Heroes Return

Since we can't eliminate it, let's make it disappear forever.

With this in mind, and leveraging his status as the creator of the new gods, Solomon employed the only binding technique effective against them. It was this binding that permanently imprisoned the new gods within the pillar. Because of the promise of creation, the new gods could never voluntarily leave that pillar.

Having exhausted everything, Solomon was also nearly powerless, and finally fell into a deep sleep. Before she fell asleep, she didn't even have time to make any further arrangements.

However, after she and all the demons fell into a deep sleep, something unexpected happened.

That was the other self she initially created. After a long period of automatic operation and simulation of her personality, the other gradually developed consciousness and began to study the wisdom collected by Solomon. After all, in the Dharma-ending Age, the Demon Realm was quite peaceful, and she had plenty of time to read and learn.

Of course, this was limited to learning; truly mastering the magical power learned was impossible. Even the most skilled mages of that era were unable to wield powerful magic.

……

"You mean, that person is Xiaoqian?" Lin Jie couldn't help but be a little surprised.

“Yes, because she’s been playing me for so long, I’ve instilled a lot of my personality traits into her, and it seems she’s unconsciously inherited them.” Solomon smiled and said to Lin Jie, “As for why she didn’t use my name directly, I think it’s probably because she doesn’t want to become me? Through her actions with you, I can clearly see that she wants to break away from me, or rather, she wants to completely get rid of me and become a completely independent person! What an unexpected development!”

"Is this why she left the Demon Realm?"

“Of course, that’s exactly right,” Solomon said with a smile. “She didn’t know I would wake up soon, and that she would ultimately be just my puppet. So she needed to increase her power, and for a demon, the fastest way to increase power is through soul trading. Undoubtedly, her first soul trading partner was you! Although I don’t know where she got such an interesting commodity as True Martial Hundred Battles, there’s no doubt she gave this power to the most suitable person, isn’t there?”

Hehe, I really don't know if this was her luck or her misfortune! Speaking of which, there's something I've always been very curious about: how exactly did she die? And why did you survive? As far as I know, the True Martial Hundred Battles technique is the shortest-lived of the Eight True Martial Gates. Similarly, it's also the most terrifying technique in the East used for revenge or mutual destruction. Because no matter what method the user uses, they cannot escape death. And in ten thousand years, you are the only one.”

"I'm sorry, I'm also wondering what method she used, but recently it seems we've made some progress." As Lin Jie said this, Shi Hu unconsciously clenched his fist: "What exactly is the starlight of dawn?"

“I don’t know. No one knows its true nature, not even a god. Where does it come from? Why does it appear? No god has appeared, but I can tell you with certainty that without that power, life wouldn’t even have been born on this planet,” Solomon said calmly.

"Really? It truly is a miracle," Lin Jie said helplessly.

"Do you know why I said it was a miracle you survived?" Solomon seemed to understand something as she said this, but she didn't intend to delve any further: "You know what? Originally, the end of this cataclysmic event was supposed to be hundreds of millions of years from now."

"A few...a few hundred million years from now?"

“Otherwise, why call it the next era? You know, after the cataclysm of the last era ended, all that was left were some dinosaur fossils.” Solomon said with a smile, “It seems that the will of the world is using this method to cleanse those existences that are too defying the heavens for this world.”

"..."

"What's wrong? Isn't it terrible? To use an Eastern saying, it's like the saying, 'Heaven is merciless.'"

"No, I don't think there's anything wrong with that," Lin Jie suddenly said. "Although words like 'defying fate' and 'the injustice of heaven' sound very powerful and domineering, upon closer reflection, it seems that the appearance of the end-of-days calamity is merely to protect the weak. Moreover, the world seems to have given humans and other creatures the space to evolve and become stronger. Perhaps, what the world's will desires is the evolution of the whole, rather than the strength of any single entity?"

Lin Jie smiled and said to Solomon.

"It really sounds like what those old Confucian scholars who advocate following the will of Heaven would say."

"I suddenly understand them a little better. After all, a saint is a saint."

"Hehe, so this time, the descent of the gods is also the will of the world! Why do you intend to fight against it to the end? This is different from what you just said!" Solomon suddenly asked Lin Jie with a grin.

"I just can't stand by and watch innocent people be slaughtered," Lin Jie said calmly. "If changing the world is based on massacres that destroy civilizations, I can't tolerate it. And like I said, humanity is evolving as a whole, isn't it?"

“Alright, let’s not talk about this anymore. Actually, both I and the gods should have perished in the end times! We’ve long understood this fate; we were just prolonging our lives.” Solomon suddenly said, “But the end times ended hundreds of millions of years early.”

"Nicholas Bean".

“That’s right, it’s this person and the starlight of dawn he once used. This power can directly change the entire world.” Solomon said calmly, “So we did not perish, and the gods will not be willing to perish. But now, human society has developed stronger and stronger, to the point that it is almost beyond the control of the gods. So they mainly use the power of the new gods to recreate a world, to make human civilization regress and return to the mythical era.”

"Isn't their strength enough?"

"They may be able to change the landscape of a country or a region. But they cannot change the course of the entire world," Solomon said calmly. "Once the gods release the new gods, the current world will come to an end. And what's even more terrifying is that this time, the will of the world is on the side of the gods."

"..." Upon hearing the other party's words, Lin Jie paused for a moment and then asked Solomon, "Where is the new god? I'll go and stab him right now."

"Hehe, if you were to intervene, perhaps this could end right away! After all, only you could kill him, right?" Solomon said calmly, "Why is a ball of spaghetti flying in the sky?"

"Hey! That's a sudden change in tone, isn't it?" Hearing the other person's words, Lin Jie couldn't help but show a puzzled expression. But the next second, a giant meatball fell and destroyed a building...

"Holy crap! There really is a ball of spaghetti flying in the sky!!!" Seeing the scene in the sky, Lin Jie looked somewhat helpless: "Sorry, I'll have to go for a bit."

"Wait! You'd better come with me right now. If you want to completely protect the world, the key is to get rid of that guy in the pillar." Solomon suddenly stopped Lin Jie.

"I'm sorry, but I can't stand by and watch ordinary people get hurt under my nose." As he spoke, black energy began to emanate from Lin Jie's body.

"If you get bogged down for the sake of a few, you may not be able to save the majority of people in the end."

"If you can't even protect a few people, how can you protect the whole world?" Lin Jie calmly replied, "My heroic philosophy is: Not a single one can be lost!"

After saying that, Lin Jie disappeared from the spot.

Although it was frustrating, Solomon ultimately couldn't stop Lin Jie. It seemed he could only wait until Lin Jie dealt with the spaghetti in the sky before facing the new gods.

However, without a doubt, Evan didn't want Zero to come into contact with the mind so soon. Therefore, gods began to descend from all over the world. Although he knew this might be suicide, as long as Zero could be held back, all sacrifices would be worthwhile. Evan knew very well that Zero wouldn't abandon the disaster before him.

Chapter 53

While Zero was constantly battling the mythical creatures that kept appearing, in another special base on Earth, Cold Flame, Torus, Captain Zheng, and the Master of Miracles appeared in a room at the same time.

"Is this secret base the condition you negotiated with the gods?" Captain Justice asked Cold Flame with suspicion. "What exactly is this place?"

"Antimatter! The largest antimatter reserves humanity currently possesses. And it could explode at any moment." Upon hearing Captain Justice's words from Ivan, Leng Yan calmly replied. However, his words sent a chill down the spines of everyone present.

"Are you crazy, Leng Yan!" Captain Justice grabbed Leng Yan's collar again, but Leng Yan seemed to be used to it. He simply waved his hand, signaling Captain Justice to let go.

“I’ve only just retired, and I don’t want my retirement to end so soon, especially in hell.” Captain Justice released Cold Flame and returned to his seat. “You’d better give me an explanation for what you’re doing.”

"After the last incident in the Otherworld, I finally confirmed one thing: the origin from the gods." Leng Yan's voice remained calm, but his words made everyone present uneasy.

"The Origin of the Gods!"

"The origin of the gods." After glancing at his watch, Leng Yan said, "The gods originated from human imagination, and at the same time, they have grown stronger through human faith in them."

"Wait! If it's just a fantasy of most people, gods couldn't possibly have been born! That doesn't make sense!" Torus asked in confusion. "In that case, we just need to think about a stronger being defeating the gods."

"First, we need the faith of most people, and we also need a special place." Leng Yan said this, and everyone understood.

"You mean, the gods originated from the other world?!" The Master of Miracles finally spoke up, "I never imagined you would find out about this, Leng Yan. What exactly have you been doing behind our backs?"

"That's right. The gods originated from the other world, born from human imagination, and grew powerful through human faith. Ultimately, they broke through the other world and came into the human world with their immense power. This is why there are so many entrances to the other world in the world, because those passages were opened up by the power of the gods. Therefore, if there is a force in the world that absolutely cannot allow the extinction of humanity, then the gods are undoubtedly that force."

"Is this why you're hoarding this antimatter?" Captain Zheng asked with a serious expression. "Without humanity, the gods will also disappear. So you plan to use antimatter bombs to threaten them! To force peace through the threat of mutual destruction? But have you considered the consequences? Humanity could very well perish as a result?"

“I know, so this is the last resort.” Leng Yan’s expression remained calm, even cold.

"Does the World Government know about this?"

“I only told them to develop weapons,” Leng Yan said calmly, “but I didn’t tell them who the weapons were aimed at.”

"You're absolutely insane! If that's really the case, humanity is doomed!" Torus exclaimed. "No one will agree to what you're doing! You're gambling with the lives of everyone in the world!!!"

"If we don't want to be puppets manipulated by them, if we don't want to be pigs living happily in a fantasy world! We must be prepared to die! Even if it means mutual destruction!!!" Leng Yan's voice was still so cold: "Peace, or die together! This is the answer we, who are far weaker than the enemy, give."

"If outsiders knew about your decision, you would be ruined! The World Government would not allow you to make such a decision!" Captain Zheng said to Leng Yan, "Why don't you believe that we can win? Even if you don't believe in us, at least we should believe in Zero! He has never let us down."

“Yes! Zero is incredibly powerful, and has never let us down.” Leng Yan’s expression changed as he said this: “We’ve analyzed Zero’s power before. During the time Zero disappeared, we thought we were capable of protecting this world in Zero’s place, didn’t we? But what actually happened? Zero was still cleaning up our messes, wasn’t he? I have to admit, we did underestimate Zero’s power, and Zero did indeed reach the strength we imagined. So we all unconsciously believed one thing: even if this guy wins, it doesn’t matter, Zero will clean up my mess! The world will be fine!”

As a person with a cold appearance, Leng Yan rarely speaks so much at once.

"But have you thought about this? How long can we continue to rely on Zero? What will we do if Zero fails? Will we just wait to die? One thing I'm very clear about is that we can't rely on Zero forever!"

“But even without relying on Zero, at least we won’t be in such a dire situation…” The Master of Miracles wanted to say something more.

“I know this is too dangerous. We could very well wipe out humanity altogether,” Leng Yan said calmly. “That’s why I said this is our last resort. It’s our last resort after we’ve determined that we can’t defeat the enemy.”

"But Leng Yan, if it really comes to that point you mentioned, and the gods are unwilling to back down, what do you plan to do?" Master of Miracles suddenly asked this question.

"I will not hesitate to detonate antimatter and take them with me!" Leng Yan's words were very calm, but also very cold.

"Your ability may be cold, but your personality is like a raging fire!" In the end, the Master of Miracles sighed helplessly.

"I know that doing this is extremely threatening, and it will only be met with opposition and moral condemnation from all over the world. After all, I am playing with the lives of all mankind! At the same time, I am also depriving those on the gods' reserved list of the right to live. So there is only one person in charge this time, and that is me, Leng Yan! The reason I am telling you this is neither to ask you to stop me nor to ask you to get involved. I am just informing you because I feel that you have the right to know the choice I have made."

"Was it really necessary to go this far?"

“Humans have always been looked down upon, seen as weak by those beings. I just hope they understand that they should never underestimate the weak!” Leng Yan said as he walked outside. “From now on, this area will be under strict protection.”

After hearing Leng Yan's words, the others exchanged glances but ultimately said nothing, simply following Leng Yan out.

"You know what? Rather than calling you a hero, I now think your actions are more like those of a criminal," Captain Justice said helplessly to Leng Yan.

"The real world isn't a fairy tale where justice inevitably triumphs over evil, and heroes always survive. Unfortunately, the real world isn't like that; overly righteous actions are often less effective than the actions of criminals," Leng Yan said calmly.

"Is this why you've hired these wanted criminals?" Master of Miracles narrowed his eyes as he looked at the superhumans walking around nearby. "How did you convince these criminals to work for you? If I remember correctly, these should all be wanted fugitives, right?"

"The reason they were able to evade the heroes' pursuit was mostly because I provided them with intelligence." Now that things had come to this point, Leng Yan was quite frank and didn't hesitate to tell the truth: "So when I recruited them, they immediately agreed."

"Wait! You're saying you've been secretly helping wanted criminals?" Torus's face twitched involuntarily.

“They are indeed wanted criminals, but in my eyes, they are also heroes.”

“Cold Flame, I think we need some explanation.” Captain Justice asked Cold Flame again, “Why are you secretly helping criminals? Don’t forget you’re a hero of the Hero Association.”

"Criminals? They are indeed criminals, but precisely because they are criminals, it's easier for them to help me carry out justice." Leng Yan said calmly, "Do you know that there are many people we clearly know are criminals? We've confirmed that they committed many things, but we can't punish them! The reason is that we can't find evidence of their crimes! Or they have excellent lawyers who help them overturn their cases, resulting in many criminals being released again soon after being arrested. And since the light of justice is ineffective in dealing with these people, we can only rely on darker methods."

"Are you talking about these people?" the Master of Miracles asked, frowning.

“A world-class organization cannot be sustained by light alone,” Leng Yan said calmly. “That’s why the Hero Association needs something dark. But most of the people here are brainwashed idiots.”

"So you've been secretly collaborating with these wanted criminals all along?"

“I’ve already said it! They’re not evil! In fact, these people are also pursuing justice, but some things have deprived them of the opportunity to become heroes in the sunlight. But their sense of justice is beyond doubt, so I gave them the opportunity to become heroes in the darkness.”

"Leng Yan, how many things have you done behind our backs these past few years?"

“A lot,” Leng Yan said calmly. “More than you can imagine, and I have no intention of defending myself for any of my crimes. If those things come to light, you just need to make sure they’re thrown in jail.”

“Is this really okay? We are heroes! But you’re acting more like a dangerous politician right now,” Captain Justice couldn’t help but say to Cold Flame once again.

“Naive justice cannot support the Hero Association.”

In the end, Leng Yan only responded with this sentence before continuing to walk deeper into the corridor.

-------------Chapter Dividing Line---------------

Looking at Leng Yan's retreating figure, the other three couldn't help but exchange bewildered glances.

"Should we stop him?" the Master of Miracles suddenly asked his two old friends.

"Perhaps he's not qualified as a hero," Captain Zheng said helplessly, "but as a human being, perhaps he's the one with the most backbone?"

Having said that, the others fell silent. Regardless, until a more suitable solution to the crisis was found, Leng Yan's method might be more effective. After all, if the gods didn't want to perish from an antimatter explosion, they still needed to exercise some restraint.

Even the power of the gods couldn't protect the world in the event of an antimatter explosion. While the gods possess the power to alter the rules, the scope of their alterations is ultimately limited; they cannot cover the entire planet, whereas the antimatter explosion would destroy the entire Earth. In a sense, as science advances to a certain level, the boundary between it and magic naturally shrinks.

However, both Leng Yan and the members of the Hero Association underestimated one thing: the intelligence capabilities of the gods. For the gods, if they wanted to know something about the world, they always had a way to find out.