Chapter Ten: A Shocking Truth

“I didn’t expect you to be so cheerful,” Zhou Yu teased.

Du Niang quickly stuck out her pink tongue and made a funny face, then asked, “Huh? Why aren’t you the least bit discouraged?”

Zhou Yu pointed up at the shattered crimson river above their heads and said, “I was just an ordinary person to begin with. Although I always thought I was pretty capable, I never imagined I could be some kind of savior. After arriving here, I was tempted by the possibility, but what weighed more heavily on me was survival—how to stay alive. I don’t want to die, so I must become stronger. Who knows? Maybe one of those so-called S-rank powerhouses from the Heavenly Way you mentioned will come to kill me, so I’ve been fighting with everything I have.”

He paused before continuing, “But now, I’ve become a cripple. I doubt any assassins from the Heavenly Way would even bother with me. I’m safer than ever.”

“I find your thoughts hard to understand, but I can sense your unwillingness. You’re just trying to comfort yourself,” Du Niang said.

“You’re right. I am unwilling, but I have to accept reality. I can only try to see the bright side; it’s the only way I’ll feel a little better.”

“So, do you feel any better?”

Zhou Yu waved his hand dismissively. “I don’t know. Can you tell me what you know now?”

“Avoiding the pain by changing the subject?” Du Niang mused, then began to recount what she knew.

“What I told you about the Heavenly Way and the Asura Path is true—I wasn’t lying.”

“As for whether you really are the reincarnation of the Asura King, no one can be sure. But Minas and the other two are convinced you are, so they treat you a bit better. The other transmigrators were likely found by other Asuras, those whom they believed might be the Asura King reborn.”

“There are a few questions—never mind, go on. I’ll ask after you finish,” Zhou Yu said, furrowing his brows as he sat down in the void.

“The original program was indeed to help you grow stronger, to reveal the truth to you, and guide you until you regained your divinity. But later, another program was added. That’s what I’ve been doing.”

“Who added the extra program?”

“Einstein. He designed me—I was the first, at the time hailed as the most perfect computer,” Du Niang said, her face clouded with a trace of nostalgia.

“You’re not a perfect computer anymore. You’re something else entirely. Maybe that’s why the last program he set for you was self-destruction—he just never expected you to evolve so fast,” Zhou Yu speculated.

“If that extra program wasn’t there at the start but was added later, it’s highly likely that Einstein was blackmailed by the Heavenly Way, or maybe even defected to them.” Zhou Yu stopped analyzing and asked, “Why am I the only transmigrator from China?”

“I don’t know. Maybe it has something to do with the Eastern Celestial Realm’s departure.”

“The Eastern Celestial Realm’s departure? What do you mean?” Zhou Yu asked.

“A long, long time ago, the Eastern Celestial Realm and the Western Divine Realm jointly ruled the Six Paths. Then, for some unknown reason, conflict broke out between the two, and the Eastern Celestial Realm withdrew from this plane. They never appeared again. After that, the first great war between the Heavenly Way and the Asura Path broke out, and now we’re in the midst of the second great war,” Du Niang replied.

Zhou Yu stood and stretched. Just then, he noticed countless green specks of light appearing in the void, gradually tinting the inky darkness with a faint green glow.

“What’s happening?” Zhou Yu asked.

“Someone must be giving you healing medicine,” Du Niang answered.

The green lights were absorbed by the shattered crimson river. The river wasn’t restored, but the red fluid inside calmed, its wildness subdued.

“So, every move the Asuras make is within the Heavenly Way’s calculations. The Asura faction may have sent suspected reincarnations of the Asura King into this world, not realizing the Heavenly Way planted time bombs in each transmigrator. It’s a conspiracy,” Zhou Yu said, shaking his fist in frustration. He thought the Heavenly Way was truly shameless.

“So what now?” Du Niang asked.

Zhou Yu lowered his head in thought, then looked up at her with sudden seriousness. “Tell me some gossip. From what you’ve said, the history of the human world must be far from simple.”

“Yes, the truth about the Heavenly Way and the Asura Path has been hidden. In reality, human history is simply the history of their struggle.”

“Almost every major event in history was manipulated by the Heavenly Way or the Asura Path. Take the recent Second World War for example—it was actually a battle for dominance over humanity between the two factions,” Du Niang said, her words spilling out with the zeal of a seasoned gossip.

“Let me guess,” Zhou Yu interrupted. “The Allies were controlled by the Asura Path, and the Axis by the Heavenly Way, right?”

Du Niang nodded.

“And Einstein was an Asura. The creation of the atomic bomb—he must have leaked the technology to the Americans. That’s strong evidence,” Zhou Yu continued.

“But that doesn’t explain why the defeated weren’t wiped out,” Zhou Yu pressed. “If the Heavenly Way and Asura Path are mortal enemies, why weren’t the Axis powers carved up after their defeat?”

“The strength the Heavenly Way left in this world isn’t very great, and not many Asuras broke through the seal to reach the surface. Einstein was one Asura, and Hitler was one of the gods. Do you know why Hitler wanted to exterminate all the Jews? Because the Jewish people have the purest Asura bloodline among humans,” Du Niang explained, as though recounting the most ordinary facts.

“That’s… that actually makes sense! It almost sounds plausible,” Zhou Yu said, not quite convinced.

Seeing his skepticism, Du Niang pressed on, “Why has humanity’s technology exploded in the last century? Many inventions were actually results of reverse engineering—studying things the Asuras already possessed. Do you think creating atomic bombs and manned spacecraft is that easy?”

“The way to distinguish between the forces of the Heavenly Way and the Asura Path is actually simple. Usually, religions are founded by the Heavenly Way—they grow stronger by absorbing human faith. Organizations and societies tend to be Asura-run, like the Skull and Bones in America, the Tongmenghui from before, and infamous gangs such as the Mafia and the Black Dragon Society.”

Zhou Yu listened, his heart pounding. If Du Niang was telling the truth, it would completely upend his worldview.

“After you crossed over, I imagine all humanity learned these secrets. With the second war of the Six Paths upon us, such things are no longer hidden,” Du Niang said.

“The Six Paths? Does that mean the others are involved in the war, too?” Zhou Yu asked.

“The Heavenly Way seeks to unify the Six Paths, waging war after war. In recent years, after defeating the Asura Path, they also conquered the Beast Path. Of course, the battles didn’t happen on Earth, so humans weren’t affected. Otherwise, would the Heavenly Way have waited until now to launch the second war?” Du Niang answered.

“The Beast Path—is that like the demon races in this world?” Zhou Yu asked.

“You could say that. The Beast Path has been completely lost. Thirty thousand years ago, the four Great Demon Saints were utterly annihilated,” Du Niang said.

Zhou Yu wanted to ask more, but suddenly a white light shot through the void, gradually illuminating all of heaven and earth.

A voice rang out, “What? They’ve all exploded?”

PS: Please give me a recommendation vote… With a deep bow to everyone.