Heroes Return

"Listen to me first, Lin Jie." Hearing Lin Jie's question, Thirteen said directly to Lin Jie, "I just went to confirm some things, and now I need your help. Do you have time to meet later? I'm on a plane, and I should be there soon."

"Wait a minute, you still dare to take a plane now?" Lin Jie asked with some doubt.

"Don't worry, the curse on me has completely disappeared," Thirteen suddenly said. "Now I can no longer bring bad luck to others."

"The curse is gone? What exactly did you do?" Hearing Thirteen's words, Lin Jie couldn't help but feel puzzled. He knew that even the curse of the Bachelor Temple couldn't completely suppress Thirteen's bad luck. At first, Lin Jie thought that the Bachelor Temple monks were incompetent and greedy, after all, they wanted to implement a recharge system.

However, once Lin Jie truly learned the value of the cloth inscribed with the incantation, he changed his mind! That cloth was the robe of a highly virtuous monk who had been passed down through five lifetimes, imbued with countless merits! If it were to be given away, it wouldn't even be considered for sale; it was priceless. Yet, Master Wuneng sold it to Thirteen without hesitation at a bizarre price, deliberately refusing to mention the cloth's true value and creating an impression of greed, completely shattering the image of the virtuous monk.

Even Lin Jie couldn't understand the subtle values ​​of the Guanggun Temple. Perhaps this was what it meant to be a cultivator? After all, the Five Spirit Swords, once treasured by powerful forces, were now used as table corner props. Authentic Guanggun Temple martial arts techniques were casually sold cheaply on the street. They were clearly doing something incredibly wasteful, yet those monks seemed to be greedy and lustful.

It is this bizarre logic that makes it difficult for many people to understand the way Guanggun Temple operates.

However, Lin Jie has no interest in caring about these things at the moment.

"What's wrong? Do you need my help?"

"Here's what happened..." Thirteen had barely finished speaking when the plane began to shake violently. Before Lin Jie could react, Thirteen's video call was cut off.

"Damn! No wonder he's Thirteen, even claiming his curse is lifted!" Lin Jie sighed helplessly.

"Why!!!" Thirteen shouted angrily as he spun around and plummeted downwards. While shouting, he also continued searching for the plane's parachute.

……

Putting down his phone, Lin Jie looked at the man in front of him. It was a man wearing shoes with wings, and it was this man who had stopped Lin Jie.

"Are you also one of the gods?" Looking at the man before him, Lin Jie suddenly said, "Speaking of which, why are you wearing a suit? Shouldn't you be wearing something like a robe?"

"Wouldn't you be very conspicuous walking around dressed like that? I think you can keep up with my speed, right? Let's find a secluded place to talk." Looking at the cars constantly passing by on the highway, the man calmly said to Lin Jie, "Don't worry, I didn't come with any ill intentions. I'm just a messenger."

"A messenger?" Lin Jie was somewhat surprised to hear this. "Looking for me?"

"Yes, of course I'm here to see you, the most powerful hero of humankind in this era." The man smiled and said to Lin Jie, "Then, let's go!"

With that, he vanished before Lin Jie's eyes. Seeing this, Lin Jie also disappeared from the spot.

Before long, they appeared on the summit of a snow-capped mountain.

"Welcome to the world's highest peak," the man said to Lin Jie with a smile. "I think this is a perfect place for our in-depth discussion."

"Why does this sound so gay... I guess I should read less philosophical works in the future!" Lin Jie suddenly said after hearing what the other person said.

"So gay?" The man looked at Lin Jie with a puzzled expression upon hearing Lin Jie's words.

"You'd better not study these things," Lin Jie said helplessly after hearing the other person's words. "Can we get down to business now?"

“Yes, now we can get down to business.” As the man spoke, a snowball began to form in front of Lin Jie. As the snowball formed, the patterns on it began to change, eventually becoming more and more familiar.

And just as the patterns on the snowball became familiar, various colors began to appear on it. Blue was the dominant color, with green being the remainder. With the appearance of these colors, Lin Jie finally realized that the image on it was none other than their own Earth.

"You didn't come here just to see this Earth, did you?" Lin Jie asked impatiently as he watched the snowball evolve.

"With your abilities, can't you really tell what this is?" The man was somewhat surprised. "What's right in front of you now is the evolution of the Earth and the process of change in the world."

“I’m not interested in this kind of thing.” Hearing the other party’s words, Lin Jie simply said calmly, “History is history after all. We only need to learn from history’s lessons. I’m not interested in anything else. If you just want me to see the history of the world’s evolution, then I can just find any documentary when I get back.”

“Alright.” Hearing Lin Jie’s words, the man simply accelerated the transformation of the snowball. Soon, in Lin Jie’s view, another color began to appear on the snowball—a variation formed by the lights of the night and the city. The different colors were naturally the colors of the city.

However, as the city became more and more colorful, the green and blue areas became less and less, and then, right in front of Lin Jie, a large number of explosions began to occur around the earth.

"Do you see that? This is the future that humanity might face. The future of humanity is fraught with endless danger. Increased population leading to resource scarcity, depletion of both organic and fossil fuels, war, disease, artificial intelligence, and threats from foreign and outer space. This is the future of humanity. Before humanity leaves this planet, countless disasters could destroy us." The man calmly said to Lin Jie, "In Lin Jie's future, there are numerous possibilities that could lead to the extinction of humanity."

"You stone statue are trying to persuade me to help you?" Upon hearing the other party's words, Lin Jie had already figured out the purpose of all this.

"Just as you yourself said, even you can't save everyone's life, let alone the lives of the entire world," the man continued to Lin Jie. "And you shouldn't be able to protect humanity's future forever, right? And you should have seen humanity's current strength, shouldn't you? It's far too weak. Can they really cope with the potential disasters of the future? That's impossible. To fight against us, they even have to rely on the legendary, infamous monsters. You should know that in the eyes of those monsters, they are nothing more than food."

"Do you really think so? I don't look like it at all."

“A beast is still a beast. Even if he has sheathed his fangs, he is still a beast at heart,” the man said calmly. “Haven’t you already seen one of her brothers?”

"So? You think I should join you?"

“That’s right, you should join us! Only we can ensure the long-term survival of humanity. Only we can protect humanity forever.” The man’s face showed an arrogant expression at this moment.

"Using methods similar to a purge? I think I just heard about that from someone." Lin Jie was not moved by the other party's words.

"This is all for the good of humanity."

"Are you using the slogan of 'for the good of humanity' to carry out a massacre?" Hearing the other party's words, Lin Jie couldn't help but say, "In that case, if I break your legs later, can I also say it's for your own good?"

"It seems you haven't figured it out yet! In this world, only we won't truly kill humanity! Only we won't let humanity perish, because we were born from humanity's faith and will." The man said calmly, "Therefore, if humanity perishes, it's the same as our perish. We cannot watch humanity embark on a dangerous, unknown path!"

"To put it bluntly, isn't it all for yourselves?"

"It's also for all of humanity," the man said calmly. "And those we're purging this time are all guilty people. We won't purge the truly kind and pure. Cooperate with us, and we can make this world a better place, just like this snowball."

As Lin Jie spoke, the cities on the blood sphere began to disappear, the deep forest reappeared, and the world was divided into more small pieces, each separated by a sea, and on each piece of land, a statue stood on the road.

"Is this the future you wanted?"

"Yes, humanity will be separated once again, because racial and religious discrimination and war will disappear due to the obstruction of the sea. Also, right here, we have reserved a place for you." As the man spoke, the earth rotated, and a statue of zero appeared on one of the main roads.

"What does it mean?"

"You will be on equal footing with us," the man said with a smile. "You are already qualified to do so, aren't you? Think about it carefully. You will also become one of the gods, a chief god on a great road! There, you will have your own palace and bishop, and you will receive the highest glory in this world! You will truly become a god!"

As the man spoke, his gaze finally turned solemnly to Lin Jie.

“I refuse. I don’t want to be a god. I just want to live a peaceful life as an ordinary person.” Lin Jie gave the man’s answer without hesitation.

Chapter 36

"Do you know? Continuously striving for higher levels, constantly elevating one's status, is one of humanity's most primal desires! And now, before you lies a position that no human being could ever dream of in their lifetime. Are you really going to give it up so easily?" Hearing Lin Jie's words, the man's expression finally turned cold: "I think you should think about this carefully."

“There’s nothing to think about. Everyone has their own desires. But at least what you’re giving me isn’t what I’m looking for.” With that, Lin Jie turned to leave: “Go back and tell your people! If they dare to do anything, I’ll be waiting for them.”

“I’ve already said it, communicating with him is a complete waste of time.” A man’s voice suddenly rang out, and almost simultaneously, a huge, rock-like head appeared in front of Lin Jie.

"Holy crap! Your face is so big, I can't even see your features from this close! Can you step back a bit!" Lin Jie exclaimed, looking at the enormous face in front of him.

"Do you know what you just refused? A hero of humanity!" Hearing Lin Jie's words, the enormous face retreated several hundred meters, until Lin Jie finally saw its features clearly. But to Lin Jie's surprise, it wasn't the face of a stone giant he had imagined, but rather a rather handsome face: "The majesty of the gods cannot be touched by anyone."

Listening to the sound, which resembled the wind emanating from a cave, Lin Jie finally saw the figure clearly. It was a giant whose height, even just standing, was no less than the world's highest mountain. In fact, Lin Jie didn't know many mythologies, but the moment he saw this enormous figure, his first thought was of two words: "Titan."

"Humanity's future is not for you to decide!" Hearing this, Lin Jie calmly replied, "Whether the future is bright or difficult, one thing is certain: our future. This shouldn't be something you decide! The future of this world belongs to humanity, not to you!"

"Do you really think so?" Upon hearing Lin Jie's words, the giant opposite him asked again.

“It seems we don’t need to waste our breath on him here.” Just as Lin Jie was speaking, a burly man in armor appeared on a hilltop not far away. With a simple leap, he appeared where Lin Jie was.

"As humanity's current hero, I eagerly anticipate our battle. Your power has greatly intrigued all of us former demigod heroes." The man spoke, his gaze turning solemnly to Lin Jie: "Since you have declined everyone's invitation, then let me witness your power!"

"Looks like we're really going to have to fight this time." Lin Jie looked helplessly at the man dressed in Greek attire, but the next second, the man's fist was already swinging towards Lin Jie.

Seeing this, Lin Jie also threw a punch at the man at that instant. With a muffled thud, the snow that had been accumulating on the three peaks for years collapsed instantly, scattering everywhere.

Lin Jie's body was already flying backwards. At the very moment of impact, an immense, almost terrifying force swept over Lin Jie's fist. Just as Lin Jie was flying backwards, a huge, mountain-like hand slammed down towards him and grabbed him in mid-air.

But the next instant, a sharp pain shot through the giant's hand. Lin Jie's voice had appeared in the giant's palm without anyone noticing, and almost instantly, an arrow shot out from the giant's hand, aimed directly at Lin Jie.

At that moment, Lin Jie's hand grabbed the arrow that was being shot at him.

"This is getting interesting." Looking at the bow and arrow in front of him, Lin Jie finally smiled: "It's definitely more practical to just take action directly."

“We once thought you were a hero to humanity. But later we realized that wasn’t the case, because you had long since lost your faith. At the same time, your hands are covered in blood, and you have even killed many innocent people.” Just as Lin Jie was grabbing the arrow that had been shot at him, the man in the distance spoke again: “So in our eyes, someone like you is no longer a hero.”

"Heh, I stopped thinking of myself as a hero a long time ago." As Lin Jie spoke, his figure disappeared once again. When he reappeared, Lin Jie was already in front of the burly man and threw another punch at him.

The burly man responded with a punch of his own, but this time it was his opponent who flew through the air. The burly man was sent flying, crashing into a distant mountain peak. With a deafening roar, another thug slammed down from the sky. Lin Jie now held a spiked club in his hand.

"Fourth Form - True Martial Hundred Battles!!" As Lin Jie's voice rang out, a black aura surged forth. The hand that had been reaching for Lin Jie was suddenly flung into the sky with a deafening roar. Bloodstains and the thunderous sound once again lingered in the air.

The giant's arms were not simply spread out; his massive body was also forced to fall proportionally toward the ground.

"I can't let you fall like this." Lin Jie's voice appeared again behind the giant's head, and he swung his spiked club at the back of the giant's head as he fell backward.

With an explosion of immense power, a deafening roar echoed once more through the heavens and earth. A giant was blasted directly towards the vicinity of the world's three highest peaks.

In the sky, a flaming carriage suddenly flew across the vast expanse of the snow-capped mountains, and for a moment, the flames on the snow-capped peaks began to melt away. Inside the carriage, a strikingly handsome man gently drew his bow. With the draw of the bow, a flaming arrow shot towards Lin Jie.

This arrow was on a completely different level from the arrows shot by the burly man earlier.

Unfortunately, Lin Jie still managed to catch the arrow. As a massive fireball appeared in the sky, a smile crept onto the man in the carriage. However, his smile vanished instantly. Before him, the fireball gradually disappeared, replaced by a black aura piercing the sky, accompanied by a faint roar reminiscent of a ferocious beast. Lin Jie reappeared in the vast sky. The flames that had enveloped him vanished completely.

"A demon...this is simply another demon!" The man stared at Lin Jie in shock at the sight before him.

On the other side, the burly man who had been sent flying by Lin Jie's punch finally stood up. Beside him, a person with an eagle's head stood quietly. On one of his hands, a symbol radiating a continuous life force was emitting a faint glow. With the release of the light, the burly man's arm, which Lin Jie had almost crippled with a single punch, was instantly restored to its original state.

Before Lin Jie could utter any further words, the staff in the eagle-headed man's hand erupted with powerful energy. A force strong enough to pierce through everything shot directly towards Lin Jie.

However, this force ultimately failed to harm Lin Jie.

A longsword appeared in Lin Jie's hand—a black longsword radiating a red light. With the sword's appearance, Lin Jie's figure changed once more; his blood-red eyes fixed on the attack hurtling towards him. Now, they were no longer facing Lin Jie, but Zero!

'Zero - Trial'

As the trial began, the sky, which had been brightly lit by the carriage, suddenly turned dark. In its place, a huge, blood-red sword light, representing death, streaked across the sky, piercing through the darkness.

"This is not what a hero should look like, nor what a god should look like. He looks more like..." The burly man watching this scene said with slight shock.

“He’s more like a demon.” Another man dressed similarly appeared beside him: “This is not an opponent we can defeat alone. Even if a god appeared, he would not be afraid. This time, we must all fight together.”

"Speaking of which, it seems we live in different eras, in different legends," a lifelike man in armor said to the other two. Behind him, several other figures dressed in different costumes appeared.

“Yes, our times are completely different. So which knightly order do you belong to? The Fiona Knights, or the Knights of the Round Table?” a man with a bow and arrow suddenly jumped out and asked.

Not only that, but a large number of people dressed in different clothes have appeared here one after another, but they all have one thing in common: they all have some kind of divinity about them. Even if they don't have divinity, they all have traces of mysterious power surrounding them.

To confront the black entity in the sky, beings from different eras, mythologies, and legends, once hailed as demigods or heroes, have gathered and launched an attack on Lin Jie.

Perhaps this will set the stage for the first direct clash between the heroes of the old mythological era and the heroes of the new world?

Just as this event ended, Lin Jie's divine speed suddenly shifted, and he immediately threw a punch from the spot. This punch, delivered out of thin air, was devoid of any fancy moves, but as soon as Lin Jie's fist finished, a man's figure appeared in front of him. This man was none other than the messenger who had brought Lin Jie here earlier, the man wearing flying shoes.

"As expected, I'll just break your legs." Facing this person who kept bothering him like a fly, Lin Jie simply said calmly.

Almost simultaneously, nearly a hundred attacks from different directions erupted around Lin Jie, all aimed at him.

But Lin Jie ignored these attacks and continued to slash at the man's leg: "I'm sparing your life so you can pass on my message. Tell the gods behind you that I'm here waiting for their arrival."

As soon as Lin Jie finished speaking, all the attacks came crashing down on him. Faced with such attacks, a shield appeared in front of Lin Jie, and with the appearance of the shield, nine fire dragons began to roar continuously between heaven and earth.

Chapter 37