Chapter 2861: The Seed of Reproduction

Waves crashed down on Zu An’s heart. He finally understood what was going on.

The Order Ceremony was a trap.

On the surface, it was a ritual for the Universal Conglomerate and the Holy Knight Order to pay respect to the Deity of Order, but many higher-ups in both the Universal Conglomerate and the Holy Knight Order had already betrayed Order. Some had defected to Annihilation, and others had defected to Reproduction.

The Deity of Reproduction and the Deity of Annihilation had struck a deal to cooperate against the Deity of Order in this world.

Order’s jurisdiction was spread out far too broadly, whereas Reproduction tended to expand chaotically. That had led to many clashes between both factions.

The Deity of Order had been waiting for their worshipers’ tribute when they sensed something going awry in the Order Ceremony. They could tell that other universal deities were tampering with the Order Ceremony.

This world was a unique place, where the powers of several universal deities overlapped. Karma was obscured here, such that even the universal deities struggled to sense what was happening in here.

So, the Deity of Order had descended upon this world, hoping to see what was going on. They had possessed the body of the highest-ranking First Elder Oberon.

The Annihilation Progenitor hadn't prepared such an elaborate scheme just to let the Deity of Order escape. Universal deities were weakened when they possessed the body of a worshiper. In this case, the Annihilation Progenitor had been scheming for a long time now, whereas the Deity of Order was caught off guard.

The outcome wouldn't have been a surprise to anyone.

Li Zicheng’s blood tendrils fell one after another. His rate of recovery couldn’t keep up with the rate of annihilation.

Zu An watched the scene with bated breath while remaining concealed in the Annals of History.

Mortals couldn’t hope to interfere in a fight between universal deities, even if the latter had been weakened many times over after descending. Should it become known that he had overheard such a secret, he would surely be killed many times over.

Fortunately, Time Scribes and Mirror Scribes wielded concealment powers, so they could eavesdrop on the happenings of the world. Otherwise, they couldn’t learn about the secrets of the world.

It was thanks to the compounded concealment power of the two roles, as well as the fact that the Annihilation Progenitor wasn’t at his full strength and was occupied with his fight against the Deity of Reproduction, that Zu An was able to go unnoticed.

The terrifying energy rippling from the mountain caused the Annihilation soldiers to turn pale, and they retreated even further away. Zhao Xiaodie was worried, knowing that Zu An had gone onto Jiugong Mountain.

Jiugong Mountain has already been leveled many times over. Will he be in danger?

Tang Tian’er remarked with a smile, “Don’t worry, princess. He’ll be fine.”

Zhao Xiaodie frowned.

Isn’t she from the Hub of Freedom? She shouldn’t be on good terms with Zu An either. So, why is she acting like she knows him very well?

Despite her confidence in Zu An, she couldn’t help but worry after seeing the devastation that had befallen Jiugong Mountain and sensing the overwhelming auras that seemed to belong to universal deities.

How can she be so certain that big brother Zu is all right?

Zhao Xiaodie tried to probe, but Tang Tian’er merely responded with a smile. That made her clench her jaw in anger.

What a sweet smile this wily vixen has. No wonder big brother Zu is interested in her.

Some time later, the battle concluded. Li Zicheng’s body abruptly exploded into a bloody mist. Soon after, blood rained upon the world. Bushes and trees grew frenziedly, and animals evolved at a ridiculous pace.

The Annihilation Progenitor harrumphed. “You’d rather give your power away than let me have it? Hmph. But as long as your power remains in this world, it’ll be mine in the end.”

The Annihilation Progenitor transformed into countless surges of light that flew in all directions as he sought the origin energy hidden by the Deity of Reproduction.

A long time later, Zu An finally stepped out from the river of time. By then, his back was already drenched in cold sweat. He had ventured onto Jiugong Mountain hoping to find a chance to work with Li Zicheng to pull one over the Conqueror King.

Little had he expected them to be possessed by universal deities.

It’s a huge relief that I haven’t made a move against the Conqueror King thus far, or else I wouldn’t even have known how I died.

This place is too dangerous. I need to leave right away.

Even the lingering auras of the universal deities were so overwhelming that Zu An’s cells went into panic mode. He had to quickly escape elsewhere before his heart would finally calm down.

But a moment later, his face suddenly darkened. He belatedly noticed something abnormal about his surroundings. He had been transported into a world that resembled a womb with wriggling red flesh.

No, it’s not just a single womb. There are countless wombs.

𝒇𝙧𝙚𝓮𝔀𝓮𝒃𝙣𝓸𝒗𝒆𝒍.𝙘𝒐𝒎

This is... Reproduction’s aura! Are they not dead yet?

“No, I’m already dead. This is my lingering will.” It was a frail voice, but it still shook Zu An to his core.

Zu An raised his head and saw it was the wombs talking to him.

Is this Reproduction’s main body?

“No, this isn’t my main body. I have merely manifested in a manner comprehensible to you.”

Zu An was stunned.

I forgot that universal deities can read minds.

He quickly said, “Paying respects to the Deity of Reproduction.”

“You carry the divine powers of Chaos and Enigma, Memory, and Death. No wonder I didn’t notice you earlier,” the Deity of Reproduction remarked.

Zu An was sweating profusely. “But you still found me in the end.”

If the Deity of Reproduction could find him, it stood to reason that the Annihilation Progenitor could do the same as well. He was confident in his ability to fight against Annihilation envoys, but he had absolutely no chance against a universal deity.

“Don’t worry. The Annihilation Progenitor hasn’t found you yet. I was only able to find you because Li Zicheng harbors a strong grudge against you. I was only able to vaguely sense you because of this karmic tie.” The wombs wriggled.

Zu An was speechless.

That Li Zicheng sure is... Is he still harboring a grudge against me over how I crushed his army until he only had eighteen cavalrymen left? Ah, I schemed against him during the Battle of Tong Pass as well.

“You’re a universal deity. Are you really going to die here?” Zu An asked.

“This world is too special. Even though I have only descended with a sliver of my will, losing this part will still result in my main body becoming incomplete. I won’t be a match for the Annihilation Progenitor anymore. They’ll soon come knocking at my door. That’s likely going to be the case with Order as well,” Reproduction said.

“Why don’t you reveal Annihilation’s scheme and band together with other universal deities to deal with them?”

“That’s impossible. The relationships between universal deities can’t be fathomed by mortals.”

Zu An fell silent. Indeed, he couldn’t comprehend that, so he changed the topic and asked, “Is there anything I can do for you?”

He knew that the Deity of Reproduction wouldn’t visit him for no reason. He was already destined to become the Deity of Annihilation’s nemesis, so it would be beneficial for him to help the Deity of Reproduction if possible.

“I need you to help me pass down the Seed of Reproduction.”

“???”