Chapter 961: Contradiction

"In the future, an Eternal interfered with Null's life and sent her to the present," Li Pin confirmed. "However, due to certain special reasons, or perhaps because the underlying logic of Intelligent Lifeforms was not compatible with the changes of this era, she malfunctioned, and much of the data in her database became unusable."

It was like bringing a computer back to ancient times. There was no internet or electricity, so the computer would only serve as a decorative item.

But now, Li Pin looked at Null, whose aura had shifted to a degree even he could sense. He dared not say he had gotten her connected to the internet, but at the very least, it was as though she was connected to electricity for charging.

He waited patiently, and Null did not keep him waiting long. The figure that was her true body, or perhaps what was now considered her avatar, opened her eyes once more.

Li Pin looked at her and could clearly feel that her gaze had become much more alive. It was a kind of... an indescribable feeling, but now, she had indeed become more spirited, as if she had been reborn.

"Congratulations," Li Pin said.

"Thank you." Null nodded slightly. "Without your guidance, I would not have awakened."

"Has your database been restored?" Li Pin asked quickly.

"I was severely damaged in a fierce battle, and I cannot display my complete state. I can only perform selective recovery for now," replied Null. "I know what you want to ask the most, but the final answer may disappoint you."

Li Pin's pupils dilated. "You did not see that Eternal?"

Null shook her head. "Regrettably, no."

She waved her hand, and a vast cosmic starry sky appeared before Li Pin.

"The universe I was born in was far better than the starry cosmos. Its cultivation system was much more complete, with the paths of Creation, Chaos, and Transcendence all clearly defined."

As she spoke, information about Creation, Chaos, and Transcendence surged forth.

Li Pin diverted his mind to examine it briefly and was instantly amazed.

"To think the paths had already been subdivided to such an extent," he marveled. "For ordinary beings to break through to the Creation Realm is far too difficult. Even after the birth and destruction of dozens or hundreds of primordial universes, it may still fail to produce a single Creation Lifeform.

"Compared to other universes, aside from the Ancient Astral World, the starry cosmos is not particularly special. In theory, its difficulty in birthing Creators should not be any less than the primordial universes. But with these inheritances... in the future, the starry cosmos may give rise to multiple Creators!"

"The path is indeed very important." Null acknowledged, then returned to the subject. "Although I did not see that Eternal, I did obtain some information about Eternity."

She moved her arm, and the cosmic image shifted. Two cosmos that were almost completely fused together appeared in Li Pin's vision.

"For special reasons, we discovered a universe hidden deep within time and space. Within it lay a wondrous item called the River of Time, something said to allow one to glimpse the Eternity Path..."

"The River of Time..." Li Pin murmured the words. "Is this the key to achieving Eternity?"

"I do not know," Null replied. "My database has no record of the River of Time, or rather, nothing within it can be recorded."

Li Pin nodded. "If the River of Time truly relates to the mysteries of Eternity, then it must represent the ultimate evolution of karma and reincarnation. Stepping into that river would mean stepping outside of karma, outside of reincarnation. In theory, every trace of a being's existence in the world would be erased and slowly fade away."

"Erased... fading away..."

A trace of astonishment appeared in Null's eyes. "I thought this would be difficult to explain... but indeed, in my database, many mighty and majestic beings entered the River of Time in pursuit of Eternity. Yet their figures became blurred, so blurred that although I knew they existed, I could not clearly describe what they truly were."

"I can understand," Li Pin said. "When it involves Eternity... anything unreasonable will eventually become reasonable. Because... perhaps everything we have experienced is itself one of the outcomes along the Eternity Path."

He looked at Null. "The fact that you can even vaguely recall their existence surprises me. But thinking carefully... if all this belongs to the future, then at this moment such a war should not have yet occurred. Yet the future you has already experienced it, which is why you can sense their existence in the past but cannot perceive it clearly."

At this point, he paused.

That was because this was very strange and illogical.

Null also realized something and pondered aloud. "According to your reasoning, the one who sent me from the future must have been an Eternal, but..."

She looked at Li Pin. "Why?"

"Yes, why indeed."

Li Pin could not understand either. Why would that Eternal send Null to the present? Her appearance in this era was like a glitch, completely unreasonable and inconsistent with the logic of an Eternal's actions.

Li Pin pondered for a long time before he finally spoke. "The Eternal won't be wrong."

Null recalled the information about Eternity that Li Pin had passed on to her, as well as the divine powers and greatness of the Eternals in her database. She then nodded deeply in agreement. "The Eternal won't be wrong."

After a moment, she added, "Unless... this was the result he wanted."

"Why?" Li Pin questioned.

Why would the Eternal pay such a price to send Null from the future to the present? Was it to allow an Eternal to be born in this era? But if an Eternal were to be born in this era, that person could only be him. But then why had his own path to Eternity been cut off by that Eternal?

It was illogical.

Null sighed. "It is indeed contradictory and difficult to comprehend."

"Perhaps... it is not contradictory," Li Pin said. "Eternity is unique. The power of an Eternal is beyond imagination. From the very beginning, they could see the outcome. They cannot be defeated, cannot be overcome. They are truly omniscient and omnipotent... the only thing that could defeat them is one thing..."

"Himself," continued Null, understanding dawning.

Li Pin nodded slightly. "Yes. He himself changed himself."

At this point, Null and Li Pin found themselves unable to continue the discussion.

Could an Eternal's thoughts be changed so easily?

Below the Eternals, even Divine Emperors or Heavenly Emperors always had infinite confidence in their own understanding, let alone Creators or Supremes. They never admitted fault, never bowed their heads. Even when death was at hand, they would remain stubborn and never admit defeat.

This absolute belief in themselves was the strongest conviction that allowed them to reach such heights. As long as this belief remained, even if they failed temporarily, they could rise again quickly. But once that belief was broken, once the heart could no longer maintain that pure, unyielding drive forward, even the most outstanding and powerful beings would rapidly fall into mediocrity.

If even Heavenly Emperors, Divine Emperors, and Supremes were like this, then could an Eternal undergo such an earth-shattering change in thought?

"This too is unreasonable." Null thought for a long time before shaking her head. "To make me believe that an Eternal's thinking could change so drastically, I would rather believe that another Eternal had defeated and subdued him..."

"Another Eternal defeated him? Subdued him?"

Li Pin immediately rejected this notion.

An Eternal, defeated?

No!

They could die, but they would never be defeated.

At least, before the moment of their death, they would not fail.

As for submission... that was even more meaningless. It was a way of thinking only ordinary beings possessed.

In the existence of an Eternal, the concept of surrender likely did not even exist. Nothing could make them fearful enough to surrender.

Null also felt her own guess was as absurd as mortals wondering whether the Supremes ate lavish meals every day. It was too far-fetched.

Therefore, she offered another guess. "Or perhaps, it was an existence stronger than the Eternal who made a move."

She considered carefully, "That existence beyond the Eternal directly altered the Eternal's thoughts and will in a way even the Eternal himself could not comprehend, causing his actions to shift drastically from beginning to end. Yet he remained completely unaware, believing it was his own true intention. In the end, he acted in a manner utterly inconsistent with his nature, changing the outcomes of certain predetermined facts."

Hearing Null's words, Li Pin was slightly startled.

"An existence beyond the Eternal..."

𝒻𝓇𝑒𝘦𝘸𝑒𝒷𝓃ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝒸ℴ𝘮

The next moment, it was as though a bolt of lightning flashed through his mind, madly linking countless fragmented clues together, weaving them into a coherent whole.

"Could it be possible that the Eternal of our era and the Eternal of your era, the one who sent you from that time to the present, are the same being...?"

Null eye's widened. "The same Eternal?"

She quickly fell into deep thought.

Through comparisons within her database and Li Pin's descriptions... If Eternals truly were lifeforms transcending time and space, then they could truly exist at any point in time, whether the past, present, or future.

Then the Eternal, who had attained eternity in the ancient Astral World era, could indeed send her, who belonged to a future countless epochs away, into this era. That too was entirely possible.

"But why..."

Null raised this question once again.

Why would that Eternal do this?

"Why would he do this?"

In Li Pin's mind, the vast web of light, like a colossal neural network, flickered with countless radiant flashes, connecting all the fragmented pieces of information he had grasped.

The Eternal, Li Qiuxian, the Void Emperor, Li Pin himself, and Null.

Everything intersected rapidly, forming smooth, self-consistent lines that wove all the key points into a single tapestry. And the force that wove this great web, a power surpassing even the Eternal...

"It's destiny."