is 'morality.' I believe this is flawed."

Bai Lin coughed and said very respectfully, "My Lord God, there is not only morality, but also law."

"How could you say something so naive, Bai Lin?"

The god placed his hands on the table and looked up at Bai Lin.

"Let me ask you, what is the reason that the law is mandatory?"

Bai Lin pondered: "It's the police and the prison."

The deity remained calm: "To be precise, it's force. Only by pinning criminals to the ground and rendering them immobile will they submit to the law; and high-level adventurers are themselves the strongest force. For example, if I accidentally killed a homeless man, would you arrest me?"

Bai Lin replied without hesitation, "I will."

The god looked at Zuo Chang and asked, "What about you, Zuo Chang? Can you do it?"

Zuo Chang thought for a moment and said, "I...I might."

"This is the answer."

The gods neither approved of nor opposed anyone.

"The Bai Lin Society is chosen because of its high moral character and strong sense of morality; Zuo Chang is not, nor can we criticize him as a shameless villain. He needs to consider what price he would pay to arrest me, and what price he would pay to try me. He needs to weigh the cost of 'trying me' against the cost of 'a homeless person's life' before making a choice."

"But reality is far more complex than we think."

"Once a high-level adventurer's strength exceeds the limit, the vagrant's death will be in vain, which is an inevitable fact. That's why I say that the only thing that can restrain adventurers is morality, and the most important thing is their own morality."

"But for the adventurer himself, as his power increases, his mentality will inevitably become inflated. You are an exemplary knight, you should understand this better than anyone else."

The celestial being looked at Bai Lin.

There was a hint of disdain in her eyes.

"You are praised because what ordinary people find difficult to do is praised. Your morality is considered exemplary because others do not possess it."

Bai Lin was taken aback and couldn't refute it.

Zuo Chang listened with a smile, offering no opinion. He simply asked, "Then why limit it to the seventh realm? Is it because someone needs to fight against the magical beasts?"

"That's one reason. The second reason is that adventurers from the Seven Realms are easier to control—Zuo Chang, I will become the moon in the future."

The god suddenly spoke.

"I will become a red moon, overlooking this world. Under my influence, all adventurers will tend to be kind and gentle, and less likely to become vicious villains—because they will fall under my influence, and that is my ultimate goal."

"..."

Zuo Chang subconsciously looked at Bai Lin and found that there was also surprise in Bai Lin's eyes.

He asked, "This is romantic... no, I mean, will it work? Or, could it go wrong?"

"I don't know either. Anyway, the plan is progressing steadily. I'm currently carrying out the crucial step of eliminating high-level adventurers. The next step is to eliminate all risks and then turn into the moon."

Chapter 344 We were ambushed!

It sounds like a joke.

Upon closer examination, it seems like an unreasonable and even obsessive plan.

The gods wanted to obliterate the strange and create a world of their own imagination...

Zuo Chang remained silent, unsure of what to say.

The god crossed his arms, a rare look of annoyance on his face: "Even I have many things I don't understand. For example, I don't quite understand why ambition exists, nor do I understand why some beings would rather create bloodshed to achieve their goals."